516. Bruce Hornsby

Drawing from the American Heartland with a healthy mix of Adult Contemporary, Bruce Hornsby and the Range delivered the mid 80’s a dose of piano based Americana that racked up fans and acclaim. Hornsby won the 1987 Best New Artist Grammy and looked to have a career of healthy album sales ahead of him. That didn’t quite happen as Hornsby would utilize his piano skills from other influences like Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz. His talent in his concerts and albums was certainly evident, but he did not necessarily make music that would appeal to the masses. Since Hornsby did have a huge commercial splash, his versatile talent could get him in.