Showing 351 - 375 of 1450
Artist: Toby Lightman
Toby Lightman studied violin growing up in New Jersey, but it wasn't until college that she began to seriously consider a career in music. She studied radio and television at the University of Wisconsin, learning guitar in her spare time and singing with cover bands. After school Lightman moved to New York, where a fortuitous meeting with Wyclef... [+] Read More
Artist: RBL Posse
A Bay Area rap duo formed at the beginning of the 1990s, RBL Posse (short for Ruthless By Law) was originally founded by Black C and Mr. Cee. The pair began producing tracks at Black C's studio and emerged in 1991 with the underground hit "Don't Give Me No Bammer." Thanks solely to their own independent distribution through In-A-Minute Records,... [+] Read More
Artist: Jewel
A contemporary folkie renowned for her expressive, crystalline voice, singer/songwriter Jewel was among the most successful of the many new female performers who dominated the pop charts throughout the 1990s. Born Jewel Kilcher on May 23, 1974, in Payson, UT, she was raised in remote Homer, AK, and began her music career at the age of six,... [+] Read More
Artist: Ruth Brown
They called Atlantic Records "the house that Ruth built" during the 1950s, and they weren't referring to the Sultan of Swat. Ruth Brown's regal hitmaking reign from 1949 to the close of the '50s helped tremendously to establish the New York label's predominance in the R&B field. Later, the business all but forgot her -- she was forced to toil as... [+] Read More
Artist: Arif Mardin
A longtime house producer and arranger with Atlantic Records, the versatile Arif Mardin assisted in the creation of many of the classic pop and jazz recordings of his era, enjoying perhaps his greatest success in collaboration with Aretha Franklin. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 15, 1932, Mardin studied at Istanbul University and the London... [+] Read More
Artist: Laura Greenwald
"All I can say is wow! You have an amazing voice, it's so pure, and strong, and beautiful. (And you're so young too, good stuff!) It was just really lovely to listen to." ---- Sophie Serese, Composer"Scary." ---- Anne Easter Smith, Folk Singer and Author of "A Rose for the Crown"Laura... [+] Read More
Artist: Gangsta Pat
One of the first Memphis rappers to make the major-label jump, Gangsta Pat never attained the acclaim or success of fellow Memphis pioneers Three 6 Mafia and Eightball & MJG, yet he still remains noteworthy for his trailblazing. Pat's career began promisingly when Atlantic signed him at the dawn of the gangsta rap era and released #1 Suspect... [+] Read More
Artist: Gerald Albright
Beginning in the late '80s, saxophone master Gerald Albright recorded numerous successful solo albums for Atlantic when he wasn't busy assisting an impressive, and mammoth, roster of popular R&B artists. Born in South Central Los Angeles, the saxophonist idolized James Brown and took much influence from Maceo Parker and Cannonball Adderley. He... [+] Read More
Artist: Craig G
Craig G's career began in the late '80s when he ran with legendary producer Marley Marl and his Juice Crew posse. The Queensbridge rapper teamed with Marley early on, back in 1985, when the two recorded "Shout" and "Transformer," both released by Pop Art Records. Though definitely not as treasured as other Marley classics from the era such as MC... [+] Read More
Artist: Kyper
Kyper was born Randall S. Kiper in Baton Rouge, LA, in the early '70s. His self-written "Tic-Tac-Toe" amazingly became a hit in 1990. Equally as astounding, the pop smash did nothing on the R&B charts. The song was a pop-disco-rap mix dominated by electronic drums and was popular in clubs. Though Kyper wrote all his songs, he borrowed heavily... [+] Read More
Artist: Doris Troy
Surely one of the most talented one-hit wonders of the rock era, Doris Troy hit the Top Ten with "Just One Look" in 1963, but also recorded many other fine pop-soul sides for Atlantic between 1963 and 1965. Unlike many soul performers of the time, Troy wrote most of her own material (under the pseudonym Payne), and had already written for other... [+] Read More
Artist: Joseph B. Jefferson
Songwriter Joseph B. Jefferson's best-known songs are the Spinners' three number one R&B hits -- "Mighty Love, Part 1," "One of a Kind (Love Affair)," "(They Just Can't Stop It) Games People Play" -- and the O'Jays' "Brandy."
