Asha Bhosle

Asha Bhosle (Marathi: आशा भोंसले) (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. She is best known as a Bollywood playback singer, although she has a much wider repertoire. Her career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 1100 Bollywood movies and sold many records. She is the sister of the equally accomplished Lata Mangeshkar.
Bhosle is considered one of the most versatile South Asian singers — her range of songs includes film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, Rabindra Sangeets and Nazrul Geetis. She has sung in over 14 languages including Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay and Malayalam.
Bhosle is believed to have sung over 12,000 songs. Though her sister, Lata Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records during 1974-1991, for having sung the most songs in the world, reputed sources have introduced concerns to its veracity, claiming that the Guinness counts were exaggerated and Bhosle had recorded more songs than Mangeshkar. Bhosle herself pointed out that she had made the most recordings by any singer - 12,000.

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar (Marathi: लता मंगेशकर; born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She sang in over 980 Bollywood movies and has sung songs in over twenty regional Indian languages, but primarily in Hindi. She is the elder sister of the equally accomplished singer Asha Bhosle and lesser-known singers, brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar and sisters Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar.
Lata is the second vocalist ever to have received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.
Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she has recorded no less than 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974 (30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987, according to 1987 edition). Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar's sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had.

USTAD MEHDI HASAN

Hassan was born in the village of Luna in Rajasthan, India in 1927 into a family of rich traditional musicians. He claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant. Kala means "Art" and Kalawant means "artist" (in any Indian language).
He received his musical training under his father, Ustad Azeem Khan and his uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were classical musicians, well-versed in the dhrupad style of singing. They instructed him in classical music and voice production within the framework of classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, khayal and dadra, from the young age of eight.
Hassan started to perform at a young age and the first concert of dhrupad and kheyal with his elder brother is reported to have been held in Fazilka Bungla near Ferozepur. After the Partition of India, 20-year-old Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships. To make ends meet, Hassan began working in a bicycle shop and later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic. Despite the hardships, his passion for music didn't wither and he kept up the daily routine of practice.

Noor Jehan

Noor Jehan (Urdu: نور جہاں) was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. She is renowned as one of the greatest singers of her time in South Asia and was given the honorific title of Mallika-e-Tarranum (Urdu: ملکہ ترنم, English: the queen of melody).
Born in a family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She holds an astounding record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in various languages of Pakistan including Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages, she is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director.
In 1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award for her acting and singing capabilities.

USTAD TARI KHAN

Ustad Tari Khan's percussion art is a rare experience, a combination of artistic purity, charisma, lyricism, and expressive innovation. The work characterized by his impeccable understanding of music and a sensitivity to artistic values, Ustad Tari Khan is considered as one of the most accomplished exponents of tabla in the world today, and is indeed a torchbearer of the Punjab Gharana.

Ustad Tari Khan has performed in virtually every part of the globe, participating in prestigious festivals and concerts, dazzling and captivating audiences by his extraordinary versatility. Tours abroad have taken him to all continents and almost every major city of the world, and he enjoys a large following. A leading percussionist, he gave a solo tabla recital at the world famous Percussive Arts Society convention in Nashville, and performed at the Boston Conservatory of Music. Ustad Tari Khan has received the highest acclaim for both his accompaniment and solo performances.

Apart from his musical renderings, Ustad Tari Khan holds workshops, seminars, and teaching assignments in cultural institution and universities throughout the world. He conducts individual and group lessons through his school the Tabla Learning Center.

An erudite musician, Ustad Tari Khan has been honored by numerous public and private organizations both at home and abroad, and has carved a permanent niche for himself in the world of fame. He has been crowned with the title of "Tabla Prince of India and Pakistan" and has been decorated with the prestigious Hazrat Ameer Khusro Award.

By the time he was 16 Ustad Tari Khan had already made a name for himself in the art of Ghazals around the world. Having played with such artists as Ghulam Ali, Pervez Mehdi, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and the great Mehdi Hassan. His tabla is in fact revolutionary in the art of Ghazals and is a model for all ghazal tabla players today. At the age of 16, Ustad Tari Khan began showing great creativity in making his own items. His first original item was the "train". In this item he used the tabla to mimic the sounds of a train. Soon he invented his most popular item "International Kherwa". This item showed how different parts of the world play Kherwa or four beats, including Punjab, the Middle East, Europe, America, and Africa.

Lalmani learnt Dhruvapada

Lalmani learnt Dhruvapada (Dhrupad) Dhamar in the tradition of Pt. Shankar Bhatt and Munshi Bhrigunath Lal. He learnt Khayal singing with Ustad Mehndi Hussain Khan, a disciple of Ustad Vazir Khan of Rampur Seni Gharana. He received training in Dhruvpad, Bhajan and Tabla from Swami Pramodanand; in sitar from Shri Shukdev Roy. Under the tutelage of Ustad Amir Ali Khan he perfected several other musical instruments.
Lalmani was appointed on the post of assistant music director in Shehanshahi Recording Company, Calcutta at the tender age of twelve. He worked in several films for the next two years. His interaction with these two, kindled an interest for orchestration in Lalmani.

