The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool that released twelve albums between 1963 and 1970. They had seventeen No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart and twenty No. 1’s on the US Billboard Hot 100. With global estimated sales of 600 million units, they are the biggest-selling musical act of all time. […]
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 by guitarist Brian Jones with singer Mick Jagger and rhythm guitarist Keith Richards. They emerged in London’s R&B–beat boom with bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts. In November 1963, they scored their first UK hit with The Beatles cover “I Wanna Be Your […]
Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 — September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter with a recording career that spanned nearly five decades. In the late 1940s, Davis collaborated with Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan on the nonet sessions that became the Birth of the Cool LP (1957). He later formed his first great quintet […]
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 […]
Stevie Wonder is an American R&B musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer who began recording for Tamla/Motown in 1962 at age 12. He catapulted to fame with “Fingerprints Pt 2,” an exuberant chant followed by an upbeat run of mid-Sixties hits: “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” “I Was Made to Love Her,” “For Once In My Life,” and […]
James Brown (May 3, 1933 — December 25, 2006) was an American soul singer who was active as a performer and recording artist for more than five decades, issuing his first singles on King Records-subsidiary Federal in 1956. For the ensuing twelve years, he was backed by the Georgian R&B instrumental group The Famous Flames. […]
John Coltrane (September 23, 1926 — July 17, 1967) was an American post-bop/jazz saxophonist and composer who released more than fifty studio and live albums between 1957 and his death in 1967 at age 40. Coltrane first recorded under his own name in 1957 after apprenticeships with Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Hodges, and Miles Davis. That […]
Cream was an English rock trio that was active for 28 months between July 1966 and November 1968. They released three proper albums — Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, and Wheels of Fire — and the leftovers roundup Goodbye. Their most recognized songs include the much-covered “Badge” and the FM evergreens “I Feel Free,” “Sunshine of […]
The Who are an English rock band that released ten studio albums between 1965 and 1982, including the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia. They started during the early sixties beat boom when singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist–songwriter Pete Townshend, and bassist John Entwistle evolved from West London hopefuls The Detours. In 1964, drummer Keith Moon joined […]
Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939 — April 1, 1984) was an American R&B vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Washington, D.C., who was musically active for a quarter-century, achieving worldwide renown as one of Tamla/Motown’s leading performers. Gaye rose to fame with a string of duets, first with Kim Weston and then with Tammi Terrell, his […]
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 Miracles were an American soul group from Detroit, best known for the Motown hits “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Going to a Go-Go,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Tracks of My Tears,” “Ooh Baby Baby,” and “Tears of a Clown.” During their 1960s heyday, Tamla billed them as Smokey Robinson & […]
Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 — August 16, 2018) was an American soul singer from Memphis. She began performing gospel in her father’s Detroit church before signing with Columbia Records in 1960. During her Columbia tenure, Franklin recorded jazz, pop, and R&B albums, including Aretha (1961) and The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962). Singles such as […]
The Kinks were an English rock band that released twenty-four studio albums between 1964 and 1993. Singer–guitarist and songwriter Ray Davies formed the band with his guitarist–singer brother Dave Davies. The original lineup featured bassist Pete Quaife and drummer Mick Avory. They burst on the scene with the twin hits “You Really Got Me” and […]
The Moody Blues were an English rock band active from 1964 to 2018. The original lineup included singer–guitarist Denny Laine and three mainstays: keyboardist Mike Pinder, flutist–harpist Ray Thomas, and drummer Graeme Edge. Their second single, “Go Now!” (UK No. 1), made them part of the British Invasion. After the 1965 album The Magnificent Moodies […]
Pink Floyd was an English rock band that released twelve studio albums and two soundtracks between 1967 and 1994. They emerged in the psychedelic era with the album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, a showcase for the writing, singing, and guitar talents of original frontman Syd Barrett. His replacement, David Gilmour, headed the […]
