{"key":"19905","name":"Queen","bio":"Queen were an English rock band originally consisting of four members: vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bass guitarist John Deacon, and drummer Roger Taylor.The band formed in London in 1970 after May and Taylor's former band Smile split after having released an album and single. Freddie replaced lead vocalist Tim Staffell, after the latter's departure from the original trio. There was much deliberation as to what the band's name would be. May and Taylor had settled upon the Grand Dance, derived from a C.S. Lewis Trilogy of books Out Of The Silent Planet.Ultimately, the band went with Queen, a name that was entirely Freddie's. Originally Roger and, especially, Brian did not like the name, though Mercury would eventually persuade them both that it was \"right\" for the band.\"Years ago I thought up the name Queen\u2026 It's just a name, but it's very regal, and it sounds splendid. It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it. \"- Freddie Mercury.Queen went through several bass players before a young electronics major by the name of John Deacon arrived on the scene in January of 1971. \"Until John, it had been exploding bass player syndrome. If they musically worked they'd look all wrong, and if they felt all right they couldn't play. - Brian May.This quite shy guy turned up with his immaculate Rickenbacker bass and immaculate amplifier, plugged in, and as soon as he started playing we realized it was right.\" - Brian May.Later that year, the band was secured recording time at the newly built De Lane Lea studio, and used the opportunity to record several songs that would later appear on their debut album - Liar, Keep Yourself Alive, Jesus, and The Night Comes Down. The demo reel was passed around from producer to producer with little success, until a staff member of Trident records by the name of Roy Thomas Baker was introduced to the band by fellow Trident producer John Anthony. Baker dropped in to watch the band at work and, clearly liking what he heard, recommended Queen to his superiors. It was eventually agreed upon that the fledgling band could record at Trident studios, though after already-established artists had finished their work, such as the likes of Elton John and David Bowie. Relegated to the wee hours of the morning to record the remaining tracks of their first album, the band nonetheless stuck it out until they reached their ultimate goal of \"perfection\".Queen's self-titled debut album was released in 1973 and received little attention from the general public. They quickly followed it a year later with a second album, \"Queen II\" which also failed to generate much interest from music fans in Britain, despite the success of the album's single, Seven Seas of Rhye, which would reach #10 on the charts after the band's mimed appearance on Top of the Pops. The band's second album was recorded with a higher budget than the first, and the band threw everything they had into recording it. Queen II was somewhat of a \"concept album\", split into \"White Side\" vs. \"Black Side\". As was in their nature, the band pressed onward after the mediocre success of their first two albums, immersing themselves in a world-wide tour to promote Queen II. Queen played in America for the first time, as a support act for Mott the Hoople.Sheer Heart Attack would be released later that year, focusing more on being accessible to listeners, than the grand and complex ideas of the previous two albums. The recording of their third album was met with some hardships, as May fell victim to a series of illnesses brought on by an infected inoculation, required for the band's rigorous touring schedule. Sheer Heart Attack brought even more success for the band, with May's Now I'm Here and the song that would be the band's \"turning point\", the Mercury-penned Killer Queen, the latter of which would reach #2 on the UK charts.During this time, the band began developing a huge following in Japan and witnessed their popularity for themselves when they visited the country, mainly in 1975, to promote their fourth and most famous album \"A Night At The Opera\", featuring the epic \"Bohemian Rhapsody\".Queen's popularity grew steadily through the latter half of the 70s as they released hit album after hit album, reaching its peak in the mid-80s after their \"Live Aid\" appearance, and continuing into the early 90s before Mercury's untimely death on 24th November 1991. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.Over the course of their 30 year career, the band did sound tracks for two films (\"Flash Gordon\" and \"Highlander\"), released a string of live and studio albums, and had many many fans across the world.In 1995, 4 years after Mercury's death, the band released the album \"Made In Heaven\". This album saw the surviving band members in the studio completing or reworking unused vocals, unreleased variations of Freddie solo material (a Queen version of \"I Was Born To Love You\" for example), and tracks where Brian and Roger added lyrics to flesh out a song (\"Mother Love\"). Queen have been on indefinite hiatus since 1997, when John Deacon decided to retire.Several \"Queen + \u2026\" projects have been developed in the following years, a few of them mere remixes with no artistic involvement from the band. In 1999, a \"Greatest Hits III\" album was released. This featured, among others, \"Queen + Wyclef Jean\" on a rap version of \"Another One Bites the Dust\", a live version of \"Somebody to Love\" performed by George Michael, and a live version of \"The Show Must Go On\" performed live in 1997 with Elton John.Brian May and Roger Taylor have performed together as Queen on several occasions (award ceremonies, charity concerts, and the like), sharing vocals with various guest singers. They have also recorded several covers of Queen's hits with guest vocalists, including \"We Will Rock You\" (first with Five and later Britney Spears, Beyonce, John Farnham and P!nk) and \"We Are the Champions\" (with Robbie Williams).On the 14th of May 2002 the Queen musical 'We Will Rock You' opened in the Dominion theatre in London's 'West End'. A Musical about young people in the distant future who aren't allowed to listen to music not generated by computers. Various Queen songs are used in the story, played by a live band. This live band was supported by Brian May and Roger Taylor on the premiere evening.At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company). Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be 'featured with' Queen as 'Queen + Paul Rodgers', not replacing Mercury. The retired John Deacon would not be participating.Between 2005 and 2006 Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a world tour, the first leg in Europe and the second, Japan and then the US in 2006. On 15 August 2006, Brian May confirmed through his website and fan club that Queen + Paul Rodgers would begin producing their first studio album beginning in October, to be recorded at a \"secret location\". The album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on 12 September 2008 and in the United States on 28 October 2008. Following the album the band again embarked on a tour through Europe, opening on Kharkiv's Freedom Square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans. The show in Ukraine was later released on DVD.Queen and Paul Rodgers officially split up without animosity on 12 May 2009. Rodgers did not rule out the possibility of working together again.More information about Queen + Paul Rodgers can be found on their last.fm page.Official website: www.queenonline.comDiscography:1.- Queen (1973)2.- Queen II (1974)3.- Sheer Heart Attack (1974)4.- A Night at the Opera (1975)5.- A Day at the Races (1976)6.- News of the World (1977)7.- Jazz (1978)8.- The Game (1980)9.- Flash Gordon (1980)10.- Hot Space (1982)11.- The Works (1984)12.- A Kind of Magic (1986)13.- The Miracle (1989)14.- Innuendo (1991)15.- Made in Heaven (1995)","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19905_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"2326","name":"The Rolling Stones","bio":"The Rolling Stones are an English rock group that formed in London in 1962. First popular in Europe, they quickly became successful in North America during the \"British Invasion\" of the mid-60s. Since then, their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums. In 1989, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004, they ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the Rolling Stones at number ten on \"The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists\", and as the second most successful group in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.The group was formed by Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ian Stewart, who met as schoolmates in Dartford, Kent. They took their name from a Muddy Waters song called \"Rollin' Stone Blues\", and made their live debut at London's Marquee Club (minus Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts). They start playing pubs and clubs around the city and suburbs. Bill Wyman joined later that year (the popular story is that he was asked because he had his own amplifier).In January 1963, Charlie Watts joined the Stones. The band gigged constantly, with residencies at venues like Ealing Jazz Club, Ken Colyer's Studio 51, and Eel Pie Island in Twickenham. Their weekly performances at the Crawdaddy at Richmond's Station Hotel resulted in ecstatic press reviews, and in April Andrew Loog Oldham saw them there and signed them to his management company the next day. He started the \"Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone\" press campaign, which set the tone for their career.In May 1963, the Stones were signed to Decca Records by the same man who had turned down the Beatles. A month later \"Come On\", the first Rolling Stones single, was released, and reached number two in the U.K. charts.The fifth member of the group, Brian Jones, left on 8th June 1969, saying that he wanted to form a new group. He was replaced by Mick Taylor, formerly in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.In 1971 the Stones, whose contract with Decca had expired, launched their Rolling Stones Records label. In December 1974 Taylor left the group in order to pursue a solo career. He was replaced in 1975 by Ronnie Wood.Since Wyman left the Stones in 1993, the band has consisted of Jagger, Richards, Watts and guitarist Ronnie Wood. In studio and live performances, Darryl Jones (bassist) and Chuck Leavell (keyboardist) also serve as a regular contributors. All the members have also undertaken solo projects of various kinds.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/2326_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"240","name":"U2","bio":"U2 is rock band from Ireland which formed in 1976 in Dublin, Ireland. Since the band\u2019s formation, they have consisted of Bono (real name Paul Hewson) (vocals, guitar, harmonica), The Edge (real name David Evans) (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass) and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums, percussion). The band is the biggest selling alternative rock act of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide as of 2008. They have won 22 Grammys and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. As of 2009, they have released 12 albums and 58 singles.Foundation: The band originally formed in 1976 when Larry Mullen posted a bulletin in his school asking for musicians to form a rock band. The band then consisted of the four current members plus three additional guitarists, including The Edge\u2019s brother Dick Evans (later a member of Virgin Prunes), Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. According to legend, Bono originally auditioned as a guitarist but couldn\u2019t play. He auditioned as lead vocals, but really couldn\u2019t sing. He was, however, incredibly enthusiastic about the band, extremely charismatic, a great writer, and was strangely able to reach the audience when the band played, something he is known for still today. Bono will reach out into the crowd and dance or mess with someone in the crowd at every concert. He was kept as a member. The extra guitarists would soon leave the band and the group would go through the names \u201cFeedback \u201d and \u201cThe Hype\u201d before finally settling on U2.The 70s & 80s: 1978 was a jumping point year for the band, finally finding their sound \/ voice. U2 won a talent contest in 1978: \u00a3500 and funds to make a record. Paul McGuinness became the band\u2019s manager and U2 released an EP called Three and the single Another Day, the following year. U2 went on to release their first album, Boy and then more critically acclaimed albums incl.: October, War, Under A Blood Red Sky, and The Unforgettable Fire (featuring the song PlayMLK dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr). Seen by many as a political band with more charisma than others, they were called \u201ca different kind\u201d of band. After a short break U2 returned with The Joshua Tree & the USA music inspired Rattle And Hum (also a movie of the same name, based on the tour).The 90s: Promising \u201dto dream it all up again\u201d, they added industrial and dance styles to their music. Trying to drop a goody two shoes image, they went to Berlin (Germany), supposedly to develop new self-expressions. From