A Guide to Essential Popular Music-Volume One: A Guide to Essential Popular Music, #1

2 Pac

2 Pac, also known as Tupac Shakur and a slew of other names, was born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York City, in 1971. 2 Pac’s murder in Las Vegas, in 1996, ensured that this West Coast Gangsta rapper would become the mythical figure that he is today.

2 Pac was among the best writers of the rap genre as he amply displayed on his classic albums Me against the World (1995) and All Eyez on Me. (1996). While not as strong as the aforementioned albums, 2 Pac’s debut release, 2Pacalypse Now (1991) and his sophomore album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. are worthy of attention as well.

5 Royales (The)

The 5 Royales were among the finest and most influential acts from the early rock and roll era, despite their relative lack of fame. The group melded doo wop, R&B and gospel music, and their recordings represented some of the earliest examples of soul.

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, gospel group the Royal Sons Quintet turned to R&B music and renamed themselves, the 5 Royales, despite actually containing six members. In addition, there were at least two other groups calling themselves the Royales in the early Fifties.

During their career, the group enjoyed several hit singles penned by guitarist Lowman Pauling. Among those hits were, Baby Don’t Do It and Help Me Somebody, recorded for Apollo, in 1953. Think, recorded in 1957, would become a hit for James Brown. Another single, Tell the Truth, would become a hit for Ray Charles in 1961. Dedicated to the One I Love later became a hit for both the Shirelles and the Mamas and Papas.

When Pauling died in 1974, he was toiling as janitor at a New York City synagogue.

13th Floor Elevators (The)

The 13th Floor Elevators are often cited as the first rock band to play in a psychedelic style. The band was formed in Austin, Texas, in 1965, by lyricist Tommy Hall, three members of a local group, the Lingsmen, and lead singer Roky Erickson.

The band’s debut album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (1966), is a classic of psychedelic rock powered by Erickson’s unique vocals, Stacy Sutherland’s guitar, and the use of some unconventional instruments. The band’s sophomore effort, Easter Everywhere (1967), is another classic of psychedelic rock.

Stacy Sutherland was shot and killed by his wife in 1978. Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators was the subject of the 2007 film, You’re Gonna Miss Me.

Aaron Neville and the Neville Brothers

Aaron Neville has enjoyed a two-pronged career as a member of the Neville Brothers and as a solo artist. Neville established himself as one of the leading figures of New Orleans R&B with the song, Tell It like It Is, in the late Sixties. That song and other stellar tracks can be found on the album Tell It like It Is (1967).

Aaron Neville teams up with brothers Art, Cyril, Charles, and Ivan to form one of the best-known New Orleans R&B bands, the Neville Brothers. Since 1977, The Neville Brothers have been recording together and making memorable music, the best of which can be found on the albums Fiyo on the Bayou (1981) and Yellow Moon (1989).

The latter album is often cited as the brothers’ best, and it includes the epic tracks, With God on Our Side and Sister Rosa.

Abba

Abba was a Swedish pop phenomenon that dominated the pop charts throughout the world during the mid to late Seventies. The group produced infectious and danceable pop gems such as Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Fernando, The Name of the Game, Knowing Me, Knowing You, and many others.

The soaring harmonies of the group, comprised of a pair of women, Agnetha and Anni-Frid, and a pair of men, Bjorn and Benny, was the hallmark of their signature sound. The music of Abba was considered lightweight and largely disposable pop in the Seventies, but their continuing popularity of their haunting melodies proves that it was perhaps something more.

As they were the very definition of a singles band, Abba’s music is best heard via compilations of their hits.

AC/DC

AC/DC is one of the most popular hard rock acts of all time. The group, hailing from Sydney, Australia, embodied the hard-partying sensibilities of their youthful fans. The band wrote and played songs about good times-drinking, womanizing, and miscellaneous mayhem, and they lived the lives they glorified in their songs. Original lead singer, Bon Scott, succumbed to this lifestyle, dying of an alcohol-related accident.

AC/DC’s music is pure hard rock with the requisite thundering drums and heavily amplified guitar and bass. Unlike some hard-rock bands which dabble in ballads and softer material, the group rarely ventured away from their signature sound and were much adored by their fans for their uncompromising approach.

AC/DC was led by lead guitarist, Angus Young, one of the finest guitarists in the hard-rock genre.  In live performances, Young would strut about wearing a schoolboy’s uniform while producing blistering guitar solos. The group’s masterpiece is the album Back in Black (1980), one of the best selling and most critically acclaimed hard-rock albums ever.

