Tuxedomoon was an American art-rock band from San Francisco. They started as an avant-garde performance act in 1977 and released one single and two EPs during 1978/79. Their first two albums, Half-Mute and Desire, appeared on Ralph Records in 1980/81. After a sequence of 1982/83 titles on the Belgian Les Disques du Crépuscule, they released […]
Alpha Ralpha was a French symphonic/space-rock band that released a self-titled album in 1977 on Warner Bros. Members: Claude Alvarez-Pereyre (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin, electric violin, organ, marimba, vibraphone), Michel Mareska (electric guitar), Charlie Charriras (bass), Jean-Alain Gardet (piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizer), Emmanuel Lacordaire (drums, percussion, marimba, vibraphone) Background Alpha Ralpha formed in […]
Bill Fay (September 9, 1943 — February 21, 2025) was an English singer/songwriter who released a self-titled album on Deram in 1970, followed by Time of the Last Persecution in 1971. Background Born in North London, Fay began writing songs in the early 1960s while studying at university in Wales, where he increasingly diverted his […]
The Amazing Rhythm Aces were an American rustic-rock band from Memphis that released five albums between 1975 and 1979 on ABC and a sixth on Warner. They scored a country-pop crossover hit with “Third Rate Romance” from their debut album Stacked Deck, their first of four Top 30 albums on the Billboard Top Country Albums […]
Alusa Fallax was an Italian symphonic-rock band that released two 1969 singles and the 1974 album Intorno alla mia Cattiva Educazione. Members: Augusto “Duty” Cirla (vocals, drums, recorder), Guido Gabet (guitar, vocals), Massimo Parretti (keyboards), Mario Cirla (flute, saxophone, French horn, vocals), Guido Cirla (bass, vocals) Background Alusa Fallax formed in Milan in 1969 under […]
Frumpy was a German post-psychedelic soul-rock band responsible for the 1970/71 Philips titles All Will Be Changed and 2, followed by the 1972 Vertigo release By the Way. Three members regrouped in Atlantis, which made four albums before singer Inga Rumpf launched her solo career. Members: Inga Rumpf (lead vocals, percussion, guitar), Carsten Bohn (drums, […]
Zior was an English post-psychedelic hard rock band that released a 1971 self-titled album on Nepentha (UK) and Global (Germany). Their demoed second album, Every Inch a Man, appeared in 1973 on the German Intercord label. Between the two albums, Zior (under the band alias Monument) recorded The First Monument, released in late 1971 on […]
Curlew was an American avant-rock/jazz band from NYC that debuted with an eponymous release on Landslide Records in 1981, followed by the album North America on the German Moers Music label in 1985. The band’s 1988 release Live in Berlin kicked off a seven-disc run on Cuneiform over the ensuing 15-year period. Members: George Cartwright […]
The Neon Philharmonic was an American pop-psych band from Nashville that released two 1969 albums on Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Records. Their sound fused orchestral textures with chamber-psych arrangements. Members: Don Gant (vocals, 1967-72), Chuck Wyatt, Don Sheffield, Tupper Saussy, Norbert Putnam, Pierre Menard, Rufus Long Background The Neon Philharmonic formed in 1967 in Nashville as […]
Spin was a Dutch jazz-rock band that made the 1976/77 Ariola albums Spin and Whirlwind and scored an international hit with the instrumental “Grasshopper.” Members: Rein van den Broek (trumpet, flugelhorn), Jan Vennik (flute, oboe, clarinet), Hans Jansen (keyboards), Hans Hollestelle (keyboards, guitar), Jan Hollestelle (bass, keyboards, cello), Cees Kranenburg (drums, percussion) Background Spin was […]
Vanilla Fudge was an American psych-rock band from New York that released five albums on Atco between 1967 and 1969. The rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogart and drummer Carmine Appice subsequently recorded four albums in hard-rockers Cactus and two in the powertrio Beck, Bogart and Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck. Members: Mark Stein (lead […]
