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The Artists & Bands behind the tunes!
To learn about popular music and how to play the guitar, you have to study the big songs. The songs that everybody knows, the hits.
To write guitar parts, vocal melodies, chord progressions, and arrange songs, you must learn from the big names behind the big songs. You must dig deep and find out how they did it.
Behind every single song you learn, there’s an artist or band with an entire catalog of music, waiting to be discovered. Let their songs guide you to success.
To find out more about these great women and men, follow the links below.
10cc
With influences such as the late Beatles and Frank Zappa, 10cc was not your average middle-of-the-road band.
Similar to Supertramp, 10cc was prog/rock/pop with long instrumental sections and many styles mixed. Hits include Dreadlock Holiday and I’m Not In Love.
Go to 10cc.
Afroman
Not just known, but defined by his hit single Because I Got High, Afroman was the first artist to go viral as he launched himself on the file-sharing site Napster.
This led to a six-album deal with Universal Records, guess what Afroman did instead of writing more hits?
Go to Afroman.
Christina Aguilera
Starting out alongside Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake on the legendary TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, Christina Aguilera has reached worldwide fame.
Possibly her biggest hit, Beautiful, was written and produced by Linda Perry.
Go to Christina Aguilera.
Arctic Monkeys
As the most hyped band of 2006, The Arctic Monkey released their debut album and played at the Glastonbury festival the following year.
Their best tunes include I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, Mardy Bum, Do I Wanna Know? and Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
Go to Arctic Monkeys.
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen wrote over four hundred songs. His 1938 song Over The Rainbow was voted the twentieth century’s #1 song by the RIAA.
Nobody has had more songs represented in the Great American Songbook than Harold Arlen.
Go to Harold Arlen.
Burt Bacharach
One of the most important composers of the last century, Burt Bacharach’s songs have been recorded by over 1000 artists.
Unforgettable hits include Close To You, Walk On By, Arthur’s Theme, That’s What Friends Are For, What The World Needs Now, and I Say A Little Prayer.
Go to Burt Bacharach.
Chet Baker
Trumpeter, Chet Baker is most famous for singing My Funny Valentine, his approach to jazz pioneered the style of Cool.
As an alternative to contemporary Charlie Parker, Chet recorded many jazz standards including Autumn Leaves, I Fall In Love Too Easy, Stella By Starlight, and A Foggy Day.
Go to Chet Baker.
Gnarls Barkley
The duo of Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green released their debut album St. Elsewhere in 2006 under the name Gnarls Barkley.
The debut album contained the worldwide hit Crazy which made them famous overnight.
Go to Gnarls Barkley.
Fontella Bass
Fontella Bass spent a large amount of her life chasing a royalty check she never received for her million-selling smash hit Rescue Me.
It took her 28 years until she got paid, but it wasn’t in royalties for writing the song.
Go to Fontella Bass.
The Beatles
The Beatles are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music.
As the leaders of the so-called British Invasion, their catchy Rock & Roll infused pop songs took America by storm, creating hysteria everywhere they went.
Go to The Beatles.
Chuck Berry
The father of Rock n Roll, Chuck Berry came to prominence in the 50s as he would make Rhythm n Blues fun.
His best tunes include Maybellene, Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen, No Particular Place To Go, and You Never Can Tell.
Go to Chuck Berry.
Beyonce
Starting out with Destiny’s Child, Beyonce went on to launch a sensational solo career selling 260 million albums.
Beyonce’s best tunes include Bug A Boo, Say My Name, Irreplaceable, Halo, Single Ladies, Deja Vu, Love On Top, Crazy In Love, and Bootylicious.
Go to Beyonce.
The Black Crowes
American The Black Crowes are best known for their own tune Remedy and their Otis Redding cover of Hard To Handle.
These two classics were released over two albums in the early 90s and made The Black Crowes famous worldwide.
Go to The Black Crowes.
Blink-182
Following in the commercially successful footsteps of Green Day, Blink-182 made the switch from indie rock skate punk to stadium punk pop.
With hits like All The Small Things and What’s My Age Again? The band took the world by storm using immature humor and outrageous music videos.
Go to Blink-182.
Blues Brothers
The 1980 Musical Blues Brothers tell the story of a band “on a mission from God” to raise money for an orphanage.
Tunes include Gimme Some Lovin’, Rawhide, Shake A Tailfeather, Think, Minnie The Moocher, Soul Man, and Jailhouse Rock.
Go to Blues Brothers.
Booker T. & The M.G.’s
Led by piano and organ player Booker T. Jones, the Stax Records house band played behind numerous legendary artists.
Hits include Green Onions, Born Under A Bad Sign, (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, Ain’t No Sunshine, Soul Man, Hold On I’m Coming, Knock On Wood, and Respect.
Go to Booker T. & The M,G.’s.
David Bowie
David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, and audio engineer.
His biggest hits include (Is There) Life On Mars?, Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Let’s Dance, China Girl, and Heroes.
Go to David Bowie.
