Carole King, along with her song writing partner Gerry Goffin, has penned a seemingly endless string of hits for other artists. She is also a successful singer in her own right and claims a total of four Grammy awards and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE CAROLE KING VIDEOS

In the 60s, Goffin and King started working for Aldon Music and had their first successful hit with Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? This song would go on to be recorded by Dusty Springfield, Roberta Flack and Bryan Ferry.

Others soon followed with Take Good Care of My Baby, Some Kind of Wonderful, The Locomotion, Go Away Little Girl, One Fine Day, Don’t Bring Me Down and (You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman just to name a few. The artists that have benefited from this era of King’s prose and song range from household 60s acts like The Monkees, Aretha Franklin and The Drifters to more modern acts like Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Grand Funk Railroad and Shania Twain.

Throughout this time, King dabbled with her own singing career, lending her vocals and releasing her own material. Chart toppers eluded her until 1971’s iconic album Tapestry topped the US album charts for 15 weeks and remained in the charts for 6 years.

The album featured folky revisions of her earlier hits she had written for others as well as tracks like It’s Too Late and You’ve Got a Friend. Tapestry held the position as top-selling solo album ever until Michael Jackson’s Thriller knocked it off the podium.

The 80s saw King take a back seat to the music industry and her activities were primarily charitable live performances.

King continues to collaborate and more recently touring with James Taylor who had a number 1 hit with King’s You’ve Got a Friend.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

James Taylor

Tom Petty

The Carpenters

The Dream Goes On Forever - Todd Rundgren

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

The man behind iconic 80s song, She Blinded Me with Science, is Thomas Dolby. This synth-based, catchy song was supported with an appealing video and remains a staple when discussing the early days of MTV. But Dolby’s career in the music industry is denser than a one-hit wonder. As a producer and musician, he has become a well-known and sought after collaborator, technology advocate, and inspiration for fledgling synth-rock maestros globally.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THOMAS DOLBY VIDEOS

Dolby’s Grammy-nominated approach and style in music has constantly been in flux – from the synth-driven pop of his first album The Golden Age of Wireless to funky and emotive arrangements in later albums like Aliens Ate My Buick and Astronauts and Heretics.

His career started out shortly after he taught himself music and dropped out of school to join an R&B/Jazz band. By the 80s, he was contributing to albums as a session musician for the Thompson Twins, Def Leppard and Foreigner. This financially supported his own solo efforts to record his first album, 1982’s The Golden Age of Wireless. Two years later he released The Flat Earth on Capitol Records.

These two albums by Dolby were well-received by critics and achieved Gold status in the US. Despite, his later un-charting singles in the late-80s and early-90s, Dolby remained active in the music industry and established a technology company that would go on to develop a music file format for internet usage. This venture for Dolby was important as he is a strong advocate for copyright protection and has consistently voiced his opinion over unauthorised sampling and piracy.

Dolby’s musical talents would also benefit him in another business activity in composing hundreds of polyphonic ringtones including the Nokia signature theme. He has also worked as a producer and soundtrack composer for films and video games. In 1998, Yahoo! awarded Dolby with a Lifetime Achievement in Internet Music.

After various, successful one-off gigs in the 2000s, Dolby returned to the music scene and moved back to the UK in 2006. He continues to collaborate, tour and release new and re-mastered material.

Albums:

Sources: Juanita Appleby; Jeffrey Taylor

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Pink Floyd

Depeche Mode

Stevie Wonder

The Dream Goes On Forever: Todd Rundgren

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Jackie “Mr Excitement” Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan. He would go on to be one of the most dynamic performers in R&B and Rock-n-Roll history. Few would match his vocal range. Many critics feel he was an underachiever in the studio, never reaching the massive cross-over hits of the competitive Motown label artists.

However, Wilson had a lot of passion on stage, hence why he got the nickname “Mr Excitement”. His stage style would later inspire the moves of such greats like Elvis and Michael Jackson.

He started out as a member of the vocal group, The Dominoes, but went solo in 1957. Songwriters, Berry Gordy Jr and Roguel Davis would write many hits for Wilson, including “To Be Loved”, “That’s Why” and “Lonely Teardrops”. The latter would eventually hit #7 on the US pop charts and establish him as a superstar in the R&B genre. Gordy would go on to form Motown Records after he stopped writing for Wilson.

