Saxon　

Saxon was one of the early leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, alongside Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, even outdistancing them at the onset, only to see their career slide into com ..more

Ian Gillan　

Ian Gillan was one of the foremost vocalists of the heavy metal style of rock that emerged in the 1970s, earning his greatest renown as a member of Deep Purple, though he also led bands na ..more

Tomoyo Harada　

Seikima-II　

Nirvana　

Prior to Nirvana, alternative music was consigned to specialty sections of record stores, and major labels considered it to be, at the very most, a tax write-off. After the band’s second album, 199 ..more

Sammy Hagar　

After spending several years as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the mid-’70s hard rock band Montrose, Sammy Hagar began a solo career that produced several hits and made him an {\a ..more

Patti Smith　

Punk rock’s poet laureate, Patti Smith ranks among the most influential female rock ＆ rollers of all time. Ambitious, unconventional, and challenging, Smith’s music was hailed as the most exc ..more

THE BLUE HEARTS　

Humble Pie　

A showcase for former Small Faces’ frontman Steve Marriott and one-time Herd guitar virtuoso Peter Frampton, the hard rock outfit Humble Pie formed in Essex, England in 1969. Also fe ..more

Bjork　

A visionary artist who effortlessly blends avant-garde and pop elements, Bjork soon eclipsed the popularity of her former group the Sugarcubes when she launched her solo career after the group’s ..more

De La Soul　

At the time of its 1989 release, De La Soul’s debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was hailed as the future of hip-hop. With its colorful, neo-psychedelic collage of samples and styles, plus the ..more

Jimi Hendrix　

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of u ..more

Nicolette Larson　

After working as a backup vocalist for several country-rock acts and serving as a member of Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen for several years during the mid-’70s, vocalist Nicolette Larson ..more

Green Day　

Out of all the post-Nirvana alternative bands to break into the pop mainstream, Green Day were second only to Pearl Jam in terms of influence. At their core, Green Day were simply punk rev ..more

Talking Heads　

This eclectic, sometimes eccentric, and highly acclaimed rock band was formed in early ’70s when David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth met at the Rhode Island School of Design. Almost 10 years s ..more

Sheena Easton　

1980s pop diva Sheena Easton was born Sheena Shirley Orr in Bellshill, Scotland on April 27, 1959. Inspired to pursue a singing career after seeing Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were, she ..more

Judas Priest　

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the ..more

Duran Duran　

Duran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience. And for good reason, too. Duran Duran’s reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion-model ..more

Elvis Presley　

2002 saw a rush of releases to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. A remix of his 1968 single ’A Little Less Conversation’ by Dutch DJ Junkie XL gave Presley his eighteenth No.1 h ..more

Susumu Hirasawa