Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins) was born in May 1950. As a result of a premature birth, Stevie was born with detached retinas, resulting in permanent blindness.

His talents as a singer and multi-instrumentalist were spotted at the age of 11 and he was quickly signed up to Motown Records by CEO Berry Gordy. He released his first major hit – ‘Fingertips (Pt. 2) - under the name Little Stevie Wonder.

As he grew up, the hits continued and he lent his songwriting talents to other successful artists: for instance, he is credited with writing the #1 hit ‘Tears of a Clown’ for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

By the mid 60s, Stevie Wonder was no longer ‘Little’. He delivered huge hits tunes such as ‘For Once in My Life’ and ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours’. His Motown contract expired in 1971 when Wonder turned 21. He was keen to spread his wings creatively so Wonder re-negotiated his contract with Motown, giving him more artistic freedom. As a result, he released groundbreaking albums such as ‘Talking Book’ and ‘Innervisions’.

Wonder was creating powerful music and complex lyrics, wearing his political heart on his sleeve on songs like ‘Living for the City’ and ‘Big Brother’. The album ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ followed in 1976, arguably his most ambitious and accomplished piece of work to date.

More commercial success followed in the 80s. ‘I Just Called To say I Love You’, taken from the 'The Woman in Red' soundtrack, became an international No. 1 hit. He also successfully campaigned for a US public holiday to honour Dr. Martin Luther King and released a tribute song to the civil rights activist, ‘Happy Birthday’. His harmonica playing also featured on huge 80s hits by Eurythmics, Elton John and Chaka Khan.

Wonder became less prolific through the 90s. He recorded the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s film ‘Jungle Fever' and performed at the closing ceremony for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Stevie Wonder has been hugely influential to a number of artists such as George Michael, Lenny Kravitz, Prince and Mary J Blige. He coached contestants on American Idol in 2006 when they had to sing with him from his back catalogue - and he is still going strong! In 2008, he brought his 'Wonder Summer’s Night Tour' to Europe and sold out four nights at London’s O2 Arena. He also performed on Inauguration Day for President Obama in 2009.

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In 2010, Stevie headlined the final day for Glastonbury's 40th Anniversary. Now in his 60s, Stevie Wonder is still going strong as he does not look like he is going to slow down anytime soon.

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Prince

Marvin Gaye

Michael Jackson

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Thin Lizzy began life in Dublin in 1969 when childhood friends Phil Lynott and Brian Downey were approached by two former members of Van Morrison's band 'Them', Eric Wrixon (keyboards) and Eric Bell (guitar).

'Thin Lizzy' was released in 1971 on Decca. During 1972 they toured Europe, but it was only really back in Ireland that their tours provided the funds to keep the band going.

Later that year, Slade went on tour and Thin Lizzy were booked as their support. Decca released a record to coincide with this tour, and chose Lizzy's unique rock version of a traditional Irish folk song: "Whiskey In The Jar".

"Vagabonds Of The Western World" was released in the autumn of 1973 described as ‘mystical Celtic meets hard hitting rock’.

A newly formed line-up signed with Phonogram releasing "Jailbreak" in 1976 and the single "The Boys Are Back In Town" both massive international hits.

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"Bad Reputation" was released in September of 1977 and stormed to number 4 in the UK charts. Coming as it did on the back of "Jailbreak" and "Johnny The Fox", this cemented the band's position as one of the most successful rock bands of the time.

Thin Lizzy embarked on a US tour in the autumn of 1977 .The track 'Still In Love With You' is considered by many to be a highlight of Phil's career.

Thin Lizzy's 'final' UK show was on 28th August 1983 at the Reading Festival. Their farewell concert came on 4th September that year at the Monsters Of Rock Festival in Nuremburg, Germany.

Phil Lynott died of drug related problems in 1986 aged 36.

The band have continued to perform with a replacment lead singer.

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT THIN LIZZY MERCHANDISE HERE

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Midge Ure

Slade

Greg Lake

Aerosmith The Greatest Hard Rock Band Ever?

Uriah Heep's by-the-books progressive heavy metal made the British band one of the most popular hard rock groups of the early '70s. Formed by vocalist David Byron and guitarist Mick Box in the late '60s, the group went through an astonishing number of members over the next two decades -- nearly 30 different musicians passed through the band over the years.

