Blog/News List
Artist of the Month - REO Speedwagon
Forming in Champaign, Illinois in 1967 and selling more than 40 million records, REO Speedwagon achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. While Neal Doughty was attending the University of Illinois as a junior was when he met fellow student Alan Gratzer. Gratzer had been a drummer since high ...
Nov 01, 2018
Album of the Month - Led Zeppelin
Being released in 1969 on January 12th in the US, Led Zeppelin's debut album made it to the Top 20 on the charts in 1969-70 with the UK albums chart being the highest at NO. 6. The album was recorded in October of 1968 in London shortly after the band was formed. The session to record took place before the group...
Sep 14, 2018
Artist of the Month - Billy Idol
First achieving fame in the 1970s as a member of Generation X, Billy Idol embarked on his solo career during the "Second British Invasion" made famous by MTV the early 1980s. His stage name "Billy Idol" was inspired by one of his school teacher's when they described him as "idle". He state...
Sep 14, 2018
Album of the Month - Toto IV
Toto IV is the fourth album from the band Toto that was released in 1982 by Columbia Records. The lead single, "Rosanna", peaked at NO. 2 for five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with "Africa" topping the Hot 100 chart which became the first and only NO. 1 hit for the group. After the succes...
Jul 13, 2018
Artist of the Month - Jeff Beck
Learning on a borrowed guitar and attempting to make his own instrument with glued together cigar boxes as a teenager, it seemed like Jeff Beck has always wanted to play guitar. He has stated that the first time he ever heard an electric guitar was years before he tried building his own at the age of 6. While being emp...
Jul 13, 2018
Album of the Month - Purple Rain
Prince's sixth studio album has been ranked among the best albums in music history. 'Purple Rain' by Prince was the first to feature his band the Revolution while also being the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It was released on June 25th in 1984 by Warner Brothers Records. All of the songs were written b...
Jun 11, 2018
Artist of the Month - Styx
Their first band name was 'The Tradewinds' with Chuck Panozzo on bass guitar, John Panozzo on drums and Dennis DeYoung on vocals/keyboard. After signing with Wooden Nickel Records in 1972, the official band name was "the only one that none of us hated" and the name was Styx. The band released three albums w...
Jun 11, 2018
Artist of the Month - The Guess Who
Formed in Winnipeg in 1965, The Guess Who formed success through the mid-1970s with hits that include; "No Time", "American Woman", "Laughing", "These Eyes", "Undun" and "Share the Land". The band was formed by singer/guitarist Chad Allan in 1958 but was first...
May 11, 2018
Album of the Month - Texas Flood
Texas Flood is the first studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. The album was released on June 13th in 1983 by Epic Records. In 1982, Vaughan and Double Trouble caught the attention of Jackson Browne while performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival. After receiving three days of free use of Browne's recor...
May 11, 2018
Artist of the Month - Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band that was formed in London, England in 1962. The first line-up consisted Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and Ian Stewart. Stewart was dropped from the line up however still filled his duties as the road manager and played on countless record...
Mar 30, 2018