Music
Nancy Sinatra Then And Now: Young Pop Icon Who Changed ...
February 26, 2020
Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns Nancy Sinatra in go-go boots singing "These Boots Are Made For Waking" is an era-defining image and sound. No time capsule of th...
Rupert Holmes: Biography Of A Man Who Was More Than Pin...
February 24, 2020
ritish-born American singer-songwriter, musician and writer, Rupert Holmes, by the Thames at Richmond, London, 30th December 1975. (Photo by Michael Putland/Get...
When Sonny And Cher Got Divorced: The Biggest Pop Split...
February 20, 2020
1974: Entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher attend the circus with their daughter Chastity Bono. Cher performed as ringmaster at the opening day of the Ringling Brot...
When David Gilmour Joined Pink Floyd, It Was Supposed T...
February 18, 2020
Pink Floyd, (L-R; Rick Wright, Dave Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters) pose for a publicity still circa 1973. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) ...
Barry White Survived Gang Life And Prison, Became Love ...
February 14, 2020
Barry White. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Barry White told us "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby," "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Ba...
'Let's Stay Together' by Al Green: Song Meaning, Lyrics...
February 12, 2020
Al Green performing on stage, holding a rose, circa 1974. (Photo by Echoes/Redferns) With the 1972 hit "Let's Stay Together," Al Green struck a perfect balanc...
Pink Floyd's 'The Wall:' Stories You Didn't Know About ...
February 7, 2020
Pink Floyd perform on stage at Earls Court Arena on 'The Wall' tour, on August 7th, 1980 in London, England. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns) Pink Floyd's The W...
The Beatles' Final Performance Was The Culmination Of Y...
January 30, 2020
On January 30, 1969, about three months after the release of the White Album, the Beatles climbed onto the roof of Apple Records to play a set of nine songs ...
Tommy Ramone Set The Pace For The Ramones -- Then He Qu...
January 29, 2020
The Ramones in London on May 19, 1977. L-R. Johnny Ramone, Tommy Ramone (front), Joey Ramone (back), Dee Dee Ramone (Photo by Ian Dickson/Redferns) When punk ...
Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel:' History, Meaning, A...
January 27, 2020
Elvis Presley holding framed gold record of Heartbreak Hotel while in a recording studio to record a new song. (Photo by Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection ...
'Please Mr. Postman:' From Marvelettes To Carpenters Co...
January 25, 2020
"Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes and later The Carpenters is one of the most successful pop or R&B compositions ever. This ode to snail mail frustrati...
'Knock Three Times' By Dawn: Lyrics And Strange Story O...
January 23, 2020
Tony Orlando and Dawn circa 1975. L-R: Telma Hopkins, Tony Orlando, Joyce Vincent Wilson. (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns) "Knock Three Times" became a #1 hit ...
'I Wish' by Stevie Wonder: The Underdog Song That Took ...
January 22, 2020
Stevie Wonder circa 1970s. (Photo by PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images) Stevie Wonder's 1977 #1 hit "I Wish" captures the funky synthesizer groove that drove his b...
'Margaritaville:' History, Lyrics And Meaning Of The Mo...
January 20, 2020
Jimmy Buffet performs on stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 30, 1989. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) Ji...
Janis Joplin: Stories And Life Of The Woodstock Generat...
January 19, 2020
Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company perform onstage at the Fillmore East circa 1968 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Julie Snow/Michael Oc...
Barry Manilow's 'Mandy' Was Originally 'Brandy.' But Wa...
January 18, 2020
Barry Manilow performing on Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell, airdate: October 11, 1975. Photo by Ann Limongello/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images P...
The Muppets' 'Mah Na Mah Na (Doot Doo-Doo Doot Doo)' Ca...
January 17, 2020
"Mah Na Mah Na" is one of the best-known gibberish songs in entertainment -- and not because of its original appearance in a smutty Swedish movie. "Mah Na Ma...
Ronnie Van Zant Of Lynyrd Skynyrd Predicted His Own Dea...
January 15, 2020
Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd in a recording studio, August 12, 1977. Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage When Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant died in a plane cr...
Carly Simon: A Young And Sexy '70s Songbird, Then And N...
January 13, 2020
Left: Carly Simon poses for a portrait on March 15, 1971 in London, England. Right: Simon in a publicity photo, circa 1977. Sources: Ed Caraeff/Getty Images; Wi...
Crystal Gayle, The 'Brown Eyes Blue' Country Star, Then...
January 9, 2020
Crystal Gayle performs onstage at the Volunteer Jam , Nashville, Tennessee, January 30, 1982. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) Whether you know Crystal Gay...
The Truth About 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds:' Is It ...
