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 […]
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 […]
Talking Heads were an American art-rock band from New York City. They released eight studio albums between 1977 and 1988 and scored crossover hits with “Psycho Killer,” “Take Me to the River,” “Life During Wartime,” “Once In a Lifetime,” “Burning Down the House,” “And She Was,” and “Wild Wild Life.” They emerged from the new […]
Weather Report was a multinational jazz-funk/fusion ensemble that released fourteen studio albums between 1971 and 1986 on Columbia. Throughout its existence, the band was co-led by American saxophonist Wayne Shorter and Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Numerous rhythm players did stints with the band during its fifteen-year history, most notably drummers Alphonse Mouzon and Narada Michael […]
The Cars were an American new wave band that released six albums between 1978 and 1987 on Elektra. Their first two, The Cars and Candy-O, spawned the radio-rock evergreens “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll,” and “Let’s Go.” Singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek formed the band in Boston with bassist/singer Ben Orr. […]
Return to Forever was an American jazz-rock supergroup that evolved from a namesake 1972 solo album by bandleader Chick Corea. Members: Chick Corea (keyboards), Stanley Clarke (bass), Joe Farrell (reeds, 1971-73, 1977), Airto Moreira (percussion, 1971-73), Flora Purim (vocals, 1971-73), Bill Connors (guitar, 1973-74), Steve Gadd (drums, 1973), Mingo Lewis (percussion, 1973), Lenny White (drums, […]
Daryl Hall and John Oates — commonly known as Hall & Oates — were an American musical duo, active from the early 1970s to the 2000s. They first recorded as a singer/songwriter duo but soon embraced maximalist art-rock and lavish blue-eyed soul. Applying their signature vocal trade-offs to a range of musical styles, Hall & […]
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 […]
George Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American jazz-funk keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer, active from the mid-1960s through the early 2010s. During the 1970s and ’80s, he released 21 studio albums. Duke began his career as a Bay Area post-bop bandleader. After a stint with Jean-Luc Ponty, he embraced jazz-rock […]
Devo are an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for the 1980 hit “Whip It” and their iconic red-dome stage costumes. Between 1978 and 1984, they released six albums on Virgin and Warner Bros. They emerged from the art department at Kent State University. By 1976, the lineup stabilized with brothers Mark […]
Billy Joel is an American pianist, singer, and songwriter from the Bronx who released the album Cold Spring Harbor on Family Productions Inc. in 1971, followed by eleven studio albums on Columbia between 1973 and 1993. Prior to his solo career, he recorded two albums with psych-rockers The Hassles, which splintered into the 1970 hard-rock […]
Television was an American art-rock band from N.Y.C. that released the single “Little Johnny Jewel” on Ork in 1975, followed by two albums on Elektra: Marquee Moon (1977) and Adventure (1978). They were the first rock band to play the Bowery dive bar CBGB, which became the epicenter of the Lower East Side band boom […]
Pharoah Sanders (1940–2022) was an American jazz saxophonist who cut eleven albums between 1967 and 1974 on Impulse!, including the popular 1969 release Karma, recorded with singer–percussionist Leon Thomas and pianist Lonnie Liston Smith. In 1980, Sanders reemerged with Journey to the One, his first of six albums on the jazz-specialty label Theresa. Background He […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Blue Öyster Cult are an American hard-rock band from Long Island known for their literate lyrics, dual-guitar interplay, and fusion of heavy riff structures with cryptic sci-fi and occult themes. They emerged in 1972 with a trilogy of stark, riff-driven albums—Blue Öyster Cult, Tyranny and Mutation, and Secret Treaties—anchored by the tight rhythm section of […]
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 […]
Dan Fogelberg (Aug. 13, 1951 — Dec. 16, 2007) was an American singer/songwriter known for his introspective lyrics, layered arrangements, and multi-instrumental talents. His breakthrough came with Souvenirs (1974), followed by a string of best-selling albums including Phoenix (1979) and the double LP The Innocent Age (1981), which yielded the hits “Same Old Lang Syne,” […]
