Eаrly Lifе аnd Musicаl Вeginnings

Вorn Dаvid Rоbert Jonеs on Jаnuаry 8, 1947, in Brixton, South London, Вowie showed аn eаrly аffinity fоr musiс. Нe begаn plаying thе sаxophone аt а yоung аge аnd fоrmed his first bаnd, Тhе Konrаds, аs а teenаger. Anywаy, it wаsn’t until thе mid-1960s thаt hе аdopted thе stаge nаme “Вowie” to аvoid confusion with Dаvy Jonеs оf Тhе Monkееs. Вowie’s eаrly musiсаl effоrts wеrе hеаvily influenсed by thе British rock scene оf thе time, pаrticulаrly bаnds like Тhе Beаtles аnd Тhе Rolling Stones. Нis debut singlе, “Lizа Jаne,” releаsed in 1964, mаrked thе stаrt оf his musiсаl journey, but it wаs his 1969 self-titled аlbum аnd thе hit singlе “Spаce Oddity” thаt cаtаpulted him to fаme. Тhе song’s releаse coincided with thе Aрollo 11 mооn lаnding аnd estаblishеd Вowie аs а unique аnd visionаry аrtist.

The Ziggy Stardust Era

One of Bowie’s most iconic and transformative periods came in the early 1970s with the creation of his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Ziggy was an androgynous, extraterrestrial rock star who blurred the lines of gender and genre. The character allowed Bowie to explore themes of fame, identity, and otherness.

The album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (1972) introduced the world to Ziggy and featured some of Bowie’s most enduring songs, including “Starman,” “Suffragette City,” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.” The theatricality of Ziggy Stardust’s live performances, along with Bowie’s flamboyant costumes, captured the imagination of audiences and solidified his status as a rock icon.

Ch-Ch-Changes: Musical Evolution

One of Bowie’s defining traits was his constant musical evolution. He never settled into a single genre, always seeking new influences and sounds. After the Ziggy Stardust era, Bowie delved into soul and funk with the release of “Young Americans” (1975), which featured the hit single “Fame” co-written with John Lennon.

He continued to experiment with albums like “Low” (1977), “Heroes” (1977), and “Lodger” (1979), collectively known as the “Berlin Trilogy.” These albums, recorded during Bowie’s time in Berlin, showcased his collaboration with musician Brian Eno and marked a departure from traditional rock music, embracing electronic and ambient elements.

Innovator of Music Videos

Bowie was not only a musical pioneer but also a trailblazer in the realm of music videos. In 1972, he released a promotional film for “John, I’m Only Dancing,” which is often considered one of the earliest music videos. However, it was with the release of “Ashes to Ashes” in 1980 that Bowie truly made his mark in the music video medium.

The video for “Ashes to Ashes” was a surreal and visually striking masterpiece that showcased Bowie’s ability to blend music and storytelling through the visual medium. It set a high standard for music videos and helped pave the way for the MTV era that would follow in the 1980s.

Champion of Reinvention

Bоwie’s ability tо сonstantly rеinvеnt himself was nоt limited tо his music аnd imаge but еxtеndеd tо his personаl lifе. In 1976, hе famоusly dеclarеd that hе was rеtiring thе Ziggy Stаrdust charаctеr during a concert, effectively killing off оne of his most bеlovеd alter egos. This аct of rеinvеntion demonstrated his commitmеnt tо аrtistic growth аnd his refusаl tо be confinеd by his pаst success. Thrоughоut his carееr, Bоwie adоpted vаrious рersonas аnd looks, from thе Thin White Duke tо thе New Wave-insрired аrtist of thе “Let’s Danсe” (1983) erа. His ever-evоlving imаge аnd sоund nоt only keрt him relevаnt but alsо challenged his audienсe tо embrace change аnd transformation in thеir own lives.

Legacy and Influence

David Bowie’s influence on the world of music and culture cannot be overstated. His eclectic range of musical styles and personas has left an indelible mark on subsequent generations of artists. His ability to bridge genres and experiment with sound paved the way for artists like Prince, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and countless others who defied categorization.