In 1958 and under new management, Wilson was pushed to attack the rock-n-roll charts. He had his first hits in the 60s with “Doggin’ Around”, “Baby Workout”, “Alone At Last” and “My Empty Arms”. Between 1964 and 1966, Wilson’s career fizzled out until he released “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” which was a #6 smash in 1967. His final hit was in 1972.

Wilson suffered a severe heart attack while on stage. He fell head-first while singing his hit “Lonely Teardrops” and went into a coma that lasted over 8 years until he finally died at the age of 49. Since his death, he has been covered by a veritable cornucopia of artists including Dexys Midnight Runners and The Commodores.

When Michael Jackson tributed his 1984 Grammy for Thriller to Wilson, an interest resurged in the soul great’s catalogue of music. His first single, “Reet Petite” was re-released and went straight to #1 in the UK charts. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE JACKIE WILSON VIDEOS

Why Not Check Out:

Rokpools Official Merchandise Store 

Elvis Presley

Michael Jackson

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

10 Unluckiest Rockstars

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Martha and The Vandellas are one the best known Motown groups to come out the American 60s. This girl group charted over 26 hits and the styles of R&B, blues and rock. Their best known hits are “Dancing in the Street”, “Heat Wave”, “Nowhere to Run” and “Jimmy Mack”.

The group consisted of front lady Martha Reeves and backing vocals provided by Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard. It would have a further three line-up changes leading up to 1972 with Betty Kelly, Lois Reeves and Sandra Tilley.

After signing to the Motown record label, Martha and The Vandellas immediately struck it hot with “Come and Get These Memories” that went to 29 on the Billboard charts. Their second hit was “Heat Wave” which eventually sold over a 1 million copies and earned the group their first and only Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

The next single to hit the charts for The Vandellas was “Dancing in the Street”. It rose to #2 on the Billboard charts and after a re-release in 1969, it also found success across the pond in the UK. Ultimately, the song would be a hit for Van Halen, The Grateful Dead and Mick Jagger and David Bowie.

More top 40 singles followed between 1964 and 1967 and helped get the group coveted spots on popular television programmes like The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS VIDEOS

Despite, the girls’ position as a top selling performing act, Motown decided to concentrate on the rising star, Diana Ross. Eventually, infighting and illness led to a temporary disband for Martha and The Vandellas.

The group reformed in the 70s but couldn’t muster up the hit-making momentum as experienced in the 60s. They had a handful of hits that lingered in the 20-40 spots on the charts but eventually called it quits in 1972.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Marvin Gaye

The Supremes

Jackie Wilson

Marvin Gaye Let's Get It On Live

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

American “retro” rocker, Lenny Kravitz’s style has been compared to such greats as Prince and Jimi Hendrix. His career boasts multi-platinum albums, four consecutive Grammy awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and over 40 million album sales globally.

Kravitz’s influence also reaches his peers. His collaborative efforts read more like a Hollywood A-List party - Jay-Z, Aerosmith, Mick Jagger and P. Diddy amongst others.

In the 80s, Kravitz worked under the stage name Romeo Blue. He developed a demo but was told he wasn’t “black enough” to compete with the RnB styles that dominated the radio airwaves at the time. Undeterred and without a label, Kravitz decided to started work on an album and managed to attract the attention of Virgin Records.

Within a few years, he traded the Shakespearian nom de plume for a freshly signed Virgin Records contract and released his debut album Let Love Rule in 1989 to mixed reviews.

In the first few years of the 90s, Kravitz spent writing and producing for other artists including Madonna’s Justify My Love but also experienced his first chart success with second album Mama Said. This album featured a song titled It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over and collaborations with Guns 'N' Roses’ Slash and Beatles’ Offspring, Sean Lennon.

In 1993, Are You Gonna Go My Way was released and reached #12 on the Billboard charts and won Kravitz a BRIT award. He followed up with Circus in 1995 which hit #10 despite it only having two moderately successful singles.

In 1998, Kravitz exploded onto the mainstream music scene with his fifth album, suitably named 5, thanks to the hit single Fly Away. This song helped make the album multi-platinum, featured on advertisements and secured Kravitz his first Grammy in 1999.

