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David Bowie must be the patron saint of comebacks. When Mott The Hoople was ready to call it quits Bowie, a major fan, gave them “All The Young Dudes” which became their biggest hit. The Stooges, shattered by the Rock n’ Roll lifestyle, were revived with Bowie’s help and he brought them further than they’d…
Like the Rembrandts, the BoDeans are best remembered for a song that became TV show theme. “Party Of Five” was never as huge as Friends nor was “Closer To Free” a smash hit like “I’ll Be There For You” but it did all right (#16 on the Billboard Hot 100). Closer To Free The BoDeans,…
Ronnie James Dio (Ronald James Padavona) had an impressive career arc. Each band was in was more successful than the previous one. And while no one forgot Ozzy Osbourne, Dio’s stint with Black Sabbath was significant. So much so, it allowed him to front a band that bore his name (or at least his stage name). When…
Sum 41’s first single, “Fat Lip,” went to #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and became the band’s most successful single. It was the first of several songs to land in the upper reaches of the Modern Rock survey. Fatlip Collectively, the Canadian band’s debut EP “Half Hour Of Power” and the first three…
Some groups build a huge audience but once the hits stop, so do they. Others, like the Black Crowes, led by the Robinson brothers, Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar/backing vocals), are able to establish a relationship with their audience that allows them to survive the down points in a typical Rock career. Having a reputation…
Guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt started their first band when they were fourteen, eventually becoming Green Day. After a couple albums for indie labels and the arrival of drummer Tre Cool (Frank Wright III) Green Day was signed by Reprise. Their first effort for the label was “Dookie.” The album earned heavy…
New York’s CBGBs was a unique Rock venue. Just off Houston St. in the Bowery on the Lower East Side, the club was easy to spot. On humid summer nights people were standing outside sipping beer from cans sunk in wet brown paper bags. CBGBs was long and narrow. On your right was a bar…
Like countless musicians, Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill earned their musical chops playing in church. Only when their father left the ministry did the Followill’s, along with their cousin Matthew, discover Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty and Rolling Stones. Interestingly, those influences did not dominate. Rather, the Followill’s honed a roots/rustic style that was, in part,…
There are a lot of valid reasons for skipping the high school prom but being on tour is usually not one of them. With Greta Van Fleet band members still in school, the Frankenmuth, MI, based band signed a recording contract with Lava/Republic Records and embarked on a tour to support their EP “Black Smoke Rising.”…
At the beginning of ’77, ex-schoolteacher Gordon Sumner a.k.a. Sting (so named for his fondness for a black and yellow stripped jersey he constantly wore) and Stewart Copeland began The Police with guitarist Henri Padovani. By mid-year The Police were producing demos and playing shows. They also added guitarist Andy Summers. But Padovani left shortly…