Other fine albums by AC/DC include, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976), Let There Be Rock (1977), If You Want Blood, You Got It (1978) and Highway to Hell" (1979).

Aerosmith

Aerosmith, which is still a functioning entity, is one of the longest-standing ensembles in the hard-rock genre. The band, from Boston, Massachusetts, was formed in 1970 by singer Steve Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. Tyler’s powerful singing and Perry’s searing guitar form the basis of the band’s sound which can be applied in a variety of settings ranging from straight ahead hard rock to power ballads.

The band has experienced two distinct phases in their career. The first was as a blues-based hard rock outfit in the mid-Seventies that produced the classic albums, Get Your Wings (1974), Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976). Toys in the Attic are the band’s best-known work as it contains the classic rock staples, Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion.

In the late Eighties, Aerosmith underwent a corporate make-over which alienated some of their former fans and transformed their music into heavy power pop. Aerosmith produced two classic hard rock/power pop works, Permanent Vacation (1987) and Pump (1989). The former album would prove to be Aerosmith’s come-back release based largely on the success of the song Janie’s Got a Gun, while the latter album drew its commercial punch from the hits, (Dude) Looks Like a Lady and Angel.

Agalloch

Agalloch is a folk metal band from Portland, Oregon. The band formed in 1995, with leader and multi-instrumentalist John Haughm at the helm.

The band has become one of the most acclaimed new bands of the 21st century on the strength of their albums, Pale Folklore (1999), The Mantle (2002), Ashes Against the Grain (2006), and Marrow of the Spirit (2010).

Air

Air is a French ambient/electronic pop duo from Versailles that rose to prominence in the British trip hop scene of the mid-Nineties. Air is comprised of singers and multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel.

Air’s critically-acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari (1998), was an immediate success and turned the duo into stars. The album contained the singles, Sexy Boy, Kelly Watch the Stars, and All I Need.

Godin and Dunckel headed to their studio in rural Versailles to record The Virgin Suicides, the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola debut feature film. The music here is appropriately dark and morose given the subject matter of the film with Playground Love becoming a minor hit.

In May of 2001, another fine effort, 10,000 Hz Legend was released with a variety of guest musicians including Beck. The album, Everybody Hertz a collection of dance-remixes followed in 2002. The duo’s next project, the album, Talkie Walkie was released in 2004 to the type of acclaimed that accompanied their debut release.

In March of 2007, the duo released Pocket Symphony with Godrich acting as the album’s producer.

Al Di Meola

Al Di Meola is a modern jazz fusion guitar virtuoso. Di Meola is known for his technical proficiency that is often manifested in lightning-fast runs while soloing. Di Meola was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1954.

Di Meola attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the early Seventies and joined Chick Corea’s band in 1974.

In 1976, DiMeola recorded his auspicious debut solo album, Land of the Midnight Sun. Di Meola’s strongest album came with his sophomore effort, Elegant Gypsy, a fusion of Latin music with rock and jazz.

Other fine albums by Di Meola include, Casino (1978), Splendido Hotel (1980), Tour De Force-Live (1982), Soaring through a Dream (1985), and Di Meola Plays Piazzolla" (1996).

Al Green

Al Green is a southern soul singer from Forrest City, Arkansas who embodies the smoother and sweeter side of soul music which in the hands of the likes of James Brown, Ray Charles and Otis Redding was a far grittier genre. Green’s songs tell tales of true love and extol the virtues of fidelity. His biggest hit, Let’s Stay Together, is a primary example Green’s brand of sweet soul.

Green would become one of the biggest soul stars of the Seventies with a steady string of hits which included, I Can’t Get Next to You, Tired of Being Alone, Let’s Stay Together, I’m Still in Love with You, and Call Me. Green’s hits were recorded for Hi Records in Memphis under the deft direction of producer Willie Mitchell.

Green’s best albums include, Green is Blues (1969), Al Green Gets Next to You (1970), Let’s Stay Together (1972), I’m Still in Love with You (1972), and Call Me (1973).

Albert Ammons

Albert Ammons was one of the kings of the boogie-woogie style of blues piano. Boogie-woogie is a direct forerunner of jump blues, R&B, and rock and roll. Ammons along with Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson popularized this late 19th century piano style in the late Thirties. Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1907.