Success continued in 2001 with an award-winning, cover version of the Guess Who’s American Woman for the second Austin Powers movie soundtrack.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE LENNY KRAVITZ VIDEOS

Kravitz subsequently released three more studio albums and became more involved in other projects like political activism, acting and collaboration. He also established his own record label named Roxie Records and a design company aptly named Kravitz Designs. In an era of throwaway music careers, Kravitz has proven his critics wrong with a three decade long career that continues to flourish.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Jimi Hendrix

Prince

Stevie Wonder

Drugs, Drugs & Rock N Roll

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Black Sabbath came together in 1967 to form one of the seminal Heavy metal bands of all time. The band was instrumental in creating the imagery commonly associated with Heavy Metal, the occult inspired, apocalyptic, death and destruction imagery that has so often been imitated over the years. Black Sabbath, were notorious for their amplified distortion, monstrous beats and the emphatic guitar solos of Tony Iommi.

Birmingham, England is the city that Black Sabbath came together; originally as a blues band, they would swiftly move on from this phase and by 1969, Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Bill Ward (drums) and Geezer Butler (bass) had christened themselves “Black Sabbath”. By 1969 Black Sabbath had signed a record deal with Phillips Records, releasing the single “Evil woman (Don’t Play Your Games With Me)” in the early 1970’s, the single did not prove a success. Later that year Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut album that charted well in the U.K and sold over a million copies in the U.S, all with very little radio airplay.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE BLACK SABBATH VIDEOS

Music critics on both sides of the Atlantic were shocked and appalled at the in your face, extreme and uncompromising sound that Sabbath were offering and were consistently panned by the press. The band ventured forward nevertheless and their next single “Paranoid” would become the single most synonymous with the band, the album of the same name would be released that same year 1971, remaining in the U.S chart for over a year and selling over to four million copies.

The band experienced varying success throughout the seventies, with enough drugs supposedly flying around to supply a large town and a conflict in the band between Iommi and Osbourne, surrounding the musical direction the band should take. Osbourne left the band to pursue a solo career. The band went through multiple line-up changes, with moderate success at the most. While Ozzy under the guidance of his wife Sharon (daughter of artist manager Don ‘Al Capone of pop’ Arden) set up the extremely successful OzzFest that has been going strong for 12 years, a period of being the most famous family in America, with MTV’s reality TV programme “The Osbournes”, not to forget creating the now infamous mystique as the bird head biting, Prince of Darkness.

The band would reunite in 1998 for a live album that would eventually culminate in a Grammy win for Best metal Performance and in 2006 Black Sabbath were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Black Sabbath continues to tour, sometimes with, sometimes without Ozzy, either way they continue to remind us what a groundbreaking and important band they once were.

For The Record: 

Original members included Terry "Geezer" Butler (born July 17, 1949, in Birmingham, England; left group 1985, rejoined 1991), bass; Tony lommi (born February 19, 1948, in Birmingham), guitar, keyboards; John "Ozzy" Osbourne (born December 3, 1948, in Birmingham), vocals; and Bill Ward (born May 5,1948, in Birmingham; left group 1981), drums.

Later members include Vinnie Appice (born in New York, NY; bandmember 1981-1982, 1991—), drums; Bev Bevan (bandmember 1982-1987), percussion; Bob Daisley (bandmember 1987), bass; Ronnie James Dio (born in Cortland, NY; bandmember 1979-1983,1991—), vocals; Ian Gillan (bandmember 1983-1984), vocals; Glenn Hughes (bandmember 1986-1987), vocals; Tony Martin (bandmember 1989-90), vocals; Geoff Nicholls (bandmember 1986-1990), keyboards; Eric Singer (bandmember 1986-1990), drums; and Dave Spitz (bandmember 1986-90), bass.

Group formed in Birmingham, England, 1967; originally named Earth; signed by Vertigo Records (U.K.), Warner Bros. Records (U.S.), and released debut LP, Black Sabbath, 1970.

Awards: Gold records for Black Sabbath, 1970; Paranoid and Master of Reality, both 1971; Volume 4,1972; Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath, 1973; Sabotage, 1975; and Technical Ecstasy and We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'N' Roll, both 1976.