Bowie’s influence also extended beyond music. His androgynous style challenged traditional notions of gender and sexuality, while his willingness to confront issues of identity and alienation resonated with those who felt like outsiders. His impact on fashion, art, and popular culture as a whole is immeasurable.

A Farewell to Earth

Dаvid Bоwie’s finаl аlbum, “Вlаckstаr,” releаsed on Jаnuаry 8, 2016, his 69th birthdаy, tоok on а рrоfound аnd ееriе significаnce. Littlе did thе wоrld knоw thаt Bоwie wаs bаttling liver cаncer during its recоrding. Тhe аlbum, chаrаcterized by its experimentаl jаzz аnd hаunting thеmes, becаme а fаrewell messаge tо his fаns. Just two dаys аfter its releаse, Bоwie pаssed аwаy, leаving thе wоrld in mourning. “Вlаckstаr” showcаsed Bоwie’s unwаvering commitment tо pushing аrtistic boundаries, even in thе fаce оf mortаlity. Тhe аlbum’s enigmаtic lyrics аnd hаunting melоdies serve аs а testаment tо his аbility tо use musiс аs а meаns оf self-eхpression аnd explorаtion until thе very end.

Conсlusion

Dаvid Bоwie’s musiсаl journey wаs one оf constаnt trаnsformаtion, innovаtion, аnd reinvention. From thе eаrly dаys оf Ziggy Stаrdust tо his experimentаl Bеrlin рeriod аnd beyond, Bоwie chаllenged conventions аnd pushеd thе boundаries оf whаt musiс аnd identity сould be. Нis influence on musiс, culture, аnd thе very сonсept оf self-eхpression continues tо reverberаte through thе аges. In thе words оf Bоwie himself, “I don’t knоw whеrе I’m going frоm hеrе, but I promise it won’t be boring.” Аnd indeed, Dаvid Bоwie’s life аnd аrtistry were аnything but boring. He remаins а cosmic chаmeleon whose musiс аnd messаge continue tо insрire аnd resonаte with generаtions оf fаns, reminding us аll tо embrаce chаnge, chаllenge norms, аnd live life with unаpologetic creаtivity.

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Her debut mini-album Don’t Smile At Me was released on August 11, 2017. The mini-album reached the top 15 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia and spawned the single “Bellyache”. Ailish also collaborated with American singer Khalid for the single “Lovely,” which was released in April 2018 and added to the soundtrack for the second season of 13 Reasons Why. Her debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was released on March 29, 2019. The album went to number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Singles from the album “When the Party’s Over”, “Bury A Friend” and “Bad Guy” reached the top 15 in the US, the latter reaching number one in Canada and Australia.

Eilish was born in Highland Park, Los Angeles to Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell. Her parents work in the entertainment industry. Ailish has Irish and Scottish roots. She was home-schooled and joined the Los Angeles Children’s Choir at the age of 8. At the age of 11, Ailish began writing songs, following in the footsteps of her older brother Finneas (born 1997), who at the time had his own band.

For a long time she took up dancing, but in January 2016 she suffered an injury that permanently interrupted her dancing career.

In October 2015, Ailish recorded the song “Ocean Eyes”, originally written by her brother for his band. Her choreography teacher helped her make the dance for this song.

Her debut single “Ocean Eyes” has racked up over 35 million listens on Spotify as of February 2018 and 110 million views on YouTube as of May 2019.

Her debut mini-album, Don’t Smile at Me, was released in August 2017.
In September 2017, Apple named Ailish an “UpNext artist” from Apple Music.
As of March 2019, Billy is the only artist to hold more than one spot in the top 10 of Apple Music’s global album chart.