Pleasure was an American soul-funk band from Portland, Ore., that released six albums on Fantasy between 1975 and 1980, followed by a seventh on RCA Victor in 1982. Members: Marlon McClain (guitar, vocals), Sherman Davis (vocals), Bruce Carter (drums), Donald Hepburn (keyboards, vocals), Nathaniel Phillips (bass, vocals), Bruce Smith (percussion, vocals), Denis Springer (saxophone), Dan […]
Transit Express was a French jazz-rock quartet that released three albums on RCA Victor during the mid-1970s. On the third album — Couleurs Naturelles (1977) — the band were joined by American violinist David Rose, who plied a similar vein of music on his subsequent solo releases. Members: Dominique Bouvier (drums, vibraphone, percussion), Jean-Claude Guselli […]
Steppenwolf was an American hard-rock band that released six albums and two live sets on ABC/Dunhill between 1968 and 1971, followed by a trio of 1974–76 titles on Epic. They are best known for the FM rock staples “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride.” Members: John Kay (lead vocals, guitar), Jerry Edmonton [aka […]
Malo was an American Latin rock band from San Francisco that released four albums between 1972 and 1974 on Warner Bros and charted with “Suavecito.” Members: Arcelio Garcia (percussion, vocals), Jorge Santana (guitar, vocals), Abel Zarate (guitar), Pablo Tellez (bass), Richard Kermode (keyboards), Luis Gasca (trumpet), Richard Spremich (drums), Richard Bean (percussion, vocals) Background Malo […]
The Three Degrees were an American soul group from Philadelphia, formed in 1963. After nineteen singles between 1964 and 1972 on SWAN, Metromedia, and Roulette, they charted as a PIR album act with the Gamble/Huff-produced songs “Dirty Ol’ Man” and “When Will I See You Again.” Members: Fayette Pinkney (1963-76), Shirley Porter (1963), Linda Turner […]
Hugh Hopper (April 29, 1945 — June 7, 2009) was an English bassist from Whitstable, Kent, that gained global renown with jazz-rockers Soft Machine, premiering his signature fuzz-bass sound on 1969’s Volume Two and appearing on the band’s subsequent four albums. In 1973, he released the experimental solo album 1984 on CBS and also appeared […]
Chicken Shack was an English blues-rock band that released four 1968–70 albums on Blue Horizon, followed by two 1972–73 titles on Deram. They emerged amid the British blues boom. Guitarist/singer Stan Webb formed the band, joined early on by bassist Andy Sylvester, drummer Dave Bidwell, and keyboardist Christine Perfect. Their 1968 debut 40 Blue Fingers, […]
Lene Lovich is an American-English new wave singer, best known for the hits “Lucky Number,” “Say When,” “Bird Song,” and “New Toy.” Between 1978 and 1982, she released three albums: Stateless, Flex, and No Man’s Land. Background Lovich was born Lili Marlene Premilovich on March 30, 1949, in Detroit, Michigan, to an English mother and […]
Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club were an English new wave band that released the 1979 Epic album English Garden. Woolley co-founded the Buggles and co-wrote the hit “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The Camera Club also featured keyboardist Thomas Dolby, a subsequent solo star. Members: Bruce Woolley (vocals), David Birch (guitar), Rod Johnson (drums, […]
The Lafayette Afro Rock Band was a Paris-based American funk band that sprung from the Bobby Boyd Congress. After Boyd’s return to the US, they cut one album as Ice and adopted the “Lafayette Afro Rock Band” moniker for the 1974/75 albums Soul Makossa and Malik. They reverted back to Ice and also recorded as […]
Munju was a German jazz-rock band that released the 1977 album Highspeed Kindergarten on April Records, followed by the 1979/80 Schneeball titles Moon You and Brot & Spiele. They reemerged in 1984 with Le Perfectionniste, a new-wave-influenced album on Ixthuluh/Exil. Members: Wolfgang Salomon (bass, keyboards), Thomas Römer (drums, trumpet), Dieter Kaudel (guitar, vibraphone, oud, 1976-86), […]
Haircut One Hundred was an English new wave band that charted with the 1982 Arista album Pelican West and the hits “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl),” “Love Plus One,” and “Fantastic Day.” In 1983, singer Nick Heyward left for a solo career. The band continued with the 1984 Polydor release Paint and Paint. Members: Nick […]
