(Vocal group, 1972–95) A multi-skilled foursome who operated from the self-owned Strawberry Studios, Stockport. Eric Stewart, Lol Creme, (both guitar, keyboards) Graham Gouldman, (bass) and Kevin Godley (drums) wrote, sang and produced four albums of inventive pop/rock from 1973–76. Their 1975 No. 1 ‘I’m Not In Love’ was also a Stateside smash. 10cc split in two in 1976 with Gouldman and Stewart retaining the name whilst Godley and Creme recorded as ...
The most commercially successful pop band of the 1970s, ABBA rose again in the 1990s when ABBA Gold (1992) revived their peerless singles’ legacy, which has carried on ever since. ABBA were formed in 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden, by Benny Andersson (born Goran Bror Benny Andersson, 16 December 1946), Bjorn Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945) and their girlfriends Frida Lyngstad (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad-Ruess, 15 November 1945) and Agnetha Faltskog (born ...
(Vocals, b. 1946) An American soul and gospel singer, Reverend Al Green (he was ordained a pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis in 1976) made his recording debut on Back Up Train (1967). His third album Al Green Gets Next To You (1970) was the start of a golden period when he recorded many of the songs for which he is best known – ‘Tired Of Being Alone’, ‘Let’s ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1970–present) An Anglo-American trio formed in the UK by Gerry Beckley (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Dewey Bunnell (guitar, vocals) and Dan Peek (guitar, vocals, keyboards), sons of US military personnel and British mothers. America’s acoustically backed three-part harmonies were reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Best-known for the transatlantic 1972 hit ‘Horse With No Name’, the band worked with Beatles producer George Martin on four albums from 1974–77, slimming to ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1972–82, 1989–present) The blue-eyed soul of Scots Alan Gorrie (vocals, bass), Malcolm Duncan (saxophone), Owen McIntyre (vocals, guitar), Hamish Stuart (vocals, guitar), Roger Ball (keyboards) and Robbie McIntosh (drums) topped the US charts in 1975 with the album AWB and single ‘Pick Up The Pieces’. After dabbling in disco with ‘Let’s Go Round Again’, a British hit in 1980, the band went on hiatus in the mid-1980s, reforming in ...
(Vocals, 1944–2003) Nicknamed the ‘Walrus of Love’, Barry White’s image as a Lothario sometimes obscured his talents as a songwriter, producer and arranger. Working with girl group Love Unlimited, his first hit was ‘Walking In The Rain With The One I Love’ in 1972. White’s distinctive growl was heard on ‘Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe’, a US No. 1 and ‘You’re The First, The Last, My Everything’ a British ...
(Vocals, b. 1938) This smooth-voiced performer from West Virginia broke through with ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ from the album Just As I Am (1971). His songs have been recorded by countless artists ranging from Grace Jones’s version of ‘Use Me’ to British pop band Mud’s cover of ‘Lean On Me’. ‘Lovely Day’ has been a Top 10 hit twice for Withers in the UK, the second time, in 1988, after its use ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1945–81) The man responsible for popularizing reggae worldwide, Bob Marley’s career began in 1963 in the original Wailers, a six-piece vocal group, later slimmed to a trio, operating out of Kingston, Jamaica and enjoying great success locally. In 1969, Marley worked with producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, who introduced him to the Barrett brothers – Aston (Family Man) on bass and Carlton (drums) – who would become a vital component ...
(Bass, vocals, b. 1951) Formerly the bassist in James Brown’s backing group the J.B.s of which his driving, rhythmic playing was a prominent feature, Collins joined George Clinton’s musical collective in 1972, supplying bass and songwriting for Funkadelic. An outrageous showman, he founded Bootsy’s Rubber Band, whose first three albums, Stretchin’ Out In Bootsy’s Rubber Band (1976), Ahh ... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby (1977) and Bootsy? Player Of The Year ...
‘Kung Fu Fighting’, 1974 Jamaican-born Carl Douglas had his finger on the pulse when he recorded ‘King Fu Fighting’, a mid-1970s novelty disco hit that reflected that era’s fascination with king fu movies and the martial arts. It reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, and is said to have been recorded in just 10 minutes, and to have sold over nine million copies worldwide. Douglas’ follow-up, ‘Dance The ...
(Piano, vocals, b. 1942) A graduate of New York’s Brill Building school of songwriting, King teamed up with lyricist and future husband Gerry Goffin to compose many 1960s smashes for other artists, although ‘It Might As Well Rain Until September’ was a hit for King under her own name in 1962. Goffin and King split up in 1967 and she recorded one album as part of a trio, The City. Her solo ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–83, 1990–92, 1996, 1998–present) Chic were a disco outfit built around the songwriting and production team of Nile Rodgers (guitar) and Bernard Edwards (bass), who were originally part of a New York rock band but changed direction when unable to secure a record deal. Chic evolved from demos recorded by the pair that formed the basis of their first album Chic (1977), for which drummer Tony Thompson and singer ...
(Vocal group, 1970–83) In 1972, Maurice White (drums) assembled a second line-up of Earth, Wind and Fire after two unsuccessful albums. This featured brother Verdine (bass), Jessica Cleaves (vocals), Ronnie Laws (saxophone), Larry Dunn (keyboards), Ralph Johnson (percussion), Roland Battista (guitar) and Philip Bailey (vocals). After further personnel changes, ‘Shining Star’ became the first in a string of dancefloor standards, which included ‘September’, ‘Fantasy’, ‘After The Love Has Gone’ and ‘Boogie ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1970–83, 1985–86, 2000–01, 2012) Devised by Roy Wood (various instruments, vocals) to provide an alternative outlet to The Move, ELO consisted of that group’s remaining members, Jeff Lynne (guitar, piano, vocals) and Bev Bevan (drums). ELO aimed to combine rock with classical instrumentation. Bill Hunt (French horn) and Steve Woolam (violin) were brought in for Electric Light Orchestra (1971) (known as No Answer in the US), after which Wood ...
From a shy piano player, Elton John became one of the most extrovert performers of the 1970s. He has sold over 250 million records worldwide and is now almost a national institution. Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947, he won a part-time piano scholarship to London’s Royal Academy Of Music at the age of 11. By the time he left school in 1963 to work for a music ...
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David Bowie
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