Showing 1 - 25 of 36
Artist: Eduardo Gomez
This writer's name is linked with Latin folk material of a traditional nature. In some cases there is dissension about who really wrote ditties such as "El Bigote," an ode to a mustache. Eduardo Gomez titles are sometimes incorrectly credited to modern jazz bassist Eddie Gomez. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: Muzenza
One of the most important samba-reggae Afro blocos, Muzenza uses the colors of the Jamaican flag (green, yellow, and black), follows the rastafari philosophy, and pays tribute to Bob Marley. They won three consecutive times at the annual carnival contest of Salvador BA. "Brilho e Beleza," written by the bloco's composers, was recorded by Gal... [+] Read More
Artist: Najat Aatabou
Born to a traditional and conservative family, Aatabou began to be recognized as a talented Berber and Arabic singer when she turned 17. The release of a bootleg recording featuring her vocals was the cause of a great deal of family tension and disapproval, with the result that Aatabu moved from Khemisset to Casablanca.
In Casablanca, she began... [+] Read More
Artist: Free Flight
Founded originally by the masterful classical flutist Jim Walker and the very versatile keyboardist Milcho Leviev (who after some internal dissension was replaced in 1984 by Mike Garson), Free Flight on recordings for Arabesque, Palo Alto, and CBS has successfully fused together classical passages, straight-ahead jazz, and fusion, sometimes... [+] Read More
Artist: Taken
Dismissing power-driven sound creations influenced by alternative metal selections and punk rock references, Taken's compositions combine both muscular-sounding tunes and steaming rhythms, ultimately discharging a unique mixture of hardcore style and melodious metal features. Gathering in 1997 in Orange County, CA, Taken combined the efforts of... [+] Read More
Artist: Brush Shiels
Brush Shiels has been around in the Irish music scene since the late 1960s, forming the original Skid Row with Noel Bridgman and the very young Phil Lynott, who was drafted as the band's vocalist. Gary Moore soon arrived to create the classic Skid Row lineup, resulting in Lynott's departure for Orphanage and, eventually, Thin Lizzy, though not... [+] Read More
Artist: Male Debale
Inspired by the insurrection of the Mohammedan black slaves in Bahia (the revolt of the Malês in 1835), the Afro-Bloco the Malê Debalê (which is the iorubá for "happy Mohammedan slaves") were the first to parade with a sophisticated Afro-dance section featuring 300 male and female dancers. In the '90s, the Bloco added a brass section to... [+] Read More
Artist: Orphaned Land
Probably one of the world's most unique and trailblazing heavy metal bands, Israel's Orphaned Land borrow heavily from Middle Eastern music styles to spice up their otherwise extreme metal sound. Founded in 1991 under the original name of Resurrection, Orphaned Land quickly drew attention to their unorthodox style via 1992's The Beloved's Cry... [+] Read More
Artist: Blahzay Blahzay
The Brooklyn duo consisting of DJ/producer PF Cuttin' and rapper Outloud first formed their alliance in 1985. Choosing a patient, indirect path rather than the fast track, the duo worked behind the scenes for ten years producing tracks for artists such as Masta Ace and Craig G. Their big breakthrough came in late 1995 with "Danger," a song that... [+] Read More
Artist: Chuck Davis
Not to be confused with the great choreographer and teacher Chuck Davis, this recording artist has combined musical and production talents in a career that spans both jazz and pop music. If the bridge-building context of spanning comes to mind, along with it comes the disturbing image of musical guerillas who would have gladly dynamited any such... [+] Read More
Artist: John Corabi
Rock singer John Corabi has been a working musician for two decades, building a solid resume despite the fact that he has never truly been in a band that achieved widespread success (discounting his tumultuous stint with Motley Crue). Born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Corabi, like many musicians from his generation, was drawn into music by... [+] Read More
Artist: Ray Wilson
Gifted with a warm, gravelly voice, Scottish singer Ray Wilson has had a career of high and lows thus far. A Levi's TV ad dragged him out of rock limbo and propelled his group Stiltskin into the UK charts. A few months later, his hiring as Phil Collins' replacement in Genesis shoved him into the spotlight, but only for a brief period of time.... [+] Read More
Artist: Mano Décio
One of the most important historic old-guard sambistas, Mano Décio da Viola wrote more than 500 sambas and participated in several samba schools since their inceptions. Together with his partner Silas de Oliveira, Mano Décio was one of the pioneering writers of samba-enredos. Other of his successes were "Lá Vem Ela Com Uma Trouxa de Roupa na... [+] Read More
