Music Artists

Posts Tagged ‘Small’

If you’re looking for the all-time number one purveyor of mainstream romantic soul, Smokey Robinson may well be the man, in the face of some towering competition. With the Miracles in the 1960s, he paced dozens of tuneful Motown hits with his beautiful high tenor. As a solo performer from the 1970s onward, he was one of the staples of urban contemporary music. But his singing gifts, as notable as they are, comprise only one of his hats: he’s also one of pop’s best and most prolific songwriters. As a songwriter and producer, he was the most important musical component to Motown’s early success, not only on the hits by the Miracles, but for numerous other acts as well (especially Mary Wells and the Temptations). Robinson first crossed paths with Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr., in the late ’50s in Detroit. In retrospect, this may have been the most important meeting in both men’s lives. Robinson needed a mentor and an outlet for his budding talents as a singer and songwriter; the ambitious Gordy needed someone with multi-faceted musical vision. Gordy encouraged and polished Robinson’s songwriting in particular in the early days, in which the Miracles were one of many acts bridging the doo wop and early soul eras. Before solidifying their relationship with the embryonic Motown operation, the Miracles issued a few singles on the End and Chess labels, the most successful of which was “Got a Job.” There was no national action for the Miracles until “Shop Around” in late 1960. Gordy withdrew the original single in favor of a faster, more fully produced version of the song; it made number two, doing much not only to establish the Miracles, but to establish the Motown label itself. The song also heralded many of the important elements of the Motown sound, with its gospel-ish interplay between lead and backup vocals, its rhythmic groove, and its blend of R&B and pop. While Robinson is most often thought of as a romantic balladeer, the Miracles were also capable of grinding out some excellent uptempo party tunes, particularly in their early days. “Mickey’s Monkey” (which the group gave an athletically electrifying performance of in the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show movie), a 1963 Top Ten hit, is the most famous of these; there was also “Going to a Go-Go” and smaller hits like “I Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying.” The 1962 Top Ten hit “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” however, was the key cut in forming Robinson’s romantic persona, with its pleading, soaring vocals, exquisite melody, and carefully crafted lyrics. Bob Dylan was impressed enough by Robinson’s facility for imaginative wordplay to dub him “America’s greatest living poet” (a phrase which has possibly become the most quoted example of one rock giant praising another). Surveying Robinson’s achievements during the 1960s, one wonders if the man ever slept. While the Miracles were never Motown’s biggest act at any given time, they were one of its very most consistent, entering the Top 40 25 times over the course of the decade. “I Second That Emotion,” “The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Ooo Baby Baby,” and “Baby, Baby Don’t Cry” were some of their biggest singles, and usually represented Motown at its most sophisticated and urbane. Robinson also was extremely active at Motown as a songwriter and producer for other acts. The number one singles “My Guy” (Mary Wells) and “My Girl” (Temptations) were each Robinson songs and productions (the latter with fellow Miracle Ronnie White), and Robinson also did some excellent work with the Marvelettes and Marvin Gaye. He also toured with the Miracles, and started a family with the Miracles’ female singer, Claudette Rogers, whom he married in 1964. Rogers stopped touring with the group in the mid-’60s, although she continued to sing on their records. Starting in 1967, the billing on Miracles releases was changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, presaging Robinson’s solo career. The group continued to spin out hits until the early ’70s, however, getting their only number one in 1970 with the upbeat “The Tears of a Clown” (which had actually been recorded back in 1966). Robinson left the group to go on his own in 1972; the Miracles continued without him with limited success, although they had a number one hit in 1976 with “Love Machine, Pt. 1.” Robinson had been made a vice president at Motown near the beginning of his career in 1961. He recorded frequently as a solo artist for Motown in the ’70s and ’80s, in a considerably mellower vein than his Miracles work, in keeping with the general shift of Motown and soul toward urban contemporary. Robinson, in fact, provided that genre with one of its catch phrases with the title of his 1975 album, A Quiet Storm. “Cruisin’” (1979) and “Being with You” (1981) were his biggest solo hits, although artistically and commercially his solo era wasn’t nearly as successful as his music with the Miracles. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
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Simple Plan is a French Canadian pop/rock band formed in Montréal, Québec. They began with the formation of the Canadian punk band Reset in 1993, by high-school friends Pierre Bouvier and Charles-André (Chuck) Comeau. Reset toured around Canada with bands such as MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only managed to gain modest popularity. Soon after their debut album was released, Comeau left to go to college but two years later he hooked up with Jean-François (Jeff) Stinco and Sébastien Lefebvre, and again started making music. It was coincidence that brought Comeau and Bouvier back together at a Sugar Ray concert in late 1999, and Bouvier soon left Reset and joined his old friends.David Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but when asked to join the foursome, he soon left the band too.

