The Tubes were an American rock band from San Francisco that gained notoriety for their edgy stage antics and role-play numbers. They released the 1975–79 A&M studio albums The Tubes, Young and Rich, Now, and Remote Control, then moved to Capitol for the 1981–83 albums The Completion Backward Principle and Outside Inside. Their popular songs […]
George Benson (March 22, 1943) is an American jazz-funk guitarist and singer from Pittsburgh. He recorded small-group jazz and orchestrated CTI albums before a run of vocal-led Warner Bros. releases. Benson first recorded as a child and joined organist Jack McDuff, then debuted as a bandleader in 1964 on Prestige. Between 1976 and 1983, Benson […]
Yma Sumac (September 13, 1922 – November 1, 2008) was a Peruvian vocalist and performer who was popular with international audiences during the 1950s. Distinguished by her outlandish getups and expressionistic five-octave range, she recorded a string of albums in the mambo/exotica vein, most notably the Les Baxter-conducted Legend of the Sun Virgin (1952) and […]
Yusef Lateef (October 9, 1920 — December 23, 2013) was an American reedist and composer with a six-decade jazz career. After early stints behind Dizzy Gillespie and Donald Byrd, Lateef launched his bandleader career with the 1957 Savoy Records release Jazz for the Thinker. He followed with albums such as Jazz Mood and Prayer to […]
Grover Washington Jr. (Dec. 12, 1943 — Dec. 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist who released 10 albums on Kudo between 1971 and 1977, followed by multiple titles on Motown, Elektra, and Columbia during the next two decades. Background Washington was born on December 12, 1943, to a musical family in Buffalo, […]
Allan Holdsworth (Aug. 6, 1946 — April 16, 2017) was an English guitarist from Bradford, West Yorkshire, who emerged in the jazz-psych band ‘Igginbottom in the late 1960s. During the 1970s, his profile rose with stints in Nucleus, Tempest, Gong, Soft Machine, UK, and Bruford. As a solo artist, he released the album Velvet Darkness […]
Hugh Masekela (April 4, 1939 — Jan. 23, 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer, composer, and bandleader from Witbank, Mpumalanga. His recordings joined South African song forms with jazz, soul, and electronic production across six decades. The Philemon Hou instrumental “Grazing in the Grass” became a U.S. No. 1 single. Background Hugh […]
Edwin Birdsong (Aug. 22, 1941 — Jan. 21, 2019) was an American R&B-funk keyboardist from Los Angeles who released two albums and five singles on Polydor between 1971 and 1973, followed by a one-off on Bam-Boo Records in 1975. A deal with Philadelphia International Records yielded three 1978 singles and an eponymous fourth album in […]
Association P.C. was a Dutch/German avant-garde jazz-rock ensemble that released five albums between 1970 and 1974 on the MPS, Munich, and Corona labels. Members: Pierre Courbois (drums, percussion), Toto Blanke (guitar, ring modulator, nagoya harp), Jasper van’t Hof (electric piano, 1969-73), Peter Krijnen (bass, 1969-70), Sigi Busch (bass, 1970-75), Heiner Wiberny (tenor saxophone, basset horn, […]
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer whose recording career began with a 1965 Jocida single and expanded through MGM, Polydor, Atlantic, Silver Blue, and Stylus releases. She reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “I Will Survive” and placed “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “I Am What I Am” in the Top […]
Bijelo Dugme was a Yugoslav symphonic/hard-rock band from Sarajevo in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Between 1974 and 1988, the band released nine albums, three live recordings, and assorted singles, mostly on Jugoton and Diskoton. Members: Goran Bregović (guitar, vocals, 1974-89), Željko Bebek (vocals, 1974-84), Mladen Vojičić [aka Tifa] (vocals, 1984-85), Alen Islamović (vocals, 1985-89), Goran […]
