Ivan Kroshkin

Career

Career

Career

Brown joined Byrd’s vocal group, The Gospel Starlighters. The group was renamed as The Famous Flames and released their debut album ‘Please, Please, Please’ in 1958. The title track of the album became a big hit and charted at No.1 on the R&B chart. However, the band could never replicate their initial success and broke up.

He released the ballad ‘Try Me’ in 1958 which peaked at No.1 on the R&B chart. He also organized a new backing band that was led by J.C. Davis. He revived his relationship with Bobby Byrd.

During the 1960s he released a number of songs that became huge R&B Hits: ‘Night Train’, ‘Lost Someone’, ‘Baby You’re Right’, and ‘Prisoner of Love’. His popularity with the audience was soaring and he was becoming a big star.

In collaboration with Byrd, he formed the production company, Fair Deal. He was a very hardworking performer and toured relentlessly throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, sometimes performing up to six nights week. His hectic schedule earned him the name, ‘The Hardest Working Man in Show Business’.

As a black singer he attained the status of a cultural icon who stood for black pride. Several of his songs, the most notable one being ‘Say It Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud’, contained social messages that the black community could connect to.

By the late 1960s the unique sound of his music had begun to be defined as ‘funk’ style. His song ‘Cold Sweat’ was called as the first true funk song by some music critics. This song was the first of his recordings to feature a drum break and a single chord harmony.

His musical style was continually evolving and formed the base for the development of several musical genres. He also had a major influence on the techniques of rapping.

He was a very good dancer and could perform effortlessly all of the dance moves that were popular during his time: "the camel walk," "the mashed potato," "the popcorn". He was well-known for his energetic and intense performances.

His tours were very popular and his touring shows were considered one of the most extravagant in American popular music. There were between 40 and 50 people in the James Brown Revue who traveled with him to cities all over the country to perform. He could perform more than 330 shows in a year.

His popularity began to wane by the late 1970s and he was no longer considered a dominant force in R&B. By the 1980s he was entangled in a series of legal problems ranging from domestic violence to unlawful possession of firearms and drugs.

Who was James Brown?

Who was James Brown?

Who was James Brown?

James Joseph Brown was a very prominent American musician who contributed immensely to the development of several musical genres including soul music, funk music and rap music. Over a career spanning six decades this highly influential artist redefined the way music was created in America. Regarded as one of the founding fathers of funk music, he has earned many epithets: ‘The Godfather of Soul’, ‘The Original Disco Man’, and ‘Mr. Dynamite’. Brown’s life story is a typical rags-to-riches tale—born into abject poverty during the Great Depression, he had a difficult childhood and became involved in street violence and crimes as a youth. After a jail term he turned to music and joined Bobby Byrd’s vocal group, The Gospel Starlighters. Blessed with an emotive and powerful voice he easily became one of the group’s leaders. The group was renamed as ‘The Famous Flames’ and performed at nightclubs and became popular with the song ‘Please, Please, Please’. By the 1960s, the unique music which Brown created was becoming known as “funk” music—his song ‘Cold Sweat’ which hit No.1 on the R&B Chart was cited as the first true funk song by music critics. Brown’s touring shows were the most extravagant production in American pop music and he could perform more than 330 shows in a year.

Tom Petty moved to Los Angeles and teamed up with Benmont Tench, Ron Blair, and Stan Lynch to form the first lineup of the band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’.Tom Petty moved to Los Angeles and teamed up with Benmont Tench, Ron Blair, and Stan Lynch to form the first lineup of the band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. They released their self-titled album in November 1976 which became a hit in the UK, and eventually, the US. It reached the 24th position on the UK albums chart and the 55th on the US Charts. The song ‘American Girl’ from the album became one of their signature songs.

Tom Petty was a famous singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the popular band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’Tom Petty was a famous singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the popular band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. He became interested in music at the age of ten after a meeting with the legendary singer Elvis. He began his career with a group called the Mudcrutch. After the group’s disbandment, he proceeded to form the band which would eventually become known as ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. Their self-titled debut album was a success, becoming a hit in the UK, and later in the US as well. The band enjoyed continued success in the coming years. Petty also flourished as a solo artist and won several awards over the course of his career. With time, he became one of the world’s bestselling artists and was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’. He was also an occasional actor, having made his debut in the film ‘FM’. He played an important role in the epic adventure film ‘The Postman’ as well, which unfortunately was a commercial and critical disaster. He passed away in 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest following an accidental prescription drug overdose.

Career in Music

Career in Music

Career in Music

Tom Petty moved to Los Angeles and teamed up with Benmont Tench, Ron Blair, and Stan Lynch to form the first lineup of the band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. They released their self-titled album in November 1976 which became a hit in the UK, and eventually, the US. It reached the 24th position on the UK albums chart and the 55th on the US Charts. The song ‘American Girl’ from the album became one of their signature songs.

Their next album ‘You’re Gonna Get It’ was released in 1978 and became an average success. Their third album ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ was one of the band’s most successful albums. It was accredited 2x platinum in the US and 3x platinum in Canada.

The band continued to enjoy success with their next albums including ‘Hard Promises’ (1981), ‘Long After Dark’ (1982), ‘Southern Accents’ (1985) and ‘Let Me Up’ (1987). In 1986, they also embarked on a tour with Bob Dylan, performing on their own and also serving as Dylan’s backup band.

Tom Petty made his solo debut in 1989 with the album named ‘Full Moon Fever’. It was a critical and commercial success, peaking at the 3rd position on the US Billboard 200. Despite his solo success, he did not leave his band. In 1991, they released their eighth album ‘Into the Great Wide Open’, which was a critical and commercial success. In 1996, they released their ninth album ‘Songs and Music from the Motion Picture "She's the One."’

His second solo album ‘Wildflowers’ also became a commercial success. It was met with positive reviews as well. Over the next two decades, he released four other albums with his band, which included ‘Echo’ (1999), ‘The Last DJ’ (2002), and ‘Mojo’ (2010) and ‘Hypnotic Eyes’ (2014). He also released a solo album named ‘Highway Companion’ in 2006. It peaked at the 4th position on the Billboard 200 chart and was praised by the critics.

Who was Tom Petty?

Who was Tom Petty?

Who was Tom Petty?

Tom Petty was a famous singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the popular band ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. He became interested in music at the age of ten after a meeting with the legendary singer Elvis. He began his career with a group called the Mudcrutch. After the group’s disbandment, he proceeded to form the band which would eventually become known as ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’. Their self-titled debut album was a success, becoming a hit in the UK, and later in the US as well. The band enjoyed continued success in the coming years. Petty also flourished as a solo artist and won several awards over the course of his career. With time, he became one of the world’s bestselling artists and was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’. He was also an occasional actor, having made his debut in the film ‘FM’. He played an important role in the epic adventure film ‘The Postman’ as well, which unfortunately was a commercial and critical disaster. He passed away in 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest following an accidental prescription drug overdose.