Perhaps one of the most legendary rock bands of all time had its best lineup at their incarnation in 1964 as Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon formed ‘The Who.’ Let’s take a deep dive now into the band’s story: Before the band decided on “the Who,” they were named the Detours, and then, The High Numbers, starting out as a cover band performing American R&B songs Though the band started in ’64, the turmoil kicked in just one year later in 1965 as Roger Daltrey was kicked out of the band after a fight with Keith Moon. Apparently, Daltrey flushed Moon’s drugs down the toilet because he felt it was affecting his performance. Roger apologized and was let back into the band three days later Moon died of a drug overdose combination of sleeping pills and alcohol in 1978. He died in the same apartment in London where Mama Cass Elliott from the Mamas And The Papas died four years earlier. The apartment was owned by Harry Nilsson, who let friends stay there when they came to London. After Moon’s death, Nilsson never came back During a Who concert on May 16, 1969 at New York City’s Fillmore East, a man rushed the stage and tried to take the microphone. Roger Daltrey punched him in the face, and Pete Townshend kicked him in the crotch. Just next door, a grocery store was in the midst of a five alarm fire and the man turned out to a plain-clothes policeman trying to warn the crowd. Townshend was later arrested for the assault In 1969, they played Woodstock but John Entwistle said it was “probably the worst-ever festival experience we ever had.” Entwistle was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room on June 27, 2002. The band was to begin a tour the next day, and while they postponed the first dates, The Who did the tour anyway. A coroner’s report found that Entwistle was doing cocaine before he died The Who were also responsible for the deaths of their own concertgoers. A lawsuit in 1979 found the band, the Riverfront Coliseum, the promoter, and the city of Cincinnati were all liable in the deaths of 11 people that were among a massive crowd of people rushing to see the band perform while they began warming up and sound checking. Apparently people outside thought they were starting the show without them and didn’t want to miss their chance to see the perceived beginning of the show After all of the tragedy the band has faced, they are still rolling today with the help of Townshend and Daltrey, having released their latest new album in December of 2019

Patricia Mae Giraldo sounds like a pretty cool name for a performer. You know her as Pat Benatar. Let’s take a deep dive in to the career of one of the best female rockers of our time: Speaking of the name Benatar, it’s actually not a stage name. Pat was married briefly to a GI named Dennis Benatar, and decided to keep the name So where did her current married name Giraldo come from? She married her guitarist and musical director Neil Giraldo in 1982 Benatar is one of the few female rockers ever to be accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music. But she rebelled, and never attended Like most of her rock counterparts, she started humble, singing nights and weekends in bands while holding down jobs as a bank teller, and waitressing gigs Out of the 12 studio albums she has produced, 6 of them went Platinum, including her debut album In The Heat of the Night Though the height of her success happened in the 80s, Benatar got her start in the 70s singing regularly in the New York City area, where she was discovered at the Catch A Rising Star club (singing a Judy Garland song at 3am) and signed by Chrysalis Records If you’ve gone to any of Benatar’s shows, you know she’s a huge Zeppelin fan. She often closes her live shows with a reggae version of Stairway to Heaven Songs like Crimes of Passion, Fire and Ice, Shadows of the Night, and Love is a Battlefield earned her a 4-peat of Grammy awards from 1980 to 1983 Pat Benatar remains quite active in her music career, continuing to tour, put on live shows, and writing new material

Folk music owes its mainstream success to a few people, with one of the trailblazers being a singer-songwriter that has changed his name a few times. Let’s take a deep dive into the musical world of Cat Stevens… His real name is a bit longer and more interesting, Steven Demetre Georgiou. In 1977, he changed his name yet again to Yusuf Islam when he became a Muslim. In 1979, he auctioned off his guitars and gave the money to charity in an effort to show his devotion to Islam He tells Uncut magazine that his girlfriend at the time helped him pick his most famous stage name: Cat Stevens. “Christine said to me one day ‘you look so much like a cat.’ That kind of stuck.” In 1968, Stevens contracted Tuberculosis. After a long recovery, he started writing more introspective songs that lead him to his signature folk sound and message. “I was smoking a lot,” he tells Mojo Magazine. “Dope as well but mostly cigarettes. So then along came this disease and I was stuck with it. It was a kind of godsend in a way for me. That period was my blossoming into who I wanted to be.” The late 60s and early 70s were Stevens’ heyday, hitting success with songs like Father and Son, Wild World, Moonshadow, Peace Train, and Morning Has Broken Not only can he sing and write, he can paint as well. His artwork graces the front of three of his albums In 2001, he released a boxed set containing 79 tracks, most of which he recorded before becoming a Muslim. He donated the proceeds to charity in light of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America Yusuf continues to perform today, mostly without any interest in commercial success, but instead for enlightenment and to assist his religion. He has released new albums occasionally and gone back on tour, only to donate some or most of the proceeds to charities

Boston is pretty famous for producing some epic rock bands, but in 1970, a loud, rambunctious and flamboyant lead singer named Steven Tyler set out with his friends Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford to make hard rock infused with blues, pop, and R&B. Today, let’s take a deep dive into Aerosmith: Steven Tyler’s real name is Steven Tallarico. His first stage name was Steven Tally, adopted during his first band’s incarnation, Chain Reaction. After Chain Reaction split up, he formed Aerosmith and became Steven Tyler. His first choice of stage name was Tyler Britt, but their manager talked him out of it Not only is Steven Tyler a talented singer, he is also a great drummer, having played drums for Aerosmith first before leaving and returning as the lead singer Tyler and Joe Perry are well known for their drug use in the 70s, having “…snorted all of Peru,” according to a quote from Tyler. The Toxic Twins, as they were known, used to destroy hotel rooms using chainsaws, throw televisions plugged in with extension cords into swimming pools to watch them explode, and buy cases of vintage wine that would be gone in a weekend. Joe Perry says their onstage performances often suffered because of their drug use, which lead to getting clean In fact, things got so bad with their drug use that the entire band decided to enter rehab in 1986. When they got out, they began releasing hit records, including the diamond-selling Greatest Hits album Tyler’s daughter, Liv, is a popular actress having appeared in such 90s blockbusters as Armageddon. She was born in 1977 to Bebe Buell, a legendary groupie who also had affairs with Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, Elvis Costello, and Todd Rundgren. Liv’s mother apparently told her that Rundgren was actually her father. She ended up finding out the truth at age 11 Tyler says he took that job as a judge on American Idol for two years because he was mad at his fellow bandmates for not watching out for him. He considered his time judging on the show as a chance to get back at the band for not helping to keep him sober The next time you’re in Boston, there are a few places to visit to get your fill of Aerosmith’s love of the city, including their memorabilia on display at the Hard Rock Café, and they apparently pay for free admission for all of the general public at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art on Thursdays

Arena rock got its name from the rock bands of the 70s that toured to arena-sized crowds. Though this band never enjoyed critical acclaim, they had no problem filling arenas around the world to very happy crowds. Let’s take a deep dive into Grand Funk Railroad: Flint, Michigan, a town known more for Buicks than it was for railroads, was the town responsible for the band’s namesake. A train bridge over a road labeled “Grand Trunk Railroad” ended up being the inspiration for the band’s moniker. In the 80s, one of the train bridges in Flint was vandalized to paint over the TR in Trunk so it would read “Funk” instead, paying homage to the band’s roots So just how did Grand Funk get to sell out all those arenas but still be hated by critics and not receive much for airplay on radio? They were able to sell over 20 million albums by simply staying on the road to tour nearly all the time Their successful jaunt into Top 40 radio actually came thanks to production credits from Todd Rundgren, who produced “We’re An American Band” in ’73 and “Shinin’ On” in ’74 Though the band was nowhere near as successful as The Beatles, Grand Funk did manage to break the Beatles’ Shea Stadium record for ticket sales in 1971. Grand Funk sold out two nights in 72 hours and made over $300,000 In the mid-70s, the band was going to break up, but stayed together because Frank Zappa wanted to produce an album for them. He produced Good Singin’, Good Playin’ and they broke up after that in ‘76 Lead Singer Mark Farner saw some solo success in the late 70s after the band’s breakup, then he decided to become a born-again Christian. His 1988 album, Just Another Injustice, went to #2 on the Religious Inspirational Charts

Though he wasn’t known for a long list of hits like his 70s rock counterparts, singer/songwriter Boz Scaggs had a great deal of influence on more than just the success of his own solo career. Let’s take a deep dive into the musical life of Boz Scaggs: Scaggs was born in Canton, Ohio, though he moved to Plano, Texas where he attended a private school. After learning guitar at age 12, Scaggs met Steve Miller while at St. Mark’s School in Plano. In 1959 he became the vocalist for Miller’s original band, the Marksmen Later, the two would attend the University of Wisconsin at Madison and play together in blues bands like The Ardells and the Fabulous Knight Trains Boz spent some time in London to work with other bands and start his first solo album, but eventually returned to the US to work with the Steve Miller Band on their first two albums His second album had a decidedly San Francisco sound featuring the likes of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and session guitarist Duane Allman, who later formed the Allman Brothers In 1976, he recorded the album Silk Degrees which spawned his most famous singles, including Lowdown and the Lido Shuffle The session musicians that helped make Silk Degrees with Boz apparently enjoyed working together so much, they eventually formed their own band: Toto The producers of Saturday Night Fever asked to use the hit Lowdown in their movie, but Scaggs’ manager turned them down and instead used it in the movie Looking For Mr. Goodbar. Not a good move – Saturday Night Fever became one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time. And the movie Looking For Mr. Goodbar was a relative dud Though Lido Shuffle was a smash hit for Boz, he actually didn’t know it until more than a year after the Silk Degrees album was released. The single took that long to be released, but ended up helping the album top out at 5 million records sold Scaggs wrote “Lido Shuffle” with David Paich, who was also his co-writer on “Lowdown.” In an interview with songfacts.com in 2013, Scaggs talked about how the song came about: “‘Lido’ was a song that I’d been banging around. And I kind of stole… well, I didn’t steal anything. I just took the idea of the shuffle. There was a song that Fats Domino did called ‘The Fat Man’ that had a kind of driving shuffle beat that I used to play on the piano, and I just started kind of singing along with it. Then I showed it to Paich and he helped me fill it out. It ended up being ‘Lido Shuffle.'”

