Happy Birthday JEFF LYNNE (video)

#jefflynne #elo #travelingwilburys #rockfileradio

Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra. He was later a co-founder and member of the Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Lynne has produced recordings for artists such as the Beatles, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Roy Orbison, Dave Edmunds, Del Shannon and Tom Petty. He has co-written songs with Petty and also with George Harrison, whose 1987 album Cloud Nine was co-produced by Lynne and Harrison. Among the many compositions to his credit are such well-known hits as "Livin' Thing", "Evil Woman", "Turn to Stone", "Do Ya", "Strange Magic", "Sweet Talkin' Woman", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Hold on Tight", "Don't Bring Me Down", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin'", "Handle with Care" and "End of the Line".

In 2008, The Washington Times named Lynne the fourth greatest record producer in music history.

On September 10, 2015, Lynne's web site announced he had signed a contract to deliver an album of new ELO music for Columbia Records marking the first time in 14 years new ELO music would be released On September 24, 2015, under the name Jeff Lynne's ELO, "When I Was a Boy", the first single from Alone in the Universe was released on the internet with a music video released not long after. The album was released on November 13, 2015 and was followed by promotional shows including the first ELO shows in the United States in 30 years. A 2016 European tour has been scheduled.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday DEXTER HOLLAND (video)

#dexterholland #theoffspring #rockfileradio

Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965) is an American musician and molecular biology graduate student, best known as the singer, rhythm guitarist, and primary songwriter for the punk rock band The Offspring.

After recording a demo in 1988, The Offspring signed a deal with a small-time label, Nemesis Records, for whom they recorded their first full-length album, The Offspring, in March 1989. This album would eventually be re-issued on November 21, 1995 by Holland's own record label, Nitro Records.

In 1991, The Offspring signed with Epitaph Records (home of Bad Religion, L7, NOFX, Pennywise and other similar bands). Their first release on the label was Ignition, which was released in 1992. Their last album for that label was 1994's Smash, which still holds the world record for most sales of an album on an independent label. The band then signed with Columbia Records in 1996 (although Dexter claims that Brett Gurewitz, owner of Epitaph and guitarist for Bad Religion, sold the contract to Columbia) for whom they released their next six albums, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), Americana (1998), Conspiracy of One (2000), Splinter (2003), Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008), and their most recent, Days Go By (2012).

Dexter Holland sometimes plays the piano during live shows. Occasionally the band plays Gone Away, with only Dexter playing the song on piano. Holland sings in the tenor range .

Holland attended Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California, where he graduated as class valedictorian in 1984. During high school, Holland was the best student in mathematics in his year, and he found it "just as exciting as punk rock". He then attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in molecular biology, and commenced a Ph.D. in molecular biology. After the success of The Offspring, he suspended his candidature to focus on music. Holland has said that, at 40 years of age, he would rather be a professor at a university than play music.

As of 2013, Holland is a doctoral student at the Laboratory of Viral Oncology and Proteomics Research, Keck School of Medicine, where he is supervised by Professor Suraiya Rasheed. In March 2013, Holland and co-authors published a paper in PLoS One regarding microRNA in HIV genomes, titled "Identification of Human MicroRNA-Like Sequences Embedded within the Protein-Encoding Genes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus". The original academic paper describes the use of computational molecular biological (in silico) approaches to identify microRNA-like sequences in HIV. These sequences are suggested to have evolved to self-regulate survival of the virus in the host by evading its immune responses and thus influence the persistence, replication, and pathogenicity of HIV.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday RAY THOMAS (video)

#raythomas #themoodyblues #rockfileradio

Raymond "Ray" Thomas (born 29 December 1941) is an English musician, best known as a flautist, singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues.

Some of his compositions are; "Another Morning" and "Twilight Time" (from Days of Future Passed), "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" and "Legend of a Mind" (from In Search of the Lost Chord), "Dear Diary" and "Lazy Day" (from On the Threshold of a Dream), "Eternity Road",and "Floating" (from To Our Children's Children's Children), "And the Tide Rushes In" (from A Question of Balance), "Our Guessing Game" and "Nice to Be Here" (from Every Good Boy Deserves Favour) and "For My Lady" (from Seventh Sojourn). He also co-wrote "Watching and Waiting" with Justin Hayward for To Our Children's Children's Children in 1969 and "The Dreamer" c. 1971 which he also sang, and which has been added to the remastered CD versions of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday EDGAR WINTER (video)

#edgarwinter #rockfileradio

Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American rock and blues musician. He is known for being a multi-instrumentalist — keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist and percussionist — as well as a singer. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, and their popular songs "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride".