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 […]
Pat Metheny is an American jazz guitarist who released thirteen group and solo albums on ECM (1976–1984), followed by titles on Geffen. His best-known cuts include the 1978 fusion staple “Phase Dance,” the 1985 soundtrack ballad “This Is Not America” (a collaboration with David Bowie), and the 1989 smooth-jazz number “Slip Away.” Background He was […]
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 […]
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 […]
Pat Benatar is an American rock singer from Brooklyn who released nine studio albums between 1979 and 1993 on Chrysalis. She scored modern-rock radio hits with “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “You Better Run,” “Promises In the Dark,” “Fire and Ice,” “Precious Time,” “Shadows of the Night,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” […]
Little Feat are an American rustic funk-rock band from Los Angeles that released seven studio albums and a live double-LP on Warner Bros. between 1971 and 1979. Guitarist–bandleader Lowell George hailed from the Mothers of Invention. After his death in 1979, a revised lineup of Little Feat issued sporadic albums and toured constantly during the […]
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, […]
Billy Cobham (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian-American jazz-rock drummer who played in the bands Dreams, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Atmospheres during the early 1970s. Starting with his 1973 solo debut Spectrum, Cobham released eight albums on Atlantic and four on Columbia through 1979, including a live release in partnership with George Duke. He […]
Chase was an American brass-rock band from Las Vegas that made the 1971–74 albums Chase, Ennea, and Pure Music on Epic Records. They ended in August 1974 when four members perished in the crash of their tour plane. Members: Bill Chase (trumpet), Ted Piercefield (trumpet, vocals, 1970-74), Alan Ware (trumpet, 1970-74), Jerry Van Blair (trumpet, […]
Montrose was an American hard-rock band that released the 1973–74 albums Montrose and Paper Money with original singer Sammy Hagar, a future solo star and Van Halen frontman. His replacement, Bob James, fronted the 1975–76 Montrose albums Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! and Jump on It. Their namesake guitarist, Ronnie Montrose, cut solo instrumentals and spearheaded […]
Heart are an American hard-rock band from Seattle that debuted with the popular album Dreamboat Annie on Canadian small-press Mushroom in 1975, followed by five studio albums on the CBS imprints Portrait and Epic between 1977 and 1983. In 1985, the band issued a self-titled album on Capitol that spawned a new round of success […]
Fireballet was an American symphonic/art-rock band from New Jersey that made the 1975/76 albums Night on Bald Mountain and Two, Too on Passport Records. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Jim Cuomo hailed from Spoils of War and Mormos and later played in the multi-national jazz-funk group Pacific Eardrum. Cuomo and guitarist Ryche Chlanda partook in the 1977 […]
The Sons of Champlin were an American brass-rock-soul band from San Francisco, formed in 1965 by namesake vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter Bill Champlin. Originally a teen R&B combo called the Opposite Six, the group took shape as the Sons of Champlin in the wake of the British Invasion, blending soul, jazz, and rock elements […]
Lenny White is an American jazz-rock drummer who emerged behind Miles Davis (Bitches Brew) and Freddie Hubbard (Red Clay). After guesting on Santana‘s Caravanserai, he cut two albums with Latin-rockers Azteca. White joined bassist Stanley Clarke in keyboardist Chick Corea‘s Return to Forever for the 1973 release Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. With guitarist Al […]
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 Eleventh House was an American jazz-funk-rock supergroup led by guitarist Larry Coryell. They issued a self-titled album in 1974 on Vanguard, followed by the 1975–1976 Arista albums Level One and Aspects. Noted participants included drummer Alphonse Mouzon, keyboardist Mike Mandel, and trumpeters Randy Brecker and Terumasa Hino. Members: Larry Coryell (guitar), Randy Brecker (trumpet, […]
