At various points throughout her life, Etta James dealt with heroin addiction, painkiller addiction, physical abuse, and incarceration. Rather than being cowed by her experiences, James used them to inform her music, resulting in a legacy of work that, a decade after her death from leukemia at the age of 73, still touches, inspires, and…
In 1986, Poison released their debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. With their big hooks and even bigger hair, they immediately carved out a place for themselves as the top party band in hair metal. Over the following decades, they cemented their position with albums that may have left serious metal fans shaking…
The lovely and talented Ciara has been in the spotlight for years. She’s been singing, performing, and living her life publicly for well over a decade, and her relationships, pregnancies, and her music continue to make headlines as her fans are always curious about her life. She’s one of the most famous R&B and hip…
Tom Dowd may be the most important technician in the history of popular music. As a recording engineer, Dowd revolutionized the industry. He developed and devised techniques that have become the trade standard including the implementation of eight-track recording, popularizing the use of stereophonic sound, and establishing the design of linear channel faders. “Tom was…
Marvin Gaye was a legendary American singer and songwriter who also moved into record producing during his short-lived career. Gaye released 25 albums instrumental in the Motown movement that began in music during the 1960s era. He was one of the biggest names on the scene. He died just short of his 45th birthday as…
A native of South Georgia, Cole Swindell knew that music was his one true passion from a relatively young age. After leaving college in 2007, he moved to Nashville to pursue his dream. After signing a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music, Swindell began co-writing songs for Luke Bryan, Craig Campbell, and Thomas Rhett. Swindell started…
In 1993, Clay Walker broke into the Top Ten of the country charts with his eponymous debut album. The album produced a slew of No. 1 singles, quickly establishing Walker as one of the brightest new talents in country music. Like any artist, his career has experienced ups and downs, but he remains one of…
Bon Iver was founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Their first album, For Emma, Forever Ago, was released in July 2007. Although it didn’t set the charts alight, critically, the reception couldn’t have been any better. The band has continued in much the same vein since then. They don’t court the charts, and it’s…
There have been close to a score of American Idol winners. However, the most successful of them would be Carrie Underwood, who used her win to launch a career as an extremely successful country singer-songwriter. For proof, look no further than the fact that she has sold 70 million records around the world, which are…