The Australian singer Olivia Newton-John has reinvented herself countless times over her career, transforming from a sweet, girl next door type to a raunchy pop diva, a country singer to a disco queen. Now in her 70s, she’s got four Grammy Awards, 15 Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten singles (including 5 numbers ones), and two…
Paul Anka recorded his first single at the age of just 14. A couple of years later, he released Diana, a song that propelled him to teen idol status overnight. During the British Invasion of the mid-1960s, his career hit a bump, only to be revitalized in the mid-1970s with the No. 1 hit (You’re)…
Have you ever listened to singer and songwriter Travie McCoy? If you’re familiar with this particular artist, you probably already know that he’s best known for his talents as a rapper, both as a solo artist and as a part of the group Gym Class Heroes. The question is, how many times have you really…
In 1986, guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska formed the Goo Goo Dolls. They started as a cover band, dabbled with punk, and eventually settled on alt-rock. After 12 years and five albums, they finally hit the big time in 1998 with the hit single, Iris. Since then, the band has…
Who is Charlotte Church and what has she done? Born in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales on February 21, 1986, her given name was Charlotte Maria Reed. She’s a Welsh soprano who got her first musical break when she was only 11. It came when young Charlotte sang on a popular TV show called “This Morning”. She…
In 1989, Niall Quinn, Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler formed a group called the Cranberry Saw Us. A year later, Dolores O’Riordan replaced Quinn as the lead singer, the band changed its name to the Cranberries, and over the next few years, quietly established itself as one of the biggest alternative acts of…
Lana Del Rey is the undisputed queen of Hollywood sadcore, an artist who’s turned nostalgia into an art form and melancholy into pop gold. Since breaking through with her second album, the critically acclaimed Born to Die, in 2012, she’s won numerous awards, been nominated for six Grammys and a Golden Globe, and been praised…
Anita Baker started her career in the late 1970s as a member of the funk band Chapter 8. After branching out on her own, she hit the big time in 1986 with her second album, Rapture. The album sold millions of copies, generated a handful of massively successful singles (including the Grammy award-winning Sweet Love),…
Rusted Root came from Pittsburgh, PA. It started as a house band but became something more, as shown by how it has sold more than three million records. Strictly speaking, Rusted Root still exists. However, it has been on hiatus since the mid-2010s. Still, interested individuals have seven studio albums and other material to check…