Over the course of four decades, Eric Clapton has carried the British blues legacy into the mainstream of pop music. From his mid-1960s days with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, through his years as guitar god with Cream and Blind Faith, and eventuall…

b. 12 August 1949, Glasgow, Scotland. This homely ex-teacher was UK band Dire Straits main asset through his skill as a composer, a tuneful if detached vocal style - and a terse, resonant fretboard dexterity admired by Eric Clapton and Chet Atkins, b…

To some, the Englishman born under the name Gordon Sumner will always be known as the bassist, songwriter, and frontman of the Police. But Sting's mega-successful solo career from the 1980s into the 21st century may even overshadow his former band's …

Making endless shifts in personnel and style, Fleetwood Mac went from being one of the most original British blues bands of the 1960s--under the leadership of Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood--to becoming purveyors of a smooth, masterful L.A. pop aesth…

The U.K.'s Dire Straits became one of the world's most popular rock bands the old-fashioned way, through songwriting and musicianship. When "Sultans of Swing" broke through on both sides of the Atlantic in 1979, the sound suggested Bob Dylan backed b…

Bruce Springsteen came out of New Jersey in the early 1970s sounding like a cross between Bob Dylan and early Tom Waits, backed by the rambunctious E Street Band. After toughening up his sound, Springsteen created his 1975 masterpiece, BORN TO RUN, w…

U2's Bono was one of the few real rock heroes of the 1980s, leading the Irish band to international recognition with a charged, political approach to music. The band's early efforts brought a stadium-size presence to alt-rock, with Bono's expressive …

With his chiseled features and haunting croon, Chris Isaak appeared in the mid-1980s like a roots-rock Chet Baker. His hushed, romantic singing style perfectly complemented his songwriting, which blended the rockabilly/pop styles of Elvis Presley and…

A singer whose music is as exotic and elegant as her image, Sade utilized sultry, jazz-tinged vocals and smooth pop arrangements to become, deservedly, one of the most successful international stars of the 1980s. Her voice is a subtle thing, breathy …

This Athens band's initial mix of Velvet Underground strum, Byrds-like Rickenbacker jangle, and charismatically oblique singing, became the sound of the 1980s as legions of bands followed suit. But even as imitators codified R.E.M.'s approach into th…

Boz Scaggs first found success as a member of Steve Miller's late-'60s band, but became better known for his R&B-flavored pop records in the '70s. His hit album SILK DEGREES featured several future members of Toto and included classic-rock radio sta…

Formed in 1973, this San Francisco-based group was founded when ex-members of Stoneground, Cory Lerios (b. California, USA; keyboards) and Steve Price (b. California, USA; drums), were joined by Bud Cockrell (b. Missouri, USA; bass) and Dave Jenkins …

With his distinctive vocals and award winning songwriting skills, Canadian musician Bryan Adams name remains one of the most recognized of our time.

They never broke big in the States, but Glasgow, Scotland's Texas were one of the most popular band's in the U.K. and Europe during the 1990s. Though firmly rooted in the Britpop tradition, Texas maintained a distinct sound that nodded to everything …

From his beginnings as a sensitive singer and pianist through his ascent to superstardom, Elton John has enjoyed one of the longest and most successful careers in rock & roll. With his outrageous costumes and campy theatricality, the man formerly kno…

Originally part of the early 1960s British blues/R&B scene, the Rolling Stones rapidly ascended the heights of fame with a perfect combination of hit singles and media-grabbing scandals. By the '70s, Keith Richards had become a bona fide guitar hero,…

Bob Dylan began as a Woody Guthrie acolyte, imitating the dust-bowl balladeer as faithfully as a baby boomer from Hibbing, Minnesota, could. It wasn't long before he found his own voice, spearheading the early-1960s folk revival as well as the singer…

The mercurial David Bowie is the original pop chameleon. He's been everything from inoffensive pop singer to glam icon to white soul man to art-rocker and more in the course of his long, prolific career. Although Bowie's first hit was 1969's "Space O…

The first half of the 1970s was the heyday of introspective songwriting and close-harmony singing. America were at the forefront of the commercial end of this movement, releasing a string of singles that dominated the radio for years. Following their…

Besides being one-half of pop's legendary duo Simon & Garfunkel would be enough for most people, but Paul Simon went on to reap just as much acclaim and success as a solo artist. In the 1970s, he was at the vanguard of the singer-songwriter movement,…