Woody Shaw (December 24, 1944 — May 10, 1989) was an American trumpeter and composer. He recorded as a leader from 1970 to 1987, issuing albums for Contemporary, Muse, and Columbia, including Blackstone Legacy, Rosewood, and Stepping Stones. His sideman work spanned sessions with Eric Dolphy, Horace Silver, Larry Young, McCoy Tyner, and Dexter Gordon. […]
Ekseption was a Dutch classical/jazz-rock band from Haarlem, Noord-Holland, originally formed in 1958 as The Jokers. Between 1969 and 1976, they released nine albums on Philips. Members: Hans Alta (bass, 1958-68), Rein van den Broek (flugelhorn, trumpet, 1958-78), Tim Griek (drums, 1958-68), Huib van Kampen (guitar, saxophone, 1958-69), Rob Kruisman (flute, guitar, saxophone, vocals, 1967-69), […]
Mike Batt (Feb. 6, 1949) is an English composer and arranger from Southampton who conducted a string of instrumental/interpretive recordings with his namesake orchestra for DJM Silverline between 1970 and 1972. In 1973, he masterminded the first of six releases by the costumed studio act The Wombles, a musical vehicle for the namesake children’s television […]
Don Covay (March 24, 1938 — Jan. 31, 2015) was an American soul singer who recorded nine studio albums between Mercy! and Adlib. His catalog includes “Pony Time” and “Mercy, Mercy,” followed by “See Saw” and “I Was Checkin’ Out She Was Checkin’ In.” Solomon Burke and Wilson Pickett recorded Covay songs; Aretha Franklin and […]
Houston Person (born Nov. 10, 1934) is an American post-bop/jazz-funk tenor saxophonist and record producer from Florence, SC. His catalog runs from Prestige to HighNote, alongside work as Etta Jones’s accompanist and producer. Background Person grew up in Florence, where his mother played piano and started him on lessons. He took up tenor saxophone at […]
Ronnie Dyson (1950–1990) was an American soul singer and actor who released five albums between 1970 and 1979 on Columbia and two further albums in 1982–83 on Cotillion. He scored three Billboard R&B Top 10 hits: “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You?” (both […]
Peggy’s Leg was an Irish symphonic-folk band that was active for three years during the early 1970s. The band released one album, Grinilla, in 1973 on their self-ran Bunch label. A non-album single followed in 1974. The final lineup of the band included original Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell. Members: Jimi Slevin (guitar, vocals, 1972-74), […]
Pat Lundy (194?–1994) was an American soul singer from New York who released five Sixties small-label singles and signed with Columbia for her 1968 debut album, Soul Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues. After four De Luxe singles, she resurfaced with the 1973 RCA album Only Love Spoken Here. In 1976, she landed on Pyramid Records […]
Panthéon was a Dutch jazz-rock band that released a standalone single on Philips and the album Orion on Vertigo, both in 1972. Members: Ruud Wouterson (vocals, keyboards), Hans Boer (saxophone, harmonica, vocals), Rob Verhoeven (drums), Albert Veldkamp (bass), John Schut (guitar), Jan Slijkhuis (drums), Guus Swerissen (bass) Background Panthéon formed in Arnhem in 1971 as […]
YU Grupa was a Yugoslav hard-rock band from Beograd, Serbia, that released five albums and ten singles between 1973 and 1979 on Jugoton. Further titles followed from 1987 onward. Members: Dragi Jelić (vocals, guitar), Žika Jelić (bass, vocals), Miodrag Okrugić [Mive] (organ, 1970-71), Velibor Bogdanović [Boka] (drums, 1970-72, 1987-89), Miodrag-Bata Kostić (guitar, 1971-72, 1973-75, 1978-92), […]
Headstone were an English hard-rock band that released the album Bad Habits on EMI in 1974, followed by a self-titled release in 1975. Vocalist/guitarist Mark Ashton hailed from the original lineup of Rare Bird, releasing two albums with the band circa 1969/70. He briefly launched a solo career, releasing two solo albums between 1976 and […]
Hard Stuff was an English hard-rock trio that made the 1972/73 albums Bulletproof and Bolex Dementia on Purple Records. They cut a prior single as Bullet and gigged as Daemon; archival releases from both iterations surfaced in the 21st century. Members: John Du Cann (guitar, vocals), John Gustafson (bass, vocals), Paul Hammond (drums) Background Guitarist […]
