guitar
Dire Straits
Dire Straits formed in 1977 and originally featured Mark Knopfler on guitar and vocals, his brother David on rhythm guitar, Pick Withers on drums and John Illsley on bass. Their style of music was rather at odds with the punk rock that was popular in the late seventies. However, the band achieved greater success and more longevity than most of their punk counterparts.
The band signed with Phonogram Records in 1977 after getting ‘Sultans of Swing’ - a track from their first EP - played on BBC Radio London. The following year, they were in a recording studio with their producer, Spencer Davis Group legend Muff Winwood, creating their eponymous first album. An A&R rep at Warner Brothers, New York spotted their potential and Dire Straits were soon invited to be the opening band on the 1978 Talking Heads tour. They released their debut album during the same year to worldwide success and acclaim.
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As the band moved into the eighties, the Dire Straits sound evolved into something more complex and experimental. The 1980 album ‘Making Movies’ featured their smash hit ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and live favourite ‘Tunnel of Love’, which is also name-checked in the fourth novel in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker series ‘So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish’. This new intricate style continued with the band’s next album ‘Love Over Gold’ which spawned the hits ‘Private Investigations’ and ‘Industrial Disease’.
Dire Straits embarked on a world tour in 1983 which was followed in 1984 by the release of the live double album ‘Alchemy’. The band had already sold over a million albums worldwide, but nothing could have prepared them for the success of their next album ‘Brothers in Arms’ in 1985. The band achieved many firsts that year: the album was the first CD release to sell over a million copies, the title track became the first to be released as a CD single and the hit single ‘Money for Nothing’ (featuring Sting on backing vocals) was the first music video to be played on MTV when it launched in the UK. The album outsold copies of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in the UK to become the best-selling album of 1985. As well as a hugely successful world tour in 85-86, Dire Straits performed at Live Aid inbetween their 13-night residency at London Wembley Arena.
Mark Knopfler went on to pursue solo projects in the years after ‘Brothers in Arms’ although the band reformed in 1991 and released a new album ‘On Every Street’. They embarked on another worldwide tour until October 1992. The band dissolved in 1995 but performed for a few charity events and John Illsley’s wedding in later years. Knopfler has dismissed any talk of a reunion, having declined Illsley’s offer to reform the band.
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
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Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash, born in Arkansas in 1932 was a singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was known for his deep bass-baritone voice and as "The Man in Black" for his dark clothing. Although primarily known as a country music artist, his songs spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll as well as blues, folk and gospel.
Johnny's first recordings for Sun Records "Hey Porter” and "Cry Cry Cry” released in 1955 saw some success. However, his next record "Folsom Prison Blues" reached No. 5 in the country charts and "I Walk the Line" reached No.1. In the early 1960’s Cash battled with drink and drugs, however he continued to deliver with “Ring of Fire” reaching No.1 in the country music charts and and making the crossover to the pop charts.
Cash was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 however, for the first part of this decade he failed to make any real impact musically, turning his hand to acting and writing instead. Cash’s career revived in the nineties when he won, among many other accolades, Grammys for the albums "American Recordings" and "Unchained."
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Johnny Cash died on September 12, 2003. He is buried next to his wife June Carter Cash at Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Tennessee.
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JIMI HENDRIX
If there is one solo musician who defines the 60s, it has to be Jimi Hendrix: the clothes; the stage presence; the memorable performances at Woodstock, Monterey and the Isle of Wight; the innovative talent and the excesses of drink and drugs.
Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in November 1942, his father changed his name to James Marshall Hendrix. Hendrix was raised in Seattle but spent much of his childhood in Vancouver living with his grandmother.
Hendrix got his first guitar at the age of 15. He practiced constantly, observed other guitarists play and picked up tips from other players. He also drew on his blues and jazz influences when playing. Hendrix is also quite exceptional in that he played a right-handed guitar re-stringed and played left-handed, contributing to his unique sound.
Although he became famous in his own right first in the UK, Hendrix had earned his stripes as a session guitarist for the Isley Brothers and Little Richard during the early 60s.
Linda Keith, who was friends with The Rolling Stones, saw potential in Hendrix. She introduced him to Chas Chandler, then bassist with The Animals, who was particularly impressed with Hendrix’s version of ‘Hey Joe’. Chandler assembled the band The Jimi Hendrix Experience featuring Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass.
Paul McCartney was instrumental in Hendrix’s success in the US, recommending that he played the Monterey International Pop Festival. It was on stage at Monterey that he set his guitar on fire. This now legendary performance was captured on film as part of the ‘Monterey Pop’ concert documentary.
Hendrix greatly admired The Beatles, so much so that he performed the title track from ''Sgt. Pepper’s 'Lonely Hearts Club Band'' just three days after the album was released. Perhaps taking a cue from his musical heroes, Hendrix made use of experimental recording effects and wah-wah and fuzz pedals.
After successful album releases such as ‘Are You Experienced?’ and ‘Electric Ladyland’, The Jimi Hendrix Experience disbanded when Redding left to form his own band. Mitchell was missing from the band line-up for Hendrix’s seminal performance at Woodstock in August 1969, made memorable by the improvised rendition of ‘Star Spangled Banner’.