Ustad Karim Khan

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was invited to the Mysore court where he met famous Carnatic music Carnatic masters which also influenced his music In particular the singing of his Sargam was a direct influence of Carnatic practice He became a frequent visitor to Mysore Darbar which conferred on him the title Sangeet Ratna On the way to Mysore he used to stay with his brother in Dharwad where he taught his most famous disciple Sawai Gandharva In 1900 for eight months he taught Surashri Kesarbai Kerkar Kesarbai Kerkar who would go on to be one of the 20th centurys most renowned vocalists In 1913 he founded the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya in Poona to teach students He would wholeheartedly teach all his students unlike other family ustads of the era He finally settled down in Miraj till his death in 1937 when returning from a concert tour of the south Every year in August commemorative music concerts are held in Miraj
The innovations he brought to his vocal style distinguishes Kirana style from others The slow melodic development of the raga in Vilambit laya slow tempo was the most characteristic aspect of his music He worked hard to maintain his voice to be sweet and melodious which shaped his music The thumri style he developed as also quite different from the poorab ang or punjabi ang His thumri progresses in a leisurely languor with ample abandonment He was also the first Hindustani musician to seriously study Carnatic system and probably the first to be invited to sing all over the south He has even recorded a Thyagaraja Krithi He was also influenced by Rehmet Khan of the Gwalior gharana and adopted the direct style of presentation Bhairavi of Rehmat Khan used to be bright and cheerful Karim Khan perfected it and was able to present an equally bright and cheerful rendering R.C. Mehta

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born on October 13, 1948 in the city of Faisalabad, Pakistan. He was the fifth child and first son of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, a distinguished and legendary musicologist, vocalist, instrumentalist, and Qawwal. Nusrat's family, which included his four older sisters and his younger brother, Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan grew in central Lyallpur, in a small flat which was rented from a local businessman.
Qawwali is a performance art that has traditionally been passed down within families. Nusrat's family has an unbroken tradition of performing Qawwali for approximately 600 years[Nusrat's father was initially reluctant to allow him to enter the family business, instead hoping his son would become a doctor or an engineer, having felt Qawwals had a low social status. However, Nusrat's enthusiasm for Qawwali eventually persuaded his father to train him in the art. Nusrat began by learning to play tabla alongside his father before progressing to learn Raag Vidya and Bolbandish. He then went on to learn to sing within the classical framework of khayal in the Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana and was taught dhrupad from the Dagar family. Khan's training with his father was cut short when his father died in 1964, leaving Nusrat's paternal uncles, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, to complete his training.
His first performance was at a traditional graveside ceremony for his father, known as chehlum, which took place forty days after his father's death. In 1971, after the death of Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, Nusrat became the official leader of the family Qawwali party and the party became known as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan & Party. Nusrat assumed leadership of the party, despite the fact that Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan, who was Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan's son, was considerably older than him.
Nusrat's first public performance as the leader of the Qawwali party was at a studio recording broadcast as part of an annual music festival organised by Radio Pakistan, known as Jashn-e-Baharan. Nusrat went on to distinguish himself from other Qawwals and became renowned on the Indian subcontinent and in the Muslim world. He sang mainly in Urdu and Punjabi and occasionally in Persian, Brajbhasha and Hindi. His first major hit in Pakistan was the song Haq Ali Ali, which was performed in a traditional style and with traditional instrumentation. The song featured restrained use of Nusrat's sargam improvisations and attracted a large number of listeners.
Early in his career, Nusrat was signed up by Oriental Star Agencies [OSA] of Birmingham UK to their Star Cassette Label. OSA sponsored regular concert tours by Nusrat to the U.K. from the early '80s onwards, and released much of this live material (albeit not always very well recorded) on cassette, CD, videotape and DVD. The vast majority of Nusrat's qawwali performances that are available today in video format on various labels comes from these OSA-sponsored concert tours.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

. Ali Akbar Khan was born in the village of Shibpur, Comilla, in present-day Bangladesh (then East Bengal), to Baba Allauddin Khan and Madina Begum. Khan began his studies in vocal and instrumental music at very early age under his father.
He also studied drums from his uncle, Fakir Aftabuddin. His father, Allauddin Khan trained him on several instruments, but decided finally that he must concentrate on the sarod. After years of rigorous training he gave his debut performance in his mid-teens. Khan became the court musician of the royal family of Jodhpur at the age of 22.
Ali Akbar Khan performed all over India to great applause and rave critical acclaim, and also traveled the world extensively in the West. In 1956, Khan founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Calcutta, with the mission to teach and spread Indian classical music. Two years later, he founded another school of the same name in Berkeley, California; it moved to its present location in San Rafael, California in 1968. Khan has been based in the United States since the foundation of the San Rafael school, although he tours extensively. However, ill health in recent times has curtailed this. In 1985 he founded another branch of the Ali Akbar College of Music in Basel, Switzerland.
He is a past master at outlining a melody with great economy of stroke, which has stood him in good stead in his short 78 rpm records in the middle of the last century. His long concert performances progress from the meditative (alap, jod) to the exhilarating (gat, jhala) in a highly structured build-up in the Senia beenkar style. He is also a fine exponent of "sawal-jawab", a dialogue between two instruments (usually one melodic and one percussion). Of late, ill health has reduced the frequency of his concerts and affected his physical dexterity on his instrument.
Khan has participated in a number of classic jugalbandi pairings, most notably with Ravi Shankar, the late Nikhil Banerjee and the violinist L. Subramaniam. A few recordings of some spectacular duets with Vilayat Khan also exist. He has also collaborated with many well-known Western musicians.