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Byron and Box were members of the mid-'60s rock band called the Stalkers; once that band broke up, the duo formed another group called Spice. Spice would eventually turn into Uriah Heep in the late '60s, once Ken Hensley (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and bassist Paul Newton joined the pair. Former Spice drummer Alex Napier was the band's drummer for a brief time; he was quickly replaced by Nigel Olsson.

Uriah Heep released their debut album Very 'eavy...Very 'umble (called Uriah Heep in the U.S.) in 1970. After its release, Keith Baker became the group's drummer; he recorded Salisbury, the group's second album, before deciding he couldn't keep up with the band's extensive touring and was replaced by Ian Clarke. Salisbury, featuring a 16-minute title track recorded with a 26-piece orchestra, showcased the band's more progressive tendencies. Later that year, Ian Clarke was replaced by Lee Kerslake and Mark Clarke replaced Newton; Mark Clarke quickly left the band and Gary Thain became the group's bassist. This lineup of Uriah Heep was its most stable and popular; beginning with 1972's Demons and Wizards, they released five albums between 1972 and 1975.

After 1975, the band's popularity began to slip. Byron left the band in 1977 and was replaced by John Lawton, yet the group's fortunes kept declining right into the early '80s. However, Uriah Heep soldiered on, continuing to release albums into the '90s and 2000s. The album roster included Different World (1994), Sea of Light (1995), Sonic Origami (1998), and Spellbinder (1999). 

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT URIAH HEEP MERCHANDISE HERE

Sources: Stephen Thomas Erlewine; 

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Family

Nazareth

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Uriah Heep Video

Small Faces were an influential British mod/psychedelic band of the 1960s, led by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane with Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan (who replaced original organist Jimmy Winston). The Small Faces were all genuine East End mods and they ranked second to The Who as Britain’s premier Mod band. They were signed to Decca records initially and enjoyed major success across Europe between 1965 and 1967 with classic singles like “All Or Nothing” and “Sha-La-La-La-Lee” before moving to a new label.

By late 1967, the band had felt constricted financially & creatively by manager Don Arden (father of Sharon Osbourne), and were lured by Rolling Stones’ publicist Andrew Loog Oldham into signing with his new Immediate label. They soon recorded more expansive psychedelic sounding material including hit pop tunes like “Lazy Sunday” which was included with their UK number one classic concept album Ogdens Nut Gone Flake and “Itchycoo Park” which was their only stateside charting single.

The demise of the Small Faces arrived on New Years Eve 1968, when Steve Marriott walked off stage at The Alexandra Palace in London. Marriott felt that despite the success of the group, he was still not being taken seriously as a musician. He went on to achieve major status in the U.S.A with Peter Frampton in Humble Pie. The others continued as the Faces, opting to drop the “Small” after one LP as new recruits Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood towered above their new band mates. Drummer Kenney Jones later joined The Who after the death of their drummer Keith Moon. As years went on, Marriott kept recording various lineups as Humble Pie but became somewhat of a caricature and casualty of rock excess. Tragically, Steve Marriott died in a house fire in 1991 and Ronnie Lane followed him in 1997 after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Keyboardist Ian McLagan has continued to tour and record with his own band as well as with artists like Billy Bragg, The New Barbarians ( a group composed of Ian, Ron Wood, Keith Richards, Stanley Clarke, and Billy Cobham), and The Rolling Stones. According to announcements at the shows on the New Barbarians tour, the proceeds of the live gigs were going to pay Ronnie Lane’s medical expenses associated with Ronnie’s struggle with Multiple Sclerosis.

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The Small Faces remain one of British rock’s most important legacy acts, with their membership having links to so many other acts. Amongst the many bands they influenced were The Jam, Ramones, and Oasis.

Albums:

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Rod Stewart

Humble Pie

The Rolling Stones

The Legend Ronnie Wood

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The Animals formed in 1963 after Eric Burdon joined the existing group of Alan Price Combo. The group performed R’n’B covers around Newcastle in the early Sixties. The group were brought to London by Ronan O’Rahilly but were soon being managed by Mickey Most.

The Animals had a series of successful hits starting with Bob Dylan’s “Baby Let me Take you Home” however, their most iconic track “The House of the Rising Sun” which was a cover of a song relating to a brothel, even now is the subject of acrimony as Alan Price managed to obtain all the royalties for this track, apparently excluding the other members of the band. Once the group had found fame and toured America, Alan Price left being unable to cope with the pressure and went on to form The Alan Price Set and tour with Georgie Fame. After a number of successful hit singles the band broke up in 1966. Chas Chandler went on to discover and manage Jimi Hendrix and Slade; while Eric Burdon went on to form The New Animals. There have been a couple of attempts to reform the band during the Seventies and Eighties but with little success.