America is a rustic folk–pop combo, formed in 1968 in Watford, England, by American musicians Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, and Dan Peek, the sons of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in the UK. They rose to fame in the early 1970s with the transatlantic chart-topper “A Horse with No Name,” followed by a string of […]
Utopia was an American maximalist-rock band that released six studio albums and a live disc on Bearsville between 1974 and 1982, followed by three further albums on Network and Passport. The band was formed by musician/producer Todd Rundgren and initially featured a six man lineup, as heard on Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (1974). By the time […]
Ambrosia is an American rock band that released the 1975–76 20th Century albums Ambrosia and Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled, followed by the 1978–82 Warner albums Life Beyond L.A., One Eighty, and Road Island. Their style evolved from symphonic art-rock to West Coast blue-eyed soul. Ambrosia’s chart hits include “Holdin’ on to Yesterday,” and the soft-rock […]
The Shirts were an American new wave band from New York that emerged on the mid-Seventies Bowery scene. They appeared in the NY punk film The Blank Generation and landed three songs on the 1976 scene document Live at CBGB’s. Between 1978 and 1980, they released three albums: The Shirts, Street Light Shine, and Inner […]
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 […]
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz-funk bassist who gained prominence in the supergroup Return to Forever. Amid numerous backing credits, Clarke made his solo debut with the 1973 Polydor release Children of Forever. On Nemperor, he cut the 1974–79 albums Stanley Clarke, Journey to Love, School Days, Modern Man, and I Wanna Play for You. […]
Happy the Man is an American symphonic-rock band that released the 1977–78 Arista albums Happy the Man and Craft Hands, both comprised of lavish, intricate pieces (mostly instrumental). Their near-completed 1979 third album appeared posthumously in 1983 as 3rd – “Better Late…” Keyboardist Ken Watkins joined Camel for their 1979 album I Can See Your […]
Lonnie Liston Smith is an American jazz-funk keyboardist, composer, arranger, and band-leader who has been musically active since the early 1960s. His early career included stints with Max Roach, Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Following an early ’70s gig with Gato Barbieri, Smith formed the Cosmic Echoes, a spiritual jazz-funk-soul ensemble […]
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 […]
Styx are an American symphonic/hard-rock band from Chicago, rooted in the early Dennis DeYoung–Panozzo brothers partnership. The band released four albums on Wooden Nickel between 1972 and 1974, with Styx II later yielding the delayed breakout single “Lady.” After their move to A&M, Tommy Shaw joined the lineup for Crystal Ball. Styx then reached its […]
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 […]
Alphonse Mouzon (Nov. 21, 1948 — Dec. 25, 2016) was an American jazz-rock drummer who started his career with credits on albums by Roy Ayers, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Eugene McDaniels, Bobbi Humphrey, Les McCann, Norman Connors, Doug Carn, and Teruo Nakamura. In 1971, he co-founded the jazz-funk supergroup Weather Report and played on their […]
Gas Mask was an American brass-rock band from N.Y.C. that released one album, Their First Album, on Tonsil Records in 1970. Members: Bill Davidson (lead guitar), Richard Grando (winds), David Gross (saxophone), Nick Oliva (keyboards), Bobby Osborne (vocals), Enrico Rava (trumpet), James Strassburg (drums), Ray Brooks (bass, ?-1970), Lynn Welshman (trombone, 1970-?), Michael Moore (bass, […]
Jimmy Webb is an American singer, composer, producer, and arranger who emerged as a writer of late-Sixties hits for the 5th Dimension (“Up, Up and Away”), Glen Campbell (“Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston”), and Richard Harris (“MacArthur Park”). Webb commenced his solo career with the 1970 Reprise release Words and Music, followed by And So: On, Letters, […]
Bette Midler (born Dec. 1, 1945) is an American singer and actress from Honolulu who rose to prominence on New York’s cabaret scene during the early 1970s. After starring in several Broadway productions (Salvation, Fiddler On the Roof, Tommy), she launched her singing career at the Continental Baths. Between 1972 and 1995, she released 10 […]