there they started to make fun of themselves and had a good time of it in albums like Achtung Baby (meaning \u201dwatch out, baby\u201d, artwork feat. make-up artist Nassim Khalifa) & Zooropa. Bono took on many stage personae such as \u201cThe Fly\u201d, \u201cMirrorball Man\u201d and \u201cMr. MacPhisto\u201d for the gigantic ZOO TV Tour. Later they continued to make fun of Pop culture and all its extremes with the album Pop and consequent PopMart tour which was announced to be launched at a Kmart store and included a giant golden arch across the stage.The 00s: At the end of the 90\u2019s into 00\u2019s U2 became less image and more reality. With the death of Bono\u2019s good friend Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of INXS, Bono wrote more songs from the heart surrounding ideas like life and death, children, hope, and the real world past all the pop culture and TV. Some say they\u2019ve returned to a more band-centric sound with albums like All That You Can\u2019t Leave Behind which features a song, Kite, dedicated to Bono\u2019s father who passed away shortly after the album\u2019s conception and 2004\u2019s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.The 10s: U2 went on the U2 360\u00b0 Tour in 2009 and 2010. This tour set records for the highest-grossing concert tour. The group is currently working on an upcoming album produced by Danger Mouse.The Name: There are many theories as to the origin of the name U2. For example, U2 was an intelligence airplane that was in use by the United States during the Cold War. Other obvious candidates include \u201cYou too\u201d and \u201cYou two\u201d, etc. Nonetheless the official line on the name\u2019s origins remains unknown. The band has been quoted as saying that they did think of the U2 spy plane, but remain hushed about other reasons\u2026 U2www.u2.com","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/240_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"2561","name":"Black Sabbath","bio":"Black Sabbath is an English heavy metal band that formed in 1968 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom, originally comprising Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums). In the early 70s, they were the first to pair heavily distorted, sonically dissonant blues rock at slow speeds with lyrics about drugs, mental pain and abominations of war, thus giving birth to generations of metal bands that followed in their wake. Their name itself taken from a notorious horror film, they are often credited with creating the Heavy Metal genre as well as the doom metal subgenre.Black Sabbath was formed in Aston, a poor district of Birmingham damaged by bombing during World War II, under the name Polka Tulk Blues Band (soon shortened to \u201cPolka Tulk\u201d), later Earth. Initially a rockin' blues band, Earth moved in a darker direction when the group, especially bassist Geezer Butler, being fans of the black magic novels of Dennis Wheatley, tried to make music to have the same effect as a horror movie or novel. Ozzy Osbourne wrote the lyrics to the second song they wrote together, \u201cBlack Sabbath\u201d (the song name was inspired by a 1963 Mario Bava film), and Tony Iommi wrote a riff based on the tritone, sometimes called \u201cDiabolus en Musica\u201d (\u201cthe Devil in Music\u201d).Later in their careers, Geezer Butler would write most of the lyrics to Black Sabbath songs, taking direct inspiration from Ozzy's instrumental ideas. In their Last Supper concert film, the band stated that the song is based on an experience Geezer had one night when he saw a black object at the end of his bed and noticed the next day that an occult book Ozzy had given him was missing. When the band found themselves being confused with another local band called Earth, which had a far lighter sound, they adopted the song title as their new name.As the band evolved, they added more European folk elements and gothic flourishes to their sound, which was like few groups during their time. Their lyrics dealt with darker issues than most conventional rock. Towards the late 60s, many British bands were into the peace movement and the hippie subculture, whilst Sabbath chose to distinguish themselves by dealing with heavier issues; the occult, war, apocalypse, drugs, and gothic storytelling. Their music conveyed a sense of anger and anti-establishment, the likes of which took previous rowdy vibes from the work of The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, and other such bands into a coarse, almost nihilistic direction.It was this mix of dark lyrical themes and a slower, ominous sound that made Black Sabbath a significant element in the genre that would later be known as heavy metal. Alongside self-consciously 'heavy' contemporaries such as Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf, and a few others of the late 60s, Black Sabbath would be massively influential as the years passed. Almost countless bands have covered their work either live or in studio.Despite their doom-laden image, much of the group\u2019s early material featured acoustic guitars, piano, symphony orchestras, keyboards, and even horns. The band's members strongly resisted labeling as being Satanists or other such things themselves; for example, Ozzy in particular decided to prank occultists setting up outside of one of their dressing rooms by re-arranging their candles to read 'Happy Birthday'. The label of making music dangerously seductive to the young would remain with the group throughout its career and be applied to many later metal groups.After the band\u2019s first four albums, the group became increasingly psychedelic, experimental, and progressive, leaving much of their dark, metallic roots behind. The last two Osbourne-fronted albums, 'Technical Ecstasy' (1976) and 'Never Say Die!' (1978) left a lot of fans dissatisfied with the band, as drugs and alcohol abuse began to take its toll on each member. Some signs seemed to point to the group's complete collapse.Osbourne was fired in 1978 for becoming increasingly unstable and unwilling to work with the material that, by this time, Tony Iommi was writing more or less entirely himself. Osbourne started a highly successful solo career in 1980. Still, his personal demons continued to haunt him for decades onward, even as he became one of the most iconic modern vocalists of all time.In 1979, Tony Iommi recruited former Rainbow members; singer Ronnie James Dio and bassist Craig Gruber. Gruber was recruited because Geezer Butler was unhappy with Osbourne\u2019s departure, and was rumoured to have quit the band. Gruber was dismissed and Geezer rejoined. Black Sabbath\u2019s first album with Dio, Heaven and Hell, proved to be a success, and saw the band\u2019s highest American charting since 1975\u2019s Sabotage. It was on this tour that Dio popularised the \u201cdevil horns\u201d hand gesture, which has since become a symbol of heavy metal music in general. The album also marked the inclusion of Quartz\u2019s guitarist-turned-keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (Nicholls has not been consistently credited as an official member, and has always been forced to play live shows from off stage (except on the Seventh Star tour in 1986 where he played on stage) supposedly for aesthetic reasons, but he has co-written many songs and has stayed with Black Sabbath through all subsequent incarnations, until he finally left in 2004. Adam Wakeman, son of Rick Wakeman, took over in 2005). Also during the tour, drummer Bill Ward quit the band for personal reasons (both his parents died within a rather short period, and Ward was struggling with alcoholism and other addictions). Drummer Vinny Appice joined to complete the tour and then record the next album Mob Rules, in which an early version of the title track appeared in the film Heavy Metal.Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice left the band after supposed disputes concerning the mixing of the live album Live Evil, and pursued a solo career together. Black Sabbath re-enlisted drummer Bill Ward, and, along with ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan (who agreed to join the band whilst heavily intoxicated), released Born Again in 1983. It reached a respectable number two in the U.K. music charts, a success not seen since Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, ten years previously. However, the album was not received particularly fondly by critics or fans alike, and not even by singer Ian Gillan. The tour that followed was to provide a wealth of material for the spoof documentary on rock \u2018n\u2019 roll culture, Spinal Tap. Drummer Bill Ward was still recovering from poor health and so did not tour for the Born Again album. Instead, fellow Brummie Bev Bevan, formerly of The Move and the Electric Light Orchestra, took to the drumstool for the tour obligations.Once the tour was over, Ian Gillan left the band to rejoin his Mk.2 Deep Purple band mates. From here on the line-ups of Black Sabbath changed relentlessly, with Tony Iommi being the only constant member. Between 1986 and 1995 Black Sabbath released 7 studio albums and one live album, including a reunion album with the Mob Rules line-up (1992\u2019s Dehumanizer). The 5 Albums 1987 -1990 & 1994 - 1995 feature 2nd Longest Serving Singer of Black Sabbath Tony Martin, both Headless Cross (1989) & TYR (1990) albums are considered Black Sabbath Classic's by Hardcore fans. In 1997 the original line-up reunited for a proper world tour (as opposed to the one-off Live Aid in 1985, and Costa Mesa gigs on Ozzy\u2019s \u201cFarewell\u201d tour in 1992) and have toured on and off since.In 2007, the Mob Rules line-up reunited under the banner Heaven & Hell and toured in support of Black Sabbath - The Best of: the Dio Years featuring three new tracks and a release of Black Sabbath Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1982. They released a live CD\/DVD and released a studio album of entirely new songs in April 2009. Ronnie James Dio died from stomach cancer in 2010, his Heaven & Hell album being the last of his studio performances. Neon Nights: Live at Wacken was released the following year on CD\/DVD.On 11th November 2011, the original line-up of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward hosted a press conference in which they stated they would be touring once more, their first shows since 2005, and recording their first album together since 1978's Never Say Die! However, the tour was radically reduced in scale as Iommi sought treatment for Lymphoma. In early 2012 Bill Ward publicly stated he would no longer be involved in the upcoming tour and album as he had been offered an \"unsignable contract\". Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy Osbourne, ex-Firewind, ex-Rob Zombie, ex-Alice Cooper) was asked to to join for touring obligations. Black Sabbath selected Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk to record on their nineteenth album \"13\".VH1\u2019s \"100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock\" ranked them second, behind Led Zeppelin. They were inducted into the Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006.Aside from being arguably the first heavy metal band, Black Sabbath also directly influenced many later metal sub-genres with their sound and imagery. Examples can be seen especially in doom metal and stoner metal, which are directly descended from Black Sabbath\u2019s original sound, with songs such as \u201cBlack Sabbath\u201d, \u201cInto the Void\u201d, \u201cHand of Doom\u201d and others showcasing Black Sabbath\u2019s staple doom sound. Other sub-genres influenced by Sabbath\u2019s sound also include speed metal and thrash metal on the opposite side, \u201cParanoid\u201d and \u201cSymptom of the Universe\u201d are considered early examples of these genres. Black Sabbath\u2019s lyrical use of hell, death, Satan and horror as imagery also greatly influenced heavy metal, as these themes are prevalent in nearly all heavy metal sub-genres.In December 2008 Iommi filed a lawsuit against merchandise company LiveNation for continuing to use the Black Sabbath name and Tony Iommi\u2019s likeness to sell merchandise, even after their contract had ended. On May 26, 2009 Osbourne filed suit in a federal court in New York against Iommi alleging that he illegally claimed the band name. Iommi noted that he has been the only band member for the full forty one years of the band, and that his bandmates relinquished their rights to the name in the 1980s, therefore claiming more rights to the name of the band. Although, in the suit, Osbourne is seeking 50% ownership of the trademark, he has said that he hopes the proceedings will lead to equal ownership among the four original members.Alphabetical Personnel:Don Airey - keyboardsVinny Appice - drumsBev Bevan - drumsMike Bordin - drumsJo Burt - bassGeezer Butler - bassTerry Chimes - drumsTommy Clufetos - drumsGordon Copely - bassLaurence Cottle - bassBob Daisley - bassRonnie James Dio - vocalsDave Donato - vocalsIan Gillan - vocalsRay Gillen - vocalsRob Halford - vocalsGlenn Hughes - vocalsTony Iommi - guitarRon Keel - vocalsTony Martin - vocalsNeil Murray - bassGeoff Nicholls - keyboardsOzzy Osbourne - vocalsCozy Powell - drumsBobby Rondinelli - drumsEric Singer - drumsDave Spitz - bassAdam Wakeman - keyboardsRick Wakeman - keyboardsDave Walker - vocalsBill Ward - drumsJezz Woodruffe - keyboardsBlack Sabbath Studio Albums:Ozzy Osbourne Era:1970 - Black Sabbath1970: Paranoid1971: Master of Reality1972: Vol. 41973: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath1975: Sabotage1976: Technical Ecstasy1978: Never Say Die2013: 13Ronnie J. Dio Era:1980: Heaven And Hell1981: Mob Rules1992: DehumanizerTony Martin Era1987: The Eternal Idol1989: Headless Cross1990: TYR1994: Cross Purposes1995: ForbiddenIan Gillan Era1983: Born AgainGlenn Hughes1986: Seventh Star","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/2561_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"300,000 - 500,000"}

