(Vocal group, 1958–78) The Miracles – Smokey Robinson, Claudette Rogers, Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White and Warren Moore – were a cornerstone of Motown’s early success. Their 1960 hit ‘Shop Around’ set the gospel-and-soul tone for the label (later tempered with girl-group pop). Robinson was also a producer and songwriter of great lyricism for other Motown acts, ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1950) As leader of The Tom Robinson Band, this British new wave singer-songwriter first broke through with ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’ a 1977 hit single that was unrepresentative of the socio-political thrust of many of his songs, such as the anthemic ‘Glad To Be Gay’. After two albums, he formed Sector 27 then went solo ...
(Vocals, 1932–72) McPhatter was among the first singers to make the transition from gospel singer to R&B and pop star, and his emotional singing set the stage for vocalists like Jackie Wilson and Smokey Robinson. McPhatter started out with Billy Ward’s Dominoes, and left in 1953 to form and lead The Drifters. His Drifters hits included ‘Money Honey’ ...
(Vocal group, 1961–71) One of Motown’s first successful vocal groups comprised Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young, Katherine Anderson and Juanita Cowart (left 1962). Their first release, ‘Please Mr Postman’ (later covered by The Carpenters) was the label’s first US pop No. 1 in 1961. It led to a run of nearly 30 pop and R&B ...
(Vocal duo, 1962–68, 1974–2003) Bill Medley and the late Bobby Hatfield struck gold in 1965 with ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’, a simple song inflated by producer Phil Spector’s trademark ‘Wall of Sound’. Another year of hits in the same vein closed with Medley going solo. A reunion with Hatfield spawned a US-only smash, 1974’s ‘Rock And Roll ...
(Vocal group, 1960–present) Formed in 1960, The Temptations were Motown’s leading male group, with smooth harmonies and crisp choreography. Their first big hit, 1965’s ‘My Girl’ was written by Smokey Robinson in reply to his earlier ‘My Guy’, penned for Mary Wells. From 1967, producer Norman Whitfield gave them a harder edge. Adding psychedelic soul to ...
Only two record labels in pop history have lent their name to an entire musical genre. The first is Detroit’s Tamla Motown. The other is England’s 2-Tone, a late-1970s/early 1980s imprint that still stands as the UK’s most politically significant pop phenomenon. 2-Tone was set up in 1979 by The Special A.K.A., a multiracial ska- and reggae-inspired ...
The story of soul’s Golden Age is linked with the story of two American record labels: Berry Gordy’s Motown and Jim Stewart & Estelle Axton’s Stax. They discovered artists, wrote songs and developed recording and marketing methods that would irrevocably change popular music, and have a profound effect on the perception of race all over world. Motown’s base in ...
Popular music’s most influential decade saw British and American rock develop in parallel, the creative torch passing across the Atlantic to The Beatles, then returning as the West Coast rock boom reflected the influence of drugs on music. In rock, guitar was now the undisputed focus of the music with ‘axe heroes’ like Clapton, Hendrix, Townshend ...
The late Baroque era (1700–50) was a time of major political change throughout Europe, involving a shift in the balance of power between sovereign states. Across the continent it was a period of almost continuous warfare, the effects of which were later felt in other parts of the world as a result of conflicting ambitions among the various trading ...
By the beginning of the eighteenth century, opera was established in some form in most major European centres. The basic types of serious and comic opera in both Italian and French traditions shared similarities, although the content and style of an operatic entertainment could vary according to whether it was intended to flatter a private patron, resound with ...
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 ...
The Mellotron and its predecessor the Chamberlain were in effect the earliest examples of a sample playback instrument. Chamberlain In 1949, Californian inventor Harry Chamberlain, patented the Chamberlain MusicMaster. It was the first commercially available instrument to use pre-recorded lengths of tape mounted within a keyboard in such a way that, whenever a key was depressed, a ...
Acoustic Guitar Throughout its history, the guitar has – perhaps more than any other instrument – managed to bridge the gap between the often disconnected worlds of classical, folk and popular music. Its roots go back to Babylonian times; by the 1500s it was prevalent in Spain, and is still sometimes called the Spanish guitar. Medieval versions – ...
In 1949, two apparently small events took place, which in hindsight were to have monumental significance for popular culture. The first of these saw Billboard magazine change the name of its ‘Race Records’ chart to the more relevant and politically correct ‘Rhythm & Blues’ chart, reflecting the success of the American dance music of the moment. Meanwhile, ...
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...
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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.