David Bowie (January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor with a career in music and the performing arts that spanned more than fifty years. He played in a sequence of mid-Sixties beat groups and released two self-titled albums, charting first with the 1969 opus “Space Oddity.” Between […]
Genesis was an English rock band that released fifteen studio albums between 1969 and 1997. They formed as a baroque-psych quintet at Charterhouse school and cut their debut album, From Genesis to Revelation, under the guidance of producer Jonathan King. The original lineup featured singer Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Anthony Phillips, and bassist […]
XTC was an English rock band that released ten albums on Virgin between 1978 and 1992, followed by two albums at century’s end on Cooking Vinyl. On their first five albums, XTC’s core consists of vocalist–guitarist Andy Partridge, bassist–vocalist Colin Moulding, and drummer Terry Chambers. During their first two years on Virgin, XTC featured future-Shriekback […]
King Crimson are an English rock band, active at multiple intervals since 1969. The original lineup of guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist–singer Greg Lake, reedist–keyboardist Ian McDonald, and drummer Michael Giles made one album, In the Court of the Crimson King, the catalyst for symphonic-rock. When Lake departed for Emerson Lake & Palmer and McDonald and […]
Queen was an English rock band that released fourteen studio albums between 1973 and 1991. Their first two albums, Queen and Queen II, contain epic rockers by flamboyant frontman Freddie Mercury and guitarist Brian May, including their early anthem “Keep Yourself Alive.” They scored a transatlantic breakthrough with “Killer Queen,” a cabaret rocker from their […]
Sparks is the musical partnership of American keyboardist–songwriter Ron Mael and his vocalist brother Russell Mael. They first recorded as Halfnelson, a quintet with drummer Harley Feinstein and another set of brothers, guitarist Earle Mankey and guitarist–bassist Jim Mankey. They signed to Bearsville for the 1971 release Halfnelson, produced by Todd Rundgren. Soon after, they […]
Chicago are an American band formed in 1967; noted as one of the first rock acts with an integrated three-piece brass section. Between 1969 and 1980, they released twelve studio albums on Columbia, followed by five albums on Warner. For eleven years, they maintained the same seven members: keyboardist–singer Robert Lamm, guitarist–singer Terry Kath, bassist–singer […]
Herbie Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz and funk keyboardist active since the late 1950s. His 1962 Blue Note debut, Takin’ Off, includes his signature piece, “Watermelon Man.” In 1963, he joined Miles Davis‘s Second Great Quintet with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Hancock’s profile rose with the 1964/65 albums Empyrean Isles […]
The Cure are an English rock band that released eight albums and eighteen singles between 1978 and 1989 on Fiction Records. They emerged in the British post-punk movement and cultivated a goth-rock sound and image during the early 1980s. Their popular hits include “Boys Don’t Cry,” “A Forest,” “Let’s Go to Bed,” “The Love Cats,” […]
Fleetwood Mac are an English–American rock band formed in 1967 by drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Peter Green. The first-recorded lineup stabilized with guitarist Jeremy Spencer and bassist John McVie. Green created the band’s name by combining the surnames of Mick (Fleetwood) and John (Mac). This lineup cut three singles and the 1968 albums Peter […]
The Stranglers are an English rock band, formed in 1974 by guitarist–singer Hugh Cornwell. They rose to prominence with the 1977 albums Rattus Norvegicus and No More Heroes and the UK hits “Peaches,” “Grip,” “Something Better Change,” and “No More Heroes.” Their early sound is characterized by grimy guitar tones, arpeggiated keyboard runs, and the […]
Yes are an English rock band that released twenty-one studio albums between 1969 and 2014. Formed in London in 1968, their original lineup contained guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, drummer Bill Bruford, and two constant members: bassist Chris Squire and singer Jon Anderson. Their early showpieces include “Looking Around,” “Survival,” “The Prophet,” and “Astral […]
