What in da heck is Yacht Rock? If yes, then who are your Top Five Yacht Rock Artists? It’s a whole genre of music featuring (mostly) rock artists who do a blend of easy listening, melodious, upbeat tunes with breezy harmonies. In other words, stuff that you could listen to either as background music or you may watch a band play it. A lot of it is danceable. It’s smooth music that you would listen to – wait for it – on your yacht! Therefore, it’s called yacht rock.
Top Five Yacht Rock Artists
To make this list, we looked for several things. An artist would need to have successful recordings that could be considered yacht rock. Another aspect would be the groove of the music. Does it carry a vibe-y groove all the way through from start to finish? Let’s check out our top five yacht rock artists who are strong contenders for the list.
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross is the true king of yacht rock. With songs like ‘Think of Laura,’ ‘Arthur’s Theme,’ and of course, ‘Sailing,’ his music exudes the sundrenched hanging-out-on-the-yacht-deck vibe. Seriously, sailing? Really – it says it all!
Kenny Loggins
You could count Kenny Loggins in here twice – either as an individual artist or with Loggins & Messina. Kenny was the go-to for soundtrack music in the 80’s as well. He is definitely deserving of the honor to be on the list of top five yacht rock artists.
Doobie Brothers/Michael McDonald
Mellow sounds of the 70s would make you think of the Doobie Brothers. Although they had several singers, it was certainly Michael McDonald who had that chillest vibe. His velvety voice absolutely lent itself to relaxation and chillin’. Chillaxing.
Toto
With the Pocaro brothers and Steve Lukather, Toto was a supremely talented band. Hits like ‘Africa’ and ‘Hold the Line’ were chart toppers, but Toto has an extensive library of incredible music. Very worthy of being a top five yacht rocker.
America
‘You Can Do Magic’ and ‘Horse With No Name’ were huge hits for America. They had smoothly written songs played with face-melting harmonies and mystical lyrics, Fun fact: America has three members who could interchangeably play and sing lead. They easily belong in the Top Five Yacht Rock Artists list.
Before Sailing Off…
There are so many bands that really have amazing yacht rock songs that we need to note a few more. Honorable mentions go out to Orleans, Seals & Crofts, Hall & Oates, Nicolette Larson, and The Eagles. Some might say that Journey could be a yacht rock band. Their music is generally rooted in rock with some blues influence. A few of their ballads have soared through the charts and they have that relaxing, easy feel.
For further fun, you can check out music expert Steve Huey’s 12-part Yacht Rock video series. Caution: episode seven is PG-13. Once you have listened to your favorite music, whether it be metal, country, pop, or hip-hop, steer your boat on over to yacht rock. You might like it.