Ustad Aashish Khan

Aashish Khan is a representative of a family of great classical musicians of India. His grandfather Ustad Alauddin Khan, a singular phenomenon in the twentieth century Indian classical music, and founder of the "Senia Maihar Gharana" or "Senia Maihar School" of Indian classical music; was called with reverence as "Baba" (or Father) by his fellow maestros and students. His father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan is a distinguished Sarode player. His aunt Annapurna Devi is a Surbahar player and former wife of sitar legend Ravi Shankar

Ustad Alla Rakha Khan

Alla Rakha was born at Phagwal village, near Jammu, India.
He became fascinated with the sound and rhythm of the tabla at the age of 12, while staying with his uncle in Gurdaspur. The determined young lad ran away from home, became a disciple of and began studying tabla with Mian Kader Baksh of the Punjab Gharana. He studied voice and Raag Vidya under Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. His regimen of practice and dedication were legendary: hours upon hours of hard, disciplined practice, that would later pay off.
He was married to Bavi Begum, and has three sons, Zakir Hussain, Fazal Qureshi and Taufiq Qureshi, his daughter Khurshid Aulia nee Qureshi and nine grandchildren.

Ustad Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain was a child prodigy, and was touring by the age of twelve. He went to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career which includes no fewer than 160 concert dates a year.
He has composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has received widespread recognition as a composer for his many ensembles and collaborations.
He received the distinct honor of co-composing the opening music for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 1996. He was commissioned to compose music for Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, and to compose an original work for the San Francisco Jazz Festival, both in 1998. He has received numerous grants and awards, including participation in the Meet the Composer programs funded by the Pew Memorial Trust and an Izzie (Isadora Duncan Award) for his composition for Lines Ballet. In 2000, Zakir worked again with choreographer Alonzo King, this time composing music for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 2002, his commissioned work for choreographer Mark Morris’ “Kolam” premiered as part of Yo Yo Ma’s “Silk Road Project” with Yo Yo and Zakir performing together live for the performance. In September 2006, Triple Concerto for Banjo, Bass and Tabla, a piece co-composed by Zakir, Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck, was performed by the trio with the Nashville Symphony at the gala opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall in Nashville. Zakir reunited with choreographer Alonzo King in 2007 for Lines Ballet’s 25th anniversary celebration, creating acclaimed music for King’s new work, Rasa. Also in 2007, the government of India chose Zakir to compose an anthem to celebrate India’s 60th year of independence. The song, “Jai Hind”, has been recorded by an array of India’s finest classical vocalists and pop singers..
He has composed soundtracks for the films In Custody and The Mystic Masseur directed by Ismail Merchant, Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (for which Zakir composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor), Vanaprastham (The Last Dance), chosen to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1999, Saaz, and Everybody Says I'm Fine.
He starred in the Merchant Ivory Film Heat and Dust, in which he also composed the score. He has composed soundtracks for several movies, most notably In Custody and The Mystic Masseur by Ismail Merchant, and has played tabla on the soundtracks of Francis Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha, and other films.
Zakir is a founding member of Bill Laswell's 'World Music Supergroup' Tabla Beat Science.
He was a visiting professor at Princeton University for one semester in 2006, as well as a visiting professor at Stanford University for a quarter in 2007.
Zakir composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor for Vaanaprastham, which took place at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999. He is the recipient of the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, the United States' most prestigious honor for a master in the traditional arts.

Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. Only two of the founding members are still a part of the lineup: lead vocalist and guitarist Justin Pierre and lead guitarist and backing vocalist Joshua Cain. The band also includes keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, with drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist Tony Thaxton. Motion City Soundtrack has released three studio albums and sold almost 600,000 records throughout their career, including over half a million in the United States alone. Motion City Soundtrack's first release was a 7" single, "Promenade/Carolina", in 1999. The following year they released their debut EP, Kids for America, and then a second, Back to the Beat. They released debut album I Am the Movie twice, in 2002. Their first five releases were all self-released with the aid of a small record label. Backed up by their constant touring it fashioned them a fast growing fan base, and a signing with Epitaph Records.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

The band wasn't originally planning on releasing albums, appearing only on compilation albums for their first year. In 1995, however, the band began releasing singles named after the singer they had covered. They produced Billy, Diamond, Paul, Denver, Barry, Shannon, Stevens, and Elton in this manner. Their first full-length album, Have a Ball, was released July 29, 1997.
Each album by the band is themed differently: Have a Ball focuses on classic 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s songs by singer/songwriters like Elton John, Neil Diamond, and John Denver; Are a Drag consists entirely of show tunes, Blow in the Wind consists of 60s classics, Take a Break consists entirely of contemporary R&B songs by artists such as Boyz 2 Men, Lionel Richie, and Vanessa L. Williams; their fifth album, Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah, was recorded live at an actual bar mitzvah and consists of pop music from the 1960s through the 1980s by artists such as REO Speedwagon, Styx and The Beatles, as well as traditional songs like "Hava Nagila" and Love Their Country's theme is country and western songs such as The Eagles and Garth Brooks. Their latest record, Have another Ball! has the same theme as their debut which is 60's-80's music.