Winter was born to John Winter II and Edwina Winter on December 28, 1946, in Beaumont, Texas. Both he and his late musician brother Johnny were born with albinism, and both were required to take special education classes in high school. Winter states, "In school I had a lot of friends. I wore a lot of white shirts to, like, blend in I guess. No one really gave me a hard time about being albino or taking special education classes. Then again, I wasn't really popular."

By the time Edgar Winter left his hometown of Beaumont, Texas in the 1960s, he was already a proficient musician. A child prodigy who achieved international success as a youth, Winter has found an audience in a number of major commercial entertainment media, including music, film and television.

Winter's music encompasses many different genres, including rock, jazz, blues, and pop. From his critically acclaimed 1970 debut release, Entrance, he has demonstrated his unique style and ability to cross the genre lines and do the unexpected. His early recording of "Tobacco Road" propelled him into the national spotlight. Edgar followed Entrance with two hit albums backed by his group White Trash, a group originally composed of musicians from Texas and Louisiana. White Trash enjoyed huge success, both with the 1971 release of the studio album, Edgar Winter's White Trash (album), and with 1972's follow-up live gold album, Roadwork.

In late 1972, Winter brought together Dan Hartman, Ronnie Montrose and Chuck Ruff to form The Edgar Winter Group, the legendary band that created such hits as the number one "Frankenstein" and the ever popular "Free Ride". Released in November, 1972, They Only Come Out at Night peaked at the number 3 position on the Billboard Hot 200 and stayed on the charts for an impressive 80 weeks. It was certified gold in April 1973 and double platinum in November 1986.

Winter invented the keyboard body strap early in his career, an innovation that allows him the freedom to move around on stage during his multi-instrument high-energy performances.

After They Only Come Out At Night, Winter released Shock Treatment, featuring guitarist Rick Derringer in place of Ronnie Montrose. Later albums included Jasmine Nightdreams, The Edgar Winter Group with Rick Derringer, a live album, Together Live With Johnny Winter, Recycled, a reunion with White Trash, Standing On Rock, Mission Earth, Live In Japan, Not A Kid Anymore, The Real Deal, and Winter Blues.

Major national television and radio campaigns have used Winter's music to advertise their products. Winter has also made frequent television appearances, both to promote his music, and to give his opinions on everything from Politically Incorrect to a commercial with George Hamilton for Miller Lite beer. He has appeared in the film Netherworld, and the TV shows The Cape, Mysterious Ways, David Letterman, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Winter's music has been used in many film and television projects, including Netherworld, Air America, Dazed and Confused, My Cousin Vinny, Encino Man, Son In Law, What's Love Got to do With It, Wayne's World 2, Starkid, Wag the Dog, Knockabout Guys, Duets, Radio, The Simpsons, Queer as Folk, and Tupac Resurrection. Winter's song "Dying to Live" is featured as "Runnin” (Dying To Live) in the film Tupac Resurrection, the biography on the life of rapper Tupac Shakur. Produced by Eminem, the song includes vocals by the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Edgar Winter himself. "Runnin" was on numerous Billboard charts. It peaked at number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles Sales chart, and the soundtrack CD was number 1 for 8 consecutive weeks.

Winter's CD and DVD, titled, "Live At The Galaxy" was recorded live at the Galaxy Theatre for Classic Pictures in 2003. It features the songs, "Keep Playing That Rock and Roll", "Turn On Your Love Light", "Free Ride", "Texas", "Show Your Love", "New Orleans", "Frankenstein" and "Tobacco Road". In addition, the DVD includes a 30 Minute Documentary, "Edgar Winter: The Man and His Music".

Winter also played with Ringo Starr in his ninth All-Starr Band in 2006, in his tenth All-Starr Band in 2008 and in his eleventh All-Starr Band in 2010-11. On the 2010-11 tour, Winter would play with Rick Derringer again.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday TERRY BOZZIO (video)

#terrybozzio #frankzappa #missingpersons #rockfileradio

Terry John Bozzio (December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.

