To some people, rock is a lifestyle because of the dressing styles, piercings, and makeup. Many people enjoy this music, and some select bands have enjoyed their early success. Apart from the tattoos, long hair, leather jackets, masks, and painter’s faces, a few elements stand out among rock musicians. Their height.
If you have been keen enough, you would note that most of these artists are taller than the average man. Look at this list of the tallest rock musicians and see if any of your favorites feature.
1. Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon – 6 ft. 8 in (203 cm)
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From Hilversum, Netherlands, we have Arjen Anthony Lucassen as the tallest rock musician in the world. Standing at 6 foot 8, Arjen has maintained his position in Ayreon’s long-running rock opera project. He started his career in 1980 as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist for Blondie, a Dutch rock band. Lucassen plays various instruments, primarily keyboards, guitars, and the banjo.
2. Pete Steele of Type O Negative – 6 ft. 8 in (203 cm)
Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk, popularly known by his stage name Peter Steele was an American rock star and lead vocalist for the gothic metal band Type O Negative. Before creating Type O Negative, Steele was part of Fallout’s metal group and the Thrash band carnivore. While he may be gone for more than 12 years, Peter Steele is still one of the tallest rock musicians at 6 foot 8. Besides his height, he became famous for his vampiric appearance.
3. Krist Novoselic of Nirvana – 6 ft. 7 in (201 cm)
Krist Anthony Novoselic is a bassist and co-founder of the popular rock band Nirvana. Novoselic and Kurt Cobain were the brains behind the Nirvana band in 1987 with drummer Aaron Burckhard. While most people know him for his incredible guitar skills, some identify him with his height. He is around 6 feet and 7 inches tall, making him the 3rd tallest rock musician on record. After the disbandment of Nirvana, Krist has formed multiple bands and is now a bass player for the Giants in the Trees band.
4. Oliver Riedel of Rammstein – 6 ft. 7 in (201 cm)
Oliver Riedel is a German rock musician and bassist for the Neue Deutsche Harte band Rammstein. Riedel started his musical career aged 19 in a punk band known as the Inchtabokatables. Besides his great rock talent, Ollie also has a big body frame. He is 6 and 7 inches tall, probably taller than 90% of all rock stars. However, he is still active in music, and they released their eighth album Zeit in May 2022.
5. Jim Root of Slipknot and Stone Sour – 6 ft. 6 in (198 cm)
Jimmy Root was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1971 and is a famous American guitarist for the heavy metal band Slipknot. He was also the lead guitarist for the rock band Stone Sour and is still active in the music industry. Besides his music accolades, Jim Root is considered one of the tallest rock musicians ever to grace the stage. However, Jim boasts a 6’6″ stature which might have worked to his advantage as a guitarist.
6. Adrian Vandenberg of Whitesnake – 6 ft. 6 in (198 cm)
Adrian Vandenberg is a Dutch rock artist and is regarded as the best guitarist in the Whitesnake band in the 1980s. After leaving Whitesnake, Adrian created two bands; Vandenberg and Vandenberg’s MoonKings. During his peak, people could not help but notice his gigantic body. At 68 years old, Adrian is one of the tallest rock musicians to ever live at 6 foot 6.
7. Mick Fleetwood or Fleetwood Mac – 6 ft. 6 in (198 cm)
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Michael John Kells Fleetwood is the leader and co-founder of the infamous rock band Fleetwood Mac. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998. Although he rarely plays today, he is one of the tallest rock musicians in history. Fleetwood is 6’6″ tall, which only complements his Hall of Fame achievement.
8. Danny Carey of Tool – 6 ft. 5 in (196 cm)
Daniel Edwin Cary, known by the stage name Danny Carey is a songwriter and drummer of the American rock band Tool. He has also been featured in multiple albums by various rock artists. Danny Carey is among the top ten rock musicians who were blessed vertically. He stands at 6’5″, which is quite impressive for a rock artist.
9. Tom Scholz of Boston – 6 ft. 5 in (196 cm)
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David Thomas Scholz is the American rock band Boston’s founder, main guitarist, and songwriter. Today, he is the only original member still in the band and has appeared in all their albums. Tom Scholz is 6 foot 5, ranking him among the tallest rock musicians. One interesting thing about Scholz is that he is a trained engineer from MIT who designed and built his recording studio in his basement.
