Jan Akkerman (born Dec. 24, 1946) is a Dutch guitarist who achieved global renown as a member of Focus between 1969 and 1976. In a career that has spanned half a century, he has released more than 25 solo albums. Discography: Talent for Sale (1968) Profile (1972) Tabernakel (1973) Eli (1976 • Jan Akkerman & […]
Jasper van’t Hof (born June 30, 1947) is a Dutch pianist who has played in numerous combo configurations since the early 1970s, including the jazz-rock supergroups Association P.C. and Pork Pie. He has released more than 30 solo albums. Discography: Eye Ball (1974) The Selfkicker (1977) Flowers Allover (1978) However (1978) Fairytale (1979 • Jasper […]
Vandenberg were a Dutch hard-rock band that released three albums on Atco between 1982 and 1985. Members: Adrian Vandenberg (guitar), Bert Heerink (vocals), Dick Kemper (bass), Jos Zoomer (drums), Peter Struyk [Peter Strykes] (vocals) Discography: Vandenberg (1982) Heading for a Storm (1983) Alibi (1985)
The Nits are a Dutch art-pop band from Amsterdam, formed in 1974 by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Henk Hofstede. The band debuted with a 1976 single on Dureco, followed in 1978 by a self-titled album on Scramble. Ten albums and assorted shortplayers appeared on CBS between 1979 and 1990, with further titles on Columbia and Sony over the […]
Kayak were a Dutch art-pop band that released eight albums on EMI and Vertigo between 1973 and 1981. Members: Ton Scherpenzeel (keyboards, piano, organ, accordion, vocals), Johan Slager (guitar, vocals, 1972-81), Max Werner (vocals, percussion, 1972-81, 1999-2001), Pim Koopman (drums, percussion, vocals, 1972-76, 1999-2009), Cees van Leeuwen (bass, 1972-74), Bert Veldkamp (bass, vocals, 1974-76, 1999-2004), […]
Steve Kipner (born 1950) is a U.S.-born Australian songwriter, producer, and former singer with a career in music that dates back to the mid-1960s. He first emerged as the namesake frontman of the antipodean beat combo Steve & the Board. In the early 1970s, he made headway in the Northern Hemisphere with the pop trio […]
Bonnie Tyler (born June 8, 1951) is a Welsh pop/blue-eyed soul vocalist who has been active since the late 1970s. In 1977, she released her debut album The World Starts Tonight, which featured the U.K.-charting ballad “Lost in France.” The following year, “It’s a Heartache” from her sophomore effort Natural Force broke her in the […]
The Alarm are a Welsh anthem-rock band that was initially active for 10 years, starting in 1981. The band debuted with an eponymous EP on I.R.S. in 1983, followed by four albums for that label between 1984 and 1989. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Peters reactivated the nameplate in the 21st century. Members: Mike Peters (lead vocals, guitar), […]
Budgie was a Welsh hard-rock band that released 10 albums between 1971 and 1982 on MCA, A&M, and RCA Victor. The one constant member throughout that time was bassist/vocalist Burke Shelley, who resurrected the nameplate in the 21st century. Members: Burke Shelley (lead vocals, bass), Tony Bourge (guitar, 1967-78), Ray Phillips (drums, 1967-73), Pete Boot […]
Julian Cope (Oct. 21, 1957) is a Welsh vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter who first emerged as the frontman of Liverpudlian NuRo-psychsters The Teardrop Explodes. The band released two albums and assorted shortplayers between 1979 and 1982. Cope launched his solo career with the 1983 EP Sunshine Playroom on Mercury. Four albums would follow between 1984 […]
Gene Loves Jezebel were a Welsh goth-rock band that was originally active during the 1980s and early ’90s. Five albums appeared on Situation Two/Beggars Banquet between 1983 and 1990, three of which were issued stateside on Geffen. The band were led by twin brothers Jay and Michael Aston, who later fell out with one another […]
John Cale (born March 9, 1942) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who emerged on the London/New York avant-garde scene during the early 1960s, playing alongside Michael Garrett, John Cage, Tony Conrad, and La Monte Young. He entered rock as the bassist/violist in The Velvet Underground, with whom he recorded two albums: The Velvet Underground […]
Freur were a Welsh synthpop band that was active during the early-to-mid 1980s. The band released two albums on Epic and CBS between 1983 and 1985. Drummer Bryn B. Burrows had earlier played with the Fabulous Poodles. Members: Rick Smith (keyboards, guitar), Karl Hyde (vocals, guitar), Bryn B. Burrows (drums), John Warwicker (synthesizer), Alfie Thomas […]
Roger Glover (born Nov. 30, 1945) is a Welsh bassist, composer, and producer with a musical career that dates back to the mid-1960s. He first emerged as part of the English sunshine-pop band Episode Six, in which he played with vocalist Ian Gillan. The two joined Deep Purple in 1970, completing what would become the […]
The Associates were a Scottish New Wave/art-pop band from Dundee that formed in the late 1970s. Between 1980 and 1982, the band released two proper albums and a compilation of non-album singles on Fiction and Beggars Banquet. During this time, the band centered on the creative team of vocalist Billy MacKenzie and multi-instrumentalist Alan Rankine. […]
Altered Images were a Scottish New Wave pop band that was active during the early 1980s. The band debuted in 1981 with the Epic single “Dead Pop Stars,” followed later that year by the album Happy Birthday. Both releases were produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees bassist Steve Severin. A second Altered Images album, Pinky […]
Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/rock combo centered on the talents of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame. Formed in East Kilbride in 1980, the band released a pair of singles on Glaswegian small-press Postcard in advance of their popular debut album High Land, Hard Rain, which appeared in 1983 on Rough Trade. Mark Knopfler produced the band’s […]
The Average White Band are a Scottish soul/funk sextet that debuted with the 1973 album Show Your Hand on MCA. Between 1974 and 1979, AWB released six studio albums and a live set on Atlantic. This was followed by two albums for Arista during the early 1980s. Stateside, the band are most known for the […]
Modern Man were a Scottish New Wave band that released the album Concrete Scheme with accompanying singles on MAM Records in 1980. Members: Jim Cook (vocals), Colin King (drums), Ali McLeod (guitar), Danny Mitchell (guitar), Mike Moran (bass) Discography: Concrete Scheme (1980) “Things Could Be Better” (1981)
The Blue Nile were a Scottish art-pop/sophisti-pop trio that released four albums at lengthy intervals between 1984 and 2004. Formed in Glasgow in 1981, the band debuted with a single that year on RSO. Three years later, the album A Walk Across the Rooftops appeared on Linn/A&M, followed a half-decade later by Hats. The subsequent two […]
