Pop Graduates: Acts That Made the Leap From the Teen Scene to Grown-Up Rock

In the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands now, the Jonas Brothers open up about courting rock credibility while hanging on to their bubblegum image. Here's a rundown of more acts that made the leap from the teen idol scene to the world of grown-up rock & roll.

The Beatles

Early Schooling: As they did for everything from psychedelics to facial hair, the Beatles wrote the manual on how to grow up with dignity. In fact, they've been so lionized over the last 46 years, it's easy to forget that their early works contained such genius koans as, "Let me whisper in your ear/say the words you long to hear" and "Don't run and hide/just come on, come on." Which, naturally, begs the question: If they'd called it quits in 1965, would they be just another Strawberry Alarm Clock?
Turning Point: '65s Rubber Soul, where the apple-cheeked come-ons of their early work gave way to the statelier sentiments of "Norwegian Wood."
Post-Graduate Work: Little things like crafting one of the finest bodies of work in popular music, inspiring generation after generation to pick up a guitar, and holding a contest with Led Zeppelin and AC/DC to see who can keep their albums off digital music stores the longest.

Justin Timberlake

Early Schooling: Let's graciously skip right past those lost Mickey Mouse Club years, instead starting with JT's time in 'NSync, where he was the cute one with the bad dye job and the mousy voice, breaking hearts as the (not-so-secret) Mr. Britney Spears.
Turning Point: The 'NSync swan song Pop, where the whole group grew up at once, shucking the watery R&B-lite of their early years for bright, glitchy electro-pop that was as forward-looking as it was brash and relentlessly singable.
Post-Graduate Work: After crafting the best Prince album of the last 10 years, FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake has been turning his attention to acting. And while his cinematic roles have been a bit hit or miss (Alpha Dog, anyone?), his appearances on Saturday Night Live — particularly his collaborations with Andy Samberg — have proven him a performer of bottomless charisma and match-to-flint comic timing.