Terry Bozzio was born December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw The Beatles premier performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and begged his father for drum lessons. During the 1960s, he played in the garage bands Blue Grass Radio, The Yarde, and Tamalpais Jungle Mountain Boys.

In 1972 Bozzio played in the rock musicals Godspell and Walking in my Time. He also began playing in local jazz groups with Mark Isham, Peter Maunu, Patrick O'Hearn, Mike Nock, Art Lande, Azteca, Eddie Henderson, Woody Shaw, Julian Priester, Eric Gravatt, Billy Higgins, Andy Narell, Hadley Calliman, Mel Graves, and Mel Martin. He became a regular in the Monday Night Jim Dukey Big Band at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall.

He recorded and toured with Frank Zappa beginning in 1975, and appeared, also as a vocalist, on a number of Zappa's most successful albums, including Zoot Allures, Zappa in New York, Sheik Yerbouti and Thing-Fish, and in the concert movie Baby Snakes (which includes him singing lead on a portion of the song "Punky's Whips"). He is noted for performing Zappa's "The Black Page", a piece of music designed to be a "musician's nightmare" a page so filled with notes as to be almost black.

In 1977 he joined The Brecker Brothers with long time San Francisco friend and guitarist Barry Finnerty. With The Brecker Brothers, Bozzio toured and recorded the album "Heavy Metal Be-Bop." Shortly after, he was dismissed by Zappa as he joined Group 87 with Mark Isham, Peter Maunu, Patrick O'Hearn and Peter Wolf. The group auditioned for and got a record deal with CBS; Bozzio declined membership in the group and then auditioned unsuccessfully for Thin Lizzy.

After Bill Bruford & Allan Holdsworth departure from the band UK in late 1978, Bozzio joined Eddie Jobson and John Wetton to continue UK as a trio. The trio recorded Danger Money and Night After Night and toured the US twice (supporting Jethro Tull), as well as Europe and Japan.

After UK disbanded in early 1980, Bozzio, ex-Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and then-wife and vocalist Dale Bozzio founded the band Missing Persons. Missing Persons released the albums Spring Session M (which went Gold), Rhyme & Reason, and Color in Your Life. They also toured the US & Europe and appeared on TV and radio shows.

After Missing Persons breakup in 1986, Bozzio joined ex-Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor's solo band. He also played on sessions with Robbie Robertson, Gary Wright, Don Dokken, XYZ, Paul Hyde, Herbie Hancock, Dweezil Zappa, and Richard Marx. During this time he began touring as a clinician/solo drummer and recorded Solo Drums which was his first instructional video for WB. Bozzio joined Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck to make the video "Throwaway", and teamed up with Beck and keyboardist Tony Hymas to co-write/produce and perform on the Grammy Award winning album Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop. promoted on The Arsenio Hall Show, it was Jeff Beck's first ever live appearance on American TV.

Between the years of 1990–1995 Terry developed ostinato-based drum solo compositions and recorded his second instructional video Melodic Drumming and the Ostinato Volumes 1, 2, and 3, as well as Solo Drum Music Volumes 1 & 2 on CD. He also joined Tony Hymas, Tony Coe, and Hugh Burns to form the band Lonely Bears and record The Lonely Bears, Injustice, and The Bears are Running, while living in Paris, France. He also formed the band Polytown with David Torn and Mick Karn.

From 1995 to 2002 Bozzio did tours of the US, Australia, Canada & Europe as a solo drum artist as well as recording two solo CDs: Drawing the Circle and Chamberworks. With bassist and Chapman Stick player Tony Levin and guitarist Steve Stevens, he formed the group Bozzio Levin Stevens, which released two albums: Black Light Syndrome in 1997, and Situation Dangerous in 2000.

In 2001, he teamed up with Chad Wackerman to produce the Duets video and Alternative Duets CDs. Bozzio was inducted into the Modern Drummer "Hall of Fame" and won the Clinician of the Year award twice as well as Drum Magazine's Drummer of the Year and Best Clinician. Internationally, he received Slagwerkkrant Magazine's (Netherlands) and Player Magazine's (Japan) Best Drummer Award.

