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Cat Power was the alias of Chan Marshall, a Southern-bred singer/songwriter whose father, Charlie, was an itinerant pianist. After dropping out of high school, Marshall found herself in New York; performing under the name Cat Power, she was booked as the opening act for Liz Phair, where she met Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and Two Dollar...

Hailing from Virginia, Clipse -- brothers Pusha T and Malice -- were one of the rare first artists to associate with the Neptunes. The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams first met the duo in the early '90s, was very impressed by their talents, and decided to help them get a gig. Hooking them up with the Elektra label, an early single flopped and the...

The brainchild of singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes, euphoric indie popsters Of Montreal were among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective. A native of Athens, GA, Barnes was inspired to form the group in the wake of a broken romance with a woman from Montreal; signing to Bar/None while living in Florida, he...

Iron and Wine is the stage name for one Samuel Beam, a Florida native that made his name by releasing lo-fi tapes in Miami. After catching the attention of Sub Pop honcho Jonathan Poneman, Iron and Wine was asked to send material to the label for submission. After a few months, two CDs arrived in the mail, both being full length albums. Poneman...