The Edgar Broughton Band emerged out of the Blues based Underground Progressive Rock tradition in the late sixties and has been active virtually without break since 1968. Their first five albums are widely considered as seminal:

Wasa Wasa (1969)

Sing Brother Sing (1970)

Edgar Broughton Band (1971)

Inside Out (1972)

Oora (1973)

The original line-up had the creative driving force Edgar Broughton as lead singer and guitarist. Brother Steve Broughton played the drums and Arthur Grant was on the bass. Victor Unitt was part of the original line-up but left before the recording of the first two albums as the band moved away from Blues to Hard Rock. While The Edgar Broughton Band gained fame as one of the leading power trios of its day, Unitt did in fact return for the next two outings. 

The band initially gained fame as perhaps the greatest live act of the era that saw them in their pomp, the late sixties and early to mid seventies. The band’s members moved from their native Warwick to Notting Hill in west London in 1969 and their peers tell two stories from those days with great affection. The Broughtons’ mother was the most famous van-driver of the era and the band continued the motoring theme by staging impromptu life gigs from the back of a flat-bed truck once notoriously stopping the traffic in Piccadilly.

A prodigiously talented band generally, and lead singer and guitarist Edgar Broughton himself in particular, it is something of a mystery why this relatively successful in their day Proto-Punk band are not more famous now. The two generally cited reasons are that the band was so talented in every department, and able to turn its hand to so many different styles, occasionally even during the same track, that it failed to mine an obvious niche. A second argument often proposed and one which has great merit is that The Edgar Broughton Band had such political integrity that the disillusion following the summer of love and the 1968 protests caused the group to implode, and perhaps more significantly rendered this anti-establishment hard-left socialist band without the commercial tools or desire to exploit their solid intelligent and informed fan base.

Musically there is little The Edgar Broughton Band recorded that fell short of first class. The first two albums “Wasa Wasa” and “Sing Brother Sing” are a splendid mix of timeless classics and excellent period pieces. On the third album the eponymous “The Edgar Broughton Band” known for reasons obvious to anyone who’s seen its cover as “The Meat Album” the band developed as close as they were ever to come to a homogenous commercially acceptable sound. Often listed as a fan and critic’s favourite, “The Edgar Broughton Band” shows off the band’s musicianship, with Edgar Broughton himself claiming that Dave Bedford’s arrangement on “Evening Over Rooftops” the most beautiful string accompaniment he’s ever heard.

“Inside Out” sees the band returning to cussed revolutionary intensity turning away from the materialist commercial temptations hinted at by its predecessor. Listed in my top twenty greatest albums of all time, “Inside Out” is as relevant now as it was in the early seventies. “Homes Fit For Heroes” has a particular resonance as we watch the returning heroes from Afghanistan, maimed, dead, and alive. John Lennon and David Bowie were just two of the band’s great admirers, and “Inside Out” has a freshness and a poignancy that few protest albums can claim as they enter their fifth decade.

Critically comparable to its two predecessors “Oora” suffers from having to follow the truly iconic “Inside Out” and tends to get overlooked. It does however contain my favourite EBB track of all, and one that will accompany me to my desert island should I ever be asked, “Green Lights”.

I challenge you to listen to “The Edgar Broughton Band” and “Inside Out” three times each and then argue you’re not in the presence of true genius.

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Edgar Broughton himself has continued with his socialist worker ethos by promoting his recent music with his fair day’s pay gigs at parties and in his fans’ homes. Have a look at the website www.edgarbroughton.com 

© JD Shanks August 2011

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One of the most enigmatic figures in rock history, Scott Walker was known as Scotty Engel when he cut obscure flop records in the late '50s and early '60s in the teen idol vein. He then hooked up with John Maus and Gary Leeds to form the Walker Brothers. They weren't named Walker, they weren't brothers, and they weren't English, but they nevertheless became a part of the British Invasion after moving to the U.K. in 1965. They enjoyed a couple of years of massive success there (and a couple of hits in the U.S.) in a Righteous Brothers vein. As their full-throated lead singer and principal songwriter, Walker was the dominant artistic force in the group, who split in 1967. 