Bozzio was inducted into Guitar Center's RockWalk in Hollywood on January 17, 2007 along with rock and roll icons Ronnie James Dio and Slash. Bozzio also worked with the nu-metal band Korn on their 8th studio album after the departure of their drummer David Silveria. He was scheduled to play on the road with the band during the Family Values Tour, but he left and was replaced by Joey Jordison of Slipknot and later Ray Luzier.

Since November 2008 Bozzio has toured with guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Pat Mastelotto as the experimental super-group HoBoLeMa. He has also hosted on Drum Channel.

UK have recently reformed with John Wetton, Eddie Jobson and Terry Bozzio for a world tour in 2012.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday MICK JONES (Video)

#mickjones #foreigner #spookytooth #rockfileradio

Michael Leslie "Mick" Jones (born 27 December 1944) is an English guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founding member of the rock band Foreigner. Prior to Foreigner, he was in the band Spooky Tooth.

Jones was born in Somerton, Somerset. He began his music career in the early 1960s as a member of the band Nero and the Gladiators, who scored two minor British hit singles in 1961. After the demise of the band, Jones worked as a songwriter and session musician in France for such artists as Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday ("The French Elvis"), for whom he wrote many songs, including "Je suis né dans la rue" and "À tout casser" (which features Jimmy Page on guitar). When The Beatles toured France in 1964, they befriended Mick when Hallyday played on the same bill as they did.

After leaving France to return to his home country, Jones joined Gary Wright, formerly of the band Spooky Tooth, to form Wonderwheel in 1971. In 1972 Jones and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth, and after this Jones was a member of the Leslie West Band. He also played guitar on the albums Wind of Change (1972) for Peter Frampton, and Dark Horse (1974) for George Harrison.

In 1976 he formed Foreigner with Ian McDonald and recruited vocalist Lou Gramm. Jones co-produced all of the group's albums and co-wrote most of their songs with Gramm. Jones wrote the band's most successful single, "I Want to Know What Love Is". Tensions developed within the band during the late 1980s and were attributed to a difference in musical taste between Gramm, who favoured a more hard-edged rock, as opposed to Jones' interest in synthesisers. Gramm left the band in 1990 but returned in 1992. In 1989, Jones released his only solo album titled Mick Jones on the Atlantic Records label. Jones is the only person to play on every Foreigner album.

In between his Foreigner commitments, Jones also started a side career as a producer for such as albums as Van Halen's 5150 (1986) and Billy Joel's Storm Front (1989).

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday MIKE PINDER (video)

#mikepinder #themoodyblues #rockfileradio

Michael Thomas "Mike" Pinder (born 27 December 1941, Erdington, Birmingham, England) is an English rock musician, and is a founding member and original keyboard player of the British rock group the The Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's album, Octave, in 1978. He is especially noted for his technological contribution to music.

Pinder was born to Bert and Gladys Pinder in Kingstanding, Birmingham, and as a young adult played in El Riot and the Rebels, a rock band that achieved some regional success. Bandmates in El Riot included future Moody Blues members Ray Thomas and John Lodge. After a spell in the British Army, Pinder and Thomas played together in a band called the Krew Cats; the band wound up in Germany playing at some of the cellars where The Beatles had polished their musicianship. Pinder and Thomas, completely broke, wound up walking across northern Europe to get back home to England.

Around this time, Pinder was employed by Streetly Electronics, a firm that manufactured the Mellotron.

Pinder, Thomas, and members of other successful Birmingham bands (Denny Laine, Clint Warwick and Graeme Edge) formed The Moody Blues in 1964. Their initial single, "Steal Your Heart Away" on Decca, failed to chart. Their second release, however, reached the UK Top spot in January 1965. After their No.1 chart hit "Go Now" in 1965, the band went on to have a further UK hit with "I Don't Want To Go On Without You" and then release their first album The Magnificent Moodies (Decca) in mono only, on which Pinder took the lead vocal on a cover of James Brown's "I Don't Mind". The album was released in the USA, retitled as Go Now on London records.

Mike Pinder was instrumental in the selection of young Swindon guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Justin Hayward as Laine's replacement. It was Pinder who phoned Hayward up and then collected him at the train station. Old friend John Lodge from the El Riot days came in to replace the temporary Rod Clarke as permanent bassist/vocalist, thus setting the 'Classic' Moodies lineup in place.

