(Singer-songwriter, b. 1988) Big-voiced London-born singer-songwriter Adele (born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) rose from posting a demo on Myspace to a Grammy award in just a couple of years. Her debut LP 19, released in 2008, reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 10 in the US after an appearance on Saturday Night Live; her 2008 single ‘Chasing Pavements’ was also a big hit. Her blend of white soul and ...
(Vocal group, 2000–present) New Yorker Antony Hegarty (vocals) and his fluid supporting cast are an act that affect everyone who hears them. Lou Reed liked them so much he recruited Hegarty to his band, and provided vocals, along with Boy George, on the Mercury Award-winning I Am A Bird Now (2005). What captivates fans is undoubtedly Hegarty’s voice, a successor to Nina Simone but also one clearly indebted to the 1980s ...
(Vocals, b. 1984) Something of a mass of contradictions, Canada’s Lavigne has latterly been trying to shed the skater-pop image of her debut album Let Go (2002), which contained the massive single ‘Sk8er Boi’, in favour of a more mature, feminine approach. This was clear from her second album Under My Skin (2004), which displayed patently darker themes than the debut, but also through her decision to become the face of ...
(Vocals, b. 1981) Beyoncé Knowles – the surname is rarely used – left Grammy award-winning girl band Destiny’s Child in 2003 to pursue the most successful career of any female in the 2000s. Her first solo album, that year’s Dangerously In Love, went straight in at No. 1 in both the US and UK. Her follow up, B’Day, came three years later in 2006, again topping the Billboard 200 and reaching ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1992–2005, 2009–present) Kings of the snotty, toilet-humoured nu-punk genre, Blink-182 – Travis Barker (drums), Tom DeLonge (vocals) and Mark Hoppus (bass) – formed while at school, recording in their then-drummer Scott Raynor’s bedroom. Since then, they have grown older but not matured, with 2001’s ‘Rock Show’ a fine example of the band’s awareness of its target audience. They returned from their ‘indefinite hiatus’ with a 2009 US tour, Travis ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 2002–09) Bloc Party – Kele Okereke (vocals), Matt Tong (drums), Russell Lissack (guitar) and Gordon Moakes (bass) – achieved massive critical acclaim for their debut, Silent Alarm (2005). The record managed to appeal to a cross section of music lovers (Okereke even guested on a Chemical Brothers’ track), but is largely remembered for its stop-start guitar anthems, such as ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Banquet’. Very much indebted to the likes of ...
(Vocals, b. 1981) Britney Spears started life, after a short stage career, on American TV’s New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 onwards. Her debut single ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ (1998) was a masterly slice of melancholy pop that topped the charts – due in no small part to its suggestive video featuring the singer/actress in a school uniform. A year later, and the star’s level of fame was enormous, with ...
(Vocals, b. 1984) Scottish DJ Harris (real name Adam Wiles) made a big wave in British disco in the latter half of the Noughties, filling club dancefloors with tracks like ‘Acceptable In The 80s’ and ‘Dance Wiv Me’ – his collaboration with Dizzee Rascal. He courts controversy, voicing his opinions via social network site Twitter, but his talking on the decks made him a driving force in British music in the ...
(Vocals, b. 1989) American R&B star Chris Brown burst into the charts at just 16 years old in 2005. His self-titled debut album went straight to No. 2 in the US off the success of his debut single ‘Run It!’. Second LP Exclusive made the Top 5 two years later, but an assault conviction involving then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 threatened to derail his career. Even so, third album Graffiti (2009) made ...
(Vocals, b. 1980) NYC native Aguilera has been making records since 1999, but singing since her very earliest years, inspired by the talents of the likes of Whitney Houston and Madonna. Her own vocal ability has long been the selling point of her talent, but her ‘blonde bombshell’ looks have not hindered her progress. Breaking on to the scene with the single ‘Genie In A Bottle’, Aguilera’s overt sexuality was always evident. ...
Coldplay were formed in London in 1996 by four college friends – Chris Martin (born 2 March 1977, vocals), Jonny Buckland (born 11 September 1977, guitar), Will Champion (born 31 July 1978, drums) and Guy Berryman (born 12 April 1978, bass). Their early years were similar to thousands of other struggling young bands in the UK’s capital, with continued gigging at venues in the Camden area and numerous support slots ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1976) Mainstream in every sense of the word, be-hatted Canadian Powter has really made a career from the success of one, admittedly enormous, single. ‘Bad Day’ (2005) was initially supposed to soundtrack a Coca Cola advert, but was subsequently a test for American Idol entrants – as big a fast-track to recognition as is possible. A traditional piano singer-songwriter, it remains to be seen if Powter can maintain the ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 2006–present) Daughtry was formed by American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry after he was eliminated from the TV talent show. Their debut, which reached No. 1 in the US and made the Top 20 in the UK, went on to become America’s biggest-selling album of 2007, selling over four million copies. Second album Leave This Town (2009) also topped the Billboard 200, tours with Nickelback and Bon Jovi proving that ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1981) The daughter of a French poet mother, this singer was born Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong on Christmas Day. She waited on the sidelines while her musician brother, Rollo Armstrong (of the band Faithless), achieved pop success in the mid-1990s. But encouraged after providing vocals for some of his tracks, her own songwriting came to the fore. When 1998’s serene ‘Thank You’ was sampled in part by ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1984) Aimée Ann Duffy’s 2008 debut album Rockferry was the UK’s top seller of the year, an astounding achievement for the singer-songwriter given she grew up with Welsh as her first language. Her retro soul-pop, exemplified by derivative but catchy hit single ‘Mercy’, drew comparisons with Dusty Springfield, while a Grammy award in 2009 confirmed she appealed to Americans too. A similar success in 2010 would potentially confirm her ...
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.