Source: Richie Unterberger

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Keyboardist/songwriter Rod Argent spent the '60s as a crucial part of underappreciated British Invasion popsters the Zombies, and later moved on to embrace album rock as leader of his own band, Argent. He was born June 14, 1945, in St. Alban's, England (near London); aside from about two years of lessons, he was a largely self-taught pianist. He discovered rock & roll at 11 through his cousin's Elvis Presley records, but also grew up appreciating classical music and jazz, and his study of those forms would lend his future pop compositions a definite melodic and harmonic sophistication quite unlike most of his British Invasion peers. The Zombies were formed when Argent was just 16, and signed with Decca in 1963 on the strength of his composition "She's Not There," which became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic the following year. Their second American Top Ten, the Argent-penned "Tell Her No," arrived in 1965, but despite a number of stunning singles written either by Argent (the band's most prolific composer) or guitarist Chris White, the Zombies had trouble landing another hit. They disbanded in 1967 after completing the psychedelic classic Odessey and Oracle, and Argent formed a new band called Argent, with Chris White sharing production and songwriting duties (though he wasn't an official member). Argent the band remained their main focus even after "Time of the Season" belatedly became the Zombies' biggest hit in early 1969. 

Later in 1969, Argent issued its eponymous debut album, which found the bandleader taking a heavier, more visceral approach while maintaining the intricacy of his keyboard work with the Zombies. Additionally, the burgeoning progressive rock movement was offering new ways to fuse jazz and classical music with rock & roll, which was a natural direction for Argent to take. Their second album, 1971's Ring of Hands, was one of their most prog-oriented, featuring lots of keyboard soloing. It didn't break the band to a wider audience, though; that would only happen with the next album, 1972's All Together Now, which produced a Top Five hit in America with a truncated version of "Hold Your Head Up." Argent toured successfully over the next few years and recorded several more albums, landing a smaller hit single in 1973's "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You" (actually written by Argent's bandmate Russ Ballard). 

Argent disbanded in 1976, and Rod immersed himself in session work in an effort to expand his musical range. Over the next few years, he recorded with the Who (Who Are You), Roger Daltrey solo,John Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Gary Moore, and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Variations), not to mention old Zombie cohort Colin Blunstone. In 1978, he released his first solo album, Moving Home, and two years later, he wrote the stage musical +Masquerade, which premiered in London in 1982. After working with British jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson, Argent composed music for British television during the mid-'80s, and in 1987 he formed a production partnership with ex-Van Morrison drummer Peter Van Hooke. Together they produced successful and acclaimed records like Tanita Tikaram's Ancient Heart (1988), Nanci Griffith's Late Night Grande Hotel (1991), Joshua Kadison's Painted Desert Serenade (1993), and Jules Shear's Healing Bones (1994), among others. Additionally, Argent broke a decade's worth of silence as a solo artist with 1988's Red House. Ten years later, he returned with an album of solo piano performances titled Classically Speaking, which true to its title featured a number of classical pieces interspersed with a few originals. In addition to his work as a producer, arranger, and session player, Argent reunited with Colin Blunstone for 2001's Out of the Shadows, which was accompanied by a tour.

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Kevin Ayers is one of rock's oddest and more likable enigmas, even if often he's seemed not to operate at his highest potential. Perhaps that's because he's never seemed to have taken his music too seriously -- one of his essential charms and most aggravating limitations. Since the late '60s, he's released many albums with a distinctly British sensibility, making ordinary lyrical subjects seem extraordinary with his rich low vocals, inventive wordplay, and bemused, relaxed attitude. Apt to flavor his songs with female backup choruses and exotic island rhythms, the singer/songwriter inspires the image of a sort of progressive rock beach bum, writing about life's absurdities with a celebratory, relaxed detachment. Yet he is also one of progressive rock's more important (and more humane) innovators, helping to launch the Soft Machine as their original bassist, and working with noted European progressive musicians like Mike Oldfield, Lol Coxhill, and Steve Hillage.