After an initial abortive attempt to continue with R&B material, the band decided to drop all covers and record only original songs. Pinder and Hayward duly led the way. Hayward's "Fly Me High" was the first release from the revised lineup, released on Decca in early 1967 with Pinder's older-style rocker "Really Haven't Got The Time" as the B-side.

A recorded but unreleased Mike Pinder song from this time (1967) was the jazz-blues ballad, "Please Think About It", which would later be included on the Caught Live Plus Five double album issued by Decca in 1977.

Pinder obtained a secondhand mellotron from Streetly and, after removing all the 'special effects' tapes (train whistles, cock crowing, etc.) and then 'doubling up' the string section tapes, used it on numerous Moody Blues recordings. This began with their single "Love and Beauty", a 'flower power' era song written and sung by Pinder, and his only Moodies 'A' side after 1966. Pinder introduced the mellotron to his friend John Lennon. The Beatles subsequently used the instrument on "Strawberry Fields Forever".

Pinder's "Dawn (Is A Feeling)" - with lead vocals by Hayward, and Pinder himself singing the bridge section - led off the Days of Future Passed album, on which Pinder also contributed "The Sun Set" and narrated drummer Graeme Edge's opening and closing poems, "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament".

Pinder and Moodies recording engineer Derek Varnals, plus longtime producer Tony Clarke (a Decca Staff Producer assigned to them from 'Fly Me High' onwards) managed to create an innovative way of playing and recording the unwieldy mellotron to make the sound 'flow' in symphonic waves, as opposed to the sharp cutoff the instrument normally gave. This symphonic sound would largely characterize the Moodies' famous core seven albums between 1967 and 1972. Pinder actually switched to the similar-sounding but less-troublesome chamberlin for 1971's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and 1972's Seventh Sojourn.

Pinder was one of the first musicians to use the mellotron in live performance, relying on the mechanical skills garnered from his time with Streetly to keep the unreliable instrument in working order. Typical of his travails was the Moodies' first US concert. When the band struck their first harmony, the back of the mellotron fell open and all of the tape strips cascaded out. Pinder grabbed his tool box and got the instrument back into working order in 20 minutes time, while the light crew entertained the audience by projecting cartoons.

In addition to the mellotron, organ and piano, Pinder also played harpsichord, Moog synthesizer, tablas, various forms of keyboards and percussion, autoharp, tambura and both acoustic and electric guitars on Moody Blues recordings from 1967 onwards, as well as providing key vocal harmonies from 1964 to 1978 and lead vocals. Pinder also acted as the group's main in-house arranger up to 1978.

Pinder wrote several of the Moodies' more progressive, even mystic numbers, including; '(Thinking is) The Best Way To Travel', 'Om', (both from 1968's 'In Search of the Lost Chord'), plus the innovative symphonic rock piece "Have You Heard/The Voyage/Have You Heard (part two)" which concluded their 1969 album, On the Threshold of a Dream. Parts of this track later featured on the Loving Awareness jingles on Radio Caroline during the 1970s. Pinder also continued to narrate Edge's poems, notably 'The Word' (1968); 'In The Beginning' (with Edge himself and Hayward) and 'The Dream' (both 1969); and 'The Balance' (1970).

On Edge's 'Higher And Higher' (1969) Pinder's mellotron simulated the sound of a rocket blasting off to open the "To Our Children's Children's Children" album, to which he wrote and sang "Sun is Still Shining" and a rare co-written song (with John Lodge), "Out and In", on which he also sang lead vocals. Pinder's mellotron stood out particularly on tracks such as Edge's instrumental "Beyond" and the Hayward-Thomas closing track "Watching And Waiting".

Pinder's earlier non album song "A Simple Game" (1968), for which he won an Ivor Novello Award, was used as the 'B' side to their UK hit single "Ride My See Saw" on Deram; this song plus Pinder's other "On The Threshold of A Dream" song "So Deep Within You" (1969) were both later successfully covered by The Four Tops.

Also in 1971 Pinder guested on John Lennon's Imagine album on "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier (I Don't Wanna Die)" and "Jealous Guy", playing tambourine rather than the mellotron because according to Pinder, the tapes in Lennon's mellotron looked like a bowl of spaghetti, hence the switch to tambourine.

