Some rock stars are so cool, they have to wear shades.
Buddy Holly might have been the first, and John Lennon was also famous for his eye wear.
These days, rockers wear shades sometimes because they have to – bright light sensitivity is a main reason – but often because of the image factor.
While there is no real stigma in wearing regular prescription glasses, wearing dark glasses is different. In any other professions it would be uncool – if not tolerated at all – to wear them all the time.
But rock stars are in their own class of cool. They can not just get away with it but actually thrive.
So here it is, Metal Sludge’s list of the top top 13 to wear glasses.
13. Stanley of LSD – Not just glasses. Thick ones often crooked or sloppy, as Stanley played the bizarre but believable character of a homeless street bum who happened to be a terrific singer.
It was all a gimmick, as some suspected from the beginning – sort of like a pro wrestling character – and the glasses were Iike an effective prop.
An LSD online Bio says: Life Sex & Death are a hard rock band that achieved minor success in the early 1990s. The band employed a gimmick in that their singer was allegedly homeless. This particular facet of the band gained them extra publicity in the press, yet may have detracted slightly from focusing on the band’s music. The lead singer was later revealed to be Chris Stann.Two of their songs appeared on the Beavis & Butthead TV Show, Tank and School’s For Fools. They released one major label album in 1992 called The Silent Majority. Although no other albums have been produced since, LSD still has a huge cult following, largely due to a sound that can be in retrospect considered quite ahead of its time.
12. Johnny Monaco of Stephen Pearcy’s Ratt – Glasses have always been a part of Monaco’s glammed-up image, starting with Enuff Z’Nuff – an all-star glam band if you throw in Chip Z’ Nuff and Donnie Vie – for two stints totaling 15 years. Monaco then brought new life to Stephen Pearcy’s Ratt, a worthy contributor who shares axe duties ripping up Warren DeMartini’s licks and some of the late guitarist Robbin Crosby’s parts in addition to superb background vocals.
Fun Fact: Johnny Monaco sang lead in the late 80’s and early 90’s in a band who was making the rounds on the Southern California club circuit. Monaco not only has top notch guitar skills but a voice to match. Watch him sing “Queen Of The Ryche” back in 1987 in the video below.
11. Mark Kendall, Great White – Great White had a special image. They were never as pretty as Van Halen, Motley Crue or Poison, instead a bit more rough yet still ruggedly handsome.
Longtime guitarist Mark Kendall has always been a key component of Great White’s look and sound. The band name was first inspired by Kendall’s white-platinum-blond hair. He is still around, still a great superb player at 67 – and a proponent of sobriety who has helped a lot of fellow musicians – and he always wears dark shades.
Wikipedia states: Vocalist Jack Russell met guitarist Mark Kendall in 1977, and Kendall asked Russell to join his band. They decided to form a band together and they called it Highway later changing it to Livewire and then played one final show as Wires. Then in 1979, Russell was arrested for shooting a live-in maid in a botched robbery attempt, and sentenced to eight years in prison. The band went its separate ways and Kendall was left to start over.
10. Donnie Iris – Iris enjoyed impressive chart success before MTV had arrived, but his video for the top 40 hit “Love Is Like a Rock” put him unto Rock’s public consciousness.
The lyrics say “you can’t depend on your doctor,” but at least Iris could depend on his ophthalmologist!
Fun Facts: Donnie Iris turned 81 years old early this year (2024), has been active as a musician since 1961 and has had a solid half-dozen Top 40 Songs in the U.S. during his heyday in the 80’s.
Iris’ highest charting song was “Love Is Like A Rock” which hit #9 in 1981, but the song “Ah Leah!” which hit #19 the previous year is far and away the singer’s biggest song.
9. River Cuomo of Weezer – Weezer was part of the blowback in the 1990s against hair bands, and singer Cuomo was front and center with his thick glasses that helped make him – and his bandmates – look like regular guys who happen to play Rock.He has lots of similar pairs but none flashy or sporting a design label – even though he probably buys them at world fashion town “Beverly Hills.”
Fun Fact: Cuomo used to play in a hairband on Sunset Strip called ZOOM back in the late 80’s.
8. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top – Gibbons almost always wears dark glasses, though ironically without them we discover in photos he has nice, emerald green eyes.
But the dark shades are part of his image, particularly an accessory. And it works because “every girl’s crazy ‘bout a sharp-dressed man,” right?