Ammons made his first recordings in 1936 with the sides, Boogie Woogie Stomp and Nagasaki. Ammons’ best sides can be found on several compilations of boogie-woogie and the album, The Chronological Classics: Albert Ammons 1946-1948 (2000).

Ammons died in the place of his birth, Chicago, in 1949.

Albert Ayler

Albert Ayler was a free jazz saxophonist who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1936. Ayler was one of the most aggressive saxophonists in jazz and was known for his overwhelming tone and affecting use of vibrato.

Ayler started his musical career as an R&B sideman, playing during summers as part of the backing band for bluesman Little Walter. After graduating high school, Ayler served a stint in the U.S. Army and ultimately settled in Sweden where he began his recording career. Ayler played on Swedish radio with Scandinavian jazz bands and recorded his debut album, My Name is Albert Ayler (1963), with Danish jazz musicians. Ayler’s debut album was a collection of standards, and it included an impressive version of summertime.

Ayler returned to America and settled in New York City, where he assembled a trio with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray. This trio recorded the album that would establish Ayler as a free jazz star, Spiritual Unity, in 1965. The album was an audacious exercise in free jazz improvisation that was heralded by the likes of Eric Dolphy.

The next phase of Ayler’s career would see his brother, Donald, joining his band on trumpet and the production of inspired albums such as Sprirts Rejoice (1966), Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village (1967), and Love Cry (1968).

Despite producing ground-breaking work, Ayler’s albums did not sell well as his brand of free jazz was even extreme for many fans of the genre. In November of 1970, Ayler was found dead in New York City’s East River of an apparent suicide.

Albert Collins

Albert Collins, the Iceman, of Leona, Texas, was born in 1932 and is one of the second-generation of electric blues guitarists and singers. Collins was an exceptional guitarist, and it is as a latter-day blues guitar hero that Collins has earned his fame. Collins voice and songs are fairly unremarkable by blues standards, but his vibrato-laden guitar excursions are what make him special.

The album, Ice Pickin’ (1978) is perhaps the finest example of his talents. Other fine Collins albums include, Frostbite (1980), Frozen Alive (1981), Ice Cold Blues (1986), and Collin’s Mix: The Best of Albert Collins (1993). Collins died in 1993 in Las Vegas.

Albert King

Albert King is one of three blues singers/guitarists, Freddie, BB and Albert, with the surname, King. Of the three, BB King is by far the most famous, but blues purists will often point to Albert as the best of the trio. King was born in Indianola, Mississippi in 1923 and died in Memphis, Tennessee in 1993.

King made his first recordings during the early Fifties for the Parrot label, but his career didn’t get started in earnest until the early Sixties with singles for the King label. King recorded for the legendary Chess Records, but may have produced his best work, Born under a Bad Sign (1967) for the soul label, Stax.

Other fine albums by King include, The Big Blues (1963), Live Wire/Blues Power (1968), Years Gone By (1969) and King of the Blues Guitar (1969). King appears on the superb compilation, The Complete Stax/Volt Singles series along with the rest of the stellar Stax roster of blues and soul stars.

Alberta Hunter

Alberta Hunter was one of the first female blues singers to record. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1895, and made her first recordings, Bring Back the Joys/ How Long, Sweet Daddy, How Long, in 1921, for the Black Swan label. By 1922, she had moved on to the Paramount label and established herself as one of the most prolific blues performers of the early Twenties.

Hunter continued to perform and record late into her long life. She died in New York City in 1984 and the age of 89. Among several compilation albums of Hunter’s music are Complete Recorded Works (Volumes 1-4) (1996) and Young Alberta Hunter: The 20’s and 30’s (1996).

Ali Farka Toure

Ali Farka Toure is among only a handful of African folk musicians who have found an audience for their music beyond the borders of the African continent. Toure’s involvement with American guitarist and musicologist Ry Cooder in the Nineties brought him to the attention of North American roots music listeners. Toure would eventually become known as the Bluesman of Africa

Toure was born in Kanau, Mali, in 1939. As a youth, Toure was introduced to African-American music, including soul from the likes of Ray Charles and Otis Redding and the Delta blues. Toure wrote music and performed for a group called Troupe 117 which was organized by the Malian government following the country’s establishment of independence.

In 1968, Toure appeared in a performance in Sofia, Bulgaria, his first such appearance outside of Africa. By the Seventies, Toure was performing on Radio Mali, and the Sonafric label recruited him to recorded several albums during the decade.

