Genre: World/Reggae
In 1995 Iain Mac Harg and Aron Garceau formed the band Whisky Before Breakfast along with 3 college friends. In a short while this band was playing the Celtic Classic and the New Hampshire Highland games in front of thousands of people, only to dissolve into nothingness in 1998. But Aron and Iain still had the drive to play and in November of... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s
Eddie Money arrived in the late '70s at the height of album rock's popularity. While Money didn't have a remarkable voice, he had a knack for catchy, blue-collar rock & roll, which he delivered with a surprising amount of polished, radio-friendly finesse. He was able to survive in the early MTV era by filming a series of funny narrative videos,... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
INXS hailed from the pubs of Australia, which is part of the reason they never comfortably fit in with new wave. Even when the band branched out into synth pop on its early recordings, they were underpinned by a hard, Stonesy beat and lead singer Michael Hutchence's Jagger-esque strut. Ultimately, these were the very things that made INXS into... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s
Men at Work were one of the more surprising success stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the year. With its Police-styled rhythms, catchy guitar hooks, wailing saxophones, and off-kilter sense of humor, the band's debut album Business as Usual became an international blockbuster,... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s
Famed as much for their video-ready space-age image as for their music, the Los Angeles-based New Wave outfit Missing Persons formed in 1980, a year after the marriage of singer Dale Bozzio and her drummer husband Terry. A onetime member of Frank Zappa's backing band, Terry Bozzio met the former Dale Consalvi (an ex-Playboy Bunny) at a Hollywood... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
Best known in the U.S. for their 1985 number one hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from the film The Breakfast Club, Scotland's Simple Minds evolved from a post-punk art rock band influenced by Roxy Music into a grand, epic-sounding pop band along the lines of U2. The band grew out of a Glasgow punk group called Johnny and the Self-Abusers,... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s
The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the most impact on pop music. While they could barely get noticed in America, the trio became genuine superstars in Britain, with an impressive string of Top Ten singles in the... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s
British roots-rockers with Celtic/folky blue-collar angst music '80s-90's, All Music Guide
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s
Nominally, the Police were punk rock, but that's only in the loosest sense of the term. The trio's nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky, but it wasn't necessarily punk. All three members were considerably more technically proficient than the average punk or new wave band. Andy Summers had a precise guitar attack that created dense,... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
Over the years, the Pretenders became a vehicle for guitarist/vocalist Chrissie Hynde's songwriting, yet it was a full-fledged band when it was formed in the late '70s. With their initial records, the group crossed the bridge between punk/new wave and Top 40 pop more than any other band, recording a series of hard, spiky singles that were also... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
When the Scottish duo of Craig and Charlie Reid emerged in 1987, they were immediately compared to the Everly Brothers. Considering their energetic, melodic folk-rock, the comparison made some sense, even though the Proclaimers didn't really sound like the Everlys. Instead, the band was a post-punk pop band, aggressively displaying their thick... [+] Read More