Showing 1 - 25 of 157
Artist: Pivot
Artist: Pivot Clowj
Artist: Ball & Pivot
Artist: Pivot vs. Dxpxcx
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press... [+] Read More
Artist: Nelly
When Nelly first debuted nationally in summer 2000, he seemed like a novelty, but it quickly became apparent that he was, in fact, an exceptional artist, a rapper with truly universal appeal. He wasn't from the East or West Coast, and wasn't really from the Dirty South, either. Rather, Nelly was from St. Louis, a Midwestern city halfway between... [+] Read More
Artist: Cheb Mami
The traditional music of Algeria is combined with Spanish, Moroccan, French, and Arabic influences to create the dance-inspiring sounds of "the Prince of Rai," Cheb Mami (born Khelifati Mohamed). Cheb Mami's music was described in a press release from the ARK 21 record label, as "Arabic rock & roll retaining virtues of traditional music but... [+] Read More
Artist: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, stream-of-conscious narratives. As a vocalist, he broke down the notions that in order to perform, a singer had to have a conventionally good voice,... [+] Read More
Artist: Amber Davis
The photographer Amber Davis, not to be confused with several other artists with recording credits who have this same name, has been based out of Somerville since the '90s and is a faculty member at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, teaching photography and new media. She has exhibited her works and created video installations at... [+] Read More
Artist: Jonny Stevens
A gifted songwriter and well-rounded performer, former New Breed front man Jonny Stevens’ new artistic venture has influences of Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, and reflects musical maturity. The synergy between his coastal lifestyle experiences and the street level punk sound of The New Breed has become pivotal in determining... [+] Read More
Artist: Zia Mohiuddin Dagar
Born in 1929 in Udaipur in Rajasthan, Z.M. Dagar was one of the greatest musicians of the second half of the 20th century. He died on Sept 28, 1990. A pivotal musician in the process of recording Hindustani music, his early work on the French La Boite à Musique is highly collected and shamefully lost in space. ~ Ken Hunt, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: House of Wires
Southern California CCM synth-pop duo House of Wires teamed Jon Sonnenberg and Robert Gutschow, also of the band Pivot Clowj; their 1998 debut You Are Obsolete was produced by Joy Electric's Ronnie Martin, and was additionally the first release on Martin's newly-formed Plastiq Musiq imprint. Monogamy followed in late 1999. ~ Jason Ankeny, All... [+] Read More
Artist: Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music, no matter how much some country purists would like to deny it. With his commercially savvy fusion of post-Merle Haggard country, honky tonk, post-folk-rock sensitive singer/songwriter sensibilities, and '70s arena rock dramatics, Brooks brought country music to a new audience in... [+] Read More
Artist: Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart may have began his career as a respected singer, yet that respect eroded as he got older, as he became more concerned with stardom than music. While he has recorded some terrible albums -- and he would admit that freely -- Stewart was once rock & roll's best interpretive singer, as well as an accomplished songwriter, creating a raw... [+] Read More
Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins
Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early '90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fashioned an amalgam of progressive rock, heavy metal, goth rock, psychedelia, and dream pop, creating a layered, powerful sound driven by swirling, distorted... [+] Read More
Artist: David Bowie
The cliché about David Bowie says he's a musical chameleon, adapting himself according to fashion and trends. While such a criticism is too glib, there's no denying that Bowie demonstrated remarkable skill for perceiving musical trends at his peak in the '70s. After spending several years in the late '60s as a mod and as an all-around... [+] Read More
Artist: VOLA
Balcony Fall 2007 is Niels Dreijer, Asger Mygind, Niklas Sherfig, Jeppe Bloch and Martin Werner. The music is best described as reflective, melodic rock with earth shaking walls of sound and experimenting flavours, that might pass as being progressive elements. Atmosphere and contrasts have become the pivotal points of the compositions in which... [+] Read More
Artist: Bill Champlin
Singer/songwriter/keyboard player/guitarist Bill Champlin has been a rock journeyman in a career dating back to the 1960s. Starting in 1966, Champlin was the pivotal figure in a San Francisco-based group called the Sons of Champlin that existed and made records off and on for over a decade without gaining a great deal of notice. In 1981,... [+] Read More
Artist: Robert Sour
Lyricist Robert Sour's fame rests almost solely on one song, but what a song: the perennial "Body and Soul." He wrote the classic ballad with fellow lyricists Edward Heyman and Frank Eyton in tandem with composer Johnny Green. Originally authored for Gertrude Lawrence, who popularized the tune while touring in Britain, "Body and Soul" was then... [+] Read More
Artist: Proof
Though Proof never enjoyed much national prominence beyond his membership in D12, the rapper was a pivotal figure within Detroit, energizing the local hip-hop scene in the years predating his unfortunate death in 2006 at age 32. Born DeShaun Holton, Proof was undoubtedly best known for his close relationship with Eminem. The two Detroit rappers... [+] Read More
Artist: Ray Charles
Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country.... [+] Read More
Artist: The Ramones
The Ramones are the first punk rock band. Other bands, such as the Stooges and the New York Dolls, came before them and set the stage and aesthetic for punk, and bands that immediately followed, such as the Sex Pistols, made the latent violence of the music more explicit, but the Ramones crystallized the musical ideals of the genre. By cutting... [+] Read More
Artist: Hovie Lister
Pianist Hovie Lister was the founder and driving force behind the Statesmen Quartet, the long-running and highly influential Southern gospel group whose flair for showmanship and jazzy accompaniment pointed the way toward the crowd-pleasing CCM of the present. Lister was born September 17, 1926 in Greenville, SC and began playing piano at age... [+] Read More
Artist: Mark Isham
Trumpeter/synth programmer Mark Isham was not only an important part of the Windham Hill stable, but also a successful and versatile composer for film and television, garnering equal acclaim for both his new age and soundtrack work. Born September 7, 1951, to a musical family in New York, Isham began studying classical music (specifically... [+] Read More
Artist: Statesmen Quartet
One of Southern gospel's longest-running groups, the Statesmen Quartet was also one of the most influential -- their flair for showmanship and jazzy piano accompaniment pointed the way toward the crowd-pleasing CCM of the present. Formed in 1948 by pianist Hovie Lister, the original group also included lead Mosie Lister (no relation), tenor... [+] Read More
