Artist stories
The stories behind 201 artists
Each one is researched from sources you can check: how they started, the people around them, rare facts, and the stories people still argue about. Your Stationz DJ tells them between the songs.
A
a-ha
a-ha are a Norwegian synth pop band formed in Oslo in 1982 by singer Morten Harket, guitarist and songwriter Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen.
ABBA
ABBA were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by two couples, Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson.
AC/DC
AC/DC are the Australian rock and roll band founded in Sydney in 1973 by the Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
Adele
Adele is an English singer and songwriter from Tottenham, north London, born in 1988 and discovered through a Myspace demo in 2006.
Aerosmith
Aerosmith are a hard rock band formed in Boston in 1970, led by singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, with Tom Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums and Brad Whi…
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is a rock band formed in Seattle in 1987 by singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr.
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band was a rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane and Gregg Allman with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Ja…
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse was a singer and songwriter from north London, born in 1983, whose smoky contralto blended jazz, soul and sixties girl group pop.
The Animals
The Animals were a rhythm and blues band from Newcastle upon Tyne, fronted by Eric Burdon, whose electrified version of The House of the Rising Sun topped the British an…
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire are an indie rock band from Montreal, founded around 2001 by Win Butler and Josh Deu and led for over two decades by Butler and his then wife Régine Chassagn…
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are a rock band from High Green in Sheffield, formed in 2002 by school friends Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook and Andy Nicholson, with Nick O'Malle…
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was an American singer, pianist and songwriter from Detroit, the daughter of a famous Baptist preacher, who grew up singing gospel in her father's church.
B
B.B. King
B.B.
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group formed in Orlando in 1993 by Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and the Kentucky cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Rich…
The Bangles
The Bangles are an all female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by Susanna Hoffs and the sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, later joined by bassist Michael Stee…
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961 by brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and their friend Al Ja…
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys were a New York trio of Mike D, Adam Yauch and Ad-Rock who began as teenage hardcore punks in 1981 and became the first rap act to top the Billboard alb…
The Beatles
The Beatles were a rock band from Liverpool, formed in 1960, made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees were the brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, born on the Isle of Man and raised in Manchester and Australia, famous for their three part harmonies and t…
Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a singer, songwriter and performer from Houston, Texas, who rose to fame in the late nineties as the lead voice of Destiny's Child.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel is an American singer, songwriter and pianist from Long Island, New York, nicknamed the Piano Man after his 1973 signature song.
Björk
Björk is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer and producer, born in Reykjavík in 1965, who made her first album at eleven and found international fame fronting the…
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are a blues rock duo from Akron, Ohio, formed in 2001 by singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney.
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were a heavy metal band formed in Aston, Birmingham, in 1968 by Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.
Blink-182
Blink-182 formed in Poway, California, in 1992, when Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge met in a garage and wrote their first song on the spot.
Blondie
Blondie are a New York band formed in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, who came out of the CBGB punk scene and mixed new wave with disco, reggae, p…
Blur
Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988 by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota in 1941, is the American singer and songwriter who carried folk music into the protest movement of the early…
Bob Marley
Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who, with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in the Wailers and later with his own band, carried reggae and the Rastafari faith…
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey, led by singer Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer T…
Boston
Boston is an American rock band built around Tom Scholz, an MIT trained engineer who recorded most of the 1976 debut alone in his Watertown basement, with Brad Delp's so…
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is an American singer and songwriter from Freehold, New Jersey, nicknamed the Boss, who has led the E Street Band since 1972.
Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars, born Peter Gene Hernandez in Honolulu in 1985, went from a child Elvis impersonator in his family's Waikiki show to one of the best selling artists of the ce…
BTS
BTS are a seven member South Korean group, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, who debuted in 2013 on a tiny, nearly bankrupt label and became the best selling…
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke.
C
Celine Dion
Celine Dion is a Canadian singer from Charlemagne, Quebec, the youngest of fourteen children, who was discovered at twelve by her future husband and manager René Angélil.
Chicago
Chicago is the American rock band with horns, formed in 1967 by music students in Chicago, whose jazz rock debut and early albums gave way to a long run of hits from 25…
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry was a singer, guitarist and songwriter from St.
The Clash
The Clash were a punk rock band formed in London in 1976, built around Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and, from 1977, the drummer Topper Headon.