Ike & Tina Turner were the R&B/soul-rock duo of American guitarist/bandleader Ike Turner and his then-wife, singer Tina Turner. They came together in the late 1950s when Ike hired Tina as a backing vocalist for his band, the Kings of Rhythm. She first sang lead on the 1960 Sue Records single “A Fool In Love,” […]
The Supremes were an American soul-pop trio from Detroit, formed in 1961. Their classic lineup featured singers Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and frontwoman Diana Ross, who all grew up on the city’s east side. Signed to Motown, The Supremes were part of that label’s classic roster of chart-topping sixties artists, along with the Four Tops, […]
Van der Graaf Generator are an English rock band, formed at Manchester University in 1967 by singer–songwriter Peter Hammill. On their 1969 debut album, The Aerosol Grey Machine, they crossed psychedelia with darker, haunted sounds, which they codeified on the 1970 albums The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other and H to […]
The Animals were an English rock band that released three albums and nine singles between 1964 and 1966 on Columbia and Decca. They formed in Newcastle and conquered London just in time to play a key role in the 1964 British Invasion that swept the US. They topped charts in multiple territories with their second […]
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 […]
Procol Harum was an English symphonic-rock band that released nine studio albums between 1967 and 1977. Functioning for most of its existence as a quintet with a non-performing lyricist, the band played a pivotal role in rock’s maximalist trajectory by recording the world’s first side-long multi-movement suite, “In Held ‘Twas in I,” in 1968. Members: […]
Soft Machine was an English jazz-rock band that was active between the late 1960s and early 1980s. They were among the first rock acts to make use of asymmetric and compound meters. Due to numerous lineup changes, the first and final Soft Machine albums feature none of the same members. Nonetheless, the nameplate was passed […]
Traffic was an English rock band fronted by singer–keyboardist Steve Winwood. They appeared with the 1967 psychedelic album Mr. Fantasy and the hits “Paper Sun,” “Hole In My Shoe,” and “Coloured Rain.” Songwriter Dave Mason, an on-off early member, contributed four songs to their 1968 second album Traffic, including the much-covered “Feeling Alright?” In 1969, […]
The Yardbirds were an English rock band that emerged in London’s R&B–beat boom and released twelve 1964–68 singles. Their sonic innovations include harpsichord riffing (“For Your Love”), sitar-guitar tones (“Heart Full of Soul”), and explosive reverb (“Happenings Ten Years Time Ago”). They launched the careers of three guitar legends: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy […]
The Move was an English rock band from Birmingham that achieved UK fame with the 1967–68 pop-psych singles “Night of Fear,” “I Can Hear the Grass Grow,” “Flowers In the Rain,” and “Fire Brigade,” all written by guitarist Roy Wood. After their long-awaited album Move, they charted with the non-album 1968–69 singles “Blackberry Way,” “Wild […]
The Temptations were an American soul group from Detroit, formed in 1961. They first charted in 1964 with “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” sung by tenor Eddie Kendricks. With baritone David Ruffin at the fore, they hit number-one with the evergreen ballad “My Girl,” co-written and produced by Smokey Robinson, who also […]
Otis Redding (Sept. 9, 1941 — Dec. 10, 1967) was an American soul singer who issued a string of singles on Stax-subsidiary Volt between 1962 and 1965, including “These Arms of Mine” and the original “Respect” (later made famous by Aretha Franklin). Over the ensuing two-year period, he recorded multiple albums for the label, charting […]
Spooky Tooth was an English rock band that was active for two separate periods during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The band released four albums on Island between 1968 and 1970 before their initial breakup. A reformed lineup of the band released three further albums during 1973 and 1974. Due to numerous changes in […]
The Creation was an English rock band that released the 1966 singles “Making Time” and “Painter Man” on Shel Talmy’s Planet label. Guitarist Eddie Phillips played solo passages with a violin bow. Their recorded work is now revered among devotees of “freakbeat.” Members: Bob Garner (bass, vocals, 1966-68, 1993-2000), Kenny Pickett (vocals, 1966-67, 1968, 1985, […]
The Idle Race was an English pop-psych band from Birmingham, best known for the 1967 single “Imposters of Life’s Magazine” and the 1968/69 albums The Birthday Party and Idle Race. Singer Jeff Lynne joined Roy Wood in The Move, which morphed into the Electric Light Orchestra. Members: Greg Masters (bass, vocals, 1966-72), Roger Spencer (drums, […]
Family was an English rock band that released six albums on Reprise between 1968 and 1972, followed by a seventh on Raft in 1973. Their music ranged from cinematic psych on early albums (Music in a Doll’s House, Family Entertainment) to folksy barroom rock on later releases (Bandstand, It’s Only a Movie). Frontman Roger Chapman […]
