Renaissance are a progressive rock band. The original line-up included two former members of the Yardbirds, Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, along with John Hawken, Louis Cennamo and Relf’s sister Jane. They intended to put “something together with more of a classical influence”. Renaissance was born, and the band released a studio album in 1969, […]
Wade in the Water
“Wade in the Water” is the name of a spiritual first published in New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901) by John Wesley Work II and his brother, Frederick J. Work. It is associated with the songs of the Underground Railroad. The song relates to both the Old and New Testaments. […]
The Thrill Is Gone
“The Thrill Is Gone” is a slow minor-key blues song written by West Coast blues musician Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell in 1951. After working in clubs, he broke through with his 1950 song “Why Do Things Happen to Me” inspired by an auto accident which paralyzed his right arm. Hawkins continued to release singles […]
Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood is an English singer, songwriter and musician whose genres include progressive rock, rhythm and blues, pop rock, and jazz. Though primarily a vocalist and keyboard player, Winwood also plays a wide variety of other instruments; on several of his solo albums he has played all instrumentation, including drums, mandolin, guitars, bass and saxophone. […]
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, born in Cleveland. Her parents divorced when she was four years of age. She was raised by her mother, who bought her music-loving three-year-old daughter a ukulele despite having little money. Chapman began playing the guitar and writing songs at age eight. She says that she may have been […]
Sade
Helen Folasade Adu, known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade, is a British singer, songwriter, and actress, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. She has been credited as one of the most successful British female artists in history, and is often recognised as an influence on contemporary music. Born in Ibadan, […]
Wish You Were Here
“Wish You Were Here” is a song by Pink Floyd. It was released as the title track of their 1975 album Wish You Were Here. In the original album version, the song segues from “Have a Cigar” as if a radio had been tuned away from one station, through several others (including a radio play […]
Amazing Grace
“Amazing Grace” is a Christian hymn published in 1779, with words written in 1772 by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States where it is used for both religious and secular purposes. Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up […]
John Martyn
Iain David McGeachy OBE, known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums, and received frequent critical acclaim. The Times described him as “an electrifying guitarist and singer whose music blurred the boundaries between folk, jazz, rock and blues”. Mentored by Hamish Imlach, Martyn […]
Sandy Denny
Today I am paying tribute to one of the most beautiful voices in English Folk Music. I had the privilege to speak to her briefly in the interval of a Fotheringay Concert at Cheltenham Town Hall. It was a night of amazing music. I have ommitted her classic ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ as […]