Good Charlotte

Good Charlotte is an American band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. They took their name from the children's book called "Good Charlotte: The Girls of Good Day Orphanage," written by Carol Beach York.
The members of the band are identical twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (lead guitar and backing vocals); Billy Martin (rhythm guitar, keyboards), Paul Thomas (bass guitar) and Dean Butterworth (drums)

FALL OUT BOYS

Fall Out Boy is a Grammy-nominated Pop punk band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of Patrick Stump (vocals and guitar), Joe Trohman (guitar and vocals), Pete Wentz (bass guitar and vocals), and Andy Hurley (drums and percussion).
With Pete Wentz as the band's primary lyricist, and Patrick Stump as the primary composer, Fall Out Boy reached mainstream success with its major label debut, From Under the Cork Tree. Released in 2005, the album won several awards and has achieved double platinum status after selling more than 2.5 million albums in the United States alone.

BOYS LIKE GIRLS

Boys Like Girls is a four-piece American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group completed nationwide tours with Cute Is What We Aim For, Hit the Lights and Butch Walker and topped the Top Unsigned Artist chart on PureVolume, within a few months from forming in late 2005. In August 2006 they released their self-titled debut album Boys Like Girls on Columbia Records/Red Ink. They were the co-headliners for the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour 2008 that recently toured across the U.S. along with Good Charlotte, The Maine, and Metro Station.

BUZZCOCKS

Buzzcocks are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1976, lead by singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete Shelley.
They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial success with singles that fused pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady, described by critic Ned Raggett as a "punk masterpiece" The widely covered "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" remains one of their best-known songs.
The name "Buzzcocks" was chosen by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley after reading the headline "it's the buzz, cocks!" in a review of the TV series Rock Follies in Time Out magazine. The "buzz" is the excitement of playing on stage, "cock" is Manchester slang meaning "youngster". They thought it captured the excitement of the Sex Pistols and nascent punk scene

Cinderrela

Cinderella is an American Rock band from Philadelphia, Penn Sylvania. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation. They were initially famous for being a glam metal and hard rock band, but then shifted over towards a more blues rock oriented sound. By the mid-1990s, the band's popularity waned due to personal setbacks and public changes in musical tastes. The band has sold over 18 million album Cinderella was formed in Philadelphia in 1982 by singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and guitarist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham. The initial lineup also included guitarist Michael Smerick and drummer Tony Destra. In 1985, Smerick and Destra left to form Britny Fox, another Philadelphia-based glam metal band that later relocated to Los Angeles. Cinderella got their big break when Jon Bon Jovi saw them perform at the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia and recommended that his A&R rep Derek Shulman who knew of the band, to see them as well. In 1985, with a recording contract with Mercury/Polygram Records in the works, guitarist Jeff LaBar and drummer Jim Drnec joined the band.s to date worldwide.

LED ZEPPELIN

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands. However, the band's individualistic style draws from many sources and transcends any one genre. Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres also incorporated rockabilly, reggae, soul, funk, classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin and country. The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of album-oriented rock. Close to 30 years after disbanding following Bonham's death in 1980, the band continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million sales in the United States and they have had all of their original studio albums reach the U.S. Billboard Top 10, with six reaching the number one spot. Led Zeppelin are ranked #1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time" and "the biggest band of the '70s".
On 10 December 2007 the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited (along with deceased drummer John Bonham's son, Jason) for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London.

GUNS N' ROSES

Guns N' Roses is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since their formation. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs and one live album during their career.
The band has sold an estimated 100 million albums worldwide, including over 43 million in the United States. The band's 1987 major label debut album Appetite for Destruction has sold in excess of 28 million copies and reached number one on the United States Billboard 200. The album still remains the fastest-selling debut album in history. In addition, the album charted three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Sweet Child O' Mine" which reached number one. The 1991 albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II debuted on the two highest spots on the Billboard 200 and have sold a combined 14 million copies in the United States alone. After over a decade of work, the band released their follow-up album, Chinese Democracy, in 2008.

Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre. As a result he is known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal", and, because of some of his material, the "Prince of Darkness". In the early 2000s, his career as a celebrity hit a new zenith when he became a star in his own reality show, The Osbournes, alongside wife/manager Sharon and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. In August 2008, Osbourne stated in USA Today that he intends to retire from his music career after two more albums.
Osbourne was born in Aston, Birmingham. His father Jack worked shifts as a toolmaker at GEC and his mother Lillian for the car components firm Lucas, to support him and his five siblings. Osbourne reportedly suffered from learning difficulties (claiming to be dyslexic,) making life at Prince Albert Road Junior School and Birchfield Road Secondary Modern School in Perry Barr difficult for him. However, he did like music and took part in school plays. He also became a great fan of The Beatles from the age of 14 when he heard their first hit single. He left school at 15 and was then employed as a construction site labourer, trainee plumber, apprentice toolmaker, car factory worker and slaughterhouse worker. He also spent a few weeks in Winson Green Prison, when he was unable to pay a fine after being found guilty of burglary of a clothes shop.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), and Mike McCready (lead guitar). The band's current drummer is Matt Cameron, formerly of Sound garden, who has been with the band since 1998.
Formed after the demise of Ament and Gossard's previous band Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album, Ten. One of the key bands of the grunge movement in the early 1990s, Pearl Jam was criticized early on — most notably by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain — as being a corporate cash-in on the alternative rock explosion. However, over the course of the band's career its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices, including refusing to make music videos and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."
Since its inception, the band has sold over thirty million records in the U.S., and an estimated sixty million albums worldwide. Pearl Jam has outlasted many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the decade. All music calls Pearl Jam "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s."

