(Vocals, 1983–2011) Winehouse’s distinctive brand of white soul and R&B rocketed her to fame in 2006 with breakthrough second album Back To Black. Public interest in the beehive-hairstyled Winehouse was fuelled just as much by her hedonistic lifestyle as her sultry vocals, but her success, both commercially and critically, was undeniable. The Mark Ronson-produced album won five ...
Twenty-first-century guitar hero Matthew Bellamy (b. 1978) was born in Cambridge, England. His father George was rhythm guitarist in the Tornadoes, who scored a massive transatlantic hit with the Joe Meek-produced ‘Telstar’. Before learning guitar, Bellamy took piano lessons as a boy, equally inspired by Ray Charles and classical music. In the mid-1980s, the family moved ...
1867–1944 American composer Beach (née Cheney) made her debut as a pianist in 1883, the year in which her first composition was published. In 1885 she married, and retired from a professional performing career. She did, however, continue to compose, writing large-scale works such as the ‘Gaelic’ Symphony in E minor op. 32 (1896) and the ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1994–present) Frontman and principal songwriter Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco – John Stirratt (bass), Nels Cline (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), Pat Sansone (various instruments) and Mikael Jorgensen (keyboards) – after disbanding country heroes Uncle Tupelo. Throughout countless personnel ‘changes’ and label squabbles they made a series of five albums (culminating in 2005’s A Ghost Is Born) that moved further ...
Despite initial comparisons to her fellow Londoner, the late Amy Winehouse, and other female soul acts – Adele has been likened to everyone from the late Whitney Houston to a combination of Joni Mitchell and Carole King – there’s no denying she is now widely thought of as a unique talent. ‘I keep getting called “the new Amy Winehouse” and ...
As a schoolgirl, Adele had music constantly on the brain. She even persuaded her mother to make her a sequined eye patch to wear to school so she could channel pop star Gabrielle. Adele’s natural musicality saw her take up clarinet and guitar, but her ultimate devotion was reserved for vocals. She used to queue for hours to get ...
September The Strat Pack Concert Throughout his career, the Fender Stratocaster was David Gilmour’s guitar of choice and he had always been comfortable to discuss his taste in plank-spanking equipment ever since joining the band. On 24 September 2004 he helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fender guitar by participating in a charity concert at Wembley. Gilmour used the ...
Adele’s second offering, 21 (again, named for the age at which she wrote it), was released in January 2011. Though still a ‘break-up’ album inspired by heartbreak – this time a different ex – it differs slightly in style from 19, as it contains Nashville country and blues influences she picked up while touring the US. The new ...
Rock, jazz, soul; each of these genres, while containing a multiplicity of various offshoots, is defined by some kind of unifying theme. But this miscellaneous section, as any record collector will know, is where everything else ends up. Most of the styles within this ‘genre’ have little in common save the fact that they do ...
On 28 January 2008, Adele’s debut album 19 was released in the UK by XL Recordings (the name reflected her age at the time). By then, much hype had built up in the British press around the young singer. Within a week, the album hit No. 1 in the UK charts; it has since been certified four times ...
(Me’-le Al-yek-sa’-ye-vich Ba-la’-ke-ref) 1837–1910 Russian composer Balakirev’s early piano fantasy on Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar won Glinka’s approval in 1855 and in appreciation Glinka gave Balakirev two Spanish melodies, later reworked in the Spanish Serenade. Balakirev performed Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto before the Tsar, a highlight of a virtuoso career that culminated with his Chopin Anniversary recital in Warsaw ...
Vince Gill (b. 1957) broke out of a respected but static 10-year career as a bandmember and solo act and into country stardom with the 1990 hit ‘When I Call Your Name’. Gill was in the forefront of the neo-traditional country movement and became one of the biggest crossover singing stars in Nashville. It helped that he was an excellent country ...
A product of the spiritual searching of the 1960s, Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) has always been controversial. Combining rock’n’roll with a Bible-based message has seemed profane to some and artistically invalid to others. Despite such criticisms, CCM has attracted millions of loyal fans and given rise to a host of gold- and platinum-selling artists. There’s ambiguity as to what ...
The Victorian drawing-room ballad is a much-derided musical genre – perhaps partly due to the way in which it was so successfully and stylishly cultivated by women composers. In fact, in the mid-nineteenth century, some male composers even used female pseudonyms, as, for example, ‘Florence Fare’, pen name of Alfred William Rawlings. Two of the most ...
AUTHORITATIVE
An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
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Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.
David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.