Happy Birthday MIKE PETERS (video)

#mikepeters #thealarm #rockfile

Michael Leslie "Mike" Peters (born 25 February 1959) is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. After the band split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, before reconstituting The Alarm in 2000. Additionally, he is co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation. Between 2011 and 2013, Peters was the vocalist for Big Country as well as The Alarm.

Peters' musical debut came on 10 October 1975, when he fronted Hairy Hippie (named by the disc jockey James Alexander Barr), a band formed with his schoolmates to perform at his sister's 21st birthday party at the Talardy Hotel in St Asaph. The first song performed that night was a cover version of "If You Think You Know How To Love Me" by Smokie.

His first band proper was The Toilets, formed after he saw the Sex Pistols play at Chester in 1976. The first song The Toilets played live was "Nothing To Do" at the Palace Hotel in Rhyl.

Peters, along with MacDonald, Dave Sharp and Nigel Twist (then called Nigel Buckle), formed a band called Seventeen in 1978. The first song Seventeen played was "Pop Generation" at the Bee (now Station) Hotel in Rhyl on 27 May 1978. One single was released in 1979 on the Vendetta label entitled "Don't Let Go."

In 1981 The Alarm was formed and moved to London to tour the club circuit. They were signed by the IRS label. Initially formed as a punk band, the band soon embraced rock, displaying marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular alternative rock band of the 1980s. They retain a loyal following.

The Alarm's highest charting single in Britain was 1983's "Sixty Eight Guns", which reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart. Their 1984 album, Declaration, which contained "Sixty Eight Guns", peaked at number six in the UK Albums Chart.

Source: wikipedia

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Remembering GEORGE HARRISON on his birthday (video)

#georgeharrison #beatles #rockfile

George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism and helped broaden the horizons of his fellow Beatles as well as their Western audience by incorporating Indian instrumentation in their music. Although the majority of the Beatles' songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group included "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", the last of which became the Beatles' second-most covered song.

Harrison's earliest musical influences included George Formby and Django Reinhardt; Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry were subsequent influences. By 1965 he had begun to lead the Beatles into folk rock through his interest in the Byrds and Bob Dylan, and towards Indian classical music through his use of the sitar on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)". Having initiated the band's embracing of Transcendental Meditation in 1967, he subsequently developed an association with the Hare Krishna movement. After the band's break-up in 1970, Harrison released the triple album All Things Must Pass, a critically acclaimed work that produced his most successful hit single, "My Sweet Lord", and introduced his signature sound as a solo artist, the slide guitar. He also organised the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Indian musician Ravi Shankar, a precursor for later benefit concerts such as Live Aid. In his role as a music and film producer, Harrison produced acts signed to the Beatles' Apple record label before founding Dark Horse Records in 1974 and co-founding HandMade Films in 1978.

Harrison released several best-selling singles and albums as a solo performer, and in 1988 co-founded the platinum-selling supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. A prolific recording artist, he was featured as a guest guitarist on tracks by Badfinger, Ronnie Wood and Billy Preston, and collaborated on songs and music with Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Tom Petty, among others. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and (posthumously) for his solo career in 2004.

Harrison's first marriage, to model Pattie Boyd in 1966, ended in divorce in 1977. The following year he married Olivia Harrison (née Arias), with whom he had one son, Dhani. Harrison died in 2001, aged 58, from lung cancer. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India, in a private ceremony according to Hindu tradition. He left an estate of almost £100 million.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday JERRY HARRISON (video)

#jerryharrison #talkingheads #rockfile

Jeremiah Griffin "Jerry" Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician and producer. He achieved fame as the keyboardist and guitarist for pioneering New Wave band Talking Heads and as an original member of The Modern Lovers.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harrison played with Jonathan Richman in The Modern Lovers when he was an architecture student at Harvard University. Harrison was introduced to Richman by mutual friend and journalist Danny Fields and the pair bonded over their shared love of the Velvet Underground. He joined The Modern Lovers in early 1971, playing on their debut album in 1972 (not released until 1976), and left in February 1974 when Richman wished to perform his songs more quietly. Subsequent to his work with The Modern Lovers, Harrison joined Talking Heads; the latter band already had a single out when Harrison joined them.

Harrison's solo albums include The Red and the Black, Casual Gods, and Walk on Water.

After the 1991 break-up of Talking Heads, Harrison turned to producing and worked on successful albums by bands including Hockey, Violent Femmes, The BoDeans, The Von Bondies, General Public, Live, Crash Test Dummies, The Verve Pipe, Rusted Root, Stroke 9, The Bogmen, Black 47, Of A Revolution, No Doubt, Josh Joplin and most recently The Black and White Years, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Bamboo Shoots. He was the producer of the debut album by The Gracious Few (featuring members of Live and Candlebox).

source: wikipedia

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Remembering WALTER BECKER on his birthday (video)

#walterbecker #steelydan #rockfileradio
Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter in Steely Dan.

Becker met his future songwriting partner Donald Fagen while studying at Bard College. After a brief period of activity in New York, the two relocated to California in 1971 and formed the nucleus of Steely Dan, who enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career. Following the group's disbanding, Becker relocated to Hawaii and reduced his musical activity, working primarily as a record producer.