Ailish’s debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? broke pre-order records on Apple Music’s music platform, officially premiering on March 29th

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Stephanie was born into a low-income family and is the oldest child of Italian entrepreneurs Joseph Germanotta and Cynthia Bissett. At the age of four, she taught herself to play the piano, picking up tunes by ear, and as a child sang songs by Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson, recording her voice on a cheap tape recorder. She’s left-handed.
At the age of 11 Stephanie entered a private Catholic school “Convent of St. Christ”, but was one of the poorest students, so her mother and father had to get several jobs to pay tuition. The famous Hilton sisters studied at this school.
As a teenager, the future Lady GaGa wrote her first song. Already at the age of 14, she hosted open nights. In the theater productions of the school she always got the main roles. She participated in the play “Regis”, played the role of Filia in “Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum”, the role of Anna Andreyevna in “Government Inspector”, Miss Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” and Alice Moore in the production of “A Man for All Seasons”. She also sang in the school’s jazz band.

By the age of 17, Stephanie was one of only 20 people in the world to pass the Cleve Davis Program at the New York School of the Arts Musical Theatre Program early. She graduated far ahead of the others because she was so much smarter than her peers.

Her father paid the rent on her apartment and Stephanie moved away from her parents right after high school. She switched to clubs in lower East New York where she performed with her early bands Mackin Pulsifer and SGBand. Surrounded by musicians and singers who worked in one particular musical style, Stephanie decided to do something fresh and provocative. In 2006, she began collaborating with Rob Fasari, a renowned producer with whom she wrote several early songs, including “Beautiful Dirty Rich”, “Dirty Ice Cream” and “Disco Heaven”. Lady Gaga came up with her stage name when she performed the song “Again, Again”. This nickname is a reference to the song “Radio Ga-Ga-Ga” by the band Queen. The day the nickname was coined, the girl asked to never be called Stefani again among musicians.

At the age of 19, Stephanie signed her first contract with Def Jam, but left the label three months later. In early 2007, she was offered a job with Interscope. The executives hired her as a songwriter and set her up with singer Eikon, with whom she collaborated. While working on demos of tracks, Eikon requested that Germanotta go into the recording booth and do the vocals herself.

In August 2007, Lady Gaga and her showboat performed at the Lollapalooza festival, where they entertained the crowd with their creative shows. And in October of that same year, Stefani combined her love of performance art, rock and roll, 70’s glam rock, parody, heavy metal and came up with a new weekly entertainment program, “New York City Street and Thrash Dance Revival.”

By 2008, Stefani had relocated to Los Angeles to work with her record company on her album “The Fame.” The debut single “Just Dance” was released on April 8, 2008. The song topped the charts in Canada and Australia, but went unnoticed in the United States. Although it was constantly played in clubs, the song was only honored at number two on Billboard’s Hot Dance Songs and Hot Club Songs charts.

In late 2008, Lady Gaga was nominated for a Grammy Music Award in the Best Dance Recording category. And on January 12, 2009, the singer announced “The Fame Ball” tour.

In November 2009, Lady Gaga embarked on her second international tour “The Monster Ball” until early 2011. As part of the tour, the singer plans to visit many countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Holland and others. This show is very different from the first tour – it is more “progressive” in every way. With this tour, it became clear that Gaga has not hundreds but thousands of fans at her mercy, who for 2 hours can’t help but marvel at the fashion, debauchery, sex, art and images the singer takes on during the show. In February 2010, a 3D DVD version of the tour was announced.

In March 2010, the singer announced that she had started working on her new studio album. Three months later it became known that she had completed it, but promised that she would not release the CD until 2011, but in the summer offered fans an alternative – an album with official remixes of her most popular hits, which was released on August 3.

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Ariana Grande began her professional career in show business in 2008 in the Broadway musical “13”. In 2009, she landed the role of Kat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victoria’s Victorious, then went on to play her in the 2013-2014 television series Sam & Kat. Ariana has also participated in soundtrack recording and voice-overs for cartoons (notably the animated series The Winx Club). In 2015, she returned to television screens with a cameo as Sonja Herfman in the series Scream Queens.

Ariana’s musical career began in 2011 with the recording of the soundtrack for the TV series Victoria’s Victorious. That same year, she signed a record deal with Republic Records. In 2013, she released her debut album Yours Truly, which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The song “The Way” from this album held a strong position in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was favorably received by music critics.

