(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sun 9 November 2025 21:15, UK
When it comes to choosing a Mount Rushmore of music, Jimmy Iovine is as qualified as anybody going.
He’s sat on both sides of the music boardroom, first as a creative, crafting his production chops with iconic musicians. John Lennon, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks can all be credited as Iovine’s collaborators, and his name can be found on some of the most iconic tracks in history.
But then, in the latter stages of his career, he flipped to the other side. With his studio experience stored away in his pocket, he tackled the bureaucratic worlds of music through his own label and distributor, Interscope Records. That started a domino effect, which in modern years has seen him partner with Dr Dre on Beats, in a move that eventually saw him become one of the few music billionaires.
He knows every fabric of the musical world, and despite representing the very heights of commercialism that many artists push back against, he possesses an acute understanding of artistry. Somehow, he’s mastered the art of balancing both sides and has become one of the most influential people in the world.
So when it comes to picking his ultimate four bands, to be carved into the history books through a metaphorical Mount Rushmore, we ought to listen carefully. As most things Jimmy Iovine has claimed in history, end up being right.
“I go with the Beatles,” he emphatically answered, remaining faithful to his former collaborator John Lennon, adding, “I think they’re undeniable.” But then he made a move few music fans would be willing to do and placed them alongside their cultural rivals, explaining, “But I also had to go with The [Rolling] Stones because they introduced the rock frontman.”
But as the enduring force of music he is, Iovine used his next selection to change tack and pay homage to his partner, Dr Dre, a man whose production in the late 1980s and early 1990s helped commercialise hip-hop.
For his third pick, Iovine said, “I go N.W.A. because I think that was, for me, a real turning point in hip-hop. Still today, they have an enormous impact on everything that’s done, but it really set the stage for having it become the force it is around the world.”
Iovine’s final pick was a point of contention for him. Split between two iconic 1970s artists, he weighed up their musicianship and cultural impact combined to finally finish his rock carving masterpiece.
“My fourth band, which is split right down the middle, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Sly and the Family Stone. I’m really a toss-up between Hendrix and Sly because I think Sly’s band was better than Hendrix’s band. Those two guys can play, but Sly and the Family Stone just translated black music in a way that combined rock and soul in a way that had never been done before, but I’m gonna give it to Hendrix because he influenced Led Zeppelin and he’s such a big influence on Prince.”
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