Skid Row

Skid Row is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey. They are named after Phil Lynott and Gary Moore's first band. They were most successful in the late 1980s and early 1990s when their first two albums with lead singer Sebastian Bach and drummer Rob Affuso were multi-platinum successes. Their current line-up consists of Johnny Solinger (vocals), Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Scotti Hill (guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass) and Dave Gara (drums). As of the end of 1996 the band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide.

As of 2008, Skid Row has released five full-length albums, an EP, a compilation album, and a live album. For album and single sales information, see the Skid Row discography page. They became popular with their first two albums, Skid Row and Slave to the Grind, which are often considered their best-known works to date. Their last full-length studio album, Revolutions per Minute, came out on October 24, 2006.

They are often associated with glam metal, partly due to their image on their debut album, Skid Row, which spawned the hits "18 and Life", "Youth Gone Wild", and "I Remember You" for the band. They would eventually go on to foster an image base geared toward more traditional heavy metal and hard rock audiences.

SCORPIONS

Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "No One Like You", "Still Loving You", and "Wind of Change". The band has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and were ranked #46 on VH1's Greatest Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself did the vocals. Things began to come together in 1969 when Schenker's younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine joined the band. In 1972, the group recorded and released their debut album Lonesome Crow, with Lothar Heimberg on bass and Wolfgang Dziony on drums. During the Lonesome Crow tour, the Scorpions opened for upcoming British band UFO. Near the end of the tour, the members of UFO offered guitarist Michael Schenker the lead guitar job; an offer which he soon accepted. Uli Roth, a friend of the Schenker brothers, was then called in temporarily to finish off the tour.
The departure of Michael Schenker led to the breakup of the band. In 1973, Uli Roth, who had helped the Scorpions complete the Lonesome Crow tour, was offered the role as lead guitarist, but turned the band down, preferring instead to remain in the band Dawn Road. Schenker eventually decided that he wanted to work with Roth, but did not want to resurrect the last Scorpions lineup. He attended some of Dawn Road's rehearsals and ultimately decided to join the band, which consisted of Roth, Francis Buchholz (bass), Achim Kirschning (keyboards) and Jurgen Rosenthal (drums). Roth and Buchholz persuaded Rudolf Schenker to invite Klaus Meine to join, which he soon did. While there were more members of Dawn Road than Scorpions in the band, they decided to use the Scorpions name because it was well-known in the German hard rock scene and an album had been released under that name.
Artists of Hard Rock program.

Van Halen

Van Halen is a hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1972. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007 Van Halen has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. During the 1980s they also had more Billboard Hot 100 hits than any other hard rock or heavy metal band. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Van Halen is the 19th best selling band/artist of all time with sales of over 56 million albums in the USA and is one of five rock bands that have had two albums sell more than 10 million copies in the USA.
In addition to being recognized for success, the band is known for the drama surrounding the exits of former members. The (multiple) exits of singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar were surrounded in controversy and mass press coverage with various contrasting press statements between them and the band. The band changed style dramatically following the departure of Roth, with his solo career being more similar to the band's original work than Van Halen's own songs with later singers. More recently, Michael Anthony was kicked out of the band for controversial reasons. Following their 2004 concert tour the band was on a hiatus from the public until September 2006, when new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen's place was confirmed and Roth-reunion rumors began to re-surface coinciding with the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on March 12, 2007.After years of speculation, Van Halen began a tour with Roth in late 2007 across North America, which has been extended into 2008. An album is proposed to follow. Along with this, a live tour DVD was announced at their May 13, 2008 concert at the Izod Center that would contain recordings from several performances on their current tour.

WHITE SNEAKS

Whitesnake is an English hard rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple). The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple but by the mid eighties Whitesnake had moved away from the early blues-rock influenced heavy metal to a more commercial hard rock style. David Coverdale founded Whitesnake in 1977. The core line-up had been working as his backing band The White Snake Band on their album tour and they retained the title before officially being known as Whitesnake. They toured with Coverdale as his support band and for both of the solo albums he released, between exiting Deep Purple and founding Whitesnake. During the band's early years their music was primarily (although Coverdale described Whitesnake's early style as "progressive. At this time, the band was made up of, and drummer with keyboardist Brian Johnston. Johnston would soon be replaced by organ player and keyboardist. Because of Solley's commitments he was replaced by the former keyboard player during sessions for the first LP.

