‘Lovin’ You’, 1975 Having virtually retired in the early 1970s, Epic Records slowly restarted Riperton’s career in 1973, having her record backing vocals for Stevie Wonder, followed by recording her own solo album, Perfect Angel (which featured Wonder as co-writer and musician), and releasing a string of singles, which culminated in 1975’s No. 1 hit, ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1897–1973) Lizzie Douglas was born in Algiers, Louisiana but was raised in Walls, Mississippi. She learned banjo and guitar at a young age and ran away to Memphis in 1910 to work the music circuit under the name Kid Douglas. She toured with the Ringling Brothers circus for several seasons prior to 1920 and also ...
(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 ...
‘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 ...
(Electronic group, 1989–present) The main fountainhead of creativity was the highly collaborative Dr. Alex Patterson. The Orb redefined ambient music taking listeners on journeys irrespective of genre-fusing elements of dub and even progressive music into long extended pieces. Singles ‘A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld’ (sampling Minnie Riperton’s ‘Loving You’) and ‘Little ...
Just as sports have their pantheon of greats, the country-music industry established its own Hall Of Fame in 1961 to honour its most influential figures and deepen public understanding and appreciation of the music’s rich heritage and history. A Pantheon Of Country Stars As of 2005, 62 artists and industry leaders – starting with Jimmie Rodgers (1897–1933) and songwriter ...
Puccini visited the Metropolitan Opera in New York during 1907 to see the US premieres of Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly. While there he saw David Belasco’s play The Girl of the Golden West and his next opera began to take shape. La fanciulla del West is notable particularly for the vital part the vast orchestra plays in depicting the characters’ ...
The parents of William Lee Conley Broonzy were born into slavery. He was born in June 1893 in Scott, Mississippi, one of 17 children. Raised on a farm in Arkansas, Broonzy’s first musical instrument was a home-made violin, which he played at church and social functions. In the early teens he was an itinerant preacher, while ...
1918–2005, Swedish Nilsson’s impressive soprano voice boasted a focused yet powerful sound and an amplitude that could ride the grandest of Wagnerian climaxes with ease. Among Nilsson’s most famous performances were her legendary 1950s and 1960s portrayals of Brünnhilde and Isolde. Both of these roles were recorded, with Karl Böhm conducting. She was equally powerful in roles such as ...
1878–1933, Czech Born in Prague as Ema Kittl, Destinn studied with Marie Loewe-Destinn, whose name she adopted out of gratitude. She made her debut at the Hofoper in Berlin with the role of Santuzza from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. Her most famous performances are those of Minnie in the premiere of Puccini’s La fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan ...
(Ja’-ko’mo Poot-che’-ne) 1858–1924 Italian composer Puccini wrote 12 operas, three of which rank among the most popular in the world: La bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. The composer came from a long line of musicians. His great-great-grandfather, the first Giacomo Puccini (1712–81), was organist and choirmaster at the cathedral of S Martino in the Tuscan town of Lucca. His ...
(Music publisher, producer, manager, 1884–1985) Publisher Irving Mills was early to recognize the potential in black music. He formed Mills Music, Inc. with his brother in 1919 and enjoyed a business relationship with Duke Ellington from 1926–39 that brought a procession of Ellington songs into the Mills catalogue. He also formed the Mills Blue Rhythm Band in ...
(Vocals, songwriter, 1917–69) Born in Alba, Texas, Payne is best known as the writer of ‘Lost Highway’, which became an enduring classic after it was a hit for Hank Williams in 1949, and ‘I Love You Because’ (Jim Reeves, 1958), alongside many others. As a recording artist, he had a No. 1 hit in ...
(Comedian, 1910–58) Rodney Leon Brasfield, born in Smithville, Mississippi, was one of country music’s most beloved comedians and a long-time favourite of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, where he performed from 1944 until his death. He often teamed with fellow Opry comedienne Minnie Pearl and later with singer-comedienne June Carter Cash. Styles & Forms | War Years ...
(Vocals, songwriter, 1936–92) Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Roger Dean Miller wrote and recorded a string of brilliant novelty hits that earned him 11 Grammy Awards, as well as country and pop stardom during the 1960s. Chief among his self-penned songs are ‘Dang Me’, ‘Chug-A-Lug’ – both hits in 1964 – ‘King Of The Road’ and ...
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David Bowie
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