The Graham Bond Organization was an English R&B–beat combo that released the 1965 Columbia albums The Sound of ’65 and There’s a Bond Between Us. The members, distinguished by their jazz-crossover pedigrees, achieved virtuoso status on their respective instruments. Bassist Jack Bruce went over to Manfred Mann and relinked with drummer Ginger Baker in the […]
Nirvana was an English orchestral-pop duo comprised of Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos. They debuted with the 1967 rock opera, The Story of Simon Simopath, recorded with the four-piece Nirvana Ensemble. After their 1968 psych hit “Rainbow Chaser,” they released All of Us and the string-laden opus Dedicated to Markos III. Campbell-Lyons continued the name […]
Golden Earring was a Dutch rock band that started life in 1961 as The Tornadoes. The band released two Nederbeat albums on Polydor between 1965 and 1967 under variations of the pluralized “Golden Earrings” banner before the arrival of vocalist Barry Hay. Between 1968 and 1981, the band recorded 16 albums for the label before […]
Laura Nyro (Oct. 18, 1947 — April 8, 1997) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist from the Bronx. She debuted with the 1967 album More Than a New Discovery on Verve Folkways, then signed to Columbia for the 1968–70 albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, New York Tendaberry, and Christmas and the Beads of […]
Dusty Springfield (April 16, 1939 – March 2, 1999) was an English singer with a career in pop that spanned nearly four decades. As part of sibling folk trio The Springfields, she scored one of the earliest stateside hits by a UK act when “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” made the Billboard Top 20 in […]
The Small Faces were an English mod-psych band that placed ten singles on the UK Top 20 between 1965 and 1968, including “All or Nothing,” “Tin Soldier,” “Lazy Sunday,” and the transatlantic pop-psych evergreen “Itchycoo Park.” Despite their relative late arrival on the beat-boom timeline, their quick maturity culminated in the 1968 concept album Ogdens’ […]
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band from NYC, founded in 1965 by guitarist–singer Lou Reed and Welsh-born organist–violist John Cale. They debuted with the 1967 Verve release The Velvet Underground & Nico, recorded with German chanteuse Nico. Cale departed after their 1968 second album White Light / White Heat. Musician–songwriter Doug Yule joined […]
The Zombies were an English art-pop/psych band that was active from 1962 to 1968. Distinguished by the breathy vocals of Colin Blunstone and the moody keyboards of Rod Argent, they were among the first bands to infuse rock with melodrama and jazz chordal phrasings. As central players in the first British Invasion, they stormed American […]
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 […]
The Four Tops were an American soul group from Detroit, best known for the 1960s Motown hits “Baby, I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Reach Out,” “Standing In the Shadows of Love,” and “Bernadette.” After fourteen Motown studio albums (including three with The Supremes), […]
The Isley Brothers were an American soul-funk band from Cincinnati that first performed doo-wop in the early 1950s. Between 1957 and 1967, they released assorted singles on RCA, Atlantic, Wand, and UA, capping this period with two albums on Tamla. Between 1969 and 1983, they released 18 albums on their exclusive imprint T-Neck, distributed by […]
The Pretty Things were an English rock band, originally formed in 1963 by guitarist/vocalist Dick Taylor and singer/guitarist Phil May. Taylor had briefly played the prior year in an embryonic lineup of The Rolling Stones. They were arguably the most significant band of the beat boom to not have a stateside breakthrough during the British […]
Sun Ra — aka Herman Poole Blount (May 22, 1914 — May 30, 1993) — was an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and bandleader who released more than seventy albums across thirty-five years. He led successive Arkestra iterations: Jazz Arkestra, Myth Science Arkestra, Solar Arkestra, Astro Infinity Arkestra, and Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra. His early Saturn […]
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 […]
The Spinners were an American soul group, best known for the 1970s hits “It’s a Shame,” “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair),” “Mighty Love,” “Then Came You,” “Games People Play,” and “The Rubberband Man.” Formed in 1954, they cut multiple singles for Harvey Fuqua’s Tri-Phi […]
Freddie Hubbard (1938–2008) was an American jazz trumpeter who released seven post-bop albums on Blue Note (1960–67), followed by stints on Atlantic (1967–70), CTI (1970–74), and Columbia (1974–77). He went electric on the 1970–71 albums The Black Angel, Red Clay, and Straight Life and embraced jazz-funk on the 1974–76 titles High Energy, Liquid Love, and […]
Harry Nilsson (1941–1994) was an American singer/songwriter who released fourteen albums between 1967 and 1977 on RCA Victor, including the chamber-psych classics Pandemonium Shadow Show and Aerial Ballet and the ribald pop-satire sets Nilsson Schmilsson and Son of Schmilsson. His songs were covered by The Monkees, Yardbirds, and Three Dog Night, who scored their chart […]
