(Guitar, vocals, b. 1945) Once lead guitarist with Bournemouth’s Tony Blackburn and The Rovers, Stewart’s commercial discography as a solo artist commenced with a 1966 Xerox of a Yardbirds LP track, ‘Turn Into Earth’. Very bound up in himself lyrically, he impinged on national consciousness via mild media uproar over his insertion of a rude word in autobiographical ‘Love Chronicles’, title track of a 1969 album. As a post-Woodstock singer-songwriter, he ...
(Vocals, 1940–83) This fated Liverpudlian was on a par with Cliff Richard as a British Elvis Presley, enjoying 11 Top 10 hits before vanishing into a cabaret netherworld. Though dogged by severe ill health, he resurfaced as a typecast rock’n’roll singer in the 1973 movie That’ll Be The Day. As he may have wished, he died with a record in the charts – 1983’s ‘Devil Or Angel’ – although he was ...
Next to The Beatles, Bob Dylan was the most influential artist of his generation, writing and performing songs whose poetic, sometimes-abstract, often-philosophical lyrics of astute commentary and therapeutic introspection spoke to the masses during an era of social unrest, political upheaval and radical change. While cross-pollinating folk and country with electric rock, Dylan elevated the role of the singer-songwriter and, in so doing, introduced an entirely new dimension to popular music. From ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1939–91) Stating his intent with 1961’s million-selling – and self-penned – ‘Runaway’, this square-jawed hunk from Michigan continued an exploration of small town soul-torture with the likes of ‘Hats Off To Larry’, ‘Little Town Flirt’ and ‘Stranger In Town’. Other chartbusters included ‘The Swiss Maid’, ‘From Me To You’ – the first Beatles composition to penetrate the US Hot 100 – a revival of Jimmy Jones’s ‘Handy Man’ and ...
(Piano, singer-songwriter, b. 1942) A highly respected exponent of Southern R&B, Mac Rebennack had 15 years of recording and production experience as a session player before he released his first LP, 1968’s Gris Gris. Frequently adding jazz, rock, psychedelia and voodoo to the R&B mix, his prolific output is unpredictably eclectic, although his musical knowledge and connections are impeccable. He was an energetic fundraiser for his home town New Orleans following ...
(Vocals, 1934–84) With his powerful high vocal range, Jackie Wilson was among the earliest singers to make the transition from R&B to soul. His first single, 1957’s ‘Reet Petite’, was the start of a winning partnership with its writer, young Berry Gordy (although Wilson never recorded for Gordy’s Motown label). ‘Reet Petite’ was actually more successful in Britain, reaching No. 6 (and No. 1 on its Christmas 1986 reissue). Recorded work ...
(Vocals, 1943–70) During a troubled adolescence in Texas, Joplin sang in regional clubs before a move to California, where she emerged as focal point of San Francisco’s Big Brother and The Holding Company, sounding weary, cynical and knowing beyond her years. In 1968, she began a solo career that was triumphant and tragic – for, shortly after a drug-induced death in 1970, she topped both the US album and singles chart ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1943) Fairport Convention were among several artists who had already covered her songs when this gifted Canadian soprano’s debut LP, Songs To A Seagull, appeared in 1968. A move to California coupled with relentless touring assisted the passage of the following year’s Clouds into the US Top 40. However, it was not until she caught the general tenor of the post-Woodstock era that Mitchell truly left the runway ...
(Piano, vocals, 1947–97) An ill-fated performance at 1967’s Monterey Festival arrested the commercial progress of the late New Yorker, whose songs – imaginative fusions of jazz, gospel and folk – were to be covered by the diverse likes of Blood, Sweat and Tears, Fifth Dimension, Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra, jackpot of all songwriters. A long vinyl silence ended with a 1975 album, Smile. There followed another withdrawal ...
(Guitar, singer-songwriter, b. 1934) Despite a humble vocal endowment, this acclaimed Canadian poet and novelist moved to the States in his mid-30s to make his first essay as a recording artist with 1968’s sparsely arranged and all-acoustic Songs Of Leonard Cohen, which included the much-covered ‘Bird On A Wire’. Reaching out to self-doubting adolescent diarists, it and its successors – notably Songs From A Room and 1971’s Songs Of Love And ...
Georgia’s finest soul son, Otis Redding’s story encapsulates the history of soul music. He was a hard-working performer with special gifts who became a role model of dedication and success, an icon for his African-American peers. In the process he also won the hearts of the white audience with his music, and, by the simple act of singing, played a major role in breaking down racial barriers. Early Breaks Otis Redding was ...
(Vocals, 1931–64) With his pure sweet voice, sound business awareness and keen social concerns, Sam Cooke was a key figure in the early development of soul and pop. He was already a star as a member of gospel group The Soul Stirrers when he was sacked in 1956 for releasing a secular solo single. He launched his solo career with a run of exquisite romantic ballads including ‘You Send Me’ and ...
Born Steveland Judkins on 13 May 1950 and blind virtually from birth, the future Little Stevie Wonder was already singing in his local choir at the age of four. By the time he was seven he had mastered the piano, harmonica and drums. In 1961, Ronnie White of The Miracles introduced the child prodigy to the label’s founder Berry Gordy, who signed him up immediately to a long-term contract and ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1947–75) As one of a bohemian clique of singer-songwriters in mid-1960s New York, he developed a style of de rigueur melancholy introspection that was jazzier and more daring than most – though this was moderated on his first three albums. However, after 1970’s transitional Blue Afternoon, offerings like Lorca and Starsailor were virtually free-form – though there was a return to more conventional song structure for later releases. Buckley ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1940–2002) Rose was omnipresent in the clubs of New York’s vibrantly bohemian Greenwich Village when his arrangement of the murder ballad ‘Hey Joe’ was covered in 1966 as The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut single. ‘Morning Dew’ proved the hardiest of his own compositions via retreads by such as The Jeff Beck Group, The Grateful Dead and, in 2002, Robert Plant. That year, the late Rose issued a final album, ...
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...
CURATED
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.