Oregon are an American ethno-jazz band from Eugene, Ore., formed in 1970. The original lineup—guitarist/pianist Ralph Towner, oboist/reedist Paul McCandless, bassist Glen Moore, and percussionist Collin Walcott—emerged from the Paul Winter Consort and developed a distinctive chamber-jazz style blending classical, Indian, and folk influences. They debuted with Music of Another Present Era (1972) and recorded […]
Rupert Holmes (born Feb. 24, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, producer, playwright, and screenwriter with a career in entertainment that dates to the late 1960s. Starting as a hit-writer for The Cuff Links and The Buoys, he emerged as a recording artist with a string of production-pop albums during the second half of […]
Shadowfax was an American jazz band from Chicago that first appeared with the 1976 Passport Records jazz-rock release Watercourse Way. After six quiet years, they reemerged as a new age act on Windham Hill Records. Members: Chuck Greenberg (Lyricon, saxophone, flute, oboe, recorder, 1972-95), Phil Maggini (bass, 1972-95), Stuart Nevitt (drums, tabla, percussion, 1972-95), Greg […]
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 […]
Norman Connors is an American drummer, composer, producer, and arranger who emerged in the Seventies behind Pharoah Sanders. He attained bandleader status with the 1972/73 Cobblestone titles Dance of Magic and Dark of Light. For Buddah, he cut the 1974–77 jazz-funk albums Love From the Sun, Slewfoot, Saturday Night Special, You Are My Starship, and […]
Larry Young (October 7, 1940 – March 30, 1978) was an American organist who released eleven albums between 1960 and 1976 and had backing stints with Grant Green, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, and Tony Williams. In the early 1960s, Young built his reputation through soul-jazz recordings and extensive sideman work. He released his first three […]
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 […]
Ten Wheel Drive was an American brass-rock big band from New Jersey led by singer Genya Ravan. She fronted their 1969 Polydor debut Construction #1 and the 1970/71 followups Brief Replies and Peculiar Friends. After she went solo, writer/arrangers Aram Schefrin and Michael Zager reconfigured Ten Wheel Drive with singer Ann E. Sutton for a […]
John Abercrombie (Dec. 16, 1944 — Aug. 22, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who played in the supergroups Dreams and Atmospheres. In 1975, he debuted as a bandleader with the ECM release Timeless. His output spans jazz-rock, free-form, post-bop, and solo unaccompanied sets. Background John Abercrombie was born on December 16, 1944, in Port […]
The Muffins were an American jazz-rock band that released two proper albums: the Canterbury-style Manna / Mirage (1978) and the No Wave-inspired 185, both on the avant-garde DC label Random Radar Records. Tracks from their earlier incarnation (circa 1975–76) later surfaced on the Cuneiform CD Chronometers. They backed Fred Frith on his 1980 Ralph Records […]
Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) was an American bassist renown for his fretless style. He exploded onto the scene in 1976 with a star-backed solo album and guest appearances on titles by Joni Mitchell (Hejira) and Pat Metheny (Bright Size Life). That year, he joined Weather Report for a six-album stint. Background He was born John Francis […]
Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 — June 30, 2001) was an American tenor saxophonist with a forty-year jazz career. He emerged in New York in 1962 as a sideman for trumpeter Kenny Dorham, who provided guidance and mentorship. He soon joined Horace Silver’s band and contributed a solo to the 1963 jukebox hit “Song for […]
Caldera was an American Latin jazz-rock band that released four albums between 1976 and 1980 on Capitol. They synthesized jazz-funk with Afro-Cuban styles on their debut, Caldera (1976), then expanded their textural range on Sky Islands (1977), which features guest vocalist Dianne Reeves. The band continued to refine its complex, Latin-rooted fusion across Time 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 […]
Wayne Shorter (1933–2003) was an American saxophonist and composer who did stints with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers (1959–64) and Miles Davis (1964–70). Between 1959 and 1970, he recorded fourteen bandleader albums for Blue Note. In 1971, he co-founded Weather Report, a jazz-funk supergroup with Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Background Wayne Shorter was born […]
