All articles tagged with #music history
David Clayton-Thomas, the husky-voiced frontman of Blood, Sweat & Tears whose brass-driven hits like Spinning Wheel helped define late-1960s rock, died at 84 in Toronto; the cause was not disclosed. A Canadian-born artist who rose from a turbulent youth to fame, he led the band to two Grammys before leaving in 1972 and later pursued a solo career, leaving a lasting legacy on horn-rock and popular music.
A countdown of 25 legendary musical duos, detailing how each pairing—from Simon & Garfunkel to Hall & Oates to a wide range of collaborations—shaped genres, delivered enduring hits, and influenced generations across rock, pop, soul, and folk.
A sweeping obituary roundup listing the deaths of dozens of notable musicians and music-industry figures from across rock, jazz, reggae, funk, and pop, with brief notes on their careers and enduring legacies.
Rolling Stone catalogs Bruce Springsteen’s long-running Dylan tribute, detailing 13 Dylan songs Springsteen has performed in concert from the early 1970s to 2026. The piece traces highlights like It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry; Chimes of Freedom; a 2003 Shea Stadium moment where Dylan joined Springsteen for Highway 61 Revisited; rare takes on songs such as Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Like a Rolling Stone, plus 2008’s Mr. Tambourine Man and a 2026 closing performance of I Shall Be Released. It also notes Dylan’s own onstage Dancing in the Dark in 1990 as a counterpoint to this ongoing cross-Generational exchange between two iconic songwriters.
Rolling Stone curates a definitive, genre-spanning list of the 100 greatest guitar solos, arguing that a solo should define the song rather than merely repeat the melody, with jazz excluded and both long epic and concise turns celebrated as landmark six-string moments.
Nedra Talley Ross, the last surviving Ronette, is remembered for the group’s defining 1960s hits and her later life as a Christian minister with her husband, highlighting the Ronettes’ enduring impact on pop and Christmas music.
From a Bell Labs device built to send voices over copper wires, the vocoder became a wartime secret-communications tool and then a global music phenomenon, explored in Version History with Chromeo and friends, and contrasted with Auto-Tune and the Talkbox.
Country Joe McDonald, the Bay Area psychedelic rocker who led Country Joe and the Fish and became synonymous with Woodstock through the provocative 'Fish Cheer' and antiwar anthem 'I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,' died at 84 from Parkinson’s complications in Berkeley. A pioneering but politically sharp musician, his career spanned the band’s influential 1967 Electric Music for the Mind and Body, a long solo run, and later works such as the 1986 Vietnam Experience and the 2017 album 50. He is survived by his wife Kathy and five children.
The piece profiles Billy Preston, the keyboard virtuoso who electrified the 1971 Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden and later scored solo hits, while revealing the private pain behind his public joy—his sexuality, childhood abuse, and years of addiction—set against a backdrop of gospel roots and legendary collaborations, as a new documentary aims to honor his genius amid his life’s silences and tragedy.
David Bowie's childhood home in Bromley, London, will be opened to the public as an immersive experience in late 2027, showcasing his early life and creative beginnings, supported by a £500,000 grant and public fundraising, to celebrate his legacy and inspire future generations.
The article reviews a memoir of Googoosh, Iran's most iconic female singer, highlighting her journey from a childhood performer to a cultural symbol of resilience and exile, and discusses the memoir's strengths and shortcomings in capturing her complex life story.
The article commemorates numerous influential musicians who passed away in 2025, including Brian Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Roberta Flack, Marianne Faithfull, and others, highlighting their contributions to music across various genres and eras.
The article explores Japan's early hardcore punk scene, highlighting its violent, rebellious roots and the societal rejection faced by its members, while emphasizing the scene's unique musical evolution and enduring underground spirit.
The article explores the origins and traditions of wassailing and Christmas carols, highlighting 'The Gloucestershire Wassail' as a centuries-old English song about groups singing at manor houses in exchange for food and drink, and explains the historical and linguistic roots of 'wassail' and the differences between carols and hymns.
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, a soulful singer and backing vocalist for Elvis Presley and a prominent member of the Grateful Dead in the 1970s, has died at 78 due to cancer. She was a significant figure in music, contributing to numerous hits and albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Dead in 1994.