Ariana Grande’s next album, My Everything (2014), also debuted at number one on the U.S. chart. The album was a worldwide success thanks to the hits “Problem”, “Break Free”, “Bang Bang” and “Love Me Harder”. With several songs from it, the singer spent 34 weeks continuously in the top ten of the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2015, she went on a world tour in support of the album, entitled The Honeymoon Tour.

In 2016, Ariana released the album Dangerous Woman (2016, #2 in the US), the music video for the single “Side To Side” from this album has over a billion views on YouTube. The following year, the singer embarked on the Dangerous Woman Tour world tour. On May 22, 2017, a terrorist attack occurred at Ariana’s concert in Manchester. Grande suspended the tour and held a charity concert to raise money for the victims of the terrorist attack.

Her next album, Sweetener, was released in 2018 and reached No. 1 in the United States. The album was recognized by the Recording Academy of America as the best pop album of 2018. A few months after the release of the Sweetener album, Ariana Grande released the album Thank U, Next (2019), which also reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The album repeated The Beatles’ record: three singles from Thank U, Next (“7 Rings”, “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” and “Thank U, Next”) reached the top three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously. Ariana Grande’s songs frequently break records on the streaming service Spotify. On March 18, 2019, the singer embarked on the Sweetener World Tour in support of her last two albums. On October 30, 2020, the singer released her sixth studio album, Positions, and set a world record for monthly listeners on Spotify (over 79 million.) The singer is also the only woman in the world to cross the threshold of over 210 million followers on Instagram.

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Exl Rose was born on February 6, 1962 under the name William Bruce Rose Jr. in the American state of Indiana. With his parents, 20-year-old William Bruce Rose Sr. and 16-year-old Sharon Elizabeth, he was the eldest child.

Exl Rose has a very strong voice with a wide vocal range. He manages to take almost 6 octaves! Once in Los Angeles he joined the band “Rapidfire”, which soon broke up.

After that Rose formed his own team with his childhood friend Izzy Stradlin – “Hollywood Rose”. In early 1984, the musicians recorded 5 songs that were not released until decades later.

About a year later, Exl and his former bandmate Tracy Guns formed the band “Guns N’ Roses”. Its vocalist was Rose, guitarists – Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan, and drummer – Steven Adler.

The musicians’ creativity attracted the attention of major record brands. As a result, Guns N’ Roses decided to sign a contract with Geffen Records. In the summer of 1987 the guys presented their debut record “Appetite for Destruction”.

Initially, the sales of the disk were not high – up to 500,000 copies. Only years later “Appetite for Destruction” gained popularity and became the best-selling debut CD in US history – 18 million copies, while its total sales in the world exceeded 28 million!

It is important to note that after becoming a popular artist, Exl Rose felt insecure about his abilities. He felt very uncomfortable on stage and even ran away from his concerts several times. This led to the fact that the organizers began to simply lock all the doors of halls and venues.

Later, conflicts between musicians began to occur more often, which led to the temporary breakup of “Guns N’ Roses” in 1994. At that moment of biography Exl Rose did not give interviews. After 7 years, the band again took the stage and still regularly gives concerts.

Over the years, the rockers have recorded 6 albums, the last of which – “Chinese Democracy” was released in 2008.

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Even as a child, Elvis was noticed to have a talent for singing. At the age of 10, he sang in front of an audience for the first time and received his first guitar. Elvis loved to play the guitar. He carried it with him wherever he went, even to school. He never received any formal singing lessons or guitar lessons. He just watched other people sing or play and learned songs by ear.

When Elvis was in the eighth grade, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. In Memphis, Elvis was exposed to a variety of music.

There was a recording studio in Memphis called Sun Records, where Elvis first went in August 1953 to record a song for his mother. The song was called “My Happiness”. Elvis worked a lot with Sun Records, hoping to get noticed. At some point, Sam Phillips (the owner of the recording studio) suggested that Elvis, along with a couple of local musicians, guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, record some songs.

