The Braen’s Machine was an Italian studio-psych project headed by library musicians Alessandro Alessandroni and Rino De Filippi. The project spawned three albums between 1971 and 1973 on Liuto and Usignolo. Background The Braen’s Machine formed in Rome in 1971 when composer-arranger Alessandro Alessandroni teamed with composer and RAI music supervisor Oronzo “Rino” De Filippi […]
Blue Phantom was a studio-psych project headed by Italian library musician Armando Sciascia, performing under the moniker H. Tical. The project yielded a standalone single and the album Distortions on Spider, an imprint of the artist’s own Ri-Fi-subsidiary Vedette Records. Background Blue Phantom emerged in Milan in 1971 as a studio name for instrumental compositions […]
Blue Morning were an Italian jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album on small-press Tomorrow in 1973. Members: Maurizio Giammarco (saxophone, flute, keyboards), Roberto Ciotti (guitar), Sandro Ponzoni (bass), Alfredo Minotti (drums) Discography: Blue Morning (1973)
Black Spirit were an Italian hard-rock band that released a self-titled album on Brutkasten in 1978. Members: Salvatore Curto (keyboards, vocals), Giovanni Granato (bass), Nicola Ceravolo (guitar), Johnny G. Pesce (drums) Discography: Black Spirit (1978)
Bauhaus were an Italian jazz-rock band that recorded an album’s worth of material, circa 1974. Three decades later, the music was issued for the first time by archivists Arkama on the CD Stairway to Escher. Members: Luigi Calabrò (guitar), Paolo Damiani (bass), Rino Sangiorgio (drums), Claudio Giusti (saxophone), Alberto Festa (keyboards) Discography: Stairway to Escher […]
Abissi Infiniti was an Italian symphonic-rock band behind the 1981 album Tunnel on Knights Records. Members: Claudio Liotto (vocals, piano), Andrea Zanatta (guitar), Alberto Cazzola (keyboards), Enrico Kötterl (keyboards), Lucio Negretto (bass), Paolo Fin (drums) Background Abissi Infiniti (Infinite Abysses) originated in 1975 in Vicenza, Italy, as Black Magics, a group of teenage musicians who […]
Ball Bearing Group was an Italian studio ensemble that released four albums of 1976–78 jazz-funk instrumentals on the library-music specialty label Abramo Allione. Keyboardist Oscar Rocchi also partook in the parallel Modern Sound Quartet. Background Ball Bearing Group formed as an Italian studio project in 1976 when pianist Oscar Rocchi and saxophonist–flutist Giancarlo Barigozzi adopted […]
Arturo Stàlteri (born Oct. 22, 1959) is an Italian multi-instrumentalist that played in the band Pierrot Lunaire during the mid-1970s. In 1979, he released the electronic album André Sulla Luna on RCA Italiana-subsidiary It. Discography: André Sulla Luna (1979) …e il pavone parlò alla luna (1987)
Arpaderba was an Italian symphonic-folk band that released the 1981 album L’aleph on In-Contro. Members: Gianni Civitenga [aka Nanni] (guitar), Antonio Martorella, Enzo Ciotola, Vincenzo Martorella Background Arpaderba emerged in 1980 as a four-piece around drummer-percussionist Vincenzo Martorella, guitarist Mario Torta, and two multi-instrumentalists: Enzo Ciotola (guitars, mandolin, viola) and Antonio Martorella (keyboards, marimba, accordion, […]
Antonello Venditti (born March 8, 1949) is an Italian singer/songwriter who emerged in the duo Theorius Campus with Francesco De Gregori, a pairing that yielded one album on the it label in 1972. Between 1973 and 1976, Venditti released five albums on RCA Italiana. Four further albums appeared on Philips and Ricordi up to 1982, […]
Anna Oxa (born April 28, 1961) is an Italian vocalist and media personality who released two albums and an EP on RCA Italiana between 1978 and 1980, followed by a string of titles on CBS between 1983 and 1990. Background Anna Oxa was born Anna Hoxha on April 28, 1961, in Bari, Italy. Her father, […]
Angelo Branduardi (born Feb. 12, 1950) is an Italian singer/songwriter who emerged with two albums in 1974/75 on RCA Italiana, followed by six albums through 1981 on Polydor. Branduardi’s best-known songs include “Alla fiera dell’est,” “La pulce d’acqua,” “Cogli la prima mela,” and “Confessioni di un malandrino.” His soundtrack for the 1983 Italian historical comedy-drama […]