Ayers cultivated a taste for the bohemian lifestyle early, spending much of his childhood in Majorca before he moved with his mother to Canterbury in the early '60s. There he fell in with the town's fermenting underground scene, which included future members of the Soft Machine and Caravan. For a while he sang with the Wilde Flowers, a group that also included future Softs Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper. He left in 1965, met fellow freak David Allen in Majorca, and returned to the U.K. in 1966 to found the first lineup of the Soft Machine with Allen, Wyatt, and Mike Ratledge.

Wyatt is usually regarded as the prime mover behind the Soft Machine, but Ayers' contributions carried equal weight in the early days. Besides playing bass, he wrote and sang much of their material. He can be heard on their 1967 demos and their 1968 debut album, but by the end of 1968 he felt burned out and quit. Selling his bass to Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, he began to write songs on guitar, leading to a contract with Harvest in 1969. His relationship with his ex-Soft Machine mates remained amiable; in fact, Wyatt and Ratledge (as well as Ayers' replacement, Hugh Hopper) guested on Ayers' 1969 debut.

Ayers' solo material reflected a folkier, lazier, and gentler bent than the Soft Machine. In some respects he was comparable to Syd Barrett, without the madness -- and without the ferocious heights of Barrett's most innovative work. Ayers was never less than enjoyable and original, though his albums were erratic right from the start, veering from singalong ditties and pleasant, frothy folk ballads to dissonant improvisation. The more ambitious progressive rock elements came to the forefront when he fronted the Whole World in the early '70s. The backing band included a teenage Mike Oldfield on guitar, Lol Coxhill on sax, and David Bedford on piano. But Ayers only released one album with them before they dissolved.

Ayers continued to release albums in a poppier vein throughout the '70s, at a regular pace. As some critics have noted, this dependable output formed an ironic counterpoint to much of his lyrics, which often celebrated a life of leisure, or even laziness. That lazy charm was often a dominant feature of his records, although Ayers always kept things interesting with offbeat arrangements, occasionally singing in foreign tongues, and flavoring his production with unusual instruments and world music rhythms. He (or Harvest) never gave up on the singles market, and indeed his best early-'70s efforts in that direction were accessible enough to have been hits with a little more push. Or a little less weirdness. Even Ayers at his most accessible and direct wasn't mainstream, a virtue that endeared him to his loyal cult.

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That cult was limited to the rock underground, and Ayers logically concentrated on the album market throughout the 1970s. Almost always pleasant, eccentric, and catchy, these nonetheless started to sound like a cul-de-sac by the mid-'70s. Ayers pressed on without changing his approach, despite the dwindling audience for progressive rock and the oncoming train of punk and new wave. He only recorded sporadically after 1980, though he remained active in the early 1990s, mostly on the European continent. The 2007 release The Unfairground was first 21st Century release.

artistdirect.com

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This supergroup came together from a collection of flourishing bands to become one of the most successful major players in the world of Prog Rock. Keith Emerson had learned piano as a child and played in a number of bands prior to being in the backing band for American singer PP Arnold. The band quickly outgrew their backing duties and became a band in their own right, calling themselves The Nice. Along side Lee Jackson, Brian Davidson and Davy O’List, they became a popular live attraction and soon recorded their first, well-received album The "Thoughts Of Emerlist Davejack" in late 1967.Guitarist O’List left the band during the recording of the second album “Ars Longa Vita Brevis” After considering replacement guitarists, they decided to continue as a three piece – a forerunner of the future. Combining traces of jazz and classical elements within a rock structure, a further three albums were released with diminishing success before the band split up in 1970.

Greg Lake had been in a number of bands in and around his local area in the southwest of England, including The Gods, with future members of Uriah Heep. Following his departure from the Gods, he teamed up with old friend Robert Fripp as bass player in the newly formed King Crimson. As lead vocalist, co writer and co producer, Lake played a huge part in the success and influence of the bands stunning debut "In The Court Of The Crimson King". Following a US tour supporting The Nice on their farewell tour, Lake left Crimson to join Emerson in the formation of a new band pausing only to complete Crimsons second release, "In The Wake Of Posidon".