The Left Banke was an American chamber-pop band from NYC that released the 1967 album Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina on Mercury-subsidiary Smash Records, scoring hits with the two title-tracks. Amid some lineup turmoil, they scored a further hit with “Desiree” and completed the 1968 album The Left Banke Too. Between 1969 and 1976, […]
Fairport Convention are an English revolving-door folk ensemble, founded in London 1967. The band debuted with a self-titled album on Polydor in 1968, followed by nine albums and two live discs on Island between 1969 and 1976. After a pair of 1977/78 releases on Vertigo, bassist Dave Pegg established Woodworm Records for all subsequent proper […]
Martha and the Vandellas were an American soul-pop trio from Detroit, signed to the Gordy division of Motown. Between 1963 and 1972, they released eight proper albums and numerous singles, scoring hits with “Heat Wave,” “Jimmy Mack,” “Nowhere to Run,” and the much-covered AM evergreen “Dancing In the Street.” Members: Martha Reeves (lead vocals), Rosalind […]
Donovan (born May 10, 1946) is a Scottish folk-rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter who released his first two albums in 1965 on Pye, followed by a prolific run of titles on Epic between 1966 and 1976. After a self-titled one-off on RAK in 1977, he released a further round of albums on RCA during the […]
Terry Reid (November 13, 1949 – August 4, 2025) was an English singer, guitarist, and songwriter who emerged in mid-sixties beatsters Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers. He debuted as a solo artist with the 1968 US Epic release Bang, Bang You’re Terry Reid, followed by a self-titled album on Columbia. As his profile soared, Reid […]
Donald Byrd (1932–2013) was an American post-bop trumpeter who apprenticed with the Jazz Messengers and played on multiple mid-Fifties albums by Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Gigi Gryce, Pepper Adams, Kenny Burrell, and John Coltrane. In 1959, Byrd released Off to the Races, his first of twenty-seven albums through 1976 on Blue Note. He embraced jazz-funk […]
Eyes of Blue were a Welsh psych-rock-soul band that released two singles as “The Eyes of Blue” on Deram, followed by the 1968/69 Mercury albums Crossroads of Time and In Fields of Ardath. A name-change to Big Sleep produced the 1971 Pegasus release Bluebell Wood. Keyboardist Phil Ryan became an on/off member of Man and its […]
Jeff Beck (1944–2023) was an English rock guitarist who emerged as the lead soloist in the Yardbirds during the mid-1960s. In 1968, he formed the first edition of the Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Rod Stewart and bassist Ron Wood, releasing two albums on Columbia in 1968 and 1969. In 1971, Beck formed a second […]
Love was an American psych-rock band from Los Angeles that released four albums between 1966 and 1969 on Elektra. Formed in 1965 by singer–guitarist Arthur Lee, Love developed a local following at Hollywood’s Bido Lito’s club with a lineup that included guitarist Johnny Echols and singer–guitarist Bryan MacLean. Their 1966 debut combined garage rock with […]
Cat Stevens (born July 21, 1948) is an English singer/songwriter who was primarily active as a recording artist between 1966 and 1978. Scoring a deal with Decca just shy of age 18, he burst onto Swinging London with the chipper “I Love My Dog” in late 1966. The following year saw back-to-back albums of mostly […]
Antônio Carlos Jobim (Jan. 25, 1927 — Dec. 8, 1994) was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, and singer, best known globally for the 1962 bossa nova evergreen “Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema),” among the most covered songs of the 20th century. Across four decades, he recorded more than thirty studio albums, collaborative titles, […]
The Shadows were a pioneering English instrumental rock band who scored more than twenty UK Top 10 hits—five of them No. 1s—and served as a catalyst for the emergence of the self-contained British rock group, establishing the twin-guitar format that influenced The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and countless 1960s beat and rock acts. Formed in […]
The Byrds were an American rock band that released twelve albums between 1965 and 1973 on Columbia. Their original lineup featured three singing guitarists: Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Gene Clarke. They codified the jangly 12-string electric guitar sound on their 1965 Billboard No. 1’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Further hits include […]
Skip Bifferty was an English pop-psych band from Newcastle that released three singles on RCA, culminating with a popular 1968 self-titled album. They moonlighted as Heavy Jelly for the 1969 Island single “I Keep Singing That Same Old Song,” a record-breaker for longest a-side. Select members also recorded with Every Which Way, ARC, and Glencoe. […]
Roy Ayers (1940–2025) was an American vibraphonist, composer, and producer who debuted with the 1963 UA release West Coast Vibes. Amid backing credits with Herbie Mann, Ayers cut the 1967–69 Atlantic albums Virgo Vibes, Stoned Soul Picnic, and Daddy Bug. In 1969/70, the Roy Ayers Quartet (with Sonny Sharrock and Miroslav Vitous) cut two albums […]