In 1995, Toure recorded the brilliant Talking Timbuktu with Ry Cooder and embarked on a world tour. For his next album, Niafunke (1999), Toure’s producer needed to install remote recording equipment near Toure’s farm as the performer refused to leave his rice fields unattended to make recordings.

During his career endeavours, Toure had always sought out the security and familiarity of his hometown. In recognition of his unwavering loyalty, he was elected mayor of Niafunké in 2004.

Toure passed away in 2006 at the age of sixty-six.

Other fine albums by Toure include, Ali Farka Toure (1984), Ali Farka Toure (1988), Ali Farka Toure (Ten Songs from the Legendary Singer of Mali) (1988), The Source (1991), and Savane (2006).

Ali Hassan Kuban

Hailing from the village of Gotha near Aswan, Egypt, African folk/world musician Ali Hassan Kuban started his musical journey in childhood. He began his music career by singing on Nile River cruise boats, and he engrossed himself in music studies after his parents moved to Cairo in 1942.

Once he had learned to play the clarinet and girba, a type of bagpipe, Kubban landed a gig playing at the Opera of Cairo. However, lung problems cut his orchestral career short, so he switched his concentration to Western popular music. By merging Nubian folk music with American jazz, Kubban would become a cultural icon for his fellow Nubians.

It took over thirty years for Kuban’s music to make inroads outside of Africa, and he made his international debut at Berlin's Heimatklaenge festival in 1989. He would move on to other prestigious Western music festivals and begin to receive the kind of accolades that he long deserved abroad. In the early Nineties he recorded, From Nubia to Cairo (1991) and Walk like a Nubian (1992), excellent examples of his unique style.

Kubban continued to play music until his final days, dying of a heart attack, in Cairo, in 2001.

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper was a hard rock band from Detroit, Michigan, led by singer Vincent Damon Furnier. Furnier was a hard rock/glam rock superstar of the early Seventies who with horror movie make-up and costumes served as a Seventies forerunner of Marilyn Manson.

Unlike Manson, however, Alice Cooper produced memorable hard rock music, especially on the classics, Love it to Death (1971), Killer (1971), Billion Dollar Babies (1973), and Welcome to my Nightmare (1975). All of these albums are hard rock classics featuring fine musicianship and catchy hard rock tunes. Despite their hard rock orientation, the band recorded a sizeable hit with I’m Eighteen in 1971.

Furnier adopted the name, Alice Cooper, for himself in the early Seventies and continued recording as a solo artist. Cooper would score a solo hit single in the late Seventies with the song, Only Women Bleed.

Allman Brothers (The)

Southern rock and blues rock legends the Allman Brothers were formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. The band was named after brothers Greg and Duane Allman, the band’s lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively. The Allman Brothers are perhaps the quintessential example of Southern Rock.

Southern rock bands such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynard, and the Marshall Tucker Band all hailed from below the Mason-Dixon Line and infused their hard rock with elements of the blues and country music and often expressed the conservative or redneck outlooks.

The Allman Brothers were perhaps the most blues-influenced of southern rock bands. Their first two albums, The Allman Brothers Band (1968) and Idlewild South (1970) contained several blues cover tunes each. The ragged, soulful voice of Greg Allman and bluesy slide guitar of Duane Allman and Dickie Betts enabled the band to produce some of the best blues rock of the era.

The Allman Brothers Band was a tremendous live act, and live performances allowed the band’s instrumental highlight, Duane Allman to display his prodigious slide guitar technique. Two of the band’s finest albums, Live at the Fillmore East (1971) and Eat a Peach (1972) are live albums which feature long tracks which serve as vehicles for Duane Allman’s and Dickie Betts’ impressive chops.

Duane Allman died tragically in a motorcycle accident in 1971, at the age of 23, when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a peach truck. Following the death of Duane Allman, Dickie Betts became the instrumental centerpiece of the band, and the Allman Brothers Band continued to record and tour.

The band reached the height of their commercial success with the classic album, Brothers and Sisters (1973) ,which featured two of their best known tunes, Ramblin’ Man and the instrumental, Jessica.

Amazing Rhythm Aces (The)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces were one of the finest country rock bands of the Seventies. The band played its country rock with a large dose of the blues and and under the leadership of singer/guitarist Russell Smith scored a hit with Third Rate Romance in 1975. That song can be found on the band’s excellent debut album, Stacked Deck (1975).

The band’s sophomore album, Too Stuffed to Jump (1976), was another fine effort with the track, The End is not in Sight as the album’s highlight.