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Jimi Hendrix passed away in September 1970 at the age of 27, the same age as Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin when they died. The circumstances around his death have never been fully established, but the two most credible reasons involve drink and prescription drugs. He is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park in Washington State along with the remains of his father and grandmother. A carving of a Fender Stratocaster, Hendrix's chosen guitar, marks the site.
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Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in June 1958. Born to a jazz singer mother and a pianist father, it seems only natural that the young Prince inherited an aptitude for music.
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During the early 70s, he played in his cousin’s band. When he later composed songs for them, he drew on influences such as Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. As well as singing on some tracks, he would also contribute his considerable talents on guitar and piano.
In 1976, he recorded a demo which started a bidding war among record labels. The victor was Warner Bros. Records. Two years later, he released his solo album ‘For You’ on which he played all the instruments. By the time his second album - ‘Prince’ - came out, he had recruited a backing band and was invited to support Rick James on his tour in 1980.
1982 saw the release of double album ‘1999’. The album was his most successful yet, launching his mainstream international career. Prince built on his success with his film and soundtrack ‘Purple Rain’, accompanied by his new backing band The Revolution.
Ever wondered how the ‘Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics’ labels first came about? While listening to Prince track ‘Darling Nikki’ on her daughter’s stereo, Tipper Gore was shocked to hear its sexually-charged lyrics and called for clearer labelling on record covers to advise parents on potentially unsuitable content.
The ‘Parade’ album was released in 1986, giving Prince further international chart success with the single ‘Kiss’. The legendary Tom Jones teamed up with Art of Noise two years later for a cover of ‘Kiss’ which breathed new life into the crooner’s career. In fact, Prince is responsible for revolutionising other music careers: The Bangles scored a massive hit with the Prince-penned ‘Manic Monday’, and Sinead O’Connor recorded a haunting rendition of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in 1990.
Critics heaped praised on albums such as ‘Sign ‘O’ the Times’, ‘Lovesexy’ and ‘Diamonds and Pearls’, and his flamboyant dress and performances have made him as much of an 80s icon as Madonna and Michael Jackson. During the 90s, Prince changed his name to a symbol representing male and female. He struggled with creative limitations imposed by his record company, resulting in him daubing his face with the word ‘Slave’.
In 2007, Prince had a 21-night sell-out residency at London’s O2 Arena. Allegedly, the star had rehearsed in excess of 200 songs before the run and varied the setlist of the gigs according to his mood. Today, he continues to make music and capture the imagination of critics and fans alike.
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
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Freddie And The Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers was formed in 1963 in Manchester, England. The band had several hit records released between 1963 and 1965. The band was formed of line up of Freddie Garrity (vocals), Derek Quinn (harmonica and guitar), Roy Crewdson (guitar), Peter Birrell (bass) and Bernie Dwyer (drums). Frontman Freddie Garrity's birthdate was moved to 1940 to make him appear younger to the teenage crowd that bought their records.
The single "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" reached number 3 in 1963 and in the same year "I'm Telling You Now" climbed to number 2. "You Were Made For Me" and “I Understand" also made the top 10. Session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan worked on several tracks including "Over You", "A Little You", "I Understand", "Just For You" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal".
They released a number of albums between 1963 - 1978 including "Freddie And The Dreamers", "You Were Made For Me", "Sing Along Party", "In Disneyland", "King Freddie And His Dreaming Knights", "Oliver In The Overworld" and "Breaking Out" through Columbia (EMI), Mercury and Tower.
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.
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Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton, CBE, was born on the 30th March 1945, in Surrey, England. “Slowhand”, as he has been nicknamed, is a Grammy Award winning composer, singer and guitarist, who is regarded as being one of the most influential artist of the rock era.
Clapton was 13 when he first began to play the guitar and nearly gave up because he found playing an electric guitar so difficult. He joined his first group, The Roosters, in 1963. He later went on the join The Yardbirds, appearing on their 1964 recording "Five Live Yardbirds", which showed off his talent at playing blues guitar. In 1965, John Mayall asked the upcoming blues-star to join his group, The Bluesbreakers. He played with Mayall for ten years. In 1967 the words ‘Clapton is God’ were sprayed on a wall in Islington Underground. After this Clapton joined the band Cream, although this lasted barely two years.
It was in 1970 that Clapton went solo releasing the double album "Layla" which became one of the cornerstone rock records of the Seventies. After the release of this album, Clapton became addicted to drugs and became evermore reclusive apart from a concert in 1971 where he passed out on stage, was revived and finished the concert! January 1973 gave way to a comeback for the recovered star, which reintroduced him to public performing. His solo career began to really kick off with the release of "461 Ocean Boulevard" a year later topping the charts. Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ proved to be a massive success.
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Through the 1980s Clapton released a live album, two further albums and created his own record label, Duck Records. In 1991 tragedy struck when his 4 year old son, Conor fell out of a 53rd storey window. Clapton expressed his grief with his track "Tears in Heaven". Between "Tears in Heaven" and his "Unplugged" album he won a total of 6 Grammys that year. 1998 saw Clapton win critical acclaim for his performances with Carlos Santana and B.B. King.
Since the turn of the century Clapton has kept himself busy performing with a myriad of artists across the world and he continues to be a major influence in all things musical. Rolling Stone rank him as the 4th Greatest Guitar Player of All Time!
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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
