We recently came across a piece calling out “the sorriest 80-year-old-plus singers still performing,” labeling legends like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones embarrassing and cringeworthy simply because they continue to perform after their voices have aged and their peak years have passed.
We think they’ve got it backwards.
Yes, some artists no longer have the voice, health, stamina, or desire to perform the way they did 60 years ago. But plenty do – and they’re anything but embarrassing. In fact, they’re inspiring precisely because of their age, what it signifies, and the authority it brings. They’re creating new paths for the next generation, redefining what it means to be older and how that can look. (After all, David Crosby aged quite differently than Bing Crosby.)
The artists on this list have adapted, evolved, and kept going – without pretending to be 25, 35, or 45.
Here are our top 10 (and yes, we’ve taken a few liberties), counting down to #1.
Tie 10: Dolly Parton (80 in 2026)
Still writing, still recording, still radiating pure joy. Dolly may not be working 9 to 5 the way she once did, but when she does perform, each appearance feels rarer – and more special.
Tie 10: Pete Townshend (80)
The Who’s principal songwriter and guitarist has lived – and thrived – with significant hearing loss for decades, an occupational hazard of creating some of rock’s loudest, most iconic music. He adapted, protected what hearing remains, and continues to write, play, and evolve.
9: Gladys Knight (81)
The Empress of Soul is still filling concert halls and proving that R&B royalty doesn't fade – it just gets richer. Her voice remains one of the most powerful instruments in music.
8: Mavis Staples (86)
Her voice is grittier now than in her Staple Singers days – and somehow that makes it even more resonant. Still recording, still touring, Staples continues to deliver truth with every note.
Tie 7: Willie Nelson (92)
At 92, Willie is still performing, writing, and collaborating, often with his sons Lukas and Micah. (Lukas, in particular, sounds like the second coming of Willie himself.) Willie’s voice is weathered and worn, which only makes songs like “Always On My Mind” hit harder than they did 50 years ago.
Tie 7: Diana Ross (81)
Diana Ross continues to perform with undeniable star power. She’s still touring globally, leading audiences through a catalog that shaped pop and soul – from her Supremes days to her solo classics. Her voice may be softer, but her presence is absolute, reminding us that charisma, confidence, and command don’t age out.
6: Bob Dylan (84)
One of the most influential songwriters and voices of all time, Dylan created a catalog that will never fade, and he's not fading from the concert scene either. Like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger before him, Dylan will play anywhere there's an audience, still writing new material and relentlessly touring. A critically acclaimed biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” recently celebrated his legacy, but Dylan was almost too busy performing to notice.
5: The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger 82, Keith Richards 82, Ronnie Wood 78)
Still strutting across stadium stages, Mick is somehow still moving like Mick. Keith is still unmistakably Keith, while youngster Ronnie keeps the rhythm alive. The Stones may not sound like 1969 – but who would’ve thought that more than half a century later, they’d still have it?
4: Joni Mitchell (81)
Joni Mitchell’s influence isn’t measured by longevity alone – but instead by the way her songs continue to find new voices, even after she had to fight to find her own again. After a devastating brain aneurysm in 2015 left her unable to walk or talk, Mitchell relearned everything. Against long odds, she returned to public performance, first in surprise appearances and then, in 2022, with her first full set in decades at the Newport Folk Festival. Surrounded by younger artists like Brandi Carlile who have embraced her work and carried it forward, Mitchell didn’t simply reappear – she reclaimed her place, on her own terms.
3: Paul McCartney (83)
Sir Paul just completed a world tour. Sure, he may not hit every high note the way he once did – but it just doesn’t matter. Sixty thousand people sing every word with him, proving the songs are bigger than any one voice. At every show, Paul honors his mates John Lennon and George Harrison, keeping the Beatles’ legacy alive while moving forward. He’s not trying to recapture the past; he’s celebrating it while fully living in the present.
(Honorable mention to Ringo Starr, who still tours with his All-Starr Band, always flashing a peace sign and that unmistakable grin.)
2: Neil Young (80)
The irony of his name has never been more striking. At 80, Young is still touring, still raging against injustice with the same fire he had at 24 when he wrote "Old Man," a song about aging that now sounds prophetic. He once posed rock and roll's eternal question: “Is it better to burn out or fade away?” At 80, he's proving there's another choice: keep the flame alive and age on your own terms.
1: Paul Simon (84)
Here's why Simon is #1:
His recent Quiet Celebration tour didn't try to recapture the past. Instead, he shared his age and chose his songs according to his voice and the moment. Having recently revealed that he suffered near-total hearing loss in his left ear, he was seated on a stool with an acoustic guitar, surrounded by 11 ace musicians, Simon opened with his 2023 album Seven Psalms – a meditation on mortality, mystery, and meaning that could only be written by the Simon of 80-plus years. The Chicago Tribune wrote:
“Having again started to write songs, Simon felt an urge to play in front of audiences. And like the tired fighter in ‘The Boxer,’Simon still remained, his prescient lyrics echoing with deafening truths.”
His voice is diminished. His artistry isn't. His songbook endures.
That's the lesson: Don't reject change. Adapt to it.
Simon doesn’t try to be young Paul Simon. He leans into who he is today, embracing what age brings: deeper wisdom, quieter confidence, and the freedom to be fully genuine. He's proud of what 84 means – and that’s what makes him so compelling.
Honorable Mentions: More Legends Still Performing
George Clinton and Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy (88) — Still bending strings and proving that Chicago blues doesn’t age; it deepens.
Dionne Warwick (84) — The voice behind many of Burt Bacharach’s classics shows that relevance evolves.
Smokey Robinson (84) — Touring with the smooth Motown sound that helped define modern songwriting.
George Clinton (83) — The godfather of funk brings Parliament-Funkadelic’s untamable energy to the stage.
Eric Clapton (80) — Slowhand keeps playing, showing that virtuosity refines with time.
Graham Nash (83) & Stephen Stills (80) – Before CSN or CSNY, both shaped rock history – Nash with the Hollies, Stills with Buffalo Springfield. Decades later, they continue sharing songs that helped define an era.
Steven Still and Graham Nash
What All This Has To Do With Getting Dressed
Yeah, this might sound like a stretch. But stay with us.
At Joe & Bella, we believe that adapting doesn't mean compromising who you are. It means finding new ways to be yourself.
Paul Simon didn't stop performing because his voice changed.
You shouldn't stop wearing what you love because buttons got harder.
That's what we're here for.
