“Rise” by Herb Alpert (1979) Chart Position – #1 US Billboard Hot 100 / #13 on UK Singles Chart Did You Know?: Alpert had several hits throughout his illustrious career including “This Guy’s Falling in Love with You” (#1 in 1968) – which he was vocalist – and “Diamonds” a 1987 collaboration with Janet Jackson […]

Boz Scaggs is best known for his solo work where he produced multiple hits including “Lowdown,” “Jojo” and “Lido Shuffle.” However, there is much more to the man that is considered one of the pioneers of the smooth pop sound of the 70’s and 80’s. Boz Scaggs went to St. Mark’s School and at an

Yacht Rock is a broad label but usually refers to soft rock, R&B or folk rock. The genre is so popular today that tribute bands such as the amazing Yacht Rock Revue play to thousands of fans every night singing along to classics from the 70’s and 80’s. There is plenty of debate on what

Countless rock artists through the years have used different names than their birth names. However, in the 80’s it seemed be the thing to do – especially for hair metal and heavy metal bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue. And for good reason. Can you imagine buying tickets to a concert to

During the early days of MTV in the early 1980’s, it was nearly impossible to go an hour without seeing a video from either Jefferson Starship / Starship or The J. Geils Band. From 1980 – 1982, The J. Geils Band hit the Billboard Top 40 six times with early MTV staples “Love Stinks” and

Michael McDonald is the king of blue-eyed soul. His voice is everywhere, and we are forever grateful for that. Any music fan knows he was the lead singer of the Doobie Brothers for some of their biggest hits (“Takin’ it To the Streets,” “What a Fool Believes” and “Real Love” to name a few). Those

Where would rock n roll be without the invention of the intro? Sometimes they’re long and glorious (Boston’s “Foreplay/Long Time”) others are short and to the point (“Welcome to the Jungle”). No matter the duration, intros provide bands with an epic way to enter the stage for a show or to give the lead singer

Much like his Toto bandmate, Steve Lukather, drummer Jeff Porcaro was in a class by himself on his instrument. Porcaro played on many great records in the 1970’s and 80’s as an in-demand session player. His work with Toto brought him fame and recognition to the masses but most people in the music industry already

Steve Lukather is a guitarist’s guitar player. Ask around for people in the know and they will tell you that Lukather is the real deal. When most people hear he was a member of Toto, they possibly discount him as the guy playing guitar on Top 40 tunes. And while that is correct (see list

Wendy O. WIlliams (Plasmatics) Lita Ford Joan Jett Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship) Ann Wilson (Heart) Nancy Wilson (Heart) Pat Benatar Courtney Love (Hole) Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) Debbie Harry (Blondie) Doro Pesch Doro (Warlock) Ann Boleyn (Hellion) Janis Joplin Liz Phair