If your kids are anything like mine then they like two things, ice cream and noise. I figured the best way to get them into rock music and off of stuff like Teletubbies and Barney was to show them how loud and out of control rock & roll could be. I started to make a list of the best rock screams and had them listen to the music and countdown to the point where the rock yell comes in. Here are my top rock screams. Hopefully this helps to teach your kids about the power of rock & roll.

Paul McCartney

The Beatles should be on every list with the words “rock music” in it. Check out the scream at the beginning of “Helter Skelter.” The song is one of their most rockin’ but the yell is that much better because Paul seems to run out of breath and lets fly with a furious “Yeeeeeeah.”

Bruce Springsteen

Number two might be hard to come by. It’s off of Bruce Springsteen’s Live 75-85 box set. His “Darkness on the Edge of Town” was a great mid tempo track from his 1978 album, but this live version is worth waiting until the end to hear Bruce hold that lost note as he bellows “Tooooooooooooown.” A great rocker proving that his live show is always worth the price of admission.

(This version isn’t from Live 75-85, but it is from the same tour as the one used on the box set.)

Roger Daltry

Finally, the top of the list belongs to Roger Daltrey and The Who on “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The song is a little long but it’s worth it for your kids to sit through the whole thing. The scream comes at the end of the breakdown. Roger releases an anthem with his “Yeeeeeeeeah” as Pete Townsend replies with his windmill guitar. There’s a quick final verse about meeting the new boss after that works perfectly with his yell. The scream is so long that I let my kids see if they can mimic the length (something my wife is not too fond of).

What, no Axl Rose, no Robert Plant? No Demon of Screamin’ Stven Tyler, fer cryin’ out loud? Check back for Part Two, coming soon! Name your favorite rock scream in the comments.

Kids love listening to the Beatles, whether it’s the simple catchy beat of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” or the trippy, psychedelic lyrics of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” My son loves the fact that there is a whole song about an octopus! The Beatles were arguably the greatest rock band ever so we thought it would be fun to take a look at the band’s own kids. Could the success of the Fab Four ever continue on with their kids? Do talented parents crank out talented offspring?

Paul has four kids with his late wife Linda. His son James (named after his father James Paul McCartney) is trying his hand at music but aside from popping up on dad’s albums he hasn’t set the charts on fire. The real success in the McCartney children is daughter Stella who is a world-famous fashion designer and has a joint venture with Gucci. While it might not be music, you know growing up in a house with Paul and Linda would lead you into some sort of artistic endeavor.

George and his second wife Olivia begat Dhani, who also followed in his father’s footsteps.  He ended up finishing his father’s album Brainwashed (imagine subbing for a Beatle, even if it is your father) after George passed and formed a band called thenewno2. Check out Dhani playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at George’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

John and his first wife Cynthia had a son Julian, who was a popular musician in the eighties with hits like “Too Late for Goodbyes” and has put out 5 albums. John’s other son, Sean, who he had with Yoko Ono, became a noted indie rocker who has several solo albums, co-wrote a Lenny Kravitz hit and plays with Cibo Matto and The Plastic Ono Band. Two boys, both following in their late father’s footsteps.

Perhaps one of the most successful musicians of all the Beatles’ children was Ringo’s son, Zak Starkey who became what else? A drummer like his dad. Zak has been known to back The Who and you probably saw him perform at this year’s Superbowl halftime show.

It’s never easy to have a famous rocker as a father, especially when that dad was in a band like the Beatles. But it seems that music has flowed from fathers to sons in their case with most of them becoming quite successful at it.

Recommended Listening:

• Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles
• Rockabye Baby! More Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles