Born Daryl Franklin Hohl in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Daryl Hall met John Oates at Temple University in Philadelphia in the late 1960s, and the pair built Hall & Oates into the best selling duo in music history. Blending blue eyed soul with radio ready rock hooks, they scored a run of massive hits through the late 1970s and 1980s, including "Rich Girl," "Kiss on My List," "Maneater," and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)." Hall's distinctive falsetto and songwriting partnership with Oates helped the duo sell tens of millions of records worldwide, and the pair were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Later in his career, Hall found a new audience hosting Live from Daryl's House, an online and television series where he jammed with a rotating cast of musicians from wildly different genres.

Born Antti Hulkko in Helsinki, Finland, Andy McCoy became the guitarist and chief songwriter behind Hanoi Rocks, the band he cofounded in 1979 that fused glam rock, punk energy, and street level rock and roll swagger. Albums like Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes and Two Steps from the Move built a devoted following and directly influenced the Sunset Strip glam metal scene that followed, with bands like Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe crediting Hanoi Rocks as a formative inspiration. The band's momentum was shattered in 1984 when drummer Razzle died in a car crash driven by Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil, just as Hanoi Rocks were poised for an American breakthrough. McCoy carried the band's sound forward through numerous lineups and a long solo career, remaining a defiant fixture of hard rock's glam underground for decades.

Scott Johnson cofounded Gin Blossoms in Tempe, Arizona in 1987, helping build the jangly, hook heavy alternative rock sound that would define the band's breakthrough. As guitarist, Johnson helped shape the arrangements behind New Miserable Experience, the 1992 album that spawned hits like "Hey Jealousy," "Found Out About You," and "Til I Hear It from You," tracks that became staples of early 1990s alternative rock radio. The album's success arrived under a shadow, since founding guitarist and primary songwriter Doug Hopkins was fired from the band before its release due to struggles with alcoholism, and he died by suicide in December 1993. Johnson remained with Gin Blossoms through their later hits, including "Follow You Down," and continues performing with the band today.