Bubble Puppy was an American psychedelic rock band from San Antonio, best known for their 1969 hit “Hot Smoke & Sasafrass.” They released one album, A Gathering of Promises, then changed their name to Demian for a 1971 self-titled effort on ABC–Dunhill. Members: Rod Prince (guitar, vocals), David Fore (drums), Todd Potter (guitar), Roy Cox […]
McFadden & Whitehead were an American soul duo from Philadelphia. Singers Gene McFadden and John Cavadus Whitehead entered the record business through teenage group work with The Epsilons. They built a Philadelphia International résumé as writers and producers before their 1979 self-titled debut album, which spawned the soul-pop crossover hit “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.” […]
Electric Sun was a German hard-rock/psych trio headed by ex-Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth. They made the 1979–81 Brain albums Earthquake and Fire Wind. Roth reconfigured the band with original Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker for the 1985 EMI release Beyond the Astral Skies. Members: Uli Jon Roth (vocals, guitar), Ule W. Ritgen (bass), Clive […]
Matia Bazar are an Italian pop group that released nine studio albums on Ariston between 1976 and 1985, then moved to CGD for the late-Eighties titles Melò and Red Corner. They had a 1983 No. 1 hit with “Vacanze Romane” from their seventh album, Tango, which launched their popular synthpop phase continued with Aristocratica and […]
Delirium was an Italian folk-rock band that released the 1971/72 albums Dolce Acqua and Lo Scemo e il Villaggio, followed in 1974 by the symphonic-style III – Viaggio negli Arcipelaghi del Tempo. Members: Ivano Fossati (vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, 1970-72), Ettore Vigo (keyboards, vocals), Marcello Reale (bass, vocals), Peppino Di Santo (drums, percussion, vocals), Martin […]
Denise LaSalle (1934–2018) was an American soul singer and songwriter from Northeast Mississippi who debuted (at 33) with the 1967 single “A Love Reputation.” She scored a breakout hit with her 1971 single “Trapped by a Thing Called Love” on Westbound Records, followed by the 1972–73 R&B hits “Now Run and Tell That,” “A Man […]
Kraan is a German jazz-rock/funk band that released eight studio albums and a live double-LP between 1972 and 1982. Members: Hellmut Hattler (bass), Jan Fride (drums), Peter Wolbrandt (guitar), Johannes Pappert (saxophone, 1970-76), Ingo Bischof (keyboards, 1975-2007), Tommy Goldschmidt (drums, 1977), Udo Dahmen (drums, 1977-80), Gerry Brown (drums, 1982-83), Mark McMillen (keyboards, vocals, 1982-83), Eef […]
Margo Guryan (1937–2021) was an American singer/songwriter who released the 1968 album Take a Picture. Trained in classical composition at Boston University, she transitioned into pop songwriting in the early 1960s, penning material recorded by Chris Connor, Claudine Longet, and Spanky & Our Gang. After withdrawing from the industry, she focused on teaching, composition, and […]
Triumvirat was a German symphonic-rock band that released seven albums between 1972 and 1980 on Harvest. Amid numerous lineup changes, keyboardist Jürgen Fritz was the one constant member. Members: Jürgen Fritz (piano, keyboards), Hans Bathelt (drums, percussion, 1969-76), Werner Frangenberg (bass, 1969-70, 1975-76), Hans Pape (bass, vocals, 1970-74), Helmut Koellen (bass, guitar, vocals, 1974-75), Doug […]
Nine Days’ Wonder were a German Krautrock band active from 1970 to 1976 with four albums on Bacillus that trace a path from episodic jazz-rock to theatrical glam-tinged concept work. Their 1971 debut features saxophonist John Earle on the multi-part “Fermillion,” while 1973’s We Never Lost Control introduces keyboardist Freddie Münster and percussion-heavy cuts like […]
Jody Grind was an English psychedelic organ-rock trio that released the albums One Step On and Far Canal on Transatlantic in 1969/70. Members: Tim Hinkley (organ, keyboards), Ivan Zagni (guitar, 1968-69), Martyn Harryman (drums, 1968-69), Barry Wilson (drums, 1969), Pete Gavin (drums, 1969-70), Bernie Holland (guitar, bass, vocals, 1969-?), Louis Cennamo (bass) Background Jody Grind […]