The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds are an English rock band, noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. A blues-based band whose sound evolved into experimental rock, they had a string of hits including "For Your Love", "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" and "Heart Full of Soul". They were a crucial link between British R&B and psychedelia.
The Yardbirds were pioneers in almost every guitar innovation of the '60s: fuzz tone, feedback, distortion, backwards echo, improved amplification. They were one of the first to put an emphasis on complex lead guitar parts and experimentation.
The bulk of the band's conceptual ideas, as well as their songwriting, came from the quartet of singer/harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist/bassist Chris Dreja, and bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith, all of whom co-wrote the Yardbirds' original hits and constituted the core of the group. The band's musical foundation would also lay the groundwork for the formation of the 1970s rock band Led Zeppelin, formed by Jimmy Page after the disbandment of the Yardbirds in 1968. The band reformed in the 1990s, featuring McCarty, Dreja, and new members.

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young OM (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director.
Young's work is characterized by deeply personal lyrics, distinctive guitar work, and signature falsetto tenor singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments—including piano and harmonica—his claw hammer acoustic guitar style and often idiosyncratic electric guitar soloing are the linchpins of a sometimes ragged, sometimes polished sound. Although Young has experimented widely with differing music styles, including swing, jazz, rockabilly, blues, and electronic music throughout a varied career, his best known work usually falls into either of two distinct styles: folk-esque acoustic rock ("Heart of Gold", "Harvest Moon" and "Old Man") and electric-charged hard rock (like "Cinnamon Girl", "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"). In recent years, Young has adopted elements from newer styles like industrial, alternative country and grunge. Young's profound influence on the latter caused some to dub him "the godfather of grunge". As of mid-2008, Young has sold an estimated seventy-nine million albums worldwide.
Young has directed (or co-directed) a number of films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including Journey Through the Past (1973), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Human Highway (1982), Greendale (2003), and CSNY Déjà Vu (2008). He is currently working on a documentary about electric car technology, tentatively titled Linc/Volt. The project involves a 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to hybrid technology, which Young plans to drive to Washington, DC as an example to lawmakers there.
He is also an outspoken advocate for environmental issues and small farmers, having co-founded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid, and in 1986 helped found The Bridge School, and its annual supporting Bridge School Benefit concerts, together with his wife Pegi (in this, Young's involvement stems at least partially from the fact that both of his sons have cerebral palsy and his daughter, like Young himself, has epilepsy).
Although Young sings as frequently about U.S. legends and myths as he does about his native country, he remains a Canadian citizen and has never wanted to relinquish his Canadian citizenship.

Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist.
In his teens, he acquired a taste for percussion-based avant-garde composers like Edgard Varèse, and 1950s rhythm and blues music. He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm and blues bands—he later switched to electric guitar. He was a self-taught composer and performer, and his diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often impossible to categorize. His 1966 debut album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, combined songs in conventional rock and roll format with collective improvisations and studio-generated sound collages. His later albums shared this eclectic and experimental approach, irrespective of whether the fundamental format was one of rock, jazz or classical. He wrote the lyrics to all his songs, which—often humorously—reflected his iconoclastic view of established political processes, structures and movements. He was a strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, and a forthright and passionate advocate for freedom of speech and the abolition of censorship.
Zappa was a highly productive and prolific artist and he gained widespread critical acclaim. Many of his albums are considered essential in rock history, and he is regarded as one of the most original guitarists and composers of his time; he remains a major influence on musicians and composers. He had some commercial success, particularly in Europe, and for most of his career was able to work as an independent artist. Zappa was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
Zappa was married to Kathryn J. "Kay" Sherman from 1960 to 1964, and in 1967 he married Adelaide Gail Sloatman, with whom he remained until his death from prostate cancer in 1993. They had four children: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Gail Zappa manages the businesses of her late husband under the name the Zappa Family Trust.

Angel

Angel was a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, DC, formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. It was signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white. Angel was discovered by KISS bass player Gene Simmons performing at a nightclub and was signed to Kiss’s record label Casablanca.
Angel's image of dressing in all white was a deliberate contrast to Kiss, which wore black. Angel sported an androgynous image and elaborate stage sets. It was slammed by rock critics, and Frank Zappa ridiculed the all-male band’s female appearance in the song “Punky’s Whips.” [2]Angel never achieved mass commercial success but acquired a following as a cult band.
Its first album was the self-titled Angel and consisted of guitarist Punky Meadows, bassist Mickie Jones, vocalist Frank Dimino, keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, and drummer Barry Brandt[3]. This lineup would hold for the following two albums, Helluva Band and On Earth As It Is In Heaven, after which Jones would be replaced by Felix Robinson.
It made an appearance in the film Foxes and Frank DiMino sang “Seduce Me Tonight” on the Flashdance soundtrack.
Although Angel never officially disbanded, members went on to other things following the release of their live album. Lead vocalist Frank Dimino joined UFO guitarist Paul Raymond in the Paul Raymond Project in which he sang lead vocals. Bassist Felix Robinson played on the debut album of the band White Lion, Fight to Survive. Angel’s keyboardist Gregg Giuffria had modest success as the leader of the band Giuffria during the 1980s as well as with the band House of Lords. The band (sans Giuffria) reunited in 2002 and released a new album The Power And The Myth on Frontiers Records. In 2006, Giuffira appeared as a guest keyboardist on World Upside Down. House of Lords released Come to My Kingdom in 2008 without Giuffria.