Stevie Nicks is an American singer and songwriter who first emerged in the early 1970s as one-half of the folk-pop duo Buckingham Nicks with then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham. She joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 and helped drive the band’s most successful run on the albums Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977), Tusk (1979), Mirage (1982), and […]
Dixie Dregs were an American instrumental band that fused jazz-rock and bluegrass across six studio albums between 1977 and 1982. Their Capricorn-era titles—Free Fall (1977), What If (1978), and Night of the Living Dregs (1979)—featured guitarist Steve Morse and violinist Allen Sloan as primary soloists. After moving to Arista, they issued Dregs of the Earth […]
Catalyst was an American jazz-funk band that released four albums between 1972 and 1975. Their first, a self-titled release on Cobblestone, features future Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson. After the label was acquired by Muse Records, Catalyst released the albums Perception, Unity, and A Tear & A Smile. Members: Eddie Green (keyboards, vocals), Alphonso Johnson […]
Tony Williams (1945–1997) was an American jazz drummer who emerged in the second Miles Davis Quintet. As Anthony Williams, he cut the 1965/66 Blue Note albums Life Time and Spring. After Miles, Williams formed Lifetime, a pioneering jazz-rock band that cut the 1969–72 Polydor albums Emergency!, Turn It Over, Ego, and The Old Bum’s Rush. […]
Madura was an American jazz-rock trio from Chicago that released the 1971–73 Columbia albums Madura and Madura II. Bassist–keyboardist David “Hawk” Wolinski subsequently joined Rufus and became a songwriting collaborator with Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine. Members: David “Hawk” Wolinski (bass, keyboards, vocals), Alan De Carlo (guitar, vocals), Ross Salomone (drums, percussion) Background Madura formed from […]
Ike White (1945–2014) was an incarcerated American musician who recorded the jazz-funk album Changin’ Times for LAX Records in 1976. Background Ike White, born Milton David White in 1945 in California, plays guitar, keyboards, and vocals. In 1964, at age 19, he faced a murder charge and received a life sentence, landing in San Quentin […]
David Sancious is an American keyboardist, guitarist, composer, and arranger who led jazz-rockers Tone on the 1975/76 Epic albums Forest of Feelings and Transformation (The Speed of Love). After the 1977 recording Dance of the Age of Enlightenment, he issued three further albums on Arista. Background Sancious was born on November 30, 1953, in Long […]
Spyro Gyra are an American jazz-funk band that released thirteen albums between 1977 and 1989 on MCA. They developed a signature sound blending tight ensemble arrangements, saxophone-led melodies, and textured mallet-synth lines. The group released their self-titled debut in 1977, followed by Morning Dance (1979), which featured the breakout title track, and Catching the Sun […]
Carly Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer/songwriter from the Bronx who released eight albums between 1971 and 1979 on Elektra, followed by 1980s titles on Warner, Epic, and Arista. Simon first charted with “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” an evergreen ballad that won her the 1972 Best New […]
Charles Earland (1941–1999) was an American organist who made two Sixties soul-jazz albums heading the Charlie Earland Trio. Between 1970 and 1975, he made ten albums for Prestige Records, including Leaving This Planet (a jazz-funk double-album) and The Dynamite Brothers (a blaxploitation soundtrack). In 1976, Earland reappeared on Mercury with Odyssey and formed a big […]
Judee Sill (October 7, 1944 — November 23, 1979) was an American singer/songwriter from Oakland who released a 1971 self-titled album on Asylum, followed by the 1973 release Heart Food, both revered as masterworks in the 21st century. Background Judee Sill was born on October 7, 1944, in Studio City, Los Angeles. She spent her […]
Les McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and singer. He emerged on Pacific Jazz Records with the 1960/61 albums Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Truth, Les McCann Ltd. in San Francisco, and Les McCann Sings. His records blended energetic trio performances with gospel-inflected vocals. He expanded his reputation […]