Eric Burdon continues to gig and record around the globe.

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Members include Alan Price (born April 19, 1941, Fairfield, Durham, England), organ, piano; Eric Burdon (born May 11, 1941, Walker, Northumberland, England), vocals; Chas Chandler (born Byran Chandler, December 18, 1938, Heaton, Northumberland, England; died July 17, 1996, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England), bass; John Steel (born February 4, 1941, Gateshead, Northumberland, England), drums; Hilton Valentine (born May 21, 1943, North Shields, Northumberland, England), guitar.

Other members include: Vic Briggs (born February 14, 1945, Twickenham, Surrey, England), guitar; Barry Jenkins (born December 22, 1944, Leicester, England), drums; Danny McCullough (born July 18, 1945, London, England), bass; Tom Parker, organ, piano; Dave Rowberry (born December 27, 1943, Newcastle, England), organ, piano; John Weider (born April 21, 1947, London, England), guitar.

Band formed as the Alan Price Combo, 1962; changed name to the Animals, 1962; released self-titled debut album, 1964; Price left the band, 1965; Steel left the band, 1966; the Animals disbanded, 1966; Eric Burdon & the Animals formed and released Animalization, 1966; band relocated to California, 1967; Burdon dissolved band, 1968; reunited for Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, 1976; reunited for Ark and Rip It ToShreds: The Animals Greatest Hits Live, 1983-84.

Like several of their contemporaries, the members of the Animals didn't see very much of the money they earned from their success. When they broke up, Steel sold his publishing rights for 4,000 pounds, and was the only member to leave the band with any money. "We all carme out of the Animals relatively sane, because, although we were manipulated, we were never sheltered and protected like the Beatles," Burdon told Bob Hart in Rolling Stone.

Drummer Jenkins and singer Burdon decided to form a new version of the Animals within a few months. They quickly recruited bassist Danny McCullough and organist Tom Parker. In October of 1966, they released Animalization on MGM Records. The following year, they all moved to California and added guitarist Vic Briggs. But before their next album was recorded, Parker left the group.

Albums:

The Animals, MGM Records, 1964.

The Animals on Tour, MGM Records, 1965.

Animal Tracks, MGM Records, 1965.

The Best of the Animals, MGM Records, 1966.

Animalisms, MGM Records, 1966.

Animalization, MGM Records, 1966.

Help Me Girl, MGM Records, 1967.

The Best of Eric Burdon & the Animals, Vol. 2, MGM Records, 1967.

Winds of Change, MGM Records, 1967.

The Twain Shall Meet, MGM Records, 1968.

Every One of Us, MGM Records, 1968.

Love Is, MGM Records, 1969.

The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon & the Animals, MGM Records, 1969.

Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, Barn Records, 1976.

Ark, I.R.S. Records, 1983.

Rip It To Shreds: The Animals Greatest Hits Live, I.R.S. Records, 1984.

The Best of Eric Burdon & the Animals (1966-1968), Polydor Records, 1986.

Source: Sonya Shelton 

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Bob Dylan

Dave Clarke Five

The Yardbirds

Bob Dylan and The Beatles Get High As Hell

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In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Aretha Franklin has truly earned her place as the Queen of Soul. She has performed songs in different genres as well, such as blues, R&B, jazz and rock.

Aretha Franklin was born in March 1942. Her father was a preacher and her mother was a pianist. Franklin developed an exceptional talent for singing and playing piano. Through recordings made during her father’s sermons, she appeared on a gospel album at the age of 14.

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It wasn’t until 1960 that Franklin signed a contract with Columbia Records. Her early releases reflected her jazz influence, most notably "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody". Seven years later, she moved from Columbia to Atlantic Records and began to craft her own distinctive sound. Her second single for the new label was "Respect" which was originally recorded and written by Otis Redding. Not only was "Respect" a worldwide chart-topper, she won two Grammies for it.

Franklin had huge hits in the late 60s and early 70s with memorable songs like "Chain of Fools", "I Say A Little Prayer" and "Think". She rose to prominence again in the 1980 film ‘The Blues Brothers’ where she made a cameo as Mrs Matt Murphy. She signed to Arista Records and began recording material with Luther Vandross, who was a huge fan.