1976 in Dublin, Ireland, a superstar rock and pop group came together, featuring several “one named” members like Bono and The Edge. They are U2. Now, let’s take a Deep Dive into their success: The band’s original name was ‘Feedback,’ perhaps because of the awful noise they made in rehearsals. Before settling on U2, they almost went with ‘The Hype.’ Even though the band settled on U2 officially, Bono has never exactly been sold on the name. He says it sounds like a bad pun: You too? So why exactly did two of the band members change their real names to stage names? “The Edge” named himself as such because of his striking chinline. And Bono’s name was adapted from a hearing aid company name, Bono Vox, which used to be extensively advertised on TV. Because the band were very loud performers, bandmate Paul Hewson thought it was an appropriate moniker for the lead singer The band got their start in front of large audiences thanks to another UK band, The Clash, who invited them on their White Riot tour. The band’s first tour performance was right at home in Dublin at Trinity College As you might have noticed, the band writes all their own songs and never tries to cover other works from songwriters or other groups. The members formed the band before they all learned to play their instruments, so they didn’t feel comfortable trying to play other people’s songs The band has been together since their inception, though they did almost break up one time in the past. In the early 80s, the born-again Christian group that some of the band members belonged to almost convinced them to break up as a “sacrifice to God” The band members have lived in places all over the country, including right here in the US. In particular, The Edge was well known for his former Los Angeles Residence…it happened to be the same home that Eric and Lyle Menendez killed their parents in 1989 On November 27, 1993 U2 performed their only one concert without the full band; bassist Adam Clayton got so drunk the night before a show in Sydney that he couldn’t go on stage and was replaced by bass technician Stuart Morgan. Clayton has cited the devastation he felt at missing the gig as the reason why he quit drinking The Joshua tree on the album cover is located in Death Valley, California. It’s location was kept secret for years, but it was eventually toppled over in 2000 The band continues to write, perform, and tour together to this day, with no signs of slowing down

Brothers Duane and Gregg Allman loved country music, blues, and jazz. Together with their friends Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe Johanson, they formed The Allman Brothers Band in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. Now, let’s take a Deep Dive into the short-lived group. Duane and Gregg had their fair share of trials and tribulations as kids that provided them plenty of fodder to write songs. Including the death of their Army Sergeant father, who was murdered by a hitchhiker he picked up in 1949. At the time, Duane was 3 and Gregg was 2. The band was able to form in the late 60s without losing their membership to the draft for the Vietnam war because Gregg shot himself in the foot, and Duane was the eldest son taking the role of head of the family after his father’s death Before the band settled on their fairly simple and obvious name choice, they had a few other choices, including “The Escorts,” “The 31st of February,” “Hour Glass,” “Almanac,” and “The Allman Joys.” Back in the day, there weren’t many left-handed guitars being made. The brothers were both left-handed, but ended up teaching themselves to play regular right-handed guitars Early-on, the band used to take hallucinogenic mushroom extract pills and start jamming early in the morning. Shrooms influenced them so much that they decided to make it part of the band’s logo While the band began with two studio albums, it was their live album At Filmore East from 1971 that cemented their hold in history as one of the most prolific jam bands, encouraging their fans to enjoy the music by taping the show if they wanted to The band would have been at Woodstock as spectators, but didn’t feel like fighting the traffic. They instead decided to get together for the Second Woodstock in the 90s Gregg Allman married Cher in 1975. They had an on-and-off relationship until 1979. They released an album together in 1977 called Two The Hard Way. It was credited to “Allman and Woman.” If you’re a fan of the Derek and the Dominos song Layla, that’s Duane Allman’s guitar you’re listening to They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995 by Willie Nelson. Gregg Allman went into rehab the next day In 1971, Duane died in a motorcycle crash, with the band dedicating their 1972 effort, Eat a Peach, in his honor. Unfortunately, just over a year later, bassist Berry Oakley also suffered the same fate in November of 1972. Gregg Allman would keep the band together until his death of liver cancer in 2017

Athens, Georgia. A location you wouldn’t expect to likely find a few college students banging out some of the best 80s new wave sounds to ever be called rock n’ roll. This is the story of Drummer Billy Berry, Guitarist Peter Buck, Bassist Mike Mills and Lead Singer Michael Stipe and their band, REM. The band got their big break with the alternative radio hit, Radio Free Europe in 1981. Though Michael Stipe writes most of the songs for the band, songwriting credit, and royalties, are often shared among the bandmates. The less fighting over the royalties and the credit, the better chance a band has of staying together Drummer Berry and Bassist Mills got together as bandmates before REM started. They were a lounge act with their high school music teacher in the late 70s. They would dress up and play at weddings and country clubs Some people are said to be great predictors of world events, based on their gut feeling. For Michael Stipe, his gut feeling was in his head. He claims that he could predict earthquakes, and would usually get a massive headache a few days before one would hit For those of you who enjoy reading lyrics to the songs in your album sleeves, REM is not your band. They do not print lyrics because the fans often have better interpretations of their lyrics, according to Stipe Drummer Berry quit the band in 1997 after he suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm. He decided to take life at a slower pace and became a farmer. Every once in a while, he will still show up to play live with REM at shows Michael Stipe dated Natalie Merchant of the band 10,000 Maniacs, but later came out as preferring men in a 2001 Time magazine story After watching one of their early music videos, Stipe decided to swear-off the practice of lip syncing in his videos As an art and photography major at the University of Georgia in Athens, Stipe learned how to make replicas of everyday objects that interest him using bronze or birch plywood. His sculptures include a Polaroid camera, a microcassette, and a newspaper On September 21, 2011, R.E.M. issued a statement on their website, declaring that they were “calling it a day as a band.” Peter Buck told Rolling Stone that they were, “doing the last record, [2011’s] Collapse Into Now. We hadn’t made an announcement or anything. We got together, and Michael said, ‘I think you guys will understand. I need to be away from this for a long time.’ And I said, ‘How about forever?’ Michael looked at Mike, and Mike said, ‘Sounds right to me.’ That’s how it was decided.”

Drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer founded one of the greatest rock bands in the entire world in London in 1967. Their roots were primarily as a British blues band. But the lineup we’ve come to know and love featuring Lindsay Buckingham, Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks, wouldn’t materialize until 1974. This is the deep dive story of Fleetwood Mac: Original guitarist Green decided to keep the guitarists out of the spotlight, and instead name the band after drummer Mick Fleetwood and eventual joining bassist John McVie The first American tour the band ever had saw them third on the bill behind Jethro Tull, and Joe Cocker Before the 70s, founding guitarist Green left the group in a really bizarre manner. He apparently declared money to be evil, gave it all away, and took a job as a gravedigger. Critics suggested that a bad LSD trip may have been to blame for Green’s erratic behavior The other founding guitarist Jeremy Spencer disappeared after leaving the band, having joined a religious cult called the Children of God. When he was found, his head had been completely shaven. The cult apparently stuck with him; he decided to name his 1973 solo album after the cult Buckingham and Nicks played together in a newly formed, critically acclaimed group aptly named Buckingham-Nicks. Their first and only album sold poorly, but their sound opened the door to their joining Fleetwood Mac You see, Mick Fleetwood was searching for former member Bob Welsh’s replacement when he scouted Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. The studio owner played him a Buckingham-Nicks song to demonstrate the studio’s acoustics. Fleetwood asked about the guitarist, Lindsay Buckingham, saying he came as a package deal with his girlfriend Stevie Nicks and also with studio owner and producer Keith Olsen, who had signed them to a production deal and produced their first album. Fleetwood took that deal, making Olsen a co-producer of the Fleetwood Mac album and recording it at Sound City. Nicks ended up giving the group a distinctive voice and an additional songwriter that helped define their new sound. Olsen was jettisoned after that album and later sued the band for withholding royalties. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie kept the group going throughout the decades and across the myriad changes. Fleetwood says they stuck it out through “abject fear.” “That’s the nature of being in a rhythm section. You need someone to play with,” he told Rolling Stone in 2017. “What the hell would we do if there was no band?” Currently, there is a Fleetwood Mac, but featuring all the original all-star mid-70s lineup, except Lindsay Buckingham, who told CBS Sunday Morning that he wasn’t on the same page as the group, and preferred to concentrate on his solo work

Just looking at the band on stage, you could very clearly tell that Blondie was named for founding member and lead singer extraordinaire, Debbie Harry. Heart of Glass, Rapture, Call Me, The Tide is High, and more huge hits helped begin the new wave scene of the mid/late 70s. This is our Deep Dive into Blondie: The band had its roots in the famed club CBGB in New York City, having formed along the same time as other CBGB favorites The Talking Heads, Patti Smith, The Ramones, and the New York Dolls The band’s first major success came from their single Heart of Glass, featured on the album Parallel Lines, which sold over 20 million copies Debbie Harry has always thanked Marilyn Monroe for her sense of style. She suggested the name for the band, inspired by the many catcalls she received from men after she bleached her hair Before Harry’s time in the band, she made money as a Playboy bunny in the NYC Playboy Club from 1968-1973 Debbie Harry and the band’s guitarist Chris Stein were in a serious relationship for many years. They apparently broke up on the same day their friend and fan Andy Warhol died: February 22, 1987, though Harry and Stein continued to professionally work together afterward A number of pressures led to the breakup of Blondie by 1982. The media focused on Harry to the point where the rest of the group felt like they didn’t exist. With their popularity waning, the money coming in for tours and album sales also began to slow. Band morale was reportedly low, and bickering broke out. But the coup de grace was when Stein was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that causes huge blisters. He managed to get cured after a long struggle, but the band was already at rest officially by the end of 82 Blondie briefly re-formed in the late 1990s to early 2000s, and again in the late 2000s, with the original members including Debbie Harry. In 2008, they toured alongside Pat Benatar