Amedeo Tommasi (born Dec. 1, 1935) is an Italian pianist and composer who made numerous library recordings for Canopo, Cenacolo, Costanza, and other labels between 1969 and 1986, including several under the moniker Atmo. Discography: Flash internazionale / Servizi speciali n. 2 (1970) Il flauto / Servizi speciali n. 1 (1970) Il mondo dei bambini […]
Alunni del Sole were an Italian folk-pop band that released five albums on Produttori Associati between 1972 and 1977, followed by another five albums on Ricordi and RCA between 1978 and 1982. Members: Bruno Morelli (guitar), Paolo Morelli (vocals, piano 1968-2013), Giulio Leofrigio (drums), Giampaolo Borra (bass), Antonio Rapicavoli (saxophone, 1968-69), Ruggero Stefani (drums, 1978-present), […]
Carla Bissi (born Sept. 26, 1954), known professionally as Alice, is an Italian singer. She released two albums as Alice Visconti during the 1970s, then signed with EMI and reached the Italian charts with “Il vento caldo dell’estate” from Capo Nord (1980) and the No. 1 “Per Elisa,” winner of the 1981 Sanremo Music Festival. […]
Alessandro Alessandroni (March 18, 1925 — March 26, 2017) was an Italian composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist who recorded numerous soundtrack scores and library albums for SR Records and other labels between 1969 and 1985. Discography: Alessandro Alessandroni (aka Farfalla) (1971) I Cantori Moderni Di A. Alessandroni (1971) Il tempo dello spirito (1971) La terrificante notte […]
Alberto Radius (born June 1, 1942) is an Italian singer-songwriter who played in the bands Formula 3 and Il Volo during the first half of the 1970s. In 1972, he debuted as a solo artist with the album Radius on Numero Uno, followed in 1976 by the popular CBS release Che Cosa Sei. Between 1977 […]
Alberomotore were an Italian art-rock band that released the album Il Grande Gioco on CAR Juke Box in 1974, followed by a standalone single on Intigo in 1975. Members: Maurizio Rota (vocals, percussion), Adriano Martire (keyboards), Fernando Fera (guitar), Glauco Borrelli (bass, vocals), Marcello Vento (drums) Discography: Il Grande Gioco (1974) “Messico lontano” / “Mandrake” […]
Alan Sorrenti (born Dec 9, 1950) is an Italian vocalist who emerged with the experimental 1972/73 albums Aria and Come un vecchio incensiere all’alba di un villaggio deserto. He shifted toward disco and soul on the 1977–79 albums Figli delle stelle and L.A. & N.Y., which yielded the Italian hits “Figli delle stelle” and “Tu […]
Agorà was an Italian jazz-rock band that debuted with a live album from the 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival, followed by the 1976 Atlantic release Agorà 2. Members: Roberto Bacchiocchi (keyboards, vocals), Ovidio Urbani (soprano saxophone), Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums, vocals, 1974-?), Paolo Colafrancesco (bass, vocals, 1974-75), Lucio Cesari (bass, percussion, 1976-78, 2002-present), […]
The Runaways were a teenage, all-female American hard-rock band that released four studio albums between 1976 and 1978 on Mercury. Guitarist-singers Joan Jett and Lita Ford each went onto solo chart success in the 1980s. Members: Joan Jett (vocals, guitar, bass, 1975-79), Sandy West (drums, vocals, 1975-79), Michael Steele (vocals, bass, 1975), Lita Ford (guitar, […]
Eden’s Children were an American psychedelic rock trio that released the 1968 albums Eden’s Children and Sure Looks Real on ABC. Members: Richard “Sham” Schamach (vocals, guitar), Larry Kiley (bass), Jimmy Sturman (drums) Eden’s Children hailed from Boston and were part of the local psychedelic scene dubbed the “Bosstown Sound,” a late-sixties marketing catchphrase applied […]
Bronz was an English hard-rock band behind the 1983 album Taken by Storm on Bronze Records. Singer Max Bacon surfaced in the Howe–Hackett supergroup GTR. Members: Simon Thomas (bass), Windsor McGilvray (drums), Chris Goulstone (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Paul Webb (bass, vocals), Max Bacon (vocals), Shaun Kirkpatrick (guitar, vocals), John Kirkpatrick (bass, vocals), Steve Hopgood (drums), […]