Alter Bridge

Alter Bridge is an American post-grunge/alternative metal band based in Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by Mark Tremonti (lead guitar, vocals), Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums), all former members of Creed, with Myles Kennedy (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), formerly of The Mayfield Four. The band was formed in 2004 by Mark Tremonti and Scott Phillips, both formerly of Creed, which had gone through a breakup due to issues with singer Scott Stapp. According to Tremonti, "Creed had taken its course," and both he and Phillips, after jamming shortly after Stapp's departure and attempt at a solo career, realized that they were anxious to start recording and performing music again.
They reunited with former bassist Brian Marshall, who had left Creed much earlier, and called up guitarist/vocalist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four, a rock band that Creed had toured with earlier in the band's career before they made it big. Kennedy, Tremonti, Phillips, and Marshall started a new band, and soon, after juggling a few names (one of which was One Day Remains, which eventually became the title for their debut album), settled on the moniker Alter Bridge, which was named after a bridge in Detroit near Tremonti's home on Alter Road. The bridge led to a bad side of town, and the neighborhood children were not allowed to cross because of this. Thus, according to Tremonti, the name of the band symbolizes going over into the unknown and starting something new.

Airbourne (band)

Airborne is an Australian rock and roll band originating from Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, where they gained a steady follow the band was formed in 2003 by the brothers Joel and Ryan O'Keeffe. Joel picked up his first guitar at the age of 11 and Ryan had his first drum kit at the same age with Joel being 15 at the time. It would take the brothers several years to find likeminded musicians with the same taste for making Rock 'N' Roll music in their hometown. Joel was introduced to guitarist David Roads when the two worked at the Hotel Warrnambool. Bringing their guitars to work and, after their shifts, jamming on song ideas, Dave was soon asked to join the O’Keeffe brothers for a jam at their house. Bassist Justin Street completed the picture in 2003, when Ryan ran into him while stumbling home drunk from a party one night. As it turned out his new mate played bass, and was interested in jamming with a band that were looking to Airborne’s independent eight track EP 'Ready to Rock' was released in 2004. In early 2005, the band relocated to Melbourne. Later that year, the band signed a five album record deal with Capitol Records and have since supported Mötley Crüe, Motörhead and The Rolling Stones, as well as playing in several summer music festivals. move to Melbourne. Finally, Airborne was born. Wing with their hard rock sound.

Alias (band)

Alias was an Album-oriented rock/hard rock band, formed in 1988 by vocalist Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi of the Canadian arena rock band Sheriff ("When I'm With You"), along with Heart founding members Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike DeRosier.
The band released its self-titled debut album in 1990 which went gold in the US and platinum in Canada, scoring hits with power ballad "More Than Words Can Say" (#2), "Waiting For Love" (#13) and "Haunted Heart" (#18). They also recorded the Tonio K song "Perfect World" for the Christina Applegate film, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.
Alias toured extensively through 1990, including touring with REO Speedwagon. The band also performed twice on The Tonight Show, once with Johnny Carson and once with Jay Leno.
BMI presented Freddy Curci with the "Million-air award" for "More Than Words Can Say". According to BMI’s web site, only 1,500 songs have achieved Million-air status (one million air plays) among the 4.5 million songs by 300,000 BMI represented artists. One million performances is the equivalent of approximately 50,000 broadcast hours, or more than 5.7 years of continuous airplay.
Alias was featured in the Top 20 AOR Records of All Time, ranked at number 17. The impressive list includes Def Leppard, Foreigner, Toto, Boston and Journey.
In early 2005, an acoustic version of the band's hit ballad "More Than Words Can Say" was released on a VH1 compilation disc, Classic Metal Mania: Stripped.
Also in early 2005, "More Than Words Can Say" was featured in a Subway commercial aired during the Super Bowl.
In January 2009, Alias announced the release of their long awaited second album. This album, appropriately titled “Never Say Never”, was recorded in 1992 and was planned to follow their highly praised debut album, but due to the rapidly evolving music scene of that time where grunge was the on the rise and metal was fading, it was never released. A few of the songs from this album were re-recorded and appeared on lead vocalist Freddy Curci’s solo album Dreamer’s Road, however many tracks remained unreleased. In support of the release of the album, Alias have planned a series of performances for 2009, but the band member lineup for the tour has yet to be announced.

