Artist Profile

  • Traffic

    For a time, the mightiest Blues shouter in the U.K. was a teenage Steve Winwood, the singer for the Spencer Davis Group (“Gimmie Some Lovin’”). He also played organ, piano and guitar. When the Spencer Davis Group’s limited scope became too confining Winwood served notice. Eric Clapton and Winwood talked about forming a group but…

  • Ghost

    Ghost made an immediate impression. Papa Emeritus wore a skull mask and dressed like a “demonic anti-Pope. He was backed by the Nameless Ghouls who were hidden behind silver masks with horns, satanic symbols and full-length hooded robes. It was a visual borne from a “love of horror films and the traditions of Scandinavian Metal.”…

  • The Killers

    Keyboardist Brandon Flowers, after being dumped by the synth-pop outfit Blush Response over whether or not to relocate to L.A., attended an ‘02 Oasis concert and decided next time around he’d like to be in a more guitar-oriented band. An ad in a Las Vegas music paper, referencing Oasis as an influence, led Flowers to…

  • Blondie

    “Heart Of Glass” was one of those transition songs. It came along as disco’s excesses consumed the genre. The Blondie song had a New Wave feel with a dash of Punk but you could still dance to it. As the group progressed its Rock tendencies emerged in the songs “Call Me,” “One Way Or Another”…

  • Arctic Monkeys

    News of the Arctic Monkeys’ U.K. success initially had to be viewed skeptically. They were yet another band who wore their Jam, Clash and Smiths influences on their sleeve. Toss in the White Stripes, Vines, Libertines and a scruffier take on Franz Ferdinand for mainstream accessibility. Yet even for the U.K., it looked as though…

  • The Cars

    The Cars In most cases, a band has to rule its home turf before it conquers the world. That’s exactly what happened with the Cars – Ric Ocasek (vocals/guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass/vocals), Elliot Easton (guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards) and David Robinson (drums). In ’77, amid the disco onslaught, a demo version of “Just What I…

  • Jimi Hendrix

    James Marshall Hendrix was born in Seattle, dropped out of high school, joined the Army (rather than go to prison for riding in a stolen car) and was discharged about a year later. Stories circulated for years on why (and how) Hendrix got his Army hitch shortened. He likely was a disinterested, sub-par soldier that…

  • The Bangles

    Beware of novelty songs. It may be fun to do one. But bands rarely think it could be what they are remembered for. Despite other great performances, the Bangles and “Walk Like An Egyptian” are eternally linked. The Bangles had two #1 songs, the aforementioned novelty track and the dreamy ballad “Eternal Flame.” Based on…

  • Iron Maiden

    Named after a torture device and having a demented mascot known as ‘Eddie’, Iron Maiden formed around the nucleus of bassist Steve Harris and guitarist Dave Murray. But a falling out with the group’s then-lead singer Dennis Wilcock caused Murray to pack it in. But in short order Wilcock was gone, Murray returned, and vocalist…

  • Audioslave

    Breaking a new act is a crapshoot. To minimize the risk, record labels often sign musicians with proven track records. The combination of Soundgarden’s frontman with Rage Against The Machine (sans Zach de la Rocha) would seem like a sure bet. But Audioslave was one of those blue chip “marriages” that nearly blew apart before…