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(Vocals, 1921–91) Louisiana-born Webb Pierce was one of the most popular honky-tonk singers of the post-Hank Williams zenith of the style in the 1950s. Throughout this decade, he dominated the charts with hits such as ‘Back Street Affair’ (1952), ‘There Stands The Glass’ (1953), and ‘Honky-Tonk Song’ (1957). Styles & Forms | War Years | Country Personalities | Ray ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

(Drums, bandleader, 1909–39) Associated with the Savoy Ballroom from 1927, the Chick Webb band built a large audience in Harlem. In the 1930s arranger Edgar Sampson became the chief architect of its swinging style, which was propelled by Webb’s dynamic drumming and flashy solos, crackling with rim shots. He inspired Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz & Blues, founding editor Howard Mandel

b. 1948 English composer and producer Lloyd Webber met the lyricist Tim Rice in 1965 and within three years they had written Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (1968), which displays a strong lyricism and a close affinity to pop. His most successful musical was Cats, based on the poems by T. S. Eliot, which was one of the ...

Source: Classical Music Encyclopedia, founding editor Stanley Sadie

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 ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

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 – ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer

One of modern country music’s most remarkable figures, Chester Burton Atkins born in Luttrell, Tennessee, rose from rural obscurity to become one of the world’s most celebrated guitarists and one of Nashville’s most influential record producers. Atkins’ musical vision did much to shape country music during the 1950s and 1960s. Early Years Atkins was born on 20 June ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

Even when he was sober, Jimmy Martin (vocals, guitar, 1927–2005) was willing to tell anyone who would listen why he was the ‘king of bluegrass’. After all, didn’t Bill Monroe’s sound change dramatically when Martin joined The Blue Grass Boys in 1949 ? Didn’t Martin create a brand new honky-tonk/bluegrass hybrid on his great Decca recordings of ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

(Vocals, guitar, songwriter, b. 1932) CMA’s 1976 Entertainer Of The Year caught malaria as an infant, which left him with a speech defect (reflected in the title of his autobiography – Stutterin’ Boy). Nevertheless, the father of Pam Tillis accumulated 77 country hits between 1958 and 1989, including three duets with Nancy Sinatra. Equally famous ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

(Songwriter, vocals, 1934–2005) One of Nashville’s most beloved characters, Chickasha, Oklahoma-born Kilgore was best known for penning classics such as ‘Ring Of Fire’ (a hit for Johnny Cash, 1963), ‘Wolverton Mountain’ (Claude King, 1962), ‘More And More’ (Webb Pierce, 1954) and ‘Johnny Reb’ (Johnny Horton, 1959). Styles & Forms | Nashville & Beyond ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

(Comedian, 1912–96) Often called ‘The Queen of Country Comedy’, Sarah Ophelia Colley brought smiles of warmth and endearment to several generations of Grand Ole Opry fans in the comic guise of Minnie Pearl. She was a fixture on the Opry for over half a century. Styles & Forms | War Years | Country Personalities | Webb Pierce | War Years ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

(Vocals, songwriters, publishers, 1950s–60s) Brothers Virgil Doyle (1930–82) and Thurman Theodore (1931–2003) from Hardy, Arkansas, first began performing as children along with three older siblings. In the early 1950s, Doyle and Teddy recorded and toured with Webb Pierce. In 1954, striking out on their own, they signed with the Grand Ole Opry and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

A slapped upright bass, twanging lead guitar and acoustic rhythm guitar; a blues structure with country and blues inflections; a strong beat and moderate-to-fast tempo; a wild, yelping, often stuttering vocal style, together with plenty of echo on the recordings are the main ingredients of rockabilly. The rockabilly style was an eclectic hybrid of R&B, hillbilly ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer

Benny Goodman was the first of the great bandleader virtuosos of the 1930s to achieve global success. Through a combination of personal connections, nerve, enormous talent and sheer luck, he parlayed a sequence of opportunities in 1934–35 into a payoff that changed American music. After forming his first band in New York in 1934, he won a ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz & Blues, founding editor Howard Mandel

(Vocals, b. 1940) Born Harry Webb in India, Cliff Richard is the ultimate British pop star, with over 100 UK hit singles to his credit since 1958, when ‘Move It’, widely regarded as the first credible British rock’n’roll record, reached the UK Top 3. More than a dozen UK No. 1s include 1959’s ‘Living Doll’ and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley

(Vocals, b. 1951) Loretta Lynn’s younger sister was born Brenda Gail Webb, and her professional career began as part of her older sister’s show. After minor success on Decca, she signed with United Artists in 1974, which resulted in an almost-immediate change of fortunes. The lilting Top 10 hit, ‘Wrong Road Again’ (1975), opened the floodgates ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen
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