• Traffic

    For a time, the mightiest Blues shouter in the U.K. was a teenage Steve Winwood, the singer for the Spencer Davis Group (“Gimme 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…

  • New York Dolls

    Fame is fleeting. Cult status lasts forever. It was nearly a decade before the rest of the world caught up with the New York Dolls. Though their two studio albums won critical praise, they were commercial failures. Efforts at media manipulation failed miserably even though some heavy talents were involved. Original members split and were…

  • 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…

  • 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 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…

  • The Offspring

    The Offspring isn’t a bad moniker but it’s sure no Clowns Of Death. Now that’s a name! Guitarist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel (Greg K.), both ex-Clowns of Death, started Manic Subsidal with singer Doug Thompson and drummer Jim Benton. Two things happened when Thompson and Benton bailed. First, Holland assumed singing duties…

  • Halestorm

    It’s always impressive when a band’s debut full-length album lands in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200. That happened to the Pennsylvania band Halestorm, fronted by Lzzy Hale. But before the album dropped, Halestorm logged a lot of road time. There was the ’06 Winterfresh Sno-Core Tour with Seether, Shinedown and Flyleaf. That was…

  • The Wallflowers

    The world is littered with the failed offspring of the famous. Bob Dylan is a legend. Jakob (pictured) is his son. After the Wallflowers, with Jakob as the singer and principal songwriter, were dropped by their label following their debut album, it looked as though Jakob was going to forever live in his father’s expansive…