ZZ Top‘s Studio albums
- ZZ Top’s First Album (1971)
- Rio Grande Mud (1972)
- Tres Hombres (1973)
- Fandango! (1975)
- Tejas (1976)
- Degüello (1979)
- El Loco (1981)
- Eliminator (1983)
- Afterburner (1985)
- Recycler (1990)
- Antenna (1994)
- Rhythmeen (1996)
- XXX (1999)
- Mescalero (2003)
- La Futura (2012)
7, Ozzy Osbourne – The prince of darkness wore shades – particularly during the latter part of his career that started all the way back in 1968 with Black Sabbath.
Ozzy prefers small lenses like John Lennon did.
As for how glazed Ozzy’s eyes are behind the shades, that’s anyone’s guess.
Ozzy Fun Facts: John Michael Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, on the 3rd of December, 1948. He got the nickname “Ozzy” while he was in primary school and kept it for the rest of his life.
According to Osbourne himself, he was first inspired to become a musician when he heard the music of the Beatles at 14 years old. Specifically, it was the 1963 classic “She Loves You” which told him that his future lay in music.
At age 15, Osbourne dropped out of school and began working a series of jobs to support himself. His long list of occupations around this time included plumber, laborer, horn-tuner, and toolmaker.
6, Bono – As the frontman for the world’s most popular Rock band, every move Bono makes is iconic – including his stylish wrap-around glasses he loves.
Bono prefers light tints, and he probably has at least one pair in every color.
Yet Bono’s eyewear is not merely about style. He had glaucoma, a build-up of pressure in the eyeball that can damage the optic nerve. The shades protect his eyes from light and glare.
U2 Fast Facts: Bono real name Paul Hewson was only 15 when he first jammed with his friends in September of 1976, including a 14 year old Larry Mullen Jr. (drums), Adam Clayton was 16 and played bass along with a 15 year old guitarist named David Evans (pka The Edge).
5. Ric Ocasek of The Cars – The late Ocasek has always teetered the line between rock-star-cool and awkwardness, and his omnipresent dark sunglasses were a big part of his look whether day or night or even on stage, where he never took them off.
He sang “I love the night life, baby” on the Cars’ hit “Let’s Go” – but you have to wonder how well he could see what was going on!
Wikipedia writes: Ocasek was a founding member of the Cars, recording numerous hit songs from 1978 to 1988. He played rhythm guitar and sang lead vocals for a majority of songs (bassist Benjamin Orr was lead vocalist on the remaining tracks). Ocasek was the oldest member of the band.
Fun Fact: If you listen to the mashup of The Cars song “Bye Bye Love” and the Warrant song “Down Boys” you will hear a remarkable similarity between the two songs.
4. Stevie Wonder – The world’s most famous blind man lost his sight as a child, and though he usually wears dark sunglasses, Wonder can be seen in some photos with no glasses at all – somewhat unusual for a blind celebrity.
Wonder certainly is an inspiration for all who cannot see. He was so popular in his prime that Grammy-winner Paul Simon thanked him for NOT making a record in 1976, helping grease the way for Simon to win.
Rock N’ Rollers named Stevie, also include Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, the late great guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, guitarist and producer Stevie Salas, former TigerTailz frontman Steevi Jaimz and lest we not forget, Stevie Rachelle of Tuff.
3. Slash of Guns N’ Roses – Slash is among the few to sport the same exact image for three decades in a row – including his trademark dark sunglasses.
At first he probably was trying to hide his red, stoned eyes, then perhaps his dilated eyes as the drugs got stronger.
These days, he is sober and says the main purpose is to shield his eyes from flash cameras.
“There’s always someone with a cell camera these days,” Slash said.
Odd Fact: An internet search says Cher helped Slash quit smoking.
2. Elton John – Perhaps no one on earth is more famous for wearing glasses – especially the flamboyant models loved by John, whose eyewear has proved as fashionable as possible since the Rocket Man first rose to prominence in the 1970s.
Even today, fancy glasses are the first thing most people think about when they hear the name Elton John.
He claims to own 250,000 pairs.
Fun Facts: Elton formed his first band at age 15, but quit at 20 to go solo and released his debut album “Empty Sky” in 1969 when he was 22 years old.
1. Elvis Presley – The King preferred gold Nautic 2 brand sunglasses, and an original pair once sold for $159,900 at an auction.
The epitome of cool, the late Elvis loved his shades, usually wearing them in every photo and sometimes on stage, too.
And his signature Nautic 2 brand is still around, retailing for about $200.
Elvis’ debut single was “Heartbreak Hotel” and it was released just days after he turned 21. The song went to #1 and within 1 year RCA Victor, his label had sold over 10,000,000 singles from Elvis Presley.
Gerry Gittelson can reached at Gerryg123@gmail.com
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