Jethro Tull are an English rock band that released twenty studio albums between 1968 and 1999. They are best known for the classic rock evergreens “Aqualung,” “Bourée,” “Bungle In the Jungle,” “Living In the Past,” and “Locomotive Breath.” Their style encompasses blues, folk, hard rock, electronic and orchestral music. Singer Ian Anderson distinguished himself among […]
Elton John (born March 25, 1947) is an English vocalist, pianist, songwriter, and philanthropist with a career stretching back to the mid-1960s. He achieved global stardom with his self-titled second album in 1970. Since that time, he has recorded more than 30 albums and scored numerous hits that have gained evergreen status around the world. […]
Santana are an American Latin-rock jam band from San Francisco, formed in 1966 by guitarist Carlos Santana. Their self-titled debut, released after a breakout appearance at Woodstock, fused sustained electric solos with syncopated hand percussion and thick organ layers by Gregg Rolie. Abraxas (1970) added expanded textures, drawing from Afro-Cuban rhythms and modal frameworks. The […]
Todd Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and producer, originally from Philadelphia. He first emerged in psych-rockers the Nazz, which released two proper albums in 1968–69. He initially recorded solo under the band moniker Runt, issuing the 1970/71 Bearsville albums Runt and The Ballad of Todd Rundgren. Under his […]
U2 is an Irish rock band that emerged in Dublin’s late-1970s new wave scene. As of 2023, the band contains its four founding members: singer Bono, guitarist the Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. U2 released three short-players and signed with Island Records for their 1980 debut album Boy, a strident set […]
The Bee Gees were a pop trio comprised of three English-born/Aussie-raised brothers — Barry (born 1946) and twins Robin and Maurice Gibb (born 1949). They were active as a recording unit from 1963 to 2001. Performing together since childhood, the brothers first recorded for the Australian market during the mid-1960s. Returning to their nation of […]
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band that released eleven studio albums between 1979 and 1995. They first achieved fame in the UK, Europe, and Australia with the 1981–83 hits “Love Song,” “Promised You a Miracle,” “Glittering Prize,” and “Waterfront.” In 1985, they scored a global hit with “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Simple Minds […]
Squeeze is an English pop-rock band from London, formed in 1974 and active with multiple lineups in the decades since. Between 1978 and 1982, they released five albums on A&M Records. Their biggest hits include “Take Me I’m Yours,” “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Pulling Mussels (from the Shell),” “Tempted,” and “Hourglass.” The songwriting […]
Duran Duran are an English electro/art-pop band from Birmingham that released three albums on EMI between 1981 and 1983: Duran Duran, Rio, and Seven and the Ragged Tiger. They scored multiple transatlantic hits, including “Planet Earth,” “Girls on Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Save a Prayer,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “New Moon on […]
Gary Numan is an English keyboardist, vocalist, composer, and pilot who has been musically active since the late-1970s. He emerged as the frontman of synth-punks Tubeway Army, which issued two standalone singles and a self-titled album in 1978. After placing his name in front on their 1979 breakthrough release Replicas, he became a solo artist […]
Elvis Costello is an English musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Paddington who debuted with the album My Aim Is True on Stiff/Columbia in 1977. After assembling his backing band The Attractions, he issued the popular Radar titles This Year’s Model (1978) and Armed Forces (1979), followed by seven albums on F-Beat between 1980 and […]
Mike Oldfield is an English composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist with a career in music dating back to the late 1960s. Musically, his output is comprised of lengthy (often side-length or album-length) instrumental works with the occasional vocal track. Stylistically, his music has evolved from the classical/Celt-tinged angle of his early recordings to the broadened, modernized […]
Metallica is an American metal band that spearheaded the US thrash scene with the 1983–84 albums Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning. They shot to fame with their 1986 Elektra release Master of Puppets and its 1988 two-record followup …And Justice for All. Members: Lars Ulrich (drums), James Hetfield (guitar, vocals), Hugh Tanner (guitar, […]
Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is an English pop-rock singer, bassist, and songwriter from Liverpool who rose to fame as one-fourth of The Beatles, which he co-founded in 1959 with songwriting partner John Lennon. Between 1963 and 1969, they recorded eleven proper studio albums and spearheaded the British beat and psychedelic booms. McCartney debuted […]
Jean-Luc Ponty is a French violinist, active since the early 1960s and best known for his twelve-album run of jazz-rock titles on Atlantic Records. He began recording as a leader with Jazz Long Playing (1964) and Sunday Walk (1967), establishing a technically precise, rhythmically adventurous style that integrated violin into modern jazz ensembles. His early […]
Joe Jackson is an English pianist, songwriter, vocalist, author, and occasional bandleader, active since the late 1970s. Emerging on London’s New Wave scene, he achieved fame with the 1979/80 albums Look Sharp!, I’m the Man, and Beat Crazy. Over the years, his music has incorporated rock, reggae, salsa, jump blues, Tin Pan Alley, big-band vocal […]
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band that has been active since the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, the band were at the center of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement, which popularized the music among younger hoards of concert goers and record buyers. During its 1980–88 heyday, the band […]
Midnight Oil are an Australian rock band that released two 1978–79 albums on Powderworks, followed by five albums between 1981 and 1990 on CBS. Their 1982 fourth album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 marked their debut in the Northern hemisphere, which they conquered with the 1984–87 albums Red Sails in […]
Chick Corea (June 12, 1941 – Feb. 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader with a six-decade career that spanned the early 1960s to the late 2010s. He emerged as a backing player for Mongo Santamaria, Sonny Stitt, Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann, Hubert Laws, and Cal Tjader. As a solo artist, Corea […]
Kansas are an American symphonic/hard-rock band that released nine albums and a live double-LP on CBS-subsidiary Kirshner between 1974 and 1983, followed by a pair of late-’80s albums on MCA. Formed in Topeka by guitarist–keyboardist Kerry Livgren and drummer Phil Ehart, the band solidified with vocalist–keyboardist Steve Walsh, violinist–vocalist Robby Steinhardt, guitarist Rich Williams, bassist […]
Boz Scaggs is an American vocalist, musician, and songwriter who emerged in the late-sixties incarnation of the Steve Miller Band and went solo with a 1969 Atlantic album. Between 1970 and 1988, he released eight albums on Columbia. His popularity peaked with the 1976–80 albums Silk Degrees, Down Two Then Left, and Middle Man. Scaggs […]
Stomu Yamash’ta — 山下 勉 (born March 15, 1947) — is a Japanese classical/jazz-rock percussionist, keyboardist, composer, and bandleader best known globally for his 1973–77 projects East Wind and Go, which produced two albums each on Island Records. Background He was born Tsutomu Yamashita in Kyoto, Japan, on March 15, 1947. At age 13, he […]
Hiroko Taniyama — 谷山浩子 (born Aug. 29, 1956) — is a Japanese singer/songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, who debuted with an album on King Records in 1972, followed by 14 albums on the Aard-Vark and Canyon labels between 1977 and 1990. Background Hiroko Taniyama was born in Tokyo on August 29, 1956, and grew up in […]
Yumi Matsutoya — 松任谷由実 (born Jan. 19, 1954) — is a Japanese art-pop singer/songwriter who released thirty albums between 1973 and 2004 on Express. Her first two albums appeared under her birth name Yumi Arai (荒井由実), after which she adopted the moniker Yuming (ユーミン). On most of her post-1976 output, she bears her married surname […]
Journey are an American rock band from San Francisco, formed around former Santana members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie. They explored spacey hard-rock and jazz-fusion instrumentals on their first three Columbia albums, released between 1975 and 1977 before the arrival of Steve Perry. The Perry/Rolie lineup gained radio traction with the 1978–80 albums Infinity, Evolution, […]
Gary Moore (April 4, 1952 — Feb. 6, 2011) was an Irish blues-rock/hard-rock/jazz-rock guitarist with a musical career that spanned more than 40 years. He first emerged as a member of the Limerick rock combo Granny’s Intention, which issued the album Honest Injun on Deram in 1969. This was followed by two albums with blues-rockers […]