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British band formed at University College London in 1996 and 1997 by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, with creative director…
The Cranberries
The Cranberries were an alternative rock band from Limerick, Ireland, formed in 1989 by brothers Noel and Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler, with Dolores O'Riordan jo…
Cream
Cream were a British rock trio formed in London in July 1966 by drummer Ginger Baker, bassist and singer Jack Bruce and guitarist Eric Clapton, and are widely called roc…
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival were a rock band from El Cerrito, California, made up of John Fogerty, his brother Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, who had played t…
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed by schoolfriends in Crawley, West Sussex, led since the start by singer and guitarist Robert Smith, their only constant member.
D
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic duo formed in Paris in 1993 by school friends Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.
David Bowie
David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter and actor, born David Robert Jones in Brixton in 1947, who became rock's great shape shifter.
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are the London band that, alongside Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, laid the foundations of hard rock and heavy metal, with Machine Head, Made in Japan and t…
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are a rock band from Sheffield, England, who grew out of a school band in the late 1970s and rose with the new wave of British heavy metal.
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980 by Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke.
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an R&B girl group from Houston, Texas, that grew out of the childhood group Girl's Tyme in 1990 and signed to Columbia Records in 1996.
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in Deptford, south east London, in 1977 by Mark Knopfler, his brother David, John Illsley and Pick Withers.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton was an American singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist who grew up in a mountain cabin in East Tennessee and became the most celebrated woman in cou…
The Doors
The Doors were a Los Angeles rock band formed in 1965 by singer Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore.
Drake
Drake is a Canadian rapper and singer from Toronto who went from playing Jimmy Brooks on the teen drama Degrassi to becoming the most commercially successful rapper of t…
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are a pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, whose classic lineup added Simon Le Bon, Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor in 198…
E
Eagles
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, four musicians who first played together b…
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind and Fire is an American band formed by the drummer, singer and producer Maurice White, who moved his Chicago group to Los Angeles in 1970 and named it after…
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran is an English singer and songwriter from Framlingham in Suffolk who went from sofa surfing open mic regular to one of the best selling artists of the century.
Elton John
Elton John, born Reginald Dwight in the London suburb of Pinner in 1947, became one of the best selling artists in history, with more than 300 million records sold and a…
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was an American singer and actor from Tupelo, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, known as the King of Rock and Roll.
Eminem
Eminem, born Marshall Mathers in 1972, is a Detroit rapper who rose from poverty and rap battles to become the best selling rapper of all time.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter from Ripley in Surrey, born in 1945, who helped create the cult of the rock guitar hero with the Yardbirds, J…
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were the British duo of the Scottish singer Annie Lennox and the English musician and producer Dave Stewart, formed in 1980 after the pair had been lovers and…
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1994 by singer and pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.
F
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy are an American rock band formed in 2001 in Wilmette, Illinois, by Chicago hardcore scene veterans Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman, with singer Patrick Stump and…
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac were a British and American rock band formed in London in July 1967 by blues guitarist Peter Green, with drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine are an English band formed in London in 2007 around the singer Florence Welch and producer Isabella Summers, known for Welch's huge voice, harp…
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994 by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, who recorded their first album entirely alone after Kurt Cobain's…
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor from Hoboken, New Jersey, who rose from big band vocalist to the first modern pop idol in the 1940s.
Fugees
The Fugees were a hip hop trio from New Jersey made up of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, named with pride after the word refugee.
G
Genesis
Genesis were an English rock band formed in 1967 by pupils at Charterhouse School in Surrey.
George Michael
George Michael was an English singer, songwriter and producer who first found fame with his school friend Andrew Ridgeley in the pop duo Wham!, then became one of the bi…
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are a virtual band created in 1998 by the Blur singer Damon Albarn and the comic artist Jamie Hewlett, fronted by four cartoon members: 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and…
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead were a rock band formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965 by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Ron McKernan, known as Pigpen.
Green Day
Green Day are a punk rock band from the East Bay of California, formed in 1987 by school friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt and completed by drummer Tré Cool in…
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses are a hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985, led by singer Axl Rose with guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and d…
H
I
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons are a pop rock band from Las Vegas, formed in 2008 by singer Dan Reynolds, and best known as the trio of Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon and bassist Ben…
INXS
INXS were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1977 by the three Farriss brothers, Michael Hutchence, Kirk Pengilly and Garry Gary Beers.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are a heavy metal band from east London, formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris.
J
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 were a family band from Gary, Indiana, formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael under the strict management of their father Joe.
