Bands still going 40 years later —
David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash came together in the late 1960s and have continually split and reformed through the decades. According to The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Young had become a respected elder statesman of rock by the 1990s. Nash, meanwhile, had become a successful photographer while Crosby had become ill and received a liver transplant. Here, Crosby, Stills and Nash perform in front of a crowd at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 2012.
Bands still going 40 years later —
Blondie formed forty years ago, with Debbie Harry, pictured, as front-woman. "Heart of Glass" was its first big hit, in 1979, and the band followed up with chart-topping singles such as "Call Me" and "Rapture." Here, Harry performs on May 15, 2014 in New York City. Blondie released its latest album, "Ghosts of Download," this week.
Bands still going 40 years later —
Black Sabbath emerged in 1969, and become one of the leading proponents of heavy metal music. The band -- whose front man, Ozzy Osbourne, became known as the Prince of Darkness -- was critically snubbed but sold more than 8 million albums before Osbourne went solo in 1979. Osbourne and other band members then played together intermittently through the 1990s and 2000s, and were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. They joined the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year. Here, Osbourne performs onstage at the Barclays Center of Brooklyn on March 31, 2014 in New York City.
Bands still going 40 years later —
The New York Dolls formed in 1971, and helped drive the punk movement. According to The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, their cross-dressing "captured the outrage and threat of glam." However, tragedy hit the group when drummer Billy Murcia died after suffocating when he mixed alcohol and pills in the band's first England tour. The band played support for Alice Cooper in 2011. Here, the New Yorks Dolls' David Johansen performs at London's Alexandra Palace on October 29, 2011.
Bands still going 40 years later —
The Rolling Stones formed in 1962 and, while the band has taken breaks, it's never broken up. According to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they hold the record for band longevity. The Stones represented the opposite of the Beatles, according to the biography, epitomizing "the darker, bluesier and more boldly sexual side of rock and roll." They are due to play Australian and New Zealand later this year, after postponing due to the death of singer Mick Jagger's partner, designer L'Wren Scott. Here, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards perform at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on March 12, 2014 in Shanghai, China.
Bands still going 40 years later —
AC/DC was formed by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in Sydney, in 1963. "Highway to Hell," in 1979, put them on the U.S. charts and the album "Back in Black," released in 1980, sold more than 22 million copies to become one of the best-selling albums in U.S. history. According to The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, their "rowdy image, giant riffs and macho lyrics" helped make them one of the biggest hard rock bands in history. Here Angus Young of AC/DC performs on stage on the first day of the Download Festival at Donington Park on June 11, 2010 in Derby, England.
Bands still going 40 years later —
The Who started in 1964, and blasted into the charts with their anthem "My Generation." According to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band "didn't just play rock and roll, they attacked their music and their instruments with raw power fueled by teenage rage." In the late 60s and early 70s they released conceptual albums "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia" before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990. Here, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform at the 02 Arena on June 15, 2013 in London, England.
Bands still going 40 years later —
The origins of British instrumental group The Shadows date back to 1958, with Cliff Richard as a key front person. The band disbanded in 1968, but started up again in the 70s. They were then inactive through the 90s but reunited in the mid 2000s. Here, the now Sir Cliff Richard performs with Hank Marvin of The Shadows at Kirstenbosch Gardens to a sold out crowd on 9 March 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Bands still going 40 years later —
The Beach Boys, known as the band who invented California Rock, emerged in the early 1960s after brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson began churning out easy pop hits like "Surfin Safari" and "Surfin U.S.A.," about the West Coast life. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Here, Brian Wilson, David Marks, Mike Love and Al Jardine of The Beach Boys perform at the Royal Albert Hall on September 27, 2012 in London, England.
Bands still going 40 years later —
For 40 years, KISS has been enthralling fans with its hard-rock sound, over-the-top look and pyrotechnic shows. The band's chart success was based on constant and energetic touring -- concerts that were then turned into some best-selling live albums. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Here, Gene Simmons performs on April 11, 2014.