Esther Satterfield (born 1946) is an American soul singer who released the 1974–76 A&M albums Once I Loved and The Need to Be. Background Esther Satterfield was born in 1946 in North Carolina. She studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. In 1971, Satterfield received a Bachelor of Music degree from Eastman. She […]
Benoît Widemann (born 1957) is a French pianist and composer who emerged at age 18 in a mid-1970s lineup of Magma, serving two stints with the band between 1975 and 1981. Under his own name, he released two albums between 1977 and 1979 on Ballon Noir, followed by a third title in 1984 on CY […]
Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul were an American jazz-funk/soul septet from Washington, D.C., that released a self-titled album on GSF in 1973, followed by a string of mid-decade singles on Mercury. Members: Joe Quarterman (trumpet, vocals), George R. Lee (guitar), Gregory C. Hammonds (bass), Allen Stewart (drums), Willie Parker, Jr. (guitar), Karissa Freeman (keyboards), […]
September was a Yugoslav symphonic/jazz-rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, that debuted with a 1976 Jugoton single. That same year, they released the RTB album Zadnja Avantura, followed by a 1977 standalone single. Lengthy September live tracks appeared on the Boom ’76 document and the Jugoton compilation Randevu S Muzikom (20 Godina Radio Novi Sad). In […]
The Quick was the English synth-funk duo of vocalist Colin Campsie and bassist/keyboardist George McFarlane. The pair released assorted singles and two proper album on Epic between 1979 and 1984, plus a third on A&M in 1986. Their first album, On the Uptake, appeared Down Under in 1981 to capitalize on the Australian success of […]
A Band Called O — alternately known as The O Band — were an English hard-rock band from Jersey island that released two albums apiece on Epic and United Artists between 1974 and 1977. The group evolved from rustic-rockers The Parlour Band, which issued the album Is a Friend? on Deram in 1972. Members: Pix […]
Voyager was an English art-rock band from Newbury, Berkshire, that released two albums on Polygram-subsidiary Mountain in 1979 and 1980, followed by a third on RCA in 1981. The band was borne from a 1977 single by vocalist/keyboardist Paul French’s Connection. Earlier in the decade, French cut an album with psychedelic jazz-rockers Tonton Macoute. Members: […]
Violinski was an English art-rock band that released two albums on Jet between 1979 and 1980. The band was formed by ELO alumni Michael de Albuquerque (guitar, vocals) and Mik Kaminski (violin). The second album features the talents of ex-Starry Eyed and Laughing bassist Iain Whitmore. Members: Mik Kaminski (violin), Baz Dunnery (guitar), Andy Brown […]
Vicious Pink was an English electro-pop duo from Leeds consisting of keyboardist Brian Moss and vocalist Josie Warden. Originally dubbed the Vicious Pink Phenomena, the pair released a single apiece on the small-press labels Mobile Suit Corporation and Warehouse circa 1982/83. After shortening their name, the two released a trio of singles on Parlophone between […]
UK Decay was an English art-punk/goth-rock band from Luton, Bedfordshire, that released two shortplayers on self-press Plastic Records circa 1979/80, followed by a trio of singles on small-press Fresh Records during 1980 and 1981, culminating with the album For Madmen Only. An EP followed on Crass-subsidiary Corpus Christi in 1982, after which the band released […]
Freeez was an English funk band that released three albums and assorted singles on Beggars Banquet between 1980 and 1985. Members: John Rocca (vocals, percussion), Andy Stennett (keyboards), Peter Mass (bass), Paul Morgan (drums), Gordon Sullivan (guitar), Ingrid Mansfield Allman (vocals), Alison Gordon (vocals), Jason Wright (keyboards), Everton McCalla (drums), George Whitmore (saxophone, flute), Jean-Paul […]