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, and producer from Hattiesburg, Miss., who initially emerged as a collaborator with Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson. The pair worked on material for the band’s ill-fated Smile project. As a recording artist in his own right, Parks released the album Song Cycle on Warner Bros. in 1967, […]
Frankie Miller is a Scottish blues-rock and blue-eyed-soul singer who released seven albums between 1972 and 1980 on Chrysalis, followed by two albums on Capitol and Vertigo. He charted with the singles “Be Good to Yourself” and “Love Letters” from his 1977 fourth album Full House and scored a multi-national Top 10 with his 1978 […]
The Sutherland Brothers were an English folk-rock duo from London that cut a pair of albums on Island in 1972, after which they merged with rustic-rockers Quiver for a run of five albums during the ensuing half-decade, switching to Columbia for the 1976/77 releases Slipstream and Down to Earth. The merged group initially featured bassist […]
Dreams were an American brass-rock band from New York that released the 1970–71 Columbia albums Dreams and Imagine My Surprise. They launched the careers of multiple jazz-rock players, including Billy Cobham and the Brecker Brothers. Members: Jeff Kent (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Doug Lubahn [aka Douglas Lubahn] (vocals, bass), Edward Vernon (lead vocals), Randy Brecker (vocals, […]
Procession was an Italian symphonic/hard-rock band that released the 1972–74 albums Frontiera and Fiaba. Members: Gianfranco Gaza (vocals, harmonica, 1971-74), Marcello Capra (guitar, 1971-73), Angelo Girardi (bass, mandolin), Ivan Fontanella (drums), Roby Munciguerra [Roberto Bonfiglio] (guitar, vocals, 1972-present), Giancarlo Capello (drums, percussion, 1972-74), Paolo D’Angelo (bass, 1974), Maurizio Gianotti (saxophone, flute, 1974) Background Procession formed […]
The Motor Totemist Guild was an American avant-rock ensemble formed by composer and multi-instrumentalist James Grigsby and poet-vocalist Christine Clements. They issued the 1984–86 albums Infra Dig and Contact With Veils, plus the live Klang cassette, on the self-operated Rotary Totem label. Their 1988 collaboration with the 5uu’s produced Elements and spawned the merged group […]
The Motels were an American new wave rock band from Los Angeles that released five albums between 1979 and 1985 on Capitol. They charted with the 1982/83 MTV staples “Only the Lonely,” “Take the L,” and “Suddenly Last Summer.” Abroad, they scored hits with “Danger,” “Total Control,” “Days Are OK,” and “Whose Problem?” Members: Martha […]
Nona Hendryx (born Oct. 9, 1944) is an American soul singer who emerged as one-third of funk legends Labelle. As a solo artist, she rose with the 1983–85 albums Nona, The Art of Defense, and The Heat, landing R&B/club hits with “Keep It Confidential” and “B-Boys.” She collaborated during this period with Material, Keith Richards, […]
It’s Immaterial was an English sophisti-pop band from Liverpool that released five 1980–85 shortplayers and the 1986 album Life’s Hard and Then You Die, which contains the UK hit “Driving Away from Home.” Their second album, Song, appeared in 1990 on Virgin–Siren. Members: John J. Campbell (vocals), Martin Dempsey (guitar, 1980-84), Henry Priestman (keyboards, 1980-84), […]
Icarus was an English post-psych hard rock band that cut the 1968 single “The Devil Rides Out” on Spark Records. In 1972, a revised lineup surfaced with the album The Marvel World of Icarus on Pye Records. It features songs about superheroes from the Marvel Universe, as depicted on the cover. Members: Iain Hills [Iain […]
Dalek I was an English electro/art-pop combo from Liverpool that released two albums and a clutch of singles between 1979 and 1983. Originally called Dalek I Love You — a space-age play on the phrase “darling I love you” — the band distilled from a late-’70s Liverpudlian conglomerate that would also yield future members of […]
The Flock was an American psychedelic jazz-rock band from Chicago that released the 1969–70 Columbia albums The Flock and Dinosaur Swamps. Violinist Jerry Goodman joined the original Mahavishnu Orchestra lineup. In 1975, a revived Flock released Inside Out on Mercury. Members: Fred Glickstein (guitar, vocals), Ron Karpman (drums, vocals), Jerry Smith (bass, vocals), Rick Canoff […]