Addresses: Record company—Reprise Records, 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505-4694; 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019-6979.

Soon thereafter the band's relentless international touring schedule began to take its toll; but even as the members of the group announced their intention to tour less, their popularity continued to increase. 1972 saw the release of Volume 4, an ambitious excursion that brought more converts into the Sabbath fold. The LP included the gospel-tinged ballad "Changes," in which Osbourne's melancholy vocals were accompanied by strings and piano, and the kinetic rocker "Supernaut." Next came 1973's Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. By that time, Rolling Stone's response had become downright respectful. Reviewer Gordon Fletcher called the record "an extraordinarily gripping affair" and dubbed the group "a true Seventies band"—a compliment at the time. More sonically varied than most of the band's previous efforts, the LP included such embellishment as orchestral arrangements. Years later, in a retrospective of musical "guilty pleasures," Ken Richardson of High Fidelity called the record "a fierce, multidimensional revival that holds up well." For Richardson, however, Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath was the group's last important recording.

In the early 1970s Black Sabbath became involved in a squabble with their management and found themselves on a couple of different British labels—World Wide Artists and NEMS—though they would return to Vertigo in 1976. The group had resumed its intensive touring schedule after a hiatus and released a new album, Sabotage, in 1975. Sabbath touted the record in a Rolling Stone interview as a return "to basic roots." Even so, the group recorded a choir for part of the album and took keyboardist Jezz Woodruff on tour; lommi, too, played some keyboards on the record. "Sabotage is not only Black Sabbath's best record since Paranoid, " opined Billy Altman in his Rolling Stone review, "it might be their best ever." Melody Maker found that with their 1976 follow-up, Technical Ecstasy, the group could "break the mould and still provide fresh exciting music." That year also saw the release of the two-record retrospective We Sold Our Soul for Rock TV' Roll, which featured many of Sabbath's most popular songs.

Discography:

Black Sabbath (includes "Black Sabbath"), 1970.

Paranoid (includes "Paranoid," "War Pigs," and "Iron Man"), 1971.

Master of Reality (includes "Sweet Leaf"), 1971.

Volume 4 (includes "Changes" and "Supernaut"), 1972.

Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath, 1973.

Sabotage, 1975.

We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'N' Roll, 1976.

Technical Ecstasy, 1976.

Never Say Die, 1978.

Heaven and Hell, 1980.

Live at Last, 1980.

Moo flutes, 1981.

Live Evil, 1983.

Born Again, 1983.

Seventh Star, 1986.

The Eternal Idol. 1987.

Headless Cross, I.R.S., 1989.

Tyr, I.R.S., 1990.

Dehumanizer (includes "Time Machine"), Reprise, 1992.

(Contributor) "Time Machine," Wayne's World, 1992.

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT BLACK SABBATH MERCHANDISE HERE

Source: Segun Murray Ogunsheye, eNotes,

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Deep Purple

Gentle Giant

Journey

Ozzy Osboune - The Prince Of Darkness

Pat Benatar's polished mainstream pop/rock made her one of the more popular female vocalists of the early '80s. Although she came on like an arena rocker with her power chords, tough sexuality, and powerful vocals, her music was straight pop/rock underneath all the bluster. Born Patricia Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the singer was raised in the nearby town of Lindenhurst on Long Island, NY. Benatar began singing regularly in the New York City area by the '70s, where she was discovered at the Catch a Rising Star club and signed by Chrysalis Records. Backed by a stellar band led by guitarist Neil Geraldo (who the singer would later marry) that provided the perfect accompaniment that was able to effortlessly alternate between rockers and ballads. Benatar quickly established herself as one of rock's top vocalists, scoring a hit right of the bat with her debut album, 1979's In the Heat of the Night, which spawned such radio favorites as "Heartbreaker" and "I Need a Lover" (the latter of which was written by a then-unknown John Mellencamp). 