Her biggest hits in the 80s came from collaborations with not only Vandross but the Eurythmics and George Michael. "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" became a rallying cry for women campaigning for equality, while "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" introduced her to fans from the Wham! generation.

After a brief period of returning to her gospel roots, Franklin’s next big commercial success came in 1993, lending her vocals to the soundtrack of Sister Act II: Back In The Habit.

1998 was a landmark year for the Queen of Soul. She released the album "A Rose Is Still A Rose" - a departure in style from her previous material - with contributions from the The Fugees’ Lauryn Hill. Later that year, she gave a memorable rendition of Puccini’s "Nessun Dorma" at the Grammys when Luciano Pavarotti was too ill to attend.

An album of duets was released in 2007, featuring Franklin sharing vocals with the likes of Gloria Estefan, Frank Sinatra, John Legend and Mary J Blige. She was also given the honour of singing at the inauguration of President Obama in 2009. She has won 18 Grammys in total, she is the second woman to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the first black woman to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. An incredible feat for an astonishing talent.

For The Record:

Born March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tenn.; daughter of Clarence L. (a minister and gospel singer) and Barbara (Siggers) Franklin; married Ted White (a businessman), 1961 (divorced); married Glynn Turman, April 11,1978 (divorced, 1984); children: (first marriage) Clarence, Edward, Teddy. Education: Attended schools in Detroit, Michigan. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Baptist.

Gospel singer, 1952-61, performing as member of her father's traveling Baptist ministry; recorded first album of gospel music in 1956. Rhythm and blues/soul vocalist, 1960—; signed first with Columbia Records, 1961, transferred to Atlantic Records, 1967, transferred to Arista Records, 1980. Has given numerous live performances in America and Europe, including a special command performance for the birthday of England's Queen Mother. Appeared in film "The Blues Brothers," 1980, and in Showtime television special, "Aretha," 1986.

Awards: Grammy awards for best female rhythm and blues vocal performance, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1985, 1987, Grammy awards for best rhythm and blues recording, 1967, for best soul gospel performance, 1972, and for best rhythm and blues duo vocal (with George Michael), 1987, for "I Knew You Were Waiting"; American Music Award, 1984.

Addresses: Home—8450 Linwood St, Detroit, Mich. 48206.

The mid- to late-1970s were a difficult time for soul music in general, as the rigid beat of disco held sway. Franklin was one of many singers who suffered a declining audience during the period. Her professional woes were compounded by a series of personal problems—her father was rendered comatose by a shooting during a burglary in his home, and her first marriage failed. Then, just as her career was beginning to rebound under the Arista label, Franklin was involved in an incident aboard a small airplane that caused her to fear flying. Some observers feel that only the need to pay her father's expensive hospital bills kept Franklin recording during the early 1980s. The Reverend Franklin died in 1984, never having recovered consciousness after the shooting. The following year Aretha recorded the album that can legitimately be called her "comeback" project—Who's Zoomin' Who, a snappy work reminiscent of her early material. Though well into her forties, Franklin cavorted elegantly through several "Who's Zoomin' Who" videos that became immensely popular on MTV and helped two singles, "Freeway of Love" and the title tune, top the pop charts. "I wanted something that kids would enjoy," Franklin told Newsweek, "something that would span the age gap, but not leave older fans behind. The soul is still there."

Franklin is still bothered by her fear of flying, so much of her work is accomplished in or near Detroit, her home base since 1982. Her recent hit single, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," paired her with George Michael, a pop singer seemingly from another generation altogether. In the wake of that success, Franklin has returned to her first and lasting love—gospel, with the release of a dramatic double album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. As Franklin once remarked in Time, "My heart is still there in gospel music. It never left." Franklin does not intend to leave pop music's ranks permanently, however. She told Newsweek that she sees singing—any kind of singing—as a means of escape. "It does get me out of myself," she said. "I guess you could say I do a lot of traveling with my voice." Mark Moses pays homage to the Queen of Soul in his New Yorker essay, calling Aretha Franklin "both the statesman shouldering history and the woman wishing herself back to childhood .. . as if there were no extremes that her wide, rippling voice could not reconcile."