Bourgeois Tagg was an American adult-oriented pop band from Sacramento that released the 1986 album Bourgeois Tagg and the 1987 follow-up Yoyo on Island. The group reached the Billboard Hot 100 with “Mutual Surrender (What a Wonderful World)” and “I Don’t Mind at All.” Members: Brent Bourgeois (vocals, keyboards), Larry Tagg (vocals, bass), Lyle Workman […]
Trickster was an English rock band that released the album Find the Lady on Jet in 1977, followed by Back to Zero in 1979. Members: Phil Bates (vocals, guitar), Colin Hewinson (piano, keyboards, vocals), Mike Sheppard (bass, guitar, vocals), Paul Elliot (drums, percussion), Mike Groth (vocals, bass), John Fincham (bass) Background Trickster appeared in 1976 […]
Tim Blake (born Feb. 6, 1952) is an English electronic musician from London who played in Gong between 1973 and 1975 under the alias Hi. T. Moonweed, appearing on the albums Flying Teapot, Angel’s Egg, and You. In 1977, he released the album Crystal Machine on Barclay-subsidiary Egg. After a second solo album for the […]
The Younghearts were an American soul group from Los Angeles that scored R&B hits with “Oh I’ll Never Be the Same” and “I’ve Got Love for My Baby” from their 1968 debut Sweet Soul Shakin’. They returned on 20th Century with the 1973–76 albums Do You Have the Time, A Taste of the Younghearts, and […]
Skywhale was an English jazz-rock band from Bristol that released the 1977 album The World at Mind’s End on Firebrand Records. Members: Steve Robshaw (guitar, violin, synthesizer), Stan Thewils (flute, tenor saxophone), Paul Todd (soprano saxophone, flute, penny whistle), Dougall Airmole (bass), Mick Avery (drums, percussion), Gwyo Ze Pix (keyboards, synthesizer), John Schofield (percussion) Background […]
The Breaks and Drama were sequential American rock bands led by Memphis musicians Pat Taylor and Susanne Jerome Taylor. RCA issued the self-titled Breaks album in 1983, then the couple reorganized as Drama for the 1985 album Scene from a Distance, noted for its hi-tech lead track “Paralyze.” Members: Suzanne Jerome Taylor (vocals), Pat Taylor […]
John Edwards (December 25, 1944 — May 9, 2025) was an American soul singer from St. Louis who released two solo albums before joining the Spinners as a full-time lead singer. He fronted the group’s 1980 hits “Working My Way Back to You” and “Cupid.” Background John Edwards was born on December 25, 1944, in […]
Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934) is an American jazz-funk percussionist, vibraphonist, songwriter, arranger, and producer from Philadelphia. He joined the Funk Brothers house band at Motown in 1963 and supplied tambourine, vibraphone, marimba, bells, and auxiliary percussion across recordings from the Detroit studio. Ashford also co-founded Pied Piper Productions, operated Just Productions, released the […]
Charge was an English punk-rock/goth band from London that debuted with a live album on Trikont in 1980, followed by singles on YCAFO and Test Pressings. In 1982, the band released two shortplayers and the album Perfection on Kamera Records. Members: Stu P Didiot [Stuart Lunn] (guitar, vocals, 1977-83), Iain MacLaughlan (vocals, 1977-80), Dave Griffiths […]
Wazmo Nariz is an American new wave singer and bandleader from Chicago, noted for the I.R.S. compilation tracks “Lips” and “Checking Out the Checkout Girl.” He made two 1978/79 indie shortplayers, followed by the 1979–81 albums Things Aren’t Right and Tell Me How to Live. Members: Wazmo Nariz [Larry Grennan] (vocals), Jeff Hill (guitar), James […]
The Bonaparte’s were a French post-punk band that issued the 1985 mini-album Shiny Battles and the 1986 full-length Welcome to the Isle of Dogs. Guitarist–singer Ruben Azca formed the group with former Baroque Bordello rhythm partners Gilles Bourgues and Gilles Pradinas; saxophonist Laszlo Kovacks completed the quartet. Members: Ruben Azca (vocals, guitar), Gilles Bourgues aka […]
Begnagrad was a Yugoslav avant-garde/trad band from Ljubljana, located in modern-day Slovenia. In 1982, the band released a self-titled album on ZKP RTVLJ that was reissued in 1990 as Konzert for a Broken Dance. Material for a proposed earlier album, recorded in 1977, was finally issued as Tastare (Theoldwones) in 1992. Members: Bratko Bibič (accordion, […]