Gypsy was an American psych-rock band from Minneapolis that released the 1970–71 albums Gypsy and In the Garden on Metromedia Records, followed by the 1972–73 titles Antithesis and Unlock the Gates on parent label RCA. Members: James Walsh (vocals, keyboards), Enrico Rosenbaum (vocals, guitar), Calvin James (lead guitar), Tom Nystrom (drums), Tom Green (drums), Jay […]
Pearls Before Swine was an American folk-psych band from Melbourne, Fla., that released the 1967/68 albums One Nation Underground and Balaklava on the jazz label ESP, followed by the 1969–71 albums These Things Too, The Use of Ashes, and City of Gold on Reprise. Frontman Tom Rapp issued a solo album, Familiar Songs, then led […]
The Five Stairsteps were an American sibling soul group from Chicago that released six albums and landed two Top 20 R&B hits, including “World of Fantasy,” “Don’t Change Your Love,” “Baby Make Me Feel So Good,” and “From Us to You.” Their 1970 ballad “O-o-h Child” became a common theme for Seventies-era coming-of-age vignettes in […]
The Abyssinians are a Jamaican roots-reggae act that released the 1976 album Satta Masa Gana, followed in 1978 by Arise. Formed in Kingston in 1968 by Bernard Collins and brothers Donald and Lynford Manning, they became known for spiritual themes and use of Amharic lyrics that reflected Rastafarian doctrine. After their initial run, they regrouped […]
SHOGUN was a Japanese rock group that developed from the studio ensemble One Line Band, which made the 1978 Invitation album Yellow Magic. As SHOGUN, they issued three CBS/Sony albums across 1979 and 1980 before Casey Rankin revived the name for the RCA album Jus-Tus. Members: 芳野藤丸 [Fujimaru Yoshino] (guitar, vocals), 長岡道夫 [Michio Nagaoka] (bass, […]
Supply Demand & Curve were an Irish progressive/jazz-rock group active in Dublin from 1970 through an August 1978 Project Arts Centre engagement. The group developed from Jazz Therapy and issued the 1976 self-titled album on Mulligan. Early drummer Roger Doyle pursued electroacoustic composition, while bassist Brian Masterson later established Windmill Lane Studios. Members: Jolyon Jackson […]
The Blow Monkeys, an English sophisti-pop band from London, debuted with a single on Parasol Records in 1982, initiating a prolific period that saw the release of five albums on RCA between 1984 and 1990. Their sound evolved from a blend of new wave and funk on early works like Limping for a Generation, which […]
Annabel Lamb is an English singer and songwriter who emerged in the early 1980s with a literate, synth-laced art pop style. She released two albums on A&M—Once Bitten (1983) and The Flame (1984)—before issuing three more on RCA, BMG, and Metronome between 1986 and 1988. Her work blends electronic textures with live instrumentation, often framed […]
Marshall Crenshaw is an American songwriter and guitarist from Detroit. He released six studio albums between 1982 and 1991, first for Warner Bros. and later for MCA. His chart singles include “Someday, Someway,” “Whenever You’re on My Mind,” and “Better Back Off.” Background Marshall Howard Crenshaw was born November 11, 1953, in Detroit and grew […]
The Durutti Column was an English ambient project from Manchester that made nine albums and assorted EPs between 1980 and 1990 on Factory Records. Guitarist Vini Reilly led the act through multiple solo and combo iterations. He also played on records by Anne Clark, Richard Jobson, and Quando Quango. Members: Vini Reilly (guitar, piano, vocals), […]
Archie Bell & The Drells were an American soul group from Houston that released three albums on Atlantic in 1968/69. After a pair of 1973 singles on T.K.-subsidiary Glades, the group released four albums on TSOP/PIR between 1975 and 1979. Bell formed the group with James Wise, Willie Parnell, and Billy Butler. The Drells broke […]
Palais Schaumburg was a German NDW band that released six singles and the 1981–84 Phonogram albums Palais Schaumburg, Lupa, and Parlez-vous Schaumburg? Members: Holger Hiller (vocals, synthesizer, 1980-82), Thomas Fehlmann (synthesizer, trumpet), Timo Blunck (trumpet, bass, vocals, 1980-82), Chris Lunch (bass, 1980), FM Einheit (drums, 1980-81), Stefan Bauer (vibraphone, piano, 1982), Moritz von Oswald (percussion, […]