{"key":"10806","name":"Bruce Springsteen","bio":"Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949 in Freehold, New Jersey, United States) is an American songwriter, singer, and guitarist. With a recording career stretching back to 1966 that continues to this day, he's recorded multiple award-winning studio albums and toured constantly, inspiring generations of pop and rock musicians. He's often known as \"The Boss\". He has frequently played as Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Most widely known for his brand of heartland rock infused with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments, he often sings songs centered around his native New Jersey. Initially inspired by the tuneful songwriting of British invasion music as well as the vocal swagger of Elvis Presley, his eloquence in expressing ordinary, everyday problems has earned him numerous awards, including twenty Grammy Awards and an Academy Award, along with a notoriously dedicated and devoted global fan base. He has sold over 70 million releases in the U.S. alone.Springsteen's lyrics often concern men and women struggling to make ends meet. In this sense he was sometimes compared to Woody Guthrie and other popular folk artists. He has gradually become more and more identified with progressive politics, particularly working-class pride. Springsteen is also noted for his support of various relief and rebuilding efforts in New Jersey and elsewhere, and for his response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, on which his album The Rising reflects.Springsteen's recordings have tended to alternate between commercially accessible rock and roll albums, often inspired by contemporary pop rock, and somber folk-oriented works. Much of his iconic status stems from the concerts and marathon shows in which he and the E Street Band present intense ballads, rousing anthems, and party rock and roll songs, among which Springsteen intersperses long, whimsical tales or deeply emotional stories alongside numerous jokes and asides.Springsteen has long had the nickname \"The Boss,\" a term which he was initially reported to dislike but now seems to have come to terms with, as he sometimes jokingly refers to himself as such on stage. The nickname originated when a young Springsteen, playing club gigs with a band in the 1960s, took on the task of collecting the band's nightly pay and distributing it amongst his bandmates.Early yearsSpringsteen was born in a hospital in Long Branch, New Jersey. He was raised in nearby Freehold. His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, was a bus driver of Dutch and Irish ancestry. His mother, Adele Ann Zirilli, was a legal secretary of Italian ancestry. He has an older sister, Virginia, and a younger sister, Pamela. Pamela Springsteen had a brief film career, but left acting to pursue still photography full time.Raised a Roman Catholic, Springsteen attended the St. Rose of Lima parochial school in Freehold Borough, where he was at odds with both the nuns and other students, even though much of his later music reflected a deep Catholic ethos and included many rock-influenced, traditional Irish-Catholic hymns.In ninth grade he transferred to the public Freehold High School, but did not fit in there either. He completed high school but felt so uncomfortable that he skipped his own graduation ceremony. He briefly attended Ocean County College, but dropped out. It is rumored that the Dean of Students confronted Springsteen because his clothing made the other students \"uncomfortable.\"Springsteen had been inspired to take up music at the age of seven after seeing Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. At 13, he bought his first guitar for $18; later, his mother took out a loan to buy the 16-year-old Springsteen a $60 Kent guitar, an event he later memorialized in his song \"The Wish\".In 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become the lead guitarist of The Castiles, and later lead singer of the group. The Castiles recorded two original songs at a public recording studio in Brick Township, New Jersey and played a variety of venues, including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. Marion Vinyard said that she believed Springsteen when, as a young man, he said he was going to make it big.From 1969 through early 1971, Springsteen performed around New Jersey with guitarist Steve Van Zandt, organist Danny Federici and drummer Vini Lopez in a band called Child, later renamed Steel Mill. They went on to play the mid-Atlantic college circuit, and also briefly in California. During this time Springsteen also performed regularly at small clubs in Asbury Park and along the Jersey Shore, quickly gathering a cult following. Other acts followed over the next two years, as Springsteen sought to shape a unique and genuine musical and songwriting style: Dr Zoom & the Sonic Boom (early-mid 1971), Sundance Blues Band (mid 1971), and The Bruce Springsteen Band (mid 1971-mid 1972). With the addition of pianist David Sancious, the core of what would later become the E Street Band was formed, with occasional temporary additions such as horns sections, \"The Zoomettes\" (a group of female backing vocalists for \"Dr Zoom\") and Southside Johnny Lyon on harmonica. Musical genres explored included blues, R&B, jazz, church music, early rock'n'roll, and soul. His profilic songwriting ability, with more words in some individual songs than other artists had in whole albums, brought his skill to the attention of several people who were about to change his life: new managers Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, and legendary Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond, who, under Appel's pressure, auditioned Springsteen in May 1972.Even after gaining international acclaim, Springsteen's New Jersey roots reverberated in his music, and he routinely praised \"the great state of New Jersey\" in his live shows. Drawing on his extensive local appeal, he routinely sold out consecutive nights in major New Jersey and Philadelphia venues and, much like the Grateful Dead, his song lists varied significantly from one night to the next. He also made many surprise appearances at The Stone Pony and other shore nightclubs over the years, becoming the foremost exponent of the Jersey Shore sound.1972\u20131974Springsteen signed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1972, with the help of John Hammond, who had signed Bob Dylan to the same record label a decade earlier. Springsteen brought many of his New Jersey-based colleagues into the studio with him, thus forming the E Street Band (although it would not be formally named as such for a couple more years). His debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., released in January 1973, established him as a critical favorite, though sales were slow. Because of his lyrics-heavy, folk rock-rooted music exemplified on tracks like \"Blinded by the Light\" and \"For You,\" as well as the Columbia and Hammond connections, critics initially compared Springsteen to Bob Dylan. \"He sings with a freshness and urgency I haven't heard since I was rocked by 'Like a Rolling Stone',\" wrote Crawdaddy magazine editor Peter Knobler in Springsteen's first interview\/profile, in March, 1973. Crawdaddy \"discovered\" Springsteen in the rock press and was his earliest champion. Famed music critic Lester Bangs wrote in Creem, 1975, that when Springsteen's first album was released\u2026..\"many of us dismissed it: he wrote like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, sang like Van Morrison and Robbie Robertson, and led a band that sounded like Van Morrison's.\" The track \"Spirit in the Night\" especially showed Morrison's influence, while with \"Lost in the Flood\" Springsteen presented the first of his many portraits of Vietnam veterans.In September 1973 his second album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle was released, again to critical acclaim but no commercial success. Springsteen's songs became grander in form and scope, with the E Street Band providing a less folky, more R&B vibe and the lyrics often romanticizing teenage street life. \"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)\" and \"Incident on 57th Street\" would become fan favorites, and the long, rousing \"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)\" would rank among Springsteen's most beloved concert numbers.In the May 22, 1974 issue of Boston's The Real Paper, music critic Jon Landau wrote after seeing a performance at the Harvard Square Theater, \"I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.\" Landau subsequently became Springsteen's manager and producer, helping to finish the epic new album, Born to Run. Given an enormous budget in a last-ditch effort at a commercially viable record, Springsteen became bogged down in the recording process while striving for a wall of sound production. But, fed by the release of an early mix of \"Born to Run\" to progressive rock radio, anticipation built toward the album's release.1975\u20131981On August 13, 1975, Springsteen and the E Street Band began a five-night, 10-show stand at New York's Bottom Line club; it attracted major media attention, was broadcast live on WNEW-FM, and convinced many skeptics that Springsteen was for real. (Decades later, Rolling Stone magazine would name the stand as one of the 50 Moments That Changed Rock and Roll.) With the release of Born to Run on August 25, 1975, Springsteen finally found success: while there were no real hit singles, \"Born to Run\", \"Thunder Road\", \"Tenth Avenue Freeze-out\" and \"Jungleland\" all received massive FM radio airplay and remain perennial favorites on many classic rock stations to this day. With its panoramic imagery, thundering production and desperate optimism, some fans consider this among the best rock and roll albums of all time and Springsteen's finest work. It established him as a sincere and dynamic rock and roll personality who spoke for and in the voice of a large part of the rock audience. To cap off the triumph, Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek in the same week, on October 27 of that year. So great did the wave of publicity become that Springsteen eventually rebelled against it during his first venture overseas, tearing down promotional posters before a concert appearance in London.A legal battle with former manager Mike Appel kept Springsteen out of the studio for over two years, during which time he kept The E Street Band together through extensive touring across the U.S. Despite the optimistic fervor with which he often performed, the new songs he was writing and often debuting on stage had taken a more somber tone than much of his previous work. Reaching settlement with Appel in 1977, Springsteen finally returned to the studio, and the subsequent sessions produced Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978). Musically, this album was a turning point of Springsteen's career. Gone were the rapid-fire lyrics, outsized characters and long, multi-part musical compositions of the first three albums; now the songs were leaner and more carefully drawn and began to reflect Springsteen's growing intellectual and political awareness. Some fans consider Darkness Springsteen's best and most consistent record; tracks such as \"Badlands\" and \"The Promised Land\" became concert staples for decades to come, while the track \"Prove It All Night\" received a significant amount of radio airplay (#33, Billboard Hot 100). Other fans would prefer the work of the adventurous early Springsteen. The cross-country 1978 tour to promote the album would become legendary for the intensity of its shows.By the late 1970s, Springsteen had earned a reputation in the pop world as a songwriter whose material could provide hits for other bands. Manfred Mann's Earth Band had achieved a U.S. number one pop hit with a heavily rearranged version of Greetings' \"Blinded by the Light\" in early 1977. Patti Smith reached number 13 with her take on Springsteen's unreleased \"Because the Night\" (which Smith co-wrote) in 1978, while The Pointer Sisters hit number two in 1979 with Springsteen's also-unreleased \"Fire\".In September 1979, Springsteen and the E Street Band joined the Musicians United for Safe Energy anti-nuclear power collective at Madison Square Garden for two nights, playing an abbreviated setlist while premiering two songs from his upcoming album. The subsequent No Nukes live album, as well as the following summer's No Nukes documentary film, represented the first official recordings and filmings of Springsteen's fabled live act, as well as Springsteen's first tentative dip into political involvement.Springsteen continued to consolidate his thematic focus on working-class life with the double album The River in 1980, which finally yielded