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Rockin'Artist Bios 0-9 A |
| Artist |
Prime Years |
| 10 Years | 2006 - | | “Wasteland took the dark Progressive Rock 10 Years a little closer to the mass audience - which may or may not have been the desired result. | |
| 3 Doors Down | 2002 - 2008 | | Hailing from the nearly forgotten backwaters of Escatawpa, Mississippi, 3 Doors Down began life as a trio with guitarist Matt Roberts, bassist Todd Harrell and Arnold handling vocals along with drums. | |
| 30 Seconds To Mars | | | Jared Leto wrote and recorded 30 Seconds To Mars 2002 self-titled debut using only his brother, Shannon, on drums | |
| 311 | 1992 - 2005 | | Forming in Nebraska's music capital, Omaha, in '90, 311 was a collection of friends for life according to singer/guitarist/spokesperson Nick Hexum. | |
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| +44 | 2006 - | | +44 is easily the best post-Blink 182 effort by any ex-member or combination thereof. | |
| A Perfect Circle | | | For those with any holes in their White Zombie/Rob Zombie collection Past, Present and Future fills the bill. | |
| AC/DC | 1977 - 1982 | | Visually, the thing that stood out most was Angus Young's schoolboy outfit, which happened by accident. Angus came home from school and without changing, rushed off to band practice. | |
| AFI | 1999 - | | Formed in the early '90s, around the vocalist Davey Havok and drummer Adam Carson, AFI started out as high school skaters making noise in the garage but managed, as so rarely happens, to coalescence into something worth listening to. | |
| ASHES diVIDE | 2008 - | | ASHES dIVIDE was founded by A Perfect Circle vet Billy Howerdel, a one-time guitar tech for Tool. | |
| Academy Is | | | Academy Is plays clean, high energy, melodic Rock. | |
| Adam Ant | 1979 - 1982 | | Stuart Goddard started as lead singer for Bazooka Joe, but when that failed, he moved on, becoming Adam of Adam and the Ants (Andy Warren - bass, Lester Square - guitar and Paul Flanagan - drums). | |
| Bryan Adams | 1984 - 1987 | | Adams started Rockin'. First, he hit with Run To You then Summer of '69. Both were lean, fast moving songs. | |
| Ryan Adams | 2001 - | | Whiskeytown's volatile frontman, Ryan Adams hit the solo road following his band's demise. | |
| Adema | 2002 - | | Adema’s vocalist Mark Chavez worked as a daycare supervisor and even thought about becoming a teacher but the lure of Rock was too great. | |
| The Adored | 2006 - | | The Adored ride the rail between the sublime and the obvious with enough power-pop Punk (emphasis on power pop) to get them out of the tightest spots. | |
| Aerosmith | 1977 - 1986 | | Aerosmith wasn’t as deeply steeped in the Blues. Their music was Rock based. And like all great Rock, it was over the top. | |
| Against Me! | 2002 - | | Against Me!’s chaotic Punk sound was unleashed in '02 on the brilliantly titled Reinventing Axl Rose. | |
| Airbourne | 2008 - | | Airbourne’s ’08 album Runnin’ Wild contains the title track, Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast and Diamond In The Rough. | |
| The Alarm | 1982 - 1987 | | Gotta give credit to Alarm’s “Declaration” as being their statement of purpose. | |
| Alice Cooper | 1971 - 1972 | | There are three great Alice Cooper records: Killer, School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies. | |
| Alice In Chains | | | Alice In Chains did everything a Grunge group should do. They formed in the late ‘80s in Seattle, landed a recording contract, had drug problems, did an Unplugged set, a ballad “No Excuses” was their biggest pop hit and they toured as part of Lollapalooza. | |
| Alien Ant Farm | 1999 - 2006 | | They hit the SoCal club circuit and hooked up with Papa Roach, who were based in northern CA. Soon they were helping each other get out-of-town gigs. This relationship proved beneficial later on. West coast tours led to some European festival dates. | |
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| Alkaline Trio | 1997 - | | Alkaline Trio came together in '97 with vocalist/guitarist Matt Skiba, vocalist/bassist Dan Andriano and drummer Mike Felumlee. | |
| All That Remains | 2002 - | | All That Remains has been called a Baby Killswitch. Though comparisons are unavoidable, All That Remains has some unique twists. | |
| All-American Rejects | 2002 - | | With the name All-American Rejects it's easy to assume they might hail from Norman, OK, or thereabouts but the absence of angst and rage clearly points to Stillwater. | |
| Allman Brothers Band | | | The best of the '70s Southern Rock groups, the Allman Brothers Band hit their peak with the live At The Fillmore East album. | |