The Faces were an English hard-rock/soul band that released four studio albums between 1970 and 1973 on Warner Bros. They assembled in 1969 when singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood, both recently of the Jeff Beck Group, stepped into the Small Faces to fill the guitar–vocal talents of Steve Marriott, who moved on to […]
The Chocolate Jam Co. was an American studio-based soul-funk band that released the 1979/80 albums The Spread of the Future and Do I Make You Feel Better? on Epic Records. Veteran drummer, singer, and producer Leon “Ndugu” Chancler led the project, which featured keyboardist Ronnie Foster and vocalist Maxi Anderson. Members: Leon “Ndugu” Chancler (lead […]
Smak was a Yugoslav hard-rock/funk band that released six albums between 1985 and 1986 on RTB. Guitarist Radomir Mihajlović Točak cut sporadic solo discs during this period, including the popular 1976 release R.М. Тоčак. Members: Radomir Mihajlović Točak (guitar), Slobodan Stojanović Kepa (drums), Slobodan Kominac Koma (vocals, 1971-73), Slobodan Jovanović Johan (vocals, 1972), Miša Nikolić […]
Shelagh McDonald is a Scottish singer/songwriter who released two albums in 1970 and 1971 on B & C Records. Background Shelagh McDonald was born in Edinburgh in 1948 and grew up immersed in classical music and traditional Scottish ballads. She studied piano as a child and gravitated to guitar in her teens, drawn to the […]
Barbara Thompson (July 27, 1944 — July 2, 2022) was an English saxophonist who emerged as a guest musician on 1969/70 albums by the Keef Hartley Band and husband Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum, followed by stints with pianist Neil Ardley, trombonist Michael Gibbs, and singer Inez Foxx. In 1975, Thompson co-founded the multinational ten-piece United Jazz+Rock […]
The Trip was an Italian symphonic/psych band that released three albums between 1970 and 1973 on RCA Italiana (The Trip, Caronte, Atlantide) and Trident (Time of Change). Members: Arvid “Wegg” Andersen (bass, vocals), Joe Vescovi (keyboards, vocals), Billy Gray (guitar, vocals, 1966-71), Ian Broad (drums, 1966-67), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar, 1966), Pino Sinnone (drums, 1967-72), Furio […]
The Climax Blues Band was an English rock band that emerged in 1969 with two blues-rock albums on Parlophone. After a three-album stint on Harvest (1970–72), they released six albums on Sire (1973–79) and scored a transatlantic hit with “Couldn’t Get It Right.” In 1980, they moved to Warner and had a second hit with […]
Eugene McDaniels (Feb. 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American soul singer from Kansas City, Kan. Liberty Records issued his early-1960s albums 100 Lbs. of Clay!, Tower of Strength, Hit After Hit, Sings Movie Memories, The Wonderful World Of: Gene McDaniels, and Spanish Lace. Snuff Garrett produced the hit run that included “A […]
The Free Design was an American soft-pop/vocal group that released six albums on Project 3 Records between 1967 and 1971, plus a seventh on Ambrotype in 1972. Their sound, characterized by soft orchestral arrangements, jazzy rhythmic undercurrents and light, breezy harmonies, has retroactively been termed “sunshine pop.” Members: Chris Dedrick (guitar, trumpet, vocals, recorder), Sandy […]
Jane Siberry is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who debuted with a 1981 folk-pop album on Street Records, followed by the 1984–89 art-pop titles No Borders Here, The Speckless Sky, The Walking, and Bound by the Beauty. Background Siberry was born Jane Stewart on October 15, 1955, and raised in Etobicoke, a former suburb […]
Crypto was a Dutch jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album on Negram in 1975. Members: Bert Devies (guitar), Peter Schön (vocals, keyboards), Wim Dijkgraaf (bass), Jan Nanning Van Der Hoop (drums) Inception Crypto formed in 1974 when guitarist Bert Devies and keyboardist Peter Schön teamed with two fellow newcomers: bassist Wim Dijkgraaf and drummer […]
