There’s been a symbiotic relationship between music, musicians and their hairstyles since Og the caveman first beat on a log, today Mcintyres offers up our Top 10 Rock’n’Roll Hairstyles including such icons as Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and… um… Billy Ray Cyrus.
The Quiff
As seen on: Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Morrissey
The king of haircuts in the music world not surprisingly sit atop the head of the man known as The King. And not just Mr Presley, a whole host of rock and pop stars have worn the quiff from one time frontman of The Smiths, Morrissey, to James Brown reincarnated in a young lady, Janelle Monae.
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Mop Top
As seen on: The Beatles / Oasis
Almost as much of a basic as tuning your guitar, the shaggy Mop Top of The Beatles continues to be the style of choice of young men with guitars right up until Oasis and Liam Gallagher. A look you can do yourself at home with a bowl and pair of scissors, it’s low maintenance style that leaves plenty of time for the sex, drugs and rock’n’rolling.
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Dreadlocks
As seen on: Bob Marley et al.
Tied to reggae music and its most famous son Robert Nesta Marley in the minds of music fans, dreadlocks are part of the Rastafarian religion and result from the following of Bible verse Leviticus 21:5,”They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh.”
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Afro
As seen on: Young Michael Jackson/Sly Stone/Lionel Ritchie
Another hairstyle as statement, the afro was a symbol of the 60s civil rights and Black pride movement with everyone from the radical Black Panther group to a young Michael Jackson wearing one. It still has its place with Erykah Badu a current afro ambassador alongside The Roots drummer ?uestlove rocking one on primetime U.S. television as part of the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon chat show house band.
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Long Hair On Men
As seen on: Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and many others
Another, potentially, low maintenance style, the shoulder length hair favoured by hard rockers varies from the greasy travesty of many a fans attempt to ape their idols’ look to the beautifully couffuired Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin who still rocks it today as a pensioner. Special mention for their own niche bubble perm rock look goes to Queens’ Brian May and one time Guns’n’Roses guitarst Slash.
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Mohican
As seen on: ‘Postcard’ Punks
At odds with their scuzzy image, the mohican style favoured by certain Punks takes alot of care especially when it begins to add serious inches to the wearer’s height. Enjoying a resurgance in the early 00s when David Beckham offered up his own sleek take, the true mohican comes alive with increasing length and a choice selection of substances to aid it’s gravity defying nature (old school solutions included glue, egg white or gelatin).
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Mullet
As seen on: Billy Ray Cyrus
Never the ‘coolest’ of music genres, Country’s biggest contribution to hair fashion came via Miley Cyrus’ dad and his ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ mega hit. As if that wasn’t naff enough it also brought the line dancing craze and the cringe inducing summation of the style as “business in the front, party in the back”. An unlikely brother in mullethood was David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust look albeit teamed with shaven eyebrows an a neon orange dyejob.
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Skinhead
As seen on: Jessie J, Sinead O’Connor, Punks, Skinheads, Rappers
The ultimate low maintenance style, the skinhead look has now crossed over from the angry punk ghetto to be the dignified choice of the balding man, as well as a host of hip hop stars and others. Despite being an absense of a hairstyle in some senses some wear it with pride and a hefty dose of attitude, not just right wing thugs but the recently shorn for charity Jessie J.
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‘Poker’ Straight
As seen on: Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchell, Cher in the 60s
While some are blessed with poker straight locks, legend goes that in pre-ghd days girls would iron their hair to get it suitably, fashionably straight. Yes, as in the red-hot thing you use to get creases out of your shirts.
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Beehive
As seen on: Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield, The Ronettes
Outside of the 60s, The Ronettes and Dusty Springfield, the beehive was last seen in popular music in the 80s with Mari Wilson until Amy Winehouse crashed into the charts and style mags prompting teenage girls to spend their pocketmoney bulk buying hairspray and frantically back combing their tresses.
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