Bronco was an English rustic-rock band from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, that released two albums on Island in 1970 and 1971, followed by a third on Polydor in 1973. The Island albums feature ex-Alan Bown Set vocalist Jess Roden, who subsequently launched a successful solo career. Members: Kevyn Gammond (guitar), John Pasternak (bass), Pete Robinson (harmonica, drums), […]
The Sex Pistols were an English rock band that spearheaded the London punk scene in the summer of 1976. Their debut single, “Anarchy In the UK,” appeared on EMI that November but was quickly withdrawn after the band cursed on television. After two annulled recording contracts, they signed with Virgin and issued the 1977 singles […]
Flaming Youth was an English psych-rock band that released the album Ark 2 on Fontana in 1969. Drummer Phil Collins soon joined Genesis, where he eventually became the vocalist while moonlighting in jazz-rockers Brand X. Keyboardist Brian Chatton later played in Jackson Heights, Snafu, and Boys Don’t Cry. Members: Phil Collins (drums), Gordon Smith (vocals, […]
Agitation Free was a German Krautrock band that released the 1972/73 Vertigo albums Malesch and 2nd. Members: Lutz Ulbrich (guitar, zither, organ, bouzouki, vocals), Michael Günther (bass, tapes, 1967-2014), Lutz Kramer [aka Ludwig] (guitar, vocals, 1967-70), Christopher Franke (drums, synthesizer, 1967-70), Micky Duwe [aka Mickie D] (vocals, guitar, 1967, 1974), Manfred Brück [aka John L.] (vocals, […]
Empire was an English rock band, centered around guitarist Peter Banks (Yes/Flash) and his then-partner, singer Sydney Foxx. Between 1974 and 1980, they recorded three unreleased albums. In 1995, One Way Records issued Empire’s recordings on the discs Mark I, II, and III. Members: Peter Banks (guitar), Sydney Foxx [Sidonie Jordan] (vocals), Jakob Freeman Magnusson […]
Raven are an English metal band that released three albums and a live disc between 1981 and 1984 on the NWOBHM-specialty label Neat Records. Members: John Gallagher (vocals, bass), Mark Gallagher (guitar), Paul Bowden (guitar, 1975-79), Paul Sherrif (drums, 1975-76), Mick Kenworthy (drums, 1976-77), Sean Taylor (drums, 1977-79), Pete Shore (guitar, 1979-80), Rob “Wacko” Hunter […]
Graphite was an English rustic-folk band, active between 1970 and 1974. Despite constant gigging, their recorded output was limited to a single apiece on Beacon and EMI. However, they recorded nearly two album’s worth of material that was later released on the CD Chestnut Loke by Audio Archives. Members: Chris Gore (mellotron, organ, piano), Dave […]
Eden was a German Christian symphonic-rock band that released the 1978–80 albums Erwartung and Perelandra on Lord Records and a final, Heimkehr, on Eden-Musik. Members: Jolie Claren (vocals), Michael Claren (vocals, bass, acoustic guitar), Anne Dierks (vocals), Michael Dierks (organ, piano, clavinet, vocals), Armin Dressler (drums, percussion), Thomas Flemming (vocals), Hans Fritzsch (guitar), Irene Heidenreich […]
Plummet Airlines were an English pub-rock band that released the 1976 Stiff single “Silver Shirt” / “This Is the World.” Their second, “It’s Hard” / “My Time in a While,” appeared in 1977 on indie State Records. Further tracks from this period surfaced on the retrospective On Stoney Ground. Members: Harry Stephenson (vocals, guitar), Richard […]
One the Juggler was an English rock band from London that made six singles and the 1983–85 albums Nearly a Sin and Some Strange Fashion on RCA/Regard. Saxophonist Ian Trimmer hailed from Seventies pre-wave legends Burlesque; drummer Steve Nicol came from Eddie and the Hot Rods. Members: ‘Rokko’ Raymond Sham Morris (vocals, acoustic guitar), Lushi […]
The Mekons were an English post-punk band from Leeds that issued two singles on small-press Fast Product in 1978, followed by the 1979 Virgin album The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen. After a pause in output, a reconstituted lineup issued a run of albums on Sin Record Company and Quarterstick during the late 1980s […]
Matumbi was an English reggae/lovers-rock band from London that cut seven 1973–77 singles and the 1978–81 EMI/Harvest albums Seven Seals, Point of View, and Matumbi. Their final album, Testify, appeared in 1982 on Solid Groove Records. Members: Tex Dixon (vocals), Euton “Fergus” Jones (drums, percussion), Errol Pottinger (guitar, vocals), Eaton “Jah” Blake (bass), Lannie “Bevin” […]