Source: Anne Janette Johnson

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Otis Redding 

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

The Supremes

Top Ten Beatles Covers

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The Byrds were an American rock and roll band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The Byrds underwent a number of line-up changes, with lead singer, Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group's disbandment in 1973.

McGuinn had been playing Beatles songs acoustically in Los Angeles folk clubs when Gene Clark (who later became The Byrds’ guitarist) approached him to form a duo. Soon after, David Crosby (who also became a Byrds’ guitarist) joined them to form a group named The Jet Set. The Jet Set soon expanded their ranks to include drummer Michael Clarke and mandolin-player-turned-bassist Chris Hillman. The band released a single on Elektra Records in October 1964 entitled "Please Let Me Love You". It was after an audition for Columbia records that the band was renamed, from ‘The Beefeaters’ to ‘The Byrds.’

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The Byrds went through a journey of musical genres, adopting a somewhat psychedelic influence after their first successful year of producing the standard folk rock sound, which gave them hits such as “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” The psychedelic age saw the groundbreaking lead guitar work of McGuinn replicate the free style poetic jazz melodies of the great saxophonist, John Coltrane. Tracks such as ‘Why?’ also showed Indian Raga influence, which helped expand The Byrds’ fused genre repertoire. After the band played at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the genre of country rock was adopted till the end of the bands’ fame. The band had undergone some personnel changes with Gene Clarke and David Crosby being replaced by session musicians.

The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 where the original lineup of Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn was honored at this induction. Gene Clark died later that year, and two years later Michael Clarke succumbed to liver disease caused by alcoholism. More recently, in 2004 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them #45 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Though both Hillman and Crosby have expressed an interest in working with McGuinn again on future Byrds projects, no such reunion has occurred and all three have successful individual careers.

Original members included Gene Clark (born November 17, 1941, in Tipton, MO; died May 24, 1991, in Los Angeles, CA; left group, 1966), vocals; Michael Clarke (born June 3, 1944, in New York, NY; left group, 1968), drums; David Crosby (born August 14, 1941, in Los Angeles; left group, 1967), guitar; Chris Hillman (born December 4, 1942, in Los Angeles; left group, 1968), bass; and Roger McGuinn (born Jim McGuinn, July 13, 1942, in Chicago, IL, [changed name, 19681), guitar.

Later members included Skip Battin (born February 2, 1934, in Gallipolis, OH; joined group, 1969), bass; John Guerin (joined group, 1972), drums; Kevin Kelly (born in 1945 in California; joined group, 1968), drums; Gene Parsons (born in 1944 in Los Angeles), drums; Gram Parsons (born Cecil Connor, November 5, 1946, in Winter Haven, FL [changed name, c. I960); died September 19, 1973, in Joshua Tree, CA; joined and left group, 1968), guitar; Clarence White (born June 6, 1944, in Lewiston, ME; died July 14, 1973), guitar; and John York (left group, 1969) bass.

Group formed in 1964 in Los Angeles; originally named the Jet Set; signed with Elektra Records, released first single as the Beefeaters; signed with Columbia Records, released "Mr. Tambourine Man," 1965; released three LPs; released several LPs with various lineups, 1967-73; group disbanded, 1973; original members reunited to make one album, The Byrds, Asylum, 1973.

Albums:

Mr. Tambourine Man, Columbia, 1965.

Turn! Turn! Turn!, Columbia, 1966.

Fifth Dimension (includes "Eight Miles High"), Columbia, 1966.

Younger Than Yesterday (includes "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "My Back Pages)," Columbia, 1967.

The Byrds Greatest Hits, Columbia, 1967.

The Notorious Byrd Brothers, Columbia, 1968.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Columbia, 1968.

Dr. Byrds and Mrs. Hyde, Columbia, 1969.

Preflyte, Together, 1969.

(Untitled), Columbia, 1970.

Farther Along, Columbia, 1971.

Byrdmaniax, Columbia, 1971.

The Best of the Byrds: Greatest Hits Volume II, Columbia, 1972.

The Byrds, Asylum, 1973.

Never Before, Murray Hill, 1988.

Sources: Mathew Jones; Tim Connor

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Gram Parsons

Jackson Browne

Cher

Drugs, Drugs And Rock N Roll

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Clarence "Frogman" Henry was born on 19th March 1937 in Algiers, Louisiana. A popular R&B singer he was inspired by Professor Longhair and Fats Domino, while performing in talent shows, Henry used to dress up like Longhair and wore a wig with braids on each side.