Aerosmith

Aerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, glam, and rhythm and blues, which has inspired many subsequent rock artists. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. By 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston.
They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972, and released a string of multi-platinum albums, beginning with their 1973 eponymous debut album. In 1975, the band broke into the mainstream with the album Toys in the Attic, and their 1976 follow-up Rocks cemented their status as hard rock superstars. By the end of the 1970s, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the "Blue Army". However, drug addiction and internal conflict took their toll on the band, which resulted in the departures of Perry and Whitford, in 1979 and 1981 respectively. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasing a lone album, Rock in a Hard Place, which went gold but failed to match their previous successes.
Although Perry and Whitford returned in 1984 and the band signed a new deal with Geffen Records, it wasn't until the band sobered up and released 1987's Permanent Vacation that they regained the level of popularity they had experienced in the 1970s.Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the band scored several hits and won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinum albums Pump (1989), Get a Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997). Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock 'n' roll history. After 39 years of performing, the band continues to tour and record music.
Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide, including 66.5 million albums in the United States alone. They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group. The band has scored 21 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, nine #1 Mainstream Rock hits, four Grammy Awards, and ten MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 they were ranked #57 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

AUDIO SLAVE

Audioslave was an American hard rock super group that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of ex-Sound garden front man and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello (lead guitar), Tim Commerford (bass and backing vocals) and Brad Wilk (drums). Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage against the Machine and Sound garden, but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that it had established a separate identity.
The band's trademark sound was created by blending 1970s hard rock with 1990s grunge. Moreover, Morello incorporated his well-known, unconventional guitar solos into this mix. As with Rage Against the Machine, the band prided themselves on the fact that all sounds on their albums were produced using only guitar, bass, drums and vocals; no samples were ever used.
After Audioslave released three successful albums, received three Grammy nominations, and became the first American rock band to perform an open-air concert in Cuba, Cornell issued a statement in February 2007 that he was permanently leaving the band "due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences". As the other three members were busy with the Rage Against the Machine reunion, and Morello and Cornell had each released solo albums in 2007, Audioslave was officially disbanded

Lee Aaron

Lee Aaron (born as Karen Lynn Greening on July 21, 1962 in Belleville, Ontario) is a Canadian rock and jazz singer. She had several hits with titles such as "Metal Queen", "Whatcha Do to my Body", and "Sex with Love". According to her official website, and despite rumrours to the contrary, Lee will continue to perform selections from h As a child, Aaron was involved in a near fatal car accident which required facial reconstruction surgery. After starting her career in glam metal music, at 16 she joined a rock group named Lee Aaron in Brampton, Ontario. Aaron eventually adopted the name as her own and formed a new band, releasing her first long play in 1982. John Albani, a guitar player in her band, helped her write the vast majority of the songs. "Buzz" Shearman, Bill Wade, Terry Juric, and Earl Johnson all former members of the Canadian rock band Moxy would all appear on her debut album called The Lee Aaron Project released in 1982. She then began touring in Europe - in England and Germany. In 1983 as a promotional stunt, Aaron posed nude for American adult magazine OUI, which failed to make an impact on her album sales or her career. In late 1983 she recorded her second album titled Metal Queen which was released in 1984.
She toured Europe regularly during the 1980s, where most of her early success was found. By 1990, she was considered a leading Canadian rock singer with the help of her 1989 Bodyrock album with sales of more than 200,000 units. In 1996, Aaron joined with three former members of the band Sons of Freedom in the one-off band 2preciious.
Lee and her husband John are the parents of two children. Their first, is a girl named Angella born June 7, 2004 and the latest addition to their family - Jett Forrester Cody - born January 7, 2006.
Also recently Lee Aaron has reissued most of her albums on CD through Unidisc Music Inc.

Jon Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is an American hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s. Over the past 25 years, Bon Jovi has sold over 120 million albums worldwide.
Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.), 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 25 years. After two moderately successful albums in 1984 and 1985, the band scored big with Slippery When Wet (1986) and New Jersey (1988), which sold a combined 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, charted eight Top Ten hits (including four number one hits), and launched the band into global super stardom. After 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. In 1992, the band returned with the double platinum Keep the Faith and has since created a string of platinum albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2006, the band won a Grammy for best Country Collaboration for "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and also became the first rock band to reach #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the same song. The band has also received multiple Grammy nominations for music from the albums Crush, Bounce, and Lost Highway.
Throughout their career, the band has released ten studio albums, of which nine have gone platinum in US. In addition, the band has charted 19 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, five of which reached #1 - "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Bad Medicine", "I'll Be There for You" and Jon Bon Jovi's solo hit "Blaze of Glory". 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.

God Of Guitar

Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30, 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader. Malmsteen became notable in the mid-1980s for his technical fluency and neo-classical metal compositions. Four of his albums, from 1984 to 1988, Rising Force, Marching Out, Trilogy, and Odyssey, ranked in the top 100 for sales. Malmsteen was born in Stockholm, Sweden, as the third child of a musically talented family. At age seven, he saw a television news report on the death of Jimi Hendrix. To quote his official website, "The day Jimi Hendrix died; the guitar-playing Malmsteen was born". At the age of 10 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsteen as his surname, slightly changed it to Malmsteen, and Anglicized his given name Yngve to "Yngwie". Yngwie also created his first band "Track On Earth" at the age of 10, consisting of himself and a friend from school on drums. Malmsteen was a teenager when he first encountered the music of the 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical music influence.

Through his emulation of Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency. Malmsteen guitar style includes a wide, violin-like vibrato inspired by classical violinists, and use of such minor scales as the Harmonic minor, and minor modes such as Phrygian, and Aeolian. Malmsteen also cites Brian May of Queen, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Uli Jon Roth, Alex Lifeson of Rush, and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple as influences.