(Vocals, b. 1981) Born Niomi McLean-Daley, Ms. Dynamite emerged in 2002 with her debut A Little Deeper. The record won the prestigious Mercury Award the following year. A rapper who worked with So Solid Crew, Ms. Dynamite sang about issues facing young women, with backing tracks often beautifully produced instrumentals in their own right. Subsequent legal troubles ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1984–95) Mick Jones followed his stint as a founder member of The Clash with the genre-hopping BAD. He enlisted filmmaker Don Letts on ‘effects’ and adventurously married punk, hip hop and electronica on 1985’s This Is BAD. The album’s single, ‘E=MC2’ scored highly in the UK. Jones recruited old chum Joe Strummer for the similar No. ...
(Vocal group, 2001–05) Although starting life as a quartet, Sabrina Washington, Alesha Dixon and Su-Elise Nash are how Londoners Mis-Teeq are more commonly remembered. Releasing just two albums and a greatest hits in their short career, the group found fame through a suggestive stage presence and tight harmonies. ‘One Night Stand’ (2001) is perhaps the best example ...
It is a common enough opinion that the words ‘British’ and ‘rap’ are contradictions in terms. Unfortunately, this is indeed the case and it is solely because of the language barrier: rap delivered in any form of English other than American does not sound authentic. To attempt rap in the Queen’s English became known as the ‘Derek B Syndrome’, after ...
Although contemporary R&B prefers to align itself with its ruder and more street-credible cousins in hip hop, the roots of its mainstream practitioners lie firmly in manufactured pop. In a throwback to the Motown era, R&B has become a global phenomenon by combining producer-led factory formula with a high level of musical innovation and adventure. This balance of pop ...
It has been argued that all rap is political: a genuine black street statement, giving voice to those outside the musical or social establishments in a way that connects with a similarly dispossessed audience, and so its very existence is a political act. While many will be justified in thinking this is patently nonsense, it is, actually ...
The UK garage scene began in London in the 1990s when enterprising DJ’s such as Norris ‘Da Bass’ Windross and Karl ‘Tuff Enuff’ Brown set up after-hours parties in the capital’s pubs for clubbers reluctant to end the revelry after spending the evening at one of London’s new superclubs, such as The Ministry Of Sound. ‘We used to pitch it ...
(Vocals, b. 1944) The diminutive Georgia-born Brenda Tarpley turned professional aged six, and was known as ‘Little Miss Dynamite’, debuting on the US pop and country charts in early 1957. 1959’s ‘Sweet Nothin’s’, a sexy rocker, was her first US Top 5 hit, and her biggest success came with 1960’s million-selling US No. 1 ballad, ‘I’m ...
One of the young gunslingers who invigorated the blues in the 1960s, Buddy Guy (b. 1936) wowed audiences with high-octane guitar histrionics and energy that were matched by a tortured vocal manner. Guy is a master of dynamics, allowing a song to drift towards oblivion before suddenly bringing it back to a crescendo of intensity. Notable fans have included ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1943) A child jazz guitar prodigy, Benson later recorded with giants of the genre Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. In his mid-30s he followed in the crossover footsteps of Nat ‘King’ Cole and Louis Armstrong, reinventing himself as a honey-toned, R&B singer. 1976’s Breezin’ set him on his way, and he consolidated ...
If The Sex Pistols were the face of UK punk, The Clash were the soul. The band was formed in the summer of 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones (born Michael Geoffrey Jones, 26 June 1955) and bassist Paul Simonon (born 15 December 1955) after their proto-punk band, London SS, broke up. They Fought The Law They recruited ...
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...
CURATED
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.