Alice Clark (c.1947 – April 2004) was an American soul singer from Brooklyn who cut two 1968 singles and a 1972 self-titled album. Early Singles Alice Clark grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. In 1968, Billy Vera — then in a singing duo with Judy Clay — wrote and produced her first […]
Tami Lynn — aka Gloria Brown (born 1942) — is an American soul singer from New Orleans who released the 1972 album Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone. Background Tami Lynn was born Gloria Jean Brown on January 25, 1939, in Gert Town, New Orleans, Louisiana. Brown attended R.T. Danneel #2 Elementary School, where […]
Taka Boom (born Oct. 8, 1954) is an American soul singer from Chicago and the younger sister of Chaka Khan. Boom emerged as a Parliament backing singer before her 1979 debut album, which landed R&B hits with “Night Dancin’” and “Red Hot.” She resurfaced with the 1983 Mercury album Boomerang and its 1985 followup Middle […]
The Softones were an American soul group from Baltimore that released a self-titled album on Avco in 1973, followed by two studio albums and a live disc on H&L in 1977/78. The group’s name was shortened to The Tones for a further album on self-press Criminal in 1983. Members: Marvin Brown, Steven Jackson, Elton Lynch, […]
Lou Bond — aka Ronald Edward Lewis (1945 — Feb. 1, 2013) — was an American soul singer/songwriter from Chicago who released 1974 a self-titled album on We Produce Records, a division of Stax. Background Lou Bond was born Ronald Edward Lewis in 1945 in Chicago. He grew up in Memphis foster homes and met […]
The Ebonys were an American soul group that released eight singles and a 1973 album on Philadelphia International Records, scoring R&B hits with “It’s Forever” and “I Believe.” In 1976, they reappeared with the Buddah album Sing About Life and the single “Makin’ Love Ain’t No Fun (Without the One You Love) (Part 1).” Members: […]
Bobby Glenn is an American soul singer who released the 1976 album Shout it Out on Koala Records. Profile Bobby Glenn emerged in Los Angles and linked with Koala, a short-lived label that also signed Main Street, David Nunez, and the John Wagner Coalition. Glenn recorded his album with a large cast that included four-ninths of […]
Cargo was a Dutch hard-rock/jam band that released a 1972 self-titled album on Harvest. The band previously recorded as September, issuing three singles under that name on Imperial circa 1970/71. Members: Jan de Hont (guitar), Ad de Hont (guitar), Dennis Witbraat (drums), Willem de Vries (bass, vocals) Background Cargo began as September, an Amsterdam band […]
Kwick was an American soul-funk band from Memphis that released two albums on EMI America in 1980 and 1981, followed by a third on Capitol in 1983. Three-fourths of the band had been in the Stax/Volt singles act The Newcomers during the early 1970s. Members: William Summers, Bert Brown, Terry Bartlet, Vince Ricari Williams Background […]
William DeVaughn (born Nov. 28, 1947) is an American soul singer from Washington, DC, who released the 1974 album Be Thankful for What You Got, scoring hits with the title track and “Blood Is Thicker Than Water.” He returned in 1980 with Figures Can’t Calculate. Background William DeVaughn was born William Edward DeVaughn Jr. on […]
Rose was a Canadian rock band from Barrie, Ont., that released the folk-pop/harmony album Hooked on a Rose on G.A.S. Records in 1973, followed with the children’s album Earth Air & Water on Young & Rubicam that same year. In 1977, the band released the Polydor hard-rock albums A Taste of Neptune and Judgement Day. […]
Paz was an English ethno-jazz/funk ensemble that released a live album on Magnus Records and two albums apiece on Spotlight and Coda between 1978 and 1986. The band was formed in 1972 by percussionist Dick Crouch and featured contributions by soloists of international renown, including saxophonist Ray Warleigh and guitarist Jim Mullen. Members: Dick Crouch […]