The Impressions were an American soul group from Chicago that launched the careers of Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, and Leroy Hutson. Formed in 1958, the Impressions cut five local Butler-led singles. Mayfield emerged as a singer, songwriter, and arranger on their 1961–65 hits “Gypsy Woman,” “It’s All Right,” “Keep On Pushing,” and “People Get Ready.” […]
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band from Adelaide that emerged as one of the nation’s premiere beat groups. They issued five singles and one album on Astor between 1966 and 1968, including the Aussie rock classics “Undecided,” “Wars or Hands of Time,” and “Elevator Driver.” After a change in lineup, they advanced into […]
Sadao Watanabe — 渡辺貞夫 (born Feb. 1, 1933) — is a Japanese saxophonist and flutist who emerged as a bandleader in the early 1960s, releasing his first album in 1961 on King Records. During the 1970s, he released more than 25 albums in solo and collaborative form on CBS, East Wind, and other labels. Background […]
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 […]
The Lovin’ Spoonful was an American pop-rock band that released five albums and two soundtracks between 1965 and 1969 on Kama Sutra. They are best-known for the AM radio evergreens “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream,” “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice,” “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” and the Billboard […]
Marianne Faithfull (December 29, 1946 — January 30, 2025) was an English singer from Hampstead who released three albums on Decca between 1965 and 1967, scoring early successes with the singles “Come and Stay With Me,” “This Little Bird,” “Summer Nights,” and a cover of the Rolling Stones ballad “As Tears Go By.” The early […]
Roland Kirk — aka Ronald Theodore Kirk (August 7, 1935 — December 5, 1977) — was an American multi-reedist and bandleader with a twenty-year jazz career. Kirk debuted as a bandleader in 1956 with Triple Threat and followed with Introducing Roland Kirk (1961). He recorded several albums on Mercury, including We Free Kings (1962), Domino […]
Gordon Lightfoot (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer/songwriter, best known for the songs “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown,” “Beautiful,” “Carefree Highway,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” He released five studio albums between 1966 and 1970 on United Artists, followed by six-album runs on Reprise (1971–76) and […]
Gladys Knight & the Pips was an American soul group from Atlanta, formed in 1952 and active until 1989. They cut ten singles between 1961 and 1965 on the Fury and Maxx labels and scored and early hit with “Every Beat of My Heart.” In 1966, they signed with Motown and made eight albums through […]
Ramsey Lewis (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American pianist, composer, and bandleader from Chicago. He entered recording with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Redd Holt, reached the pop and R&B charts with “The ‘In’ Crowd,” “Hang On Sloopy,” and “Wade in the Water,” and later led electric-keyboard, orchestral, and large-ensemble projects […]
Lucio Dalla (March 4, 1943 — March 1, 2012) was an Italian singer/songwriter with a career that spanned five decades. During the second half of the 1960s, he released multiple singles and the album 1999 (1966) on ARC. Between 1970 and 1990, he released more than fifteen albums on RCA Italiana. Background Lucio Dalla was […]
Status Quo was an English hard-rock/boogie band from London that initially cut three beat singles as The Spectres circa 1966/67, followed by a fourth as The Traffic Jam in 1967. After settling on the name Status Quo, the band released four albums on Pye between 1968 and 1971, followed by 16 further studio albums on […]
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 […]
Blossom Toes were an English psych-rock band that released the 1967–69 albums We Are Ever So Clean and If Only for a Moment on Marmalade. During the band’s three-year existence, their music evolved from toy-town whimsy (The Move, The Idle Race) to gruff hard rock. Guitarist Jim Cregan departed soon after their second album. He […]
Sylvia Robinson (May 29, 1935 — September 29, 2011) was an American singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur from New York who first recorded in the early 1950s as Little Sylvia. Between 1955 and 1958, she cut eleven singles as half of the R&B duo Mickey & Sylvia, which scored a 1956 crossover hit with “Love […]
Brian Auger & The Trinity was an English jazz-rock/soul band that released three albums between 1967 and 1969 on Marmalade — two with singer Julie Driscoll — followed by a 1970 fourth on RCA Victor. They scored a 1968 UK Top 5 hit with the Bob Dylan cover “This Wheel’s On Fire.” Auger, a specialist […]
Johnny Hammond (aka Johnny Smith, Dec. 16, 1933 — June 4, 1997) was an American jazz keyboardist who debuted in 1958 with a solo organ album as Johnny Smith. Adopting the name Johnny “Hammond” Smith, he released three soul-jazz albums on Prestige-subsidiary New Jazz in 1959/60, then switched to Prestige for 16 further albums between […]
