(Vocal/instrumental group, 2006–present) Led by singer Ezra Koenig, American indie quartet Vampire Weekend were formed at prestigious Columbia University. After canvassing fans through sharing songs and internet blogs, they were signed in 2007 and released their self-titled debut the following year. This made the Top 20 in America and the UK, and the hype appeared justified as ...
(Vocals, b. 1978) Usher Raymond IV, often called the ‘prince of pop’ after his 2004 Confessions album sold 1.1 million copies in the first week, is the perfect blend of pop and R&B. A singer since the age of 13, Usher made his name via singles such as ‘You Make Me Wanna’ (1997), which topped charts ...
One of the greatest achievements any guitar player can attain is an immediately recognizable signature tone and style. And though many guitarists have realized this goal, few have done it as emphatically as Police guitarist Andy Summers (b. 1942). From the chord stabs of ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ to the arpeggios of ‘Message In A Bottle’ ...
Coldplay were formed in London in 1996 by four college friends – Chris Martin (born 2 March 1977, vocals), Jonny Buckland (born 11 September 1977, guitar), Will Champion (born 31 July 1978, drums) and Guy Berryman (born 12 April 1978, bass). Their early years were similar to thousands of other struggling young bands in the UK’s capital ...
(Vocals, songwriter, b. 1949) Born Yvonne Vaughan in North Carolina, Fargo was a schoolteacher and weekend vocalist. When she and her producer husband, Stan Silver, visited Nashville around 1970, she signed with Dot Records, making a dream start when two of her own songs, ‘The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A ...
(Vocals, b. 1939) This former church chorister from Virginia reached global Top 20s in 1961 with call-and-response ‘New Orleans’. While its ‘Not Me’ follow-up flopped, ‘Quarter To Three’ topped the US chart. Further US-only hits included 1962’s ‘Seven Day Weekend’, his last before the patronage of Bruce Springsteen facilitated a commercial revival in the early 1980s, both home ...
1795–1861, German Heinrich Marschner, the German composer, had the best possible backer for his first opera, Heinrich IV und d’Aubigné (1817–18), which was set around the turn of the seventeenth century. It featured King Henri IV of France and his follower the Huguenot poet Théodore d’Aubigné. Carl Maria von Weber, no less, staged the opera ...
(Guitar, harmonica, vocals, 1910–76) Chester Arthur Burnett was born in White Station, Mississippi. Inspired by Charley Patton, Wolf earned his living as a farmer in the West Memphis, Arkansas area and was strictly a weekend performer until he was almost 40 years old. He got a radio spot in 1948 and the sound of that ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1940–80) Lennon’s post-Beatles solo career began with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), a harrowingly honest record inspired by the Primal therapy that Lennon was undergoing. Imagine (1971) featured his best-loved song (not released as a UK single until 1975) and was a more sugar-coated affair. The double album Sometime In New York City (1972) featured politically charged ...
The biggest heavy metal band of the 1970s, Led Zeppelin left an indelible mark that is still felt a quarter of a century later. The band was put together in London in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page (born James Patrick Page, 9 January 1944), singer Robert Plant (born 20 August 1948), bassist John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin, ...
January UK Tour Lasting only a month, the most defining factor of Led Zeppelin’s January 1970 UK tour would be the lack of support act. Only the biggest bands in the world could go on stage without a warm-up act preceding them, but Led Zeppelin had to drop something in order to stop the curfew problems their two-hour-plus shows ...
January The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett’s debut solo album The Madcap Laughs was released on 3 January 1970. Assisted, in part by Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters, bass player Jerry Shirley from Humble Pie, Willie Wilson from Quiver and even members of The Soft Machine it had been recorded at considerable expense over numerous sessions mainly due to ...
Theodore ‘Ted’ Nugent (b. 1948), the Motor City Madman, first gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes. With The Dukes, and later as a solo artist, Nugent’s intense playing formed the backbone of songs like ‘Journey To The Center Of The Mind’, ‘Stranglehold’, ‘Free For All’, ‘Cat Scratch Fever’, ‘Motor City Madhouse’, ‘Paralyzed’ and ‘Wango ...
February ‘Penny Lane’/‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ The first record to emerge from the studio-bound Beatles was another pair of contrasting McCartney and Lennon songs, a recurring feature of recent singles but, with time to perfect and polish, the songs had moved up another level. Both made a nostalgic return to Liverpool for their inspiration but while Paul McCartney strode ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1958–70) Prior to the issue of an instrumental single, ‘Chaquita’, in 1962, this London combo underwent fundamental personnel reshuffles, resulting in a line-up that remained stable for the rest of its career. Then Dave Clark (drums), Lenny Davidson (guitar), Denis Payton (saxophone), Rick Huxley (bass) and Mike Smith (vocals, keyboards) switched their stylistic emphasis ...
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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.