Week Fourteen: The Late Seventies

Mainstream Trend of the 70s

The Who: The Who began as The Detours, a band started by guitarist Roger Daltrey (born March 1st, 1944) in London in the summer of 1961. In early 1962 Roger recruited John Entwistle (born October 9th, 1944), a bass guitarist who had been playing in bands based at their mutual school of Acton County Grammar. John then suggested as an additional guitarist--his school and band friend Pete Townshend (born May 19th, 1945). The five-piece band also had Doug Sandom as drummer and Colin Dawson as singer.

Colin soon left The Detours and Roger took over as singer. The group would remain as a three-piece band and singer through the late 1970's. The Detours started off performing covers of pop tunes, but quickly progressed to loud, hard-edged covers of American rhythm-and-blues.

In early 1964, The Detours discovered a rival group also named The Detours, and decided to change their name. Pete's art school friend Richard Barnes suggested The Who and it was officially adopted. Shortly after this Doug Sandom was encouraged to leave the band and that April his seat was taken over by young maniacal drummer Keith Moon (born August 23rd, 1947). Moon, dressed all in ginger-colored clothing with hair dyed to match, had insisted on performing with The Who at a gig. He smashed their replacement drummer's foot pedal and was accepted into the band.

The Who found another way to attract fans when Pete accidentally cracked the neck of his guitar on a low ceiling during a show. The next time they played there, fans called for Pete to smash his guitar again. He did and Keith followed it up by smashing his drum kit. Also around this time, Pete developed his windmilling style of guitar playing, adapting it from a stage move of Keith Richards.

In May 1964, The Who were taken over by Pete Meaden. Meaden was big in a new British youth movement called the Mods, young men who dressed in stylish clothes and wore their hair short. Meaden renamed The Who The High Numbers. Numbers were what Mods called each other and the High implied both rank and use of "leapers," the speed tablets that Mods took to allow them to party all weekend. Meaden wrote The High Numbers' only single "I'm the Face" backed with "Zoot Suit." Both songs were old R&B songs with new lyrics about Mods. Despite his best efforts, the single failed, but the band became the Mods' favorite group.

It was at this point that two men, Kit Lambert (son of composer Christopher Lambert) and Chris Stamp (brother of actor Terence Stamp), were looking for a band about whom they could make a film. They lighted on The High Numbers in July 1964 and became the band's new managers. After a failed audition for EMI Records, the band's name reverted to The Who.

The Who made their first big splash in London after taking over the Tuesday night spot at the Marquee Club in November 1964. They were advertised all over London with black handbills designed by Richard Barnes featuring a windmilling Pete and the legend "Maximum R&B."

Shortly after this Kit and Chris pushed Pete to begin writing songs for the group, specifically one to attract The Kinks' producer Shel Talmy. Pete adapted a song he had already written called "I Can't Explain" to The Kinks' style and won over Talmy. The Who signed a contract making Talmy their producer for the next five years. He in turn, signed them to Decca Records in the U.S.

Pete's earliest songs were written to match Rogers macho stage posture. Roger was the leader of the group at the time, a position he controlled with his fists. Pete's increasing abilities as a songwriter threatened that position, especially after the hit single "My Generation." It was a defining ode to the Mod outlook on life, with the singer stuttering from amphetamine-overdose crying out "I hope I die before I get old." With the single a hit in the charts in December 1965, Pete, John and Keith forced Roger out of the band because of his violent ways. Roger promised to be a "peaceful perce" from then on, and was accepted back.

At the same time, The Who released their first album, also called "My Generation." However, distressed by Decca's lack of marketing of The Who's records in the U.S. and wishing to sign with Atlantic records, Kit and Chris broke the band's contract with Talmy and signed the band with Atlantic in the U.S. and Reaction in the U.K. Talmy struck back with countersuits, almost halting the release of the band's next single "Substitute." It was eventually settled with The Who paying record royalties for the next five years to Talmy and reverting to Decca in the U.S. This settlement, along with the band's extremely expensive act of equipment-smashing, soon left The Who in severe debt.

Kit continued to push Pete as a songwriter. While playing one of his home demos to Kit, Pete joked that he was writing a "rock opera." Kit thought it was a wonderful idea, and sent Pete off to write one. His first attempt was called "Quads." Set in the future, it concerned parents who request four girls. When one turns out to be a boy, they insist on raising him as a girl. However, The Who's need for a new single caused this first rock opera to be compressed into one short song called "I'm a Boy."

Meanwhile, as a means of making money, Kit had gotten an advance on The Who's next album with the proviso that each member of the band write two songs for it. Roger only managed one and Keith one and an instrumental. John, however, wrote two peculiar ditties, one about a "Whiskey Man" and the other about "Boris The Spider." It was the beginning of John as an alternate songwriter for the band, a songwriter with a dark sense of humor.

The new album came up short for material, so Pete wrote a mini-opera to close the album. "A Quick One While He's Away" is the story of a woman who is seduced by Ivor the Engine Driver after her "man" has been gone for "nigh on a year." The album was named "A Quick One" both for the mini-opera and the slight sexual innuendo (for that reason it was renamed "Happy Jack," after the single, in the U.S.).

With the lawsuit with Decca and Talmy finally settled, The Who were free to tour the U.S. They came over first for a series of quick shows at D.J. Murray The K's Easter concerts in New York. Their equipment-smashing, which they had abandoned in England, was revived and Americans were awed. It was the beginning of a rabid cult following in the U.S.

They returned to the U.S. that summer to play at the Monterey Pop Festival in California which brought The Who to the attention of the San Francisco hippies and the rock music critics that would soon form Rolling Stone Magazine. Pete, with his constant pontificating, could always be relied upon for copy, and he helped sell the band in the U.S. as a "thinking man's" band.

That summer they toured as an opening act for Herman's Hermits. It was on this tour that Keith's reputation as a hellraiser would be cemented at his 21st birthday party (when he was actually 20) held at an after-show party in a Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan. All that actually happened was that birthday cake got mashed into the floor, a fire extinguisher was sprayed on cars, ruining their paint jobs, and Keith broke out a tooth when he slipped in the cake while running from the police. With time and many embellishments by Keith, this turned into an orgy of destruction climaxing with a Cadillac at the bottom of the hotel swimming pool. In any event, The Who were banned for life from Holiday Inns and this along with their occasional smashing up of hotel rooms became part of the band's and Keith's legend.

While their fortunes increased in the U.S., their career began to nose-dive in the U.K. Their next single "I Can See For Miles," while their biggest single hit in the U.S., barely got into the Top Ten in Britain. Subsequent singles such as "Dogs" and "Magic Bus" did even less well. The album they released in December 1967, "The Who Sell Out," did not sell as well as their previous ones. It was a concept album designed to sound like a broadcast from the now-outlawed Radio London, an offshore pirate station, and would later be considered one of their best.

During this downturn, Pete quit using drugs and turned to the teachings of Indian mystic Meher Baba. Pete would become Baba's most-famous disciple and his following work would reflect what he learned from Baba's teachings. One such idea was that those who can perceive earthly things are unable to perceive the world of God. From this Pete devised a story of a boy who becomes deaf, dumb and blind and removed from such earthly perceptions can then see God. When cured he becomes a messiah figure.

The story eventually become known the world over as "Tommy." The Who worked on it from the summer of 1968 through to the following spring. It was a last ditch effort to save the band and give them a hit and material for their stage show. It would succeed beyond anyone's dream.

Moody Blues: The Moodies captured the imagination (and adulation) of music fans around the world with the landmark Days of Future Passed, one of the earliest "classical rock" records. From 1967 through 1974, the Moodies sold millions of records and topped the UK charts with releases like On The Threshold of a Dream and A Question of Balance. Their music from this period was ambitious and pastoral and philosophical, featuring songwriting contributions from all five members. On any given album, you might find a poem from Graeme Edge, a sea chanty from Ray Thomas, a hit single from Justin Hayward, a stirring ballad from John Lodge and something tasty from Mike Pinder. The band went on hiatus in the mid Seventies (as with Yes, members took advantage of the break to release solo records) and returned to recording with 1978's Octave. The Moodies enjoyed a resurgence in the '80s, by which time they sounded as much like ELO as their earlier selves. While their work in the '90s has received less attention, the group (now a trio of Edge, Hayward and Lodge) continues to delight fans with frequent concerts and new releases.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Emerson, Lake & Palmer were progressive rock's first supergroup. Greeted by the rock press and the public as something akin to conquering heroes, they succeeded in broadening the audience for progressive rock from hundreds of thousands into tens of millions of listeners, creating a major radio phenomenon as well. Their flamboyance on record and in the studio echoed the best work of the heavy metal bands of the era, proving that classical rockers could compete for that arena-scale audience. Over and above their own commercial success, the trio also paved the way for the success of such bands as Yes, who would become their chief rivals for much of the 1970s.

Keyboardist Keith Emerson planted the seeds of the group in late 1969 when his band the Nice shared a bill at the Fillmore West with King Crimson, an up-and-coming band that featured lead singer and bassist Greg Lake. Emerson and Lake first discussed the possibility of collaborating at that point, but only after the Crimson lineup began disintegrating during their first U.S. tour did he finally opt to leave the group (after agreeing to sing on the forthcoming Crimson album). Upon officially teaming in 1970, Emerson and Lake auditioned several drummers, including Mitch Mitchell, before they approached Carl Palmer, a former member of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown who later hooked up with bandmate Vincent Crane in an experimental band called Atomic Rooster.

The trio's first rehearsals mostly picked up from the Nice's and King Crimson's repertoires, including such well-known numbers as "Rondo" and "21st Century Schizoid Man." In August of 1970, even as they were working on the songs that would ultimately comprise their first album, ELP played its first show at the Plymouth Guildhall, just ahead of the Isle of Wight Festival in August of 1970. The group's self-titled debut album was finished the following month and released in November; an instant success, it rose to the Top Five in England and the Top 20 in America. The single "Lucky Man" also was a hit, and their stage act rapidly became the stuff of legend.

The recording of the second ELP album, 1971's Tarkus, tested their cohesiveness while stretching their sound in new directions. Emerson was interested in further exploiting the range of the Moog synthesizer, and had conceived of an extended suite built around an opening eruption of sound, while Palmer had come up with an unusual drum pattern that he was eager to use. When they tried to present their ideas to Lake, who had assumed the mantle of producer with the first album, however, he couldn't really grasp the piece. He balked, and arguments ensued, and for a time it looked as though there might be no second album.

The group eventually agreed to disagree about the proposed track: "Tarkus" became the title of the new album, and ultimately defined the ELP sound as most people understood it -- the song was loud and bombastic, somewhat gloomy in its lyrical tone, and exultant in its instrumental power. A descendant of "The Three Fates" and "Tank" from the first album, "Tarkus" was a much denser piece of music, featuring not only multiple overdubs of instruments but textures that ultimately proved very difficult to re-create on-stage. After Tarkus hit the number one spot on the English charts and reached the Top Ten in America, their March 21, 1971, concert at Newcastle City Hall -- featuring the group's adaptation of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" -- was recorded for release, and became another major hit.

It was eight months before ELP's next record, Trilogy, was released in July of 1972. In the interim, they toured extensively, and made it their business to cultivate the college audience that took most naturally to their work. With Trilogy, the partnership was back fully in balance, with each member taking an equal share of musical responsibility. Moreover, Lake never sang better, nor did the group ever sound more comfortable and laid-back; among the eight very solid numbers in a classical-rock vein, there was tucked a track that became virtually the band's signature tune, a version of Aaron Copland's Hoedown.