10. Ed O’Brien of Radiohead – 6 ft. 5 in (196 cm)
Edward John O’Brien is a lead guitarist for the English rock band Radiohead and a solo musician named EOB. Throughout his career, Ed has been a supporting artist for the band and released his first solo album in 2020, dubbed earth. Ed O’Brien might be the 59th greatest guitarist of all time, but he is the 10th tallest rock musician on this list.
11. Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P – 6 ft. 5 in (196 cm)
Christopher John Holmes, AKA Chris Holmes, is a guitarist and heavy metal songwriter who hit the airwaves in the 1970s and 1980s. He gained popularity as the lead guitarist of heavy metal band W.A.S.P, alongside Randy Piper and Blackie Lawless among the founding members. Holmes is 6 foot 5, which puts him on the list of the tallest rock musicians ever.
12. Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big and Racer X – 6 ft. 4 in (193 cm)
Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American heavy metal and hard rock guitarist and co-founder of the band Mr. Big. He was also part of the band Racer X which they have released multiple albums together. Gilbert was voted 4th best guitarist in GuitarOne magazine in 2007, and despite his talent is among the tallest rock stars. He is 6’4” and is among the top 50 fastest guitarists ever.
13. Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P – 6 ft. 3 in (193 cm)
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Steven Edward Duren, also known as Blackie Lawless, is an American songwriter, singer, and musician. He is better known to be the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band W.A.S.P. Blackie’s height has earned him some attention being 6 feet and 3 inches tall. However, some sources have been quite misleading about his height. Apart from heavy metal, he is also known for Christian metal, glam metal, hard rock, and shock rock.
14. Sebastian Bach of Skid Row – 6 ft. 3 in (191 cm)
Sebastian Philip Bierk, musically known as Sebastian Back, is a Canadian singer who gained mainstream success as the frontline figure for the rock band Skid Row. In addition, he has appeared in multiple films and television shows like Gilmore Girls and Trailer Park Boys. In terms of height, Sebastian Back is one of the rock artists towering over other musicians at 6 feet and 3 inches tall.
15. Sir Russell Allen of Symphony X – 6 ft. 3 in (191 cm)
By Carlo Giovannetti
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Russell Allen is famous for being the lead vocalist of Symphony X, one of today’s most progressive metal bands. He has worked with Allen-Lande, Level 10, supergroups Star one, and be among the 14 Trans-Siberian Orchestra since 2011. Besides that, Russell Allen is a very tall man standing 6 feet and 3 inches tall.
16. DC Cooper of Royal Hunt – 6 ft. 3 in (191 cm)
DC Cooper started his rock star career playing in local bands and touring local clubs in Pittsburg. Cooper got many offers from European and American bands but chose Royal Hunt in 1994. DC is still among the most notable figures in rock music, considering he is 6 ft. 3 in tall. Even though he was fired from Royal Hunt after 2 years, DC went ahead to establish a solid solo career. Luckily, he made it back to the band in 2011 and recorded a new record with them.
17. Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe – 6 ft. 2 in (189 cm)
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Thomas Lee Bass is an American musician and co-founder of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He also founded the rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem and has done well as a solo singer. Tommy Lee is one of the few rock musicians taller than 6 feet.
18. Chip Z’Nuff of Enuff Z’Nuff – 6 ft. 2 in (189 cm)
Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z’Nuff created the rock band Enuff Z’Nuff an American rock band from Blue Island, Illinois. He has been an active band member for over 20 years, releasing over 16 studio albums. While he accomplishes much as a musician, Chip Z’Nuff is one of the tallest rock stars ever. He is 6 feet and 2 inches tall, putting him in the same height category as other legendary figures like Tommy Lee.
We can conclude that rock music gives anyone the platform to shine regardless of their height. But, of course, some of these artists would also rock high boots, making them taller than normal. At least now you know how tall these famous people are.
The dimension of stuff has been an interest of mine ever since I was a child. What I believe is most fascinating about the dimension of stuff is how extremely long, tall and wide some objects are both on earth and in the universe.