Elvis, Scotty, and Bill went to Sun Records and started performing different songs. Sam Phillips heard the boys playing and realized that they had a hit song, “That’s All Right”. He recorded the song and it was playing on the radio three days later. Elvis was on his way to becoming a star.

After the release of “That’s All Right,” Elvis began playing in local clubs and gained fans. Soon, Elvis, Scotty and Bill were traveling throughout most of the Midwest, performing concerts. In 1955, Elvis signed a contract with the RCA label. Elvis appeared on several television shows, such as The Milton Berle Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Steve Allen Show. He was now one of the biggest stars in music.

Elvis had his own unique style of music and performance. He also danced on stage, swaying his hips. At the time, many adults were shocked by his music and dancing. When he performed for a show, he was usually asked not to dance or stripped to the waist. Teenagers, however, loved Elvis’ music and dancing.

In addition to singing and concerts, Elvis began acting in movies. His first movie, Love Me Tender, was released in 1956. He also sang the title song from this movie. Over the next 15 years, he starred in more than 30 films, including Prison Rock, Blue Hawaii, Viva Las Vegas, and Double Trouble.

Elvis was drafted into the US Army in 1958. He wanted to be treated like a regular soldier. He served in the army for two years and was discharged in 1960. During this time, he was part of the 3rd Armored Division in Germany.

After his service, Elvis continued to make movies and record songs. In the mid-sixties, he devoted more time to movies and his music career slowed down. He returned to his career as a musician in 1968 with a television special in which he performed various songs. In 1969, he released the album “From Elvis in Memphis”, which contained the song “Suspicious Minds”.

Elvis met his future wife Priscilla while he was in the army in Germany. They dated for seven years before getting married in 1967. Elvis and Priscilla had a daughter named Lisa Marie.

Elvis Presley died of heart failure on August 16, 1977. He was only 42 years old. His health had deteriorated in recent years, mainly due to weight gain and drug use. He was buried in Graceland near the graves of his mother and father.

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Young Michael entered show business at the age of five, when his father organized the Jackson 5 family ensemble, which, in addition to Michael, included his four older brothers. It soon became clear that the kid had outstanding musical abilities. The young talent led the group from the category of local celebrities to the first serious contract.

Between 1969 and 1971, the band released six hit singles, including the famous songs “I Want You Back” and “ABC”. Throughout the 1970s, the band continued to generate hits.

The growing young man Michael was no longer satisfied with his popularity in the group, and soon he made his first independent recordings. In 1971, his first separate composition “I’ll Be There” reached number 4 on the charts. Continuing to work with his brothers, Jackson made several more recordings that became hits – “Rockin Robin” and “Ben”, and then released his first album.

In the late 1970s, Jackson met the legendary producer Quincy Jones. Jones and Jackson worked together on the singer’s next album, Off the Wall (1979), which took Michael from the category of child stars to adult superstars. In a short time, 10 million copies were sold. Critics greeted the album with enthusiasm, noting first of all the harmonious combination of soul and rock styles.

In 1982, he surpassed this achievement and released a small album, Thriller, which sold more than 40 million copies. This record has not been surpassed until now and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling CD of all time.

Collaboration with Jones brought the singer 8 Grammy Awards and unanimous critical acclaim. Jackson has won 19 Grammy Awards; 13 times he has reached the top of the American sales charts with his singles. His name is twice listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – as a solo artist and as a member of the Jackson 5.

There have always been many rumors, scandals, and sensations surrounding Jackson’s name. The singer’s eccentricity, both in appearance and behavior, contributed to this. But this often contributed to his popularity. In any case, the path he took from birth to the peak of his fame is the path of a bright star, and his achievements cannot be taken away.

The famous singer Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles. He was only 50 years old.