Carl Palmer played in a number of bands in his teenage years. His main influence in his early days was jazz drummers. Following a stint in Chris Farlow’s Thunderbirds, he was drafted into the Crazy World Of Arthur Brown to go on tour, when the original drummer, Drachen Theaker, was forced to leave the band due to a phobia of flying. The band pretty well disintegrated during the tour of the States and Palmer left with Keyboard player Vincent Crane to form Atomic Rooster. Palmer only stayed for one album, the self-titled release in early 1970.The music was similar in style and feel to the Crazy World, heavily dominated by organ, although by the time of Palmers departure, guitarist John Du Cann had joined and was influencing their sound.

Upon meeting Emerson and Lake, Palmer found an immediate connection and musical empathy and it was agreed they would form a band. Before finally agreeing on Palmer, Mitch Mitchell, the drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was approached. Rumour has it that after declining the invite he mentioned the aspirations of the others to Hendrix who was keen to experiment. A session was planned between the four but Hendrix died before this was finalised and the three decided to commence as a trio. Who knows what the outcome would have been had HELP ever formed?

Following some extensive rehearsals, the band made its debut in August 1970 and for their second gig, played at the giant Isle of Wight festival. Signed to Island Records, their first album was released in December 1970 and crowned a busy year. This self-titled debut was an intriguing affair. Despite effective contributions from L & P, the keyboards from Emerson dominate proceedings. Borrowing (unaccredited at the time) from a variety of classical pieces, and heavily influenced by complex jazz time signatures, the album takes some listening but rewards those brave enough to last the pace. The opening track, "The Barbarian", swirls with a mixture of keyboards, as does the powerful “Knife-edge” There had to be a drum solo and it duly appears in the turgid “Tank” Both “The Three Fates” and “Take A Pebble” showcase Emerson’s virtuosity but it is the last track, the melancholy “Lucky Man” that seals the success of the album. Added at the last minute at the request of the record label, this timeless ballad, written by Lake at a very early age, became a hit single release. The Moog synthesiser solo that closes the track illustrates the full potential of this unique instrument. In Emerson’s hands, this stunning noise truly sends shivers down the spine and perfectly celebrates the death of the lucky man of the title with its mournful, spectral sound. The release met with the approval of their increasing fans who sent it high into the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dropping most of the restraint they showed on the first album, the follow up, released in June 1971, was a concept album. “Tarkus” told the story of a mythical, half mechanical armadillo type creature that battles other like creatures before being defeated by the Manticore! Taking up one side of the original album, the title track, references religion, war, and famine. It did not take long for the band to wander into pretension and over indulgence. Again expertly played, with Emerson’s keyboard wizardry to the fore, this time the spark of passion has gone and you are left with an emotionless, cold sound. The remaining tracks are mostly below standard, shorter tracks. Already a favourite at live shows “Tarkus” became a staple part of their theatrical performances for many years with the poor Tarkus itself blown up and restored countless times. The album hit the right note with old fans and won new recruits, sending it to the very top of the UK album chart for a week.

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Now established as a major live and recording act, the next release combined the two. “Pictures At An Exhibition” an interpretation of Mussorgsky’s original work was recorded live at the Newcastle City Hall and released in November 1971 as a budget set. Hugely successful hitting the top ten in both the UK and USA, it is a showpiece for all things keyboardy. Again you can only marvel at the musicianship but it rarely involves the listener and so many notes are crammed into the shortest space.

The third studio album “Trilogy” was put out in July 1972 and opened with the appropriately named “Endless Enigma” which reappeared a couple tracks later. Still incredibly popular and able to chart seemingly at will. The overindulgence had by now firmly taken hold. Most tracks sounded just like other ELP songs and only the obligatory novelty track “Hoedown” and another Lake ballad “From The Beginning” moved away from the norm.