his first hit Top Ten single as a performer, \"Hungry Heart\", but also included an intentionally paradoxical range of material from good-time party rockers to emotionally intense ballads. The album sold well, and a long tour in 1980 and 1981 followed, featuring Springsteen's first extended playing of Europe and ending with a series of multi-night arena stands in major cities in the U.S.1982\u20131989Springsteen suddenly veered off the normal rock career course, following The River with the stark solo acoustic Nebraska in 1982. According to the Marsh biographies, Springsteen was in a depressed state when he wrote this material, and the result is a brutal depiction of American life. The title track on this album is about the murder spree of Charles Starkweather. The album actually started (according to Marsh) as a demo tape for new songs to be played with the E Street Band - but during the recording process, Springsteen and producer Landau realized they worked better as solo acoustic numbers; several attempts at re-recording the songs in a studio led them to realize that the original versions, recorded on a simple, low-tech four-track cassette deck in Springsteen's kitchen, were the best versions they were going to get.While Nebraska did not sell especially well, it garnered widespread critical praise (including being named \"Album of the Year\" by Rolling Stone magazine's critics) and influenced later significant works by other major artists, including U2's album, The Joshua Tree. It helped inspire the musical genre known as lo-fi music, becoming a cult favorite among indie-rockers. Springsteen did not tour in conjunction with Nebraska's release.Springsteen probably is best known for his album Born in the U.S.A. (1984), which sold 15 million copies in the U.S. alone and became one of the best-selling albums of all time with seven singles hitting the top 10, and the massively successful world tour that followed it. The title track was a bitter commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans, some of whom were Springsteen's friends and bandmates. The song was widely misinterpreted as jingoistic, and in connection with the 1984 presidential campaign became the subject of considerable folklore. Springsteen also turned down several million dollars offered by Chrysler Corporation for using the song in a car commercial. (In later years, Springsteen performed the song accompanied only with acoustic guitar to make the song's original meaning more explicitly clear. An acoustic version also appeared on Tracks, a later album.) \"Dancing in the Dark\" was the biggest of seven hit singles from Born in the U.S.A., peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard music charts. The music video for the song featured a young Courteney Cox dancing on stage with Springsteen, an appearance which helped kickstart the actress's career; a number of the videos for the album were made by noted film directors Brian De Palma or John Sayles.During the Born in the U.S.A. Tour he met actress Julianne Phillips. They were married in Lake Oswego, Oregon, on May 13, 1985 surrounded by intense media attention. Opposites in background, their marriage was not to be long-lived. Springsteen's 1987 album Tunnel of Love described some of his unhappinesses in the relationship and during the subsequent Tunnel of Love Express tour, Springsteen took up with backup singer Patti Scialfa, as reported by many tabloids. Subsequently, Phillips and Springsteen filed for divorce in 1988. The divorce was finalized in 1989.The Born in the U.S.A. period represented the height of Springsteen's visibility in popular culture and the broadest audience demographic he would ever reach (this was further helped by releasing Arthur Baker dance mixes of three of the singles). Live\/1975\u201385, a five-record box set (also released on three cassettes or three CDs), was released near the end of 1986 and also became a huge success, selling 13 million units in the U.S. and becoming the first box set to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. It is one of the best selling live albums of all time. It summed up Springsteen's career to that point and displayed some of the elements that made his shows so powerful to his fans: the switching from mournful dirges to party rockers and back; the communal sense of purpose between artist and audience; the long, intense spoken passages before songs, including those describing Springsteen's difficult relationship with his father; and the instrumental prowess of the E Street Band, such as in the long coda to \"Racing in the Street\". Despite its popularity, some fans and critics felt the album's song selection could have been better. Springsteen concerts are the subjects of frequent bootleg recording and trading among fans.After this commercial peak, Springsteen released the much more sedate and contemplative Tunnel of Love (1987), a mature reflection on the many faces of love found, lost and squandered, which only selectively used the E Street Band. It presaged the breakup of his first marriage, to Julianne Phillips. Reflecting the challenges of love in Brilliant Disguise, Springsteen sang: I heard somebody call your name, from underneath our willow. I saw something tucked in shame, underneath your pillow. Well I've tried so hard baby, but I just can't see. What a woman like you is doing with me.The subsequent Tunnel of Love Express tour shook up fans with changes to the stage layout, favorites dropped from the set list, and horn-based arrangements; during the European leg in 1988, Springsteen's relationship with E Street Band backup singer Patti Scialfa became public. Later in 1988, Springsteen headlined the truly worldwide Human Rights Now! tour for Amnesty International. In the fall of 1989, he dissolved the E Street Band, and he and Scialfa relocated to California.1990sSpringsteen married Scialfa in 1991; they have three children Evan James (b. 1990), Jessica Rae (b.1991) and Sam Ryan (b.1994).In 1992, after risking charges of \"going Hollywood\" by moving to Los Angeles (a radical move for someone so linked to the blue-collar life of the Jersey Shore) and working with session musicians, Springsteen released two albums at once. Human Touch and Lucky Town were even more introspective than any of his previous work. Also different about these albums was the confidence he displayed. As opposed to his first two albums, which dreamed of happiness, and his next four, which showed him growing to fear it, at points during the Lucky Town album, Springsteen actually claims happiness for himself.Some E Street Band fans voiced (and continue to voice) a low opinion of these albums, (especially Human Touch), and did not follow the subsequent \"Other Band\" Tour. For other fans, however, who had only come to know Springsteen after the 1975 consolidation of the E Street Band, the \"Other Band\" Tour was an exciting opportunity to see Springsteen develop a working onstage relationship with a different group of musicians, and to see him explore the Asbury Park soul-and-gospel base in some of his classic material.It was also during this tour that fans generally became aware of Springsteen using a teleprompter so as to not forget his lyrics, a practice that has continued ever since. An electric band appearance on the acoustic MTV Unplugged television program (that was later released as In Concert\/MTV Plugged) was poorly received and further cemented fan dissatisfaction. Springsteen seemed to realize this a few years hence when he spoke humorously of his late father during his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech: I've gotta thank him because \u2014 what would I conceivably have written about without him? I mean, you can imagine that if everything had gone great between us, we would have had disaster. I would have written just happy songs \u2013 and I tried it in the early '90s and it didn't work; the public didn't like it.A multiple Grammy Award winner, Springsteen also won an Academy Award in 1994 for his song \"Streets of Philadelphia\", which appeared in the soundtrack to the film Philadelphia. The song, along with the film, was applauded by many for its sympathetic portrayal of a gay man dying of AIDS. The music video for the song shows Springsteen's actual vocal performance, recorded using a hidden microphone, to a prerecorded instrumental track. This was a technique developed on the \"Brilliant Disguise\" video.In 1995, after temporarily re-organizing the E Street Band for a few new songs recorded for his first Greatest Hits album (a recording session that was chronicled in the documentary Blood Brothers), he released his second (mostly) solo guitar album, The Ghost of Tom Joad. This was generally less well-received than the similar Nebraska, due to the minimal melody, twangy vocals, and didactic nature of most of the songs, although some praised it for giving voice to immigrants and others who rarely have one in American culture. The lengthy, worldwide, small-venue solo acoustic Ghost of Tom Joad Tour that followed successfully featured many of his older songs in drastically reshaped acoustic form, although Springsteen had to explicitly remind his audiences to be quiet during the performances.Following the tour, Springsteen moved back to New Jersey with his family. In 1998, another precursor to the E Street Band's upcoming re-birth appeared in the form of a sprawling, four-disc box set of out-takes, Tracks. In 1999, Springsteen and the E Street Band officially came together again and went on the extensive Reunion Tour, lasting over a year. Highlights included a record sold-out, 15-show run at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey to kick off the American leg of the tour.2000sSpringsteen's Reunion Tour with the E Street Band ended with a triumphant ten-night, sold-out engagement at New York City's Madison Square Garden in mid-2000 and controversy over a new song, \"American Skin (41 Shots)\", about the police shooting of Amadou Diallo. The final shows at Madison Square Garden were recorded and resulted in an HBO Concert, with corresponding DVD and album releases as Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live in New York City.In 2002, Springsteen released his first studio effort with the full band in 18 years, The Rising, produced by Brendan O'Brien. The album, mostly a reflection on the September 11 attacks, was a critical and popular success. The title track gained airplay in several radio formats, and the record became Springsteen's best-selling album of new material in 15 years. Kicked off by an early-morning Asbury Park appearance on The Today Show, The Rising Tour commenced, barnstorming through a series of single-night arena stands in the U.S. and Europe to promote the album in 2002, then returning for large-scale, multiple-night stadium shows in 2003. While Springsteen had maintained a loyal hardcore fan base everywhere (and particularly in Europe), his general popularity had dipped over the years in some southern and midwestern regions of the U.S. But it was still strong in Europe and along the U.S. coasts, and he played an unprecedented 10 nights in Giants Stadium in New Jersey, a ticket-selling feat to which no other musical act has come close. During these shows Springsteen thanked those fans who were attending multiple shows and those who were coming from long distances or another country; the advent of robust Bruce-oriented online communities had made such practices more common. The Rising Tour came to a final conclusion with three nights in Shea Stadium, highlighted by renewed controversy over \"American Skin\" and a guest appearance by Bob Dylan.During the 2000s, Springsteen became a visible advocate for the revitalization of Asbury Park, and he's played an annual series of winter holiday concerts there to benefit various local businesses, organizations and causes. These shows are explicitly intended for the faithful, featuring numbers such as the unreleased (until Tracks) E Street Shuffle outtake \"Thundercrack\", a rollicking group-participation song that would mystify casual Springsteen fans. He also frequently rehearses for tours in Asbury Park; some of his most devoted followers even go so far as to stand outside the building to hear what fragments they can of the upcoming shows. The song \"My City of Ruins\" was originally written about Asbury Park, in honor of the attempts to revitalize the city. Looking for an appropriate song for a post-Sept. 11 benefit concert honoring New York City, he selected \"My City of Ruins,\" which was immediately recognized as an emotional highlight of the concert, with its gospel themes and its heartfelt exhortations to \"Rise up!\" The song became associated with post-9\/11 New York, and he chose it to close \"The Rising\" album and as an encore on the subsequent tour.At the Grammy Awards of 2003, Springsteen performed The Clash's \"London Calling\" along with Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt in tribute to Joe Strummer; Springsteen and the Clash had once been considered multiple-album-dueling rivals at the time of the double The River and the triple Sandinista!.In 2004, Springsteen announced that he and the E Street Band would participate in a politically motivated \"Vote for Change\" tour, in conjunction with John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, the Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Bright Eyes, Dave Matthews Band, Jackson Browne and other musicians. All concerts were to be held in swing states, to benefit MoveOn.org and to encourage people to vote against George W. Bush. A finale was held in Washington, D.C., bringing many of the artists together. Several days later, Springsteen held one more such concert in New Jersey, when polls showed that state surprisingly close. While in past years Springsteen had played benefits for causes in which he believed \u2013 against nuclear energy, for Vietnam veterans, Amnesty International and the Christic Institute \u2013 he had always refrained from explicitly endorsing candidates for political office (indeed he had rejected the efforts of Walter Mondale to attract an endorsement during the 1984 Reagan \"Born in the U.S.A.