Red Box was an English art-pop duo from London that released a standalone single on Cherry Red in 1983, followed by a pair of singles on Sire circa 1984/85. In 1986, an augmented lineup of the band released the album The Circle & The Square on WEA, followed by a second album on EastWest in […]
Ray Russell (born April 4, 1947) is an English jazz-rock guitarist who emerged as a quartet leader with two albums in 1968/69 on CBS. During the early 1970s, he appeared on albums by Bob Downs, Michael Gibbs, and Bill Fay amid a two-album stint with the Scottish brass-rock ensemble Rock Workshop. Between 1972 and 1975, […]
RAH Band was an English space-funk studio project led by producer, composer, and arranger Richard A. Hewson. In 1977, RAH reached the UK Top 10 with “The Crunch,” included on their 1978 Ebony release The Crunch & Beyond and followed with the Eighties hits “Clouds Across the Moon,” “Falcon,” and “Messages from the Stars.” Background […]
Mazarati was an American synth-funk band from Minneapolis that released a 1986 self-titled album on Paisley Park and a 1989 second on Motown. Members: Sir Casey Terry (vocals), Romeo (bass, backing vocals), Tony Christian (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Kevin Patricks [Blondie] (drums, percussion), Craig “Screamer” Powell (lead guitar, backing vocals), Aaron Paul Keith [Ace] […]
94 East was an American funk band from Minneapolis that recorded nearly an album’s worth of material circa 1976/77 that has since been released by archivists Hot Pink and Numero. The band featured a young, pre-fame Prince Rogers Nelson. Background 94 East formed in Minneapolis in 1975 when Brooklyn-born singer-guitarist Pepé Willie assembled vocalists Kristie […]
England was an English symphonic-rock band that released the coveted 1977 Arista album Garden Shed. Demos from the era surfaced on the archival disc The Last of the Jubblies. Members: Robert Webb (keyboards, vocals), Frank Holland (guitar, vocals), Martin Henderson (bass, vocals), Jode Leich (percussion, bass, vocals), Jeff Leigh (drums, percussion, vocals), Jaffa (bass guitar), […]
Steve Howe (born April 8, 1947) is an English guitarist best known for his recurrent tenures in Yes and Asia. His first recorded stints were in the mid-’60s R&B/beat groups The Syndicats and The In Crowd. The latter morphed into Tomorrow, a seminal psych act that issued two singles and a 1968 self-titled album. After […]
Alan White (1949–2022) was an English drummer and percussionist, best known as a member of Yes from 1972 onward. During their 1975–76 break for solo activity, he recorded Ramshackled with members of his pre-Yes psychedelic band Griffin. Early Life, The Blue Chips White was born on June 14, 1949, in the village of Pelton, County […]
Blitzkrieg was an English metal band that first emerged with the 1981 NWOBHM single “Buried Alive.” Singer Brian Ross resurrected Blitzkrieg for the 1985 album A Time of Changes on Neat Records. Members: Brian Ross (vocals), Jim Sirotto (guitar, 1980-81, 1984-86), Ian Jones (guitar, 1980-81), Steve English (bass, 1980-81), Steve Abbey (drums, 1980-81), Mick Moore […]
Amos Key was a German classical rock trio that released the album First Key on Spiegelei in 1973. Members: Thomas Molin [Thomas Müller] (keyboards, vocals), Andreas Gross (bass, guitar, vocals), Lutz Ludwig (drums, vocals), Helmut Jungkunz (guitar, vocals, 1974-76) Amos Key formed in 1970 in Emmering, Bayern. Discography: First Key (1973) Sources: Discogs: Amos Key
Sweet Sensation was an English soul-pop octet from Manchester that released ten singles between 1974 and 1977 on Pye, including the 1974 UK No. 1 “Sad Sweet Dreamer.” Members: Junior Daye (vocals), Roy Flowers (drums), Vincent James (vocals), Barry Johnson (bass), Marcel King (vocals), St. Clair L. Palmer (vocals), Gary Shaugnessy (guitar), Leroy Smith (keyboards) […]
Blanket of Secrecy was an English electro/art-pop trio that released the 1982 Warner album Ears Have Walls. Members: Pete Marsh [Tinker] (vocals, guitar), Roger Bechirian [Soldier] (keyboards, vocals), Andy Howell [Tailor] (bass, vocals) Background Blanket of Secrecy formed in London in the early 1980s when singer-guitarist Peter Marsh enlisted bassist Andy Howell for new demos […]
