(Vocals, b. 1961) Born Eithne Patricia Brennan in County Donegal, into the Clannad musical dynasty, Enya trained as a classical pianist, and remains a major innovator in ambient music. Her first solo endeavour was a 1986 BBC soundtrack, The Celts. Her trademark luxuriant soundscapes and melodic mysticism are present and correct. These elements washed through her ...
some of the magic seemed to have gone, excepting 1993’s The Wedding Album, which yielded the smash ‘Ordinary World’. Styles & Forms | Eighties | Rock Personalities | Enya | Eighties | Rock ...
(Vocal group, 1987–97, 2004–present) Although Wyclef Jean and cousin Prakazrel ‘Pras’ Michel had Haitian backgrounds, The Fugees came together in New York, with Lauryn Hill completing this multi-instrumental compositional singing and production trio. Blunted On Reality (1994), released as Fugees Tranzlator Crew, contained most of the components of their sound blending in acoustic guitars and reggae ...
on to enjoy several more hits in the same style, and inspired a new genre of highly produced, richly layered Celtic music of tranquil overtones. In fact, Enya, a member of the same Donegal family as Clannad, has enjoyed the greatest crossover success of all in this sphere; her ‘Orinoco Flow’ went to No. 1 in ...
Stivell, who first coined the term for their exciting music in the 1970s, is another matter. But still, massive worldwide hits for the likes of Clannad, Enya and Loreena McKennit turned Celtic into a powerful marketing tool. The incredible international success of the stage show Riverdance – based around a breathtaking display of Irish dancing, originally ...
to a mainstream audience, and has become a ubiquitous part of popular contemporary music. An indication of the growing audience for this music is reflected by former Clannad singer Enya, who has sold over 10 million copies of her 1991 album, Shepherd Moons, worldwide. Synth Pioneers The easiest way to explain its popularity is to look at ...
Fiddles, generically, are bowed lutes. The term ‘fiddle’ denotes a stringed instrument with a neck, bearing strings that are sounded by the use of friction rather than plucking or striking. Playing the Fiddle In almost all fiddles the world over, friction is provided by a bow strung with rosined horsehair. The hair is tensioned by the springiness ...
Like the jew’s harp and mechanical music box, the African mbira or thumb piano is a lamellaphone, in which the sound is produced by plucking metal tongues or plates. A mbira has between 22 and 52 thin metal tongues, arranged in two or three layers on a hardwood soundboard. The longest tongues are placed in the middle of ...
One of the 1980s’ most successful British bands, The Police were founded in London at the height of the punk boom in 1977 by former Curved Air drummer Stewart Copeland (b. 16 July 1952) with singer/bassist Sting (b. Gordon Sumner, 2 October 1951) and original guitarist Henry Padovani. After one independent single ‘Fall Out’, they were joined by veteran ...
Driven by a fierce intelligence, a relentless pursuit of social justice and a wide-ranging taste in sounds and songs, Tom Morello (b. 1964) was the driving force behind the bands Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. Morello has won Grammys and performed around the world inspiring and uniting people with music. Known for innovative guitar solos and varied, ...
‘There are a lot of people who probably think that I’m never going to sing again, so I will come for them and kick their arses!’ Adele joked with a reporter on the red carpet pre-Grammys. Her phenomenal success that night wasn’t restricted to winning six awards though: Adele’s knockout performance confirmed her famous voice had been unaffected by ...
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.