Before he sang lead for the Alan Parsons Project, Chris Rainbow had embarked on a solo career in 1974. For six years, he recorded in the U.K. for EMI Records and Polydor Records, and he also acted as producer and wrote his own material. His first experience in a band occurred just two years before he went solo, in his hometown of Glasgow in a... [+] Read More

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Tongue-in-cheek Cleveland surf-pop combo the Euclid Beach Band was founded in 1978 by Scene magazine staffers Rich Reising and Jim Girard, the former a onetime guitarist in Eric Carmen's backing band Magic. The group's debut single "There Is No Surf in Cleveland" -- the title, a quote from an unreleased Carmen song, seemed particularly... [+] Read More

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Gino Vannelli learned to play the drums early in life and studied music theory at McGill University. He formed an R&B band with two brothers, but later began recording solo material for RCA in 1970. He became popular four years later when A&M released his hit single "People Gotta Move," from the Powerful People album (re-titled People Gotta... [+] Read More

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From their first hit in 1974 through their heyday in the '80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth, catchy take on Philly soul brought them enormous commercial success -- including six number one singles and six platinum albums -- yet little critical success. Hall & Oates' music was remarkably well-constructed and produced; at their best, their... [+] Read More

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In August of 1976, the self-titled debut album by an unknown group called Klaatu was released on Capitol Records to little notice. The following February Steve Smith, a writer for the Providence Journal in Rhode Island, wrote an article titled "Could Klaatu Be the Beatles? Mystery Is a Magical Mystery Tour." The article began the rumor that... [+] Read More

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Out of all the former Beatles, Paul McCartney by far had the most successful solo career, maintaining a constant presence in the British and American charts during the '70s and '80s. In America alone, he had nine number one singles and seven number one albums during the first 12 years of his solo career. Although he sold records, McCartney never... [+] Read More

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A major teen idol of the late 1970s, actor/singer Shaun Cassidy rocketed to fame both on the pop charts and on television, much as his half-brother David Cassidy had done earlier in the decade. The son of actors Jack Cassidy and Shirley Jones, he was born in Hollywood on September 27, 1959 and formed his first band at the age of 11. After... [+] Read More

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No popular music act of the '60s, '70s, '80s, or '90s has experienced more ups and downs in its popularity, or attracted a more varied audience across the decades than the Bee Gees. Beginning in the mid- to late '60s as a Beatlesque ensemble, they quickly developed as songwriters in their own right and style, perfecting in the process a... [+] Read More

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Stars in their Cleveland hometown, unknown elsewhere (except for the minor national hit "It's Cold Outside"), the Choir played an accomplished, if a bit anachronistic, British Invasion-influenced pop/rock in the late '60s. The Mersey-mod hybrid "It's Cold Outside" went to number one in Cleveland in 1967. The group was then picked up by Roulette,... [+] Read More

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The Raspberries cut through the epic pretensions and pomposity of '70s-era rock to proudly reclaim the spirit and simplicity of classic pop, recalling the heyday of the British Invasion with their exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies. The group was formed in Mentor, OH, in early 1970 by singer/songwriter Eric Carmen and... [+] Read More

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