Billy Idol — aka William Broad (Nov. 30, 1955) — is an English vocalist from Stanmore, Middlesex, who emerged in the hard-rock/punk band Generation X during the late 1970s. Discography: Don’t Stop (EP, 1981) Billy Idol (1982) Rebel Yell (1983) Whiplash Smile (1986) Charmed Life (1990) Cyberpunk (1993) Devil’s Playground (2005) Kings & Queens of […]
Nobody’s Business was an English hard-rock band that released a 1978 self-titled album on Nippon Columbia. The band featured the seasoned talents of vocalist Bobby Harrison (Procol Harum, Freedom, Snafu), guitarist Joe Jammer (Stealers Wheel, Olympic Runners), and bassist Tony Stevens (Foghat, Rock Follies). Stevens later backed Maggie Bell in soul-rockers Midnight Flyer. Members: Joe […]
National Pastime were an English pop-rock band from Sale, Greater Manchester, that released three singles on Spellbound Records in 1984, followed by the album Built to Break on Victor in 1985. A final single appeared on the Pop Eye label in 1986. Members: Oliver Sheen (bass, vocals), Mark Knott (drums), Steve Broomhead (guitar), Rupert Sheen […]
Hounds were an American rock band from Chicago that released the 1978/79 Columbia albums Unleashed and Puttin’ on the Dog. Members: John Hunter (vocals, keyboards), Jim Orkis (guitar), John Horvath (drums, percussion), John Higgerson (bass, backing vocals), Glen Richard Rupp (guitar, backing vocals), Joe Cuttone (bass, backing vocals), Don Griffin (guitar), Michael Neff (drums, percussion), […]
The Outsiders were an English punk-rock band from London that made the 1977/78 albums Calling On Youth and Close Up and the EP One to Infinity, all self-released on Raw Edge Records. They evolved into The Sound with the arrival of bassist Graham Bailey, who also formed the side-project Second Layer with guitarist/vocalist Adrian Borland. […]
Orang-Utan was the name assigned to Hunter, an English hard-rock/psych band whose intended 1970 album surfaced on Bell under the alternate moniker. Singer Terry Clarke hailed from psych-rockers Jason Crest and subsequently fronted rustic-rockers Holy Mackerel. Drummer Jeff Seopardie later surfaced in the multi-national jazz-funk band Pacific Eardrum and the 1980s pop act Boys Don’t […]
The Lines were an English post-punk band from London that cut the 1978 DIY single “White Night,” followed by the 1980 EP Cool Snap! and the 1981–83 albums Therapy and Ultramarine on Red Records. Drummer Nick Cash played concurrently in pragVEC and Fad Gadget. Members: Rico Conning (vocals, guitar, trombone), Joe Forty (bass), Hywel Phillips (guitar, […]
Michael Chapman (1941–2021) was an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds who released the 1969–71 Harvest albums Rainmaker, Fully Qualified Survivor, Window, and Wrecked Again. He followed with five albums through 1977 on Decca, Nova, and Gama. Over the next two decades, he issued eight albums on assorted indie labels. His songs have been covered […]
Harvey Andrews is an English singer-songwriter from Birmingham who released the album Places & Faces on Decca in 1970, followed by the 1972/73 albums Writer of Songs and Friends of Mine on Cube Records. In 1976, he returned with Someday on Transatlantic Records. Between 1980 and 1987, he released three albums on self-press Beeswing Records. […]
Therapy was an English folk-rock combo that released the album Almanac on CBS in 1971. After their 1973 album One Night Stand on the Irish Indigo label, they released three albums on their eponymous self-press between 1975 and 1982. In 1976, they re-recorded Almanac for DJM with members of Sad Cafe. Members: Dave Shannon (vocals, […]
Bobbye Hall is an American jazz-funk percussionist from Detroit who released the 1977 album Body Language for Lovers on 20th Century. As a sessionist, she played on Seventies albums by Grant Green, Willie Hutch, Tavares, Bill Withers, and Chi Coltrane. Background Bobbye Hall was born Bobby Jean Hall in 1950 in Detroit, Michigan. Hall grew […]
