Showing 1 - 3 of 3
Artist: Barry Manilow
In terms of both record sales and career longevity, Barry Manilow is one of the most successful adult contemporary singers ever. That success hasn't necessarily translated to respect (or even ironic hipster appreciation) in most quarters; Manilow's music has been much maligned by critics and listeners alike, particularly the romantic ballads... [+] Read More
Artist: Eagles
With five number one singles and four number one albums, the Eagles were among the most successful recording artists of the 1970s; at the end of the 20th century, two of those albums, Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 and Hotel California, ranked among the ten best-selling albums ever, according to the certifications of the Record Industry... [+] Read More
Artist: The Wonder Stuff
When the Wonder Stuff released their first album, The Eight Legged Groove Machine, in 1988, the British press wrote scores of articles about the band, mainly because of the arrogant self-confidence of their leader, vocalist/guitarist Miles Hunt. Hunt's brash public image was the Wonder Stuff personified -- mean, self-satisfied, self-serving, and... [+] Read More
Artist: Breaking Benjamin
In late 2000, guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark James Klepaski made a surprising and unexpected decision: they left Lifer, an alternative metal band that was signed to Universal and was gaining commercial acceptance. Fink and Klepaski departed Lifer (which was originally called Strangers with Candy) so that they could join forces with singer... [+] Read More
Artist: Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is a much-beloved American icon and an indisputable genius not only of R&B but popular music in general. Blind virtually since birth, Wonder's heightened awareness of sound helped him create vibrant, colorful music teeming with life and ambition. Nearly everything he recorded bore the stamp of his sunny, joyous positivity; even... [+] Read More
Artist: Three Days Grace
The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens, carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances. Three Days Grace was formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada, in 1997 by Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Brad Walst (bass), and Neil Sanderson (drums). The group was originally called... [+] Read More
Artist: Richard Adler
Adler, the son of a concert pianist, is mostly a self-taught musician. After serving in the navy he started writing songs, and in 1950 he began collaborating with Jerry Ross. Their first success together was Rags to Riches and their first musical, The Pajama Game, brought them recognition for the way the songs work with the plot and for their... [+] Read More
Artist: Mississippi Mass Choir
The Mississippi Mass Choir was one of the most influential gospel groups of the late '80s and '90s. Under the musical direction of David R. Curry, the 100-voice choir served their Lord with a sound that made them a constant presence on Billboard's gospel charts. Each of their recordings have reached the top position on the charts. Their debut... [+] Read More
Artist: Michael Amante
Growing up as one of five children in an Italian-American family in Syracuse, NY, Michael Amante knew from early childhood that he wanted to be a singer. His first performances ranged from the choirs at his church and Catholic school to local rock bands where his tenor voice helped him sing covers of Kansas, Foreigner, and Journey songs. After... [+] Read More
Artist: Geoffrey Bush
Bush studied at the Salisbury Cathedral Choir School, Lancing College and Balloil College, Oxford. He served as lecturer at Oxford University and at London University. A self-taught composer, Bush's compositions consist mainly of vocal music written in a traditional manner. He has been active as an arranger and editor and has written some of the... [+] Read More
Artist: Bill Harrell
A player who favored a subtle, traditional approach to his music, singer and multi-instrumentalist Bill Harrell remained one of bluegrass' most popular figures for several decades. Born in Marion, VA, on September 14, 1934, Harrell's passion for music began during his childhood, when he started playing guitar and taking piano lessons. While... [+] Read More
Artist: Gene Rice
Contemporary soul singer Gene Rice was born in Baltimore in 1950. Driven by the R&B hit "You're Gonna Get Served," his 1991 debut album Just for You earned solid reviews and placed on the R&B charts as well. A self-titled album followed in 1993, but it was his last release for RCA. ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: Bright
Boston space-pop improv combo Bright was formed in 1994 by the duo of guitarist/vocalist Mark Dwinell and drummer Joe LaBrecque. A cassette culled from rehearsal jams so impressed Ba-Da-Bing label owner Ben Goldberg that he quickly offered the group a contract, with Bright's self-titled debut appearing in 1996; the same four-track rehearsal... [+] Read More