Andy Fraser (July 3, 1952 — March 16, 2015) was an English bassist and songwriter who rose to prominence as one-fourth of hard-rockers Free, releasing five studio albums with the band between 1969 and 1972. Immediately thereafter, he appeared on the first of two albums by hard-rockers Sharks. In 1975, Fraser released two albums on […]
Ram was an American art-rock band from N.Y.C. that released the 1972 Polydor album Where? (In Conclusion). Members: Dennis Carbone (piano, vocals), John Demartino (saxophone, flute, clarinet), Ralph Demartino (guitar, vocals), Michael Rodriguez (bass, vocals), Steeler (drums) Background Ram had assembled a New York City lineup by 1971 with reedist John DeMartino, guitarist-singer Ralph DeMartino, […]
Mick Ronson (May 26, 1946 — April 29, 1993) was an English guitarist and producer who rose to prominence as a member of David Bowie‘s 1970–73 backing band The Spiders from Mars. During this time, he laid licks on select recordings by Lou Reed, Michael Chapman, and Dana Gillespie. As a solo artist, Ronson released […]
Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis were an American soul-pop duo that released a 1976 self-titled album on Claridge Records. They scored a moderate US R&B hit with “Easy Loving” and a major UK crossover hit with “You’re Gonna Get Next to Me.” Members: Mike James Kirkland, Ruth Davis Background Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis formed […]
Family Circle was an American soul group from Newark that released a 1973 self-titled album on Sky Disc, followed in 1977 with Love Bound on Strawberry Records. Members: Charles Simmons, David Simmons, Don Simmons, James Simmons, Mary Simmons Background Family Circle formed in Newark, New Jersey, as a Simmons-family vocal group led by keyboardist and […]
Tasha Thomas (1945 — Nov. 8, 1984) was an American soul singer who released the 1979 album Midnight Rendezvous. Background Thomas was born circa 1945 into a family with a chemist father and a Pentecostal-minister mother. She sang and played organ in her mother’s church, then moved to New York City during the late sixties […]
Travelling was a French jazz-rock trio that released the 1973 Futura album Voici la nuit Tombée. Members: Yves Hasselmann (piano, Hammond organ, vocals), Jacques Goure (bass), Roger Gremillot (drums) Background Travelling emerged in Besançon in 1970 from Le Point, a 1969 group with keyboardist and vocalist Yves Hasselmann, bassist Jacques-Edmond Gouré, drummer Daniel Tissot, an […]
Synthesis was a French jazz-rock ensemble that released a 1976 self-titled album on Arc. Members: André Cazalet, André Ceccarelli, Annie Wystraete, Chantal Alexandre, Chantal Curtis, Christian Lété, Didier Lockwood, Francis Cournet, François Jeanneau, Frédérique Gegembach, Guy Khalifa, Hamid Belhocine, Ivan Jullien, Jacques Bolognesi, Kako Bessot, Marc Chantereau, Marc Steckar, Marianne Mille, Paul-Jean Borowsky, Paula Moore, […]
Barbara Blake & The Uniques were an American soul group from Chicago that released a self-titled album on 20th Century Records in 1975. They were originally a female trio but consisted of Barbara and three men by the time of the album. Background Barbara Blake & The Uniques evolved from sister act Barbara & Gwen, […]
Charles Hilton Brown is an American soul singer who briefly sang with the Four Kents before issuing two singles on Durium in 1971/72. In 1974, he collaborated with the South African band Assagai for the album Owed to Myself, released on Ampex Records. Background Charles Hilton Brown entered music as an American serviceman stationed at […]
The West Coast Revival was an American soul trio from California that cut three early Seventies singles for United Artists, compiled with additional cuts on their 1977 album. Members: Dean Robinson, Luther Rabb, Patrick Taylor Background West Coast Revival formed in Los Angeles by 1971 as a California vocal trio with singers Dean Robinson, Luther […]