\" flap). This new stance led to criticism and praise from the expected partisan sources. Springsteen's \"No Surrender\" became the main campaign theme song for John Kerry's unsuccessful presidential campaign; in the last days of the campaign, he performed acoustic versions of the song and some of his other old songs at Kerry rallies. Springsteen's stance coincided with a reduction in his fan base over the next two years, but how much was due to his politics versus his noncommercial music choices was unclear.Devils & Dust was released on April 26, 2005, and was recorded without the E Street Band. It is a low-key, mostly acoustic album, in the same vein as Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad although with a little more instrumentation. Some of the material was written almost 10 years earlier during, or shortly after, the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, a couple of them being performed then but never released. The title track concerns an ordinary soldier's feelings and fears during the Iraq War. Starbucks rejected a co-branding deal for the album, due in part to some sexually explicit content but also because of Springsteen's anti-corporate politics. Nonetheless, the album entered the album charts at No. 1 in 10 countries (United States, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland). Springsteen began the solo Devils & Dust Tour at the same time as the album's release, playing both small and large venues. Attendance was disappointing in a few regions, and everywhere (other than in Europe) tickets were easier to get than in the past. Unlike his mid-1990s solo tour, he performed on piano, electric piano, pump organ, autoharp, ukulele, banjo, electric guitar and stomping board, as well as acoustic guitar and harmonica, adding variety to the solo sound. (Offstage synthesizer, guitar and percussion also are used for some songs.) Unearthly renditions of \"Reason to Believe\", \"The Promised Land\", and Suicide's \"Dream Baby Dream\" jolted audiences to attention, while rarities, frequent set list changes, and a willingness to keep trying even through audible piano mistakes kept most of his loyal audiences happy.In November 2005, New Jersey Senators Frank Lautenberg and Jon Corzine sponsored a U.S. Senate resolution to honor Springsteen on the 30th anniversary of the release of his Born to Run album. In general, resolutions honoring native sons are passed with a simple voice vote. For unstated reasons, this resolution was killed in committee. Also in November 2005, Sirius Satellite Radio started a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week radio station on Channel 10 called \"E Street Radio.\" This channel featured commercial-free Bruce Springsteen music, including rare tracks, interviews and daily concerts of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band recorded throughout their career.In April 2006, Springsteen released another radical departure, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, an American roots music project focused around a big folk sound treatment of 15 songs popularized by the radical musical activism of Pete Seeger. It was recorded with a large ensemble of musicians, including only Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell, and The Miami Horns from past efforts. In contrast to previous albums, this was recorded in only three one-day sessions, and frequently one can hear Springsteen calling out key changes live as the band explores its way through the tracks. The Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour began the same month, featuring the 18-strong ensemble of musicians dubbed the Seeger Sessions Band (and later shortened to the Sessions Band). Seeger Sessions material was heavily featured, as well as a handful of (usually drastically rearranged) Springsteen numbers. The tour proved very popular in Europe, selling out everywhere and receiving some excellent reviews, but newspapers reported that a number of U.S. shows suffered from sparse attendance. By the end of 2006, the Seeger Sessions tour toured Europe twice and toured America for only a short span. Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin, containing selections from three nights of November 2006 shows at the The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, was released the following June.Springsteen's most recent album, entitled Magic, was released on October 2, 2007. Recorded with the E Street Band, it featured ten new announced Springsteen songs plus \"Long Walk Home,\" performed once with the Sessions band, and a hidden track (the first included on a Springsteen studio release), \"Terry's Song,\" a tribute to Springsteen's long-time assistant Terry Magovern who died on July 30, 2007. The first single \"Radio Nowhere\" was made available for a free download on August 28. On October 7, Magic debuted at number 1 in Ireland and the UK. Greatest Hits reentered the Irish charts at number 57, and Live in Dublin almost cracked the top 20 in Norway again. On October 11, 2007 Media Traffic reported that Springsteen's Magic sold 563,000 copies around the world in its first week, making it the best-selling record in the world for that particular week. The next world chart saw Bruce remain at the top, selling another 270,000 copies of Magic and bringing the total for that album to 833,000 copies worldwide. Sirius Satellite Radio also restarted \"E Street Radio\" on Channel 10, on September 27, 2007 in anticipation of Magic. Radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications reportedly decided to not play the new album, sending an edict to its classic rock stations to not play any songs from the new album, while continuing to play older Springsteen material.An accompanying tour with the E Street Band began at the Hartford Civic Center with the album's release and was routed to North America and Europe. Springsteen and the band performed live on NBC's Today Show in advance of the opener. Springsteen was the musical guest on November 9, 2007 at former-New York Yankees manager Joe Torre's \"Safe At Home\" Foundation's 5th annual gala. Yankees' outfielder Bernie Williams joined Springsteen on stage and contibuted two guitar solos to an impromptu rendition of the Springsteen hit, \"Glory Days\".Magic was followed up by a traditionally strong tour throughout 2008, during which original band-member and friend Danny Federici passed away. Federici had already been temporarily replaced by Charlie Giordano, with whom Springsteen played the year before during the Seeger Sessions. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rounded the 100-show tour at Harley-Davidson\u2019s 105th anniversary celebration.On January 27, 2009 Springsteen\u2019s twenty-fourth album \u201cWorking on a Dream\u201d was released. According to the official press release, Working on a Dream was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O\u2019Brien, who produced and mixed the album. A new tour for 2009 is expected to be announced soon. Springsteen and the E Street Band will play The Super Bowl halftime show on February 1, 2009.Springsteen's 17th studio album, Wrecking Ball, was released on March 6, 2012. Three songs previously only available as live versions\u2014\"Wrecking Ball\", \"Land of Hope and Dreams\", and \"American Land\"\u2014appear on the album. The anthemic up-tempo rocker, \"We Take Care Of Our Own\" is the album's lead single. It finds The Boss singing of patriotism and brotherhood and decrying the broken promises of the government. \"Wherever this flag's flown, we take care of our own,\" he croons. The song was released on January 19, 2012.Springsteen released his eighteenth studio album, High Hopes, on January 14, 2014. The first single and music video was a newly recorded version of the song \"High Hopes\", which Springsteen had previously recorded in 1995. The album was the first by Springsteen in which all songs are either cover songs, newly recorded outtakes from previous records, or newly recorded versions of songs previously released. The 2014 E Street Band touring lineup, along with deceased E Street Band members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici, appears on the album along with guitarist Tom Morello.E Street BandThe E Street Band is considered to have started in October 1972, even though it was not officially known as such until September 1974. The E Street Band was inactive from the end of 1988 through early 1999, except for a brief reunion in 1995.Current members * Bruce Springsteen - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano * Garry Tallent - bass guitar, tuba * Max Weinberg - drums, percussion (joined September 1974) * Roy Bittan - piano, synthesizer (joined September 1974) * Steven Van Zandt - lead guitar, mandolin, backing vocals (officially joined July 1975 after playing in previous bands; left in 1984 to go solo; rejoined in early 1995) Steven Van Zandt * Nils Lofgren - guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals (replaced Steven Van Zandt in June 1984; remained in group after Van Zandt returned) * Patti Scialfa - backing and duet vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion (joined June 1984; became Springsteen's wife in 1991; they have a daughter and two sons) * Soozie Tyrell - violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals (joined 2002, occasional appearances before that)Former members * Vinnie 'Mad Dog' Lopez - drums (inception through February 1974, when asked to resign) * David Sancious - keyboards (June 1973 to August 1974) * Ernest 'Boom' Carter - drums (February to August 1974) * Suki Lahav - violin, backing vocals (September 1974 to March 1975) * Danny Federici - organ, electronic glockenspiel, accordion, other keyboards (on medical leave of absence from late November 2007, temporarily replaced by Charles Giordano) (Danny passed away on April 17, 2008 after a battle with cancer.) * Clarence Clemons - saxophone, percussion, backing vocals, larger-than-life persona and Springsteen foil. Clarence Clemons passed away on on June 18, 2011, of complications from a stroke.Film connectionsSpringsteen's music has long been intertwined with film. It made its first appearance in the 1983 John Sayles' film Baby, It's You, which featured several songs from Born to Run. The relationship Springsteen established with Sayles would re-surface in later years, with Sayles directing videos for songs from Born in the U.S.A. and Tunnel of Love. The song \"(Just Around the Corner to the) Light of Day\" was written for the early Michael J. Fox\/Joan Jett vehicle Light of Day. His work has been used in films (winning him an Oscar for his song \"Streets of Philadelphia\"). Additionally his 1995 song \"Secret Garden\" appeared on the soundtrack for the Tom Cruise film Jerry Maguire.In turn, films have been inspired by his music, including The Indian Runner, written and directed by Sean Penn, which Penn has specifically noted as being inspired by Springsteen's song \"Highway Patrolman\". He was nominated for a second Oscar for \"Dead Man Walkin'\", from the movie Dead Man Walking. In addition, \"Lift Me Up\" ran over the credits for the John Sayles film Limbo.Bruce also made a cameo appearance in the John Cusack film High Fidelity. In the film, Cusack's character, Rob, imagines Springsteen giving him advice on his fractured love life.Discography Main article: Bruce Springsteen discography * 1973: Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. * 1973: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle * 1975: Born to Run * 1978: Darkness on the Edge of Town * 1980: The River * 1982: Nebraska * 1984: Born in the U.S.A. * 1987: Tunnel of Love * 1992: Human Touch * 1992: Lucky Town * 1995: The Ghost of Tom Joad * 2002: The Rising * 2005: Devils & Dust * 2006: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions * 2007: Magic * 2009: Working on a dream * 2012: Wrecking Ball * 2014: High HopesSamples * Download sample of \"Badlands\" from Darkness on the Edge of Town * Download sample of \"Thunder Road\" from Born to Run. * Download sample of \"Dancing in the Dark\" from Born in the U.S.A.Awards and recognitionGrammy Awards Springsteen has won 15 Grammy Awards, as follows (years shown are the year the award was given for, not the year in which the ceremony was held): * Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, 1984, \"Dancing in the Dark\" * Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, 1987, \"Tunnel of Love\" * Song of the Year, 1994, \"Streets of Philadelphia\" * Best Rock Song, 1994, \"Streets of Philadelphia\" * Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo, 1994, \"Streets of Philadelphia\" * Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, 