James Brown
James Brown was an American singer, bandleader and dancer from Barnwell, South Carolina, known as the Godfather of Soul and the Hardest Working Man in Show Business.
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin was a singer from Port Arthur, Texas, whose raw, blues soaked voice made her the first female superstar of rock.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter in 1969, grew up in Brooklyn's Marcy Houses, sold drugs as a teenager and co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records to release his 1996 debut, Reasonable D…
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane were a San Francisco rock band formed in 1965 by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner, the first band from the city's psychedelic scene to break through natio…
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was a guitarist, singer and songwriter from Seattle who spent years as a backing musician before Chas Chandler brought him to London in 1966 and built the J…
John Lennon
John Lennon was the Liverpool singer, songwriter and activist who founded the Beatles and wrote most of their songs with Paul McCartney.
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash was an American singer and songwriter, born in Arkansas in 1932, who came out of Sun Records in Memphis in 1955 with a deep baritone and a stark boom chicka…
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell is a Canadian singer, songwriter and painter, born Roberta Joan Anderson in Alberta in 1943.
Journey
Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana and other Bay Area groups.
Joy Division
Joy Division were a post-punk band formed in Salford in 1976 by Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, with singer Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris.
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969 and built around singer Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill and the twin guitars of Glenn Tipton and…
K
Kanye West
Kanye West, legally known as Ye since 2021, is a Chicago raised rapper and producer who rose from making beats for Jay-Z to become one of the most acclaimed and influent…
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer, songwriter and producer from Kent who, at nineteen in 1978, became the first woman to top the UK chart with a song she wrote herself, Wut…
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar is a rapper and songwriter from Compton, California, who grew from the mixtape kid K.Dot into one of the most acclaimed artists of his generation.
The Killers
The Killers are a rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by singer Brandon Flowers and guitarist Dave Keuning, completed in 2002 by bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronn…
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon are an American rock band formed in the Nashville area in 1999 by brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew, the sons and nephew…
The Kinks
The Kinks were a rock band from Muswell Hill in north London, formed around brothers Ray and Dave Davies with Pete Quaife and Mick Avory.
Kiss
Kiss were a hard rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
Kool & the Gang
Kool and the Gang formed in Jersey City in 1964 as the Jazziacs, a teenage jazz band led by brothers Robert Kool Bell and Ronald Bell.
Korn
Korn is a rock band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993 by Jonathan Davis, James Munky Shaffer, Brian Head Welch, Reginald Fieldy Arvizu and David Silveria.
L
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta in New York in 1986, is an American singer, songwriter and actress who broke through in 2008 with Just Dance, Poker Face and the album…
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is a singer, rapper and songwriter from South Orange, New Jersey, who first found fame as the voice of the Fugees and then made The Miseducation of Lauryn Hi…
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page, with singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones and drumme…
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen was a Canadian poet, novelist and singer songwriter from Montreal, born in 1934, who turned to music in his thirties after a literary career and released h…
Linkin Park
Linkin Park are a rock band from Agoura Hills, California, formed in 1996 by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon.
Little Richard
Little Richard, born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, in 1932, was a singer, pianist and showman whose screaming voice, pounding piano and outrageous look helpe…
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, singer and entertainer from New Orleans, born in 1901, who rose from a reform school band to become the first great soloist in jazz.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1964 by Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns and na…
M
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone, born in Bay City, Michigan in 1958, arrived in New York in 1978 as a dancer and became the defining pop star of the MTV age with Like a Virgin, T…
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas and the Papas were a folk rock vocal group of John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot, whose soaring four part harmonies on California…
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter and producer from Long Island, New York, famous for her five octave range and her whistle notes.
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 are a pop rock band from Los Angeles, led by singer Adam Levine.
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye was a soul singer, songwriter and producer from Washington, D.C., remembered as the Prince of Motown.
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are a Bristol collective formed in 1988 by Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Adrian Thaws, who grew out of the Wild Bunch sound system.
Megadeth
Megadeth is the thrash metal band Dave Mustaine formed in Los Angeles in 1983, after Metallica fired him and sent him home on a bus.
Metallica
Metallica is a heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by singer and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and based in the San Francisco Bay Area for…
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter and dancer from Gary, Indiana, who fronted the Jackson 5 as a child and became the biggest pop star in the world with…
Motörhead
Motörhead were a British rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy Kilmister after he was fired from Hawkwind.
Muse
Muse are an English rock band formed in Teignmouth, Devon, in 1994 by Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard, still the same three members as of 2026.