| Duane Allman | 1969 - 1971 | | Like actor James Dean, Duane Allman was one of those show biz phantoms who was purely of his time but tragically departed well before his time. | |
| Alter Bridge | 2004 - | | With the exception of the lean, mean title track, Alter Bridge treads the line between post-Grunge and Hard Rock on One Day Remains. | |
| Amboy Dukes | | | There were two incredible things about the Chicago-based Amboy Dukes. The first was the top-notch psychedelic song Journey To The Center Of The Mind and second, their guitarist was Ted Nugent. | |
| Ambulance LTD | | | Ambulance LTD’s mode of operation is a rhythm guitar rolling through chords as Congleton emotes. | |
| American Hi-Fi | | | American Hi-Fi was launched following the Gordon sessions, Using Jones' native Boston as base, the group began working on songs. | |
| Anberlin | 2003 - | | Anberlin formed in '02 following the disintegration of the Christian Rock group SaGoh 24/7 (Servants After Gods Own Heart). | |
| Andrew W.K. | | | On Bulb Records, Andrew W.K. released his debut EP Girls Own Juice in '99 and Party Til You Puke a year later. | |
| Angels & Airwaves (AVA) | 2006 - | | DeLonge's first move beyond Blink-182 came when he and Blink drummer Travis Barker launched the shortlived Box Car Racer with David Kennedy, whose rhythm guitar playing must have struck the right chord because he was invited to join Angels & Airwaves. | |
| The Animals | 1964 - 1966 | | The Animals, who got their name from some shocked club patron who exclaimed the band looked like a bunch of animals, followed the Beatles to the U.S. with an updated version of the Blues song House of the Rising Sun. | |
| Another Animal | 2007 - | | Rombola, Larkin and Merrill recruited Ugly Kid Joe vocalist Whitfield Crane and brought in former Godsmack guitarist Lee Richard to form Another Animal. | |
| Anthrax | | | Named after a lethal toxin, Anthrax rode a couple of great records to a reasonably long career. | |
| Arcade Fire | 2004 - 2007 | | Arcade Fire, riding the cerebral yet anxious Wave ethos, combines airy, ethereal guitars with quaking vocals. | |
| Arctic Monkeys | 2006 - | | Arctic Monkeys have lean, hook filled approach. It's nothing that hasn't been done before but they bring a lot of energy and drive to the proceedings. | |
| Army Of Anyone | 2006 - 2007 | | Before their self-title debut was released, Army Of Anyone garnered a lot of attention, even the deadly word, “supergroup,” was mentioned. | |
| Art Brut | 2007 - | | Art Brut's “Bang Bang Rock And Roll” (great title) is an endearingly pretentious shot of slashing guitars and affected talking-singing vocals reminiscent of the Blur-Oasis axis. | |
| Asia | 1982 - 1983 | | Supergroup # 22 or Asia came about when Carl Palmer (formerly of ELP), Steve Howe (of Yes fame), John Wetton (King Crimson alum) and Geoff Downes joined forces. | |
| Ataris | 2003 - | | Signed by Columbia Records, Ataris released so long astoria in '03 | |
| Atlanta Rhythm Section | | | Former Classics IV member, James R. Cobb, tried again with veteran session musicians to produce Lynyrd Skynyrd Lite or Toto of the South - the Atlanta Rhythm Section. | |
| Atreyu | 2001 - | | Retribution is a great name for a Metal band. Too bad for five Orange County guys the name was already taken by a nearby group. So at the suggestion of a friend they became Atreyu, the name of the main protagonist in the fantasy, The Neverending Story. | |
| Audioslave | 2004 - 2006 | | Despite the unfortunate name, Audioslave Rocks with more accessibility than, oh, say Rage Against The Machine. | |
| Audiovent | | | While Audiovent had a notable musical pedigree, their rise was hardly a slam-dunk. | |
| Avenged Sevenfold | 2001 - | | Starting in ‘99, while still in high school, Avenged Sevenfold had, in addition to Shadows, Zacky Vengeance (guitar), Synyster Gates (guitar), Johnny Christ (bass) and The Reverend (drums)- | |
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Rockin'Artist Bios B |
| Artist |
Prime Years |
| B-52s | 1979 - 1984 | | With a buzz on, drinking away the evening in a Chinese restaurant in Athens, GA, future members of the B-52s, who had little or no prior musical experience, decided to form a group. | |
| Babyshambles | 2006 - | | With producer Mick Jones, who worked on the Libertines' albums, the Babyshambles recorded Down In Albion. | |
| Sebastian Bach | 1996 - | | So what if nobody remembers whether Sebastian Bach (Sebastian Philip Bierk) was in Motley Crue, Poison or Skid Row. Bach developed an impressive ability to hang around and hang on. | |