He could sing like a girl, he could sing like a frog, but it was Henry's trademark croak found him fame in 1956 with the hit "Ain't Got No Home" which he followed up with "You Always Hurt the One You Love" and "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" in 1961.

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Frogman continued to record a number of New Orleans style originals and he even recorded with Nashville saxist Boots Randolph and pianist Floyd Crammer. But the hits dried up for good after 1961 as his gimmick as being the Frogman grew tiresome.

In 1964 The Frogman opened 18 concerts across the US and Canada for The Beatles but he always felt at home on the Bourbon Strip in New Orleans, where he played for 19 years still drawing crowds of tourists years after his hits had been in the charts. "Ain't Got No Home" has been used in a number of films including "Diner", "The Lost Boys" and "Casino".

Clarence's contribution to music was recognized by the Rockability Hall Of Fame were in April 2007, he was honored for his contribution to Louisiana music.

If you would like to see the great man, you are most likely to see him reviving his classics at the New Orleans & Heritage festival were he performs every year in the spring.

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The Beatles

Fats Domino

Otis Redding

Clarence The Frogman Henry Video

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The influence of the Velvet Underground on rock greatly exceeds their sales figures and chart numbers. They are one of the most important rock and roll bands of all time, laying the groundwork in the Sixties for many tangents rock music would take in ensuing decades. Yet just two of their four original studio albums ever even made Billboard’s Top 200, and that pair – The Velvet Underground and Nico (#171) and White Light/White Heat (#199) – only barely did so. If ever a band was “ahead of its time,” it was the Velvet Underground. Brian Eno, cofounder of Roxy Music and producer of U2 and others, put it best when he said that although the Velvet Underground didn’t sell many albums, everyone who bought one went on to form a band. The New York Dolls, Patti Smith, the Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, U2, R.E.M., Roxy Music and Sonic Youth have all cited the Velvet Underground as a major influence.

The Velvets’ addressed such taboo subjects as sexual deviancy (“Venus in Furs”), drug addiction (“Heroin,” “White Light/White Heat”), paranoia (“Sunday Morning”) and the urban demimonde (“All Tomorrow’s Parties”). In so doing, they brought rock and roll into theretofore unexplored experiential realms with a literary and unabashedly adult voice. Musically, the group ranged from droning, avant-garde improvisations (“Sister Ray”) to songs built upon time-tested rock and R&B foundations (“I’m Waiting for the Man”). The Velvet Underground managed to be both arty and earthy, reflecting the duality within the college-educated but streetwise Lou Reed, who wrote most of the material.

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The group—vocalist/guitarist Reed, keyboardist and viola player John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen “Moe” Tucker - played their first show together in 1965. The following year they were taken under the wing of artist Andy Warhol, who saw them perform at Cafe Bizarre in Greenwich Village. The Velvets soon became the house band at Warhol’s studio, the Factory, and the centerpiece of his multimedia extravaganza, the “Exploding Plastic Inevitable.” Their debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, featured a classic Warhol-designed pop-art jacket that depicted a big yellow banana. Inside were 11 songs that radically revised the rock and roll sensibility - especially two songs about drug addiction, one despondent and sobering (“Heroin”) and another a ribald slice of Harlem street life (“I’m Waiting for the Man”). Several songs, notably “Femme Fatale” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” featured the heavily accented vocals of cool German chanteuse Nico.

The Velvet Underground’s second album, White Light/White Heat was more sonically radical. Filled with leakage and distortion, its chaotic centerpiece was the 17-minute “Sister Ray.” The group’s self-titled third album was, by comparison, quiet and introspective, defined more by cautious optimism (“Beginning to See the Light”) and soul-searching (“Jesus”). By then, John Cale had left at the insistence of Reed, with whom he clashed, and was replaced by Doug Yule. Between the releases of The Velvet Underground and Loaded – officially, their fourth album – the group recorded enough unreleased material to fill two albums. Indeed, two albums of archival unearthings from 1969 were issued in the mid-Eighties as VU and Another View.