By 1972, The Moodies, then at the height of their popularity, retreated to Mike Pinder's home studio to record Seventh Sojourn, which included two Pinder penned and sung contributions: "Lost in a Lost World", and "When You're A Free Man", dedicated to Timothy Leary.

The Moody Blues took a break from recording in 1974, and Pinder relocated to California, releasing a solo album The Promise in 1976 through the Moodies' Threshold label.

In 1977 the band returned to recording and performing; Pinder declined full participation, although he collaborated on the 1978 release Octave by recording an unused Promise-era song "One Step Into the Light" with the band. He also added some synthesizer and backing vocals to the album, notably the album intro to Lodge's "Steppin' In A Slide Zone" and the instrumental climax on Edge's "I'll Be Level With You"; he then stopped coming to the sessions when interpersonal conflicts (mostly with Edge) arose. After Pinder refused to tour, the band hired Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz in his place.

Pinder took employment as a consultant to the Atari computer corporation (primarily working on music synthesis), remarried, and started a family in Grass Valley, California. He remained out of the public eye until the mid-1990s, when he began to grant interviews and to work on new recording projects. The year 1994 saw the release of his second solo album, Among the Stars, on his own One Step label, to limited success. Another One Step release, A Planet With One Mind (1995), capitalised on Pinder's experience as chief reciter of Graeme Edge's poetry on the seminal Moody Blues albums; in this recording, Pinder reads seven children's stories from different world cultures, accompanied by appropriate world music. As his first spoken word album, it was well received among its contemporaries in the genre - it was a finalist for the Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence in Audio as an outstanding children's recording.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday LARS ULRICH (video)

#larsulrich #metallica #rockfileradio

Lars Ulrich (born December 26, 1963) is a Danish drummer and one of the founding members of American heavy metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle-class family. A tennis player in his youth (he is the son of former tennis pro Torben Ulrich), Ulrich was originally a drummer in San Francisco. He then moved to Los Angeles at age sixteen in the summer of 1980 to train in the sport of tennis; though rather than playing tennis, he began playing the drums. After publishing an advertisement in a local Los Angeles newspaper called The Recycler, Ulrich met James Hetfield and formed Metallica.

In 1981, Ulrich discovered British heavy metal band Diamond Head. He was excited about the band's style of music after purchasing their debut album Lightning to the Nations (1980). He traveled from San Francisco to London to see the band perform live at the Woolwich Odeon. Ulrich remains a fan of Diamond Head and mixed its album The Best of Diamond Head. Upon returning to America, Ulrich placed an ad in a local newspaper looking for musicians to start a band with him. James Hetfield replied to the ad, and Metallica was formed.

He got the name "Metallica" from a friend, Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a heavy metal fanzine he was creating, and Metallica was one of the options, the other being "Metal Mania". Lars encouraged him to choose Metal Mania, and used the name Metallica for himself. He became known as a pioneer of fast thrash drum beats, featured on many of Metallica's early songs, such as "Metal Militia" from Kill 'Em All, "Fight Fire with Fire" from Ride the Lightning, "Battery" and "Damage Inc." from Master of Puppets and "Dyers Eve" from ...And Justice for All. He has since been considerably influential due to both the popularity of his band, as well as his drum techniques, such as the double bass drum in the song "One" (...And Justice for All) and the opening of "Enter Sandman" (Metallica). Since the release of Metallica, Ulrich adopted a less focused and simplified style of drumming, and reduced his kit from a 9-piece to a 7-piece.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday EDDIE VEDDER (video)

#eddievedder #pearljam #rockfileradio

Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson; December 23, 1964) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for being the lead vocalist and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. Known for his distinctive and powerful vocals, he has been ranked at #7 on a list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time", compiled by Rolling Stone. He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums by other artists. In 2007, Vedder released his first solo album as a soundtrack for the film Into the Wild (2007). His second album, Ukulele Songs, along with a live DVD titled Water on the Road, was released on May 31, 2011.