Such was the group's credibility that when it came time to record a version of the first movement of Alberto Ginastera's Piano Concerto No. 1 and the publisher denied them permission, they approached the composer himself, who fully approved and applauded the track that became "Tocatta" on Brain Salad Surgery, released in 1973 on their own record label, Manticore (named for one of the mythological creatures portrayed in "Tarkus"). Through Manticore, ELP also released material by Pete Sinfield and the Italian progressive rock band PFM; Sinfield's presence as a composer with Lake on Brain Salad Surgery helped strengthen one of the group's lingering weaknesses, its lyrics -- where Lake's use of language had always tended toward the pleasant but simplistic, Sinfield, a veteran of King Crimson, provided lyrical complexity nearly as daunting as the best of the group's music.

In the wake of this string of successes, ELP released a triple live album, Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends, in August of 1974, but their streak came to a halt with Works, an album that also marked the dissolution of the group sound. At the time, each member was feeling constrained by the presence of the others, and their inclination was to release a trio of solo albums; cooler heads prevailed, however, and they reasoned that none of their solo works would sell remotely as well as an ELP album. The result was Works, a double album released in March of 1977. The album consisted of three solo sides and a fourth side on which the group did two extended collaborative efforts, "Pirates" and "Fanfare for the Common Man."

The record fared poorly, and the group was never the same: Works destroyed ELP's unity, and their main motivation for recording seemed only to be their contractual obligations. Worse still, they'd squandered valuable time with work on the double album, time during which the public's taste was changing -- the progressive bands were coming in for special criticism, and the notion of extended suites, conceptual rock albums, and classical-rock fusion now seemed hopelessly ponderous and pretentious as the rise of punk rock and disco seemed to undermine any notion of intellectualism in rock. Works, Vol. 2, released in November of 1977, was nothing more than a collection of obscure B-sides and odd tracks dating back four years, while their next album of new material, Love Beach, was later described by the band members themselves as nothing more than a matter of going through the motions.

ELP split up in 1979: Lake embarked on a moderately successful solo career, Emerson took to composing film scores and recorded the occasional solo project, and after a stint with the band P.M., Palmer joined the pop supergroup Asia. In the mid-'80s, Emerson and Lake got together with drummer Cozy Powell as the short-lived Emerson, Lake & Powell, complete with a self-titled 1985 album. In 1991, Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunited for an album called Black Moon, followed by a fairly successful tour. In 1993, they released Live at Royal Albert Hall. Their attempt at another new album, In the Hot Seat, was doomed to failure by Emerson's development of a repetitive stress disorder in one hand, which required surgery and restricted the group's ability to record or perform.

Fleetwood Mac: The roots of Fleetwood Mac lie in John Mayall's legendary British blues outfit, the Bluesbreakers. Bassist John McVie was one of the charter members of the Bluesbreakers, joining the group in 1963. In 1966 Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton, and a year later drummer Mick Fleetwood joined. Inspired by the success of Cream, the Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix, the trio decided to break away from Mayall in 1967. At their debut at the British Jazz and Blues Festival in August, Bob Brunning was playing bass in the group, since McVie was still under contract to Mayall. He joined the band a few weeks after their debut; by that time, slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer had joined the band. Fleetwood Mac soon signed with Blue Horizon, releasing their eponymous debut the following year. Fleetwood Mac was an enormous hit in the U.K., spending over a year in the Top Ten. Despite its British success, the album was virtually ignored in America. During 1968, the band added guitarist Danny Kirwan. The following year, they recorded Fleetwood Mac in Chicago with a variety of bluesmen, including Willie Dixon and Otis Spann. The set was released later that year, after the band had left Blue Horizon for a one-album deal with Immediate Records; in the U.S., they signed with Reprise/Warner Bros., and by 1970, Warner began releasing the band's British records as well.

Fleetwood Mac released English Rose and Then Play On during 1969, which both indicated that the band was expanding its music, moving away from its blues purist roots. That year, Green's "Man of the World" and "Oh Well" were number two hits. Though his music was providing the backbone of the group, Peter Green was growing increasingly disturbed due to his large ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs. After announcing that he was planning to give all of his earnings away, Green suddenly left the band in the spring of 1970; he released two solo albums over the course of the '70s, but he rarely performed after leaving Fleetwood Mac. The band replaced him with Christine Perfect, a vocalist/pianist who had earned a small but loyal following in the U.K. by singing with Spencer Davis and the Chicken Shack. She had already performed uncredited on Then Play On. Contractual difficulties prevented her from becoming a full-fledged member of Fleetwood Mac until 1971; by that time she had married John McVie.

Christine McVie didn't appear on 1970's Kiln House, the first album the band recorded without Peter Green. For that album, Jeremy Spencer dominated the band's musical direction, but he had also been undergoing mental problems due to heavy drug use. During the band's American tour in early 1971, Spencer disappeared; it was later discovered that he left the band to join the religious cult the Children of God. Fleetwood Mac had already been trying to determine the direction of their music, but Spencer's departure sent the band into disarray. Christine McVie and Danny Kirwan began to move the band towards mainstream rock on 1971's Future Games, but new guitarist Bob Welch exerted a heavy influence on 1972's Bare Trees. Kirwan was fired after Bare Trees and was replaced by guitarists Bob Weston and Dave Walker, who appeared on 1973's Penguin. Walker left after that album, and Weston departed after making its follow-up, Mystery to Me (1973). In 1974, the group's manager, Clifford Davis, formed a bogus Fleetwood Mac and had the band tour the U.S. The real Fleetwood Mac filed and won a lawsuit against the imposters -- after losing, they began performing under the name Stretch -- but the lawsuit kept the band off the road for most of the year. In the interim, they released Heroes Are Hard to Find. Late in 1974, Fleetwood Mac moved to California, with hopes of restarting their career. Welch left the band shortly after the move to form Paris.

Early in 1975, Fleetwood and McVie were auditioning engineers for the band's new album when they heard Buckingham-Nicks, an album recorded by the soft rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The pair were asked to join the group and their addition revived the band's musical and commercial fortunes. Not only did Buckingham and Nicks write songs, but they brought distinctive talents the band had been lacking. Buckingham was a skilled pop craftsman, capable of arranging a commercial song while keeping it musically adventurous. Nicks had a husky voice and a sexy, hippie gypsy stage persona that gave the band a charismatic frontwoman. The new lineup of Fleetwood Mac released their eponymous debut in 1975 and it slowly became a huge hit, reaching number one in 1976 on the strength of the singles "Over My Head," "Rhiannon," and "Say You Love Me." The album would eventually sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone.

While Fleetwood Mac had finally attained their long-desired commercial success, the band was fraying apart behind the scenes. The McVies divorced in 1976, and Buckingham and Nicks' romance ended shortly afterward. The internal tensions formed the basis for the songs on their next album, Rumours. Released in the spring of 1977, Rumours became a blockbuster success, topping the American and British charts and generating the Top Ten singles "Go Your Own Way," "Dreams," "Don't Stop," and "You Make Loving Fun." It would eventually sell over 17 million copies in the U.S. alone, making it the second biggest-selling album of all time. Fleetwood Mac supported the album with an exhaustive, lucrative tour and then retired to the studio to record their follow-up to Rumours. A wildly experimental double album conceived largely by Buckingham, 1979's Tusk didn't duplicate the enormous success of Rumours, yet it did go multi-platinum and featured the Top Ten singles "Sara" and "Tusk." In 1980, they released the double-album Live.

Following the Tusk tour, Fleetwood, Buckingham, and Nicks all recorded solo albums. Of the solo projects, Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna (1981) was the most successful, peaking at number one and featuring the hit singles "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Leather and Lace," and "Edge of Seventeen." Buckingham's Law and Order (1981) was a moderate success, spawning the Top Ten "Trouble." Fleetwood, for his part, made a world music album called The Visitor. Fleetwood Mac reconvened in 1982 for Mirage. More conventional and accessible than Tusk, Mirage reached number one and featured the hit singles "Hold Me" and "Gypsy."

After Mirage, Buckingham, Nicks, and Christine McVie all worked on solo albums. The hiatus was due to a variety of reasons. Each member had his or her own manager, Nicks was becoming the group's breakaway star, Buckingham was obsessive in the studio, and each member was suffering from various substance addictions. Nicks was able to maintain her popularity, with The Wild Heart (1983) and Rock a Little (1985) both reaching the Top 15. Christine McVie also had a Top Ten hit with "Got a Hold on Me" in 1984. Buckingham received the strongest reviews of all, but his 1984 album Go Insane failed to generate a hit. Fleetwood Mac reunited to record a new album in 1985. Buckingham, who had grown increasingly frustrated with the musical limitations of the band, decided to make it his last Fleetwood Mac project. When the resulting album, Tango in the Night, was finally released in 1987, it was greeted with mixed reviews but strong sales, reaching the Top Ten and generating the Top 20 hits "Little Lies," "Seven Wonders," and "Everywhere."

Buckingham decided to leave Fleetwood Mac after completing Tango in the Night, and the group replaced him with guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. The new lineup of the band recorded their first album, Behind the Mask, in 1990. It became the band's first album since 1975 to not go gold. Following its supporting tour, Nicks and Christine McVie announced they would continue to record with the group, but not tour. Vito left the band in 1991, and the group released the box set 25 Years -- The Chain the following year. The classic Fleetwood Mac lineup of Fleetwood, the McVies, Buckingham, and Nicks reunited to play President Bill Clinton's inauguration in early 1993, but the concert did not lead to a full-fledged reunion. Later that year, Nicks left the band and was replaced by Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason; Christine McVie left the group shortly afterward. The new lineup of Fleetwood Mac began touring in 1994, releasing Time the following year to little attention. While the new version of Fleetwood Mac wasn't commercially successful, neither were the solo careers of Buckingham, Nicks, and McVie, prompting speculation of a full-fledged reunion in 1997. The live album Shrine 69 was released in 1999. Say You Will, the first Fleetwood Mac studio album in 15 years, appeared in April 2003. It also marked the group's first set without Christine McVie since 1997's live effort, The Dance.

Elton John: Born: Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Sir Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March 1947 as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (unsuccessfully) as lead singer for the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Gentle Giant . Dwight teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and changed his name to Elton John (merging the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry ). The duo wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook . In the early 1970s he recorded the concept album Tumbleweed Connection. He became the most successful pop artist of the 1970s, and he has survived many different pop fads, including punk, the New Romantics and Britpop to remain one of Britain's most internationally acclaimed musicians.

Elton John announced he was a bisexual in 1976 and in 1984 he married Renate Blauel (it lasted four years) before he finally came to terms with the fact that he was actually homosexual. In the 1970s and 1980s he suffered from drug and alcohol addiction and bulimia, but came through it. He is well known as a campaigner for AIDS research and he keeps his finger on the pulse of modern music, enjoying artists such as Eminem , Radiohead , Coldplay and Robbie Williams . He was knighted in 1997.

John was the first Western rock star to perform in Israel and the USSR, in 1979.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for contribution to music and fund-raising for AIDS charities. [24 February 1998]

Grammy award winning singer

Performed a new version of "Candle in the Wind" in tribute to Princess Diana at her funeral, with new lyrics specially written by Bernie Taupin. (5 September 1997)

Changed his name legally to Elton Hercules John.

Awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award, in 1995.

Decided that all profits from his singles would be donated to AIDS charities, and formed the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The foundation has become one of the world's largest nonprofit AIDS organizations. [1992]

At age 11, entered the Royal Academy of Music, but quit just before graduation to pursue a rock career.