The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that took the United States listening audience by storm in 1964. They formed in 1962 in London, and have been together writing, recording and performing live on stage ever since, save for a few solo projects. This is our deep dive into the Rolling Stones: So how did they get their name? It wasn’t the magazine, since that began in 1967. It wasn’t Bob Dylan’s influence. It was actually thanks to a blues song from Muddy Waters called “Rollin’ Stone Blues” Since the Beatles and the Stones both fought a bit for the same rock n roll loving audience, the Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham publicized the stones by asking “Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?” The positioning worked, and the Stones became the Bad Boys of British rock, against their good boy counterparts in the Beatles In 1968, The Stones taped a British television special called ‘Rock and Roll Circus.’ It featured music and circus performances, with guests Jethro Tull, John Lennon, Taj Mahal, and The Who, among others. The special was Lennon’s first performance without the Beatles. Though it was set to air in the UK, it actually never aired on TV, but was released on video in 1995 Secret Shows are not a new concept in the world of touring. The Stones have been doing secret shows at small venues for quite a long time, often on the heels of a big world tour, so they can get some practice time in Remember Live Aid? The Stones didn’t appear as a group, but members of the band showed up anyway. Mick Jagger sang duets with David Bowie and Tina Turner, and Keith Richards played guitar with Bob Dylan If you’ve never seen a Rolling Stones show, there’s a good chance someone you immediately know, has. The Stones are the highest earning rock band in history, having grossed over $750 Million Their famous tongue logo was inspired by the Indian Hindu goddess Kali The Destroyer. It was designed by John Pasche, who was a student at the Royal College of Art in London when he got a gig designing a poster for The Stones 1970 European tour. Mick Jagger was wowed by the poster, so he asked Pasche to create a logo for their new record label. Jagger suggested Kali as a starting point, and Pasche incorporated Mick’s mouth into the design. The logo first appeared on the inner sleeve of the Sticky Fingers album. The cover of that album was designed by Andy Warhol, who is sometimes mistakenly credited with creating the lips logo

Though the Police formed in 1977, a large majority of their influence on rock n’ roll and music in general was capitalized in the 80s with their progressive rock and new wave sound, punctuated by lead singer Sting’s vocals. Let’s take a deep dive into more of what made the Police a runaway success: The band began as a punk outfit until Andy Summers joined closer to the 80s. The band honed their sound a bit more to be complex progressive rock Believe it or not, most of their songs were written separately, with each member bringing in demos to the studio. As it turned out, the songs written mostly by Sting seemed to be the hitmakers. Summers and Copeland didn’t have a problem with this at first because working up the songs was still a team effort. Toward the end though, they felt that Sting was dismissive of their contributions, insisting on doing everything his way The band started making videos right away, starting with some tracks from their first album, Outlandos d’Amour, in 1978. Their earliest videos were mostly performance footage or shots of the band in exotic locations just hanging out in interesting locations, but as they got more successful, their video budgets grew and they became more conceptual. When MTV went on the air in 1981, the network played many of these videos since many bands hadn’t yet adopted the music video craze. As it turned out, The Police had more rotations of videos on MTV than anyone else, except for the runaway hits from Michael Jackson in the 80s Their manager, Miles Copeland chose their first three album titles: “Outlandos d’Amour” is French for “Outlaws of Love”; “Reggatta de Blanc” is “White Reggae”; and “Zenyatta Mondatta” is just fun to say For their next two albums, Sting imposed his will and came up with highbrow concept titles based on psychology: Ghost in the Machine, titled after an Arthur Koestler book; and Synchronicity, after Carl Jung’s book “Ambition is stronger than friendship,” Sting told Phil Sutcliffe, the journalist who introduced him to Police drummer Stewart Copeland in 1976. Sting was in a group called Last Exit; Copeland was part of a progressive rock outfit called Curved Air. “As long as the group is useful for my career I’ll stay,” said Sting. “When it isn’t I’ll drop it like a stone.” The group began to crumble in 1984 when they took time off following their tour for Synchronicity. They returned in 1986 to play three Amnesty International benefit concerts but plans for an album were scrapped. The next time they worked together was 2007, when they reunited for a successful, but contentious tour that lasted over a year

In 1968, the members of Free came together featuring a young Paul Rodgers at the helm. The band wasn’t necessarily known for their studio albums, but instead, their non-stop touring and live shows drove their success, save for their one and only hit, the song “All Right Now.” Let’s take a deep dive into more of what made the band Free so interesting: Free drummer Simon Kirke explained: “The song ‘All Right Now’ was created after a bad gig in Durham, England. Our repertoire at that time was mostly slow and medium paced blues songs which was alright if you were a student sitting quietly and nodding your head to the beat. However, we finished our show in Durham and walked off the stage to the sound of our own footsteps. The applause had died before I had even left the drum riser. When we got into the dressing room, it was obvious that we needed an uptempo number, a rocker to close our shows. All of a sudden, the inspiration struck (bass player Andy) Fraser, and he started bopping around singing ALL RIGHT NOW… He sat down and wrote it right there in the dressing room. It couldn’t have taken more than 10 minutes.” Lead Singer Paul Rodgers began his musical career fronting the band Free, but his biggest success was actually fronting Bad Company, and later taking a turn in the 80s band The Firm, and the reincarnated Queen in the early 2000s For those of you that enjoy the song All Right Now, you may have first been exposed to it on your favorite radio station in the 70s. If you can believe it, the radio edit of the song is shorter by nearly one minute versus the album edit. If you spin the record at home, you’ll find a longer guitar solo Rolling Stone has referred to the band as “British hard rock pioneers”. The magazine ranked Rodgers No. 55 in its list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”, while bandmate Paul Kossoff was ranked No. 51 in its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” In the early 1970s Free became one of the biggest-selling British blues rock groups; by the time they disbanded, they had sold more than 20 million albums around the world and had played more than 700 arena and festival concerts

In 1969, Gerry Rafferty took his influence of Scottish and Irish folk songs from his childhood, his love of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and joined the folk-pop group, the Humblebums. It was a short-lived band that gave birth to Rafferty’s eventual success in the 70s as a founding member of Stealers Wheel, and later as a solo artist. Now, let’s take a deep dive into Gerry Rafferty: 1972 saw the release of the first album by Stealers Wheel, featuring Rafferty on vocals doing his best Bob Dylan sound-a-like impression on their massive hit, Stuck in the Middle with You. After the album dropped, Rafferty actually quit the band, just before the band went on tour. When Stuck in the Middle with You reached number 6 in the US and number 8 in the UK, and was awarded a goal disc for selling one million copies worldwide, Rafferty decided to return. Stealers Wheel disbanded in 1975 and legal issues after the break-up meant that, for three years, Rafferty was unable to release any material. In 1978, he resurfaced as a massive solo artist, achieving five US Top 40 hits, including “Baker Street,” his most famous song. In 1970 Rafferty married Carla Ventilla, a hairdresser from an Italian family that settled in Scotland. They had a daughter, Martha, who was the inspiration for the City to City album track “Mattie’s Rag.” Unfortunately, a growing drinking problem strained his marriage, and Carla divorced him in 1990. Rafferty died at his daughter Martha’s home on January 4, 2011 of liver failure, at just 63 years old. Martha sang her father’s song “Whatever’s Written in Your Heart” alongside five other family members at his funeral in his hometown of Paisley.

In 1967, the countries of Canada and America got together in New York City to form a bluesy, rocky, poppy, horn-filled wall of sound known as Blood, Sweat and Tears. Let’s take a deep dive into their history. Al Kooper formed the band in 1967 but left after their first album. David Clayton-Thomas, a Canadian-born singer, replaced him to become the now-famous voice of songs such as “Spinning Wheel” Kooper wrote a book profiling how the band’s name came to be, stating: “One particular night, Jimi Hendrix, B. B. King, myself, and an unidentified drummer and bass player were going at it all night at the Cafe Au Go Go… At daybreak, when we finished playing, they put the house lights on and somebody observed: ‘Christ! Look at the organ! There’s blood all over the keyboard!’ Sure enough, I had cut my hand playing, and in the state of bliss induced by my compatriot’s sound had not felt a thing. What a great album cover, I thought. No. What a great name for a band.” The band also had their time on stage at Woodstock in ’69 but managed to never get paid their $15,000 rate. They also missed out on being part of the Woodstock movie When the band was first forming, their sought $40,000 in seed money for their first album’s expenses. Atlantic Records turned them down, as did Warner Brothers. But Bill Gallagher at Colombia Records saw something exciting in the band and agreed to sign them after checking out their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival Even though the band had more or less disbanded and lost membership after 1972, drummer Bobby Colomby sought ownership over the band’s name and kept it alive, installing various different lead singers for many years through 1975 through 2004. The band reformed again in 2014 and selected American Idol Runner Up Bo Bice as their lead singer The group’s most famous and successful album won them a Grammy in 1969 for Album of the Year. The one and only Louis Armstrong presented the award to the band

Pasadena, California. Hard rock music was reborn with the release of the self-titled debut album from Van Halen. Guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen, along with his brother drummer Alex, Bassist Michael Anthony and flamboyant lead singer David Lee Roth, took hold of the airwaves and the stages across the world with awesome, energetic live shows that rocked. But amid all that success is a whole lot of weird and interesting things about the band. So, let’s take a deep dive into Van Halen… The band’s original name was Mammoth. They changed it after finding out another band had it first. It was Roth’s idea to use the name Van Halen; though, ironically, Eddie and Alex didn’t like it In 1977, Gene Simmons of KISS fame saw the band in concert. He liked them so much, he booked them for their first recording session. Simmons flew them to New York and bought them new clothes, but they still didn’t score a record deal. At the time, record companies were reluctant to sign Van Halen because disco was hot, and rock was not Years of jumping around on stage took its toll on Eddie. He had hip-replacement surgery in 1999. He also lost part of his tongue after being diagnosed with cancer in his throat and tongue On their 1979 tour, David Lee Roth gave each of the crew members some backstage passes. Those passes were to be given to “hot chicks.” If Roth got lucky that night, he gave the “winning roadie” $100 the next day Eddie and Alex were born and raised in the Dutch country of Holland. Their family moved to Pasadena in 1967 when the boys were young Roth was hyperactive as a child, and that behavior carried over to adulthood. Because Eddie had terrible stage fright, David Lee Roth did all the talking in interviews and on-stage Speaking of Eddie’s stage fright, he tried to qualm those fears using alcohol, which turned him in to a high-functioning alcoholic. He eventually got sober, but it took until 2006 to do it thanks to his new wife In 1982, David Lee Roth was firing zingers at fellow rocker Sammy Hagar in the press, telling Creem Magazine, “Sammy definitely has a social problem; I think it’s based on lack of education.” Ironically, of course, Sammy ended up replacing David Lee Roth as the new lead singer in 1985