The True Reflection was an American soul group from Washington, DC, that released the 1973 Atco album Where I’m Coming From. Members: Glenn Leonard, Joe Blunt, Bobby Cox, Joey Coleman Background The True Reflection formed by 1972 in Washington, D.C., as a soul vocal quartet with Joe Blunt, Glenn Leonard, Joe Coleman, and Bobby Cox. […]
Susan Phillips (December 17, 1946 – September 21, 2022) was an American soul singer who recorded the 1971 All Platinum album Soft Sexy Soul, a limited-edition release excavated in 2017 by Soul Brother Records. Background Susan Fay Phillips was born on December 17, 1946, in Hartsville, South Carolina, to Lorene Phillips and Margaret Phillips. Phillips […]
Sweet Charles — aka Charles Emanuel Sherrell (born March 8, 1943) — is an American soul singer from Nashville who released the 1974 album For Sweet People From Sweet Charles. Background Sweet Charles was born Charles Emanuel Sherrell on March 8, 1943, in Nashville, Tennessee. Sherrell started music at school at age eight with trombone, […]
Tommie Young is an American soul singer from Dallas who released the 1973 album Do You Still Feel the Same Way. Background Tommie Young was born on January 14, 1949, in Dallas, Texas. Her father, Bishop T. L. Young, pastored Emanuel Temple Church of God in Christ in West Dallas. Young first sang in his […]
Bobby Hutton (born Harold Hutton) is an American soul singer from Detroit who released six singles between 1965 and 1971, culminating with the 1973 ABC release Piece of the Action. Background Hutton began singing at age five and entered professional work after winning a talent contest at the 20 Grand nightclub in Detroit. Motown executive […]
Stu Gardner is an American R&B singer, musician, and composer who led the First Cosins Jazz Ensemble. Between 1968 and 1974 he released three solo albums, including one under the psuedonym Big Mouth. Background Stu Gardner was born Stuart Lavert Leonard Gardner and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. At Maggie L. Walker High School, violinist […]
Maelstrom was an American band from Indianapolis that recorded the 1973 symphonic-rock album On the Gulf, followed by the 1975 free-jazz oriented Paradigms. The latter was issued in its own time by Houston Records; the former was released on CD in 1997 by archivists Black Moon Productions. Members: Robert Williams [aka Roberts Owen] (alto saxophone, […]
Crosswind was a Japanese symphonic/jazz-rock band that released two eponymous albums on Elbon at the close of the 1970s, followed by the album そして夢の国へ・・・ (Soshite Yume no Kuni e…) on Kitty Records in 1982. Members: Ogawa Ginji (guitar), Endo Keizo (bass), Sugimoto Kiyoshi (drums), Maruo Megumi (keyboards), Kobayashi Kazuo (bass), Soru Toru (drums), Furuki Yoshihiko […]
The Work was an English avant/art-punk band that issued the single “I Hate America” on self-press Woof Records in 1981, followed by the album Slow Crimes in 1982. A later round of activity yielded the discs Rubber Cage (1989) and See (1992), both again on Woof. Multi-instrumentalist Tim Hodgkinson hailed from 1970s avant/chamber-rockers Henry Cow. […]
Crane was an American hard-rock recording project built around singer and guitarist Chuck Kirkpatrick, a Criteria Studios engineer who used the Chuck Crane name for a Capitol contract. Capitol issued the 1977 advance single “Oh Dancer” and released the self-titled album Crane in January 1978 on Capitol Records. Members: Chuck Crane (guitar, lead vocals, backing […]
Steel was an American hard-rock/psych band that released a 1971 self-titled album on Epic. Members: Carl Sims (vocals), Duane Hitchings (organ, piano, keyboard), Roland Robinson (bass, vocals), Steve Busfield (guitar, vocals), Jerry Norris (drums, vocals) Background Steel formed circa 1970 with singer Carl Sims, keyboardist Duane Hitchings, bassist Roland Robinson, guitarist Steve Busfield, and drummer […]
The Leaves were an American garage-rock band that released the 1966 album Hey Joe on Mira, followed by the 1967 Capitol release All the Good That’s Happening. They made the first commercially available version of “Hey Joe,” a non-copyrighted blues and rock standard made famous by Jimi Hendrix. Members: Robert Lee Reiner (guitar), Jim Pons […]
