Rock Artist Biographies, Discographies, Websites, Store

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The name "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each of the group members' given names (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid), and the group took this name officially in late 1973. The group's name is officially trademarked with the first "B" reversed ( ), so that the left and right halves of the name are mirror-images of one another • Abba Website • Abba Discography • Abba Store

Adem has recently finished work on his third album Takes, a collection of cover songs which have influenced the artist over the years, some dating back to his youth. The album includes tracks originally written and performed by Yo La Tengo, The Smashing Pumpkins, Björk, dEUS among others. • Adem Website • Adem Discography • Adem Store

AFI has released eight studio albums over 18 years as a band, the first being Answer That and Stay Fashionable in 1995. The band then went on to release Very Proud of Ya the next year, followed up by a third in three years, Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes. Over the years, AFI has changed its style from the earlier days of hardcore punk, to the horror punk-influenced sound of 1999's Black Sails in the Sunset and 2000's The Art of Drowning. It wasn't until this, the band's fifth album, that the band first featured on the charts, as The Art of Drowning peaked at #172 on the Billboard 200. • AFI Website • AFI Discography •

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977. The band recorded their highly successful album Highway to Hell in 1979. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released their best-selling album, Back in Black • AC/DC Website • AC/DC Discography • AC/DC Store

Adams has also produced albums by Jesse Malin and Willie Nelson and contributed to the albums of various artists, including: Toots & the Maytals, Beth Orton, Minnie Driver, Counting Crows, America and Cowboy Junkies. He also appeared on CMT Crossroads with Elton John. • Ryan Adams Website • Ryan Adams Discography  • Ryan Adams Store

Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 17 million albums worldwide, including 11.5 million in the United States alone. The band achieved two number-one Billboard 200 albums (Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains), 11 top ten songs on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and six Grammy Award nominations. • Alice In Chains Website •  Alice in Chains Discography

In the years following his American Idol appearance, Aiken has launched eight tours, authored a New York Times best-selling book Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life with Allison Glock, and was the executive producer for a 2004 televised Christmas special, A Clay Aiken Christmas. He has been a frequent talk show guest, particularly on The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He appeared as a guest star on Scrubs and participated in comedy skits on Kimmel, Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. • Clay Aiken Website • Clay Aiken Discography

Their debut self-titled studio album, The All-American Rejects, was originally released in 2002, producing the successful single "Swing, Swing". The album went on to sell over one million records in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

The band's second album, Move Along (2005), brought the band more mainstream success. The album produced three hit singles; "It Ends Tonight", "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along". "Dirty Little Secret" and "It Ends Tonight" reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Move Along" peaking at number 15. "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along" were also accredited double platinum status with over two million digital sales in the United States. The album Move Along itself was certified double platinum in the US by the RIAA. • All American Rejects Website • The All-American Rejects Discography

In 1971, George Kimball of Rolling Stone Magazine hailed them as "the best damn rock and roll band" of "the past five years." The band has been awarded eleven Gold and five Platinum albums between 1971 and 2005. Rolling Stone ranked them 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004. The band continues to record and tour to the present day. • Allman Brothers Band Website • The Allman Brothers Band Discography

As the founding editor of the pioneering Sniffin' Glue fanzine, Mark Perry gained attention in the English punk scene. He formed the band while producing the fanzine, although eventually diverted his energies solely to this band.

Key members of the band were Perry and Alex Fergusson, who described their music as "closest to Can and reggae-type rhythms" • Alternative TV Website • Alternative TV Discograhy

The band emerged from the radical West German commune scene of the late 1960s, with others in the same commune including the future founders of the Baader-Meinhof Group (the Amon Düül II band members disagreed with their violent agenda).  Founding members are Chris Karrer, Peter Leopold, Falk Rogner, John Weinzierl and Renate Knaup. Their first album Phallus Dei (God's Penis), released in 1969, is considered a milestone in German rock history • Amon DUUl ll Website • Amon Düül II Discography

She has also invented several devices that she has used in her recordings and performance art shows. In 1977, she created a tape-bow violin that uses recorded magnetic tape on the bow instead of horsehair and a magnetic tape head in the bridge. In the late 1990s, she developed a talking stick, a six-foot-long batonlike MIDI controller that can access and replicate different sounds. • Laurie Anderson Website • Laurie Anderson Discography  

Joan Armatrading was born in Basseterre, Saint Kitts in the West Indies and moved with her family to Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, in 1957. She began writing lyrics and music at the age of 14. Her first job was working at Rabone Chesterman (makers of fine engineering tools), in Hockley, Birmingham. She was sacked from this job because she insisted on bringing her guitar to work and playing during tea breaks. • Joan Armatrading Website  • Joan Armatrading Discography

They are best known for their bright, catchy lyrics and 60s pop/rock sound that often evokes comparisons to The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys, and, with the release of New Magnetic Wonder, Electric Light Orchestra. • The Apples in Stereo Website • The Apples in Stereo Discography

The first three demos from Argent, recorded in the autumn of 1968 featured Mac MacLeod on bass guitar.

The other original members were bassist Jim Rodford (Rod Argent's cousin and formerly with the Mike Cotton Sound), drummer Robert Henrit and guitarist/keyboardist Russ Ballard (both formerly with The Roulettes and Unit 4 + 2). Lead vocal duties were shared between Ballard and Argent.

Rod Argent, Chris White (former Zombies bassist) and Russ Ballard were the group's songwriters. Some of Ballard's compositions became hits when they were covered by other artists, including Kiss, Rainbow, Hello and Santana. • Argent Website • Argent Discography

The band's trademark sound was created by blending 1970s hard rock with 1990s alternative rock. 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. • Audioslave Website • Audioslave Discography

 Average White Band has continued recording (Soul Tattoo 1997, Face to Face, 1999) and touring since. When Eliot Lewis left AWB in September 2002 to pursue other musical opportunities, he was replaced by Klyde Jones (see). Their most recent album release in April 2003 was entitled Living in Colour.• Average White Band Website • Average White Band Discography

The band's line-up changed numerous times in its first few years. The constant member has been guitarist / vocalist / singer-songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 to 1984. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) joined the band in 1984, and played on the Knife album. By the time of their third album, Love (1987), Frame was the only de facto member of the band: this and future albums credited to Aztec Camera were actually performed by Frame and studio musicians hired on a track-by-track basis.• Aztec Camera Website • Aztec Camera Discography