The city of Boston in 1976 was a busy musical town, as the debut album from the band Boston hit the airwaves and music store shelves. It was in this very same year that Ric Ocasek and The Cars came forward to produce a sound totally unlike Boston the band, focused on pop synth new wave experimentation that earned them millions of record sales, and eventually a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Ric Ocasek made a name for himself not only as a prolific singer and songwriter, but also as a producer for fellow new wave bands like Romeo Void and Suicide, and later, alternative rockers Weezer. He even began producing the 90s pop trio of brothers Hanson but was booted off the record for forbidding corporate presence in the studio while the brothers were recording. In 1984, the band produced one of their best pop songs of all time, Drive. During the video shoot, Ocasek met supermodel Paulina Porizkova on the set. They fell in love, got married in ’89, and had two boys. 1978 was a great year for the debut of the Cars, as they were named Best New Artist by both Rolling Stone and Creem Magazine. In 1979, they lost their Best New Artist Grammy award to one-hit wonder, A Taste of Honey. Anyone that has met Ric Ocasek might say he was a little bit off the wall. Perhaps that’s because his family life wasn’t exactly simple. Ocasek’s father worked for NASA on Top secret projects. Ric recalled one time when government agents visited his house and questioned his mother about the dreams his father had at night. The band broke up in 1988 and Ocasek told reporters that a reunion would never happen. So, in 2005, surviving bandmates joined fellow 70s-rocker Todd Rundgren to form “The New Cars,” performing many of the Cars and Rundgren’s hits. The band toured in 2006, then disbanded shortly after, with the full Ocasek-led group reuniting in 2010 for a new album. But the reunion didn’t last long. The band toured for less than three weeks before calling it quits. The next time they appeared together occurred during the live and televised performance of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2018, when they played several of their biggest hits together. It turned out to be their last performance together, as Ric Ocasek died in 2019.

In 1967, the original members of Genesis met at Charterhouse School in the UK, beginning first as a folk act, moving forward in the 70s as one of the pioneering prog rock bands before turning further toward pop under Phil Collins. Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, and original lead singer Peter Gabriel made up perhaps the most famous formation of the band. In an attempt to get more publicity at their shows, Peter Gabriel would wear costumes on stage, a ploy often used in the 70s thanks to stars like Elton John and Freddy Mercury. Well, it worked. Local newspapers began writing about the band, and people began showing up to see the stage show. In 1975, Peter Gabriel left the band to pursue other projects and begin a solo career. The band became frustrated when they couldn’t find a suitable replacement. Until they looked inside their own membership to find that drummer Phil Collins was quite the singer. As Phil would audition new singers, none were able to perform as good as him. In 1982, Peter Gabriel launched the WOMAD festival, which brought together musicians from all over the world. It was a financial disaster. To help pay the debts, his former Genesis mates offered to play a reunion concert with him. Since Peter hadn’t sang any Genesis songs in years, he was forced to tape the lyric sheets to the floor during the performance. Their 1986 album Invisible Touch made Genesis the first band to release an album with five US Top 5 singles: “Invisible Touch” (#1), “Land Of Confusion” (#4), “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” (#3), “In Too Deep” (#3) and “Throwing It All Away” (#3). While still enjoying success together as a group in the 80s, three members of the band had wildly successful careers as solo artists in Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford enjoyed success with his new band, Mike + the Mechanics. And speaking of Mike, he didn’t exactly need to make money in a band. He was a successful and talented polo player for 25 years. He’s now retired, having broken his leg and his nose, and having his teeth knocked out. In the 90s, Genesis disbanded so the members could focus on their solo efforts. Though they did reunite for a tour in 2007. In 2010, the band enjoyed induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

One of my personal favorite groups of all time, Heart, was formed in 1970, featuring sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The Wilson sisters have plenty of success with the band that they formed out of the ashes of “White Heart,” the original group’s name from Seattle. In 1973, the band began their most famous lineup of superstars, pushing out hits like Crazy on You, Magic Man, and Barracuda. But the Wilson sisters have also had interesting and tumultuous personal lives. Ann Wilson had quite an affair with their sound manager, Mike Fisher. At the same time, Nancy was dating Fisher’s brother Roger, who just so happened to be the lead guitarist for Heart. In 1979, Ann was the one to fire Roger from the band. In the 80s, Nancy made an appearance in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and ended up marrying screenwriter Cameron Crowe in 1986, and then separated in 2008. Like most band members in the US, you get your start in music having worked in fast food. Ann once worked in a KFC restaurant, and was fired before the band hit it big. But if she hadn’t been fired, the band wouldn’t have materialized and turned into a success. Ann says at one time, she considered sending a Platinum record to Colonel Sanders to thank him for receiving that pink slip. At some point of the height of the band’s success, Heart’s manager and male bandmates implored Nancy to talk Ann into losing weight, arguing that the extra pounds were affecting the band’s record sales. Nancy refused and instead helped her sister – who was picked on for her weight in high school – overcome stage fright and body-shaming-related panic attacks. According to the 2018 book Women Who Rock by Evelyn McDonnell, Nancy would stand nose-to-nose with Ann, saying, “Hello, hello, come back come back, come here come here, I’m with you, look at me, keep looking at me,” and Ann would. And, if you can believe it, one of the Wilson sisters had quite the stuttering problem as a child. Ann Wilson says her childhood stutter disappeared when she started singing more often.

Elton John is perhaps one of the most interesting musicians on the face of the earth. That fact was well documented in his 2019 bio pic, Rocketman. But there are plenty of stories about him you may not know from the movie. Before he was a solo artist, John was in a band called Bluesology, which backed American bands that toured England, including Patti Labelle and her band, the Bluebelles. He was such a big fan of the Watford Football Club that he bought a controlling interest in the team, and in 1976 became chairman. At the time, they were a Fourth-Division club, but Elton’s investments and shrewd moves got them to the First Division in 1982, or what is now known as the Premier League. He gave up his interest in the team later in the decade, but again took over as chairman in 1996. He resigned in 2002 but continued his support; he was later named Honorary Life-President of the club. When you hear some of your favorite songs from some of your other favorite rock and roll artists of the era, you just may be listening to an Elton John piano track behind them. Elton played piano on records for artists such as George Harrison, John Lennon, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, the Hollies, and Bob Dylan. According to the Buddy Holly Story book, Elton didn’t need glasses as a kid but loved to wear them anyway, just so he could look like Buddy Holly. The bad news is that wearing someone else’s glasses so often damaged his own vision, and now he is forced to wear glasses for real. For those of you Guns N Roses fans out there, Axel Rose considered it quite an honor to induct Elton John into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1994, citing the piano man as a major influence on his own musical life. And, Elton John can certainly be cited for his outrageous clothing choices on stage in the 70s. Eventually, that wardrobe became passe for his performance tastes, so he decided to auction all of his wild rhinestone-studded, feather-filled clothes in 1988. The roughly 2,000 items, which included the boots he wore in the Who’s rockopera epic film Tommy, fetched around $8 million dollars for charity.

Don Henley has been a major part of the Eagles, but the singer songwriter drummer has certainly also had a reputable solo career worth noticing. But how did Don get to be such an epic drummer and musician? In 1963, his mother reportedly purchased a drum set for him after he pulled a childhood stunt in which he blew up the family washing machine with a cherry bomb. Yes, that’s right, she rewarded him for blowing up a washing machine. 1982 must have been a popular year for the Eagles band members producing solo albums, as Henley’s solo debut just so happened to debut at the same time as Eagles bandmate Glenn Frey. Danny Kortchmar, who co-wrote songs like “Dirty Laundry” with Henley, said Don would drive around in his car and listen to the music, formulating lyrics for the song in his head. He’d come back to the studio with lots of ideas. His solo hits include “Dirty Laundry”, “The Boys of Summer”, “All She Wants to Do Is Dance”, “The Heart of the Matter”, “The Last Worthless Evening”, “Sunset Grill”, “Not Enough Love in the World”, and “The End of the Innocence”. While Don’s debut album was a smash success, the length of time before he could produce another set of records was quite long into the 90s. Record company Geffen had a dispute with Henley that prevented him from making any new solo releases for nearly 11 years. In addition to his squabbles with his record company, Mr. Henley has also been no stranger to run-ins with the law. He was arrested in 1980 in LA and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor when paramedics were called to his home to save a naked 16 year old girl overdosing on cocaine and Quaaludes. He went to drug counseling, paid a fine, and ended up on two years probation. Don is still actively creating solo material, while also continuing to tour in 2020 with the remaining members of the Eagles.

You know them, you know their rise and their ending in the middle of a wave of success. There isn’t a thing about the Beatles history you probably don’t know if you’re hearing this, but I’ve unearthed a few weird and interesting pieces about the Fab 4 you might enjoy. Before deciding on the Beatles, the band called themselves the Quarrymen, then Johnny & the Moondogs, and then, The Silver Beetles If you’ve ever wondered why the band spells the name B-E-A-T-L-E-S instead of the insect spelling of B-E-E-T-L-E-S, it’s because John Lennon wanted to put the word “beat” into the name, while playing off of Buddy Holly’s backup band name, The Crickets You know all about the band’s huge appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, but did you know crime dropped “noticeably” during the time they were on the air, according to police across America? And especially crimes committed among juvenile offenders The cover of Sgt. Pepper would have looked a lot different had John Lennon gotten his way. Lennon suggested the album would have had Jesus, Gandhi and Hitler on the cover had he not stated that the Beatles were “bigger than Jesus,” which earned him enough criticism for the band and the record company to consider changing it It was said that all four Beatles members were unable to actually read music on a page, even though they very apparently didn’t have a hard time writing it. All of the members learned to play their instruments and sing by ear You may notice that they are always introduced as John, Paul, George and Ringo, and there’s a reason for that very specific order: it’s the order in which each member joined the band And, in 1976, a little tiny sketch comedy show by the name of Saturday Night Live was playing on TV in John Lennon’s house, and Lennon and McCartney were watching when Lorne Michaels suggested that he would pay the band $3000 to reunite on the show. Lennon lived in New York City at that time, and McCartney recalls that they seriously considered going down to Rockafeller Center to the studio, but they were too tired to go.

