Born Steveland Judkins on 13 May 1950 and blind virtually from birth, the future Little Stevie Wonder was already singing in his local choir at the age of four. By the time he was seven he had mastered the piano, harmonica and drums. In 1961, Ronnie White of The Miracles introduced the child prodigy to the label’s founder ...
Lenny Breau (1941–84) was a Canadian guitarist who blended many styles of music, including country, classical, flamenco and jazz guitar. Breau, inspired by country guitarists like Chet Atkins, used fingerstyle techniques not usually associated with jazz guitar. Breau was born in Auburn, Maine. His French-speaking parents, Hal ‘Lone Pine’ Breau and Betty Cody, ...
Exploding on to a generally lethargic blues scene in 1983 with his Texas Flood album, Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–90) administered a high-voltage charge that revitalized the blues with his stunning, ecstatic playing and imagination. He took inspiration from the most stylish of his idols – Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King – but it ...
The premiere torch-bearer for the blues-rock boom of the 1980s, Texan guitar wizard Stevie Ray Vaughan galvanized a generation of players and fans alike with his pyrotechnic licks and flamboyant stage presence. Connecting deeply with both the psychedelic, ‘voodoo chile’ mystique of Jimi Hendrix and the down-home roadhouse grittiness of his biggest guitar influence, Albert King, Vaughan ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1954–90) Born in Dallas, Vaughan distilled Albert King, Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack’s blues and rock stylings on his superb US Top 40 album Texas Flood (1983). Tommy Shannon (bass) and Chris Layton (drums) formed his trusted Double Trouble back-up team. His ferocious but lyrical playing on Couldn’t Stand The Weather (1984) and live showmanship ...
‘Cry Me A River’, 1955 ‘Cry Me A River’ was a US No. 2 hit single for Julie London, thanks in part to her involvement in the movie, The Girl Can’t Help It. In the film, London appears during a fantasy scene in press agent Tom Miller’s apartment and sings the song to him. Despite an extensive movie ...
‘Purple People Eater’, 1958 Sheb Wooley’s ‘Purple People Eater’ stayed at No. 1 in the US charts for six weeks. Despite being a serious country musician since 1945, Wooley’s hit was a comedy song that parodied popular culture’s horror-movie craze. Wooley had to fight with his record label to get the song released, and despite its success, he ...
‘Sea Of Love’, 1959 Phillips has always remained a mysterious figure, despite having an almost accidental hit with his self-penned ‘Sea Of Love’. A bellhop, he had written it after the dissolution of his vocal group, The Gateway Quartet, and it reached No. 2 in the US. It was subsequently kept alive, thanks to covers by ...
‘You Better Move On’, 1962 Co-founder of the famed Muscle Shoals recording studio, Arthur Alexander’s ‘You Better Move On’ was a No. 24 US hit that showcased his country-soul roots. Despite being covered by The Rolling Stones (and having other songs covered by Elvis Presley and The Beatles – the latter covering his biggest hit, ‘Anna (Go To Him)’, ...
‘Rhythm Of The Rain’, 1963 The Cascades were a white R&B/vocal group that, despite never matching the success of their first hit, ‘Rhythm Of The Rain’, continued recording until the early 1970s. It reached No. 1 in many countries, but was anchored at the No. 2 spot in the US by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ ‘Walk ...
‘Have I The Right ?’, 1964 A vehicle for legendary British producer Joe Meek, The Honeycombs’ ‘Have I The Right ?’ was a UK No. 1 in 1964. Plenty of other singles followed, as well as two full-length LPs, but Meek and The Honeycombs were unable to re-create this debut’s chart-topping magic. After Meek passed away in 1967 ...
‘Green Tambourine’, 1967 The Lemon Pipers did not write much of their material, and are alleged never to have liked ‘Green Tambourine’. Recorded as a contractual obligation to Buddah, it was a UK bubblegum pop No. 1. The Lemon Pipers always wanted to explore a more psychedelic direction, however, and by the time they were finally allowed ...
‘Something In The Air’, 1969 Named – partially – after pianist Andy Newman, Thunderclap were a three-piece group that drummer John ‘Speedy’ Keen assembled with the aid of Pete Townshend. The Who guitarist’s involvement was a favour for Keen, who wrote ‘Armenia City In The Sky’ for The Who Sell Out (1967). ‘Something In The Air’ was a UK ...
‘Spirit In The Sky’, 1970 A UK and US No. 1, ‘Spirit In The Sky’ was Greenbaum’s first solo hit after performing in some short-lived groups, and a number of singles from the Spirit In The Sky LP came to very little. Intended as a commentary on contemporary religious beliefs, it was to be his only hit. Further ...
‘Resurrection Shuffle’, 1971 Keyboardist/vocalist Tony Ashton and drummer Roy Dyke were seasoned 1960s beat group musicians who had played behind George Harrison on his Wonderwall Music LP. In 1969, they met bassist Kim Gardner to form AG&D, and had a No. 3 hit with ‘Resurrection Shuffle’. Having recorded three LPs by 1972, nothing else matched ‘Shuffle’’s hit appeal ...
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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.