When Loaded appeared in late 1970, only Reed and Morrison remained from the original lineup. The group had switched record labels, from MGM/Verve to Atlantic/Cotillion, and adapted a more pop-oriented approach. Loaded contained some of Lou Reed’s most accessible compositions, many of them sung by the pop-voiced Doug Yule. Yet though Reed felt the album was “loaded” with hits, it was their second in a row not to chart at all. That seems inconceivable today, given its high quality and enduring influence. The album’s ten tracks were hooky and melodic, yet informed by Reed’s literary intellect, and two of them – “Sweet Jane” and “Rock and Roll” – have become acknowledged classics. Of Loaded’s anthem to the power of popular music, Reed explained, “’Rock and Roll’ is about me. If I hadn’t heard rock and roll on the radio, I would have had no idea there was life on this planet.”

Prior to the release of Loaded, Reed left the Velvet Underground to embark on a solo career. And though a Yule-led Velvet Underground briefly kept the name alive, that was essentially the end of the story: four brilliant albums that formed a blueprint for the next three decades of rock and roll. The founding members reunited in 1993 for a brief European tour; it had been 25 years since they’d shared a stage. A double-disc documentary, Live MCMXCIII, appeared later that year. There was talk of a new studio album, but the reunion turned out to be short-lived. A new wave of interest in the Velvet Underground was stirred by the 1995 release of Peel Slowly & See, a five-CD box set that included their first four albums and numerous rarities. At their 1996 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Velvet Underground sang a new song, “Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend,” a tribute to guitarist Sterling Morrison, who’d died of cancer the previous year.

Members included John Cale (born December 5,1940, in Crynant, Wales; bass, viola, guitar, and vocals; left group in 1967, was replaced on base by Doug Yule, 1968), Sterling Morrison (born Holmes Sterling Morrison, Jr., August 29, 1942, in East Meadow, NY; guitar and vocals), Nico (born Christa Paffgen, [most sources say] March 15, 1943, in Budapest, Hungary [one source says Cologne, Germany]; left group in 1966; died in 1988; vocals), Lou Reed (born Louis Firbank, March 2, 1942 [one source says 1944], in Freeport, NY [one sources says Brooklyn, NY]; vocals, guitar, and piano; left group in 1970), and Moe Tucker (born Maureen Tucker, c. 1945, in New Jersey; drums and vocals).

Albums:

Source: Simon Glickman

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Best remembered in the U.S. for the classic "Hitchin' a Ride," harmony pop ensemble Vanity Fare formed in Kent, England in 1968. Comprising vocalist Trevor Brice, guitarist Tony Goulden, bassist Tony Jarrett, and drummer Dick Allix, the group originally dubbed themselves the Avengers; soon local entrepreneur Roger Easterby signed on as manager, orchestrating a contract with the Page One label and instructing the group to cover the Sunrays' "I Live for the Sun" for their debut single.

With their sophisticated harmonies and clean-cut image, the Avengers needed a suitably genteel name, remixing the title of William Makepeace Thackeray's most famous novel to create Vanity Fare; "I Live for the Sun" cracked the U.K. Top 20 in the summer of 1968, although it would take the group a year to return to the charts, with "Early in the Morning" reaching the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Around this time, Vanity Fare jettisoned its tailored suits for neckerchiefs and fashions direct from Carnaby Street; more importantly, they also added keyboardist Barry Landeman, previously a member of Kippington Lodge, alongside Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwartz; Landeman would prove the dominant instrumental element in the group's biggest hit, 1969's infectious "Hitchin' a Ride," which sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone. A North American tour was met with little interest, however, and soon after Vanity Fare returned to Britain. Goulden quit, quickly followed by Allix; Candy Choir guitarist Erica Wheeler and Canterbury Tales' drummer Mark Ellen signed on as their replacements.

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The new lineup scored a minor hit with 1972's ballad "Better by Far," and concentrated on touring the cabaret circuit, performing as many as 14 dates a week; the grind ultimately forced Jarrett to resign, with former Tranquility bassist Bernard Hagley signing on for "I'm in Love With the World," Vanity Fare's first single for new label Phillips. In the wake of 1974's "Fast Running Out of World" their recording career screeched to a halt, but the group continued touring, including several passes through Scandinavia. During one trek to Denmark, Brice fell in love and quit the group, with singer Phil Kitto taking his place. Kitto also exited a few years later, with vocalist Kevin Thompson installed as frontman by the time Vanity Fare recorded 1986's "Dreamer," its first single in over a decade. With 1993's "Rain," their recording career again went into mothballs, but the band continues touring, with singer Steve Oakman replacing Thompson in early 2002. 

Source: Jason Ankeny

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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