After extensive touring in the States, “Brain Salad Surgery” was next up in November 1973. The first release on the bands newly formed Manticore label. Boasting a fantastic sleeve by Alien creator H.R.Giger there was some hope that the band would take some steps forward… Dominated by the half hour long "Karn Evil 9", pretty well every one of Emerson’s vast arrays of keyboards are played. “Karn” 1st Impression Part Two" is the most pleasing with some continuity and playful lyrics co written by Lake’s old Crimson cohort Pete Sinfield. An interesting version of the hymn “Jerusalem” opens proceedings and one of Lake’s hauntingly beautiful ballads “Still You Turn Me On” offers some variation with some nice guitar but apart from that, it’s the same old ELP. Technically brilliant but filled with their pomposity. This release is held in high esteem by fans and it has everything the ELP connoisseurs demand. To the outsider, it is relentless, almost painful.

And just when the hammering stopped, they released a TRIPLE live album to celebrate their extensive world tour. Recorded during 1973/74 and released in August 74 it contained the lot. The whole of the track “Tarkus” the whole (plus a bit) of “Karn Evil 9. “Take a Pebble” extended to 26 minutes and incorporating “Lucky Man” among others, a bit of King Crimson and a lot more of ELP. The audience loved it. As rock theatre it was unsurpassed. By now ELP could do no wrong “Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends” (they weren’t kidding!) went top 5 in both the UK and the States.

Exhausted by the continual touring, they took a sabbatical, pursuing solo projects, and return to the studio after a three year break to record “Works” Vol 1". Taking its cue from Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma, this double album release gave one side to each member with the band combining on side four. This did not go down well with the fans that had waited a long time for a proper “ELP” release. Instead they got one side of a piano concerto. One side of acoustic ballads, one side of pseudo classical pieces plus a track featuring one of the Eagles and, finally, two tracks from the band. These tracks were among the best that ELP had produced. “Fanfare For The Common Man” a re working of a Copeland piece, was released in edited form as a single and gave the band a final single chart placing. And “Pirates” probably the most complete and realised track the band recorded. This tantalising glimpse of what the fans wanted was not enough to help the album sell and for the first time the band contemplated a lack of success.

Coupled with a vast change in the musical climate, the realisation that their time had been and gone hit the band hard. The same year they released “Works” Vol 2". This was almost an acceptance of defeat and was the most un ELP like album. Containing twelve tracks and none over five minutes this attempt, finally, at brevity was brave but pointless. Most of the tracks were leftovers from previous sessions and the quality variable. To fulfil contractual obligations, “Love Beach” recorded in the Bahamas and released in 1978 to critical ridicule was enough for the band to take the hint and they disbanded the following year.

Following brief excursions with other bands and solo projects, Emerson becoming involved with film scores, Palmer forming first PM and then another supergroup Asia and Lake producing a couple of solo works, Emerson and Lake formed another version of ELP this time with Cozy Powell on the drum stool. Just one album was released and the band toured. Ditching Lake, Emerson teamed up again with Palmer and Robert Berry to form the unsuccessful “3”

In 1991, the original ELP reformed. An album of all new material was released in 1992 and the band hit the tour trail again throughout 92/93 to support “Black Moon” The tour and the album proved to be moderately successful and encouraged the band to record a follow up, 1994’s “In The Hot Seat” and that was the last album release although the band did carry on touring right up to 1998.

Keith Emerson continues to score for films with notable success. He has also released many solo albums and tours to small venues at regular intervals. He reformed The Nice in 2003 for a short tour.

Greg Lake has played with Ringo Starr and The Who and tours infrequently as the Greg Lake Band

Carl Palmer achieved huge success with Asia, has released some solo albums and gives drum clinics all over the world.

ELP were a band of their times. Indulged to be pretentious with little self discipline they never the less achieved tremendous commercial acclaim selling around 40 million albums. While later albums showed a lack of restraint, their debut contained many moments of inspiration and classic prog. Their musicianship was never in doubt but their music rarely stimulated the emotions after that first release. They became targets for the Punk/New wave movement and were easy targets, held up to be the worse that “old rock” offered. As critics jumped ship and embraced the new sounds, ELP were left high and dry, held up to ridicule with their Persian carpets, two ton drum kits, revolving keyboards and convoys of trucks, they didn’t help themselves! They became completely out of step with the musical times and were swept away by the spiky haired, plastic clad army that were encouraged to hate them. In this time of financial restraint and environmental issues it is unlikely we will see their like too much in the future.

