(Production team/rhythm section, 1975–present) Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass) both worked for various reggae artists, including Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, before coming together at Kingston’s Channel One Studio in the mid-1970s, where their innovative, but funky combination powered the new ‘rockers’ sound. They backed practically every Jamaican artist of note, from Peter Tosh to ...
The story of Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart in Dallas on 15 March 1944) is a classic rock’n’roll tale of ground-breaking success followed by a drug-fuelled downward spiral into unreliability and dissipation. In the 1960s and early 1970s he pioneered a fusion of funk, rock and soul that changed the course of R&B, pop and even jazz. Yet on ...
people whose music encapsulates key moments in the lives of great swathes of Americans and Britons. Al Jolson’s jazz-inflected numbers evoke the arrival of talking pictures, while the songs and sly sexuality of Mae West provided an emblem of hope and hedonism for the victims of the American Depression. The essence of British sentiment during the Second World War, meanwhile, ...
(Vocal group, 1990–94) Formed in Georgia, and based around Todd ‘Speech’ Thomas and Timothy ‘DJ Headliner’ Barnwell. Taking a pastoral rather than city attitude, Arrested Development fused articulate social concerns, black pride and education on to music that blended hip hop, funk and heavy doses of Sly. 3 Years, 5 Months And Two Days In ...
Simpson co-founded this mighty Jamaican reggae outfit in the early 1970s. The line-up settled with Michael Rose on lead vocals, Puma Jones and Simpson harmonizing, and the legendary Sly and Robbie acting as rhythm section. A deal with Island paved the way for the group’s international reputation. The Grammy-grabbing Anthem (1984) established them in America, and though they ...
for smaller labels he started his own African Museum label with fellow singer Errol Dunkley. He also recorded for myriad other producers, and discs with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Sly and Robbie began to make his reputation. He signed to Virgin’s Front Line label and released Cool Ruler in 1978, the title becoming his most common nickname. His unhurried ...
As well as his own resonant material, Kravitz wrote for other artists, including the sultry ‘Justify My Love’ for Madonna. He uses a multi-racial/sexual backing band, like Sly and Prince. Styles & Forms | Nineties | Rock Personalities | Kula Shaker | Nineties | Rock ...
world, so despite having a hit with ‘Soul Mokossa’, Dibango’s international fame was short lived. He remains a respected jazz musician, having played with, among others, Sly and Robbie and Fela Kuti. Personalities | Maria Muldaur | One-Hit Wonders | Rock ...
Europe and Africa, he still tours, and was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2005. Styles & Forms | Sixties | Rock Personalities | Sly & The Family Stone | Sixties | Rock ...
Intervention was a return to the high-decibel speedcore at which they excel, after a flirtation with slightly more mainstream metal. Styles & Forms | Eighties | Rock Personalities | Sly & Robbie | Eighties | Rock ...
and vocals reminiscent of both Al Green and Marvin Gaye. The follow-up in 2000, Voodoo, was even more extraordinary, updating the dark, rambling jam feel of Sly & The Family Stone’s seminal There’s A Riot Goin’ On. All that, and with the looks and six-pack to match, the world is truly his. The female version ...
sex, but it’s just what happens behind closed doors. What I talk is reality.’ Yellowman Leading Exponents Michigan & Smiley Yellowman Eek-A-Mouse Sugar Minott The Roots Radics Band Sly & Robbie Ini Kamoze Dennis Brown Half Pint Dancehall Style Dancehall uses a lot of the same techniques as dub with the removal of instruments, often leaving just bass ...
Dub albums like Garvey’s Ghost (dubs of Burning Spear’s Marcus Garvey), Augustus Pablo’s King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown, the Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson-mixed African Dub Chapter Three and Sly & Robbie’s Raiders Of The Lost Dub are among the best examples of what dub is all about. A Happy Accident It all began by accident. In 1967, a ...
became known as fusion or jazz funk, while soul acts enjoyed a second wave of popularity as funk provided the bridge between the soul and disco eras. Fuelled by Sly & The Family Stone’s dark and druggy There’s A Riot Goin’ On, many of funk’s themes were street-tough and angry, swapping soul’s romance and hope for reportage on ...
Funk stars of the 1970s like The Ohio Players, Sly & The Family Stone and Funkadelic didn’t realize for a decade that hard rock ears had been paying attention. That same decade, Aerosmith’s combination of white-boy electric blues and propulsive arena hard rock had been deemed as unique, with just Grand Funk Railroad working along the similar lines. ...
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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.