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| Bad Company | 1977 - 1979 | | In mid ‘79, amid rumors Bad Company was splitting, lead singer Paul Rodgers was holed up in the studio recording the group’s last hurrah. | |
| Bad Religion | | | As the '80s began, Bad Religion formed in north L.A. with Gurewitz, vocalist Gregg Graffin, bassist Jay Bentley and drummer Jay Ziskrout. | |
| Badfinger | | | Badfinger's second and third albums, “No Dice” and “Straight Up,”mark Badfinger’s brief period at or near the top. | |
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| The Band | 1968 - 1975 | | Had the Band disappeared after Music From Big Pink they would have provided more than enough to be remembered. | |
| The Bangles | | | After releasing an EP on the Faulty Products label and contributing to Rough Trade's Rainy Day compilation, the Bangles made their major label debut with All Over The Place. | |
| Barenaked Ladies | 1996 - 2000 | | The Barenaked Ladies were probably driven by the desire to put a totally goofy name on the marquee to attract a lot of walk-in traffic. | |
| Bayside | 2004 - 2007 | | Bayside, who'd formed in '00 around vocalist/guitarist Anthony Raneri and bassist Andrew Elderbaum, who has since left the group, recorded a couple EPs and two full-length albums ('04's Sirens And Condolences and '05's Bayside). | |
| Be Your Own Pet | 2006 - | | Be Your Own Pet is glorious Punk from start to finish. Jemina Pearl Abegg is like the girl next door - if you live near a women’s penitentiary. | |
| Beach Boys | 1962 - 1966 | | The Beach Boys were the product of a pushy father, three talented brothers, Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, a cousin, Mike Love and a friend, Al Jardine. | |
| Beastie Boys | 1986 - 1994 | | The Beastie Boys’ debut “Licensed To Ill” successfully merges Rock and Rap, which became a major ‘90s trend. | |
| The Beatles | 1962 - 1970 | | McCartney's announcement of his departure from and the de facto end of The Beatles in April 9th, 1970 was front-page news, and not just in the music trades. | |
| The Beatles | 1962 - 1970 | | McCartney's announcement of his departure from and the de facto end of The Beatles in April 9th, 1970 was front-page news, and not just in the music trades. | |
| Jeff Beck Group | | | Jeff Beck had replaced Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds. Now Beck had left, leaving Jimmy Page to hold the fort. Beck's first solo efforts were a pair of inconsequential novelty songs. | |
| Beck | 1994 - 2008 | | Beck was born in L.A., into a musical family, with the moniker Beck David Campbell in ‘70. | |
| Pat Benatar | | | Pat Benatar was singing in New York's Catch A Rising Star when she caught the attention of club owner Rick Newman who became her manager. | |
| Chuck Berry | 1955 - 1964 | | Without Chuck Berry Rock 'n' Roll may never have happened, or, at the very least, it would have been vastly different. | |
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| Black Flag | | | Black Flag was founded 1977 by guitarist Greg Ginn who also started SST Records to release his band's albums. | |
| Black Keys | 2003 - | | Formed in Akron, OH, the one-time bowling capital of America, the Blues-Rock duo Black Keys was part of the early '00's lo-fi movement (stripping away all the technical enhancements to get to a more organic or real sound). | |
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| Black Light Burns | 2007 - | | Black Light Burns was essentially a Borland solo project but he received extensive studio help from a revolving cast that included a pair of Nine Inch Nails vets, bassist Danny Lohner and drummer John Freese. | |
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| Black Stone Cherry | 2006 - | | Stone Black Cherry came together in the summer of ’04 operating under the influence of Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Black Crowes. | |
| Blind Faith | | | Ginger Baker made Eric Clapton promise to include him to his next group. Meanwhile, Steve Winwood's Traffic was making great records but not reaching a very large audience. | |
| Blind Melon | 1992 - 1993 | | Blind Melon struggled though a couple of false starts before their debut, featuring the hit “No Rain,” was released in ‘92. | |
| Blink 182 | 1997 - 2003 | | They spent 1996-97 on the Warped Tour being embraced by the skaters, surfers and snowboarders. | |
| Bloc Party | 2004 - 2007 | | The Bloc Party story begins at the Reading Festival where singer/guitarist Kele Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack were introduced through mutual friends. | |
