Background Californian folk-rock band The Byrds enjoyed immediate success in 1965 with their first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’. The song was a watershed moment in pop music – combining Dylan’s poetic, creative lyrics with Roger…
The Blue Nile are famous for their lack of productivity. The Glasgow-based group were formed in 1981 and effectively broke up by 2006, and released a mere four albums during their quarter century tenure. Like many bands that emerged after…
Talk Talk‘s career trajectory is one of the most fascinating in rock music – over the course of a decade and five albums, they transformed from a generic synth-pop outfit to trail-blazers for post-rock. Keyboardist Simon Brenner left Talk Talk…
It feels as though Taylor Swift has been around forever, but she released her seventh album, 2019’s Lover, while still in her twenties. Swift started young, releasing her 2006 debut at 16, and has used her marketing savvy to keep…
Before going solo, Peter Gabriel fronted the progressive rock band Genesis for six albums. His theatrical flair, croaky voice, and creative wordplay were all important ingredients in the the group’s artistic success. Only 25 years old, Gabriel announced his departure…
Expectations were high for Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s second album. Their 1969 debut album was acclaimed, and their appearance at Woodstock only increased their profile. The record company insisted that the trio add another member, after Stephen Stills had played…
The Velvet Underground began as a collaboration between frustrated songwriter Lou Reed and classically trained John Cale. Cale had worked with experimental composers John Cage and LaMonte Young, and Reed’s interest in alternative guitar tunings and drone notes provided common…
By 1976, David Bowie had already enjoyed a glittering career. His majestic 1969 hit ‘Space Oddity’ established his career, after a false start with the 1967 novelty ‘The Laughing Gnome’. Bowie’s first successful album was 1971’s Hunky Dory.1972’s glam rock…
The Seattle rock band Pearl Jam were formed from the remnants of Mother Love Bone. Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard recruited lead guitarist Mike McCready and vocalist Eddie Vedder, and Pearl Jam played their first show in October…
The Clash were a key band from the first wave of British punk in the 1970s. Built around the songwriting team of vocalist Joe Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones, they quickly outgrew punk orthodoxy. The group topped their music with…
Philadelphia uber-talent Todd Rundgren started his recorded career with The Nazz, acting as songwriter and guitarist. When The Nazz broke up, Rundgren learned how to use the studio, frustrated by his lack of technical control in The Nazz. While his…
Bassist Ashley Hutchings and rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol formed Fairport Convention in 1967. They named the band after Nicol’s father’s medical practice, above which they rehearsed, on the same Muswell street as the Davies brothers of The Kinks grew up.…
Detroit based married couple Jack and Meg White started playing music as a duo in 1997. Jack White played bluesy guitar, while Meg White’s primitive, untrained drumming was distinctive and refreshing. From the beginning of their career The White Stripes…
Townes Van Zandt was born into a prominent Texas family and had a high IQ, so his family groomed him to become a lawyer or senator. He suffered from manic depression, and was given insulin shock therapy, which erased much…
The two main creative forces in Slint, vocalist/guitarist Brian McMahan and drummer/guitarist/vocalist Britt Walford, both played in the Louisville punk band Squirrel Bait in the mid-1980s. Along with guitarist David Pajo and bassist Ethan Buckler, they formed Slint in 1986.…
Background Andy Partridge, bassist Colin Moulding, and drummer Terry Chambers started playing in a band together in 1972, opening for Thin Lizzy in 1973 and plying glam-rock as the Helium Kidz. The group eventually added manic keyboardist Barry Andrews and…
Background English folkie Nick Drake barely created a ripple during his lifetime. He recorded three albums of beautiful acoustic folk, but barely sold a copy during his lifetime. His acoustic music was sophisticated, with flourishes of jazz, and his acoustic…