Appointed a CBE in 1996 and knighted in 1998.

He was twice a former Chairman of Watford Football Club.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

He was a friend of the late rock singer Freddie Mercury and performed at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert.

Reformed drug addict, alcoholic and bulimic.

Christmas hits: "Step into Christmas" (1973) and "Cold as Christmas (In the Middle of the Year)" (1983).

Dusty Springfield' sang backing vocals on his song "The Bitch is Back".

Covered the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" in 1974.

His song "Philadelphia Freedom" was a tribute to tennis star Billie Jean King.

Covered the WHO's "Pinball Wizard" in 1976.

His hit "Song for Guy" was a tribute to Guy Burchett, Rocket Records messenger who was killed in a motorcycle accident.

John Lennon features on his song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". (1974)

His song "Empty Garden" is a tribute to John Lennon.

Stevie Wonder played Harmonica on his song "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues".

His song "Act of War" was a duet with Millie Jackson.

Sang a duet with Cliff Richard called "Slow Rivers".

Duet with Jennifer Rush: "Flames of Paradise".

Duet with Aretha Franklin: "Through the Storm".

Duet with Eric Clapton: "Runaway Train".

Had a UK number one in 1991 with his live duet with George Michael "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".

Has played the piano since he was four years old.

Once auditioned for the group King Crimson.

During one of his concerts at Madison Square Garden in 1974, John Lennon joined him on stage to perform three songs. This was part of a bet that if Lennon's song "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" went to number one, he would join Elton on stage. This proved to be his last on stage performance.

Is the Godfather of John Lennon's son, Sean Lennon.

Often parodied on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) by Horatio Sanz.

Started wearing glasses to copy one of his idols, Buddy Holly. After a while, his eyes adjusted to the lenses and he's worn glasses ever since.

His partner, filmmaker David Furnish, made the documentary about Elton, Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras (1997) (TV).

Long-time collaborator, lyricist Bernie Taupin.

He has teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice on four projects: The songs for the films The Lion King (1994) and The Road to El Dorado (2000) and the Broadway stage productions of "The Lion King" and "Aida"'

Duets he sang with Kiki Dee are "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", and "True Love".

Is a co-owner of the chic Sunset Strip restaurant Le Dome in Hollywood.

Sang with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight on the song "That's What Friends Are For".

Re-recorded his 1976 hit "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in 1994, this time as a duet with RuPaul.

The song "You Can Make History (Young Again)" was a tribute to fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Sang the duet "Donner Pour Donner" in French with singer France Gall.

His parents, Sheila and Stanley Dwight, divorced when he was young. His mother then married Fred Farebrother, whom Elton affectionately dubbed 'Derf.'

Recorded the song "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" with John Lennon.

Covered the Kiki Dee song "Sugar on the Floor".

Covered the Queen song "The Show Must Go On".

Covered the John Lennon song "Give Peace a Chance" on his four-CD boxed set "To Be Continued...".

Gave friend Rod Stewart the nickname "Phyllis".

Likes Indian food.

Duet with Luciano Pavarotti: "Live Like Horses".

Attended the special dinner at Sony Studios in Los Angeles to honour the singer and activist Sting as MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. The evening celebrated Sting's contribution to popular music, and honoured his charitable work with Amnesty International and the Rainforest Foundation. Other stars in attendance included Kylie Minogue & Dido. (6th February 2004)

Enjoys tennis.

His song 'On Dark Street' features back-up vocals by 'Kiki Dee' .

His song "All the Young Girls Love Alice" is a tribute to Alice Cooper.

Stated once in the '70s that if he ever had a daughter, he would name her 'Umbrella.'

Auditioned for the lead vocalist spot in the band King Crimson but was turned down.

When Stevie Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic, he auditioned to take Stevie Winwood's place. Unfortunately, he was turned down.

He chose the middle name 'Hercules' for himself, not after the hero of mythology, but after the horse named Hercules on the British sitcom "Steptoe and Son" (1962)

He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best New Musical for "The Lion King" at the Lyceum Theatre.

Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004, along with Joan Sutherland, John Williams, Warren Beatty, and Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

He was the 49th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.

Has epilepsy.

Had a pacemaker fitted to correct an irregular heartbeat following an episode of angina on an airplane in July 1999.

Underwent laser surgery to remove nodules from his vocal chords in Australia in January 1987. This followed a televised concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in which his voice sounded noticeably rough. In 2004 Sir Elton admitted this problem had been caused by smoking too many drugs, including marijuana.

Godfather of Elizabeth Hurley's son Damian Charles

In 2001 declared that "Songs from the West Coast" would be his final studio album, and thereafter he would concentrate on just live performances. In 2004 however he released a new album, "Peachtree Road" which despite some favorable reviews, flopped in every country it was released in.

1976 song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was about his real life suicide attempt.

John is a close friend of David Beckham, Billy Connolly and Billy Joel.

He was voted the 49th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best New Musical for "The Lion King" at the Lyceum Theatre, London.

His song "On Dark Streets" features back-up vocals by Kiki Dee.

Sang a duet with Luciano Pavarotti called "Live Like Horses".

Covered the John Lennon song "Give Peace a Chance" on his four-CD boxed set "To Be Continued...".

Covered the Queen song "The Show Must Go On" at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris on 17 January 1997, for the Gala opening night of "Le Presbytere n'a rien perdu de son charme ni le jardin de son eclat", a moving work inspired by the premature deaths of Freddie Mercury and the company's principal dancer Jorge Donn.

Covered the Kiki Dee song "Sugar on the Floor".

Recorded the song "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" with John Lennon.

His parents, Sheila and Stanley Dwight, divorced when he was young. His mother then married Fred Farebrother, whom Elton affectionately dubbed "Derf".

Sang the duet "Donner Pour Donner" in French with singer France Gall .

The song "You Can Make History (Young Again)" was a tribute to murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Re-recorded his 1976 hit "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in 1994, this time as a duet with RuPaul.

Covered the Who's "Pinball Wizard" in 1974.

Had a UK number one in 1991 with his live duet with George Michael, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".

He has teamed up with lyricist Sir Tim Rice on four projects: The songs for the films "The Lion King" and "The Road to El Dorado", and the Broadway stage productions of "The Lion King" and "Aida".

Duets he sang with Kiki Dee are "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", and "True Love".

Sang with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight on the song "That's What Friends Are For".

Came up with the name Elton John from Soft Machine saxophone player Elton Dean.

One of his all-time favorite singers is Country Music Hall-Of-Fame legend "Gentleman Jim" Jim Reeves (1923-1964). Reportedly Elton once considered recording Reeves's mega-hit (on both Pop and Country Charts) "He'll Have To Go" (1960), but decided he couldn't possibly top Jim Reeves's version.

Registered his civil partnership with long-term partner David Furnish at Windsor Town Hall on December 21, 2005, the first day that civil unions were legal in England and Wales. The ceremony was performed by Registrar Clair Williams, who also presided over the union between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: At a time when rock was evolving further and further away from the forces that had made the music possible in the first place, Creedence Clearwater Revival brought things back to their roots with their concise synthesis of rockabilly, swamp pop, R&B, and country. Though CCR was very much a group in their tight, punchy arrangements, their vision was very much singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader John Fogerty's. Fogerty's classic compositions for Creedence both evoked enduring images of Americana and reflected burning social issues of the day. The band's genius was their ability to accomplish this with the economic, primal power of a classic rockabilly ensemble.

The key elements of Creedence had been woodshedding in bar bands for about a decade before their breakthrough to national success in the late '60s. John's older brother Tom formed the Blue Velvets in the late '50s in El Cerrito, CA, a tiny suburb across the bay from San Francisco. By the mid-'60s, with a few hopelessly obscure recordings under their belt, they'd signed to Fantasy, releasing several singles as the Golliwogs that went nowhere. In fact, there's little promise to be found on those early efforts, primarily because Tom, not John, was doing most of the singing. The group only found themselves when John took firm reigns over the band's direction, singing and writing virtually all of their material.

On their first album as Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1968, the group played it both ways, offering extended, quasi-psychedelic workouts of the '50s classics "I Put a Spell on You" and "Suzie Q." The latter song became their first big hit, but the band didn't really bloom until "Proud Mary," a number-two single in early 1969 that demonstrated John's talent at tapping into Southern roots music and imagery with a natural ease. It was the start of a torrent of classic hits from the gritty, Little Richard-inspired singer over the next two years, including "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Up Around the Bend," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door."

Creedence also made good albums, but their true forte was as a singles band -- their LPs contained some filler, both in the forms of average original material and straightforward covers of rock & roll chestnuts. When the Beatles broke up in early 1970, CCR was the only other act that provided any competition in the fine art of crafting bold, super-catchy artistic statements that soared to the upper reaches of the charts every three or four months. Although they hailed from the San Francisco area, they rarely succumbed to the psychedelic indulgences of the era. John Fogerty also proved adept at voicing the concerns of the working class in songs like "Fortunate Son," as well as partying with as much funk as any black rock band would muster on "Travelin' Band" and "Down on the Corner."

With John Fogerty holding such a strong upper hand, Creedence couldn't be said to have been a democratic unit, and Fogerty's dominance was to sow the seeds of the group's quick dissolution. Tom Fogerty left in 1971 (recording a few unremarkable solo albums of his own), reducing the band to a trio. John allowed drummer Doug Clifford and bassist Stu Cook equal shares of songwriting and vocal time on the group's final album, Mardi Gras (1972), which proved conclusively that Fogerty's songs and singing were necessary to raise CCR above journeyman status.

It was John Fogerty, of course, who produced the only notable work after the quartet broke up. Even his solo outings, though, were erratic and, for nearly ten years, nonexistent as he became embroiled in a web of business disputes with Fantasy Records. His 1984 album Centerfield proved he could still rock in the vintage Creedence mode when the spirit moved him, but Tom Fogerty's death in 1990 ended any hopes of a CCR reunion with the original members intact.

Journey: In 1973 keyboardist/vocalist Greg Rolie, guitarist Neal Schon, and manager Herbie Herbert left Santana to begin a new journey of their own. They were quickly joined by bassist Ross Valory from Frumious Bandersnatch and drummer Prairie Prince of the Tubes.

They started out with the name of the Golden Gate Rhythm Section. A radio contest was held to rename the band, and the suggestion came from one of Herbie’s staff of the name of Journey. Such was the start of this Journey. Over then next four years, with the additions at various times of guitarist George Tickner, drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and vocalist Robert Fleischman, Journey released three albums: Journey,Next, and Look Into The Future.

In 1977 the Journey took a new direction with the addition of new vocalist Steve Perry. The group released several more albums: Infinity, Evolution, Departure, and the live double album Captured, as well as a Japanese release, Dream After Dream. In 1981 still another turn in the road came when Jonathan Cain of the Babys took over keyboard duties from Gregg Rollie. Cain and Perry formed one of the most prolific song writing teams ever seen (or heard).

From 1978 to 1986 Journey released three albums: Escape, Frontiers, and Raised On Radio, resulting in sales of over 50 million records (see Research) . In early 1987, the group disbanded for a time. In 1996, the group of Cain, Perry, Schon, Smith, and Valory briefly reunited to record "Trial By Fire", which entered the Billboard charts at #3 and garnered the group their first Grammy nomination.