1994, \"Streets of Philadelphia\" * Best Contemporary Folk Album, 1996, The Ghost of Tom Joad * Best Rock Album, 2002, The Rising * Best Rock Song, 2002, \"The Rising\" * Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, 2002, \"The Rising\" * Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, 2003, \"Disorder in the House\" (with Warren Zevon) * Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, 2004, \"Code of Silence\" * Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, 2005, \"Devils & Dust\" * Best Traditional Folk Album, 2006, The Seeger Sessions: We Shall Overcome * Best Long Form Music Video, 2006, \"Wings For Wheels: The Making Of Born to Run\"Only one of these awards has been one of the cross-genre \"major\" ones (Song, Record, or Album of the Year); he has been nominated a number of other times for the majors, but failed to win.Academy Awards * Academy Award for Best Song, 1993, \"Streets of Philadelphia\" from PhiladelphiaEmmy Awards * The Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City HBO special won two technical Emmy Awards in 2001.Other recognition * Polar Music Prize in 1997. * Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1999 * Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, 1999 * \"Born to Run\" named \"The unofficial youth anthem of New Jersey\" by the New Jersey state legislature (something Springsteen always found to be ironic, considering that the song \"is about leaving New Jersey\") * The minor planet 23990, discovered Sept. 4 1999 by I. P. Griffin at Auckland, New Zealand, was officially named in his honor * Banner hung from the rafters of New Jersey's Izod Center, honoring his 15 nights of sold-out shows there in one stand in 1999 * Banner hung from the rafters of Philadelphia's Wachovia Center in the colors of the Philadelphia Flyers, honoring Springsteen's 45 Philadelphia sold-out shows. * Ranked #23 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, 2004. * In October 2007, Eye Weekly ran a cover-story that dubbed Springsteen 'Indie-Rock Icon of the Year'. * Rollingstone Named Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band the Best Live Band of 2007. * Inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2008","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/10806_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"22910","name":"The Who","bio":"The Who are an English Rock Band formed in Shepherd's Bush, West London, United Kingdom, in 1964. They grew to be considered one of the greatest, most influential, and awarded recording groups in the world. They are also famed for their prowess as a Live Band\u2013being described as \"possibly the greatest live band ever\"\u2013due to their energetic, tight, loud performances and smashing of instruments. The primary lineup was: Pete Townshend (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Roger Daltrey (Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Percussion), John Entwistle (Bass, Vocals, French Horn) and Keith Moon (Drums, Occasional Vocals).The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering instrument destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten Hit Singles (including the celebrated \"My Generation\") and Top Five Albums, beginning in 1965 with their first Single Release \"I Can't Explain\". They First Hit the Top Ten in the USA in 1967 with \"I Can See for Miles\". The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of Top Five Albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You (1978). Live at Leeds is commonly cited as one of the albums that brought Hard Rock into the mainstream during the early 1970s.A mere three weeks after the release of Who Are You, Keith Moon passed away from an overdose on 7 September 1978. Kenney Jones of Small Faces\/Faces took over on drums after Moon's death. The band would release two more studio albums: the top five Face Dances (1981) and the top ten It's Hard (1982), before officially disbanding in 1983. They reformed on several occasions to perform at special events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour in 1989, and the Quadrophenia revival tours of 1996 and 1997.In 2000, the three surviving original members began to discuss the possibility of recording an album of new material. These plans were delayed following the death of John Entwistle in 2002 from a cocaine-induced heart attack. However, subsequent to this, Pino Palladino became their touring bass player. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey continue to perform and record as The Who; their latest studio album, Endless Wire (2006), reached the top ten in the USA and UK.Glastonbury Festival (2015) On May 6th, 2015, the band announced that they would be Glastonbury Festival's final headliner, closing the event on Sunday, June 28th 2015. Roger Daltery said they would close the event \"with a bang\".","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/22910_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"2522","name":"Aerosmith","bio":"Aerosmith is a prominent American rock band. Three of its members, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Tom Hamilton, first met in Sunapee, New Hampshire in the late 60s, but it wasn't until 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts, that the three decided to form a band together. Later, they met up with Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (rhythm guitar). The band enjoyed major popularity throughout the 70s, making rock anthems such as \"Dream On\" and \"Sweet Emotion\", but they split from 1979-84 due to serious in-group arguments and substance abuse problems that contributed to their decline.Producing a wide variety of tunes influenced both by the 60s hard rock legends as well as the bombastic rhythm and blues artists that the band loved, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler became known as the \"toxic twins\" due to their rambunctious live performances and nasty lifestyles. The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia reportedly said Aerosmith featured \"the druggiest bunch of guys I've ever seen.\" Classics from their early area with much airplay also include 1974's \"Same Old Song And Dance\" and 1976's \"Back In The Saddle\", with 1973's \"Dream On\" being a concert favorite.Jimmy Crespo replaced Joe Perry for about five years as the band's fortunes failed. However, in 1984, chiefly due to the tireless efforts of Joe Perry's then manager, Tim Collins, to reform the band, Aerosmith was born again. Despite his own client Perry's insistence that it was unthinkable, Collins succeeded in helping the band resolve old differences and ultimately overcome their addictions. By 1989, the band had completely stopped their drug abuse. During this time, they enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that has endured since and has made them one of top-selling and most popular rock bands in the world today. Part of that renewal came in the form of a 1986 collaboration with hip-hop stars Run- D.M.C. on a new rap rock version of Walk This Way. This song served as an early step in bridging the gap between the hip-hop community and mainstream rock and roll fans, and its incredibly popular music video brought both musical groups much acclaim. Massive hits from the band's 80s comeback include 1989's \"Love In An Elevator\" and 1987's \"Rag Doll\" among others. Areosmith's greatest worldwide hit has been \"I Don't Want To Miss A Thing\", a single from the blockbuster movie 'Armageddon'. They have even infiltrated Disney Theme Parks in the U.S. and other countries with their own thrill ride 'Rock 'n' Rollercoaster featuring Aerosmith'. Continuing the ubiquitous marketing plan, they are also featured in their own version of the popular \"Guitar Hero\" video game.In 2010, the band suffered a setback, and an on-again, off-again break-up following an on-stage accident in which Steven Tyler broke his collarbone, but by mid-year, European tourdates were announced and the band went on.The Legendary Child Songfacts states that This was released as the first single from Aerosmith's fifteenth studio album, Music From Another Dimension!, which will be released on August 28, 2012 . The lead single was \"Legendary Child,\" an unfinished piece originally put together in 1991 during the initial sessions for the Get a Grip album. The song was debuted live by the band on the finale of the eleventh series of American Idol on May 23, 2012.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/2522_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"19383","name":"The Beach Boys","bio":"The Beach Boys are an iconic American rock band, frequently cited as one of the most influential and commercially successful groups of all time. They are recognized for their intricate vocal harmonies, studio innovations, and musical impact that is still felt today. After rising to stardom with a string of hits that defined the '60s California Sound, they delved into progressive pop, experimenting with songs inspired by classical music and the avant-garde. Following their most esteemed work, Pet Sounds (1966), the group became symbols of psychedelic counterculture.With the release of 1974's Endless Summer they became a more popular touring act, playing their greatest hits. They have recorded 36 Billboard Top 40 hits (including four number-one singles), have had over 100 million sales, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the original group comprised singer-musician-composer Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friends Al Jardine and David Marks. South African musicians Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar played and sang with the band on three key albums during the early 1970s. Many changes in both musical style and personnel have occurred in their sometimes-stormy career: Brian Wilson's mental illness, drug addiction and eventual withdrawal from the group; the deaths of Dennis Wilson in 1983 and Carl Wilson in 1998; and continuing legal battles among surviving members of the group.In December 2011, five of the group's surviving members - Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce and David (But not Blondie or Ricky) - reformed in celebration of their 50th anniversary, announcing a new album and a 50-date international tour for 2012. The reunion ended immediately after the tour.Early YearsThe group was formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California under the leadership of Brian Wilson, and included his brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine.The early inspirations of the group were the Wilsons' musician father, Murry, and the close vocal harmonies of groups such as The Four Freshmen. The group performed initially as The Pendletones, after the Pendleton woolen shirts popular then. Although surfing motifs were very prominent in their early songs, Dennis was the sole actual surfer in the group. He suggested to his brothers that they do some songs celebrating his hobby and the lifestyle which had developed around it in Southern California.At first Murry Wilson, by many accounts a hard-driving man, steered The Beach Boys' career, engineering their signing with Capitol Records in 1962. In 1964 Brian Wilson fired his father after a violent confrontation in the studio. Over the next few years they became increasingly estranged; when Murry died some years later, Brian and Dennis did not attend the funeral.The Beach Boys' early material focused on the California youth lifestyle (e.g., \"All Summer Long\", \"Fun, Fun, Fun\"), cars (\"Little Deuce Coupe\") and of course surfing (\"Surfin' U.S.A.