Amon Duul 2

Amon Duul was a German progressive rock band during the late Sixties and early Seventies. Amun Duul formed in Munich in 1968.

The band recorded their classic album, Yeti, in 1970. The album featured hard rock selections with more progressive tracks featuring this large band’s extensive set of instrumentation. Their debut album, Phallus Dei (1969), Tanz Der Lemminge (1971), and Wolf City (1972) were also solid efforts.

Amos Milburn

Amos Milburn was an R&B singer and pianist born in Houston, Texas, in 1927. In 1948, Milburn recorded the hit song, Chicken Shack Boogie, which is considered by many observers to be the first recording of rock and roll music.

That song and other Milburn classics such as Bewildered, Bad Bad Whiskey, and One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer can be found on several compilation albums of Milburn’s hits including The Best of Amos Milburn-Down the Road a Piece (1994), and Bad Bad Whiskey 1946-1950 (2000).

Milburn died in 1980.

Amy Winehouse

British singer Amy Winehouse became one of the tragic figures of her generation with her early demise in 2011. Winehouse was one of the finest soul/R&B singers of her generation who wrote her own material-an exceptional arrangement for pop singers of this century. Winehouse was born in London, England, in 1983.

After getting her start in show business as an entertainment reporter, Winehouse used her connections to land a recording deal and produce her debut album, Frank, in 2003. The album was a jazzy soul outing that yielded a hit in the form of the song, Stronger than Me.

Three years passed before Winehouse’s next album appeared during which time she had been struggling with alcoholism. That album, Back to Black, finally appeared in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim and included a pair of hits in Rehab and Do Me Good.

Winehouse was found dead in her London home in 2011 from an apparent drug overdose.

Andrew Hill

Andrew Hill was one of the foremost avant-garde jazz pianists. Although he laboured within an avant-garde realm, Hill’s music never ceased to be melodic and listenable.

Hill recorded several highly-praised albums in the 1960s including, Black Fire (1968), Judgment! (1968), Point of Departure (1965), and Compulsion!!!!! (1966). Point of Departure is generally considered to be Hill’s masterpiece with fine examples of bebop and avant-garde present.

Animals (The)

The Animals, lead by singer, Eric Burdon, were part of the British invasion of the Sixties. The Animals were among the finest of the blues-based rock bands to emerge from Britain in the Sixties.

Burdon, organist Alan Price and drummer John Steel started out in a Newcastle band called the Kansas City Five. In 1962, with the additions of guitarist Hilton Valentine and bassist Chas Chandler, the band eventually became known as the Animals.

The band landed a regular gig at the Crawdaddy Club in London. Record producer Mickie Most got them signed to EMI on the strength of their live performances, and the label released their first singles, Baby Let Me Take You Home and House of the Rising Sun, in 1964. The latter song would become a huge hit and transform the band into one of the leading acts of the British Invasion.

The Animals continued recording a slew of hits throughout the Sixties with, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, We Got to Get Out Of This Place, When I Was Young, Monterrey, and Sky Pilot."

After recording several excellent albums, starting with their fine debut release, The Animals (1964) the band broke-up in 1969.

Among their best albums are the classics, The Animals on Tour, (1965) Animalization (1966) and Animalism (1966), and Animalisms (1966).

Animal Collective

Animal Collective are among the most popular and acclaimed of the new alternative rock bands of the 21st century. The Baltimore, Maryland, band grew out of school friendships among its members, David Portner, Noah Lennox, Brian Weitz, and Josh Dibb and formed in 2000.

Animal Collective have recorded some of the best neo-psychedelic albums of the new century including Sung Tongs (2004), Feels (2005), Strawberry Jam (2007), and the album that is generally regarded as their strongest work, Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009).

Ann Peebles

Ann Peebles is a southern soul singer born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1947. Peebles was discovered while performing in the clubs of St.Louis, in the late Sixties, and she recorded her debut album, This is Ann Peebles, in 1969, for Hi Records. The album was an auspicious debut that has Peebles covering a number of soul standards.

A solid string of albums would follow in the early Seventies with Part Time Love (1970), Straight From the Heart (1971), and her classic, I Can’t Stand the Rain (1974), featuring the title track as Peebles biggest hit and signature tune.

Anthony Braxton

Anthony Braxton is among the most learned of jazz musicians and is currently a professor of music at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He is also a jazz composer, saxophonist, flautist, pianist, and clarinetist. Braxton was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1945.

