(Vocal/instrumental group, 1988–present) This New York jam band initially favoured the extended blues rock format made popular by The Grateful Dead. John Popper (vocals, harmonium), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Bobby Sheehan (bass) and Brendan Hills (drums) built a solid following that was vastly amplified when aptly named fourth album – Four (1995) – sold four million copies on the back of the hit single ‘Run-Around’. Although Shehean died in 1999 – at ...
Derek Trucks was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1979. Trucks bought his first guitar at a yard sale for $5 at age nine and became a child prodigy, playing his first paid performance at age 11. Trucks began playing the guitar using a ‘slide’ bar because it allowed him to play the guitar with his small hands. By his thirteenth birthday, Trucks had played alongside Buddy Guy and gone on tour ...
‘What I Am’, 1989 Late 1980s folk rockers, Edie Brickell And The Bohemians were really riding on the talent of chief songwriter Edie Brickell. ‘What I Am’ was a Top 10 hit from their debut LP, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, though the group disbanded after its 1990 follow-up, Ghost Of A Dog, failed to perform to expectations. Edie kick-started a solo career in 2003, with longtime Dylan sideman Charlie Sexton ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1989–present) Formed in South Carolina, Darius Rucker (vocals), Mark Bryan (guitar), Dean Felber (bass) and Jim ‘Soni’ Sonefeld (drums) played pleasing blues rock with a hint of folk and a pop edge. That Rucker, nicknamed Hootie, was an Afro-American also gave their material an unconscious soulful element. Constant touring built a dedicated following that helped sell an initial self-financed EP Kootchypop (1992). Debut album Cracked Rear Mirror (1994) was a ...
A leading figure on America’s West Coast music scene, Jerry Garcia was born in San Francisco in 1942. His father was a retired professional musician, his mother a pianist. The musically inclined Jerry began taking piano lessons as a child. The emergence of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran inspired him to learn guitar at 15, his first instrument being a Danelectro. He took an arts course at San Francisco ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1983–present) Formed in New England, Phish are a jam band comprising Trey Anastasio (vocals, guitar), Page McConnell (keyboards, vocals), Mike Gordon (bass) and Jon Fishman (drums, vocals). Musically an eclectic mix of rock, jazz, blues, folk and whatever took their improvizational fancy, they became a word-of-mouth touring phenomenon, building up a devoted American following. Perceived like Widespread Panic as a modern Grateful Dead, Phish showcased their concert chops on ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1989–2002, 2005–present) Musically, The Black Crowes were a throwback to the classic rock swagger of The Rolling Stones. Formed in Atlanta, Chris Robinson (vocals), Richard Robinson (guitar), Jeff Cease (guitar), Johnny Colt (bass) and Steve Gorman (drums) combined hard touring and compelling albums such as Shake Your Money Maker (1990) and The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion (1992). These laid the foundations for a long-term career and extensive chart ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1991–present) South African-born Matthews (guitar, vocals) formed his band in Virginia, recruiting Stefan Lessard (bass), Leroi Moore (saxophone), Boyd Tinsley (violin) and Carter Beauford (drums) into the ranks. Fusing elements of world music into a sound that celebrated folk, funk and rock in equal parts, they built an audience by undertaking constant touring, releasing their debut Remember Two Things (1993) on their own label. Now signed to RCA, Under The ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1988–present) This American band formed in New York, comprising Chris Barron (vocals), Eric Schenkman (guitar), Mark White (bass) and Aaron Comess (drums). Their good-time blend of blues rock in Phish/Blues Traveler vein was pleasant without appearing to threaten the charts. Debut album Pocket Full Of Kryptonite (1991) sold steadily due to hard touring, although when MTV picked up on ‘Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong’ sales went through the roof. ...
When The Grateful Dead started attracting a large fan following on the Bay Area concert scene during the late-1960s, courtesy of free-form jams that showcased the band’s fusion of folk, rock, country and blues, it signalled that rock’n’roll was latching onto a tradition of improvization that had long been prevalent in other forms of Western music. This had been a key feature of the classical music of the Baroque era in ...
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.