Aztec Two-Step were an American folk-pop duo from Boston that issued a self-titled album on Elektra in 1972, followed by sporadic releases on RCA and assorted labels during the ensuing 14-year period. Members: Rex Fowler (guitar, vocals), Neal Shulman (guitar, vocals) Discography: Aztec Two-Step (1972) Second Step (1975) Two’s Company (1976) Adjoining Suites (1977) The […]
Arthur Blythe (May 7, 1940 — March 27, 2017) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer from Los Angeles who released a string of albums on India Navigation and Columbia/CBS between 1977 and 1988, followed by titles on Enja, Red Baron, Jazz House, and other labels during the subsequent two decades. Background Arthur Murray Blythe […]
The 24th. Street Band were an American jazz-funk band from New York that released three albums on the Japanese Nippon imprints Denon and Better Days between 1979 and 1981. Members: Hiram Bullock (guitar), Steve Jordan (drums), Clifford Carter (keyboards), Mark Egan (bass), Will Lee (bass) Discography: The 24th Street Band (1979) Share Your Dreams (1980) […]
Alex Brown is an American soul singer who released the 1970 album In Search of Love on Sundi Records. She sang backup for numerous acts, including Freddy Robinson, The Blackbyrds, The Brothers Johnson, Stevie Wonder, Stargard, and Debra Laws. Background Born Alexandra Louise Brown, Alex first sang in church choirs. In October 1966, she joined […]
GTR were an English hard-rock supergroup that released a self-titled album on Arista in 1986. The band featured guitar legends Steve Howe (Yes) and Steve Hackett (Genesis) alongside vocalist Max Bacon (Bronz) and bassist Phil Spalding (Original Mirrors). Members: Steve Hackett (guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals), Steve Howe (guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals), Max Bacon (lead vocals), […]
Holy Mackerel was an English rustic-rock band from Tonbridge, Kent, that released a self-titled album on CBS in 1972. Three-fifths of the band hailed from psych-rockers Jason Crest, including vocalist Terry Clarke, who also sang on the 1970 singular release by Orang-Utan. Members: Terry Clarke (lead vocals), Derek Smallcombe (lead guitar, vocals), Chris Ware (lead […]
Hokus Poke were an English rustic-rock band from London that released the album Earth Harmony on Vertigo in 1972. Members: Clive Blenkhorn (guitar, vocals), Roger Clarke (guitar), Smith Campbell (bass), Johnnie Miles (drums) Discography: Earth Harmony (1972)
Headline were an English New Wave/ska band from south London that released the album Don’t Knock the Bald Head on Virgin in 1980. Members: Michael Riley (vocals), Winston Blissett (bass), Kevin (guitar), Paul Pryce (guitar), Lascelles Forest (guitar), Richard Read (keyboards), Tony “Jegger” Read (drums) Discography: Don’t Knock the Bald Head (1980)
Al Kooper (born Feb. 5, 1944) is an American musician, producer, and composer from Brooklyn who emerged during the blues-rock boom of the 1960s. His first major band was the Blues Project, which issued the seminal 1966 album Projections. He and bandmate Steve Katz then formed the jazz-rock big band Blood Sweat & Tears. Their […]
Bobby Thurston (born 1954) is an American R&B-funk singer from Washington, DC, who released the 1978 album Sweetest Piece of the Pie on Mainline Records, followed by the 1980/81 titles You Got What It Takes and The Main Attraction on Prelude Records. Background Bobby Thurston was born in 1954 in Washington, D.C. He began serious […]
Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins (June 8, 1941 – March 17, 2023) was an American R&B-funk vocalist and songwriter who sang with the original Parliaments. Between 1970 and 1975, he appeared on each album by Funkadelic and the reactivated Parliament. As a solo artist, he made the 1976–78 Westbound albums A Whole Nother Thang and Radio Active. […]
Greg Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American R&B keyboardist from Detroit who served as a backup musician and occasional co-writer/arranger on albums by a range of TriMax jazz-funk/soul artists, including Harvey Mason, Stevie Wonder, Syreeta, Freda Payne, Lenny Williams, and the combos Sunbear, Arpeggio, and Tribe. As a solo artist, Phillinganes made the […]