UFO was an English hard-rock band from Enfield, Middlesex, that released two albums on Beacon in 1970 and 1971, followed by a live album on Decca. Between 1974 and 1985, the band released ten studio albums and a live double-LP on Chrysalis. The early lineup featured vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, […]
Ryuichi Sakamoto — 坂本龍一 (January 17, 1952 – March 28, 2023) — was a Japanese musician and composer who rose to international prominence in the electro-pop trio Yellow Magic Orchestra. YMO released nine albums between 1978 and 1984, of which four reached No. 1 in Japan. Their Japanese chart hits include “Technopolis” (No. 9, 1979) […]
Taeko Ohnuki — 大貫妙子 (Nov. 28, 1953) — is a Japanese art-pop vocalist and songwriter who fronted the band Sugar Babe during the mid 1970s. As a solo artist, she released two albums on Panama in 1976 and 1977, followed by four albums on RCA between 1978 and 1982. In 1983, she released her first […]
Marillion are an English art-rock band that released a 24-minute EP on EMI in 1982, followed by four studio albums and two live discs on the label between 1983 and 1988. After the departure of frontman Fish for a solo career, the band added ex-Europeans vocalist Steve Hogarth for a lengthy run of albums during […]
Al Di Meola is an American guitarist who emerged in the jazz-rock supergroup Return to Forever, playing on the 1974–76 albums Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior. As a solo artist, he’s issued more than 40 albums, starting with the 1976/77 Columbia titles Land of the Midnight Sun and Elegant […]
Steve Hackett is an English classical/rock guitarist with a career in music that dates back to 1970. He rose to prominence as a member of Genesis between 1971 and 1977, during which time he played on six of the band’s studio albums: Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on […]
Kazumi Watanabe — 渡辺香津美 (born Oct. 14, 1953) — is a Japanese jazz-rock guitarist who cut his first album in 1971 at age 17. Between 1975 and 1996, he released albums biannually on Better Days, DOMO, and Gramavision. During the early 1980s, he led the namesake Kazumi Band for two albums. He also backed Ryuichi […]
Minako Yoshida — 吉田美奈子 (April 7, 1953) — is a Japanese singer/songwriter who debuted with an album on Showboat in 1973, followed by a four-album run on RCA that culminated with the 1977 release Twilight Zone. Between 1978 and 1983, she released four albums and a live disc on Alfa. Background Yoshida grew up in […]
Lou Reed (March 2, 1942 — Oct. 27, 2013) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter from Brooklyn who emerged as the Velvet Underground frontman. He charted with “Walk On the Wild Side” from his 1972 album Transformer, a rock/burlesque set followed with Berlin, a concept album steeped in Wiemar cabaret. He released eleven further […]
The Manhattan Transfer are an American vocal group from N.Y.C., formed in 1969 by swing enthusiast Tim Hauser. The original lineup, a five-piece with songwriter Gene Pistilli, issued one album of retro jazz and pop on Capitol in 1971. Hauser then recruited singers Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Laurel Massé, establishing the two man/two woman […]
Haruomi Hosono — 細野晴臣 (July 9, 1947) — is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer who first emerged as the bassist for blues-psych rockers Apryl Fool in the late 1960s. Between 1970 and 1973, he recorded three albums with folk-rockers Happy End. In 1978, co-founded the electro-pop trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, which achieved global success […]
IQ are an English symphonic-rock band that released the 1983 album Tales From the Lush Attic on The Major Record Company, followed by 1985’s The Wake on Sahara Records. After their 1986 single “Intelligence Quotient,” IQ released the 1987–89 Mercury albums Nomzamo and Are You Sitting Comfortably? Their 1993 comeback album Ever sparked a thirty-year […]
Chris Rea is an English singer, guitarist, and songwriter who released nine albums between 1978 and 1987 on Magnet, followed by further titles on WEA, EastWest, and Jazzee Blue over the subsequent three decades. Rea’s 1989–91 albums The Road to Hell and Auberge both topped the UK Albums Chart and spawned Top 20 title singles. […]