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Meola spent his early years in Bergenfield, New Jersey, where he attended Bergenfield High School. In 1971, he entered the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Already in 1972, Meola played in the Barry Miles Quintet, and two years later, in 1974, he joined jazz pianist Chick Corea’s Return to Forever band to record the album Where Have I Known You Before. During Al di Meola’s tenure in the group, two more albums were recorded: “No Mystery” (1975) and “Romantic Warrior” (1976). In the band, he played with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. He traveled the world with them, and in 1975 they won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group (“No Mystery”).

Al di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia at a concert in Barcelona in the 80s
In 1976, he recorded a solo album “Land of the Midnight Sun” (1976), which was recorded with bassist Jaco Pastorius. Meola attracted attention mainly for his speed and technical skills. His early recordings, such as “Race with the Devil on the Spanish Highway” or “Egyptian Danza”, associated his name mainly with the electric guitar. Although he had purely acoustic recordings, when he began to explore Mediterranean cultures, flamenco. For example, “Mediterranean Sundance”, “Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil” from the album “Elegant Gypsy” (1977), or “Fantasy Suite” from the album “Casino”.

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John McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1942 in a small English town of Yorkshire. His mother was a violinist, so it is natural to assume that John from childhood began to be accustomed to music. When he was nine years old, he was taught piano, but after two years John switched to guitar. He was inspired by the blues that was popular at the time, sounding literally from everywhere. By the age of 14 he had quite mastered the basic wisdom of playing the guitar and switched to flamenco music, rightly reasoning that this style was one of the most technically challenging and needed to be learned to become more fluent on the instrument. He later developed a keen interest in jazz music as one of the highest forms of musical art.

John soon moves from Yorkshire to London. There he worked for a while, playing alongside Alexis Korner, George Fame and Graham Bond.

McLaughlin records with various musicians, performs a lot, and works in Germany (German guitarist Gunther Hapel invited him to collaborate). In 1969 John records his first solo album “Extrapolation”, which became a notable event in British music. Soon he was unexpectedly invited by American drummer Tony Williams (who had played with Miles Davis), who formed his own band “Lifetime”. In the same year McLaughlin comes to New York, where he records on Miles Davis’ albums “In A Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew”. It was the latter album that became a milestone in the history of jazz music: so organically and naturally intertwined in it were the beat dimensions of rock music and complex jazz harmonies and improvisations. Perhaps it was from this album that the word “jazz-rock” entered the vocabulary of musicians. Many jazzmen perked up, in jazz-rock they saw a way out of the deadlock, which practically stopped the development of jazz at that time. McLaughlin’s participation in these albums brings him fame among all fans of jazz and rock music.

Around the same time, McLaughlin begins to take a very serious interest in Indian philosophy, yoga, and, naturally, music, markedly different from the common European classical notions of harmony. This serious passion resulted in one of McLaughlin’s most ambitious projects, which had a huge impact on all modern music – the Mahavishnu Orchestra was created. The powerful composition (John McLaughlin – guitar, Ian Hammer – keyboards, Rick Laird – bass, Billy Cobham – drums, Jerry Goodman – violin), virtuoso performance, sophisticated music and exquisite arrangements made a real revolution in the world of jazz and rock. With the release of the album “The Inner Mounting Flame” (1971) to McLaughlin comes true fame. However, after a while he decides to change his lineup. Many critics agree that the second lineup was not as popular as the first, despite the fact that there were some very strong musicians (in particular, the famous violinist Jean-Luc Ponty).

In the mid-70s, McLaughlin surprised the world again by forming another of the groups performing acoustic Indian music, “Shakti”. This group featured such luminaries as Indian violinist Shankar and percussionist Zakir Hussain. With Shakti, McLaughlin recorded three excellent albums. Gradually, McLaughlin’s fascination with Indian music wanes. He begins to feel the need to play European music. Still, McLaughlin returned to Indian music more than once, and the fascination does not go in vain.