January 4, 2020
Picture yourself in a boat on a river, using your kaleidoscope eyes to read about the writing and recording of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” the seminal B...
'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head:' Song Meaning, Hist...
January 3, 2020
Paul Newman (1925 - 2008), as Butch Cassidy, and Katharine Ross as Etta Place, in a promotional still for 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid', directed by Geor...
Did Sid Vicious Kill Nancy Spungen? Everything We Know....
January 2, 2020
In January 1978, the Sex Pistols called it quits. Bass player Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen were nursing serious heroin habits, so what better...
Why Did The Beatles Break Up? A Long And Winding Story
December 30, 2019
Yoko Ono, John Lennon, Paul McCartney in the audience at the London Pavillion for premiere of 'Yellow Submarine,' July 17, 1968. (Photo by Cummings Archives/Redfern...
Soul Tragedy: Marvin Gaye Was Fatally Shot By His Fathe...
December 21, 2019
CIRCA 1974: Soul singer Marvin Gaye plays piano as he records in a studio in circa 1974. (Photo by Jim Britt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Marvin Gaye's...
1970: Jim Morrison's Final Concert With The Doors
December 12, 2019
Jim Morrison circa 1970. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images On December 12, 1970, the Doors and Jim Morrison took the stage at the Warehouse, a drafty waterfr...
Where Is Nikki Sixx Now? Stories And Facts About Motley...
December 11, 2019
As the bassist and songwriter behind Mötley Crüe’s biggest hits Nikki Sixx been able to shout at the devil and run into a lot of girls, girls, girls. He also...
Harry Chapin's 'Cat's In The Cradle:' Song Lyrics & His...
December 7, 2019
In December 1974, Harry Chapin's "Cat's In The Cradle" was a Billboard #1 hit -- and it's fair to say, an unlikely one. This earnest folk-rock meditation on ...
Who Wrote 'Rudolph?' Meet Johnny Marks, A 'Holly Jolly'...
December 2, 2019
Left: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, from the hugely popular Rankin-Bass TV special. Right: Johnny Marks in 1977. Sources: IMDB; William N. Jacobellis / (c) NY...
Mr. Blue Sky Is The Happiest Song On Earth, According T...
November 29, 2019
1973: Electric Light Orchestra film US TV show in London's Trafalgar Square © Chris Walter (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage) "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light ...
Randy Newman: Stories, Facts & Trivia About The Movie M...
November 28, 2019
Randy Newman circa 1970. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images It’s a jungle out there for Randy Newman, the movie-soundtrack songwriter famous for dram...
'Alice's Restaurant:' Arlo Guthrie's Arrest Spawned Ant...
November 26, 2019
Arlo Guthrie in October 1968. Source: Bettmann / Contributor, via Getty Images Riding the folk-music wave, singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie found his moment of ...
In 1976, Jerry Lee Lewis Was Arrested Drunk, Waving Gun...
November 23, 2019
Jerry Lee Lewis relaxing in his hotel suite in London, 25th April 1972. (Photo by Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) Outlaw, piano player, gun...
Cow Palace, 1973: The Who's Keith Moon Passes Out From ...
November 20, 2019
Drummer Keith Moon (1947 - 1978) of English rock group The Who, 24th April 1973. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) November 20, 1973 was an unforgettabl...
Joni Mitchell's Unseen Art: Friends, Lovers, And A Rock...
November 9, 2019
Left: Joni Mitchell in Amsterdam, 1972. Right: A detail of Mitchell's portrait of of Neil Young in 'Morning Glory On The Vine.' Sources: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redf...
Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me:' A '60s Classic That Keeps ...
November 4, 2019
R&B singer Ben E. King poses for a portrait in circa 1975. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Ben E. King wrote “Stand by Me” in 1960, and over tim...
Marijuana Plants Sprouted In Anaheim Stadium After The ...
November 1, 2019
Roger Daltrey of The Who performing on tour in 1976. Photo by Richard Reed/Mirrorpix/Getty Images You know it was a good Who show when marijuana plants pop up...
'The Devil Went Down To Georgia' Song: Meaning And Triv...
October 28, 2019
Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is one of the great story songs, with lyrics that tell of a fiddler's confrontation with Satan. The tune wa...
Behind The 'Monster Swim' and Other Halloween Tracks Yo...
October 16, 2019
When Bobby “Boris” Pickett and his group of Halloween-mad studio musicians laid down the “Monster Mash” in 1962 they were just trying to cash in on teen danc...
The Wrecking Crew: The Most Famous Band You Didn't Know...
October 1, 2019
You've heard, and probably love, the music of The Wrecking Crew. The studio musicians whose chops bolstered hits by The Beach Boys, The Mamas And The Papas, ...