From 1978 to 1987, Journey toured constantly, from opening for the Rolling Stones, to becoming headliners on their own right. The 1996 tour to follow "TBF" had to be shelved due to Steve Perry's hip injury.

In 1998, Steve Augeri took over the vocal role from Steve Perry, and Deen Castronovo replaced Steve Smith on drums. The current line-up (Augeri, Cain, Castronovo, Schon and Valory) has released "Arrival" and "Red 13", and toured since 1998. In late 2001, this line-up released a dvd of their current live performance titled “Journey—2001”.

In November 2003, the dvd "Journey's Greatest Hits" (produced by Steve Perry) went gold by December, and was awarded Platinum level by the RIAA the following April. In December, 2004, it had been certified double platinum.

On January 21, 2005, Journey received a star on the Hollywood Walk ff Fame in Hollywood, California. Present at the ceremonies were Perry, Smith, Augeri, Schon, Valory, Cain, Castronovo, George Tickner, Aynsley Dunbar, and Robert Fleishman. Later that evening many of the band members performed a show at the House of Blues. Tickets to this memorable performance sold out in a matter of minutes...three minutes to be exact!

Plans are made to go back into the studio in early 2005 to record another Journey album. It is to be released and given out at their performances during the upcoming tour.

Lynard Skynard: In the Beginning, Ronnie van Zant was the oldest of 3 and hailed from the tough west side of Jacksonville, Florida, in an area where fighting was a normal pastime. He first started singing in a Gospel Church Women's Choir, but there was another type of music that Ronnie Van Zant wanted. One he pieced together from various musical influences in his life: Shorty Medlocke (Father of Rick Medlocke of the band Blackfoot) was a former sharecropper who played a scrappy style of "Swamp Music" that Ronnie Van Zant became familiar with.

At the age of 16, Ronnie Van Zant was approached by the Band called Us. They needed a lead singer for their Rhythm and Blues Band. "US" was a local favorite that had competed in "Battle of the Bands" Contests. Another such band was called the Mods, which catered to the then rampant British Invasion and featured a young man named Allen Collins. Ronnie Van Zant was also influenced by a new long-hair band called The Rolling Stones. The high-energy music of The Rolling Stones and the Southern influences of Shorty Medlocke had created a dream in the young Ronnie Van Zant.

Ronnie first approached Bob Burns, who had a drum set, and 13 year-old guitar player Gary Rossington. Rossington then recruited Larry Junstrom, the guy with the bass. The final member of what was to be known as "The Noble Five" was Allen Collins, who had the only amplifier! They began playing "Psychedelic Rock", patterned after the Yardbirds and Hendrix, among other notable names.

While in High School, their Gym teacher and local Real Estate Agent Leonard Skinner would often hand out suspensions because they had long hair. At the age of 16 or 17, they dropped out of school and began their musical careers. Then, while playing at local high schools, the Band (as a joke) announced itself as "The Leonard Skinner Band". Members of the crowd that knew about the gym teacher laughed and cheered at the joke, but it was the nucleus they needed. With a few alterations, they would eventually become the " Lynyrd Skynyrd Band "

Signer-Songwriter Music

Jim Croce: Jim's musical career started when he was five years old, learning to play "Lady of Spain" on the accordion. He says, "I was the original underachiever. I'd shake that thing and smile, but I was sort of a late bloomer." He didn't really take music too seriously until 1964, while he was attending Villanova College in Pennsylvania. There he formed various bands, doing fraternity parties and playing "anything that the people wanted to hear: blues, rock, acapella, railroad music...anything." One of those bands was chosen for a foreign exchange tour of Africa and the Middle East. "We had a good time," Jim recalls. "We just ate what the people ate, lived in the woods, and played our songs. Of course they didn't speak English over there... but if you mean what you're singing, people understand."

He returned to Philadelphia and he had decided to be "serious." But it was hard to make a living playing in a band, and his previous employment experiences had lost their appeal: "I'd worked construction crews, and I'd been a welder while I was in college. But I'd rather do other things than get burned." Like most underachieving accordion players, he had a hard time finding the right other things. His determination to be serious ("I even got a pair of shoes that look like the Ace of Spades, with holes in them") led to a job at a Philadelphia R&B radio station, where he translated commercials into Soul. "I'd sell airtime to Bronco's Poolroom, and then write the spot: 'You wanna be cool, and you wanna shoot pool...(dig it).'" Increasingly frustrated, he quit to teach guitar at a summer camp ("to people who had to wear loafers 'cause they couldn't tie their shoes'") and even enlisted in the U.S. Army. He didn't have a very illustrious military career, but says he's prepared if there's ever a war where we have to defend ourselves with mops.

Since the first album, things have been strictly uphill for Jim. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," which was pulled from the second LP entitled Life and Times reached the top of the national pop charts before it went Gold. Jim's latest album is called I've Got a Name and the title cut is part of the soundtrack for 20th Century Fox's new film The Last American Hero. Many other things are being planned for the unlikely hero of Philly, including appearances in films as well as more soundtrack offers.

Jim Croce - "I've Got a Name." He certainly has.

Cat Stevens: Born Steven Demetre Georgiou, the son of a Greek Cypriot father and Swedish mother, Yusuf Islam grew up above the family shop in London’s theatre district, situated at the northernmost junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and New Oxford Street, near the heart of London’s West End.

While studying at Art College he was auditioned by a record producer, Mike Hurst, formerly of the pop-folk trio the Springfields. The resulting tracks impressed the Decca Record chief so much that the young artist - now known as Cat Stevens - was selected to launch the new Deram Label, which also signed new British talent such as David Bowie and the Moody Blues.

Cat Stevens went on to become one of the biggest solo artists of the 1960s and 1970s, penning such classics as Matthew & Son, Moonshadow, Wild World and Father & Son and selling over 50 million LPs.

Following a bout of TB early in his career he undertook an ongoing search for peace and ultimate spiritual truth. After almost drowning in the Pacific Ocean at Malibu he received a translation of the Qur'an as a gift from his elder brother, David. His spiritual quest for answers was fulfilled and he embraced Islam in December, 1977. Six months later he changed his name to Yusuf Islam, walked away from the music business to start a new life and raise a family.

Today, Yusuf Islam is arguably one of the world's most famous converts to Islam. His pioneering work in the field of education resulted in securing a landmark decision by the British government to certify and support Islamic education throughout Great Britain. The three schools he founded in London’s Brent district – Islamia Primary, Islamia Girls' Secondary and the Brondesbury College for Boys – consistently top the borough’s examination league tables.

His U.N.-registered charity, Small Kindness, provides humanitarian relief, through direct aid as well as social and educational programs, to orphans and families in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and other regions of the world.

Since 1994 he has once again turned his attention to the recording studio, releasing ten albums to date under his Mountain of Light label. His Sarajevo concert in 1997, to celebrate Bosnian culture, was his first public appearance for 20 years. Recently he has contributed to a number of major charity concert events including Nelson Mandela's 46664 AIDS benefit concert at the close of 2003 in Cape Town where he coupled with Peter Gabriel and the Soweto Choir to perform Wild World, and also a fund-raising concert in Jakarta to aid the victims of the recent tsunami where he premiered a new song, Indian Ocean, inspired by the disaster.

=In 2003 Yusuf Islam was awarded the 'World Social Award' for his humanitarian relief work. Previous recipients of this award include Pope John Paul II, Steven Spielberg, and Sir Paul McCartney.

More recently, in November 2004, he was honoured with the 'Man for Peace' award by a committee of Nobel peace laureates.

Yusuf Islam is currently working on a new album of spiritually inspiring songs as well as a stage musical based metaphorically on his spiritual journey.

Billy Joel: BORN: May 9, 1949, Hicksville, Long Island, NY

Billy Joel was born William Martin Joel on May 9, 1949 in Bronx, New York. As a young child, his family moved to Levittown, a suburban housing development on Long Island in New York State. Billy discovered classical music at the age of four, a love that has stayed with him to the present day. Billy's early classical piano training provided him with a strong foundation for his future career. Joel has always relied heavily on his experiences in writing his songs--perhaps the best example is that of 'Piano Man', which he wrote out of playing regularly at a piano bar in the early 1970s.

He also is known for celebrating life in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, which he tributed in one of his most popular songs, 'Allentown,' released in 1982. The song depicted living in industrial Allentown, Pennsylvania in the early 1980s.

Joel's daughter Alexa also has been a motivation for lyrical content; he penned 'Lullabye' for his daughter. Similarly, his song 'The Downeaster Alexa', combined his love for his daughter with a depiction of the plight of boat captains in the offshore fishing industry. 'Uptown Girl' was a love song about the seemingly mismatched romance between himself and Christie Brinkley, Alexa's mother.

Joel has always had a trusting, open attitude in his relationships, both business and personal. This attitude was manifest as advice in the song 'Tell Her About It', as well as in an expression of his own need in 'Honesty'.

The song 'We Didn't Start The Fire' lists historical events from his birth through the mid-eighties--the first thirty-five years of Joel's life, reflecting Joel's fascination with culture and history. The song 'Leningrad' shows Joel's appreciation for the history of the Soviet Union and the feel of the Cold War in which he was raised. Before Billy went into the music business, He always wanted to become a history teacher and he has a teaching license in NY to teach history.

Joel has recently been returning to his fascination with classical music and has been experimenting in that area. Fantasies and Delusions, his first album of classical pieces, got a tepid response from critics but went to Number One on the classical charts.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: David Crosby (guitar), Stephen Stills (guitar, keyboards, bass), Graham Nash (guitar). Crosby had been with "The Byrds", Stills with "Buffalo Springfield" and Nash with "The Hollies." Neil Young (guitar - formerly of Buffalo Springfield) joined the group in 1969. Won Best New Artist Grammy Award in 1969.

Formed in Southern California in 1968. As far as I know they met at Joni Mitchell's house in Laurel Canyon, after a Hollies concert. The singing they did there, sounded so wonderful that a new group was formed that same evening. Together they traveled to London to write songs and rehearse. In December 1968 - when Graham Nash had left the Hollies after a performance in a charity concert at the London Palladium on December 8 - they go back to Los Angeles. One month later they started recording the first album.

The musical partnership of the three members of the group (and later with Neil Young), led to one of the most successful acts of the late 60's, 70's, and early 80's. With the colourful, contrasting nature of the members' characters and their connection to the political and cultural upheavals of the time (the 'Woodstock Generation'), it was the only American-based band to approach the overall societal impact of the Beatles.

The participants of the group had all been quite successful when it came together in1968: Crosby had been a member of the Byrds, Nash was in the Hollies, and Stills bad been part of Buffalo Springfield. The resulting trio, however, sounded like none of its predecessors and was characterized by a unique vocal blend and a musical approach that ranged from acoustic folk to melodic pop to hard rock. CSN's debut album, released in 1969, was perfectly in tune with the times, and the group was an instant hit.

By the time of their first tour (which included the Woodstock festival), Neil Young joined the group. Young was also a former member of Buffalo Springfield, who maintained a solo career. The first CSN&Y album, 'Deja-vu', was a much more 'electric' album than the first CSN-record. It was also an album that had taken a very long time to produce. Longer than any act used to stay in the recording-studios in those days. The album was a chart-topping hit in 1970, but the group split acrimoniousiy after a summer tour. The live double album '4 Way Street' issued after the breakup, was another number1 hit. Thanks to the wonderful acoustic music and the on the other side the heavy guitar-duels between Steven Stills and Neil Young. (Southern Man e.g.) When it finally was released on CD in 1992, it was lengthened with more live material.