Artist: Pulnoc
Czechoslavakian post-punk group Pulnoc emerged from the ashes of the Plastic People of the Universe, the legendary underground art rock unit formed by bassist Milan Hlavsa just weeks after the country's 1968 Communist takeover. Named in honor of the Frank Zappa composition "Plastic People" -- the Velvet Underground, the Doors, the Fugs, and... [+] Read More
Artist: The Stillroven
The band known as the Stillroven began in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale, MN. It was 1965, and their original name was "the Syndicate," a name they thought should be changed when original guitarist Mark Moorhead left the band in 1966. The original lineup also consisted of bassist Rock Peterson, guitarist John Howarth, keyboardist Dave... [+] Read More
Artist: The Left Banke
This New York group pioneered "Baroque'n'Roll" in the '60s with their mix of pop/rock and grand, quasi-classical arrangements and melodies. Featuring teenage prodigy Michael Brown as keyboardist and chief songwriter, the group scored two quick hits with "Walk Away Renee" (number five) and "Pretty Ballerina (number 15). Chamber-like string... [+] Read More
Artist: Original Dixieland Jazz Band
The first jazz group to ever record, Original Dixieland Jazz Band made history in 1917. They were not the first group to ever play jazz (Buddy Bolden had preceded them by 22 years!), nor was this White quintet necessarily the best band of the time, but during 1917-1923 (particularly in their earliest years) they did a great deal to popularize... [+] Read More
Artist: Humblebums
Scottish folk outfit the Humblebums aren't perhaps as well known as their two main individual members: Gerry Rafferty, who later scored hits with Stealers Wheel and as a solo artist, and Billy Connolly, who left music to become an internationally successful stand-up comedian. Connolly actually founded the group in 1965, along with guitarist Tam... [+] Read More
Artist: The Masters
Doo wop quintet the Masters formed in Queens, NY -- according to Marv Goldberg's profile on his R&B Notebooks website, the group's convoluted history encompasses two distinct acts that emerged from the South Jamaica Projects housing facility in 1952. The first, the Love Larks, was comprised of lead Pete Le Monier, first tenor Billy Boatswain,... [+] Read More
Artist: Johnny Grande
Pianist Johnny Grande was a founding member of Bill Haley & His Comets and plays on arguably the most famous single in the history of rock & roll, the immortal "Rock Around the Clock." Following Haley's death, he continued performing with the group into the 21st century. Born in Philadelphia on January 14, 1930, Grande studied classical piano as... [+] Read More
Artist: Agnostic Front
At the dawn of the '80s, New York City was mired in debt and crime, grappling with one of the most trying periods in its history, yet ironically (or perhaps fittingly), its underground music scene was seething with activity like never before. Still reeling from the violent inception and subsequent implosion of punk rock, hundreds of... [+] Read More
Artist: Helloween
Alongside Switzerland's Celtic Frost and Sweden's Bathory, Germany's Helloween were possibly the most influential heavy metal band to come out of Europe during the 1980s. By taking the hard riffing and minor key melodies handed down from metal masters like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, then infusing them with the speed and energy introduced by... [+] Read More
Artist: The Seldom Scene
"We try to find material that's a little bit different, and approach the music in a little bit broader way than most bluegrass bands do," said the Seldom Scene's Dudley Connell to the Baltimore Sun in 1998. Since its inception in 1971, the Seldom Scene has thrived on playing bluegrass a little differently than everyone else. If other bands used... [+] Read More
Artist: Scamps
The roots of long-lived R&B vocal group the Scamps lie in the Kansas City chapter of the Civilian Conservation Camp workforce of the late '30s. According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the June 2002 issue of Discoveries, workers Earl Robinson and James Whitcomb regularly passed the days singing and harmonizing with their colleagues, earning the... [+] Read More
Artist: Johnny & Jackey
Johnny Bristol and Robert "Jackey" Beavers enjoyed a five-record career on Gwen Gordy and Billy "Roquel" Davis' (aka Tyran Carlo) Anna Records and Gwen and Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi label. Bristol, from Morgantown, NC, met Beavers, from Cartersville, GA, when the Air Force transferred him to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, MI, where Beavers was... [+] Read More