In the early 1980s, as a waiter, Eddie earned his high school GED, and briefly attended a community college near Chicago. In 1984, Vedder returned to San Diego, with his girlfriend, Beth Liebling. He kept busy recording demo tapes at his home and working various jobs, including a position as a contracted security guard at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. Vedder had several stints in San Diego area bands, including Surf and Destroy and The Butts. One of those bands, called Indian Style, included future Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk. In 1988, Vedder became the vocalist for the San Diego progressive funk rock band Bad Radio. The music of the original incarnation of the band was influenced by Duran Duran; however, after Vedder joined Bad Radio, the band moved on to a more alternative rock sound influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

After leaving Bad Radio, Vedder was without a band, and for the rest of the 1980s he worked part-time as a night attendant at a local gas station. Through the Southern California music scene, Vedder met former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who became a friend of Vedder and who would play basketball with him. Later in 1990, Irons gave him a demo tape from a band in Seattle, Washington that was looking for a singer. He listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him. Vedder wrote lyrics for three of the songs in what he later described as a "mini-opera" entitled Momma-Son. The songs tell the story of a young man who, like Vedder, learns that he had been lied to about his paternity and that his real father is dead, grows up to become a serial killer, and is eventually imprisoned and sentenced to death. Vedder recorded vocals for the three songs, and mailed the demo tape back to Seattle. The three songs would later become Pearl Jam's "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps".

After hearing Vedder's tape, former Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament invited Vedder to come to Seattle to audition for their new band. They were instantly impressed with his unique sound. At the time, Gossard and Ament were working on the Temple of the Dog project founded by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell as a musical tribute to Mother Love Bone's frontman Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose at age 24. Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and newcomer Mike McCready were also a part of the project. The song "Hunger Strike" became a duet between Cornell and Vedder. Cornell later said of Vedder that "he sang half of that song not even knowing that I'd wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it, just instinctively." Vedder would provide background vocals on several other songs as well. In April 1991, Temple of the Dog was released through A&M Records.

Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 by Ament, Gossard, and McCready, who then recruited Vedder and three different drummers in sequence. The band originally took the name Mookie Blaylock, but was forced to change it when the band signed to Epic Records in 1991, instead calling their debut album Ten, after Blaylock's jersey number.

Ten broke the band into the mainstream, and became one of the best selling alternative albums of the 1990s, being certified 13x Platinum. The band found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention given to the Seattle music scene and the genre known as grunge. The single "Jeremy" received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock Performance in 1993. Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its music video for "Jeremy", including Video of the Year and Best Group Video. Ten ranks number 207 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Jeremy" was ranked number 11 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday DAVE MURRAY (video)

#davemurray #ironmaiden #rockfileradio

David Michael Murray (born 23 December 1956) is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Along with the group's bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris, Murray has appeared on all of the band's releases.

Growing up in various areas of London, Murray became a member of a skinhead gang before he took an interest in rock music at 15 and formed his own band, Stone Free, with childhood friend Adrian Smith. After leaving school at 15, he regularly answered advertisements which appeared in Melody Maker before auditioning for Iron Maiden in 1976. A short while later, Murray was sacked following an argument with the group's lead vocalist, Dennis Wilcock, and spent six months in Smith's band, Urchin. In Spring 1978, Murray was asked to rejoin Iron Maiden following Wilcock's departure, in which he has remained to this day.

Murray's solo guitar style throughout his career has been mainly based on the legato technique, such as on "The Trooper", which he claims "evolved naturally. I'd heard Jimi Hendrix using legato when I was growing up, and I liked that style of playing." He has also written songs for the band, though he is less prolific than other band members, usually forgoing lyric writing and concentrating on the musical elements of songwriting. He mainly co-writes songs with another member of Iron Maiden, "Charlotte the Harlot" (from 1980's Iron Maiden) being to date the only composition to which he is solely credited. Murray and Harris are the only members of Iron Maiden to have appeared on every one of the band's releases.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday ADRIAN BELEW (video)

#adrianbelwe #kingcrimson #rockfileradio

Adrian Belew (born Robert Steven Belew, December 23, 1949) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock group King Crimson (which he fronted from 1981 to 2009) and for his unusual, impressionistic approach to guitar playing which frequently involves sounds more akin to animals and machines than to standard instrumental tones.