| Blondie | | | Blondie formed in ‘75 around the nucleus of Deborah Harry, a blonde ex-Playboy bunny, and her husband/guitarist Chris Stein. | |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears | | | For the hits Blood Sweat and Tears has 'em, with the MOR You've Made Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel and the surprisingly cheerful When I Die. | |
| Blue Cheer | | | On Rock ‘n ’ Roll Fantasy, Paul Rodgers played all the instruments and did the vocals. In other words, as close to a solo effort as you can get without being a solo. | |
| Blue October | | | Blue October formed in Houston with a two guitar line-up, along with bass and drums. Thanks to Ryan Delahoussaye, they were a bit unique incorporating violin and mandolin. | |
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| Blues Magoos | | | Originally known as the Trenchcoats, the Blues Magoos hailed from New York. So their brand of psychedelic Rock had some healthy Punk elements to it. | |
| Blues Traveler | 1995 - 1998 | | Like the Grateful Dead, Blues Traveler cultivated an audience playing a timeless brand of Rock that featured extended jams. | |
| Blur | 1992 - 1994 | | Blur started as Seymour. But when they signed their first record deal the only proviso was a name change. | |
| BoDeans | 1993 - 1996 | | Like the Rembrandts, the BoDeans are best remembered for a song that became TV show theme. | |
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| Bono | 1980 - | | U2 is fronted by Paul Hewson, who had changed his name to Bono Vox, and then simply, Bono. | |
| Booker T. & The MGs | | | Though best remembered for their vibrant instrumental hits Green Onions and Time Is Tight Booker T. & The MGs played a vital role in 60's Soul. | |
| Boston | 1976 - 1978 | | Boston’s debut album hit the airwaves in ’76. “More Than A Feeling,” Foreplay/Long Time” and “Peace of Mind” became the most played songs of the ‘70s. | |
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| Bowling For Soup | 2000 - | | The best place to start with Bowling For Soup is their album Hangover You Don’t Deserve. | |
| Box Tops | | | The Box Tops might have been as pop mainstream as the Turtles if it weren’t for one thing. Alex Chilton, hailing from Memphis along with the other Box Tops, was one of those rare authentic voices. | |
| Boxcar Racer | | | Thanks to DeLonge’s distinctive guitar and nasal vocals many tracks on Box Car Racer’s self-titled debut don’t sound much different than Blink 182. | |
| The Bravery | 2005 - | | The Bravery’s first effort was The Unconditional EP which was followed by “The Bravery,” featuring the singles Unconditional and An Honest Mistake. | |
| Breaking Benjamin | 2002 - 2006 | | Playing in their native Philly burbs, an area known as Wilkes-Barre, Breaking Benjamin built a notable reputation. | |
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| Brides Of Destruction | | | Providing a trial by fire, Sixx booked Brides Of Destruction as the opening act at a Mudvayne/Taproot concert to see whether LeGrand could handle the pressure. | |
| James Brown | 1962 - 1984 | | The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, Mr. Dynamite and The Godfather of Soul were three terms used to describe James Brown. | |
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| Buckcherry | | | You’ll have to look long and hard to find a better debut than Buckcherry’s. | |
| Buffalo Springfield | | | They had a nucleus of three guitarist/vocalists. Dallas born Stephen Stills, Toronto native Neil Young and Richie Furay who hailed from Yellow Springs, Ohio, of all places. | |
| Built To Spill | 1994 - 2001 | | It was Neil Young's plaintive expressiveness that struck a chord with Doug (sometimes Dug) Martsch, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the Boise based Built To Spill. | |
| Bush | | | Tagged early on as Nirvana-wannabes Bush formed in London in ’92 with Gavin Rossdale and Nigel Pulsford. Originally called Future Primitive the duo was able to convince Transvision Vamp bass player Dave Pearson to join. After a show Robin Goodridge told Rossdale the band’s drummer sucked and he could do a better job. Rossdale took him at his word and the line-up was complete. | |
| Byrds | 1965 - 1966 | | The Byrds had a unique talent for interpretation. They took obscure Dylan songs and made them accessible while jacking up the tempo with a Folk/Rock sound - 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'My Back Pages'. | |
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