Artist: DJ Screw
After spending most of the 1990s as an infamous local phenomenon in Houston, TX, DJ Screw suddenly found himself gaining sudden notoriety before his unfortunate death in late 2000. The Houston DJ made a name for himself primarily because of his uncanny mixing style, which found him pitching down his records to a lumbering and quite eerie pace.... [+] Read More
Artist: No Doubt
With the return of the punks in the mid-'90s came a resurgence of their slightly more commercial rivals, new wave bands. No Doubt found a niche as a new wave/ska band, on the strength of vocalist Gwen Stefani's persona -- alternately an embrace of little-girl-lost innocence and riot grrrl feminism -- exemplified on the band's breakout single,... [+] Read More
Artist: The Wolverines
The Wolverines Orchestra (sometimes referred to as "The Original Wolverines") was the premier Midwestern territory jazz band of the mid-'20s, and is remembered primarily as the group in which jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke generally became known to audiences. Although over time the orchestra changed hands, leaders, and its entire personnel, there... [+] Read More
Artist: The Wolverine Orchestra
The Wolverine Orchestra (sometimes referred to as "The Original Wolverines") was the premier Midwestern territory jazz band of the mid-1920s, and is remembered primarily as the group in which jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke generally became known to audiences. Although over time it changed hands, leaders, and its entire personnel, there was a... [+] Read More
Artist: Dust
At the dawn of the '70s, hard rock and early heavy metal were almost completely dominated by British innovators. Dust was one of the few American bands to try picking up the gauntlet, playing a progressive brand of proto-metal that was explicitly indebted to their British contemporaries. Formed around 1968, the group featured vocalist/guitarist... [+] Read More
Artist: Cold Cold Hearts
Indie rock supergroup Cold Cold Hearts formed in Washington, D.C., in the mid-'90s when Bratmobile's Allison Wolfe and Erin Smith joined forces with Katherine Brown and Nattles of the Cutthroats. Having survived the flurry of attention during the riot grrrl phenomenon of the mid-'90s, the bandmembers regrouped, and Cold Cold Hearts was the... [+] Read More
Artist: Dead Beat Honeymooners
The heavy metal band Deadbeat Honeymooners formed in Canada in the early '90s. Its music is similar in style to that of such groups as Paradise Lost, Guns N' Roses, and Malhavoc. Members of the short-lived Deadbeat Honeymooners included lead singer Chris Burke-Gaffney, guitarist Barry Player, bassist Blaire Depape, and drummer Terry Norman. All... [+] Read More
Artist: Olivia Newton-John
Born in Cambridge, England in 1948, the youngest child of Professor Brin Newton-John and Irene, daughter of Nobel Prize winning physicist, Max Born, Olivia moved to Melbourne, Australia with her family when she was five. By the age of fifteen, she had formed an all-girl group called Sol Four. Later that year she won a talent contest on the... [+] Read More
Artist: Dios Malos
Hawthorne, CA's Dios consists of guitarists/vocalists Kevin and Joel Morales, bassist John Paul Caballero, keyboardist Jimmy Cabeza DeVaca, and drummer Jackie Monzon. The band hails from the same town that spawned the Beach Boys, Emitt Rhodes, and Black Flag, and the former two artists' trippy wistfulness, and the latter band's D.I.Y. aesthetic... [+] Read More
Artist: B2K
Urban boy band B2K broke into the pop market in early 2002 with "Uh Huh," a fun song driven by more-dance-than-hip-hop beats and a hot delivery, downright sexy for four young innocent-looking men. The single's success drew attention toward the group's self-titled debut album and group members Omarion, Raz-B, Lil Fizz, and J-Boog. Epic Records,... [+] Read More
Artist: Shawn Mullins
Atlanta-based folksinger and songwriter Shawn Mullins was serving as a member of the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry Division when he released his first self-titled cassette on his own SM label in 1989; following the release of 1991's Everchanging World, he left the military after eight years to pursue music on a full-time basis. After three years... [+] Read More
Artist: Division of Laura Lee
Swedish garage punk quartet Division of Laura Lee emerged in the mid- to late '90s, assembled out of spare parts in the Swedish hardcore music underground. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Per Stålberg, guitarist David Ojala, bassist Jonas Gustavsson, and drummer Håkan Johansson, DOLL was soon playing shows wherever it could. The band debuted... [+] Read More
