(Organ, b. 1971) The son of jazz organist Papa John DeFrancesco, Joey’s keyboard skill and enthusiasm were well-recognized even before 1987, when he was a finalist in the annual Thelonious Monk Competition. Indebted in style to Jimmy Smith, DeFrancesco played with Miles Davis and recorded on Columbia Records prior to his graduation from high school. His prodigious ...
Alternative-rock guitarist Joey Santiago (b. 1965) was born in Manila, Philippines, to a wealthy family, who emigrated to the United States when President Marcos declared martial law. The family eventually settled in Massachusetts. Joey first played guitar at the age of nine, becoming a fan of Seventies punk and David Bowie. At the University of Massachusetts, ...
(Vocal group, 1996–2001) The launch point for the career of Justin Timberlake, *NSYNC formed in Florida in 1996. J.C. Chasez, Chris Kilpatrick, Joey Fatone and James Lance Bass scored their first hits in Europe with ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘Tearing Up My Heart’. America fell for their good looks and vocal charms in 1998 and ...
(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 ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1981–present) Formed in New York with Dan Spitz (guitar), Scott Ian (guitar), Dan Lilker (bass) and Charlie Benante (drums). After adding Joey Belladonna (vocals) they hit paydirt, recording Spreading The Disease for Island in 1986. They gained an awesome live reputation, while issuing blistering records (State Of Euphoria, 1988 and Sound Of White Noise, ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1965–75) Although their best-known work was released in the 1970s, Badfinger had been around since 1965 as The Iveys in their native north Wales. In 1966, they toured the UK backing David Garrick. Signed to the Apple Records label in 1968 as The Beatles’ potential successors, Tom Evans (bass), Mike Gibbins (drums), Pete Ham (guitar ...
(Organ, piano, 1925–2005) Jimmy Smith, a fluent and inventive jazz improviser, is regarded as the greatest of the soul jazz organists; he essentially defined the form in his performances and recordings for Blue Note in the 1950s. His adoption of the Hammond organ to soul jazz’s combination of jazz improvisation over blues-rooted grooves opened up a new ...
John McLaughlin (b. 1942) led the Mahavishnu Orchestra and a series of other bands that stretched the boundaries of jazz-rock fusion and world music, as he inspired guitarists worldwide with his inventiveness and devotion to exotic sounds and spirituality. McLaughlin started on guitar when he was 11 and was initially inspired by blues and swing players. McLaughlin worked with Alexis ...
By turns avant-garde adventurer, high-voltage rocker and Third World explorer, Yorkshire-born guitarist John McLaughlin has seldom repeated himself. Born in 1942, McLaughlin studied piano from the age of nine and taught himself guitar after becoming interested in country blues, flamenco and Django Reinhardt. A gig with Pete Deuchar’s Professors of Ragtime in 1958 was his ticket to ...
Johnny Ramone (1948–2004) was born John Cummings in Long Island, New York. As a teenager, Johnny played in a band called The Tangerine Puppets alongside future Ramones drummer Tamás Erdélyi (better known as Tommy Ramone). Johnny worked as a plumber with his father before The Ramones became successful. He also attended military school and briefly attended college in Florida. ...
(Vocal group, 1986–94) Manufactured by producer Maurice Starr, this white vocal group of Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jon Knight, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre were one of the most successful American teen bands. Formed in 1986 they hit their peak between 1988 and 1990, scoring hit single after hit single with safe pop/rap/ballad numbers. There ...
As a session guitarist, co-leader of the smash late-Seventies band Chic and star-making producer, Nile Rodgers (b. 1952) combined genres to create unexpected hits seemingly out of thin air. His funky guitar playing (along with partner Bernard Edwards’ bass) helped make Chic the most successful non-disco disco band, and his innate sense of rock and soul made a ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1996–present) Godfathers of the Californian desert rock scene, QOTSA – Troy van Leeuwen (guitar), Joey Castillo (drums), Alain Johannes (bass) and Natasha Schneider (keyboards) – were formed from the ashes of Kyuss by Josh Homme (vocals, guitar), and are one of the heaviest bands on the planet. Sometimes counting Dave Grohl and Mark Lanegan in their ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1977–present) Formed in 1977 by journalist and music historian Douglas Green (b. 1946), this trio (a quartet since 1988 when Joey Miskulin first played accordion with them) have kept alive the spirit and folklore of western cowboy songs – not least in their stage shows, which include expert yodelling – performing material associated with The Sons Of ...
(Vocals, b. 1979) This Harlem-born daughter of Texas bluesman Johnny ‘Clyde’ Copeland apprenticed onstage with her father. She emerged as a solo artist in 1997, beginning a run of albums that made her one of the most popular artists in contemporary blues. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until 2002’s Dr. John-produced Talking To Strangers that the quality of Copeland’s songs ...
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.