Music Bank
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Shirley Ellis
New York vocalist and composer Shirley Ellis was in the Metronomes before earning fame as co-composer and performer of some enjoyable soul novelty tunes in the mid-’60s. These included the Top Ten R&B hits “The Nitty Gritty” and “The Name Game.” “The Name Game” was co-written with her manager and husband Lincoln Chase, and peaked at number four R&B and number three pop in 1965…
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Utopia
Stardom was handed to him with Something/Anything?, but Todd Rundgren rejected it. He wanted to explore new musical territory instead, and his adventures led him to form Utopia in 1973. Initially, Utopia was a prog rock septet featuring three keyboardists, but as the ’70s progressed, the band evolved into a shiny mainstream rock quartet, and Rundgren retreated into the background, as each of his bandmates contributed songs and lead vocals to the albums. By the early ’80s, Utopia had developed into a hitmaking entity in their own right…
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Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock will always be one of the most revered and controversial figures in jazz, just as his employer/mentor Miles Davis was when he was alive. Unlike Miles, who pressed ahead relentlessly and never looked back until near the very end, Hancock has cut a zigzagging forward path, shuttling between almost every development in electronic and acoustic jazz and R&B over the last third of the 20th century and into the 21st…
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Ultravox
Rejecting the abrasive guitars of their punk-era contemporaries in favor of lushly romantic synthesizers, Ultravox emerged as one of the primary influences on the British electro-pop movement of the early ’80s. Formed in London in 1974, the group — originally dubbed Ultravox! — was led by vocalist and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh), whose interest in synths and cutting-edge technology began during his school years. With an initial lineup consisting of bassist Chris Cross, keyboardist/violinist Billy Currie, guitarist Steve Shears, and drummer Warren Cann…
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Kay Garner
Superb vocalist, Kay Garner appears in countless albums and sessions. She was born on October 4th, 1943. At the beginning of her career, she did mostly studio work, but also appeared live with Elton John, James Last and others. In the late seventies, she started to do sessions in disco albums. But she also worked singing in many jingles. After a long career, she sadly lost her battle with emphysema on July 16th, 2007. But her voice will remain forever in so many great albums…
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The Wave Pictures
The Wave Pictures are an English rock band consisting of David Tattersall (vocals and guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass guitar) and Jonny Helm (drums). The band has its origins in a group called Blind Summit, which David and Franic formed with Hugh Noble in Wymeswold, near Loughborough in Leicestershire, in 1998. The band changed its name to the Wave Pictures and Hugh was eventually permanently replaced by Jonny Helm. They recorded and self-released a string of albums before settling in London…
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Cinerama
Named for an immersive widescreen film projection system that predated IMAX, Cinerama were founded by David Gedge after he put the Wedding Present on sabbatical following a 1997 tour. Centered lyrically around Gedge’s regular themes of courtship, romance, love, lust, and infidelity, Cinerama also indulged Gedge’s love of film music from John Barry to blaxploitation, as well as the classic songwriting of Bacharach/David and the less dramatic sides of Scott Walker…
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Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby became one of the most recognizable figures of the synth pop movement of early-’80s new wave. This was largely due to his skillful marketing. Dolby promoted himself as a kind of mad scientist, an egghead who had successfully harnessed the power of synthesizers and samplers and used them to make catchy pop and light electro-funk. Before he launched a solo career, Dolby had worked as a studio musician, technician, and songwriter; his most notable work as a songwriter was “New Toy,” which he wrote for Lene Lovich, and Whodini’s “Magic’s Wand”…
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The Kane Gang
Vocalist and songwriter Martin Brammer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Brewis met at school in the northeast town of Seaham, County Durham. Teaming up with Paul Woods, the trio developed a liking for 60s/70s soul, funk and R&B which led them through several bands before forming the Kane Gang in late 1982. ‘Brother Brother’ was planned as their first single on Candle Records, a joint venture with friend Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout, but both bands were soon signed to new Newcastle label, Kitchenware…
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Go West
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist Peter Cox and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Richard Drummie. At the Brit Awards 1986, they received the award for British Breakthrough Act. The duo enjoyed popularity between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s and are best known for the international top 10 hits “We Close Our Eyes”, “Call Me”, “Faithful”, and “King of Wishful Thinking”; the last was featured in the American romantic comedy film Pretty Woman (1990)…
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