Edwin Starr is best known for his massive 1970s hit “War,” which was actually not a song produced originally for the Tennessee-native singer. Starr began his career as a late 50s R&B singer with Ric Tic records, which was later purchased by Barry Gordie’s Motown records in Detroit. Motown of course was heralded as the smash-record producing house that brought fame for many African American artists, but at the time, Starr was only a B level artist. War became the song that Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield would be better suited to have an anthem-style production with James Brown overtones that could help steer scrutiny away from the Temptations’ already phenomenal career, and put the risky counter-culture anti-Vietnam song in the hands of a relatively unknown artist. Starr’s version of “War” was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and is not only the most successful and well-known record of his career, but it is also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. If you can believe it, Edwin’s interjections in War of “good God ya’ll” and “absolutely nothing” were actually not part of the original songwriting. They were simply ad-libs on-the-spot that naturally came to him during the recording process. Even Bruce Springsteen has taken a crack at singing and releasing War as a single, having first shown up as a live performance on the Boss’ Born in the USA tour, and then appearing as a single on his Live box set. Since the theme of the song complimented his own Born in the USA hit single, it was a natural fit for his shows. Though the song was powerful to his live shows, he still couldn’t quite remember the lyrics. He apparently used to tape them to his arm so he wouldn’t screw them up. Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s Edwin Starr entry.

The members of the Band first came together as rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins’s Toronto, Ontario-based backing group, The Hawks, which the members joined one by one, between 1958 and 1963. In 1964, the members separated from Hawkins and the Hawks after which they toured and released a few singles as Levon and the Hawks and the Canadian Squires. But the next year would be their shot into stardom. Bob Dylan hired them for his U.S. tour in 1965 and world tour in 1966. Following the 1966 tour, the group moved with help from Bob Dylan and his manager, Albert Grossman, to Saugerties, New York, where they made the informal 1967 recordings that became The Basement Tapes, the basis for their 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink. Because they were always “the band” to various frontmen and the locals in Woodstock, Helm said the name “the Band” worked well when the group came into its own. The group began performing as the Band in 1968 and went on to release ten studio albums. Dylan continued to collaborate with the Band over the course of their career, including a joint 1974 tour. So, where did Music from the Big Pink get its’ name? Well, Bob Dylan was in a motorcycle accident while the Band was backing him on tour. While Dylan recovered, the members looked for a different place to live and work, and ended up renting a big pink house, and the basement tapes name came from that house’s basement makeshift performance studio. To continue their streak of successful recordings in interesting houses, they recorded their second album at Sammy Davis Jr’s house, which they also rented. If you can believe it, The Band being one of the few local artists to play at Woodstock actually earned them a better paycheck than most bands bigger than themselves, including Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Grateful Dead, and The Who. Though their timeslot at the show wasn’t great at all, having played the final night of the show after the rain muddied and ruined most of the fun. Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s The Band entry.

ELO, as they are known, was formed out of Jeff Lynne’s and Roy Wood’s desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. It derived as an offshoot of Wood’s previous band, The Move, of which Lynne and drummer Bev Bevan were also members. Their music is characterized by a fusion of Beatles-esque rock, classical arrangements, and futuristic iconography. During the 1970s and 1980s, ELO released a string of top 10 albums and singles, including Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Get It Out of My Head, Evil Woman, Strange Magic, Do Ya, Livin’ Thing, Telephone Line, Mr. Blue Sky, Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Don’t Bring Me Down and appearance on the Xanadu movie soundtrack with Olivia Newton John. In 1986, Lynne lost interest in the band and disbanded the group. Bevan responded by forming his own band, ELO Part II, which later became The Orchestra. With the exception of a short-lived reunion in 2000–01, when Jeff Lynne released a new album, Zoom, ELO remained largely inactive until the 2010s. In 2014, Lynne re-formed the band again with keyboardist Richard Tandy as “Jeff Lynne’s ELO,” where he resumed concert touring and new recordings under the moniker. More than enough weird things about such an interesting band have been said about them, including: That their 1978 tour with a spaceship painting behind them actually looked more like a hamburger In order to reproduce their orchestral sound, some backing tracks were on tape during their live shows, which gave them the title of one of the first bands accused of lip-synching Their first manager happened to be the father of Sharon Osborne, who succeeded her dad in managing the group, and eventually going on to marry Ozzy Osborne They are also one of the few bands that are more popular in America than they are in their home country of England Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s ELO entry.

Like more than a few bands from the 60s and 70s that survive today, the band Santana has had many lineup changes to the membership, with Guitarist and founder Carlos Santana remaining as the only original member. While Carlos Santana is personally known for his guitar prowess and unmistakable sound, the first instrument he played at age 5 just so happened to be a violin. His father Jose was a professional violinist. Carlos eventually did pick up a guitar only a few years later, and apparently never put it down. The band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, seeing runaway success with their appearance at Woodstock in 69, and the release of their big three albums: Santana, Abraxas, and Santana III. Following its initial success Santana experimented with elements of jazz fusion on their early 70s albums. But in 1999, Santana reached a new peak of commercial and critical success with the album “Supernatural,” and its singles “Smooth”, featuring singer Rob Thomas, and “Maria Maria”. The album reached No. 1 in eleven countries and sold 12 million copies in the US. In 2014, the “classic” line-up reunited to record Santana IV. The group continues to perform and record today. They are slated to perform at the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock in 2019. Though Carlos Santana is a musical maven who can play and write songs, he also holds the distinction of being one of the few musicians to own Mexican restaurants, and a line of shoes. And, while marrying your bandmates hasn’t always gone well for other groups, Carlos and wife Cindy Blackman are doing just fine. Cindy is the band’s drummer, so naturally Carlos proposed on-stage to her, back in 2010.   Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s Santana entry.

After a brief stint with her sister Lucy Simon as duo group the Simon Sisters, Carly Simon found great success as a solo artist with her 1971 self-titled debut album Carly Simon, which won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and spawned her first Top 10 single “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”. She achieved international fame with her third album No Secrets which sat firmly at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five weeks and spawned the worldwide hit “You’re So Vain”, for which she received three Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. With her 1988 hit “Let the River Run”, from the film Working Girl, she became the first artist to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for a song composed and written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist. Carly first rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include “Anticipation” (No. 13), “You Belong To Me” (No. 6), “Coming Around Again” (No. 18), and her four Gold certified singles “Jesse” (No. 11), “Mockingbird” (No. 5, a duet with James Taylor), “You’re So Vain” (No. 1), and “Nobody Does It Better” (No. 2) from the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. Carly is the daughter of Richard Simon, who owned part of the publishing company Simon and Schuster. When she shopped her demo tape, Clive Davis at Columbia Records turned her down and she went to Elektra. She was married to James Taylor from 1972-1983. When Carly was in Los Angeles recording her Hotcakes album, she and James lived in the house that was later owned by OJ Simpson. She has commented that seeing it on TV during all of the coverage was quite surreal. The house has since been demolished and a new home built in its place. Not only is Carly an amazing singer-songwriter, she’s also an established author, writing five different Children’s books, one memoir, and one new memoir, to be released in October 2019, entitled Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie, which will recount her friendship with former First Lady of the United States, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Portions adapted from the Carly Simon Wikipedia entry.

CSN, and sometimes Y, of course stands for David Crosby, Stephen Stills, English singer-songwriter Graham Nash, and occasional appearances by folk rocker from the north, Neil Young. Prior to the formation of CSN, each member of the band had belonged to another prominent group. David Crosby played guitar, sang and wrote songs with the Byrds; Stephen Stills had been a guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter in the band Buffalo Springfield (which also featured Neil Young); and Graham Nash had been a guitarist, singer and songwriter with The Hollies. The trio’s first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash, was released in May 1969. It was a major hit in the United States, peaking at #6 on the Billboard album chart during a 107-week stay that spawned two Top 40  radio hits in “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” and “Marrakesh Express.” It was also after the release of this album that Neil Young joined the group. There are more than enough stories, disputed facts and weird information about the group in existence. Some of them include: They performed at both the original and the second Woodstock. Their performance at the original Woodstock was only their third show together It was said that Jimi Hendrix taught Stephen Stills how to play lead guitar Not only did the group record their first album together, but they were also busy recording separate solo albums at the same time Neil Young left the group in 1976, returning long enough to record an album in 1988 after Crosby finished a jail term on drug and weapons charges. It was part of a promise he fulfilled to record with CSN if Crosby could beat his drug addiction Graham Nash told The Guardian in a 2015 interview that it was a very difficult decision to leave his former group the Hollies. He was quoted as saying, “They were my friends for many, many years, but when I heard myself singing with David and Stephen that first time in Joni [Mitchell’s] living room, my life changed dramatically. I needed to sing those songs.” Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s CSNY’s entry.

Founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown’s acts and are, to date, America’s most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the Supremes rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity, and it is said by critics that their success made it possible for future African American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, the original group, are all from the Brewster-Douglass public housing project in Detroit. They formed the Primettes as the sister act to the Primes (with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, who went on to form the Temptations). Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960, and the group signed with Motown the following year as the Supremes. Martin left the act in early 1962, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio. When The Supremes formed, the members took turns singing lead. In 1962, Motown president Berry Gordy made Diana Ross the sole lead singer. As Ross took the lead, The Supremes achieved mainstream success in the mid-60s. In 1967, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Diana Ross eventually left to pursue a solo career in 1970, so the group’s name reverted to The Supremes. During the mid-1970s, the lineup changed again leaving only Mary Wilson left of the original members. The Supremes disbanded in 1977. If some of this story seems familiar, it’s because in December of 1981, the musical Dreamgirls, loosely based on the history of the Supremes, opened at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway and ran for 1522 performances, and in 2006, it was adapted into a movie starring American Idol sensation, Jennifer Hudson. Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s Supremes entry.

Out of the ashes of Cream and Traffic, rose Blind Faith. The English supergroup featured Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech together for just one album and one tour before they called it quits, starting in 1969, and ending in 1969. So, why Blind Faith? Well, Eric Clapton named the band, citing that Blind Faith is what the fans had as they came out to see them perform live without having even heard any of their songs on records or radio first. The group originated with informal jamming by Clapton and Winwood in early ‘69 following the break-up of Cream and Traffic. Baker joined them in rehearsals and they decided to form a group. Grech joined as the fourth member from the band Family in May, and they began recording their debut album. It drew controversy for featuring a photograph of a naked prepubescent girl on the front cover, which got it banned in the United States. The band played their debut concert in June that year in front of an estimated 100,000 fans in Hyde Park, London, but they felt that they had not rehearsed enough and were unprepared. They continued to tour Scandinavia and the US, but the lack of material in the live set led them to play old Cream and Traffic songs, which pleased the audience, but disillusioned the band. Clapton became increasingly isolated during the tour, preferring to spend time with support act Delaney & Bonnie. After the band’s final road performance, they split up and went their separate ways, leaving Clapton to move on to his next commercial band success, the formation of Derek and the Dominoes. Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s Blind Faith entry.