Widely recognized as an "incredibly versatile player", Belew has released nearly twenty solo albums for Island Records and Atlantic Records which blend Beatles-inspired pop-rock with more experimental fare. His 2005 single "Beat Box Guitar" was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category. In addition to being a member of King Crimson, he is also in the more straightforward pop band The Bears and fronted his own band, "Gaga", in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He has worked extensively as a session and touring musician, most famously with Talking Heads, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, and Nine Inch Nails.

Belew has recently moved into instrument design, collaborating with Parker Guitars to help design his own Parker Fly signature guitar. This guitar is noticeably different from the standard design, containing advanced electronics such as a sustainer pickup and a Line 6 Variax guitar modelling system. It is also MIDI-capable, allowing it to be used with any synthesizer with MIDI connectivity.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday SHAUN MORGAN (video)

#shaunmorgan #seether #rockfileradio

Shaun Morgan Welgemoed (born 21 December 1978), known publicly as Shaun Morgan, is a South African (Afrikaner) musician and singer for the post-grunge, alternative metal band Seether.

Prior to forming the band, Saron Gas, Morgan was a member of a tribute band, tributing songs of bands such as Korn and Metallica. In May 1999, Morgan became the rhythm guitarist and back-up vocalist of a new band, Saron Gas. There were four other members to the band; a female vocalist, a lead guitarist, bassist and drummer. However, when the singer and guitarist did not turn up to the first practice, the band decided to stay as a three-piece, with Welgemoed on lead vocals and guitar. Saron Gas enjoyed moderate success before the bass player decided to quit in January 2000, causing Welgemoed to get in touch with the only other good bass player he knew, Dale Stewart. The band released an album later that year, entitled Fragile.

In January 2002, the band relocated to the United States to sign with Wind-up Records. During this time the band’s original drummer left to return home to South Africa, whilst the two remaining members were left to think of a new band name, at the request of Wind-up. Eventually they settled on Seether, after the Veruca Salt song of the same name. Around this time, Morgan decided to use his middle name as his last name professionally while performing for Seether because Americans have a hard time pronouncing "Welgemoed". Seether went on to release their debut major-label album, Disclaimer, on 20 August 2002.

Since then, Seether has released three more studio albums; Karma and Effect (2005), Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (2007), and Holding On To Strings Better Left To Fray (2011). In addition, they released the compilation album Disclaimer II in 2004, and the live CD/DVD One Cold Night in 2006. In 2009, the band released three new songs; one a Seether original entitled "No Shelter", the second being a cover of George Michael’s "Careless Whisper" which Morgan and Dale have said had a special significance to the band and "I've got you under my Skin" a Frank Sinatra cover for Sinatra's tribute album "His Way, Our Way".

In 2013, Morgan collaborated with Hall of Fame Band Lynyrd Skynyrd and guitarist John5 on "Sad Song," a song that appeared in the Deluxe version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's album "Last of A Dyin' Breed."

Bands that have influenced Morgan include Nirvana, Portishead, Silverchair, The Beatles, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam (mainly the album Vs.) and Deftones.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday BRETT SCALLIONS (video)

#brettscallions #fuel #rockfileradio

Brett Allen Scallions (born on December 21, 1971) is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band World Fire Brigade and the current vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and lyricist of post-grunge band Fuel.

Scallions was born in Brownsville, Tennessee. He was Fuel's vocalist for the original incarnation of the band from 1993 to 2006. During that time, the band released multiple albums including the double platinum Something Like Human. He left the band because of personal reasons and disagreements in the band, not from a torn ligament in his throat as previously reported.

After Scallions left Fuel, he joined a band called The X's playing bass. The X's released one album before going on "hiatus." He also recently joined Circus Diablo, a Los Angeles-based rock band while simultaneously playing with the X's.

In March 2007, Scallions was selected as the singer for Riders on the Storm, a project featuring former The Doors members Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek.

On March 9, 2010, the single "Something to Believe" by Hollow featuring Brett Scallions and Ken Wallace was released on iTunes via Koch Records. Scallions contributed the lead vocals.

He is currently married to Abby Gennet, guitarist and lead singer of Slunt. They have two sons together; Jagger Song Scallions (born September 7, 2007), and Sawyer Cruz Scallions (born December 9, 2010) Scallions has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader (#50).

source: wikipedia

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