Sandy Warner: Exotica King Martin Denny's Cover Girl
September 27, 2019
You’ve seen Sandra "Sandy" Warner on Martin Denny's album covers, even if you're not sure who Martin Denny is. The albums had titles like Exotica, Primitiva, Quiet...
Was Ted Nugent A Draft Dodger During The Vietnam War?
September 23, 2019
Left: Ted Nugent in 1975. Right: a document showing Ted Nugent's draft history obtained by The Snoking Gun. Sources: GAB Archive/Redferns; thesmokinggun.com It's a...
Simon & Garfunkel's Concert In Central Park Couldn't Ma...
September 21, 2019
Charles Ruppmann/NY Daily News via Getty Images On September 19, 1981, Simon and Garfunkel reunited for the Concert in Central Park after years of acrimony. H...
Was There Really A Feud Between Neil Young And Lynyrd S...
September 11, 2019
Left: Gary Rossington, Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd,on the field before the 1977 Season Opening Atlanta Braves Game. Right: Neil Young on ...
Why Did Joe Strummer Of The Clash Disappear For 3 Weeks...
August 26, 2019
Joe Strummer of The Clash performs on stage at the Brixton Academy on March 8th, 1984 in London, England. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns) Just as the band was ...
With 'The Harder They Come,' Jimmy Cliff Brought Reggae...
August 22, 2019
In 1973, reggae music came to America thanks to... Jimmy Cliff? Bob Marley fans might beg to differ, but The Harder They Come, a surprise hit movie starring ...
Is Elvis Alive? Sightings, Stories & King-Sized Conspir...
August 16, 2019
Left: Elvis Presley in concert circa 1977. Right: Detail of an image purported to be a high-resolution scan of the 'pool house photo' from 1977. Soures: R.D/Ima...
Remember Frank Sinatra's Weird Science Fiction Record?
August 10, 2019
In 1980, Frank Sinatra released Trilogy: Past Present Future, a triple album that got weird. On the third LP, "The Future," Sinatra took us on a nutty trip arou...
Joni Mitchell: The Young Folk Icon, Then And Now
August 8, 2019
Portrait of Canadian musician Joni Mitchell, November 1968, from a shoot for the fashion magazine Vogue. Photo by Jack Robinson/Getty Images Canadian singer-songwriter ...
Neil Young's 'Rust Never Sleeps:' A '60s Rocker Kicks A...
August 3, 2019
Left: Cover art for Neil Young's 1979 album 'Rust Never Sleeps.' Right: Young with Dennis Hopper on the set of 'Human Highway,' directed by Dean Stockwell and N...
There'll Never Be Another Woodstock: 50th Anniversary F...
August 2, 2019
Left: Poster art for the doomed Woodstock 50 festival. Right: John Fogerty performs on stage at the announcement of the Woodstock 50 Festival Line-Up on March 1...
That One Time Queen Met The Queen In 1974 (And Everyone...
July 30, 2019
British rock band Queen posing with a woman, September 1974. Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images Queen, the group that would give us "Bohemian Rhapsody" and...
Deadheads Forever: How The Grateful Dead Live On
July 26, 2019
Left: Original lineup of The Grateful Dead featuring (l-r) Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan. Right: A Deadhead holds a sign i...
Who Is Austin Butler, And Can He Play Elvis In A Movie?
July 25, 2019
Left: Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler attend Sony Pictures' 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Los Angeles Premiere on July 22, 2019. Right: Elvis Presley. Sour...
Linda Ronstadt, 1975: When The Rock Sweetheart Went Cou...
July 20, 2019
Linda Ronstadt with country star George Jones backstage at the Bottom Line in September 1980 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty I...
1968: Van Morrison Risks His Life & Career For 'Astral ...
July 10, 2019
Singer/songwriter Van Morrison performs with flutist Artie Kaplan and his upright bass player at a Warner Brothers party at Steve Paul's The Scene nightclub on ...
Fleetwood Mac's 'Tusk,' 40 Years Later: What The Hell W...
July 9, 2019
Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 double LP Tusk was called ambitious, ragged, “gleeful and elusive,” fragmented, sprawling, “over-egged pudding,” and worse. Conceived as...
1976: 'Frampton Comes Alive' Makes Peter Frampton A One...
July 6, 2019
Peter Frampton performs at Oakland Stadium on July 2, 1977 in Oakland, California. Source: (Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images) Certain things in lif...
The David Lee Roth Fetish Photo Shoot That Almost Sank ...
July 2, 2019
Left: Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen at the Cobo Hall on July 4, 1980. (Photo by Michael Marks/Getty Images) Right: Detail ...
How 'Light My Fire' Got The Doors Banned From Ed Sulliv...
June 26, 2019
Left: Jim Morrison in an undated photo. Right: Morrison on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sources: Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Vimeo.com The Doors wer...