Roger Gibbens

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Jimmy Page is without doubt one of the most influential guitarist of our time. Jimmy Page went from a bright eyed, young Skiffle lad to a founding member of Led Zeppelin, Page is a prolific songwriter and musician.

Born in England, Page haphazardly discovered the guitar as an adolescent and according to sources is largely, self taught. Like many young musicians of this time, he was inspired by the blues and rock-n-roll music being imported from America. Page’s first televised appearance was in 1957 playing in a Skiffle group.

Page would often jam with other icons but then only other local musicians like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. He eventually would go on to be a session musician and work on songs for other artists more notably, The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull and Van Morrison. Some of these recordings were documented, some not and some controversial.

In 1964 and 1965, Page was offered Eric Clapton’s spot in The Yardbirds. He declined both times and didn’t actually join the band until 1966. The band eventually had some line-up drop outs. Page decided to recruit Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones and out of the ashes of the failing Yardbirds rose Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin created classic rock radio standards such as Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, Black Dog, and Stairway to Heaven.

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The music produced, composed and played by Page during his Led Zeppelin days continues to be the archetype for future rock, punk and metal bands. His techniques in downstroke guitar riffs, innovative dual guitar harmony, mesmerising solos and on-stage theatrics are some of the most quoted inspirations. According to a 2005 interview, Page estimated that he owned over 1500 guitars but he is most well-known for playing a double headed Gibson and Les Pauls. Gibson would go on to release signature Jimmy Page models.

After the death of Bonham, Led Zeppelin broke up. Page continued to be active within the music industry including forming a supergroup with Yes bassist, Chris Squire called XYZ, featuring on a Honeydripper’s recording, film soundtracks and session work. In 1988, he released a solo album called Outrider. In the 90s, he successfully collaborated with Whitesnake front man, David Coverdale. In 1994, he reunited with Plant again for a widely acclaimed MTV Unplugged session.

Four years later, a US rapper, Puff Daddy sampled Kashmir for his hit, Come with Me which featured on the Godzilla soundtrack. Page played a cameo role in the video to support the single.

Page has carried on in this vain by playing live with modern acts and re-mastering Led Zeppelin material.

Die-hard (and not so die-hard) fans were in awe and admiration when Page joined the surviving Led Zeppelin members for a reunion concert in 2007. The reunion caused an international stir and media frenzy.

Juanita Appleby

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Janis Joplin was born on 19th January 1943. She was best known as a songwriter, music arranger and singer. She was the frontwoman of Big Brother and the Holding Company in the 1960s before turning to a solo career. Rolling Stone magazine rated Janis Joplin at No. 46 in their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004 and again at No. 28 in the 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Although Janis Joplin’s career was short, it was certainly sweet. Her wild 60s existence and notorious singing style has earned her iconic and immortal status in the history pages of rock and roll.

In 1966, Joplin was invited to flower-child invaded San Francisco to audition for a local band called Big Brother and the Holding Company. The band was successful in creating sufficient buzz to join the lineup for the legendary 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival.

During the set, the band stunned crowds with a rendition of “Ball and Chain” which was a mix of piercing, psychedelic guitar and Joplin’s soulful, blues-inspired vocals.

Shortly after, Big Brother and the Holding Company acquired a three album deal with Columbia Records. Its first release was Cheap Thrills in 1968 and almost immediately went gold thanks to the help of killer singles, “Piece of My Heart” and “Summertime”. Joplin was given top billing with the band and started commanding large audiences and even larger pay cheques. Even US magazine, TIME, said she was “the most powerful singer to emerge from the white rock movement.” Joplin split with Big Brother by the end of 1968.

In 1969, she released an album called “I Got Dem ‘Ol Kozmic Blues Again, Mama”. The album met with praise in the European markets.

Meanwhile, Joplin recognized the damage of her ever-increasing drug use and vowed to quit. Sources say she was shooting approximately $200 worth of heroin per day. She formed a new band, Full Tilt Boogie Band, and began recording her next album to be titled Pearl.