Early in his career, Braxton became involved with The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and recorded his debut album, 3 Compositions of New Jazz, in 1968. The album was a free jazz excursion that is probably too far removed from mainstream music to be of interest to those who are not free jazz fans.

In 1971, Braxton recorded the album For Alto which consisted of Braxton solo on alto-saxophone without accompaniment. The album is a double-disc offering of free jazz sax solos that while lauded by critics is definitely not for everyone.

Braxton has been extremely prolific over the years, and he has recorded dozens of albums of free jazz and avant-garde jazz since the mid-Sixties. Braxton has also recorded with numerous fellow musicians such as Chick Corea, George Lewis, Fred Frith, and John Zorn.

Among the best albums from Braxton extensive catalogue are those mentioned above and the following: Saxophone Improvisation Series F (1972), Trio and Duet (1975), Four Compositions (1973) (1977), Performance 9/1/79 (1981), Quartet (London) 1985 (1988), Six Monk’s Compositions (1987) (1988), Seven Compositions (Trio) 1989 (1990), Dortmund (Quartet) 1976 (1991), Willisau (Quartet) 1991 (1992), Quartet (Coventry) 1985 (1993), Creative Orchestra (Kohl) 1978 (1995), Quintet (Basel) 1977 (2001), 23 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (2004), and 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (2007).

April Wine

April Wine is a Canadian hard rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band formed in 1969, under the leadership of singer/songwriter/guitarist Myles Goodwyn. April Wine consistently scored hit songs throughout the Seventies and Eighties with Fast Train, You Could Have Been a Lady, and Bad Side of the Moon.

The band produced memorable and melodic hard rock and power ballads on a number of fine albums including, On Record (1972), Electric Jewels (1973), Stand Back (1975), and The Nature of the Beast (1981).

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is a Canadian alternative rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band formed in 2001, and it is lead by singer/guitarist Win Butler.

Arcade Fire has become one of the most critically-acclaimed bands of the 21st century on the strength of their excellent album releases, Arcade Fire (2003), Neon Bible (2004), and The Suburbs (2010).

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin is one of the most talented figures in the history of American popular music. She is a one of the best singers to ever record and is also a pianist of great facility. Her position as the preeminent female singer in the soul genre earned her the title of Queen of Soul during the Sixties while in her early twenties and she has retained her title ever since.

Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942, to a Baptist minister father. At an early age, Aretha began singing gospel music in church, and she recorded her first album at the age of 14.

In 1960, she was discovered by John Hammond of Columbia Records, the man who would sign Bob Dylan to Columbia Records a year later. Hammond signed Franklin with the aim of employing her vocal and piano talents in a jazz context. She released several albums for Columbia in the early Sixties with a mix of jazz and soul material, but it was clear that her burgeoning talents hadn’t were better suited to soul and R&B.

In 1966, Aretha signed with the legendary R&B label, Atlantic, and it was here that she found her voice and became a star. At Atlantic, Aretha blossomed into a true soul diva with her classic albums, I’ve Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) and Lady Soul (1968).

Franklin stayed with Atlantic for 14 years continuing to release stellar albums such as Aretha Now (1968), Spirit in the Dark (1970), and Amazing Grace (1972).

In 1980, Aretha signed with Arista records and scored a big hit with Freeway of Love in 1985.

Franklin has been a huge influence on just about every female African-American singer who has followed her, but none have been able to match her artistry and her omnipotence remains intact.

Arlo Guthrie

Arlo Guthrie, born in Coney Island, New York, in 1947, is a folk singer who was born with the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of a legendary father, folk music icon, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie’s choice of career could have proven problematic; however, his cheerful and often quirky material defies comparisons to that of his famous father.

Guthrie found fame with the album, Alice’s Restaurant, in 1967, at the age of twenty. The album featured the epic 20-minute title track which describes a comical misadventure of Guthrie’s involving garbage, the police, and the Vietnam War draft. Alice’s Restaurant features Guthrie performing solo with acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Guthrie recorded several other albums in this vein, including Arlo (1970) and Running down the Road which features the drug-smuggling anthem, Coming into Los Angeles. On his classic album, Hobo’s Lullaby (1972), Guthrie recorded with excellent side musicians including Ry Cooder, and received more polished production. The result was eminently more listenable, and the album included Arlo’s best known recording, a cover of Steve Goodman’s song City of New Orleans. Other outstanding tracks from the album include Anytime and Lightning Bar Blues.

Guthrie has continued to record solid albums over the years