(Vocals, b. 1949) Alabama-born Richie was in several R&B bands before he signed to Motown with The Commodores. He penned and sang most of their biggest hits like ‘Easy’, ‘Three Times A Lady’ and ‘Still’, all massive smashes during the 1970s. He branched out with Diana Ross on 1981’s ‘Endless Love’. He then went solo and his skill as a ...
, b. 1969) James Todd Smith was one of the first and most astute signings Rick Rubin made for his Def Jam Label. Early singles mixed the beat power of Run-DMC with his pioneering and infectious bad-boy rap style. Canny enough to have a pop edge to his music as well as work in TV and film Mama Said Knock You ...
Once hip hop had expanded beyond apparently using the hook lines from Chic’s ‘Good Times’ as the basis for just about everything, it quickly became as diverse as any other black music genre. Its evolution in recording studios took it way beyond the scope of conventional instruments. Can’t play piano like Herbie Hancock or bass like Bootsy ? So what ...
unique, with just Grand Funk Railroad working along the similar lines. It would be more than ten years before a revamped version of Aerosmith’s ‘Walk This Way’, recorded with Run-DMC, took the mixture of styles to its logical conclusion, and when the collaboration charted all over the globe it opened the floodgates for an avalanche of other like-minded ...
‘No one ever got shot at one of my parties. Back then people had too much respect, for me and for the music.’ DJ Kool Herc Leading Exponents Run-DMC LL Cool J The Beastie Boys Salt-N-Pepa Warren G Will Smith Golden Age Hip Hop Style Similar to old school, though with slightly more of a hip hop flavour. ...
The term ‘mode’ tends to be used in twentieth-century music to refer to a scale other than major or minor (though these can be called modes as well). The so-called ‘church modes’, given their prominence in the folk music of both Eastern and Western Europe, are frequently encountered in music that draws on those traditions (e.g. Bartók, Janáček ...
A baryton is a bass string instrument, similar in appearance to a viol. It is held between the performer’s knees and played with a bow; it usually carries six strings which the bow sounds directly. It has a number of strings (up to 40) which are concealed and which can be plucked by the thumb or allowed to vibrate in ...
Nordic bowed lyres, known in Finland as jouhikko, in Estonia hiiu-kannel and Sweden as stråkharpa, comprise a more or less rectangular soundbox, across which run three or sometimes four horsehair strings. These pass from a tailpiece across a bridge resting on the soundboard to tuning pegs on a flat extension of the body. This extended section has ...
The dulcimer is a type of box zither whose name derives from dulce melos or ‘sweet sound’. Usually with four sides, none of them running parallel to each other (though as this is an instrument to be found under various names in practically every country on earth, it is difficult to be definite), it has several strings but no ...
A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who have come together to play music. In theory, an ensemble could contain any number of instruments in any combination, but in practice, certain combinations just don’t work very well, either for musical reasons or because of the sheer practicality of getting particular instruments and players ...
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 ...
The harp is clearly recognizable from its triangular shape, consisting of the resonator and neck. The strings in all harps run perpendicular to the resonator. In many cases a supporting arm, known as a forepillar, runs from the end of the neck to the resonator to help sustain the strings’ tension. Early Harps Although the earliest known use ...
Zither The zither is part of a group of instruments which are linked by the fact that sets of strings run parallel to their main body, and that – unlike the lute, lyre or harp – they can still be played even without a resonating device. In the concept’s least advanced state, native instruments exist which are little ...
The word ‘lute’ is the collective term for a category of instruments defined as ‘any chordophone having a neck that serves as string bearer, with the plane of the strings running parallel to that of the soundboard’. In other words, the lute is a soundbox with a neck sticking out. The strings of some are plucked, some are ...
The lyre has a distinguished history. It was the instrument used by the Greeks to accompany plays and recitations. Greek mythology tells us that the lyre was created by Hermes, the son of Zeus, from a tortoise shell. Singing to the accompaniment of the lyre was thought to promote a sense of justice. Construction The lyre is formed of ...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.