At the age of 15, Nat King Cole dropped out of school to pursue a music career. A risky move perhaps, but one that more than paid off. By the time he passed away in 1965 at the tragically young age of 45, he’d established himself as one of the most gifted singers and pianists…
In 2006, five teenagers from Sheffield in the UK got together and made a lot of noise. The result was Count Your Blessings, Bring Me the Horizon’s debut album. As debuts go, it wasn’t the most promising. It may have made them heroes to a small band of deathcore devotees, but it failed to make…
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…
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…
Aretha Franklin began her career as a child, singing gospel at the same church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father was a minister. By the time she turned 18, she’d landed a record deal with Columbia. She wasn’t an overnight success, but after changing labels to Atlantic in 1966, her fortunes changed. The release of…