Michael Jackson (1969-1995)
Madonna (1983-1992)
Elvis Presley (1956-1963)
Britney Spears (1998-2003)
Deff Leppard (1981-1991)
Bob Dylan (1963-1973)
Eminem (1999-2004)

Anyone disagree with the years?!  :(

Add more artists and put the years you think people consider their "hey day"!

I think hey days usually last between 5 and 10 years on average. Anything more than 8 years for me is considered longevity. And though Madonna's known for her longevity, let's face it, she will never sale 10 million copies like she did with Like A Virgin and Immaculate Collection again! Hey day isn't all about album sales. It's actually also hype and fame! Let's say Elvis still is famous, but can you say the 00's is his hey day? No! He will always be associated with the 50's and early 60's era, even if he did continue to sale gargantuan amounts of records! Though Britney Spears' albums still continue to sale, can you say we will associate the 2006+ era with her? No, she will always be remembered for her music between 1998 and 2003. After 2003, you could see all she was was a tabloid target!

Michael Jackson on the other hand is a rare case. I think Michael Jackson's hey day started with his hit song with the Jackson 5's I want you back song and ended with his greatest hits album, History. After 1995, he never captured that magic again and never will because he's 50 now. Michael's hey day lasted so long because he started to become famous when he was only 11. No wonder he went crazy, imagine being so famous for so long!

Artists fade, they come, they go! Younger generations don't like them! Older ones cling to them because these artists represented an era when they grew up in! Miley Cyrus is now  what Britney was years ago! Miley will one day be old news just like Madonna. And though artists retain their legendary statuses, all are always labeled and boxed into an era.

I disagree with Britney Spears, she's hugely popular right now. Though she doesn't sell like she did at the start of the millennium, the reality is nobody will ever sell 10 million cds again because the industry has changed, and her sales are up there with all the big artists of today which go 2 or 3 times platnum at the very most, and she's had 2 top 5 singles in 2008/9. And Madonna too, I'd at least extend her's to the year 2000 or so. Remember how big Ray of Light was? I'd at least include up to the "Ray of Light" era as part of her heyday. The others seem pretty accurate though.

Can't we just enjoy the music without analyzing the f*ck out of the artists' popularity? ???

Can't we just enjoy the music without analyzing the f*ck out of the artists' popularity? ???


Apparently not.  Topics like these are dumb, but they sadly always resurface


Just for arguments sake, I disagree with Michael Jackson.  He did have solo hits in the early 70s yes, but he was still mostly associated with his brothers.  Realistically, his heyday began in 1979 with 'Off the Wall' and ended in 1996 when his nose fell off

First, with the artists above:
I would consider Michael Jackson's heyday of having 2 distinct periods, the first being the 1969-1972 period (he was definately a child star, competeing with the Osmonds/Partirdge Family), along with 1979-1993 (It drastically ended this year, from the end of the Dangerous era and the Super Bowl halftime show at the start that year, to the child tabloid frenzy that began in August).
Madonna is a bit tricky. She didn't really become big until 1984 (Holiday didn't peak until January of '84, anyway), and would continue to be big through 1990. But there was a backlash I can recall where in a Seventeen issue in 1991, a tag line said about "who's hot", and it said "Madonna's not". I would consider for Madonna 1984-1990 the "golden age", and 1991-2000 the "silver age".
Elvis is dead, spot-on,
I would delay Britney to 1999 as ...Baby One More Time didn't top the chart unil February and that's when she seemed to pop-up "overnight". Britney could still be considered in her "prime" today as she recently had her 2nd #1 hit and is about to tour, and is getting into that "maturing" phase a bit.
Deff Leppard looks good.
Bob Dylan is unique. He actually has been more popular in the 1990s and 2000s than in his original heyday, which is a good estimation.
I'm not a rap fan so I don't follow Eminem.

Here are some other artists:

Rolling Stones (1964-1971) They continue to release solid albums/hits after Brown Sugar, but most critics agree this was their best period (though they were still semi-relevant through 1981). 
Beatles (1963-1980) We you take the Beatles final 2 group #1's plus add the #1's by Wings and the solo members in the '70s, they still had more #1 hits than any artist that decade. But the untimely Lennon murder ended the Beatlemania.
Elton John (1970-1976)
Billy Joel (1974-1983)
Bruce Springsteen (1975-1985)
Duran Duran (1981-1985)
Human League (1981-1986)
Bon Jovi (1986-1991)
Nirvana (1991-1994)
Chuck Berry (1955-1959)
Diana Ross/Supremes (1964-1982)
Aretha Franklin (1967-1974)
Donna Summer (1975-1983)
Whitney Houston (1985-1993)
Janet Jackson (1986-1996)
Mariah Carey (1990-1997)
50 Cent (2003- est. 2009) (Glam rap won't survive into the 2010s)

hmm...this is fun. Let's see what I can think of:

Oh, and by hey dey, I'm assuming you mean a mix of creativity, quality, success, and popularity.

Pearl Jam- 1992-1996 (absolutely huge in these years and by far their best work)
Backstreet Boys- 1997-2002 (no comment)
Grateful Dead- 1969-1975 (I love the Dead, but I feel (at the moment at least) that the early 70s were their golden age)
Rolling Stones- 1968-1972 (to go against what yelimsexa said, I didn't find them to be truly exceptional till around Beggar'.s Banquet, though 1965's Satisfaction was one of the greatest songs of all time. Exile on Main Street came out in 1972, so for me that was the end of their peak.)
Alanis Morissette- 1995-1999 (yeah, she was real hot 95-98, but let's be honest, she hasn't been real significant since the start of the new millenium)
Kelly Clarkson- 2003-2006 (though she has a big hit now, I believe her time at the very top is coming to an end)
Guns N Roses- 1988-1992 (after November Rain nobody really gave a sheesh about them, and neither did the band themselves)
Eminem- 1999-2004 (I think Em will be predominately remembered as an early 00s star)
Simon and Garfunkel- 1967-1970 (for a few years, around 68-69, they made some of the best music ever, and PERFECTLY captured the times)

That's enough for now. Maybe I'll add some more later.