George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American R&B-funk singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer from Kannapolis, NC, who concurrently headed the super-bands Parliament and Funkadelic between 1970 and 1981. As a solo artist, he released four albums on Capitol Records between 1982 and 1986, followed by a pair of titles on Prince‘s Paisley […]
Universal Jones was an American soul-funk band that released the 1972 album Vol. 1 on MGM, produced and headed by veteran singer Eugene McDaniels. Members: Eugene McDaniels (vocals, acoustic guitar), Bob Woos (electric/acoustic guitar, bass), Maurice McKinley (drums, percussion), Leon Pendarvis (bass, electric piano, vocals), Sister Charlotte (vocals, percussion) Background Universal Jones formed in New […]
Jackie McAuley (born Dec. 14, 1946) is an Irish singer/songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist from Coleraine who briefly played with Belfast beat group Them in 1965. The following year, he turned up in rival group the Belfast Gypsies, which cut two singles and a 1967 album on Sonet. At decade’s end, he formed the folk-psych duo […]
The Bothy Band was an Irish Celtic folk-rock sextet that released four albums between 1975 and 1978 on Mulligan Records. Members: Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, vocals), Paddy Keenan (Uilleann pipes), Matt Molloy (flute), Mícháel Ó Domhnaill (guitar, vocals), Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (clavinet, vocals), Paddy Glackin (fiddle, 1974), Tony MacMahon (accordion, 1974), Tommy Peoples (fiddle, 1975), Kevin […]
Bob Geldof — aka Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (born Oct. 5, 1951) — is an Irish singer, songwriter, bandleader, and philanthropist from Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, who rose to prominence as the frontman of New Wave rockers The Boomtown Rats, which released six albums between 1977 and 1984. As an actor, he starred as Pink in […]
Prelude were an English folk-rock band from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, that released three albums on Dawn between 1973 and 1975, followed by two further albums on Pye and After Hours between 1976 and 1982. Members: Brian Hume (guitar, vocals), Ian Vardy (guitar, vocals, 1970-85, 2009-present), Irene Hume (vocals, percussion, 1971-present), Jim Hornsby (guitar, dobro, […]
Praying Mantis was an English hard-rock/metal band behind the 1981 Arista album Time Tells No Lies, followed by a 1982 maxi-single single on Jet. Their original run spanned 1978–83 as an evolution of Junction, the earlier act of brothers Chris and Tino Troy. In 1990, the pair reactivated Praying Mantis for a second run of […]
Poliphony was an English jazz-rock band that released a 1973 self-titled album on the Birmingham small-press Zel-la Records. Members: Bob Boucher (bass), Richard Bremner (guitar), David Fear (percussion), Dave Bristow (piano, flute) Background Poliphony formed around 1971 in Birmingham when Aston University student and pianist Dave Bristow invited guitarist Richard Bremner into a developing lineup […]
Poeme Electronique was an English coldwave band from London that released the 1982 standalone single “The Echoes Fade” on Disques Carrère. In 2009, two album’s worth of vaulted material appeared on the archival disc The Echoes Fade on Anna Logue Records. Members: Julie Ruler (vocals, choreographer), Sharon Abbott [aka Sharon] (vocals, choreographer), Dave Hewson (synthesizer), […]
APB was a Scottish art-punk/funk band from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, that issued five singles on Oily Records between 1981 and 1983, followed by two singles apiece on Albion and Red River Records circa 1984/85. Most of these sides were compiled on the 1985 Link Records compilation Something to Believe In. In 1986, the band released the […]
Heavy Pettin was a Scottish hard-rock/metal band behind the 1983–85 Polydor albums Lettin Loose and Rock Ain’t Dead, followed by the 1989 FM Revolver release Big Bang. Members: Punky Mendoza (guitar), Gordon Bonnar (guitar), Gary Moat (drums), Steve “Hamie” Hayman (vocals), Brian Waugh (bass) Background Heavy Pettin formed in June 1981 in Glasgow when singer […]