N
N.W.A
N.W.A was a hip hop group from Compton, California, formed in 1987 around Eazy-E, Dr.
Neil Young
Neil Young is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose career runs from Winnipeg garage bands in the early sixties through Buffalo Springfield, Cro…
New Order
New Order are an English band formed in Manchester in 1980 by Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris after the death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, soon joine…
Nina Simone
Nina Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, trained to be America's first Black woman concert pianist, and turned to singing in bars afte…
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is the project Trent Reznor started alone in a Cleveland recording studio in 1988, and which Atticus Ross officially joined in 2016.
Nirvana
Nirvana was a rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987 by singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, with Dave Grohl joining on drums in 1990.
No Doubt
No Doubt are a rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986, best known for singer Gwen Stefani, bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young.
The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace in Brooklyn in 1972, went from street corner crack dealer to the biggest rapper in New York in barely three years.
O
Oasis
Oasis are a rock band from Manchester, formed in 1991 and built around the brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, with Noel writing the songs and Liam singing them.
The Offspring
The Offspring are a punk rock band from Garden Grove in Orange County, California, formed in 1984 by high school cross country teammates Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel,…
One Direction
One Direction were a British and Irish boy band put together on The X Factor in July 2010 from five rejected solo contestants, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Lou…
Otis Redding
Otis Redding was a soul singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia, known as the King of Soul.
Outkast
Outkast were a hip hop duo from Atlanta, formed in 1992 by high school friends André 3000 and Big Boi.
P
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney is a singer, songwriter and bassist from Liverpool, born in 1942, who wrote most of the Beatles' songs with John Lennon.
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam are a rock band from Seattle, formed in 1990 by Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Mike McCready with the San Diego singer Eddie Vedder, after the death of Mother L…
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are the English synth pop duo of singer and lyricist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, who met by chance in a London hi fi shop in 1981.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins is an English drummer, singer, songwriter and producer, born in 1951, who joined Genesis as their drummer in 1970 and became their lead singer in 1975.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason, with David Gilmour joining in late 1967.
Pixies
The Pixies are an alternative rock band formed in Boston in 1986 by Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal and David Lovering.
The Police
The Police were a rock trio formed in London in 1977 by the American drummer Stewart Copeland, the Newcastle singer and bassist Sting and, from later that year, the guit…
Portishead
Portishead are a trio from Bristol, England, formed in 1991 by producer Geoff Barrow and singer Beth Gibbons, soon joined by jazz guitarist Adrian Utley.
Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson was a singer, songwriter, producer and multi instrumentalist from Minneapolis who signed to Warner Bros.
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an electronic band from Braintree, Essex, formed in 1990 by producer Liam Howlett with dancers Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill and MC Maxim.
Public Enemy
Public Enemy are a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, founded in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav with the Bomb Squad production team, DJ Terminator X and Professo…
Q
R
R.E.M.
R.E.M.
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in 1985 by five schoolfriends at Abingdon School near Oxford: Thom Yorke, Jonny and Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Philip Selw…
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine were a rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1991 by singer Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wil…
Ramones
The Ramones were a punk rock band from Forest Hills in Queens, New York, formed in 1974 by four misfits who all took the surname Ramone.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles was an American singer, pianist and bandleader, born in Georgia in 1930 and blind from the age of seven.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982 by Fairfax High School friends Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons, mixing funk, p…
Rihanna
Rihanna is a Barbadian singer born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in 1988, discovered on the island by producer Evan Rogers and signed on the spot by Jay-Z at Def Jam in 2005.
Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart is a British singer from north London, born in 1945, known for one of the most recognisable raspy voices in rock.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962, built around Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and pianis…
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop rock duo formed in 1986 by songwriter Per Gessle and singer Marie Fredriksson, both already stars at home.
Run-DMC
Run-DMC were a hip-hop trio from Hollis, Queens: Joseph Simmons, known as Run, Darryl McDaniels, known as DMC, and Jason Mizell, the DJ known as Jam Master Jay.
Rush
Rush are a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968, best known as the trio of singer and bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer and lyricist Neil Pea…
S
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke was a singer, songwriter and record man from Chicago, born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1931, who became gospel's biggest young star with the Soul Stirrers b…
Scorpions
Scorpions are a hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, founded by guitarist Rudolf Schenker in 1965 and fronted since 1969 by singer Klaus Meine.
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were a London punk band formed in 1975 by Steve Jones and Paul Cook, fronted by Johnny Rotten and managed by Malcolm McLaren.
