As well-known for their bizarrely teased haircuts as their hit single "I Ran (So Far Away)," A Flock of Seagulls were one of the infamous one-hit wonders of the new wave era. Growing out of the synth-heavy and ruthlessly stylish new romantic movement, A...
A Taste of Honey had two huge hits that were very dissimilar from each other -- "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and a cover of Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 gold hit "Sukiyaki." The former was foot-stomping disco and the latter was languid and lush.
Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen, formerly of Bridges formed a-ha in the early '80s. Morten Harket joined the duo, and they left for the now "legendary London flat" (so called because of its state of disrepair) to make it. By late 1983 they had...
A star in the R&B world before she was even out of her teens, Aaliyah's promising career was tragically cut short by her death in a plane crash at age 22. Even with only three albums under her belt, she'd already earned a place as a talented trendsetter among...
Raised between America and the island of Trinidad and Tobago, Aaron Fresh is a breath-taking combination of West Indian and American culture. Beginning his love affair with song at an early age, 17-year-old Aaron knew that he wanted to sing by the time he reached...
Tommy Walter began his career in 1995 as a founding member of the critically acclaimed band eels. As the first group to sign to Dreamworks Records, the band toured the world in support of their release Beautiful Freak and the alternative rock hit ‘Novocaine For...
The most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s, the origins of the Swedish superstars ABBA dated back to 1966, when keyboardist and vocalist Benny Andersson, a onetime member of the popular beat outfit the Hep Stars, first teamed with guitarist and...
One of the most popular new wave bands of the early '80s, the British group ABC built upon the detached, synthesized R&B pop of David Bowie and Roxy Music, adding a self-conscious, campy sense of theatrics and style. Under the direction of vocalist Martin...
AC/DC's mammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering arena rock of the early '70s. AC/DC's rock was minimalist -- no matter how huge and...
Ace were one of the few pub rock groups to enjoy success on the pop charts, largely due to the warm, soulful vocals of Paul Carrack. While Carrack's voice certainly had crossover appeal -- as he would later prove with his own records, as well as his work with...
Along with Eddie Van Halen, Kiss' Ace Frehley inspired numerous up-and-coming rockers to pick up the guitar in the 1970s -- and come the '90s, was listed by just about every contemporary rock guitarist (Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready,...
One of the seminal figures of new wave, Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard) had several distinct phases to his career. Initially, he explored a jagged, guitar-oriented post-punk with his group Adam and the Ants before giving way to a more pop-oriented,...
Before becoming a front-runner in the eighth season of American Idol, vocalist Adam Lambert made his name in the theater world, where he performed alongside Val Kilmer in the debut production of Ten Commandments: The Musical and landed an understudy role in a...
Meet one of 2008’s most exciting new talents. Even before she’s released a note of music – and at barely 19 – ADELE has already chalked up a Jools Holland appearance, worked with Jim Abiss, Eg White and Mark Ronson, signed to XL...
Aerosmith was one of the most popular hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the...
"Crash Love is certainly not a concept album or rock opera by any stretch, but the songs are generally connected by a greater theme... The album title itself can be construed as a command, as a destructive kind of love, or as a desire for a relationship...
It has been an extraordinary 10 year journey for the Afro Celt Sound System - one of the most innovative music collectives of its time. In that period there have been many lesser imitators and the global beat movement they pioneered has entered the mainstream....
<P> The stars must've been aligned just right when Nick van de Wall (better known as Afrojack) saw his first ray of light. Music was his first love since his early youth. He started playing piano when he was only five. Being a very creative student,...
"The first tape I made was about my eighth-grade teacher," recalls the 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Joseph Foreman. "She got me kicked out of school for sagging my pants, which was a big deal back then. So I wrote this song about her and...
After the Fire was originally formed in England in 1974 by keyboard player Peter Banks. This lineup disbanded a few years later, upon which point Banks re-formed the band with guitarist Andy Piercy, bass player Nick Battle, and drummer Ivor Twiddell. The new...