Bob Seger is Rock and Roll, and Bob Seger is Michigan. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, breaking through with his first national hit and album in 1968. By the early 1970s, he had dropped the ‘System’ from his recordings and continued to strive for broader success with various other bands. In 1973, he put together the Silver Bullet Band, with a group of Detroit-area musicians, with whom he became most successful on the national level with the album Live Bullet (1976), recorded live with the Silver Bullet Band in 1975 at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger’s best-selling singles and albums. Seger wrote and recorded songs that deal with love, women, and blue-collar themes from the heartland. His hit catalog includes “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”, “Night Moves”, “Turn the Page”, “Still the Same”, “We’ve Got Tonight”, “Against the Wind”, “You’ll Accomp’ny Me”, “Shame on the Moon”, “Like a Rock”, and “Shakedown”, which was written for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Seger also co-wrote the Eagles’ number-one hit “Heartache Tonight”, and his recording of “Old Time Rock and Roll” was named one of the Songs of the Century in 2001. Though Seger is known for his rock n’ roll sound, he’s actually a huge fan of Motown, R&B, and especially James Brown. In his hit song Night Moves, the song he humms from 1962 is actually the Ronettes’ Be My Baby. And as you may have heard, the Palace of Auburn Hills was sold and will be demolished soon, but Bob Seger had the honor playing the final concert inside its’ walls to a sell out crowd of more than 17,000 people. It was his 17th show at the Palace, as well. Bob Seger is currently finishing his final tour ever which will run through October of 2019. He is currently rocking hard and enjoying life at age 74. Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s Bob Seger entry.

The Prince of Motown got his nickname cutting his teeth as an in-house session player for The Supremes and Stevie Wonder, among others, that came and went from the Detroit hit-producing house. When he found his own sound as a solo artist, his major hits such as Ain’t That Peculiar, How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, and Sexual Healing, among others, made an indelible impression on  pop music’s ability to make a soul sound a hit record. Motown had such an impact on him personally, that he married in to the family. His wife, Anna, happened to be the eldest sister to Motown founder Berry Gordie. Their eventual divorce inspired Gaye’s final album, Here, My Dear. He actually ran away from home at the young age of 17 to join the Air Force, where he had trouble following orders from his strict sargeant. He was honorably discharged in 1956. Though music was always interesting to Marvin, he spent some time looking at other hobbies-turned-work, including a potential stint in the NFL. At age 31, he strived to be a wide-receiver for the Detroit Lions. Coach Joe Schmidt wasn’t interested in putting the singer in harm’s way, and refused to allow him to even try out. Through all of Marvin’s success, there was just as much strife in his life. He secretly suffered from depression and substance abuse. In 1969, he attempted to shoot himself with a handgun by was stopped by Barry Gordie. In ’79, he ingested an entire ounce of Cocaine, but managed to survive. Later in the 80s, he attempted to jump out of a moving car, but only sustained minor injuries. On April 1st, 1984, Marvin’s father fatally shot him at their house in LA following an argument between his parents, in which he tried to intervene. Since his shocking passing, he has been honored multiple times for his contributions to music including inductions in the R&B Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Hailing from Northern Ireland, Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison is one cool guy. As a teenager in the 50s, he played just about any instrument he could get his hands on, including a guitar, keyboards, saxophone, and harmonica. Then, there’s his distinctive raspy voice. He hit it big in 1967 with the massive smash hit, Brown Eyed Girl, and began making his mark on popular music ever since with a slew of successful albums, live performances and huge tours, which he continues to do today. Before Van Morrison hit it big, he spent most of his teenage years playing all those instruments, and none of his own songs. He spent most of the time before creating his own material in mastering his ability to play other people’s successful songs as covers. Though he had success performing covers, he actually did have relative success writing the garage band classic, Gloria. Ironically, other people and bands have had more success covering the song, including The Doors, AC/DC and Patti Smith, to name a few. Moondance, one of his biggest album successes, was performed ad-lib. Which means there were no musical notations, no guides for the other musicians go to by. Van Morrison simply told his session players to follow him and don’t get in the way. And perhaps most interesting about Van Morrison was his love of Farrah Fawcett’s work. The feeling was mutual, actually, as Farrah was a big fan of his. Apparently when Farrah was suffering from cancer, and was unable to attend a Van Morrison show, Morrison specifically had his live shows taped and sent to her so she could watch bedside. That’s pretty awesome!

David Robert Jones just doesn’t have the same ring to it as David Bowie. Just as he got creative with his stage name, Bowie was even more creative in music, his lyrics, his on-stage presentation, his wardrobe, his love life and, well, just about everything. There just doesn’t seem to be much Bowie did that was ordinary. Born in Brixton, South London, Bowie developed an interest in music as a child, eventually studying art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. “Space Oddity” became his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart after its release in July 1969. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of his single “Starman” and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie’s style shifted radically towards a sound he characterized as “plastic soul”, initially alienating many of his UK devotees but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single “Fame” and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth, directed by Nicolas Roeg, and released Station to Station. The following year, he further confounded musical expectations with the electronic-inflected album Low (1977), the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the “Berlin Trilogy”. “Heroes” (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise. After little commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes”, its parent album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and “Under Pressure”, a 1981 collaboration with Queen. In 1983, the album and single Let’s Dance topped both UK and US charts. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with a new album, titled, The Next Day. He remained musically active until he died of liver cancer two days after the release of his final album, Blackstar, 2016. Portions of this profile were attributed to Wikipedia.org’s David Bowie entry.

In 1961, Hawthorne, California was not a hotbed of music. But surfing sure was. The Beach Boys formed with original members Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. The guys took their love of surfing and surf culture and harmonized their way into the pop charts with the California Sound. If you don’t believe their love of surfing to be real, recall that their first three albums all had Surfin’ or Surfer in the titles. Ironically, out of all the bandmates, it was said that Dennis was the only actual Beach Boy that could surf. Forward of 1964, the band left their surfin’ lyrics behind to focus on more personal lyrics, where they hit the 1966 charts with their smash hit record, Pet Sounds, home to many a hit single, including “Good Vibrations.” Success in the late 60s would falter a bit as Brian took a backseat to his substance abuse and mental health issues, and allowed the rest of the band to work forward on production and songwriting. As brother Carl took on the bandleader duties through the late 70s, the guys saw success in the draw of their live shows with fans. In the 80s, the band began to fight over their lack of new music, their perceived status now as an Oldies band compared to the new wave sounds of the era. At one time, Mike Love and Dennis Wilson were so at odds with each other that they both had to get a mutual restraining order. The bandmates continued their infighting over the use of the band’s name, royalties, and songwriting credits through the 90s when Carl died of lung cancer in 1998. Just after the death of Carl, the group began to permit Mike Love to tour under the band’s official name, where he is still actively on the road today with Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston. To say the Beach Boys were a success is a complete musical understatement. 88 songs have made the music charts worldwide; 36 of them happening in the US Top 40, which is an untouched record by any other band or artist. That charting success is the result of over 100 million records sold over time.

Joe Walsh sure can shred a guitar, even though his middle name is Fidler. He’s never once tried to play a fiddle. But he sure can sing. Before Joe’s participation in the James Gang, he attended Kent State University in Ohio. He was actually going to school at the time of the now infamous campus shootings, and that event alone caused him to rethink his necessity for higher education in his life. He left without graduating to focus on his new rock and roll lifestyle. Walsh is possibly one of the most prolific performers in all of rock, considering the twelve solo albums he’s produced, plus session musician work in other projects, and his residencies with bands like James Gang, Barnstorm, The Party Boys, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and of course, his time in the Eagles. The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get was the album that dropped in 1973 to bring Joe Walsh into solo stardom with the smash hit Rocky Mountain Way. Joe joined the Eagles in 1975, much to the chagrin of Don Henley, who felt Joe was a bit too hard edged for the Eagles southern softer sound. But Walsh’s influence on the release of their massive new album, Hotel California, cemented the decision that Joe’s guitar was perfectly right for their album. Joe’s contribution to the story telling and guitar rif that would become Life in the Fast Lane kept the album atop the Billboard Hot 100 Charts in addition to the smash success of the single Hotel California itself. After Hotel California, the band took a bit of a hiatus, citing exhaustion from the touring life. This time off gave Joe an opening to create yet another hit-producing solo album in 1978, But Seriously, Folks. Perhaps taking a page out of the Life in the Fast Lane storytelling depiction of a life of a rock star, Joe’s single “Life’s Been Good” rocked radio stations and record stores across the country for more than a summer and helped the album peak at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Joe is back with the Eagles these days, and is currently embarking with Don Henley and the boys on a worldwide tour that will end with a few sold out nights in late 2019 at casinos around Las Vegas.

The quiet Beatle came out of his shell with an emotional and spiritual side on display in his solo work after his years as the lead guitarist for the biggest band of all time. George never considered himself much of a songwriter, but that began changing in 1965 as he started contributing at least two songs per Beatles album. His influence in changing the sound of the Beatles came from his interest in Bob Dylan and the Byrds in the mid-60s. But Harrison was also instrumental in changing the outlook and attitude of the band, immersing them in concepts of transcendental meditation and joining the Hare Krishna movement. The Beatles went their separate ways in 1970, and George Harrison was just 27 years old. He wasted no time putting his enlightenment to work in what would become his greatest solo effort ever, the triple album All Things Must Pass, a critically acclaimed hit that produced the massive single, My Sweet Lord. In 1971, Indian musician Ravi Shankar joined Harrison for the 1971 Concert for Bangledesh, a precursor to later shows such as Live Aid. While George was a prolific musician, he was also an exceptional producer for acts signed to the Beatles’ Apple record label and his own company, Dark Horse Records, in 1974. He got his first taste of filmmaking in 1978 as the co-founder of HandMade Films in 1978, having saved the financial backing for the Monty Python film, Life of Brian. Harrison’s fascination with Bob Dylan led him to develop a friendship with the folk singer, one that saw the two legends hanging out together to write songs such as I’d Have You Anytime. Their friendship would later help form the Traveling Wilburys in 1988, which also featured friends Jeff Lyne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. In the late 90s, George would nearly suffer the fate of an assassin, much the way his fellow Beatle John Lennon did, but in a different form of violence. An intruder broke into his Friar Park New York City home and attempted to stab him. Though Harrison survived, his time would run out only two years later after succumbing to lung cancer.