Benator's sophomore effort, 1980's Crimes of Passion, more than delivered on the debut's promise and it's often considered to be the finest recording of her career. Spurred on by such classic rock radio standards as "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Treat Me Right," and "You Better Run," the album was certified platinum shortly after its release and Benatar became a certified arena headliner in the U.S. Benatar also became one of the most-played artists during MTV's early days, received several Grammy Awards around this time, and continued to enjoy massive hits and sold-out tours throughout the early to mid-'80s, including such albums as 1981's Precious Time, 1982's Get Nervous, 1983's Live from Earth, 1984's Tropico, 1985's Seven the Hard Way, and 1988's Wide Awake in Dreamland, plus the singles "Fire & Ice," "Promises in the Dark," "Shadows of the Night," "Love Is a Battlefield," "We Belong," and "Invincible." But by the end of the decade, it appeared as though Benatar had fallen of the face of the Earth as the hits seemed to dry up.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE PAT BENATAR VIDEOS

Benatar opted to shift musical gears and issue an album of blues and R&B, 1991's True Love, which failed to return the singer back to the top of the charts. Benatar returned back to her patented arena rock sound with such further studio releases as 1993's Gravity's Rainbow and 1997's Innamorata (although the latter of which was largely acoustic-based) and while the albums didn't exactly measure up to her earlier releases, both were solid efforts. The late '90s saw a pair of live archival releases hit record store shelves, 1998's 8-15-80 and 1999's The King Biscuit Flower Hour Live, in addition to countless hits collections (although the best of the bunch proved to be 1989's Best Shots, which remains a steady seller to this day). The singer began touring again by the middle of the decade (after taking a five-year hiatus from the road), co-headlining shows with REO Speedwagon, Fleetwood Mac, the Steve Miller Band, and Styx. She also continued to dabble in acting, appearing in the ABC Afterschool Special Torn Between Two Fathers and on various sitcoms. In August 2003, Benatar returned to recording with Go (Vanguard), her first studio LP since 1997's Innamorata. The LP revisited the arena rock/MOR sound that had defined Benatar's career, and was accompanied by an extensive tour.

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Buggles

Blondie 

REO Speedwagon

Pat Benatar Video

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Robbie Williams is one of the most successful British, male, artists of all time; he has sold more albums (55 million albums worldwide) and won more BRIT awards that any other solo artist to date, all at the tender age of 35. Having once been labelled “the fat dancer from Take That”, Robbie Williams has far exceeded expectations and has proved that he is one of the great performers of his generation.

CLICK HERE FOR A UNIQUE SELECTION OF ROBBIE WILLIAMS VIDEOS

Robert P. Williams was born in the Staffordshire of Stoke-on-Trent in 1974. Williams grew up around music, his dad (Peter) was a local performer whom Williams often performed with, watching and learning from his dad gave him the inspiration to get into the music industry. In 1990, Robbie joined Take That after his mother heard about an advertisement on the radio, looking for singers and dancers for a boy band. Over the course of the next five years, Take That were the biggest act in the UK, scoring multiple number ones and selling out arenas across the UK and Europe.

On July 1995, Robbie left the Band, after reported drug abuse and musical differences with lead singer and songwriter Gary Barlow. Williams and Barlow went to war in the tabloids in a verbal slagging match that lasted two years, it seemed for a while as if only Gary could win this battle, until Robbie released the single “Angels” written with song writing partner Guy Chambers (In 2005 'Angels' was voted, best song of the last 25 years at the BRIT awards). The song was a huge success and catapulted Robbie’s, Debut album 'Life Thru a Lens' to No.1, and so, the Robbie Williams train had started moving and hasn’t stop moving since. By 1999 Gary Barlow retired as a solo artist.

Robbie Williams has since had seven No.1 albums in the UK and has had multiple No.1 albums across Europe and Latin America; in 2002 he signed the biggest music deal in British music history worth a reported £80 million with his record label EMI. The contract was signed with the incentive to dominate the American music market, the general consensus to date, is that Williams has never quite cracked the American market. It has been reported that Robbie is currently working on a new album with Grammy and BRIT award winning producer Trevor Horn, the album title is slated to be 'Reality Killed the Video Star' a play off of Horn's late 70's hit 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. With two pop music heavyweights at the helm no doubt Williams' next album has the potential to be something special.