Summer Stadium Tour: In 1974 CSN&Y reformed for a summer stadium tour without releasing a new record. Nevertheless, the compilation 'So Far' became their third straight number 1. Crosby, Stills and Nash reformed without Young in 1977 for the album 'CSN', another giant hit. In 1982 followed by 'Daylight Again'. By then Crosby was in the throes of drug addiction and increasing legal problems. He was in jail in 1985-1986, but cleaned up and returned to action, with the result that CSN&Y reunited on Neil Young's instigation for their second studio album, 'American Dream', in 1988.

Without Neil Young CSN followed with 'Live It Up' in 1990. Though the album was a commercial disappointment, the trio remains a popular live act. They embarked on a 25th anniversary tour in the summer of 1994 (toured Europe) and released a new album, 'After The Storm.'

Reggae: Bob Marley: Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945 in the parish of St. Anns in Nine Miles, Jamaica to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella ‘Ciddy’ Malcom. Norval was a British Marine officer and Ciddy was a native Jamaican. Soon after his birth, Bob’s father left and had little contact with him although he did financially support his son.

When Bob was five, his father took him to Kingston, Jamaica. It wasn’t until a year later that Bob saw his mother again. Soon after, he moved with his mother to Trenchtown, a section of Kingston notorious for it’s rough ghettoes.

In 1961, at the age of sixteen, Bob released his first song, Judge Not, which did not do well. This did not discourage Bob. He continued to pursue a career in music and in 1965, he formed a group called ‘The Wailers’ with Bunny Livingstone (later known as Bunny Wailer) and Peter McIntosh (later known as simply Peter Tosh.) Bob acted as front man for the group and wrote most of the group’s material. The trio released ‘Simmer Down,’ ‘Rule Them Rudie’ and ‘It Hurts To Be Alone,’ all of which were hits in Jamaica.

In 1966, Bob Marley married Rita Anderson, his long-term girlfriend. The next day he went to the United States and stayed long enough to gain financing for his next record. The next year Bob and Rita’s first child, Cedella, was born. Soon after, the Marleys set up their own recording label, Wail ‘N Soul ‘M Records, and produced a single, ‘Bend Down Low/Mellow Mood.’ That same year, the record label was ended.

Their next child, David (Ziggy) was born in 1968. The Wailers continued to release singles without producing an album. The band formed another label, Tuff Gong, and finally reached a degree of success. By that time, the Wailers were famous in the Caribbean, but were unknown in the rest of the world.

Finally in 1971, the Wailers got a break. Island Records forwarded them 8,000 pounds for the production of a full album. The Wailers were the first reggae band to receive so much money and to have access to the best recording studios. They produced two albums, ‘Catch a Fire’ and ‘Burnin’’, the latter which included ‘Get Up Stand Up’ and ‘I Shot the Sheriff.’ The Wailers began to extensively toured the United States and the United Kingdom and when Eric Clapton covered ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ the Wailers soared to instant fame.

Soon after their success in the US, the band changed their name to Bob Marley and the Wailers and then released their next album, ‘Natty Dread.’ The album included the hit single ‘No Woman No Cry,’ perhaps their most popular song. Soon after, Bunny and Peter left to pursue solo careers and were replaced by new members. By 1976, reggae fever had swept the United States. Rolling Stone magazine named Bob Marley and the Wailers the ‘Band of the Year’ and ‘Rastaman Vibration’ rose to the top of the charts.

On December 3 of 1976, an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley, his wife and the managers of the Wailers to keep him from playing at the Smile Jamaica concert in Kingston. His concert was scheduled for December 5 after a presidential candidate’s election rally, a presidential candidate who happened to be at odds with the US. Some people believe that the assassination attempt was executed by the US government, for fear that Marley’s performance would sway the vote. Despite receiving two gun shot wounds, Bob Marley performed anyway and then left for the UK.

Bob Marley and the Wailers went on to produce their next album, ‘Exodus,’ in 1977. The release of this album propelled Bob to a international superstar. Later, in May of the same year, Bob found out that he had cancer in his toe. Doctors recommended that he have the toe removed, but Bob refused since this was against his Rastafarian beliefs.

In July, the rest of the Exodus tour was canceled.

In 1978, the band released another album, ‘Kaya.’ The group's songs went from protest anthems to love songs about ganja (marijuana), which is highly held by Rastafarians as a way to connect with Jah (God.) In April, Marley returned to Jamaica to perform in the One Love Peace Concert, and later that year he received a Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations. Bob Marley also traveled to Africa for the first time, making stops in Kenya, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

The band went on touring throughout the US and Europe and produced a few more albums, including ‘Uprising.’ However, in 1980, Marley fell gravely ill. The cancer in his toe had spread upwards through his body and had infected his liver, stomach and brain. In September, Bob nearly fainted during a concert in New York City. The next day he collapsed while jogging through a park and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors revealed that the tumor in his brain had greatly enlarged and that Bob had less than a month to live.

Bob wanted to continue the tour though, and he performed a spectacular show in Pittsburgh on September 22. Rita was not happy with his decision to spend his final days touring though, and the concert was canceled the next day. Bob then went to Miami where he was baptized at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on November 4. Five days later, in a last attempt to save his life, Bob flew to a controversial treatment center in Germany with Rita. Three months later on May 11, 1981, Bob Marley died at the young age of 36.

Bob Marley’s funeral was held in Jamaica on May 21, and hundreds of thousands of people attended, including the Prime Minister of Jamaica. Bob’s body was taken back to his birth place in Nine Miles where it now rests in a mausoleum.

Big Power Bands

Tower of Power: The renowned horn-driven funk outfit Tower of Power has been issuing albums and touring the world steadily since the early '70s, in addition to backing up countless other musicians. The group's leader since the beginning has always been tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo, who was born in Detroit, but opted to pursue his musical dreams in Oakland, CA. It was in Oakland that Castillo put together a group called the Motown's, which as its name suggested, specialized in '60s-era soul. Castillo teamed up with a baritone sax player (and Motown's fan) Stephen "Doc" Kupka, and soon the Motown's had transformed into Tower of Power (one of the first tunes the duo penned together was "You're Still a Young Man," which would eventually go on to be one of the TOP's signature compositions). Tower of Power played regularly in the Bay Area throughout the late '60s, as its lineup often swelled up to ten members, including such other mainstays as Greg Adams on trumpet and vocals and Rocco Prestia on bass. By 1970, the funk outfit had inked a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records, resulting in the group's debut the same year, East Bay Grease, which failed to make an impression on the charts as TOP was still trying to find their own sound.

But it all came together quickly for the group, as 1972's Bump City would touch off a string of classic hit releases, including 1973's self-titled release (which included another one of the group's most enduring tunes, "What Is Hip?"), 1974's Back to Oakland, plus 1975's Urban Renewal and In the Slot. While Tower of Power remained a must-see live act, the quality of their subsequent records became erratic, resulting in some admirable releases (Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now, Live and in Living Color) and several uninspired albums that are best skipped over (We Came to Play, Back on the Streets).

Despite the dip in the quality of their albums, Tower of Power remained a much in-demand backing group for some of pop/rock's biggest names, including Elton John, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Little Feat, David Sanborn, Michelle Shocked, Paula Abdul, Aaron Neville, Aerosmith, Michael Bolton, Billy Preston, PiL, Rod Stewart, Toto, Merl Saunders, and others. Tower of Power remains very active to this day, keeping up a brisk touring schedule and issuing such new albums as 1999's Soul Vaccination: Live; while several compilations were issued around the same time: Rhino's double disc What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology (1999) and Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years (2001), plus Epic/Legacy's Soul With a Capital "S": The Best of Tower of Power (2001).

Earth, Wind and Fire: were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice black, EWF's all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s, or improvise like a jazz fusion outfit. Plus, their stage shows were often just as elaborate and dynamic as George Clinton's P-Funk empire. More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF's eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn't been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone. Tying it all together was the accomplished songwriting of Maurice black, whose intricate, unpredictable arrangements and firm grasp of hooks and structure made EWF one of the tightest bands in funk when they wanted to be. Not everything they tried worked, but at their best, Earth, Wind & Fire seemingly took all that came before them and wrapped it up into one dizzying, spectacular package.

Black founded Earth, Wind & Fire in Chicago in 1969. He had previously honed his chops as a session drummer for Chess Records, where he played on songs by the likes of Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart, and Etta James, among others. In 1967, he'd replaced Red Holt in the popular jazz group the Ramsey Lewis Trio, where he was introduced to the kalimba, an African thumb piano he would use extensively in future projects. In 1969, he left Lewis' group to form a songwriting partnership with keyboardist Don blackhead and singer Wade Flemons. This quickly evolved into a band dubbed the Salty Peppers, which signed with Capitol and scored a regional hit with "La La Time." When a follow-up flopped, black decided to move to Los Angeles, and took most of the band with him; he also renamed them Earth, Wind & Fire, after the three elements in his astrological charts. By the time black convinced his brother, bassist Verdine black, to join him on the West Coast in 1970, the lineup also consisted of blackhead, Flemons, female singer Sherry Scott, guitarist Michael Beal, tenor saxophonist Chet Washington, trombonist Alex Thomas, and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel. This aggregate signed a new deal with Warner Bros. and issued its self-titled debut album in late 1970. Many critics found it intriguing and ambitious, much like the 1971 follow-up, The Need of Love, but neither attracted much commercial attention, despite a growing following on college campuses and a high-profile gig performing the soundtrack to Melvin Van Peebles' groundbreaking black independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

Dissatisfied with the results, black dismantled the first version of EWF in 1972, retaining only brother Verdine. He built a new lineup with female vocalist Jessica Cleaves, flute/sax player Ronnie Laws, guitarist Roland Bautista, keyboardist Larry Dunn, and percussionist Ralph Johnson; the most important new addition, however, was singer Philip Bailey, recruited from a Denver R&B band called Friends & Love. After seeing the group open for John Sebastian in New York, Clive Davis signed them to CBS, where they debuted in 1972 with Last Days and Time. Further personnel changes ensued; Laws and Bautista were all gone by year's end, replaced by reedman Andrew Woolfolk and guitarists Al McKay and Johnny Graham. It was then that EWF truly began to hit their stride. 1973's Head to the Sky (Cleaves' last album with the group) significantly broadened their cult following, and the 1974 follow-up, Open Our Eyes, was their first genuine hit. It marked their first collaboration with producer, arranger, and sometime songwriting collaborator Charles Stepney, who helped streamline their sound for wider acceptance; it also featured another black brother, Fred, brought in as a second drummer. The single "Mighty Mighty" became EWF's first Top Ten hit on the R&B charts, although pop radio shied away from its black-pride subtext, and the minor hit "Kalimba Story" brought Maurice black's infatuation with African sounds to the airwaves. Open Our Eyes went gold, setting the stage for the band's blockbuster breakthrough.

In 1975, EWF completed work on another movie soundtrack, this time to a music-biz drama called That's the Way of the World. Not optimistic about the film's commercial prospects, the group rushed out their soundtrack album of the same name (unlike Sweet Sweetback, they composed all the music themselves) in advance. The film flopped, but the album took off; its lead single, the love-and-encouragement anthem "Shining Star," shot to the top of both the R&B and pop charts, making Earth, Wind & Fire mainstream stars; it later won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group. The album also hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts, and went double platinum; its title track went Top Five on the R&B side, and it also contained Bailey's signature ballad in the album cut "Reasons." black used the new income to develop EWF's live show into a lavish, effects-filled extravaganza, which eventually grew to include stunts designed by magician Doug Henning. The band was also augmented by a regular horn section, the Phoenix Horns, headed by saxophonist Don Myrick. Their emerging concert experience was chronicled later that year on the double-LP set Gratitude, which became their second straight number one album and featured one side of new studio tracks. Of those, "Sing a Song" reached the pop Top Ten and the R&B Top Five, and the ballad "Can't Hide Love" and the title track were also successful.