Paul Simon holds the distinction of being one of the few musicians in the history of music to be successful as a solo artist outside of the shadow of his former folk music duo, Simon & Garfunkel. But, that may be due in part to Paul’s ability to write most of the duo’s hits, such as the Sound of Silence, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Mrs. Robinson. And speaking of Mrs. Robinson, the song that made the spirited soundtrack to “The Graduate” film was actually not written for the movie, as once thought. And, the song was actually supposed to be titled Mrs. Roosevelt, referring to the President’s wife. But when the song was officially slated to be part of the movie, Simon changed the lyrics. At the height of their popularity, Simon & Garfunkel split in 1970. And Paul Simon went immediately to the studio to record three albums in just five years; all three of those albums critically acclaimed. Hits like Mother and Child Reunion, Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard, Kodachrome, Loves Me Like A Rock, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Still Crazy After All These Years, and Slip Slidin’ Away made indelible impressions on pop music lovers of the 70s. But in 1986, Paul would experience his greatest achievement with the sale of over 14 million copies of his Graceland album, featuring the smash hits You Can Call Me Al, Graceland, and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. Simon holds the distinction of being one of the few artists in music to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, twice. First in 1990 for his work in Simon & Garfunkel, and again in 2001 for his solo work. His other stage names of the past didn’t quite make it in. Paul has been known as Tom of “Tom & Jerry,” the precursor name to Simon & Garfunkel; as Paul Kane, and True Taylor. And, it wouldn’t be a great story of Paul’s life without mentioning the loves of his life. His marriage to Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher lasted only a year, then they divorced, and then returned to a regular relationship for several years shortly after. Paul’s current wife, Edie Brickell, just happened to be performing on Saturday Night Live in 1992 with her band the New Bohemians, where they met, fell in love, and continue to enjoy family life and musical life together to this day.

Known for their bluesy and gritty sound, Eric Burdon formed The Animals in the early 1960s in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England before finding fame in 1964 and moving to London. The sound of the band in comparison to the British Invasion pop artists of the era was night and day. Hits like “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” “It’s My Life,” “I’m Crying,” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” helped them to experience top 20 hits in both the UK Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. But it was their signature song with their signature sound, “House of the Rising Sun,” the propelled them to success at number one on every chart imaginable. Believe it or not, the song was not written by the Animals or Eric Burdon himself, but instead was a traditional folk song with roots that stretch as far back as the 17th century, with bits and pieces of the tune showing up in popular folk usage by mining workers as early as 1905. What brought the Animals to use this relatively unknown piece of music? Eric Burdon says he first heard a club singer in Newscastle singing the tune, and decided the distinctive sound and lyrics could be adopted easily as their signature song while touring with Chuck Berry. In fact, the crowds at each of the tour stops loved the song so much, their producer made them stop at a recording studio to lay down the song on record before heading to the next town on tour. The version you’ve heard all of your life just so happens to be the one and only take the band did in the studio of the tune. The Animals were short-lived from their original incarnation, having disbanded and re-formed as “Eric Burdon and the New Animals” in 1966, playing and supporting only new material during their shows and forgetting their past hits, including the one that made them famous. Further disagreements led to yet another disbanding of the group in 1968. Eric Burdon picked up and left for Southern California after The Animals were no more, working on a solo album, and eventually, becoming part of the band War, where he would have massive success with yet another hit, Spill The Wine.

Northern California produces a lot of things, namely wine, and especially rock music. That’s where the Doobie Brothers hail from, and over the past 50 plus years of being together, the band has sold over 40 million records, 10 of that coming from the Best of the Doobies compilation album in 1976 alone. Selling one record at a rate of 10 million, is considered Diamond status, a rare feat in the world of music. And yes, the name does mean what you think it does. Co-founder Tom Johnston said that one of his roommates actually named the band because, “You’re always smoking [doobies].” The name, though goofy, stuck with the band members. The Doobie Brothers can be identified by many eras of their sound, and their lead singers. Many will remember Johnston as the most famous of the lead singers at the helm of the band. But after Johnston quit the group in 1975 due to a bleeding ulcer, he was replaced with the distinctive vocals of Michael McDonald. Michael was actually only supposed to be a temporary fill-in lead singer while Johnston got better, but he ended up sticking with the band to create his own mark on their sound with the soul-filled hits “What a Fool Believes,” and “Takin’ It To The Streets.” But in 1982, the band decided to call it quits and McDonald left to form his own solo career. Though the band’s hiatus would only last for 5 years as Johnston would rejoin and reform the band in 1987, bringing the band back to their signature sound. While we’ve profiled many a band here on the Deep Dive that have had a rotating cast of members in and out of the band for short stints, quick tours, or just session players on albums, the Doobie Brothers actually hold the distinction of being one of the few bands in rock music that have had approximately 100 members over the years. In fact, one of them happened to be more than just a guitarist: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter is an actual expert on missile defense systems, a job he holds today as a consultant for the Department of Defense. The Doobies are still together, still creating new music, and still touring under the direction of co-founder Johnston today.

Sylvester Stewart was born into a very musical Dallas, Texas family. That encouragement to perform at such a young age led him to form the Stewart Four quartet with his brothers and sisters. The group would release a few local singles of gospel tracks. By 1964, Slyvester had become Sly Stone, and began work as a San Mateo California rock DJ at KSOL Radio, where he slipped in his favorite rock records from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones into his show. He moonlighted during this period as a record producer for Autumn Records as well, producing a successful hit in Bobby Freeman’s song, C’mon and Swim. It was in 1966 that Sly’s band, Sly and the Stones, got together with his brother Freddie’s band, Freddie & the Stone Souls, to merge and form Sly and the Family Stone. Since both Sly and Freddie were guitar players, Freddie became the lead guitarist for the band, while Sly taught himself to play the electronic organ. It paid off in 1967 when the band had their first album A Whole New Thing release to critical acclaim under Epic Records. But the doors blew open for Sly and the Family Stone as a band in 1968 when Dance to the Music reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. And then again in late 1968 with the release of the single Everyday People, which became the band’s first number 1 hit. The band developed and honed-in on a hit sound that many critics described as “psychedelic soul,” filled with lyrical social commentary in the hit album, Stand!  But as the 70s came forward, the sound of the band began to change to a darker and less pop-funk texture with the releases There’s a Riot Goin’ On, and Fresh. In 1975, the band’s in-fighting and drug use issues came to a head, leading the majority of the band to dissolve their working relationship. Though, Sly was said to continue under the band’s name himself with a rotating cast of members until drug problems of his own forced his retirement in 1987.

February 1967, Chicago, Illinois. Saxophonist Walter Parazaider, guitarist Terry Kath, drummer Danny Seraphine, trombonist James Pankow, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, and keyboardist/singer Robert Lamm got a meeting together to talk about the development of a new band. The group of six called themselves the Big Thing, and like most other groups playing in Chicago nightclubs, played Top 40 hits. Realizing the need for both a tenor to complement baritones Lamm and Kath, and a bass player, local musician Peter Cetera was invited to join the first incarnation of Chicago, dubbed the “Big Thing.” In 1968, the band began to leave behind their days of cover songs and begin writing their own material, which caught the attention of Columbia Records, who moved them to Los Angeles and renamed the band “The Chicago Transit Authority,” opening for Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, among others. Their first record, a double album, was quite a success, but their name was not. To avoid being sued by the actual Chicago Transit Authority for use of the name, the band shortened to simply, “Chicago.” From there, the band took off as a self-described “rock and roll band with horns.” While their earlier 70s work had more political references and a louder sound, they eventually became known for their ballads and softer, more melodic pop radio friendly hits. Since their formation in the 60s, the band holds the distinction of being one of the few that survived changes among the band lineup, including a departure by Peter Cetera himself in 1985. This led Cetera to focus on his solo career, and lead Chicago to continue forward with a keyboardist Bill Champlin to take lead singing duties. In their more than 50-year history, the band has amassed 42 albums that have produced 23 gold, 18 platinum and 8 multi-platinum records, holding five consecutive number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart, and 20 top ten singles on the Hot 100. In 1974 alone, the seven of the band’s albums were listed on the Billboard 200 chart simultaneously.

“I had always liked Ginger.” That’s Eric Clapton, speaking of course of drummer Ginger Baker, who, in 1966, happened to be a member of the Graham Bond Organisation, a band that had grown tired of Bond’s drug addiction, much the same as Clapton growing tired of his own band the Yardbirds’ inability to grow beyond their current sound in an era where music was changing drastically toward the psychedelic sound. Clapton convinced Ginger Baker to work with Jack Bruce, a bassist known for his blues riffs and vocals from the band the Bluesbreakers. Bruce and Baker had actually worked together in Graham Bond’s band, and another supergroup, Powerhouse, in the past. In fact, the last time the two worked together in the Bond’s band, Bruce had to be kicked out for threatening Baker with a knife. Past conflicts aside, the three musical virtuosos officially got together under the name Cream in 1966, and became one of the world’s first musical supergroups. In the span of only three years, Cream propelled themselves to become hitmakers in both the UK and US, charting with I Feel Free, Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads, Badge, Spoonful, Born Under a Bad Sign, Strange Brew, and more. In 1968, the antagonism between Baker and Bruce would help bring the band’s time to a close. Clapton also said he felt that the band did not listen to each other enough. Eric proved this one night when the roaring stacks of amplifiers were blowing bass everywhere from Jack Bruce’s guitar, as Clapton and Baker stopped playing and let Baker continue on without the guitarist even noticing his bandmates stopped. Clapton often said the final gigs for Cream turned into nothing but a contest of talent for Baker and Bruce individually. When Clapton’s inability to recruit Steve Winwood to Cream as a buffer for the feuding members failed, Baker and Clapton then moved forward after 1968 to create Blind Faith, while Bruce concentrated on his own solo projects. In 1993, the band re-formed for just a moment to celebrate their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with another reunion in 2005 involving massive concerts at Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden.

