Showing 1 - 6 of 6
Artist: Madonna
After a star reaches a certain point, it's easy to forget what they became famous for and concentrate solely on their persona. Madonna is such a star. Madonna rocketed to stardom so quickly in 1984 that it obscured most of her musical virtues. Appreciating her music became even more difficult as the decade wore on, as discussing her lifestyle... [+] Read More
Artist: Bryan Adams
From the mid-'80s to the mid-'90s, Canadian singer/songwriter and guitarist Bryan Adams was one of the most successful recording artists in popular music worldwide. Usually dressed in blue jeans, sneakers, and white T-shirts, the energetic performer stalked stages around the globe, electric guitar in hand, singing his own up-tempo pop/rock songs... [+] Read More
Artist: Plies
“I’m not tryin’ to impress anyone on how hard my struggle was, or how messed up the conditions were where I came from,” says Plies. “I feel like most of the people in my situation come from the same type of background, the same type of environment.” Hailed as “one of the realest n****s you will ever... [+] Read More
Artist: Henny Youngman
For a comedian renowned as the King of One-liners, Youngman has had a scant recording history. His earliest recordings date back to the '40s, and although he's released several albums on various microscopic labels, his style is still best experienced live. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Positive messages and breakdancing are integral parts of hip-hop culture, but by 1990 those elements had been temporarily eclipsed by the tough gangsta image and bleak but compelling lyrics of West Coast groups like N.W.A. However, despite sharing a zip code, Black Eyed Peas' vision goes beyond the cracked-sidewalk vignettes and sampled gunfire... [+] Read More
Artist: Bill Dowdy
Say howdy to Bill Dowdy, a rhythm guitarist from Texas who is a mentor to the small portion of the population to whom the name Jimmy Heap suggests something other than a pile of small trucks. Like Heap, Dowdy was a guitarist in western swing bands going back to the '40s. Not to be confused with the jazz drummer of the same name, Dowdy was... [+] Read More
Artist: Dardanelle
An excellent pianist with a light touch, Dardanelle's credits dated back to the '40s. She could play hot, funky blues and surging originals, or do a menu of novelty tunes and old standards. Dardanelle's combo recordings range from intense trio sessions with Tal Farlow to relatively easy listening fare with Bucky Pizzarelli. She was an active... [+] Read More
Artist: Simply Red
The British soul-pop band Simply Red was formed in 1984 by singer Mick "Red" Hucknall (born Michael James Hucknall, June 8, 1960, Manchester, England) with three ex-members of Durutti Column, Tony Bowers (b. October 31, 1952) (bass), Chris Joyce (b. October 11, 1957, Manchester, England) (drums), and Tim Kellett (b. July 23, 1964, Knaresborough,... [+] Read More
Artist: R. Kelly
Urban R&B producer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter R. Kelly and his supporting band Public Announcement began recording in 1992 at the tail end of the new jack swing era, yet he was able to keep much of its sound alive while remaining commercially successful. While he created a smooth, professional mixture of hip-hop beats, soul-man... [+] Read More
Artist: Jay-Z
To the admiration of a generation, Jay-Z led an incredibly storied career in the rap industry, pulling himself up by his bootstraps as a youth to one day become the reigning rapper of New York City and then a major-label executive following his retirement from music-making. More than anyone, Jay-Z embodied the ultimate rags-to-riches rap dream,... [+] Read More
Artist: Harold "Hal" Smith
A Nashville session musician, bassist Hal Smith has to be considered part of the old guard. Some of his recordings date back to the late '40s, a period of country and western recording that has been revisited in great detail on productions such as Bear Family box sets. This bassist is sometimes credited as a Harold or Harry -- more common in... [+] Read More
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra was arguably the most important popular music figure of the 20th century, his only real rivals for the title being Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. In a professional career that lasted 60 years, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to maintain his appeal and pursue his musical goals despite often countervailing trends.... [+] Read More
Artist: The Rolling Stones
By the time the Rolling Stones began calling themselves the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late '60s, they had already staked out an impressive claim on the title. As the self-consciously dangerous alternative to the bouncy Merseybeat of the Beatles in the British Invasion, the Stones had pioneered the gritty, hard-driving blues-based... [+] Read More
Artist: Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath has been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style. The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like Cream, Blue Cheer, and Vanilla Fudge to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasizing screaming guitar solos and howled vocals... [+] Read More
Artist: Def Leppard
Def Leppard, in many ways, was the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder, and were more dangerous, than the Sheffield quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. Emerging in the late '70s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the group actually owed more to the glam... [+] Read More
Artist: Christina Aguilera
After Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera was the most popular female singer of the late-'90s teen pop revival. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Aguilera was a technically skilled singer with a genuinely powerful voice, belting out her uptempo dance numbers and ballads with a diva's panache. Born Christina Maria Aguilera on December 18, 1980,... [+] Read More
Artist: Dixie Flyers
The sounds of bluegrass were imported into Canada by Toronto-based band, The Dixie Flyers. The late father of bluegrass", Bill Monroe claimed, the Dixie Flyers play good bluegrass, they play it the right way."
Formed in Toronto in 1974, the Dixie Flyers have endured numerous personnel changes. Only flat-picking guitarist Bert Baumbach and... [+] Read More
Artist: Cari Lee & the Saddle-ites
Inspired by vintage Western swing and rockabilly, Cari Lee & the Saddle-ites make music that harks back to the best artists of the '40s and '50s. Centered around vocalist Cari Lee Merritt and her husband guitarist Steve Merritt's vocals, the Austin-based group released its debut album, Red Barn Baby on El Toro in 2002. ~ Matt Collar, All Music... [+] Read More
Artist: Harry Lawson
Tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Harry Lawson appears on many recordings from the '30s and '40s, backing up some of the greatest singers including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan. Lawson was a member of Ray Noble's orchestra, featured on the popular radio show of comic ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. The reed artist should not be... [+] Read More
Artist: Kenny Rogers
It took several tries before Kenny Rogers became a star. As a member of the First Edition (and the New Christy Minstrels before that), he shared in some million-sellers, among them "Reuben James" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," an excellent Mel Tillis song about a disabled veteran. But superstardom lay ahead for this Texan, and it... [+] Read More
Artist: Frank Hovington
A tremendous country blues musician who was singing vividly and playing with flair well after the genre's heyday, Franklin "Frank" Hovington started on ukulele and banjo as a child. He teamed with Willliam Walker in the late '30s and '40s playing at house parties and dances in Frederica, Pennsylvania. Hovington moved to Washington D.C. in the... [+] Read More
Artist: Aerosmith
Aerosmith was one of the most popular hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a... [+] Read More
Artist: UB40
Named after a British unemployment benefit form, pop-reggae band UB40 was formed in a welfare line in 1978, and its multiracial lineup reflected the working-class community its members came from. The band consolidated its street credibility with political topics appealing to dissatisfied youth and got a boost from fans of the waning 2-Tone... [+] Read More
Artist: The Bee Gees
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
Artist: Havana Mambo
Havana Mambo isn't the only salsa/Afro-Cuban band that is based in Italy, but unlike other salsa outfits one might find in Milan, Rome, Palermo, Venice, or Florence, Havana Mambo isn't dominated by Italians -- the band's founders are originally from Cuba. Havana Mambo, in fact, was formed in Havana, Cuba, in 1994 by ten Cuban musicians who had... [+] Read More
