(Vocal/instrumental group, 1986–present) Johnny Rzeznik (guitar, vocals), Robby Takec (bass, vocals) and George Tutuska (drums) formed The Goo Goo Dolls in Buffalo, New York, in 1986. Their first two albums took inspiration from the new wave although there were endless comparisons to the pop-punk sound of The Replacements. By Superstar Car Wash (1993) and A Boy ...
Benny Goodman was the first of the great bandleader virtuosos of the 1930s to achieve global success. Through a combination of personal connections, nerve, enormous talent and sheer luck, he parlayed a sequence of opportunities in 1934–35 into a payoff that changed American music. After forming his first band in New York in 1934, he won a ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1973–present) Thorogood’s energetic, Delaware-based band drew inspiration from Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor. Flash guitarist and raw vocalist Thorogood moved the band to Boston in 1974 and gained popularity on the blues circuit there, leading to its 1978 self-titled debut on Rounder Records. The 1979 album Move It On Over was a commercial breakthrough and ...
1897–1988 English oboist Goossens became principal oboe of the Queen’s Hall Orchestra at the age of 17 and of the London Philharmonic Orchestra when it was founded in 1932. His refined playing and exquisite tone led many English composers to write for him, including Arthur Bliss (1891–1975) and Vaughan Williams. Introduction | Modern Era | Classical Personalities | Arthur Grumiaux ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1971–present) A London rhythm & blues band that emerged from the pub rock scene in 1974, Dr. Feelgood’s back-to-basics approach foreshadowed punk. Comprising Lee Brilleaux (Lee Collinson, vocals), Wilko Johnson (John Wilkinson, guitar), John B. Sparks (bass) and John ‘The Big Figure’ Martin (drums), their live album Stupidity was a 1976 chart topper. Brilleaux remained ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1971–77, 2004–present) A trailblazing quintet whose energetic, shambolic style has been an enduring influence, the New York Dolls were formed in 1971 by David Johansen (vocals) and Johnny Thunders (guitar, died 1991), adding Sylvain Sylvain (guitar), Arthur Kane (bass, died 2004) and Billy Murcia (drums, died 1972 and replaced by Jerry Nolan ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1996–present) Maryland’s Good Charlotte – Joel Madden (vocals), Benji Madden (guitar), Billy Martin (keyboards) and Paul Thomas (bass) – exist in much the same sphere as rockers such as Sum 41 and Blink-182, pop rock bands formed startlingly young, signed to majors and then reaping successes normally attributed to older bands. 2002’s The Young And The ...
(Vocal group, 2003–present) Here are a fine example of style over substance, a mid-1990s dance collective originating from burlesque shows that eventually wound up with a record contract in 2003. The current six-girl line-up (headed by singer Nicole Scherzinger) struck big with their 2005 single ‘Don’t Cha’ sounding as infectious as anything in the charts, and the ‘visual ...
(Producer, vocals, b. 1965) Clifford Price a.k.a. Goldie was the most significant and visual exponent of the dance style known as jungle that emerged out of drum’n’bass in the UK in 1993. Early Angel EP (1993) and ‘Inner City Life’ single (1995) were masterful and his major label debut album Timeless (1995) confirmed his talent. A highly ...
Spring Returning To The Studio The break from touring allowed Green Day to recharge their batteries, although with Billie Joe always writing songs they had a wealth of material to record when they returned to the studio in early 1997. During discussions with producer Rob Cavallo, the band stressed that they wanted to do something different musically. As sessions ...
(Sharl Goo-no) 1818–93 French composer Gounod is best known as the composer of one of the most popular French lyric operas, Faust. His teachers at the Paris Conservatoire were the opera composers Jacques-François-Fromental Halévy (1799–1862) and Jean François Le Sueur (1760–1837) and in 1839 he won the coveted Prix de Rome. Alongside much sacred music, such as the florid ...
(Klod Goo-de-mel’) c. 1514–72 French composer Goudimel worked with the French music publisher Nicolas du Chemin, first as proofreader and later as partner. He corresponded with French humanists and writers such as Pierre Ronsard, some of whose verse he set. However, he is most important for his psalms, based on French translations begun by Clement Marot and published ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1976) Mainstream in every sense of the word, be-hatted Canadian Powter has really made a career from the success of one, admittedly enormous, single. ‘Bad Day’ (2005) was initially supposed to soundtrack a Coca Cola advert, but was subsequently a test for American Idol entrants – as big a fast-track to recognition as is ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1946) After ‘Catch The Wind’ and ‘Colours’ charted in 1965, this projected English ‘answer’ to Bob Dylan lost impetus until he mined a seam of ‘sunshine’ pop with songs such as ‘Sunshine Superman’ – a US No. 1 – and ‘Jennifer Juniper’. After ‘Atlantis’ foundered in 1968’s UK Top 30, he bounced back briefly ...
Veteran Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards (b. 1943) was born in Dartford, Kent. After being expelled from technical school in 1958, Richards attended Sidcup Art College. The art-school environment was crucial to Richards’ development, as it was for many of his generation. Here he was able to nurture his passion for rhythm and blues, finding many fellow ...
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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.