Showing 176 - 200 of 10683
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: Mandy Moore
Teen dance-pop singer Mandy Moore was born in Nashua, NH on April 10, 1984 but raised in Orlando, FL; determined to be an entertainer from the age of six onward, she was later known throughout the Orlando area as the "National Anthem Girl" for her regular performances of "The Star Spangled Banner" at local sporting events. Breaking into the... [+] Read More
Artist: Ace of Base
Comprised of vocalists Jenny Berggren and Linn Berggren, and keyboardists Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddah" Ekberg, the Swedish quartet Ace of Base became a phenomenally popular international act with their 1993 debut album, The Sign. Ace of Base's simple, melodic Euro-disco was equally popular on radio and in the clubs, earning the... [+] Read More
Artist: Godsmack
The Boston-based alternative metal group Godsmack originally comprised vocalist Sully Erna (a devout Wiccan), guitarist Tony Rambola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Tommy Stewart. After debuting in 1997 with All Wound Up, Godsmack signed with Universal, which in 1998 reissued the LP as a self-titled effort with a handful of new tracks; at... [+] Read More
Artist: Weird Al Yankovic
The foremost song parodist of the MTV era, "Weird Al" Yankovic carried the torch of musical humor more proudly and more successfully than any performer since Allan Sherman. In the world of novelty records -- a genre noted for its extensive back catalog of flashes-in-the-pan and one-hit wonders -- Yankovic was king, scoring smash after smash over... [+] Read More
Artist: Lloyd
Urban crooner Lloyd topped BET's play list singing a steamy duet with Ashanti, but he got his first spins on the anything but steamy Radio Disney. Born January 3, 1986, in New Orleans but raised in Atlanta, Lloyd joined N-Toon -- the teen pop group put together by Klymaxx's Joyce Irby -- in 1996 and appeared on their 2000 album, Toon Time,... [+] Read More
Artist: Elton John
In terms of sales and lasting popularity, Elton John was the biggest pop superstar of the early '70s. Initially marketed as a singer/songwriter, John soon revealed he could craft Beatlesque pop and pound out rockers with equal aplomb. He could dip into soul, disco, and country, as well as classic pop balladry and even progressive rock. His... [+] Read More
Artist: Boyz II Men
According to no less an authority than the RIAA, Boyz II Men are the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They've sold ludicrous numbers of records and been involved in three of the longest-running number-one pop singles in history, and they've done it as a unit of equals. In fact, their four-part harmonies blend so smoothly that... [+] Read More
Artist: The Who
Few bands in the history of rock & roll were riddled with as many contradictions as the Who. All four members had wildly different personalities, as their notoriously intense live performances demonstrated. The group was a whirlwind of activity, as the wild Keith Moon fell over his drum kit and Pete Townshend leaped into the air with his guitar,... [+] Read More
Artist: Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman helped restore singer/songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional singer/songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven... [+] Read More
Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
Though many bands have succeeded in earning the hatred of parents and media worldwide throughout the past few decades, arguably only such acts as Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, and Marilyn Manson have tied the controversial record of Ozzy Osbourne. The former Black Sabbath frontman has been ridiculed over his career, mostly due to rumors denouncing... [+] Read More
Artist: Cradle of Filth
British black metal band Cradle of Filth was formed in 1991, originally comprising vocalist Dani Davey, guitarist Paul Ryan, his keyboardist brother Benjamin, bassist John Richard, and drummer Darren. After recording a demo dubbed Invoking the Unclean a year later, the group recruited guitarist Robin Eaglestone, who quit soon after recording a... [+] 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: R.E.M.
R.E.M. mark the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock. When their first single, "Radio Free Europe," was released in 1981, it sparked a back-to-the-garage movement in the American underground. While there were a number of hardcore and punk bands in the U.S. during the early '80s, R.E.M. brought guitar pop back into the underground... [+] Read More
Artist: Arcade Fire
Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Richard Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Win's kid brother William Butler formed the Arcade Fire in summer 2003. The experimental indie rock quintet, who hail from Montreal, initially began when the elder Butler spotted Chassagne singing jazz standards at a local art exhibit at Concordia University in their hometown. From... [+] Read More
Artist: B.G.
Long before the Cash Money camp became known as Cash Money Millionaires, the label got its start hustling albums by a young teen known as B.G., who eventually scored a national anthem with his track "Bling Bling." Originally known as the Baby Gangsta, B.G. grew up in the dangerous uptown section of New Orleans, among some of the most... [+] Read More
Artist: Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records -- "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The... [+] Read More
Artist: Aventura
A New York-based, Dominican boy band with their roots deep in bachata? If that sounds unlikely, well, Aventura have managed to cope with it. Formed in 1994 in the Bronx by a group of four boys (Anthony Santos, Lenny Santos, Max Santos, and Henry Santos Jeter) who were determined to break Dominican bachata music out from its traditional base and... [+] Read More
Artist: John Legend
Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combined the raw fervor of contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D'Angelo. Born John Stephens, Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the tender age of five. Legend left Ohio at 16 to go to college in Philadelphia, and it was... [+] Read More
Artist: Ron Kenoly
Ron Kenoly began singing in a Baptist church in his hometown, Coffeyville, KS, and after spending time working in the Air Force and raising a family, he became a successful charting singer in the early '70s in Los Angeles, but recommitted his life to being a Christian in 1975. Kenoly then received his master's degree in music at the College of... [+] Read More
Artist: Roxette
It's tempting to write Roxette off as nothing more than a shallow pop/rock band, but their shameless hooks are precisely what makes them so enjoyable. Roxette has a knack for writing extremely catchy and simple hooks and melodies that are sweet but not saccharine; it's radio-friendly pop, but the hooks don't wear thin with repeated plays. The... [+] Read More
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial group ever and was largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. It isn't really accurate to call NIN a group; the only official member is singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor, who always remained solely responsible for NIN's musical direction (he was, however,... [+] Read More
Artist: Bleeding Through
Orange County, CA, sextet Bleeding Through formed in the year 2000 and features vocalist Brandan Schieppati, guitarists Brian Leppke and Scott Danough, bassist Ryan Wombacher, drummer Derek Youngsma, and keyboardist Marta. Probably the county's biggest misfits, Bleeding Through doesn't play pop, ska, hardcore, or even punk (though they sure look... [+] Read More
Artist: Safri Duo
Danish natives Uffe Savery and Morten Friis met in 1977 while participating in the Tivoli Garden Boys' Guard and later attended the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music. The two created an experimental project called Safri Duo. Discovered by a label executive working for a classical department, they teamed up with a trance producer and signed with... [+] Read More
Artist: Van Halen
With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sounds of machines... [+] Read More