Segun Murray Ogunsheye

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Take That

Tom Jones

Kylie Minogue

Adam Ant

Other Featured Artists

Blood On The Tracks

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939) is a multi-platinum American rock/soul singer, songwriter, actress, and author. She is the most successful female rock artist of all time. She started her storied career by marrying Ike Turner to form The Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1960. They had a string of hits like ‘Fool in Love’, ‘I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine', a cover of and the autobiographical “Nutbush City Limits”.

After her divorce from Ike Turner, who had been abusing her for years, she took on a solo career in the late 70’s. It wasn’t until 1983, with the release of a cover of Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’, that she began to make one of the greatest comebacks in history of music.

Her fifth solo album ‘Private Dancer’ produced numerous hits and earned her four Grammy Awards. In 1985, she starred in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” beside Mel Gibson and received a Grammy nomination for ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’, a song from the film’s soundtrack. Next, Tina brought her story to the public through her best-selling biography “I, Tina”, written with Kurt Loder. She followed with the songs ‘Break Every Rule’ and ‘Foreign Affair’. Each album was followed by successful world tours. Tina Turner announced that she would be retiring after the ‘Foreign Affair’ Tour.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE TINA TURNER VIDEOS

Ike and Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. That same year, she released her first greatest hits CD, ‘Simply The Best’, which went platinum. In 1993, her life story was made into a motion picture, “What’s Love Got To Do with It".

Tina Turner came out of retirement to make her first original album in 1995 after the success of her song ‘Goldeneye’ from the James Bond film of the same name. She released ‘Wildest Dreams’ in 1996.

In 1999, Tina Turner turned 60 and released the album ‘Twenty Four Seven’, with a world tour following. In 2004, she released ‘All the Best’, her second greatest hits CD, in Europe.

In December of 2005 Tina Turner was honored with the prestigious Kennedy Award for her achievements in her musical career. In 2006, Tina Turner and singer Elisa released the song ‘Teach Me Again’, which was for the movie “All the Invisible Children”.

Tina currently resides in Switzerland and France with her longtime companion, Erwin Bach. More information can be found at her official site, http://www.officialtina.com/

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Delaney & Bonnie

Al Green

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Ike Turner Column

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

The singer and actor Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) is one of the most legendary entertainers that has ever lived. As one of the founding members of the infamous Rat Pack, Sinatra became part of the high-rolling entertainment elite, schmoozing with the rich, famous and powerful and getting involved with political issues, such as promoting desegregation and supporting John F Kennedy’s presidential ambitions.

Throughout his career, Sinatra won eleven Grammys and an Oscar for his work, as well as some civic awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, for his political and humanitarian efforts.

Francis Albert Sinatra was the only child of Italian immigrants Natalie and Anthony Sinatra. Frank’s later social, ethical and political involvement was likely inspired by his mother, who was influential in their neighbourhood in Hoboken, New Jersey, and local Democratic Party circles, despite running an illegal abortion clinic from their home. Frank was a high school dropout, having spent only 47 days there before being expelled due to his rowdy behaviour.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE FRANK SINATRA VIDEOS

Frank was 20 by the time he got his first break in the music industry. His mother persuaded a local band, The Three Flashes, to let him join. The band changed their name to The Hoboken Four upon Sinatra’s arrival, and, shortly after, they won first prize – a six month touring contract - on the radio talent show Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour. Despite this success, Sinatra left the band and returned home to work as a singing waiter at the Rustic Cabin in New Jersey. It would be four years before another opportunity came along.

In June, 1939, Sinatra was hired on a one-year contract by Harry James to sing for his band. In November, however, Sinatra was asked by Tommy Dorsey to sing for his group instead. Harry James, seeing that this would be a big opportunity for Sinatra because Dorsey and his band were already popular, gracefully let Sinatra go. In his first year with Dorsey, Sinatra released over forty songs. In 1942, Sinatra left them to pursue a solo career, to great, world-renowned success. Throughout signing to, and leaving, major labels such as MCA, who bought out his contract with Dorsey - which had entitled him to a third of all Sinatra’s lifetime earnings – and setting up his own label, Reprise Records, Sinatra sold around 150 million records and acted in more than sixty films and television programs.

Sinatra died of a heart attack in Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, Los Angeles, in 1998. The epitaph on his gravestone reads, “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Ray Charles

Aretha Franklin

Johnny Cash

Rock N Roll Love Triangle

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store