While growing up in Richmond, VA, Jefferson would listen to his mother's record albums and peruse the jackets for... [+] Read More
Artist: Roberta Flack
Classy, urbane, reserved, smooth, and sophisticated -- all of these terms have been used to describe the music of Roberta Flack, particularly her string of romantic, light jazz ballad hits in the 1970s, which continue to enjoy popularity on MOR-oriented adult contemporary stations. Flack was the daughter of a church organist and started playing... [+] Read More
Artist: Acoustic Alchemy
During the late '80s and '90s, Nick Webb and Greg Carmichael produced a series of mellow albums classified as adult contemporary music, though the guitarists encompass the range of jazz and new age as well. Both grew up in England during the '60s listening to pop/rock, though Webb studied jazz guitar at Leeds College of Music while Carmichael... [+] Read More
Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
Bellingham, WA, indie pop quartet Death Cab for Cutie began in 1997 as the solo project of singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard, who previously recorded under the name All-Time Quarterback. The underground success of the cassette You Can Play These Songs' Chords inspired Gibbard to recruit a full-time band including guitarist/organist Christopher Walla... [+] Read More
Artist: Elephant Man
The boisterous DJ Elephant Man (aka Energy God) was born O'Neil Bryan in 1974. Overly large ears as a child earned him the nickname "Dumbo Elephant" from his classmates in the Seaview Gardens area of Kingston, Jamaica. Shabba Ranks and Bounty Killer were Seaview residents at the time, and with King Jammy's studio not so far away, Elephant Man... [+] Read More
Artist: Da Vinci's Notebook
The comic a cappella group Da Vinci's Notebook was formed through a classified ad in the Washington City Paper that brought together Bernie Muller-Thym, Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo, and Paul Sabourin. Richard Hsu, a college friend of DiCostanzo's from the University of Maryland, joined in the summer of 1993, completing the lineup, though a fifth... [+] Read More
Artist: Bessie Smith
The first major blues and jazz singer on record and one of the most powerful of all time, Bessie Smith rightly earned the title of "The Empress of the Blues." Even on her first records in 1923, her passionate voice overcame the primitive recording quality of the day and still communicates easily to today's listeners (which is not true of any... [+] Read More
Artist: Mose Allison
Not unlike his namesake, Luther Allison, pianist Mose Allison has suffered from "categorization problem," given his equally brilliant career. Although his boogie woogie and bebop-laden piano style is innovative and fresh sounding when it comes to blues and jazz, it is as a songwriter that Allison really shines. Allison's songs have been recorded... [+] Read More
Artist: Matchbox Twenty
Upon the release of their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in the fall of 1996, Matchbox Twenty were pigeonholed as one of the legions of post-grunge guitar bands that roamed the American pop scene in the middle of the '90s. As their first single, "Push," climbed the charts, it was widely assumed (at least by cyncial critics) that they... [+] Read More
Artist: Fire on Blonde
Based in Los Angeles, Fire on Blonde was an obscure dance-pop/urban contemporary group that recorded some noteworthy singles in the 1980s. Fire on Blonde was formed in 1985, when singer/actress Suzie Benson joined forces with keyboardist Jim Vukovich. The two had known each other since 1983 and had been members of a cover band called Atsui.... [+] Read More
Artist: Jimmy Briscoe & the Little Beavers
Jimmy Briscoe, Stanford Stansberry, Kevin Barnes, Maurice Pulley, and Robert Makins were the original Jimmy Briscoe & the Little Beavers. Bobby Finch replaced Makins in 1977. The Jersey City, NJ-based group debuted with Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" on Atlantic Records in the fall of 1971. Paul Kyser, their manager... [+] Read More
Artist: Sarah Slean
Sarah Slean first appeared on the Toronto live circuit in 1997; the release of her independent debut EP Universe followed soon afterward. Already an accomplished, classically trained pianist, the Pickering, Ontario, native pursued her studies in the music program at the University of Toronto while gradually carving out a name for herself as a... [+] Read More
Artist: Love Arcade
Love Arcade is the musical creation of frontman and multi-instrumentalist Snowhite (aka Christian Berishaj). Often performing live wearing a pair of angel wings, the Detroit native was not yet out of his teens before signing a deal with Atlantic Records on the power of mailed-in demos boasting his infectious pop/rock antics. Writing and... [+] Read More
Artist: Jimmie Reign
Take the sex appeal and beauty of Aaliyah, the writing prowess of Alicia Keys, then add the vocal talent of Tamia and you've almost figured it out. Emerging directly on the heels of the new-found success of E-40 and Too Short who helped bring the Bay lifestyle back into the nations consciousness, JIMMIE REIGN has been swiftly blazing up the Bay... [+] Read More
