Rokudenashi　

Ramones　

The Ramones were the first punk rock band. Other bands, such as the Stooges and the New York Dolls, came before them and set the stage and aesthetic for punk, and bands that immediately follo ..more

Lovin' Spoonful　

Right on the tails of the Beau Brummels and the Byrds, the Lovin’ Spoonful were among the first American groups to challenge the domination of the British Invasion bands in the mid-’60s. B ..more

Suzi Quatro　

Suzi Quatro was hardly the first Tough Girl in rock ＆ roll -- there were plenty of precursors, from Wanda Jackson and the Shangri-Las to Grace Slick and Janis Joplin -- but Quatro co ..more

Gary Numan　

One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan’s influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, Cars, which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles. That seminal track hel ..more

Wes Montgomery　

Wes Montgomery was one of the great jazz guitarists, a natural extension of Charlie Christian, whose appealing use of octaves became influential and his trademark. He achieved great commercia ..more

Squarepusher　

Tom Squarepusher Jenkinson makes manic, schizoid, experimental drum’n’bass with a heavy progressive jazz influence and a lean toward pushing the cliches of the genre out the proverbial window. Ri ..more

Kim Wilde　

The daughter of ’50s British pop singer Marty Wilde, Kim Wilde had several pop hits during the ’80s. Initially, her synth-driven pop fit in with the new wave movement, but as the dec ..more

Pharoah Sanders　

Pharoah Sanders possesses one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz. Harmonically rich and heavy with overtones, Sanders’ sound can be as raw and abrasive as it is possible f ..more

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku　

Hiroshi Suzuki　

Cyndi Lauper　

Cyndi Lauper began her career as a playful rebel, and matured into one of the best respected artists in American music. Lauper rose to fame in 1983 with the release of She’s So Unusual, an al ..more

Howard Jones　

Howard Jones was one of the defining figures of mid-’80s synth pop. Jones’ music merged the technology-intensive sound of new wave with the cheery optimism of hippies and late-’60s pop. Jones ..more

Mine Kosuke　

Ray Charles　

Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to ..more

The Charlatans (UK)　

For many years, the Charlatans UK were perceived as the also-rans of Madchester, the group that didn’t capture the Zeitgeist like the Stone Roses, or that failed to match the mad genre-bending o ..more

Taisho Maeda　

Laura Nyro　

Laura Nyro was one of pop music’s true originals： A brilliant and innovative composer, her songs found greater commercial success in the hands of other performers, but her own records -- intrica ..more

Snail Mail　

Morikawa Miho