Hard Rock

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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1973–present) A hard-rocking quintet whose no frills approach garnered them a huge following, AC/DC were formed in Sydney in 1973 by expatriate Scottish brothers Angus and Malcolm Young (both guitar). Bon Scott became lead singer in 1974. After two Antipodes-only albums, the band moved to America where their fifth album for Atlantic Records, Highway To Hell (1979), produced by Mutt Lange, established them in the big league, selling over six ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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With the exception of Judas Priest, no metal band has been more influential than Iron Maiden. And it is no coincidence that Maiden first took flight when guitarist Adrian Smith joined the band one month into recording their second album, Killers, in 1981. Adrian Frederik ‘H’ Smith was born in Hackney, East London, in February 1957. At school, he was drawn to the rock-guitar sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Ritchie Blackmore, ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1970–present) This best-selling American heavy rock band, frequently compared to The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, centred on the relationship between principal members Steven Tyler (vocals) and Joe Perry (guitar). The pair came together in Boston, Massachusetts, with Joey Kramer (drums), Brad Whitford (guitar) and Tom Hamilton (bass). Their first album Aerosmith (1973) was an immediate success, paving the way for the multi-platinum Toys In The Attic (1974) and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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For over 30 years, guitarist Alex Lifeson has quietly served as the cohesive key to success for progressive rockers Rush – arguably the most enduring and successful hard-rock band of all time. A guitarist always more interested in finding the right chord voicing or textural effect to make a chorus work than in shredding the frets off his axe du jour, it’s no wonder every one of his power trio’s ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
426 Words Read More

(Vocals, b. 1948) Although over time the name Alice Cooper came to attach itself to singer Vincent Furnier, it originally applied to the rock band that he fronted, the classic line-up of which comprised Cooper, Glen Buxton (guitar), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass) and Neal Smith (drums). After recording two albums for Frank Zappa’s Straight label, the band relocated from California back to Detroit, developing the outrageous stage act for ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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AC/DC guitarist Angus Young – all five feet two inches of him – is a larger-than-life figure. Rising up from working-class Scottish roots to become the heart and soul of one of the greatest rock’n’roll bands of all time, Young, with his schoolboy outfit and Gibson SG in hand, has become the definitive rock-guitar icon. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in March 1955, Young moved to Australia with his family in the ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
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(Vocal group, 1969–73, 1980–83) A British progressive rock band founded by ex-Crazy World Of Arthur Brown members Vincent Crane (organ) and Carl Palmer (drums), plus bassist Nick Graham. After one self-titled album in 1970, Palmer and Graham left and were replaced by John Cann (guitar, vocals) and Paul Hammond (drums), scoring two UK hit singles ‘Tomorrow Night’ and ‘Devil’s Answer’ but fragmenting after two albums, Atomic Rooster finally folded after one ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 2001–07) Formed from various seminal rock groups of the heaviest ilk, Audioslave – Chris Cornell (vocals), Tom Morello (guitar), Brad Wilk (drums) and Tim Commerford (bass) – make a racket honed through experience gained in the likes of influential acts Rage Against The Machine and Soundgarden. Perhaps too dry to be taken in one sitting, their eponymous debut still served up ‘Cochise’ (2002), a track so immediately energizing that ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
96 Words Read More

(Vocal group, 1973–84) This hard-driving Canadian rock band were assembled by former Guess Who members Randy Bachman (guitar, vocals) and Chad Allen (keyboards) with Robbie Bachman (drums) and Fred Turner (bass). Third brother Tim Bachman soon replaced Allan and the band’s commercial breakthrough came with Bachman-Turner Overdrive II (1974) and the US hit ‘Takin’ Care Of Business’. In Britain, they are best remembered for the 1975 single ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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Billy F. Gibbons (b. 1949), also known as the Reverend Willie G, led his Texas boogie band, ZZ Top, to international superstardom in the early days of MTV, combining a unique image with driving Southern rock and a series of eye-catching videos. At the music’s core was Gibbons’ tasteful blend of rhythmic crunch and fiery soloing, created on his 1959 Gibson Les Paul, named ‘Miss Pearly Gates’. Gibbons grew up in ...

Source: Rock Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
401 Words Read More

America’s leading hard rock band in the 1980s, Bon Jovi have broadened their appeal still further by combining their musical aggression with catchy pop songs to achieve a universal appeal. The band was formed in 1983 in New Jersey by singer Jon Bon Jovi (b. John Francis Bongiovi, 2 March 1962), guitarist Richie Sambora (b. 11 July 1969), keyboard player David Bryan (b. David Bryan Rashbaum, 7 February 1962), bassist Alec ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
835 Words Read More

(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–present) A mainstream American rock band whose meticulously layered music was largely the brainchild of songwriter, guitarist and producer Tom Scholz, Boston’s line-up was completed by Brad Delp (vocals), Barry Goudreau (guitar), Sib Hashian (drums) and Fran Sheehan (bass). The all-conquering first album Boston released in 1976 became the biggest-selling debut of all time and yielded the hit single ‘More Than A Feeling’. Ever the perfectionist, Scholz considered the ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
171 Words Read More

(Vocal/instrumental group, 1992–present) Formed in 1992 by Gavin Rossdale, (guitar, vocals), Dave Parsons (bass), Nigel Pulsford (guitar) and Robin Goodridge (drums), Bush were playing UK dives when signed by American label Interscope. The grunge-powered sound of their debut album Sixteen Stones (1994) received heavy rotation on American radio – with equally healthy sales – after the breakthrough ‘Everything Zen’ single. Hard touring and hard sounding Razorblade Suitcase (1996) produced by Steve ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
102 Words Read More

(Vocal/instrumental group, 1974–present) Power-pop quartet from Rockford, Illinois, featuring wacky guitarist Rick Nielsen who were weaned on British Invasion bands. Live album Cheap Trick At Budokan translated their Japanese success (they were regarded as the American Beatles) to home sales in 1979 and spawned hit ‘I Want You To Want Me’. Follow-up album Dream Police (1979) also made the Top 10, but their star faded somewhat thereafter as the wackiness faded. ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1992–present) Formed in Georgia, USA by Ed Rowland (guitar, vocals), brother Dean Rowland (guitar), Ross Childress (guitar), Will Turpin (bass) and Shane Evans (drums). Helped by the ripple effect of the Seattle grunge movement, their hook-laden 1994 single ‘Shine’ became an American hit securing a willing audience for the band’s intense but melodic rock. Hints, Allegations And Things Best Left Unsaid (1993) and eponymous second album (1995) are the ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
96 Words Read More
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