Megadeth are an American metal band from Los Angeles that Dave Mustaine formed in 1983 after his exit from Metallica. The group debuted with Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! on Combat in 1985 and began its Capitol run one year later with Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? They carried that run through […]
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are a goth-rock/cabaret ensemble formed in London circa 1983 by Australian vocalist/keyboardist Nick Cave. Between 1984 and 2008, the band released 17 albums on Mute Records, followed by a further round of discs on self-press Bad Seed in the 2010s. Members: Nick Cave (vocals, piano, organ, harmonica), Mick Harvey […]
Lucio Battisti (March 5, 1943 — Sept. 9, 1998) was an Italian singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer who released Ricordi albums between 1969 and 1971, then moved through a long Numero Uno run from Umanamente uomo: il sogno through L’apparenza. His later CBS and Columbia albums closed a studio sequence that ran through Hegel in […]
Akiko Yano — 矢野顕子 (born Feb. 13, 1955) — is a Japanese art-pop singer who released five albums on Philips between 1976 and 1979, followed by three albums on Japan Records during the early 1980s. She has released more than two dozen titles since that time, mostly on Epic and Midi Inc. Background Yano was […]
Robert Palmer (Jan. 19, 1949 — Sept. 26, 2003) was an English soul-rock singer famed for the hits “John and Mary,” “Addicted to Love,” and “Simply Irresistible.” He charted with songs originated by Andy Fraser (“Every Kinda People”), Moon Martin (“Bad Case of Loving You”), and The System (“You Are In My System”). He got […]
Pet Shop Boys are the English electro-pop duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. They emerged with the 1985 single “West End Girls,” an international hit included on their 1986 debut album Please, which spawned further hits with “Opportunities” and “Love Comes Quickly.” Their 1987 album Actually charted with “It’s a Sin” and “What Have I […]
Robert Wyatt is an English vocalist and songwriter who rose to prominence as the singer and drummer in Soft Machine. After recording four albums with the band between 1968 and 1971, he left to form Matching Mole, which cut two albums for CBS in 1972. The following year, he was paralyzed from the waist down […]
Anthony Phillips is an English multi-instrumentalist and composer with a career dating back to the late 1960s. As a solo artist, he’s recorded more than thirty albums. Phillips entered the scene as a member of Genesis, which he co-founded in 1967 with fellow pupils at Charterhouse boarding school. He serves as their primary guitarist on […]
Toto are an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1977 by prolific industry studio musicians. Between 1978 and 1982, four albums appeared by their original lineup with Bobby Kimball, the voice behind the radio hits “Hold the Line,” “Roseanna,” and “Africa.” After their 1984 release Isolation with singer Fergie Frederiksen, they hired Joseph […]
Natalie Cole (Feb. 6, 1950 — Dec. 31, 2015) was an American soul singer from Los Angeles. She recorded soul, pop, jazz, and standards across a career that began with a sequence of Capitol albums produced by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy. Her first four albums spawned the 1975–77 R&B No. 1’s “This Will Be,” […]
All About Eve was an English ethereal-goth band that released four singles on Eden Records and the 1988/89 Mercury albums All About Eve and Scarlet and Other Stories, charting with “Our Summer,” “Flowers in Our Hair,” “Wild Hearted Woman,” “Every Angel,” and “Martha’s Harbour.” Members: Julianne Regan (vocals), Tim Bricheno (guitar), Andy Cousin (bass), Mark […]
Marc Almond is an English vocalist, songwriter, and arranger from Southport, Merseyside, who rose to fame as one-half of the synthpop duo Soft Cell, which released three albums between 1981 and 1984. Concurrently, he released two 1982–83 albums with the goth–cabaret side-project Marc and the Mambas. As a solo artist, he released nine full-length studio […]
The Mission are an English goth-rock band formed in Leeds in late 1985 by singer-guitarist Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams. Guitarist-keyboardist Simon Hinkler and drummer Mick Brown completed the original lineup. The quartet released three studio albums and two companion compilations on Mercury across the 1986–90 period. North American releases used the name The […]