Whitney Houston (1985-1999) she was still pumping out hits after 1993 
Janet Jackson (1986-2001) her music really went down hill epically on her 2004 album
Mariah Carey (1990-2000)2005-now) id say she had a pretty good come back after glitter
Madonna (1983-2001)ever since her American life album her music pretty much went down hill although Confessions On a Dance Floor was a good album
Ace Of Base (1993-1998) there still making music but they haven't had a top ten hit in the US since 1998
Cyndi Lauper(1983/84-1989)
Jessica Simpson(1999-2006) she hasn't done much lately or anything well known that is
Martika(1988-1991) anyone remember her she had a few top 20 hits in the late 80's with more than you know and i feel the earth move also had a number one hit with toy solders and a top ten hit off her second album with love thy will be done
Monica(1995-2003) haven't heard to much for her and its a shame cause she was such a great singer and she had some pretty good songs in the late 90's
Natalie Merchant(1995-1998)
Paula Abdul(1988-1995)
Roxette(1988-1992)
Spice Girls(1996-2000)
Taylor Dayne(1987/88-1993)

Artists with long popularity:

Prince (1982-1992)
R Kelly (1993-present)
Snoop Dogg (1993-present)
Usher (1994-present)
Madonna (1983-1996)
Mariah Carey (1990-1997, 2005-present)
Britney Spears (1998-2004, 2008-present)
Ludacris (2000-present)

Medium length popularity:

Nelly (2000-2005)
50 Cent (2003-2005)
Eminem (1999-2004)
P. Diddy (1996-2002)
DMX (1997-2002)
T-Pain (2005-present)
Rihanna (2005-present)
Chris Brown (2005-2009, we all know what happened there)
Guns N' Roses (1988-1992)
Bobby Brown (1989-1992)
311 (1995-1997)

Short time of popularity:

New Kids on the Block (1989-1990)
Milli Vanilli (1989-1990)
M.C. Hammer (1990-1991)
Vanilla Ice (1990-1991)
Color Me Badd (1991-1992)
Sir Mix-A-Lot (1992)

What about an artist like Phil Collins:

I wou;d say he was hugely popular from 1980-1992 and than medium length popularity from 1994-1999.

Medium Populaity:

Stone Temple Pilots(1992-1996) (1999) because of their hit Sour Girl
Pearl Jam-(1992-1996) 1999 because of their hit last "Last Kiss"
Toni Braxton (1993-1996) 2000 because of her "He Wasn't Man Enough"
Alice In Chains(1990-early 1996)
Sheryl Crow(1994-1998)
50 Cent 2003-mid 2005 His 2007 album "Curtis" didn;t sell as well as his first 2 albums did.
Ne-Yo(late 2005-present)
Rihanna(mid 2005-present)
Pussycatt Dolls(mid 2005-present)
Akon(mid 2005-present)
Creed(1997-2002)
Donna Summer(1977-1981) 1983 because of her hit "She Works Hard For Money". 1989 because of her hit "This Time I Know Its For Real"
Jay-Z(1998-2002)
Green Day(1994-1997) (2005)
2 Pac(1991-1996)
Lisa Loeb(1994-1997)
Tears For Fears(1985-1989)
Jennifer Lopez(1999-mid 2003)
Duran Duran(1981-1985)(1993-1997)
Bobby Brown(1988-1992)
Michael Bolton(1989-1995)
Smashing Pumpkins(1993-1996)
TLC(1992-1995)(1999)
Backstreet Boys(1997-2000)
Montell Jordan(1995-2000)
Bush(1995-2000)
Fuel(1998-2003)


Long Popularity

Michael Jackson(1980-1992)
Madonna(1983-1990)(1998-2000)
Usher (1997-mid 2005)
Britney Spears(1999-2003) (2007-present)
Kanye West(2003-present)
Mariah Carey(1990-1999) (2005-present)
Celine Dion(1991-1999)
Nine Inch Nails(late 1989-mid 2005)
Avril Lavigne(2002-present)
Kelly Clarkson(2003+)
Maroon 5(2003+)
Depeche Mode(1984-1993)(1997)
U2(1987+)
Billy Joel(late 1970's-1993)
Bruce Springsteen(late 1970's-1994)
Mary J. Blige(1992-2001)(mid 2005-present)
Pink(1999-present)
Kool And The Gang(1975-mid 1987)
Red Hot Chilli Peppers(1989-1995) (1999-2006)
Gloria Estefan(1987-1996)


Short Term Popularity:

Ja Rule(2000-2002)
Ashanti(2002-2004)
Frankie J.(2003-mid 2005)
Notorious BIG(1993-1995 maybe)
Silverchair(1995-1996)
Hanson(1997)
Coolio(late 1995-mid 1996 I think)(His popularity didn;t last very long and I'm kinda surprised it didn't)
Stevie B.(1989-1990)
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam(1985-1987) 1991 because of their hit "Let The Beat Hit Em')
Cathy Dennis 1989-1991
Terrance Trent D'd Arby(1988)