Ludwig Van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (/ˈlʊdvɪɡ væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən/ (About this soundlisten); German: [ˈluːtvɪç fan ˈbeːtˌhoːfn̩] (About this soundlisten); baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist whose music ranks amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire; he remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western […]

War (originally called Eric Burdon and War) is an American funk-rock band from Long Beach, California, known for several hit songs (including “Spill the Wine”, “The World Is a Ghetto”, “The Cisco Kid”, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”, “Low Rider”, and “Summer”).  Formed in  , War is a musical crossover band that fuses elements of […]

Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed in a plane crash eight months into his recording career. Valens had several hits, most notably “La […]

James Lord Pierpont (April 25, 1822 – August 5, 1893) was a New England-born songwriter, arranger, organist, Confederate Soldier, and composer, best known for writing and composing “Jingle Bells” in 1857, originally entitled “The One Horse Open Sleigh”. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and died in Winter Haven, Florida. His composition “Jingle Bells” has […]

Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He is best known as the founder, lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member until 2016.[a] The […]

Thomas Lee Bass (born October 3, 1962) is an American musician and founding member of Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band’s long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects. Early life Lee was born Thomas Lee Bass on October 3, 1962 in Kypseli, Athens, Greece, to […]

Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, songwriter, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Mötley Crüe.[1] Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister bandmate […]

George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a solo career. Michael sold over 80 million records worldwide making him one of the best-selling music […]

Nicholas Allen Jones (born 20 January 1969),  known as Nicky Wire, is the Welsh lyricist, bassist and occasional vocalist  with the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Prior to the group, Wire studied politics at university; this would later influence his lyrical work. He was co-writer of the band’s lyrics (alongside Richey Edwards) from […]

James Dean Bradfield (born 21 February 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He is known for being the lead guitarist and lead vocalist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Biography Early life Born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Bradfield attended the local Oakdale Comprehensive School where he suffered years of cruelty […]

Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the compositions he penned for the film Black Orpheus. Biography Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in Rio de Janeiro. He studied in Rio with Uruguayan classical guitarist Isaías Sávio from […]

Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH FRIBA FCSD FREng RA (born 23 July 1933) is an Italian-British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. Rogers is perhaps best known for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd’s building and Millennium Dome both in London, the Senedd […]

Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (/ˈhæmərstaɪn/; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and […]

Janice Kapp Perry (born 1938) is a composer, songwriter, and author. She is most notable for her work related to her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She has written over 3,000 songs, some of which appear in the church’s official hymnal, Children’s Songbook, and many personal albums, songbooks, […]

Cindy Walker (July 20, 1918 – March 23, 2006) was an American songwriter, as well as a country music singer and dancer. As a songwriter Walker was responsible for many popular and enduring songs recorded by many different artists. She adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwriting, often tailoring particular songs to specific recording artists. […]

Samuel Cook  (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964),  known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He was also influential as a composer and producer, and is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocals and significance in popular music. Cooke was born in Mississippi and moved […]

Benjamin Paul Bruce (born 31 October 1988) is an English musician. He is a solo artist and an actor. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of rock band Asking Alexandria. Bruce founded the band while he was living in Dubai but the band split and Ben moved back to the United Kingdom where […]

Frank Henry Loesser (/ˈlɛsər/; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as […]

Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and spokesperson. She was originally a member of the girl group Choice. In 1995, LaFace Records saw potential in P!nk and offered her a solo recording contract. Her R&B-influenced debut studio album Can’t […]

William H. Mann (born William Isaiah Erlichman, December 20, 1968) is an American songwriter, record producer, creative executive, music publisher, and founder/CEO of independent music publishing company Green & Bloom/Topline,[1] as well as chairman of management firm Manncom. Over a 25-year period, Mann has built his career from homeless street musician to recording artist to […]

Sid Jacobson (born October 20, 1929)[1] is an American writer who has worked in the fields of children’s comic books, popular music, fiction, biography, and non-fiction comics. He was managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics. Jacobson is also known for his late-career collaborations with artist Ernie Colón, including such nonfiction graphic novels […]

Sheldon Allan Silverstein /ˈsɪlvərstiːn/[1] (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999)[2][3] was an American writer known for his cartoons, songs, and children’s books.[2] He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in some works. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold more than 20 million copies.[3] He was the recipient of […]

Brewster Martin Higley VI (November 30, 1823 – December 9, 1911) was an otolaryngologist who became famous for writing “My Western Home.” Originally written in 1872 and published under the title “My Western Home” in the Smith County Pioneer in December 1873, this poem later became the original lyrics for the famous American folk song […]

John Winston Ono Lennon[nb 1] MBE (born John Winston Lennon, 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and peace activist[2] who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in musical history.[3] In 1969, […]

Sir James Paul McCartney CH MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record and film producer who gained worldwide fame as co-lead vocalist and bassist for the Beatles. His songwriting partnership with John Lennon remains the most successful in history.[4] After the group disbanded in 1970, he pursued a solo […]