All five members grew up in Québec, Canada. The band have released three studio albums: No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls (2002), Still Not Getting Any (2004) and Simple Plan (2008) as well as two live CDs: Live in Japan (2002) and MTV Hard Rock Live (2005).

Their third anticipated self-titled album, was released everywhere on February 12, 2008 and has since gone Platinum in Canada and Brazil and Gold in Mexico.
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The Misfits are an American horror-themed punk rock, or horror punk, band formed in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey and originally led by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Anzalone). Though bassist Jerry Only has been the only consist member through every incarnation since joining in the early days of the band.

Current members include:
* Jerry Only (Gerald Caiafa) – bass guitar, backing vocals (1977–1983, 1995–present), lead vocals (2001-present)
* Dez Cadena – guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
* Robo (Roberto Valverde) – drums (1982–1983, 2005–present)

Misfits ’ iconic skull graphic was lifted from the 1946 television serial, ‘The Crimson Ghost,’ while the typeface is from the 1950s-’60s magazine, ‘Famous Monsters of Filmland.’

Glenn Danzig was very interested in Marilyn Monroe, and took the band’s name from “The Misfits ”, Monroe’s last film. The band’s early lyrical and graphical focus was on retro (1930s-’50s) science fiction, horror films, and B-movies.

The early Misfits were often quite melodic, featuring Danzig’s versatile singing, which had a style rooted in Italian tenors such as Mario Lanza and in 1950s doo wop. Early Misfits songs tended to have catchy, sing along choruses backed by Danzig’s distorted keyboard accompaniments. The band began as a largely untrained ensemble. The song Last Caress (a very rare track for years) is now commonly regarded as the epitome of an early-Misfits song, with blaring instruments and Danzig’s melodic vocals finding a medium between Frank Sinatra and the Sex Pistols.
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The Fratellis are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland who took their name from the villains in the film “The Goonies” (although, by coincidence, Barry’s mother’s maiden name is in fact Fratelli). The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli (real name John Lawler), bass guitarist Barry Fratelli (real name Barry Wallace), and drummer, backing vocalist, occasional guitarist and banjo player Mince Fratelli (real name Gordon McRory). They are currently touring with a pianist / rhythm guitarist, Will Foster.

History

2005-2006: Beginnings and The Fratellis EP

They played their first show on March 4, 2005 in the O’Henry’s bar in Glasgow across the road from the famous Horseshoe bar, and received their first radio play in 2005 on central Scotland’s Beat 106 (later XFM Scotland, now Galaxy Scotland) Beatscene show hosted by Jim Gellatly. They were signed by Fallout Records.

The Fratellis EP was released April 3, 2006, featuring the tracks “Creepin’ Up The Backstairs”, “Stacie Anne” and “The Gutterati?”. The NME ran a two page feature on The Fratellis in the August 10, 2006 issue, proclaiming them “the best new band in Britain”. “Creepin’ Up The Backstairs” was never a single released by the band, even though a video was made for it. It was not eligible for the charts. The first single released by the band was “Henrietta”, which was released on June 12 2006 and charted at number 19 on the UK Charts.
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Bush was an English alternative rock band formed in 1992. Their debut album was the self-released Sixteen Stone in 1994.

The group chose the name “ Bush ” because they used to live in Shepherd’s Bush, London.

Their first album, Sixteen Stone (1994), was a huge commercial success. Almost overnight, Bush went from playing small pubs in London to headlining arenas in the US, the result of extensive, non-stop touring. Critics rightfully labeled them as an inferior derivative of bands such as Nirvana and Pixies, and this criticism followed them throughout their career as a band. In particular, Rossdale’s throaty singing voice and random, stream of consciousness-style lyrics were dismissed by some as an imitation of Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain. Although the band reached superstar status in the U.S., they failed to have much impact on the britpop riddled UK charts, the lone exception being their single Swallowed, which reached #7. A change in record labels, management and an extended hiatus did not bode well for the band, who unofficially split in 2002.

Bush’s albums include Razorblade Suitcase (produced by Steve Albini), Deconstructed, The Science of Things, and Golden State, none of which matched the sales success of the debut album, Sixteen Stone.
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