Sadly, during the 1976 sessions for EWF's next studio album, Spirit, Charles Stepney died suddenly of a heart attack. Maurice black took over the arranging chores, but the Stepney-produced "Getaway" managed to top the R&B charts posthumously. Spirit naturally performed well on the charts, topping out at number two. In the meantime, black was taking a hand in producing other acts; in addition to working with his old boss Ramsey Lewis, he helped kick start the careers of the Emotions and Deniece Williams. 1977's All n' All was another strong effort that charted at number three and spawned the R&B smashes "Fantasy" and the chart-topping "Serpentine Fire"; meanwhile, the Emotions topped the pop charts with the black-helmed smash "Best of My Love." The following year, black founded his own label, ARC, and EWF appeared in the mostly disastrous film version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, turning in a fine cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life" that became their first Top Ten pop hit since "Sing a Song." Released before year's end, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 produced another Top Ten hit (and R&B number one) in the newly recorded "September."

1979's I Am contained EWF's most explicit nod to disco, a smash collaboration with the Emotions called "Boogie Wonderland" that climbed into the Top Ten. The ballad "After the Love Has Gone" did even better, falling one spot short of the top. Although I Am became EWF's sixth straight multi-platinum album, there were signs that the group's explosion of creativity over the past few years was beginning to wane. 1980's Faces broke that string, after which guitarist McKay departed. While 1981's Raise brought them a Top Five hit and R&B chart-topper in "Let's Groove," an overall decline in consistency was becoming apparent. By the time EWF issued its next album, 1983's Powerlight, ARC had folded, and the Phoenix Horns had been cut loose to save money. After the lackluster Electric Universe appeared at the end of the year, black disbanded the group to simply take a break. In the meantime, Verdine black became a producer and video director, while Philip Bailey embarked on a solo career and scored a pop smash with the Phil Collins duet "Easy Lover." Collins also made frequent use of the Phoenix Horns on his '80s records, both solo and with Genesis.

Bailey reunited with the black brothers, plus Andrew Woolfolk, Ralph Johnson, and new guitarist Sheldon Reynolds, in 1987 for the album Touch the World. It was surprisingly successful, producing two R&B smashes in "Thinking of You" and the number one "System of Survival." 1990's Heritage was a forced attempt to contemporize the group's sound, with guest appearances from Sly Stone and MC Hammer; its failure led to the end of the group's relationship with Columbia. They returned on Reprise with the more traditional-sounding Millennium in 1993, but were dropped when the record failed to recapture their commercial standing despite a Grammy nomination for "Sunday Morning"; tragedy struck that year when onetime horn leader Don Myrick was murdered in Los Angeles. Bailey and the black brothers returned once again in 1997 on the small Pyramid label with In the Name of Love.

Chicago: Originally comprised of saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman, trumpeter Lester Bowie, bassist Malachi Favors, and later, drummer Famoudou Don Moye, the Art Ensemble of Chicago enjoyed a critical reputation as the finest and most influential avant-garde jazz ensemble of the 1970s and '80s. Whether or not that reputation was wholly deserved is, in retrospect, subject to debate -- the World Saxophone Quartet and the Cecil Taylor Unit may well have been more influential. Nevertheless, the Art Ensemble was unquestionably a groundbreaking band. In the late '60s and early '70s, the Art Ensemble helped pioneer the fusion of jazz with European art music and indigenous African musics. It also fused jazz with itself; that is to say, the band combined elements of jazz history and pre-history -- for instance, music from the sanctified church services, minstrel shows, and bawdy houses of late 19th and early 20th century America -- with a modernist spirit of experimentation. A pronounced theatrical element was also essential to their work. Its members attained a measure of jazz stardom on their own -- particularly Bowie and, to a lesser extent, Mitchell -- but in the Art Ensemble, no single individual was greater than the whole. The band was an assortment of composers and improvisers of great individuality. Collectively, they created a compelling and unique entity.

The group grew out of the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble of the mid-'60s, which had in-turn grown out of Chicago pianist Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band of the early-'60s. The latter was a rehearsal band, created for the purpose of playing scores written by many of the city's forward-thinking young African-American jazz composers. It attracted, among others, Mitchell, Jarman, and Favors. The two saxophonists had both served in the military, though not together; they met while students at Wilson Junior College. Favors had been an established member of the Chicago jazz scene since the '50s. All three were early members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) a collective organized by Abrams and several like-minded fellow musicians. Lester Bowie moved to Chicago from St. Louis in 1966. Within days of arriving, he began rehearsing with Mitchell. In 1966, the Roscoe Mitchell Sextet (with Bowie and Favors) recorded Sound, the first album to come out of the AACM. In August 1967, Bowie recorded Numbers 1&2 for Delmark; on "2," the four musicians who would become the Art Ensemble recorded together for the first time. As the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble, the band performed sans drummer for the next two years. In 1969 the band moved to Paris, where they met and hired "Sun Percussionist" Don Moye, who had come to Europe from Detroit with trumpeter Charles Moore's band. Renamed the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the group had a great deal of success in Europe, recording classic albums like Reese and the Smooth Ones (BYG) and People in Sorrow (Nessa). They moved back to Chicago in 1971; their 1972 homecoming concert was recorded and issued as Live at Mandel Hall (Delmark).

The band's renown grew in the '70s. In 1978 they formed their own label, AECO, which released solo recordings by Jarman, Moye, and Favors. The group recorded for ECM in the late '70s and early '80s, making a series of critically acclaimed albums, including Nice Guys, Full Force, Urban Bushmen, and The Third Decade. The band won a series of critic's polls and was considered by many to be the finest jazz ensemble in the world. In the latter half of the '80s, a general decline in critical enthusiasm for the avant-garde resulted in less attention being paid to bands like the Art Ensemble. Side projects by individual band members also seem to have had an effect on the band's vitality. Still, it continued to exist, concertizing and recording through the '90s, occasionally with guests and supplementary musicians. Jarman left the band in 1993 in order to devote himself full-time to spiritual matters. The band continued as a quartet. Bowie was stricken with liver cancer; for the band's June 1999 concert at the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival, he was replaced by saxophonist Ari Brown. Bowie died in November of 1999. For its first concert following Bowie's death, a January 2000 date at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the Art Ensemble performed as a trio. Although its remaining members were still capable of creating at a very high level, by the turn of the millennium the Art Ensemble's future seemed in doubt.

Black Rock

Stevie Wonder: Steveland Judkins Morris was born on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. A premature baby, Steveland was placed in an incubator and accidentally given too much oxygen, causing him to suffer from permanent blindness. After his father left the family early on, young Steveland and his five siblings were raised by their mother. Despite his handicap, he began to exhibit a facility with music and took up the piano at age 7, and within two years he mastered the harmonica and the drums. He was, by all accounts, a child prodigy.

When young Stevie and his family moved to Detroit in 1954, he began singing with the blackstone Baptist Church choir, where the sounds of gospel music filled and shaped his young mind, along with the secular R&B music of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, which he listened to on his transistor radio.

In 1961, at the age of 11, he met Ronnie black of The Miracles through a friend. black set up a meeting with the founder and president of Motown Records, Berry Gordy. At the age of 12, with a recording contract and a new stage name -- "Little Stevie Wonder" -- Wonder was definitely heading toward an illustrious career.

Stevie Wonder's first album was 1963's The Twelve-Year-Old Genius, which generated the hit, "Fingertips (Part 2)." It became the first live performance of a song to reach the top of the U.S. pop charts, and later that same year, Wonder became the first recording artist to reach the No. 1 position on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts simultaneously. Not bad for a 12-year-old kid.

By 1964, Wonder's career was put on hold while his voice broke. Then, in 1965, not only did his voice change but so too his stage name. "Little" was dropped for good. He had a worldwide hit with "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," which he co-wrote with Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy.

Near the end of the '60s, Wonder had amassed enough chart topping hits to fill his first greatest hits album, which included "I Was Made To Love Her" and "Work Out Stevie, Work Out."

By 1970, Wonder acted as his own producer and arranger in the recording studio, playing most of the instruments himself and writing songs with the help of his wife Syreeta Wright, who he married that September.

When Wonder turned 21, his contract with Motown expired. Instead of renewing it, he decided to create his own publishing company (Black Bull Music) and recording studio (Taurus Productions). In order to improve his songwriting skills, Wonder enrolled in some music theory classes at USC (University of Southern California).

Once he renegotiated his contract and achieved the autonomy he sought, he set out to record groundbreaking albums such as Talking Book ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Superstition"); Innervisions ("Living for the City," "Higher Ground," "All in Love is Fair"); Fulfillingness' First Finale ("Boogie on Reggae Woman," "Too Shy to Say"); and Songs In The Key Of Life ("Isn't She Lovely," "I Wish," "Sir Duke"). Between 1973 and 1976, Wonder won a staggering 13 Grammy Awards.

In 1973, Wonder was in a car accident that almost took his life. He was in a coma for four days and lost his sense of smell, but this unfortunate incident only renewed his zest for life and musical creativity.

After a burst of musical pioneering and creativity, Wonder took a three-year hiatus after the enormous success of Songs In The Key Of Life. During this time, he wrote and recorded a soundtrack for the documentary, The Secret Life of Plants. The accompanying 1979 album was greeted with lukewarm response, but today it is considered to be a precursor to the New Age sound. The next year, however, he released the platinum-selling Hotter Than July, which yielded the hits "Master Blaster (Jammin')" and the Martin Luther King tribute song, "Happy Birthday" (which eventually led to the establishment of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday).

The 1980s and '90s proved to be less prolific for Stevie Wonder. Of course, he had major hits such as the song "Ebony & Ivory" in 1982, his collaboration with Paul McCartney that promoted racial harmony, and won an Oscar for the saccharine "I Just Called To Say I Love You" in 1985, which turned out to be Wonder's biggest selling single of his career.

In 1985, Wonder released the album In Square Circle, which spawned only one hit: "Part-Time Lover." The decade ended on a high note with Wonder's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

1990 saw Wonder gain some praise for writing the soundtrack to Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, which he recorded in three weeks. The 1995 album Conversation Peace was panned by critics, but the song "For Your Love" won a Grammy for Best Single.

Wonder contributed to Spike Lee's movie Bamboozled in 2000, and recently performed at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans in June 2003. Amid his latest accomplishments, Wonder married his second wife, Karen Millard-Morris, in 2001.

Gladys Knight & the Pips: Gladys Knight (1944-...) ranks among the greatest singers in the history of American rhythm and blues music. She led a vocal group called Gladys Knight and the Pips. The basic group consisted of her brother Merald Knight, her and cousin William Guest, and Edward Patten. The three men backed Knight, who sang in a powerful "soul" style that reflected her background as a gospel singer. From the mid-1960's through the 1970's, Gladys Knight and the Pips was one of the most popular groups in pop music.

Knight was born in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child, she sang in church and gospel choirs. She formed her vocal group in 1952. They made a number of recordings for the next 15 years, the only major hit being "Every Beat of My Heart" (1961). Gladys Knight and the Pips finally achieved sustained popularity after they signed with Motown Records and recorded "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1967). The group then made a series of popular rhythm and blues records, notably "It Should Have Been Me" (1968) and "The Nitty Gritty" (1969).

