(Piano, vocals, 1909–67) Mullican was a versatile Texas pianist and vocalist who influenced Jerry Lee Lewis and others with pre-rock pounders like ‘Cherokee Boogie’ and western-swing gems like ‘Don’t Ever Take My Picture Down’, but was perhaps even more influential behind the scenes of his 30-year career. Widely acknowledged to be the co-writer of Hank Williams’ ‘Jambalaya’, Mullican summoned ...
(Vocals, piano, 1909–67) Corrigan, Texas-born Aubrey Wilson Mullican often billed himself as ‘the king of hillbilly piano players’. Mullican was an accomplished musician with a strong grounding in pop, jazz and blues, and was central in carving out a role for the piano in honky-tonk music. Styles & Forms | War Years | Country Personalities | ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1955) Born in East Orange, New Jersey, Mooney grew up in Rochester, New York, where he joined Joe Beard’s group at 15 and studied slide with Delta giant Son House. In 1976 he moved to New Orleans, where he began to concoct an electric style that blended Crescent City funk rhythms ...
(Vocal group, 1952–60, 1972–present) Formed in 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, this doo-wop outfit comprised Harvey Fuqua, Bobby Lester, Alexander ‘Pete’ Graves, Prentiss Barnes and guitarist Billy Johnson. Originally called The Crazy Sounds, they changed their name at Alan Freed’s suggestion. After several minor singles, they signed with Chess Records in 1954, ...
From its roots, country music has been associated with simplicity – in melody, in subject-matter and in instrumentation, and it is this that has perhaps ensured its longevity. However, all good musicians make their craft look simple, and the history of country music is packed with virtuosos, from the pioneering banjoist Earl Scruggs, through ...
(Piano, vocals, 1927–80) Milburn was a Houston pianist whose rollicking piano-playing and versatile singing was a major influence on Fats Domino and others. Milburn’s first hit was the 1948 party classic ‘Chicken Shack Boogie’. Milburn could croon a soulful ballad, but made a bigger impact with horn-driven material such as ‘Roomin’ House Boogie’ and ‘Sax Shack Boogie’, along ...
(Fiddle, bandleader, 1915–2000) Cliff Bruner was one of the most influential western-swing fiddlers and bandleaders of the late 1930s–40s era. Born in Texas City, Texas, the self-taught Bruner was playing professionally by his mid-teens and joined the music’s pioneering ensemble, Milton Brown’s Musical Brownies, in 1935. His stint with Brown made him a name, ...
(Songwriter, bandleader, fiddle, vocals, 1894–1964) Shelly Lee Alley is best remembered for writing the classic ‘Traveling Blues’ for Jimmie Rodgers in 1931. Texan Alley led his own pop and jazz orchestras in the 1920s, but also enjoyed success as a western-swing bandleader a decade later. At various times, his Alley Cats included such stars as ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1934–42) The Blue Ridge Playboys were a key early western-swing band. Based in Houston, they were formed in 1934 and were fronted by fiddler Leon ‘Pappy’ Selph (1914–99). Although Selph remained musically active to his death, the original band broke up soon after the US entry into the Second World War. The Playboys were not particularly ...
The Louvin Brothers followed in the footsteps of The Blue Sky Boys, one of the most influential close-harmony groups of the 1940s, and they paved the way for The Everly Brothers, kings of the 1950s and 1960s brother harmony duos. Though The Louvin Brothers’ commercial heyday was a relatively brief half-decade in the 1950s, their powerful, ...
At least until the 1930s and 1940s the dominant themes in country music were a celebration of bedrock rural values like family, faith, fidelity and the redeeming powers of true love and honest labour. The music served as much as anything to offer listeners comfort, reassurance and a soothing sense of place and identity. But as America’s national ...
A slapped upright bass, twanging lead guitar and acoustic rhythm guitar; a blues structure with country and blues inflections; a strong beat and moderate-to-fast tempo; a wild, yelping, often stuttering vocal style, together with plenty of echo on the recordings are the main ingredients of rockabilly. The rockabilly style was an eclectic hybrid of R&B, hillbilly ...
The arrival of the rockabilly phenomenon in the mid-1950s can be traced back directly to the rise of Elvis Presley (1935–77) and there is no doubt that he was the dominant influence on most of the young country boys who followed him. The impact of Presley can never be overstated, but at the same time he did not materialize out ...
One of the boldest innovations to coalesce in the 1940s was honky-tonk, a style that not only endures but continues to flourish in contemporary country music. Honky-tonk is a state of mind as well as a distinct musical style. Its roots extend back to the 1930s, though it was in the late 1940s and early 1950s that it came ...
Although the art of the classical singer has traditionally been perceived as the pursuit of technical perfection and tonal beauty, the twentieth century enabled a re-evaluation of what that art should be. Due in part to the technological advances and harrowing events of the times, much of the music was innovative, challenging, moving, powerful and, ...
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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.