1964, London, England. The British Rock invasion began with the Beatles arriving on US soil for the first time, and a score of many other rock/pop acts would come flooding on to the scene, including the Detours, the original name of the band. Lead Singer Roger Daltrey joins guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon, to create what would become one of the best lineups in live rock concert history. Back in the UK, while the charts were burning up with Beatles hits, a sound-alike single from the newly renamed band, The Who, broke the top ten. That single was “I Can’t Explain,” and was followed by a string of other hits such as “My Generation,” “Substitute,” and “Happy Jack.” The Who joined many other pioneering rock bands of the generation by performing at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. This show, along with the release of the single “I Can See For Miles,” propelled the band into the US charts for the first time, supported by a massive and extensive tour across the country. But it was in 1969 that the rock opera album “Tommy” with its’ massive single “Pinball Wizard,” made critical and commercial splash for the band. Their live performances at Woodstock, the Isle of Wight Festival, and the Live at Leeds album all cemented their reputation as a destructive force to be reckoned with. Literally. Considering The Who were one of the first bands to consistently destroy guitars and drums during their live shows. The album “Who’s Next” continued the band’s foothold on rock stardom with the hit “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” As 1973 rolled in, the band returned to their mod roots sound with Quadrophenia, and got their first chance to oversee a Hollywood film in the screen adaptation of the Tommy rock opera, which premiered in 1975. 1978 was a massive, and devastating year for the band. While their release of the album Who Are You and the singles within were a worldwide success, the band was rocked by the sudden death of drummer Keith Moon. It was then the band decided to semi-retire from touring, with a complete split of the band in 1983 after Townshend’s disinterest in touring ever again. The band occasionally re-formed for live appearances at Live Aid in 1985, a 25th anniversary tour in 1989, and a tour for Quadrophenia in the late 90s. In 2002, John Entwhistle’s passing saw the end of touring and the release of a new album until around 2006 when the band returned to the studio, reformed, and ready to carry on with Townshend and Daltrey. The band continues to tour today and has plans for an album within 2019.

Psychedelic rock had more than a few pioneers, but Jefferson Airplane was certainly toward the top, riding high on their two biggest hits of all time, White Rabbit, and Somebody To Love. Formed in 1965, the group defined the “San Francisco Sound” that was beginning to permeate the counterculture, and were the first group among others to achieve international commercial success. The first album “Takes Off” set the stage for the runaway hit that was “Surrealistic Pillow” in ’67. On the success of that album, the band made headlining status at “the big three” festivals of the movement: Monterey in ’67, Woodstock and Altamont in ’69. They were also one of the bands on the bill at the inaugural Isle of Wight Festival in England, 1968. After Surrealistic Pillow, the group’s music underwent a significant transformation. Thanks to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Cream, the band decided to go heavier in guitar sound. It was also during this time that commercial success began to decline for the group, as managers left or quit, and band members began to do the same. After 1971, the group effectively split in two. Lead guitarist and vocalist Jorma Kaukonen, along with bassist Jack Cassidy, moved on to their own band, Hot Tuna. Remaining members of Jefferson Airplane recruited new members and regrouped to form Jefferson Starship in 1974. The band has regrouped over time to form different and new generations of the band, continuing to operate under the Starship name.

The 60s owe a lot to Bob Dylan. Following his self-titled debut album in 1962, which were mostly traditional folk songs, Dylan made his stamp on music and culture in the 60s with the release of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in ’63. That album featured his first two major commercial successes in Blowin’ in the Wind, and A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall. Another Side of Bob Dylan and The Times They Are a-Changin’ blew on to the scene in 1964, which became even bigger successes featuring Dylan’s signature phraseology and style. In 65 and 66, Dylan plugged in. He began adopting electrically amplified rock instrumentation, and in the space of 14 months recorded three of the most important and influential rock albums of the 60s: Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde. In 1966, Bob Dylan suffered injuries as a result of a motorcycle accident and withdrew from touring. It allowed him time to record in studio with members of The Band, whose members had previously been his backing band on tour. The recordings became known as The Basement Tapes. The late 60s and early 70s saw Dylan moving closer to country music and the stories of rural America. In 1975, he moved back to his folk roots with Blood on the Tracks. But by the late 70s, Dylan had become a born-again Christian, and released a series of albums of contemporary gospel music before returning to his more familiar rock sound in the early 80s. Most recently, Bob Dylan began covering the greatest hits of the American Songbook featuring songs typically made famous by Frank Sinatra. Not only is Bob Dylan a masterful musician and storyteller, he also has published eight books of drawings and paintings, and his work has been in major art galleries. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, having sold over 100 million records in his lifetime. Among his accolades and awards, he has received numerous Grammys, a Golden Globe, and even an Oscar and a Pulitzer Prize.

“What a long, strange trip its been.” The Grateful Dead can best be described as the original non-genre jam band. Melding the elements of  rock, folk, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, jazz, reggae, experimental music, psychedelia, and space rock, they began in 1965 in the height of the counterculture movement in San Francisco. But as early as 1960, Guitarist and Lead Vocalist Jerry Garcia met Robert Hunter, who helped form the band’s lyrical image. While Garcia produced the music, Hunter wrote the lyrics. While most know the band for being pioneers of weed and music culture, the roots of the Dead actually began with another drug: LSD. Ken Kesey, a local promoter, would hold public parties featuring copious amounts of the then-legal drug for the band and partygoers to enjoy. While the band mostly performed concerts that were free in their early years, their disinterest in actually formulating a record lead the MGM Records reps to chase the band to get in the studio and produce something of worth, resulting in the record deal going south. Festival after festival proved to be the Dead’s real draw: Show up, jam free-form, preach peace love and harmony, and move on. In fact, their debut album on Warner Brothers records didn’t even sell well. But somehow, as the 70s came along, the band managed to eek out 10 amazing albums of material with which to tour upon. But it was the decade of the 80s that proved difficult for the band, with Garcia’s growing Heroin problem. By the mid-80s, Jerry had kicked the habit and managed to score a top 10 hit in the US with the band’s “Touch of Grey.” Though the high praise wouldn’t last, as the health of the band members including Garcia continued to decline. In fact, the band lost their third keyboardist by 1990 due to yet another drug overdose. In both 1992 and 1995, Garcia once again experienced personal health issues that kept him and the band from the road. When he did hit the road, he often had trouble with diabetes-related pain that kept him from playing the guitar, and even had to be reminded what song he was playing at the time. Jerry Garcia passed due to a heart attack in a drug treatment facility in 1995 after being found in his room. Today, the Dead are still active in some form, having toured recently with John Mayer as the frontman for Dead & Company.

While the Guess Who did have several hits in America, they were superstars in their home country of Canada during the 1960s and early ’70s. The band grew out of vocalist/guitarist Chad Allan (born Allan Kobel) and guitarist Randy Bachman‘s Winnipeg-based group Chad Allan and the Expressions, originally known as first the Silvertones and then the Reflections. The Expressions recorded a cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over” in 1965, which became a surprise hit in Canada and reached the U.S. Top 40. When the Expressions recorded an entire album of the same name, its record company, Quality, listed their name as “Guess Who?” on the jacket, hoping to fool record buyers into thinking that the British Invasion-influenced music was actually by a more famous group in disguise. American success eluded the Guess Who until the 1969 Top Ten hit “These Eyes”; the recording session for the accompanying album, Wheatfield Soul, was paid for by producer Jack Richardson, who mortgaged his house to do so. Canned Wheat Packed by the Guess Who produced three Top 40 singles later that year. In 1970, the Guess Who released the cuttingly sarcastic riff-rocker “American Woman,” which, given its anti-American putdowns, ironically became their only U.S. chart-topper. The album of the same name became their first U.S. Top Ten and first gold album, and the group performed for President and Mrs. Nixon and Prince Charles at the White House. (Pat Nixon requested that “American Woman” be dropped from the set list.) Trouble was brewing on the horizon, though. Guitarist Bachman, having recently converted to Mormonism, took issue with the band’s typical rock & roll lifestyle, leading to clashes with Cummings. Finding the atmosphere unbearable, Bachman left the group in July 1970 and formed Brave Belt with Chad Allan, which later evolved into Bachman-Turner Overdrive. His place in the Guess Who was taken by Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw, and the title track from their next album, “Share the Land,” climbed into the Top Ten later that year, and several more singles charted afterwards. The group returned to the Top Ten one last time in 1974 with the novelty single “Clap for the Wolfman,” featuring dialogue by deejay Wolfman Jack. Burdened by shifting personnel and loss of direction, Cummings broke up the band in 1975 and tried a solo career. The lineup from the Guess Who‘s glory years reunited in 1983, and a version of the group with constantly shifting musicians (occasionally original members) continued to tour and record.

Just a wee bit after the Zombies, came Argent. Former lead singer of the Zombies Rod Argent created his own band with a different focus in sound than the Zombies, coming along in 1968 as the band began producing demos. Original members of the band included Argent on keyboards, Argent’s cousin and bassist Jim Rodford, drummer Bob Henrit and guitarist Russ Ballard. Unlike most bands, the lead singing role in Argent was actually shared between Ballard, Rodford and Argent across different songs and albums. When Ballard left in 1974, he was replaced by guitarist/vocalist John Verity and guitarist John Grimaldi. This lineup produced two albums and a film that was never released. The band’s decision to stop touring late in 1976 has never been fully explained, though the decision might have been influenced by the declining health of one of its members. Rodford, Henrit and Verity briefly continued together under the name Phoenix before going their separate ways, with first Rodford and then Henrit becoming members of The Kinks.[1] Meanwhile, Rod Argent went on to work with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and to produce a couple of solo albums. He also opened a keyboard shop in the West End of London. The original Argent lineup reunited at the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London in 2010, and undertook a short five-date concert tour later that year. Argent also reunited for a five show tour from January to February 2012, before performing one last show at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury in a benefit concert on 2 June 2013, supporting The Zombies. The band had three UK Top 40 singles, including the massive marching anthem, “Hold Your Head Up”, which reached number five and spent 12 weeks on the chart.