\", \"Surfin' Safari\" and many others). Although their music was bright and accessible, these early works contained remarkably sophisticated musical ideas. During this period, Brian Wilson rapidly progressed to become a melodist, arranger, and producer of world-renowned stature. Their early hits made them major pop stars in America and other countries, although their status as America's top pop group was challenged in 1964 by the emergence of The Beatles, who became The Beach Boys' major creative rival.Like The Beatles, the Beach Boys showed very fast development during the mid-'60s, drawing upon the innovations of songwriters and producers such as Burt Bacharach and especially Phil Spector. They produced the enduring classic \"California Girls\" in 1965, a banner year for popular music which also saw similarly advanced singles by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, and James Brown. But it was the Beach Boys' role to create a myth of American freedom and dreams of adolescence, and increasingly, to articulate a dread of what lay after adolescence.Brian's innovations and personal difficultiesDuring 1964, Brian Wilson began to suffer from anxiety attacks, and withdrew from touring to concentrate on song writing and record production. Glen Campbell served as Wilson's replacement on tours, until his own career success required him to leave the group. Bruce Johnston was asked to locate a replacement for Campbell; having failed to find one, Johnston subsequently became a full-time member of the band, first replacing Wilson on the road, and then contributing his talents in the studio.Wilson's growing mastery of the recording studio and his increasingly sophisticated songs and complex arrangements reached an early peak with the acclaimed LP Pet Sounds (1966). Classic singles from that album, \"Wouldn't It Be Nice\" and \"God Only Knows\" showed Wilson's growing skill as a composer, arranger and producer. \"God Only Knows\" is said to have been the first pop single ever released in the U.S. to have the word \"God\" in the title (because of which many radio stations in the U.S. refused to play it.) \"Caroline, No\" also taken from Pet Sounds, was issued as a Brian Wilson solo single, the only time Brian was credited as a solo artist during the early Capitol years.The album's meticulously layered harmonies and inventive instrumentation (performed by the cream of Los Angeles session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew) set a new standard for popular music. It remains one of the more evocative releases of the decade, with a distinctive strain of melancholy and nostalgia for youth. The album is still widely regarded as a classic and Paul McCartney has named it one of his favorite albums of all time, (with \"God Only Knows\" as his favorite song) often saying that it was a major influence on The Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Despite the critical praise it received, the album was poorly promoted by Capitol Records and failed to become the major hit Brian had hoped it would be (only reaching #10). Its failure to gain wide recognition hurt him deeply.Because of his withdrawal from touring, Wilson was able to complete almost all the backing for the album while the Beach Boys were on tour in Japan. They returned to find a substantially complete album, requiring only their vocals to finish it off. There was some resistance from within the band to this new direction. Lead singer Mike Love is reported to have been strongly opposed to it, partly because he feared the band would lose its audience if they changed their successful formula, and partly because he personally disliked the new material, which he famously criticized as \"Brian's ego music.\" At Love's insistence, Brian changed the title of one song from \"Hang on to Your Ego\" to \"I Know There's an Answer\". Another likely factor in Love's antipathy to Pet Sounds was that Wilson worked extensively on it with outside lyricist Tony Asher rather than with Love, even though Love had co-written the lyrics for many of their earlier songs and was the lead vocalist on most of their early hits. It should also be stated that Love, as recently as February 2008 in a top British music magazine, denies emphatically that he was opposed to Brian's new directions. Quite the contrary, contributing the lyrics to the classic form of \"Good Vibrations,\" which certainly seemed to usher in flower power. He really is tired of this view of him as being Brian's nemesis. He could see Brian was destroying himself and that was what he feared.Seeking to expand on the advances made on Pet Sounds, Wilson began an even more ambitious project, originally dubbed Dumb Angel. Its first fruit was \"Good Vibrations,\" which Brian described as \"a pocket symphony\". The song became the Beach Boys' biggest hit to date, and a US and UK # 1 single in 1966 \u2014 many critics consider it to be one of the best rock singles of all time. In 1997 it was named the \"Greatest Single of All Time\" by Mojo music magazine, in 2000, VH1 placed it at number 8 on their \"100 Greatest Rock Songs\" list, and in late 2004 Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 6 on their \"500 Best Songs of All Time\" list. It was also one of the more complex pop productions ever undertaken, and was reputed to have been the most expensive American single ever recorded, costing a reported $16,000 \u2013 more than most pop albums of that time \u2013 with sessions stretching over several months in at least three major studios.In contrast to his work on Pet Sounds, Wilson adopted a modular approach to \"Good Vibrations\" \u2014 he broke the song into sections and taped multiple versions of each at different studios to take advantage of the different sound of each facility. He then assembled his favorite sections into a master backing track and added vocals. The song's innovative instrumentation included drums, organ, piano, tack piano, two basses, guitars, electro-theremin, harmonica, and cello. The group members recall the \"Good Vibrations\" vocal sessions as among the most demanding of their career.Even as his personal life deteriorated, Wilson's musical output remained remarkable. The exact nature of his problems was a topic of much speculation. He abused drugs heavily, gained an enormous amount of weight, suffered long bouts of depression, and became paranoid. Several biographies have suggested that his father may have had bipolar disorder, and after years of suffering, Wilson's own condition was eventually diagnosed as schizophrenia.The story behind \"Smile\"Shortly after completing \"Good Vibrations,\" Wilson met session musician and songwriter Van Dyke Parks, and in late 1966 they began an intense collaboration that resulted in a suite of superb new songs for the Beach Boys' next album, which was originally going to be titled Dumb Angel but was renamed Smile. Using the same methods as on \"Good Vibrations,\" recording began in late 1966 and carried on into early 1967. Although the structure of the album and the exact running order of the songs have been subjects of endless speculation, it is apparent that Wilson and Parks intended Smile to be a continuous suite of songs that were linked both thematically and musically, with the main songs being linked together by small vocal pieces and instrumental segments that elaborated the musical themes of the major songs.But some of the other Beach Boys \u2014 especially Love \u2014 found the new music too difficult and too far removed from their established style; another serious concern was that the new music was simply not feasible for live performance by the current Beach Boys lineup. Love was bitterly opposed to Smile and was particularly critical of Parks' lyrics; he has also since stated that he was becoming deeply concerned about Wilson's escalating drug intake. The problems came to a head during the recording of \"Cabinessence,\" when Love demanded that Parks explain the meaning of the closing refrain of the song, \"Over and over the crow cries uncover the cornfield.\" After a heated argument, Parks walked out and his partnership with Wilson came to an abrupt end.Many factors combined to focus intense pressure on Wilson as Smile neared completion, including mental instability, the pressure to perform against fierce opposition to his new music, the relatively poor response to Pet Sounds, Carl Wilson's draft resistance, and a major dispute with Capitol. Matters were complicated by his reliance on both prescription and illegal drugs, particularly marijuana and amphetamines, which only exacerbated his underlying mental health problems.Just weeks before The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released, Smile was shelved. Over the next 30 years the legends surrounding Smile grew, until it became the most famous unreleased album in the history of popular music. Some of the tracks were salvaged and rerecorded at Brian's new home studio in drastically scaled-down versions. These were released, along with the completed versions of \"Good Vibrations\" and \"Heroes and Villains\", on the 1967 LP Smiley Smile, which would prove to be a critical and commercial disaster for the group.Despite the cancellation of Smile, interest in the work remained high and versions of several major tracks \u2014 including \"Our Prayer\", \"Cabinessence\", \"Cool, Cool Water\", and \"Surf's Up\" \u2014 were assembled by Carl Wilson over the next few years and included on later albums. The band was expecting to complete and release Smile even until 1972, when it became clear that only Brian would ever be able to make sense out of the endless fragments that were recorded. A substantial number of original tracks and linking fragments were included on the group's 30th anniversary CD boxed set in 1993. Smile itself, in its original conception, did not surface until Wilson and Parks completed the writing and Brian rerecorded it as a solo project in 2004.Mid-career brings changesFollowing their peak popularity with the song \"Good Vibrations\" was a period of declining commercial success, with Smiley Smile and subsequent albums doing poorly on the US charts (although they fared better in the UK). Their image problems were not helped by the criticism that followed their withdrawal from the bill of the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival as a result of Carl's draft problems, an event that would undoubtedly have been crucial in establishing their new sound had they been able to present their new material there.The 1967 album Wild Honey, regarded by many critics as a classic, features exuberant upbeat songs written by Brian and Mike, including the hit \"Darlin'\", and a cover of Stevie Wonder's \"I Was Made to Love Her\". Friends (1968) is a quiet, tuneful, and largely acoustic album, influenced by the group's adoption of the practice of transcendental meditation. The title single, however, backed by Dennis' songwriting debut Little Bird, was their least successful since 1962. This was followed by the single \"Do It Again\", a return to their earlier \"fun in the sun\" style, which was moderately successful in the US, but went to #1 in the UK.As Brian's health deteriorated in the late 1960s and early 1970s, his song output diminished and he became increasingly withdrawn from the group. To fill the void, the other members of the group began writing songs, and Carl gradually took over leadership of the band, developing into an accomplished producer. To complete their contract with Capitol Records before signing with Reprise, they produced one more album, 20\/20 (1969), primarily a collection of leftovers (including some from Smile), cover songs, and several new songs by Dennis. One of Denny's songs, \"Never Learn Not To Love\", featured lyrics by Charles Manson originally titled \"Cease to Exist\". Besides \"Do It Again\", the album included their cover of The Ronettes' \"I Can Hear Music\", their last top 40 hit for seven years.Their first two Reprise LPs were Sunflower (1970) and 1971's Surf's Up, featuring new songs by Brian and all the group members, plus selections from the aborted Smile project. According to the liner notes for the 2004 version of Smile, Reprise expected the legendary album to be completed and released as part of the new contract, but this was never to be; however, these albums included some of their most evolved and complex music since the Smile period.The addition of Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin in 1972 led to a dramatic departure in sound for the band. Carl and The Passions - So Tough was an uncharacteristic mix including several songs unrecognizable as the Beach Boys. Although it includes the classic \"Marcella\", many consider the album among their poorest efforts. Continuing with Fataar and Chaplin, Holland (1973) was more successful. The album's lead single \"Sail on Sailor,\" a brief return to the collaboration between Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, was one of the more emblematic of Beach Boys songs. Although it did not produce any top-40 hits, Holland was popular on free-form FM-radio, and includes several classics including Al Jardine's \"California Saga\/California\".In the summer of 1974 Capitol, in consultation with Love, released a double album compilation of the Beach Boys' pre-Pet Sounds hits, entitled Endless Summer. Helped by a sunny, colorful graphic cover, it caught the mood of the country and surged to #1 on the Billboard album chart, becoming their first gold record since \"Good Vibrations\", and stayed on the album chart for three years. The following year another compilation, Spirit of America, also did well. These sales performances demonstrated that the classic Beach Boys sound was back in fashion.In 1975, the Beach Boys staged a highly successful joint concert tour with Chicago, with each group performing some of the other's songs, including their previous year's collaboration on Chicago's hit \"Wishing You Were Here\". Beach Boy voices were also heard on Elton John's 1974 hit \"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me\", but following Holland, the group produced no new music until 1976.Brian's return15 Big Ones marked the return of Brian Wilson as a major force in the group. This album includes several new songs composed by Brian, and several of his arrangements of favorite old songs by other artists, including \"Rock and Roll Music\" (which made #5), \"Blueberry Hill\", and \"In The Still of The Night\". Brian and Mike's \"It's OK\" was a return to their earlier \"fun-in-the-sun\" style, and was a moderate hit.In 1977 the Beach Boys released the LP Love You, a collection of 14 songs mostly written by Brian alone, including more \"fun\" songs (\"Honkin' Down The Highway\"), a mature love song (\"Let's Put Our Hearts Together\") - a quirky mix ranging from infectious to touching to downright silly. Although not a commercial success, the album has since gained the status of a classic within the Beach Boys' oeuvre.Brian's contributions diminished over the next several albums until he again virtually withdrew from the group. Although he appeared sporadically with them in concert, he contributed little to their performances or recordings. Despite a much-publicised \"Brian's Back\" campaign in the late '70s, most critics believed the group was past their prime. Many expected that Brian would one day become the latest in a long line of celebrity drug casualties.Deaths of Dennis and Carl WilsonIn the late 70s Dennis Wilson also began to suffer increasingly from drug and alcohol abuse, and some of the group's concert appearances were marred when he and other band members showed up onstage drunk or drugged. The band was forced to publicly apologize after a shambolic performance in Sydney in 1979 during which several members of the group appeared to be drunk. In spite of his own frequent drinking, Dennis Wilson managed to release his first solo work, Pacific Ocean Blue, and to launch the now famed work-in-progress Bambu, with friend and musician Carli Mu\u00f1oz.In 1980, the Beach Boys played a Fourth of July concert on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. before a vast crowd. This tradition continued for the next two years, but in 1983 Secretary of the Interior James Watt banned the group from playing on the Mall, saying that rock concerts drew \"an undesirable element\". This drew howls of outrage from the many of the Beach Boys' American fans, who stated that the Beach Boys sound was a very desirable part of the American cultural fabric. First Lady Nancy Reagan apologized, and in 1985 the group appeared on the Mall again. The group most recently appeared on the Mall in 2005 for the Fourth of July concert.Dennis Wilson's problems had escalated in the early 1980s, and he accidentally drowned in late 1983 while diving from his boat as he drunkenly tried to recover items he had previously thrown overboard. Despite Dennis's death, The Beach Boys soldiered on, and they enjoyed a resurgence of interest later in the 1980s, assisted by tributes such as the David Lee Roth version of \"California Girls\". In 1987, they played with the rap group The Fat Boys, covering the song \"Wipe Out\" and filming a video for it. They scored their first #1 in 22 years with the 1988 song \"Kokomo,\" which was featured on the soundtrack of the hit Tom Cruise movie Cocktail and which became their biggest-selling hit ever. In 1996 they guested with Status Quo on a re-recording of Fun, Fun, Fun, which was a British Top 30 hit.Members of the band appeared on sitcoms such as Full House (starring sometimes drummer John Stamos) and Home Improvement in the 1990s, as well as touring occasionally, but their declining career contrasted dramatically with the massive public interest and rabid critical praise that followed Brian's gradual return to touring in the 1990s. The critically acclaimed documentary I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, important in restoring Wilson's reputation, saw him performing for the first time with his now adult daughters, Wendy and Carnie, and included glowing tributes to his talents from a host of major music stars of the '60s, '70s, and '80s.Tragedy struck the Wilson family again in 1998 when Carl Wilson died of lung cancer. In 1997, while Carl was in the hospital fighting his cancer, David Marks rejoined the group, subbing for Carl. After Carl's death, Al Jardine was forced out of the group due to a conflict with Love. Brian Wilson was pursuing a solo career at the time, and had no desire to work with the Beach Boys. Permission was given to Mike Love to tour under the Beach Boys' name, and from 1998 to 2011, \"The Beach Boys\" consisted of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Marks toured with them from Carl's death until the summer of 1999, when he left the group due to health reasons. Their tours remained popular, even as they came to be viewed primarily as a nostalgia act. Meanwhile, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine each separately pursued solo careers with their new bands.Personnel changes through the yearsFrom the start, The Beach Boys have undergone many variations in composition, being represented by fill-ins as often as not. Wilson neighbor David Marks appeared on their first four albums and was a member from 1962 to 1963 as a temporary replacement for Jardine, who had left the group to pursue a career in dentistry. Marks rejoined the band in 1997, during Carl Wilson's last illness, and remained with them for two years.Glen Campbell toured for several months with the group in 1965, as a touring replacement for Brian, who had played bass in concert. Campbell was subsequently replaced by Bruce Johnston, who later became a permanent member. During the mid-1970s drummer Ricky Fataar and guitarist Blondie Chaplin joined the band.Though not official members, The Beach Boys' supporting band has featured many notable musicians over the years. Keyboard player Daryl Dragon, later famous as half of the pop duo Captain & Tennille, toured with the band, along with his future wife Toni Tennille. Carli Mu\u00f1oz, who had been playing percussion with the band since 1970, in 1971 replaced Daryl Dragon as keyboard player until 1981. Jeff Foskett joined the touring band in 1981 as a guitarist and vocalist and remained with the group until 1990, Foskett is currently a member of Brian Wilson's group. Billy Hinsche, of Dino, Desi, & Billy fame, was also a longtime member of the supporting band throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Daryl Dragon's brother Dennis Dragon was a percussionist for the group in the early '70s. Bobby Figueroa was a drummer and percussionist for the Beach Boys in the 1970s and 80s. Mike Meros was a longtime keyboard player for the group, leaving in 2001 to join Alan Jardine's Endless Summer Band (Meros passed away in late 2007). Mike Kowalski was a longtime drummer for the band, starting his Beach Boys tenure in 1969, and continuing with the group throughout the '70s, '80s,' 90s, and '00s, only to leave in 2007. Ed Carter played guitar and bass for the group from 1969 through the late 1990s. Carter joined Al Jardine's Beach Boys Friends and Family in 1999.Some of the changes in The Beach Boys' organization were less formal. They enjoyed a casual collaboration with fellow Southern Californians Jan and Dean. Much to the consternation of other band members, Wilson composed \"Surf City\" and gave the song, without compensation, to Dean Torrence. Jan and Dean, at the time not nearly as popular as The Beach Boys, recorded the song and scored their first number one single, long before the Beach Boys reached the same milestone. Years later, Torrence happened upon the studio where the Beach Boys were recording their \"Beach Boys' Party!\" album. He joined in the singing, and can be heard singing harmony in the \"Barbara Ann\" cut from that album.After the death of Carl Wilson, Mike Love received permission from Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and the estate of Carl Wilson to tour under the Beach Boys name. In 1998 and 1999, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks toured under this incarnation of the Beach Boys. In 1999, David Marks left so he could focus on fighting his Hepatitis C (He was fully cured in 2004.). From 1999 to 2011, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston have played up to 100 shows a year, sometimes more, under the Beach Boys banner.Jardine toured for a while with the Beach Boys Family & Friends (which for legal reasons quickly became Alan Jardine Family & Friends Beach Band), featuring his sons Matt and Adam, Wilson's daughters Carnie and Wendy, former Beach Boys sidemen Ed Carter , Bobby Figueroa, and Carl's brother-in-law Billy Hinsche, among others. Jardine now tours as the Endless Summer Band which includes his two sons, Hinsche, and several other performers including members of the pop\/rock band Tripsitter.50th AnniversaryIn December 2011, surviving members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, and Bruce Johnston reunited for a new studio album and an extensive 70-plus date \"50th Anniversary Celebration\" world tour. They used musicians from both Brian Wilson's solo band and Mike Love's touring \"Beach Boys\" as sidemen. The reunited Beach Boys played to enthusiastic crowds all over the world. In 2012 Mike Love announced that he and Bruce Johnston had booked shows for their scaled down version of the Beach Boys. Wilson, Jardine, and Marks wanted to continue with the reunited line up, but for various reasons, Love did not. In 2013, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are continuing to tour under the Beach Boys name. Brian Wilson has been in the studio, it is not known whether the sessions are for the Beach Boys, or for Brian solo material. Brian Wilson also plans to play two shows with Al Jardine and David Marks, one show in Ohio, and the other at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. A live album and\/or DVD, and a career-spanning box set entitled \"Made In California\" was released in 2013.Official site: http:\/\/www.thebeachboys.com","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19383_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"100,000 - 200,000"}

{"key":"19626","name":"Bon Jovi","bio":"Bon Jovi is a hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.), the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 80s. Over the past 25 years, the band has sold over 120 million albums worldwide, 34 million of those sales being in the U.S. alone, making them one of the most successful modern groups of all time. They continue to have widely popular tours.Bon Jovi formed in 1983. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi teamed up with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such, and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994, which pared the lineup down to a quartet, the lineup has remained the same for the past 27 years.The group took influence from contemporary arena-ready hard rock bands such as Aerosmith and Deep Purple among others while also seeking a catchy, pop-oriented vibe focused on slick guitar and keyboard riffs, with Bon Jovi becoming a key part in what was to become 'pop metal' music. After releasing two moderately successful albums in 1984 and 1985, which resulted in the production of some popular singles such as \"Runaway\" (the band's first Top 40 hit in the U.S.), the band scored big with 'Slippery When Wet' (1986) and 'New Jersey' (1988). Those two albums sold a combined 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, charted eight Top Ten hits, and launched the band into global super-stardom.After what was just about non-stop touring, the band went on hiatus after the 'New Jersey Tour' in 1990, during which time Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora both released successful solo albums. The rise of alternative rock groups such as Nirvana caused many music industry skeptics to question the staying power of bands labeled as 'glam metal' and 'pop metal' such as Bon Jovi. Yet, in 1992, the group returned with the double-platinum release 'Keep the Faith', proving the doubters wrong, and Bon Jovi has since created a string of RIAA platinum albums throughout the 90s and 00s.They've been also expanding their musical horizons, combining their usual hard rock with such genres as confessional adult contemporary music and reflective country music. The band has also been credited with inspiring the 'MTV Unplugged' series with their famous sit-down acoustic performance at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. Many critics have praised frontman Jon Bon Jovi's vocal versatility, going from style to style as well as from acoustic to live electric work yet still exciting fans.In 2006, the band won a Grammy for 'Best Country Collaboration' for \"Who Says You Can't Go Home\" with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, and they also became the first rock band to reach #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the same song. They have additionally been nominated for Grammy Awards twice for the smash hit \"It's My Life\" (from 2000's 'Crush') and for two songs from the album 'Bounce': \"Misunderstood\" and \"Everyday\".Throughout their career, the band has released ten studio albums, of which nine have gone platinum. In addition, the band has charted 19 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, four of which reached #1 (\"You Give Love a Bad Name\", \"Livin' On A Prayer\", \"Bad Medicine\", and \"I'll Be There for You\"). The band also holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1 on the Billboard 200 with Slippery When Wet, as well as the most Top 10 singles from a hard rock album, with New Jersey, which charted five such singles.In 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Bon Jovi's 'Slippery When Wet' in the 'Definitive 200 Albums' list, putting it at the #44 slot. On August 17, 2009, the band released the single \"We Weren't Born To Follow\". That hard rockin' track picked up a major fan response and was nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal'.In May 2010, Bon Jovi released their 11th studio album, named 'The Circle', which included said single. The album debuted at number one in several countries, including the U.S. It sold 163,000 copies in its first week after debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 top albums chart. Since its release, Bon Jovi has underwent more successful tours.Website: www.bonjovi.com","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19626_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"500,000 - 1,000,000"}