The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.

Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. Dubbed the "Gentle Genius," he first achieved success and recognition with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted group The Impressions during the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and the 1960s, and later worked as a solo artist.

Azra was a Yugoslav rock band that was one of the most popular acts of the Yugoslav new wave music of the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak (bass) and Boris Leiner (drums). The band is named after a verse from "Der Asra" by Heinrich Heine. They are considered to be one of the most influential bands from the Yugoslav new wave rock era and the Yugoslav rock scene in general.

They released their first single in 1979 with songs "Balkan" and "A šta da radim". The first album named Azra was published in 1980 and achieved commercial success and popularized Azra in Yugoslavia. Their second album was released in 1981. Azra recorded its last studio album Između krajnosti (Between the Extremes) in 1987. In 1988 the band recorded 4LP live album under the name Zadovoljština (Satisfaction), after which Štulić disbanded the band. Štulić recorded three more solo albums since moving to the Netherlands, where he lives in seclusion. A 2003 rock documentary, Sretno dijete depicts Azra as the focus of the rock scene in Yugoslavia during the 1980s, along with Bijelo dugme. Even today, Azra remains very popular among youth in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Ekatarina Velika, sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential Yugoslav music acts.

Haustor was a Yugoslav rock band from Zagreb, SR Croatia, a member of the new wave movement, and an important act of the former Yugoslav rock scene.

Idoli were a Serbian new wave band from Belgrade. They are considered to be one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene, and their 1982 album Odbrana i poslednji dani was on several occasions voted by the music critics as the greatest Yugoslav rock album.

Edin Osmić, better known by his stage name Edo Maajka, is a Bosnian rapper, record producer and songwriter. His popularity brought his group Disciplinska Komisija to the mainstream. He lives in Zagreb, Croatia, with his wife and children.

Miljenko "Dino" Dvornik (20 August 1964 – 7 September 2008) was a Croatian singer, songwriter, music producer, actor and reality television star know as "the Croatian king of funk".

A son of renowned Croatian actor Boris Dvornik, Dino Dvornik was born in Split, Croatia. He and his elder brother, Dean Dvornik, would play alongside their father in mainstream 1970s movies and TV shows in Yugoslavia. These included Naše malo misto (Our Little Place), Mater (Mother) (1976), Hajdučka vremena (Daredevil's Time) (1977), Priko sinjeg mora (Over the Great Sea) (1979) as well as the TV show Ljubav je hleb s devet kora (Love Is a Bread with Nine Crusts) (1990) and what was to be his final appearance, Ta divna splitska noć (A Wonderful Night in Split) (2004) by director Arsen A. Ostojić, a movie which achieved many honors at various film festivals.

Janko Nilović (born 20 May 1941) is a pianist, arranger and composer of Montenegrin and Greek descent who was born in Turkey and has lived in France since 1960. He has published many works, most of them on library labels not available for sale to the public. His oeuvre stretches from classical, jazz, and funk to pop, psychedelia, and easy listening.

Born in Istanbul to a Montenegrin father and Greek mother, he studied piano, oboe and percussion as a child, and set up his own rock and roll band in the late 1950s. He moved to Paris in 1960, and played piano in nightclubs before joining a trio of Greek musicians, Les Doussis, with whom he played bass, guitar and keyboards. The group recorded for Barclay Records, and Nilović then began to find work as an arranger and orchestrator for pop musicians and TV shows, as well as continuing to perform in jazz clubs.