(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 ...
(Vocals, b. 1954) Sharp-suited keyboardist and singer Jackson, from Portsmouth, rode the new wave with quirky love songs such as ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him’, and a varied US Top 20 album Look Sharp (1979). He then reverted to his musical background in jazz. With 1981’s Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive he updated big band swing. More eclectic albums, Night And Day (1982) and Body And Soul (1984) and a ...
(Vocals, b. 1985) Daughter of comedy actor Keith Allen, Lily has gone on to surpass her father’s success with two platinum-selling albums in the Noughties. Allen blends British pop with elements of ska and R&B. That, coupled with acerbic observational lyrics brought her to prominence with her 2006 debut Alright, Still and UK chart-topping single ‘Smile’. The Londoner’s second album It’s Not Me, It’s You followed in 2009, and went to ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–present) This London band – Graham ‘Suggs’ McPherson and Chas Smash (both vocals), Dan Woodgate (drums), Mark Bedford (bass), Mike Barson (keyboards), Chris Foreman (guitar) and Lee Thompson (saxophone) – only managed one US hit, 1983’s ‘Our House’, but inspired the American ska-punkers of the 1990s. 1979’s One Step Beyond was a cornerstone of the ska revival, but Madness soon developed a broader pop-oriented sensibility. An influence on the ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1987–present) Gwen Stefani (vocals), Tom Dumont (guitar), Tony Kanal (bass) and Adrian Young (drums) began life as a ska/punk band from California. Their eponymous debut album (1992) went against the grain of grunge and they were dropped by their label. Success followed after their self-financed Tragic Kingdom (1995) crashed into US charts on the back of the ‘Just A Girl’ single. A typical ballad ‘Don’t Speak’ made UK No. ...
Peter Tosh (1944–87), born Winston Hubert McIntosh, was the guitarist in the original Wailing Wailers. His mercurial temperament, provocative advocacy of the Rastafari movement and untimely death drew attention from his role in the most important band in the history of reggae. Tosh grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. His height (6ft 5in/2m) and temperament earned him the nickname Stepping Razor. Tosh began to sing and play guitar at a young ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1985–2003) This Boston band was instrumental in mixing together ska and punk with metal stylings for a wider American audience. Tim Bridewell (vocals), Dicky Barrett (vocals), Nate Albert (guitar), Joe Gittleman (bass), Josh Dalsimer (drums), Tom ‘Johnny Vegas’ Burton (saxophone) was a classic line-up that enjoyed cult success with albums like Don’t Know How To Party (1993) and Let’s Face It (1997). The single ‘The Impression That I Get’ ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1978–81, 2009) As frontrunners of the ska revival, this superb Coventry band released the genre’s finest single, ‘Ghost Town’ (1981), on their own 2Tone label. Terry Hall and Neville Staples (both vocals), Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation (both guitar), Jerry Dammers (keyboards), Horace ‘Gentleman’ Panter (bass) and John Bradbury (drums) also had hits with ‘Rat Race’ and ‘Do Nothing’, and released two excellent albums. Hall, Staples and Golding became ...
(Vocal group, 1977–92, 1999–2006) Influential Swindon new-wavers, fronted by Andy Partridge (guitar, vocals) with Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), Barry Andrews (keyboards) and Terry Chambers (drums, until 1985). After two 1978 albums, White Music and Go 2, Andrews departed and the band’s sound was overhauled when guitarist Dave Gregory was recruited. Critical acclaim for albums like Skylarking (1986) and Oranges And Lemons (1989) failed to translate into sales. After a seven-year lay-off, ...
After the seismic shifts of the previous decade, the 1970s reflected faster-moving, less permanent crazes, beginning with glam rock and ending with the new wave. Glam rock saw the likes of Alice Cooper and Kiss taking make-up to extremes, while the comparatively anonymous Eagles and Bruce Springsteen respectively updated the blueprints established the previous decade by country rocker Gram Parsons and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. As Motown moved from Detroit to the West ...
Ska represents the birth of modern popular Jamaican music, and it does so with the accent on ‘Jamaican’. While this raucous, uptempo, good-times music may have had its roots in American big-band jazz and R&B, it was conceived as a celebration of Jamaican independence. Ska is the link between the virtuoso playing of Kingston’s sophisticated nightclub musicians and the vibrancy of the downtown sound systems. It revolutionized Jamaican life and the ...
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.