Becker and Fagen reformed Steely Dan in 1993 and have remained active, most notably including their 2000 Two Against Nature album, which won four Grammy Awards. Becker has also released two solo albums, 1994's 11 Tracks of Whack and 2008's Circus Money.

On September 3, 2017, Becker died of esophageal cancer at his home in Manhattan, New York. At the time of his death, no cause or other details were announced, but a statement released in November by Becker's widow detailed his struggle with the disease.

Musicians such as Julian Lennon, Steve Lukather, and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats made public statements mourning Becker's death. Rickie Lee Jones, whose album Flying Cowboys was produced by Becker, recalled her long friendship with him in an editorial she wrote for Rolling Stone.

In a statement released to the media the day of Becker's death, Fagen recalled his long-time friend and musical partner as "Smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter," and closed by stating that he intended to "Keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band."

source: wikipedia

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Remembering BOB MARLEY on his birthday (video)

#bobmarley #rockfile

Robert Nesta Marley, OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter who became an international musical and cultural icon, blending mostly reggae, ska and rocksteady in his compositions. Starting out in 1963 with the group the Wailers, he forged a distinctive songwriting and vocal style that would later resonate with audiences worldwide. The Wailers would go on to release some of the earliest reggae records with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry.

After the Wailers disbanded in 1974, Marley pursued a solo career upon his relocation to England that culminated in the release of the album Exodus in 1977, which established his worldwide reputation and elevated his status as one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, with sales of more than 75 million records. Exodus stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus", "Waiting in Vain", "Jamming", and "One Love". In 1978, he released the album Kaya, which included the hit singles "Is This Love" and "Satisfy My Soul". The greatest hits album, Legend, was released in 1984, three years after Marley died. It subsequently became the best-selling reggae album of all time.

Diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma in 1977, Marley died on 11 May 1981 in Miami at age 36. He was a committed Rastafari who infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is credited with popularizing reggae music around the world and served as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity. Marley has also evolved into a global symbol and inspired numerous items of merchandise.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday JERRY SHIRLEY (video)

#jerryshirley #humblepie #fastway #rockfile

Jerry Shirley (born 4 February 1952, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire) is an English rock drummer, best known as a member of the band Humble Pie, appearing on all their albums. He is also known for his work with Fastway, Joey Molland from Badfinger, David Gilmour, Alexis Korner, Billy Nicholls, Syd Barrett, John Entwistle, Sammy Hagar and Benny Mardones.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday LOL TOLHURST (video)

#loltolhurst #thecure #rockfile

Laurence Andrew "Lol" Tolhurst (born 3 February 1959) is a founding member and the former drummer and keyboardist of British band The Cure. He left The Cure in 1989 and was later involved in the band Presence and his current project Levinhurst. In 2011, he was temporarily reunited with The Cure for a number of shows playing the band's earlier work.

Tolhurst was born in Horley, Surrey, England, the fifth of six children of William and Daphne Tolhurst; he has three brothers (Roger, Nigel, and John) and two sisters (Jane and Barbara). Tolhurst was five years old when he first met Robert Smith at St. Francis Primary and Junior Schools, and thus began a friendship that culminated in the formation of The Cure.

Tolhurst is one of the co-founders of The Cure, and as a drummer he helped write and record the albums Three Imaginary Boys, Boys Don't Cry, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography. After the Pornography tour in 1982 Tolhurst assumed keyboard duties. In late 1988, with the recording of The Cure's eighth studio album Disintegration, some tensions surfaced, when Tolhurst was battling with alcohol and drugs. During the mix of Disintegration, he was fired from the band, and despite getting credit for 'Other Instrument', the other members of The Cure have said that Tolhurst never performed on the album.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday DAVE DAVIES (video)

#davedavies #thekinks #rockfile

David Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies (born 3 February 1947) is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks. In 2003, Davies was ranked 88th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Davies was responsible for the signature distorted power chord sound on The Kinks' first hit, "You Really Got Me". He achieved the sound by slitting the speaker cone on his Elpico amplifier, which he then ran through a larger Vox as a "pre-amp". This sound was one of the first mainstream appearances of guitar distortion, which was to have a major influence on many later musicians, especially in heavy metal and punk rock.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday ROSS VALORY (video)

#rossvalory #journey #rockfile

Ross Lamont Valory (born February 2, 1949 in San Francisco) is an American musician and the band Journey's noted bass player. He and Neal Schon are the only original members of the band still performing with the group. Aside from his termination from the group during the Raised on Radio album sessions and subsequent tour in 1986, Valory has played on all of Journey's albums. For Raised on Radio, he was replaced on bass in the studio by Bob Glaub on three songs, while the remaining songs were played by future American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who also played on the subsequent tour.

He also plays keyboards and guitar.

Valory also played for The Vu, The Storm, Frumious Bandersnatch and the Steve Miller Band.

 

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday GRAHAM NASH (video)

#grahamnash #csn #csny #thehollies #rockfile

Graham William Nash, OBE (born 2 February 1942) is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor voice and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock super group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer. Nash was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997 and as a member of The Hollies in 2010.

Nash was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to music and to charity.

Nash holds four honorary doctorates, including one in Music from the University of Salford in 2011 and his latest Doctorate in Fine Arts from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

source: wikipedia

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