In the 1970's, Knight shifted to a more balladic style, recording such hits as "If I Were Your Woman" (1970), "Make Me the Woman That You Go Home To" (1971), and "Neither One of Us" (1972). The group moved from Motown to the Buddah record label and made several more successful records, especially "Midnight Train to Georgia" (1973), "I've Got to Use My Imagination" (1973), "The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" (1973), "On and On" (1974), and "The Way We Were" (1974).

Due to a dispute between record companies, Gladys Knight and the Pips could not record together from 1978 to 1980, when the four were reunited. After a slow start, the group regained some of its former popularity with such recordings as "Save the Overtime (for Me)" (1983) and "Love Overboard" (1987). Knight wrote an autobiography, Between Each Line of Pain and Glory: My Life Story (1997).

Disco: Donna Summer: Once upon a time, a young girl stood in front of the parishioners in a Boston church. She opened her mouth to sing, and a huge voice came out - moving the congregation to tears. At that moment the girl heard the voice of God tell her, "You're gonna be famous." From that time on, the girl knew that she was destined for greatness. That girl grew up to become Donna Summer.

Most people know about her hits. Great songs like "Last Dance", Hot Stuff", "On The Radio" and "She Works Hard For The Money." What most people don't know is that Donna started off as Donna Gaines in a rock band called The Crow. And that when the band broke up, she left school to be in the German production of the the musical Hair. Once in Germany, there was no stopping Donna. She was active in musical theater, playing in such shows as Showboat, Porgy And Bess, and The Me Nobody Knows, and in 1971 she cut her first solo record, "Sally Go 'Round The Roses"

By 1974, and now going by the name Donna Summer, she was doing a great deal of session work which brought her into contact with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Together they recorded "The Hostage", a song which became Donna's first hit in Europe. An album and a few more European hits followed. Then in 1975, Donna recorded "Love To Love You Baby", the song that finally brought her success in America. The rest is history. Since then she has racked up fourteen top ten hits, four number one singles, three platinum albums, five Grammy awards and twelve other Grammy nominations. She is the first female artist to have three number one solo singles in one year ("MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls") and she is the only artist to have three number one double albums in a row (Live And More, Bad Girls, and On The Radio).

Over the years Donna has proven herself to be a consummate artist and songwriter - she has written or co-written many of her hits, and is currently writing a musical based on her life story. Most recently she has done a benefit performance for GMHC at Carnegie Hall that raised over $400,000 for that organization. She has also inked a multi-album deal with Epic Records and her first release for her new label was a live CD recorded at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. This concert was videotaped and became the highest rated concert special for a solo artist that VH1 ever broadcast. Over twenty years after her biggest success, Donna is poised for a major comeback. And no one deserves it more.

Rock Country: The Eagles: One of the biggest rock acts in the world during the '70s, the Eagles seem to have had their primary impact on country music. Chief ambassadors of the Southern California rock scene, the Eagles took the country-rock sounds of groups like the Flying Burrito Brothers and the latter-day Byrds and brought them to the masses with songs like "Best Of My Love," "One Of These Nights" and "Heartache Tonight."

The four original Eagles--drummer Don Henley, guitarists Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner--first played as a unit on Linda Ronstadt's 1970 Silk Purse, though they didn't form the band until after recording that album. The Eagles recorded their first album, The Eagles, for Asylum in 1972 with British rock producer Glyn Johns. They added guitarist Don Felder for the second album, Desperado, in 1973. The group headed in more of a rock direction with 1974's On The Border, and Leadon left after One Of These Nights, to be replaced by former James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh. Meisner left in 1977 and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit, who had once replaced Meisner in Poco. Waits between albums became longer--Hotel California and the group's final studio album, The Long Run, each came two years after the previous album of new material. A live album followed in 1980 as a farewell souvenir, for the band disbanded soon after. All the members have continued in music with solo albums or new groups, although Henley and Frey have been the most successful on their own.

By the '90s, their sound had had such an impact on contemporary country music that most people in Nashville considered them a country group. Common Thread: The Songs Of The Eagles, a tribute album featuring the likes of Clint Black, Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt, came out in 1993; the Eagles followed with a tour and an album featuring four new songs and live recordings of old favorites; the band called the album Hell Freezes Over because that's when members had said the band would get back together. The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 ranks just behind Michael Jackson's Thriller as the best-selling ever, with more than 24 million copies.

Soft Rock

The Carpetners:

Richard Carpenter 1946-

As a pianist and producer, Richard's is a rare talent. It was by his talent and ability that the

foundation was laid for the subsequent success of the Carpenter's Musical Family. When we

think of Carpenters it is most likely that we would identify Karen's amazing voice as the

dominate "sound" of the group, however, it was Richard's contributions which truly allowed

them to achieve that unique sound. A good example of this is the album "Lovelines".

It includes some Karen's solo works with Phil Ramone in 1979. While Karen's voice

is as clear and beautiful as ever, the tracts produced by Mr. Phil Ramone do not have the

same quality, or true "Carpenters Sound" as those produced by Richard. Richard and Karen's

relationship to their music is as inseparable as that of "Cinematography" and "Soundtrack"

to a motion picture.

Karen Carpenter 1950-1983

Karen possessed every bit as much talent as Richard, however, hers was a talent that did

not show at an early age like her brother's. Her first musical interest was as a drummer and it

wasn't until later that her pure, natural vocal talent surfaced. A record company producer was

the first to realize that Karen possessed a unique, and utterly beautiful voice, likening it to the

finest of musical instruments. The most fascinating thing about Karen's voice is that it is

completely pure and natural, without the benefit of formal training. Richard's talent was the

foundation for Carpenters, but Karen's wonderful voice quickly became the reason for the

group's existence. Karen passed away at the age of 32 on February 4th, 1983. She died of heart

failure which was caused by complications from a long battle with anorexia nervosa. When

Karen's heart stopped, millions more throughout the world were shattered with it.

Carpenters 1969-

After being rejected by other record producers for being too "Soft" for the market at that time,

Richard and Karen's demo-tape attracted the attention of Herb Alpert, one of the manager of

the A&M(Alpert & Moss)record company. "Carpenters" signed their first recording contract

with A&M in April of 1969, and began a long and fruitful relationship with Herb and the

company. They made their debut in November of the same year and with only their second

release, "Close to You", reached the top of the American charts. In a career which saw them

win 3 Grammy's, Carpenters never broke up, though Karen is no longer with them…

Barry Manilow: Barry Manilow's unparalleled career is made up of virtually every facet of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. He has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. He has received Grammy, Emmy and Tony Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award. In January 2002, Manilow launches Live2002! after ringing in the New Year at Los Angeles' most prestigious new concert venue, the Kodak Theatre. The tour also follows the release of Here At The Mayflower on November 13, 2001. Manilow’s latest CD, Here At The Mayflower, set in a fictitious apartment building called "The Mayflower," is an original addition to Manilow’s catalog.

Twenty years in the making, the Number One Adult Contemporary Artist of all time (according to Radio & Records Magazine) wanted to be sure Here At The Mayflower was everything he wanted it to be. Manilow explains, "It’s enabled my collaborators and me to write songs about people of all ages and walks of life…This album is all about people, and friendships…and the cycles in life that we all go through"(Billboard 2001). Here At The Mayflower will be Manilow’s 31st album. Among his 31 albums are such diverse recordings as Manilow Sings Sinatra (1998), Singin' with the Big Bands (1994), Showstoppers (1991), Swing Street (1987), 2:00 A.M. Paradise Café (1984), Because It's Christmas (1990), and many others, including 38 Top 40 Hits. In addition, every album he has produced for other artists, including Bette Midler, Nancy Wilson, and Dionne Warwick, has been nominated for Grammy Awards.

His film credits include the Oscar-nominated "Ready To Take A Chance Again" (from Foul Play), a song for the soundtrack of Walt Disney's Oliver and Company, and the soundtracks for the animated features Thumbelina and The Pebble and the Penguin.

His television appearances have been well received. In 2000 alone, he taped Manilow Live! for DirecTV, followed by a Manilow Country special on TNN. A two-hour A&E special, Barry Manilow: Live by Request aired in 1996 as the highest rated music show in the network's history. Manilow also appeared on the TV comedy Murphy Brown and most recently on the popular series Ally McBeal.

Manilow's career in the theater ranges from his Tony Award-winning Broadway debut in 1977 to the June 2001 opening of "Could It Be Magic? – The Barry Manilow Songbook." Manilow worked with Mitzie & Ken Welch to create a show that has "something for everyone." The music is brought to life by an ensemble of five very talented performers and a six-piece band. "From pop to hip-hop to gospel and rock, the talented cast delivers it all!" (Chicago Sun-Times). The world premiere of his musical, Harmony (with book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman) enjoyed a successful run at the La Jolla Playhouse and is heading to Broadway. The musical is based on the true story of The Comedian Harmonists, a singing group of six young men who attempted to find harmony during the discordant times that led to the rise of Nazi Germany. His collaboration with Sussman also created the debut of Barry Manilow's Copacabana - The Musical in the U.K. a few years ago. Inspired by his hit single, "Copacabana," the elaborate two-act musical spectacular ran to packed houses on London's West End for 18 months and a national company toured the U.S. He made his literary debut in 1987 with the publication of his autobiographical Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise.

Manilow is involved with worthwhile charities and humanitarian efforts around the world, including The Prince's Trust, United Way, the Starlight Foundation, numerous organizations fighting the battle against AIDS, and many others. He is a member of the National Academy of Jazz Board of Governors and the Music Center of Los Angeles.

Neil Diamond: Neil Leslie Diamond was born January 24th, 1941 to Rose and Akeeba Diamond in Brooklyn, New York. Four years later, the Diamond family, which now included Neil's younger brother Harvey, moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Kieve was stationed with the United States Army. In 1956, while Neil was in highschool, they moved to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. On his sixteenth birthday, Neil recieved a guitar, a gift would change his life forever. From that point on, Neil focused on music lessons and later, songwriting.

As a teenager, Neil wrote his first song for his girlfriend. It was called "Hear Them Bells", and although he never thought about recording it at the time, he did record it many years later. At age 18, Neil composed a tune called "Blue Destiny" and he was sure it was going to be a hit record, but it would take 8 more years before that moment came.

In 1962, Neil signed with Columbia Records, and recorded a song called "At Night" which was a complete flop. He later attended NYU as a pre-med student on a fencing scholarship, but songwriting remained his first love. He left college six months before graduating to accept a songwriter's position with a publishing company for $50 a week, and has never regretted the decision. Diamond eventually leased an office on Broadway for $35 a month where he could devote all his time to writing. His only taste of success came when Jay and the Americans recorded his tune, "Sunday and Me". After several lean years, he was approached by producers Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, a meeting which led to his eventual signing with Bang Records.

At his first session in 1966, Neil recorded what would become his first hit single, "Cherry, Cherry." It rose to number 6 on the Billboard charts and it was soon followed by two more chart makers, "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" and "Solitary Man".

Diamond's reputation as a song writer was enhanced when The Monkees recorded his tune, "I'm a Believer", which topped Billboard's charts for weeks. His own recordings struggled. His 1967 release of a country sounding tune, "Red, Red Wine", was a disappointment and wouldn't be successful until 1988, when a band called 'UB40' recorded it in a reggae style.