New Model Army was an English post-punk band that emerged with two 1983 singles, followed by the 1984 album Vengeance on small-press Abstract Records. Between 1985 and 1991, the band released five albums and assorted shortplayers on EMI. Members: Justin Sullivan (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Stuart Morrow (bass 1980-87), Phil Tompkins (drums, 1980-82), Rob Heaton (drums […]
The Lounge Lizards were an American avant-jazz ensemble from New York, formed in 1978 by saxophonist John Lurie. Emerging from the No Wave scene, they subverted jazz conventions with abrasive textures and theatrical irony. Their 1981 debut appeared on Editions EG, followed by live and studio releases on Europa and Island. The group’s early output […]
Simply Red are an English blue-eyed soul ensemble that emerged on the mid-eighties Manchester sophisti-pop scene. The name references ginger-haired frontman Mick Hucknall, whose impassioned vocals propelled them to transatlantic stardom with their debut album Picture Book. Simply Red’s biggest hits include “Holding Back the Years,” “Money’s Too Tight (to Mention),” and their cover of […]
Trevor Rabin (born Jan. 13, 1954) is a South African-born/U.S.-naturalized guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer who first emerged in the Johannesburg art-rock/pop band Rabbitt, which he joined in 1972 at age eighteen. Rabbitt scored locally with the chart-topping symphonic-ballad “Charlie” and the album Boys Will Be Boys!, which Rabin wrote, produced, arranged, and largely performed. […]
Albert Marcœur is a French musician, composer, and arranger who released ten albums between 1974 and 2008. His first four albums — Albert Marcœur, Album à Colorier, Armes & Cycles, and Celui où y’a Joseph — contain Zappa-esque fusions of avant-garde rock, big band, and zolo music. Along with Etron Fou Leloublan, he foreshadowed the 1980s […]
Glenn Hughes is an English bassist and singer who fronted hard-rockers Trapeze on their first three albums: Trapeze, Medusa (both 1970), and You Are the Music…We’re Just the Band (1972). He replaced Roger Glover in Deep Purple for their 1974/75 albums Burn, Stormbringer, and Come Taste the Band. In 1977, he released the solo album […]
Julian Cope (Oct. 21, 1957) is a Welsh singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter who first emerged as the frontman of Liverpool neo-psychsters The Teardrop Explodes. Cope launched his solo career with the 1983 Mercury EP Sunshine Playroom. Four albums followed through his 1988 release My Nation Underground. The title of his first album, World Shut Your […]
Lindsey Buckingham (born Oct. 3, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer, best known as the guitarist and co-vocalist of Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987. He joined the band with his then-girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, after they cut the album Buckingham Nicks as a duo. He made his solo debut with the 1981 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Bettye Lavette is an American soul singer who emerged with the 1962 Atlantic R&B hit “My Man — He’s a Lovin’ Man.” After two further singles, she scored a second hit with the 1965 Calla single “Let Me Down Easy,” followed by six singles through 1969 on Big Wheel and Karen Records. Her 1968 First […]
Bobby Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American blue-eyed soul singer and songwriter known for the hits “What You Won’t Do for Love” and “Don’t Lead Me On.” Between 1978 and 2015, he released fifteen studio albums. His style evolved soft-rock and jazz-pop to retro R&B and big-band sounds. Background He […]
Pekka Pohjola (Jan. 13, 1952 — Nov. 26, 2008) was a Finnish bassist and composer whose four-decade career included stints in Wigwam, Uni Sono, and The Group. Between 1972 and 1980, he released five solo albums on Love Records and Dig It. Starting with 1982’s Urban Tango, he issued recordings on his namesake Pohjola label. […]
Talk Talk was an English art-pop band that released the 1982–86 EMI albums The Party’s Over, It’s My Life, and The Colour of Spring, followed by the 1988 Parlophone release Spirit of Eden and 1991 swan song Laughing Stock. They scored UK–European hits with “Today,” “Such a Shame,” “Life’s What You Make It,” and the […]
Queensrÿche was an American metal band from Bellevue, Wash., that formed in 1980 as the Mob and broke through with the self-titled Queensrÿche EP on 206 Records in 1983. EMI America picked up the band for the albums The Warning, Rage for Order, and Operation: Mindcrime, which established its first decade through a mix of […]
