(Vocals, b. 1932) A celebrity on radio and celluloid since her teens, Clark first penetrated the UK chart in 1954 with ‘The Little Shoemaker’ and scored the first of two No. 1s with 1961’s ‘Sailor’. Following a French cover of this by Dalida, she was invited to perform in Paris and became as well-known sur le continent as ...
c. 1674–1707 English composer Clarke was a chorister of the Chapel Royal when he sang at the Coronation of James II in 1685. He became organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, then Gentleman Extraordinary and one of the organists of the Chapel Royal. In 1704 he succeeded Blow as Master of the Choristers at St Paul’s. He composed anthems, odes ...
(Drums, 1914–85) Kenny ‘Klook’ Clarke was a native of Pittsburgh, but made his primary contribution to jazz in New York in the early flowerings of bebop. Clarke, who adopted the Muslim faith as Liaquat Ali Salaam in 1946, is widely credited with developing the new rhythmic concepts that fuelled bebop. His work with Dizzy Gillespie and especially ...
(Entertainer, b. 1933) Voted CMA Entertainer Of The Year in 1973, Clark – apart from being a champion banjo player and electric guitarist – appeared regularly in the 1960s television series, The Beverly Hillbillies, and was the host of Hee Haw from its 1960 beginning. His sparkling show was greatly sought after in the 1970s and he ...
(Vocals, songwriter, b. 1941) The archetypal Texas troubadour, Clark cannot be called prolific, having released about 10 original albums since his 1975 debut, Old No. 1. Born in Monahans, West Texas, Clark worked in television, as a photographer and building boats and guitars. Influenced by bluesman Mance Lipscomb, he worked the Texas ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1958–70) Prior to the issue of an instrumental single, ‘Chaquita’, in 1962, this London combo underwent fundamental personnel reshuffles, resulting in a line-up that remained stable for the rest of its career. Then Dave Clark (drums), Lenny Davidson (guitar), Denis Payton (saxophone), Rick Huxley (bass) and Mike Smith (vocals, keyboards) switched their stylistic emphasis ...
(Vocals, b. 1982) 2002’s American Idol victor, Clarkson has, like many, tried hard to escape the show’s shadow. Indeed, it is her later material that the general public will remember if asked – singles ‘Because Of You’ (2005) and ‘Since You Been Gone’ (2004) are rockier, a direct result of the star trying to break ...
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 ...
(Vocal group, 1960–72) Formed in New York’s Bronx by four high school friends (Judy Craig, Barbara Lee Jones, Patricia Bennett and Sylvia Peterson), The Chiffons virtually defined the Girl Group sound with a trio of classic hits in the mid-1960s. 1963’s ‘He’s So Fine’ written by manager Ronald Mack was their only No. 1, but the Goffin-King ...
On 1 February 1964, The Beatles’ ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ topped America’s Cashbox singles chart. Six days later, they arrived in New York for their first US visit, and on 9 February an audience of around 73 million people tuned in to see them on The Ed Sullivan Show, which had been booked the previous ...
January The Let It Be Sessions After inconclusive discussions about playing a concert, The Beatles agreed instead to film rehearsals for a ‘back-to-basics’ album, with Michael Lindsay-Hogg who had directed their singles’ promos. But the tensions that had dogged The White Album quickly resurfaced and the atmosphere was as cold as the sound stage at the Twickenham Film Studios. ...
Almost no Texan musicians have ever herded cattle, but most like to think of themselves as cowboys nonetheless. They imagine themselves pulling out an acoustic guitar after dinner and singing a song about the adventures and frustrations they have known. And not just any old song – it has to be one they wrote and it has to be more ...
Based on a series of eight Hogarth paintings, this opera was first performed on 11 September 1951 at Il Teatro La Fenice in Venice. In The Rake’s Progress, Stravinsky’s neo-classical style maintains a clear delineation of musical numbers separated by recitatives (accompanied by harpsichord), and as such it has often been considered a stylistic companion to the works of ...
(Vocal group, 1966–70) This horn-laden outfit from south Wales had gained a formidable reputation for exacting musical standards and a natural vitality when they reached the UK Top 20 with 1967’s funereal-paced ‘Gin House Blues’. More nakedly commercial hits included a No. 1 with ‘(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice’ (which was covered by The Dave Clark Five for the ...
Bill Evans was one of the most lyrical and romantic of all jazz pianists. His distinctive lightness of touch and singing tone on the piano shone most brightly in his favoured trio settings with compatible bass players and drummers, including famous line-ups that featured Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, and later Eddie Gomez and Marty Morrell. Evans was born ...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
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