Bang records was growing restless over Neil's failure to place more songs on the hit parade, and when they balked at releasing a single called "Shilo", Diamond decided to move on. He signed with UNI records in 1968, and promptly placed "Shilo" firmly in the top 40.

From here, Diamond started a long string of hit records that saw him hit the charts with "Sweet Caroline", a song that went to #4 across the nation. "Holly Holy" soon followed, reaching #6 and "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show", which became a highlight of Neil's live shows.

Diamond's first number one record as a performer came in 1972 with "Cracklin' Rosie", a song that was inspired by trip to an Indian reservation and not wine, as many of his fans first thought. He followed this with another #1, "Song Sung Blue" as well as "I Am...I Said". It was during this period that Neil recorded what would be a classic album for its time, "Hot August Night" which was recorded live at The Greek Theatre.

Diamond's reputation as a charismatic performer grew steadily in the 70s. In 1972, the Schubert Organization presented him in concert for a record-setting 20 performances of a one-man show at the Winter Garden Theater, making Neil the first rock-era superstar to headline on Broadway. At the height of his touring popularity, Diamond announced a sabbatical from the stage to devote more time to his family, but he soon resumed performing with record breaking tours of Australia and New Zealand.

In 1973, Neil signed with Columbia Records, with which he has enjoyed his greatest successes. His first release for the label, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", became his #2 all-time best-seller and earned him Grammy and Golden Globe awards. In 1974 he released "Serenade", which yielded the hit, "Longfellow Serenade." In 1976 he recorded the platinum selling album, "Beautiful Noise", with producer and former member of "The Band", Robbie Robertson.

The late 70s found Diamond on both the radio and TV airwaves. In 1976, he returned to the Greek Theater for eight sold out shows, resulting in his first TV special and his second live LP, 1977's platinum "Love At The Greek".

In early 1978, Neil was asked to write the theme song for a TV sit-com. When the show was rejected by the networks, he decided to keep the song for an upcoming album. Months later, a disc jockey brought a home made recording to Neil's attention. A radio station engineer had spliced together Neil's version of his album cut, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with a Barbra Streisand rendition of the same song. It was getting such good response, that the station had added it to their playlist. Neil decided to re-record the song with Streisand herself, and within weeks of its release, the single went to number one in the U.S.

Neil followed with "I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight", and "September Morn", to continue his streak of RIAA-certified platinum albums.

In 1980, Diamond not only starred in the remake of the movie classic "The Jazz Singer," but he composed and performed the film's multi-platinum soundtrack album, which included the hits "Love On The Rocks'", "America," and "Hello Again." The title track to his 1982 album "Heartlight" was another monster hit, and in 1986 he followed his smash 1972 live double album, "Hot August Night" with "Hot August Night II".

The 90's served to further Diamond's standing as one of his generation's premier performers. A Christmas album spawned "Neil Diamond's Christmas Special," which premiered on HBO in 1992 and aired on ABC-TV the following year. According to Amusement Business, he was the top concert draw in the U.S. for the first six months of 1992. A second holiday set, "The Christmas Album Vol II", was issued in 1994 and duplicated the success of the first volume.

In 1993, meanwhile, Diamond returned to his roots with the album "Up On The Roof -- Songs From The Brill Building". Featuring 16 of Diamond's favourite pop songs from the '50s and '60s, the disc showcased classics by such top songwriting teams as Goffin & King, Mann & Weill, Leiber & Stoller, and Bacharach & David -- all of whom were closely identified with the Brill Building, the renowned songwriters and publishers headquarters located on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan.

In 1994, he released "Live In America", which documented his record-breaking two-year "Love In The Round" world tour, in which he performed on a 360-degree stage built in the middle of every arena he played. "The Tennessee Moon" project followed in 1996, and included a companion TV special and home video. The Tennessee Moon album became a hit on the country charts, peaking at number three and going gold within six months of its release.

Also in 1996 came the extraordinary 70-song "In My Lifetime" boxed-set containing 37 hit singles, 16 previously un-issued early demos, alternative versions of well known classics, the newly written and recorded title track, and a full-color 72-page booklet with extensive liner notes including an interview with Diamond, scores of rare photos, a complete discography, and song-by-song annotations by Diamond. It was a fitting package for the enduring artist who had already sold 110 million records and set box office records at major venues all over the world.

As the new millennium rolled around, Neil Diamond, the interpretive vocalist, returned to the movies as the inspiration for "The Movie Album -- As Time Goes By", a two-disc collection of 20 classic songs from the treasure trove of motion picture music. True to the spirit and magic of Hollywood at its best, "The Movie Album -- As Time Goes By" was recorded live on 20th Century Fox's Newman Scoring Stage and conducted by the legendary film composer/conductor Elmer Bernstein.

But the eminent singer-songwriter is quick to note that his own songwriting days are far from over. "I'm writing new material all the time," says Diamond, "but I look forward to just going out and singing the songs from "The Movie Album -- As Time Goes By", without worrying how the audience will respond to new material, because all these songs are wonderful going in.

In 2001, Neil wrote the soundtrack to "Saving Silverman", a movie about a Neil Diamond tribute band and also released a new album called "Three Chord Opera".

November 2005 saw the release of "12 Songs", a CD on which Neil played acoustic guitar for the first time in decades. His '05 tour was one of the top grossing of the year.

Olivia Newton-John: Olivia Newton-John was born September 26th, 1948, in Cambridge, England. In 1953, her family relocated to Melbourne Australia. When she was fifteen, she won a local talent contest and the prize was a trip to England, which she put off for another year to finish school. She arrived in London with her mother in 1965, and was soon singing in pubs and clubs with fellow Australian Pat Carroll.

Olivia Newton-John's first recording "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" was released exclusively in the UK, in May 1966. She also scored a minor part in the film Funny Things Happen Down Under around the same time. In 1969, Newton-John became part of a group formed by Don Kirshner, the man behind the Monkees. Toomorrow, a similarly manufactured combo, appeared in a film of the same name, but the movie closed shortly following its August release.

Newton-John's dreams of pop stardom weren't shattered by the failure of Toomorrow; she released a Bob Dylan tune, "If Not For You," early in 1971, which became a major hit, peaking at No. 7 in the UK and No. 25 in the U.S.

In January 1972, Newton-John became the resident guest star on singer Cliff Richard's BBC TV musical variety show. In April, her third UK hit, the George Harrison penned "What Is Life" made the top twenty. "Let Me Be There," the song that was her big break in America, was released in the UK in June 1973; six months later, it took off in the U.S., peaking at No. 6 on the pop charts, and topping the country charts. The Academy of Country Music named her the Most Promising Female Vocalist of 1973. She also won her first Grammy for Best Country Female Vocal, early in 1974.

Olivia recorded the 1974 UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately, "Long Live Love" lost out to ABBA's "Waterloo," but did manage to reach No. 11 in Britain. Soon thereafter, Newton-John relocated to the United States with boyfriend/manager Lee Kramer and producer/songwriter John Farrar. She released another country-flavored number, entitled "If You Love Me, Let Me Know," which made No. 5 on the U.S. pop charts and No. 2 in Australia. Newton-John's career reached even greater heights when the album of the same name and the follow-up single, "I Honestly Love You," topped Billboard's LP and Hot 100 charts simultaneously in October 1974.

She repeated this feat with her next release: "Have You Never Been Mellow" topped the charts in March of 1975. Things seemed to be moving in Olivia's favor when she ran into some controversy after being named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association. Some CMA old-timers protested the choice and tried to form another country association. Meanwhile, Olivia's fifth consecutive million-selling U.S. single, "Please Mr. Please" reached No. 3 that August.

The following spring, Kramer resigned as Olivia's manager, and the couple's personal and professional relationship was put on ice until they got back together in late 1977. She released several singles and albums during this period, but her streak of consecutive top five hits was temporarily halted until the release of "You're The One That I Want" in 1978. The duet with John Travolta, from the multi-platinum Grease soundtrack, topped the charts in the U.S., UK, Australia, and several other countries. Olivia Newton-John was back on top when Grease premiered that June. The soundtrack held at No. 1 on the U.S. charts for three months, as "Summer Nights" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You" were added to her list of international top five hits.

The film's finale, in which Olivia's character Sandy Olssen transforms from innocent schoolgirl to cigarette-smoking, leather-wearing femme fatale, heralded a change in Olivia's professional image as well. She abandoned the more "countrified" sound of her previous recordings and "raunched-up" her image with a sexier wardrobe. Her next album aptly described her rejuvenated career and new look; Totally Hot and the single "A Little More Love" both reached the top ten early in 1979.

1980 saw Newton-John's return to the silver screen in Xanadu. While the soundtrack made the top five in the U.S. and UK, the film didn't win over much of an audience, or the critics. Olivia did score two more No. 1 hits, however (ELO collaborated on the album), as the film's title track topped the British charts in July, while "Magic" reached No. 1 in the U.S. in August.

Olivia Newton-John's biggest U.S. hit came with the release of "Physical" in late 1981. The song remained at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 for an incredible 10 weeks, making it the longest reigning No. 1 hit of the 1980s. The follow-up, "Make A Move On Me," went to No. 5 in 1982. Another big hit, "Heart Attack," made No. 3 that November.

Olivia reunited with John Travolta for the movie Two of a Kind in 1983. The film bombed at the box office, but the soundtrack gave Olivia her final top ten hit, as "Twist of Fate" reached No. 5 in the U.S. She explored her entrepreneurial side in 1984, launching Koala Blue, an Australian memorabilia and clothing shop. On the personal front, she married actor Matt Lattanzi, whom she had met on the set of Xanadu, in December 1984. Her final U.S. Top 40 hit, "Soul Kiss," made it to No. 20 in November 1985.

Olivia became a mother on January 17, 1986, when daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi was born. Her performing career took a backseat to family matters over the next couple of years. She reemerged with the Elton John-penned "The Rumour" in 1988, which just missed the American Top 40, and didn't make the UK charts at all. She followed this effort with Warm and Tender in 1989, an album of children's songs and lullabies.

The early '90s proved to be a low point in Olivia's life both professionally and personally. In 1992, around the same time she released what was meant to be her comeback album, Koala Blue became a victim of the recession and filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. And just days after losing her father to cancer, Olivia herself was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery.

While recuperating in Australia, Olivia co-wrote a children's book with an environmental theme, entitled A Pig Tale. She also began writing material for a new album, a deeply personal project chronicling her battle against cancer. Without a U.S. recording contract, Gaia: One Woman's Journey was released in Australia and the UK in 1994. Near the end of the year, Olivia appeared in the CBS-TV movie, A Christmas Romance, which also marked the film debut of daughter Chloe.

Her 11-year marriage ended in 1995, when she and Matt were divorced. Olivia kept busy mostly acting over the next few years, appearing in the Aussie TV series Snowy River, and the film It's My Party. The album Back With A Heart was released in 1998, and reached No. 58 in the U.S. She then played a singing ex-con in the movie Sordid Lives, in 1999. That same year, she hit the road for a Greatest Hits Tour, which included two weeks of U.S. dates.

Olivia performed in front of her largest audience ever at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She re-teamed with daughter Chloe in the film The Wilde Girls, which premiered in the U.S. on the Showtime network in 2001. The following year saw the resurrection of the Koala Blue brand name, with the launch of Koala Blue wine from Australia. In the fall, an album of duets entitled 2 was released in Australia, and reached No. 5 on the charts down under.

Around the same time, she sang with John Travolta at a Hollywood launch party for the release of the Grease DVD, and for a few magical moments, it was 1978 all over again.

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