Elton John was just a shy, gawky 22-year-old struggling pianist/songwriter when drummer Nigel Olsson first laid eyes on him. It was early 1969 and John was a staff songwriter for Dick James’ DJM Records, desperately trying to write songs for the likes of Lulu, Roger Cook and the Eurovision Song …
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There was something poignant about MTV’s big question this year: How the hell can we keep people from noticing the Video Music Awards? Bump it to a Monday night in August? Not enough. Give Jennifer Lopez a lifetime achievement award for her singing? Not enough. Make Aerosmith jam with Post …
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The Eaglesofficially have the best-selling album of all time.Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975has overtakenMichael Jackson‘s Thriller, reclaiming the top spot nearly a decade after the King of Pop’s death. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently recalculated sales of the best-of collection and certified the LP as 38x platinum, pushing …
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Stephen Colbert honored Aretha Franklin on Thursday night’sThe Late Show following the legendarysinger’s death earlier that day from pancreatic cancer. “The world is poorer for her not being here,” Colbert said solemnly. “There is no Queen of Soul right now, and she can never be replaced.” Colbert remembered seeing Franklin …
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Like nearly every modern pop star, Ariana Grande has flitted from genre to genre over the course of her career, easily collapsing the distance between the steroidal EDM of “Break Free” and the relaxed reggae of “Side to Side,” the clipped Eighties pop of “Love Me Harder” and the storming …
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In 1998, VH1 launched one of its most memorable franchises: an annual special called Divas that features multiple generations of iconic vocalists singing their hits as well as each other’s on the same stage. Of course, you can’t debut a series called Divas without including Aretha Franklin, who was joined …
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Florida Georgia Line got a little self-referential on Tuesday night’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, as they performed their latest single “Simple” in an old-timey set up that mimicked the look and feel of the song’s recent music video. That video, directed by Justin Clough and …
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The theme is simple here: four albums with guitars galore — solo and in tandem; loaded with effects and stripped to pure tone; in settings where you least expect them, but always in flight. Circles Around the Sun,Let It Wander (Rhino) This tripping-instrumental quartet was certified authentic psychedelia before they …
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Big Brother and the Holding Company were a band before the summer of 1967. They had gigs, fans and even a full-length record ready for release. But all that early history was eclipsed after they took the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival in June for a pair of performances …
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Shooter Jennings wants to tour with robots. Which, if you’ve been following the songwriter’s eclectic career, makes complete and perfect sense. While he may be the son of leather-and-lace country couple Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, the 39-year-old is less inspired by the outlaw Seventies than he is the outsized …
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