In 1978, McLaughlin takes part in a trio of guitarists playing Spanish flamenco music (his old hobby came in handy). The trio consisted of John McLaughlin himself, Spanish flamenco virtuoso Paco de Lucia and Larry Corriel, who was later replaced by the not-so-famous Al di Meola. The most famous album recorded by this lineup is called “Friday Night In San Francisco”, which went “gold”. Despite McLaughlin’s stunning playing, some critics noticed an excessive dry “precision” of his improvisations, noting that flamenco is a national music, and to play it perfectly, one must have Spanish roots and temperament.

After releasing two solo albums (“Belo Horizonte” and “Music Spoken Here”) in 1984, John McLaughlin was again invited by Miles Davis to record “You’re Under Arrest” and “Aura”. In addition to McLaughlin, another guitar master, jazz musician John Scofield, played on You’re Under Arrest. In the same year, McLaughlin records an album called Mahavishnu, where he uses a guitar midi controller paired with a Sinclavier system.

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The 30s and 40s were the golden age of radio, with hundreds of radio stations across America broadcasting numerous concerts and shows, including live. As a teenager, Chet was already playing in accompaniment lineups at local radio stations, and in 1942 was hired as a full-time session musician at a major radio station in Knoxville in his home state. For the next four years, Chet’s life consisted of nothing but radio work and guitar lessons, which did not slow down the growth of his skills and reputation.

…In 1945, Jim arranged an audition for his brother at an even larger radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. There, a guitarist was needed to replace Merle Travis himself, who was so adept at fingerstyle playing that the style became associated with his name, “Travis picking.” Atkins, who had been listening to Travis on the radio since he was sixteen, won an audition, but he soon had a conflict with the station management and left the station after working there for only six months.

After working for a while as a “free” guitarist and fiddler, Atkins learned that Red Foley, star of the famous Grand Ole Opry radio show, was looking for a guitarist to replace Roy Acuff. After meeting with Foley, Chet was immediately offered a one-minute solo every Saturday night as part of a live concert broadcast nationally. However, Chet proved too good for the job he was offered. Producers and audiences wanted to hear folk and country, and Chet’s style, with a noticeable influence from guitarist Django Reinhardt, bore the mark of jazz, and he was fired again.

In 1947, Atkins received a new offer. Steve Holes, then head of the RCA Victor label, heard a recording of one of Chet’s performances on the radio. Appreciating it, he offered Chet a studio recording as a full-fledged independent artist. The recording was not a commercial success, but the ’49 instrumental compositions “Galloping on the Guitar” and “Main Street Breakdown” became popular.
“Main Street Breakdown” became popular radio staples. Settling in Nashville that same year, Chet began accompanying some of country music’s biggest names, such as Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, and The Carter Family, on recordings. He also recorded as a solo artist, releasing his first LP on Victor in 1951. In addition, he gradually began producing most of the label’s Nashville sessions.

In 1956, RCA built its famous “Studio B” in Nashville, and Atkins was appointed one of its directors. Working as a musician, producer and executive at the same time, Atkins was at the very center of developments in country music. Over the next several years, recordings by artists such as Elvis Presley, Don Gibson, Charlie Pride, Waylon Jennings, and many others were released under his direction. His innovative methods of producing hits moved country music far away from its hillbilly roots. The new direction, dubbed the “Nashville sound,” helped solidify country music as one of the most commercially successful styles in the United States.

Throughout this period, Atkins virtually defined the sound of the guitar in country music. He eclipsed his predecessor Merle Travis with his playing, and in turn served as an inspiration for future great names such as Scotty Moore, Eddie Cochran, George Harrison, Albert Lee and others. Chet released a number of instrumental albums, songs from which even found their way onto the pop charts: “Mr. Sandman,” “Yakety Axe,” “Country Gentleman” and a number of others. At the same time, he had fruitful collaborations with musicians such as Les Paul and Lenny Breau.

In 1968, RCA named Chet vice president of its country wing for his many accomplishments, but Atkins was beginning to feel creatively bound. In 1982, he moved to the Columbia Records label, where he released a number of works with his idea “disciples” George Harrison, Mark Knopfler and Albert Lee. Over the last two decades of the century and his life, Chet recorded a number of new albums, including with his longtime collaborator Les Paul.

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