Simon & Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel were two boys from Queens, New York, who met in a school play in 1953 and became the most successful folk rock duo of the 1960s.
Slayer
Slayer are a thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo.
Slipknot
Slipknot is a heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995 and famous for its masks, matching jumpsuits, numbered members and ferocious live shows.
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were a San Francisco band formed in 1966 by singer, producer and multi instrumentalist Sly Stone with his siblings Freddie and Rose, trumpeter C…
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by Billy Corgan and James Iha, with D'arcy Wretzky on bass and Jimmy Chamberlin on drums.
The Smiths
The Smiths were a rock band formed in Manchester in 1982 by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, with Andy Rourke on bass and Mike Joyce on drums.
Soundgarden
Soundgarden were a rock band from Seattle, formed in 1984 by Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto, with Matt Cameron and later Ben Shepherd completing the classic…
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were an English pop group formed through an open audition in 1994, made up of Mel B, Melanie C, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950, is a blind singer, songwriter, producer and multi instrumentalist who signed to Motown at el…
Sting
Sting, born Gordon Sumner in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend in 1951, was the singer, bassist and chief songwriter of the Police before launching a solo career in 1985…
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots are an American rock band formed in San Diego in 1989 by singer Scott Weiland, brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz.
The Strokes
The Strokes are a rock band from New York City, formed in 1998 by five school friends: Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizi…
Supertramp
Supertramp were a British rock band formed in London in 1969 by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, two very different songwriters whose contrast became their sound, blending…
The Supremes
The Supremes were Motown's biggest act of the 1960s, three young women from Detroit's Brewster projects who scored twelve American number one singles, more than any othe…
System of a Down
System of a Down are an Armenian American metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1994 by Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian, with John Dolmayan joining on drum…
T
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American band formed in New York in 1975 by three art school friends, David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, soon joined by Jerry Harrison.
Tame Impala
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Kevin Parker from Perth, Western Australia, who writes, plays, records and produces nearly everything himself, then takes…
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is an American singer songwriter who began as a teenage country star in Nashville, remade herself as a pop superstar with 1989, and then won new respect wit…
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English band formed in Bath in 1981 by childhood friends Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, named after the primal therapy ideas of Arthur Janov.
The Temptations
The Temptations are a Motown vocal group formed in Detroit in 1961, famous for their harmonies, sharp suits and precise choreography.
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy were a Dublin rock band formed in 1969 and led by singer, bassist and songwriter Phil Lynott, the first Black Irishman to become a rock star.
Tina Turner
Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee in 1939, rose to fame in the nineteen sixties as the explosive voice of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, with hits like Riv…
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in 1976 by Gainesville, Florida musicians who had moved to Los Angeles, led by singer and songwriter To…
Tool
Tool are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1990 by singer Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Paul D'Amour, who was…
Toto
Toto is a Los Angeles rock band formed in 1977 by top session musicians, led at first by keyboardist David Paich and drummer Jeff Porcaro, with guitarist Steve Lukather…
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was a rapper, poet and actor born in New York in 1971 to a Black Panther mother.
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots is a duo from Columbus, Ohio, made up of singer and songwriter Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun.
U
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Van Halen
Van Halen was an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, by the Dutch born brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, with singer David Lee Roth and bassist Mich…
Van Morrison
Van Morrison is the Belfast born singer and songwriter who fronted Them on Gloria and Here Comes the Night, then went solo with Brown Eyed Girl in 1967.
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground were a New York rock band formed in the mid 1960s by Lou Reed and John Cale, with Sterling Morrison and Moe Tucker.
The Verve
The Verve were a rock band from Wigan formed in 1990 by singer Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury, later joined by…
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Weezer
Weezer are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1992, led by singer and songwriter Rivers Cuomo with drummer Patrick Wilson, guitarist Brian Bell and, since 20…
The White Stripes
The White Stripes were a rock duo from Detroit, formed in 1997 by Jack White on guitar and vocals and Meg White on drums, a married couple who later divorced and told th…
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston was a singer and actress from Newark, New Jersey, born in 1963 into a gospel family and trained in church by her mother, Cissy.
The Who
The Who are a rock band from Acton in West London, formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle, with Keith Moon joining on drums that spring.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is a Texas singer, songwriter and guitarist, born in 1933, who wrote Crazy, Night Life and Hello Walls for other singers before becoming a star himself.
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York, in 1992 by the producer RZA with his cousins GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard and six friends, later…