# The 18 Greatest Musicians From Minnesota

> A Nobel laureate, Hollywood royalty, Twin Cities punk and Rhymesayers rap all came out of one cold state. Some sold millions of records; others mostly sold out First Avenue.

*By YPB Team · Published October 29, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-greatest-musicians-from-minnesota*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Prince** — score 1000/1000
   Minneapolis-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist behind Purple Rain and the Minneapolis sound.
2. **Bob Mould** — score 873/1000
   Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman whose Minneapolis hardcore records helped invent alternative rock.
3. **Lizzo** — score 873/1000
   Rapper and singer who built her career in the Minneapolis scene before Truth Hurts went to No. 1.
4. **Bob Dylan** — score 812/1000
   Duluth-born, Hibbing-raised songwriter and the only musician to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
5. **Low** — score 641/1000
   Duluth slowcore band led by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker.
6. **Soul Asylum** — score 555/1000
   Minneapolis rock band whose Runaway Train won a Grammy in 1994.
7. **Eddie Cochran** — score 454/1000
   Albert Lea-born rock and roll pioneer who recorded Summertime Blues before dying at 21.
8. **Morris Day** — score 454/1000
   Minneapolis singer who fronted The Time and played Prince's rival in Purple Rain.
9. **The Andrews Sisters** — score 454/1000
   Minneapolis close-harmony trio behind Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and a string of 1940s hits.
10. **Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis** — score 454/1000
   Minneapolis production duo behind Janet Jackson's Control and Rhythm Nation.
11. **Brother Ali** — score 454/1000
   Minneapolis rapper on the Rhymesayers label known for Shadows on the Sun.
12. **The Replacements** — score 333/1000
   Minneapolis punk band led by Paul Westerberg whose albums shaped American alternative rock.
13. **Atmosphere** — score 333/1000
   Minneapolis hip-hop duo of Slug and Ant who built Rhymesayers into an independent powerhouse.
14. **Semisonic** — score 333/1000
   Minneapolis rock band behind Closing Time, led by songwriter Dan Wilson.
15. **The Jayhawks** — score 333/1000
   Minneapolis band that helped define alt-country with Hollywood Town Hall.
16. **Owl City** — score 333/1000
   Owatonna-born Adam Young's synth-pop project behind the No. 1 single Fireflies.
17. **Trampled by Turtles** — score 333/1000
   Duluth bluegrass band that topped the Billboard bluegrass chart.
18. **Judy Garland** — score 0/1000
   Grand Rapids, Minnesota native who sang Over the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz.

Tags: music, usa, musicians, minnesota