I'm With The Band: GTOs And Groupies According To Pamel...
June 12, 2019
Left: Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page accompanied by his girlfriend Miss Pamela (Pamela Des Barres) on June 3, 1973 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich...
ABBA Conquers The World In The 1970s: How Swede It Was
June 6, 2019
1979: Swedish musical group ABBA performing on stage, (L-R:) Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sing while Benny Andersson plays the accordion....
'Ballad Of The Green Berets' Singer Barry Sadler's Rise...
June 3, 2019
Left: Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler in 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). Right: Sadler's mug shot from 1979. Courtesy Nashville Metropolitan Po...
1966: Buffalo Springfield Warns Us To 'Stop, Children.....
May 31, 2019
"There's something happening here / What it is ain't exactly clear..."The ominous words and high, lonely guitar notes of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's...
With 'Live At The Apollo,' James Brown Invented The Liv...
May 29, 2019
Left: The 'Godfather of Soul' James Brown relaxes backstage with his shirt off wearing slippers and a cross at the Apollo Theatre in 1964 in New York, New York....
Was Woodstock A Teenage Wasteland? The Who's 'Baba O'Ri...
May 27, 2019
It's one of the riddles of classic rock: who is 'Baba O'Riley' and what is this "teenage wasteland" we keep hearing about? For Pete Townshend, songwriter of ...
It Ain't Me: CCR's 'Fortunate Son' And Vietnam War Hypo...
May 24, 2019
Left: In a photo from 1967, helmets, rifles and jungle boots tell a grim tale of the action fought by the 1st Brigade, 101st airborne paratroopers in Operation ...
When The Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie' Topped FBI's Most Dan...
May 20, 2019
Left: Rock and roll band "The Kingsmen" pose for a portrait in circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). Right: Text from the letter to Robert ...
Ground Control To Major Tom: David Bowie's 'Space Oddit...
May 15, 2019
"Ground control to Major Tom..."David Bowie's 1969 single "Space Oddity" has a more memorable opening line than its actual title (which appears nowhere in th...
George Clinton And Parliament-Funkadelic: One Nation Un...
May 12, 2019
The groovy, trippy late '60s sure did a number on rock 'n roll, but that's not the only musical genre that had its mind blown. The psychedelic descendant of ...
'Every Little Thing's Gonna Be Alright,' Bob Marley’s S...
May 11, 2019
Bob Marley, 1980. Source: (Photo by Sigfrid Casals/Cover/Getty Images) You know the famous reggae song -- the one where Bob Marley assures us that "Every li...
When Bowie Moved To Berlin: Killing The Duke To Save Th...
May 5, 2019
David Bowie performing in Tokyo's NHK HALL on the Low & Heroes Tour, December 1978. Source: (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) The "Berlin Trilog...
The Ramones Vs. Phil Spector: The Story Of 'End Of The ...
May 2, 2019
Portrait of the Ramones from the back cover of 'End Of The Century;' Phil Spector at a press conference at the Magic Castle circa 1978 in Los Angeles, Californi...
What We Loved About Record Stores Back In The Day
April 24, 2019
Left: Shop founder Geoff Travis in the Rough Trade Shop, London, circa 1977. Source: (Photo by Estate Of Keith Morris/Redferns/Getty Images) Right: browsing in a record ...
Outlaw Country: How Willie, Waylon And Others Broke Fre...
April 11, 2019
Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings enjoy a drink together in New York in 1978 (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns) Today, they don't seem like outlaws: Willie ...
The Other Singing Jacksons: Where Are They Now?
April 10, 2019
In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the nine siblings of the Jackson family -- in their Jackson 5 incarnation and as solo artists -- were some of the most popular musician...
Santana's 'Abraxas:' The Sexy Album Cover That Was A Re...
April 6, 2019
A detail of 'Annunciation' (see the full version below); Carlos Santana circa 1970. Source: Pinterest; BMI/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyImages What comes to min...
Don't Call Her Blondie: Debbie Harry, Then And Now
March 31, 2019
Debbie Harry of Blondie performing at Jazz Bilzen Festival, Bilzen, Belgium, 12th August 1978; Debbie Harry photo shoot circa 1978. Sources: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images; MP...
True Stories Of Big Hair And Bad Judgment: The Dirt On ...
March 29, 2019
Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil of Motley Crue on May 11, 1984 in Chicago, Il. (Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage) For the hair metal band Mötley Crüe, The Dirt was a ...
Stevie Nicks Has A Shawl Vault And Harry Styles Is Her ...
March 20, 2019
Stevie Nicks performing live onstage in 1978. (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns) Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac is 70 years old and, as shown in a recent Rol...
