Yosui Inoue　

XTC　

XTC was one of the smartest -- and catchiest -- British pop bands to emerge from the punk and new wave explosion of the late ’70s. From the tense, jerky riffs of their early singles to the ..more

Mavis Staples　

Born in 1939 in Chicago, Mavis Staples achieved wide recognition as lead singer for the Staple Singers. She first recorded solo for Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts include ..more

RIP SLYME　

TAEYEON　

Gary Moore　

One of rock’s most underrated guitarists (both from a technical and compositional point of view), Gary Moore remains relatively unknown in the U.S., while his solo work has brought him substanti ..more

Coldplay　

After surfacing in 2000 with the breakthrough single Yellow, Coldplay quickly became one of the biggest bands of the new millennium, honing a mix of introspective Brit-pop and anthemic rock that ..more

Kylie Minogue　

On the one hand, in the pop music arena, worldbeaters such as Kylie Minogue are few and far between. Singers and performers of her stature and popularity rarely maintain their power for as long as ..more

The Band　

For roughly half a decade, from 1968 through 1975, the Band was one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world, their music embraced by critics (and, to a somewhat lesser degre ..more

Mika Nakashima　

Foo Fighters　

When Foo Fighters released a debut album written and recorded entirely by leader Dave Grohl -- at that point known only as the powerhouse drummer for Nirvana -- in the summer of 1995, few wou ..more

Kanye West　

In the span of three short years, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, ..more

Wham　

Wham! sparked something of a pop revival in the mid-’80s and could arguably be held responsible for sparking off the boy band trend of the ’90s. They were unashamedly pop, to the point of ..more

AZKi　

Geese　

Novelbright　

GACKT　

Francoise Hardy　

Usually thought of as a middle-of-the-road popular singer, Francoise Hardy -- at the beginning of her career, at least -- covered more stylistic ground and owed more debts to pop/rock than she’s gi ..more

Sarah McLachlan　

Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan debuted in 1988 with her piano-based folk-pop, which went on to gain her a devoted following, a number of Juno and Grammy Awards, and placement in the Can ..more

Donald Byrd　

Donald Byrd was considered one of the finest hard bop trumpeters of the post-Clifford Brown era. He recorded prolifically as both a leader and sideman from the mid-’50s into the mid-’60s, most o ..more