Unfortunately, her efforts to kick the drug habits failed and she accidentally overdosed on heroin while staying in Los Angeles at mere age of 27.

Pearl was released after her death in 1971 and met widespread critical acclaim. The album produced several popular songs including “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz”.

Joplin is considered the first legitimate female rock star and her breaking with tradition has opened doors to new genres and opportunities for women lead singers. She has an eternal place with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain within popular culture’s “27 club” which is a list of influential musicians that died at the age of 27, often under mysterious circumstances.

Her rebellious and liberated public image has been re-created in various movies including the 1979 film, The Rose, starring Bette Midler. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Juanita Appleby

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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

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Booker T and the MGs are an instrumental soul band that emerged in the 1960s, and are cited as one of the most influential bands of all time, part of the Memphis Soul scene.

They are best known for the funky ''Green Onions'' that reached No. 3 in the U.S Charts in 1962 and has since been used in numerous films.

The band were also Stax Records' house band and played on hundreds of recordings by the likes of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Sam and Dave.

Aside from this they also had hits with ''Soul Limbo'', ''Hip Hug-Her'' and ''Time Is Tight'', and were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in 1992.

Their original members were Booker T. Jones on organ and piano, Steve Copper on guitar, Lewie Steinberg on bass and Al Jackson Junior on drums, but the band have undergone several line-up changes in the near-50 years they have been playing together.

Booker T and the MGs still perform live, in both their own right and as the successful backing band they have made their own.

Wendy Gabriel

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The Honeycombs were an English pop group of the 1960s. Their most distinguishing mark was their female drummer, Honey Lantree. One night the group, known then as The Sheratons, was playing in a London pub, The Mildmay Tavern in the Balls Pond Road. In the audience were Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, a very prolific British songwriting team, who later wrote hits for such artists as Lulu and Elvis Presley.

Howard and Blaikley, then working in production for BBC Television, liked what they saw and suggested the band might like to hear some of their material. The band had an upcoming audition with indie record producer Joe Meek, whom most notably had produced The Tornadoes and composed their number one hit "Telstar" in 1962, and were eager for some new material. At the audition in Meek's studio in Holloway Road, they played Howard and Blaikley's "Have I the Right?" which Meek recorded.

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The group's founder Martin Murray had worked as a hairdresser, Honey Lantree being his assistant. They decided to combine his profession with the name of the drummer, and changed their name to The Honeycombs. They were signed to the Pyre record label. After proving a 'sleeper' for seven weeks the record took off in the summer of 1964 reaching the number one spot around the world and selling over 2 million records. It was Meek's final hit in the United States, where it was issued on the Interphon label. Howard and Blaikley who went on to write more successes for them managed The Honeycombs.

The Honeycombs' first recording "Have I The Right?" hit number one in the UK and number five in the U.S. in the autumn of 1964 shortly after the start of the British Invasion. Honey Lantree was an accomplished drummer and the star attraction of the group as she was one of very few female drummers at the time. The unique and heavily compressed bass drum sound on "Have I The Right?", which many other drummers of the period tried to replicate, was augmented by the group stamping on the stairs of Meek's studio. Meek achieved this by placing four microphones attached with bicycle clips under the stairs. The Honeycombs also recorded the song in German.

The Honeycombs line-up changed in 1966 and the group became known as The New Honeycombs. The New Honeycombs were the original drummer and vocalist Honey Lantree plus bassist John Lantree and included in the new line-up were Rod Butler on lead guitar and vocals, Colin Boyd on vocals and guitar, and Eddie Spence on keyboards and vocals. In 1999 Cult Record producer Russell C. Writer tempted the oiginal line up of The Honeycombs out of retirement to do a track 'Live and Let Die' on the Future Legend compilation “Cult Themes from the 70's Vol.2”. Not only did The Honeycombs appear on the album but so did 'Glenda Collins' another popular Joe Meek artist.

This was last recording by the original Honeycombs line up before Denis died but Denis considered it one of his best recordings. More information and track listing of this album can be found at Future Legend Records Website. There is currently a version of The Honeycombs touring, however this line up has only been together for a few years and contains no members from the 60's line up.

Mathew Jones

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