Dionne-Brégent were a Québécois symphonic/electronic duo that released the 1976/77 Capitol albums ..Et le Troisième Jour and Deux. They specialized in instrumental soundscapes that fused chamber textures with pitch percussion, spacious metal drone, and Berlin-school ambience. Members: Vincent Dionne (percussion), Michel-Georges Brégent (keyboards) Background Dionne-Brégent were a Québécois symphonic/electronic duo that formed in Montréal in […]
Frederick Knight (born Aug. 15, 1944) is an American soul singer, songwriter, producer, and label owner from Bessemer, Alabama. His 1972 single “I’ve Been Lonely for So Long” reached the U.S. pop and R&B charts. Knight later co-founded Juana Records and wrote and produced the 1979 Anita Ward hit “Ring My Bell.” Background Frederick Knight […]
The Shadows of Knight were an American garage-rock band that released the 1966 Dunwich albums Gloria and Back Door Men, followed by a 1970 self-titled album on Super K. They are best known for the proto-punk classic “Gloria,” originally by Them. Members: Warren Rogers (lead guitar, rhythm guitar), Roger Spielmann (rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals, […]
Tabula Rasa was a Finnish symphonic-folk band that released two albums and a standalone single between 1975 and 1977 on Love Records. Members: Heikki Silvennoinen (guitar), Tapio Suominen (bass), Asko Pakkanen (drums), Jarmo Sormunen (flute), Jukka Leppilampi (vocals), Jukka Salmela (vocals), Jarno Sinisalo (piano), Jukka Aronen (drums) Background Tabula Rasa formed in 1971 in Kangasala, […]
Burnier & Cartier were a Brazilian samba-folk duo that made a 1974 self-titled album on RCA, followed by the 1976 Odeon release Fotos Para a Capa Do. Members: Claudio Cartier, Octávio Burnier Background Burnier & Cartier formed in 1974 in Rio de Janeiro when guitarist-composer Luiz Octavio Bonfá Burnier teamed with guitarist-composer Claudio Brandini Cartier […]
Graham Parker is an English New Wave/soul-rock singer and songwriter who released the popular 1976–79 albums Howlin’ Wind, Heat Treatment, Stick to Me, and Squeezing Out Sparks. His most popular songs include “Don’t Ask Me Questions,” “Heat Treatment,” “The Heat in Harlem,” “Local Girls,” and “Protection.” Up through his 1980 release The Up Escalator, he […]
Urszula Dudziak is a Polish jazz vocalist who first recorded in the late-1960s jazz combo Urbaniak’s Orchestra with then-husband Michał Urbaniak. In 1973, the couple migrated to the U.S. and backed each other on numerous albums over the ensuing decade. Her profile peaked with the 1975–1977 Arista releases Urszula and Midnight Rain, marked by wordless vocals, […]
Wham! was an English pop-soul duo from London that released four 1982–83 singles on Columbia–Inner Vision that formed the basis of their debut album Fantastic. The duo consisted of vocalist–songwriter George Michael and occasional guitarist Andrew Ridgeley, who functioned more as the act’s stylist and publicist. In the fall of 1984, Wham! broke globally with […]
Polyphonic Size was a Belgian synthpop project centered on vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Roger-Marc Vande Voorde, with lyrics supplied throughout by Dominique Buxin. Between 1979 and 1982 the project released four EPs and a cluster of singles, mostly on the small-press Belgian and French labels Sandwich and New Rose, which also issued the 1982 debut […]
Ultimate Spinach was an American psychedelic rock band that released three 1968–69 albums on MGM. Formed in Boston by singer–guitarist Ian Bruce-Douglas, the group emerged as part of MGM’s so-called “Bosstown Sound,” a marketing campaign aimed at positioning Boston as a rival psychedelic hub to San Francisco. Their self-titled debut introduced a dense, effects-driven sound […]
The Olympic Runners were an English soul-funk studio ensemble active between 1974 and 1979, scoring hits with “Put the Music Where Your Mouth Is,” “Get It While You Can,” and “Sir Dancealot.” Assembled by producer Mike Vernon, the mystery band included prolific keyboardist Pete Wingfield and members of fellow UK funksters Hanson and Gonzalez. Members: […]
Spriguns were an English folk-rock band from Cambridge that recorded two albums as Spriguns of Tolgus in 1974/75, the second released on Alida Star and the first released 18 years after the fact by archivists Kissing Spell. Under the shortened name, the band released the 1976/77 Decca albums Revel Weird And Wild and Time Will […]
