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ABSTRACT
FAMOUS SINGERS AND BANDS IN THE ENGLISH
2010
Contents: page
The Bands

• The Beatles 3
  
• The Who 4
  
• Placebo 5
  
• The Kooks 6
  
• Coldplay 7
  

The Singers

• Sir Elton Hercules John 8
  
• Andrew Abraham 9
  
• Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams 10
  
• Christopher Anthony John " Chris " Martin 11
  

The Bands
The Beatles were an English rock band , formed in Liverpool in 1960 and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. From 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon ( rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison ( lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from folk rock to psychedelic pop, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as the "Beatlemania" fad, transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. The group came to be perceived as the embodiment of progressive ideals , seeing their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s .
With an early five - piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), The Beatles built their reputation in Liverpool and Hamburg clubs over a three- year period from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional outfit by music store owner Brian Epstein after he offered to act as the group's manager , and with their musical potential enhanced by the hands -on creativity of producer George Martin, The Beatles achieved UK mainstream success in late 1962 with their first single , "Love Me Do". Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to the recording studio until their breakup in 1970. Each then found success in an independent musical career . McCartney and Starr remain active ; Lennon was shot and killed in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001.
During their studio years, The Beatles produced what critics consider some of their finest material , including the album Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), widely regarded as a masterpiece . Four decades after their breakup, The Beatles' music continues to be popular. The Beatles have had more number one albums on the UK charts, and held down the top spot longer, than any other musical act. According to RIAA certifications , they have sold more albums in the US than any other artist. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the all-time top- selling Hot 100 artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with The Beatles at number one. They have been honoured with 7 Grammy Awards , and they have received 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors . The Beatles were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most important and influential people.
The Who are an English rock band which was formed in 1964: vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction. The Who have sold about 100 million records and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States with 17 top ten albums, including 18 Gold , 12 Platinum and 5 Multi -Platinum album awards in the United States alone .
The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, boosted in part by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline , beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain ". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five. They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with " Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles ". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop and Woodstock music festivals . The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who By Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).
Moon died at the age of 32 in 1978, after which the band released two studio albums, the UK and US top five Face Dances (1981) and the US top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before disbanding in 1983. They re-formed at events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000, the three surviving original members discussed recording an album of new material, but their plans temporarily stalled upon Entwistle's death at the age of 57 in 2002. Townshend and Daltrey continue to perform as The Who, and in 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the UK and US.
The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their first year of eligibility. Their display there describes them as "Prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band." Time magazine wrote in 1979 that "No other group has ever pushed rock so far, or asked so much from it." Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "Along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Who complete the holy trinity of British rock." They received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1988, and from the Grammy Foundation in 2001. In 2008 surviving members Townshend and Daltrey were honoured at the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Placebo are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1994, and currently consists of Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. To date , they have released six studio albums, six EPs and twenty - nine singles. The band have gained a considerable amount of international recognition, selling over one million albums in the UK and over ten million worldwide . Placebo are best known for hit songs such as " Nancy Boy", " Pure Morning ", "Every You Every Me", "Infra-Red", a cover of Kate Bush 's "Running Up That Hill", and "For What It's Worth". Their style has varied greatly. The band's first album featured a raw sound and a fairly minimalistic instrumental lineup, but proceeding albums have had a slower, more melancholic tone and they started experimenting with synthesizers and other, less traditional , forms of sound production ( particularly after Black Market Music).The band have gained some measure of notoriety for the sexualities of its members (Olsdal is gay and Molko is bisexual) as well as for their excessive lifestyles and Molko's androgynous image , which are often referred to in their songs.
In 1998, Placebo switched to the major label Virgin Records, and issued their album Without You I'm Nothing in November. It was another large seller in England and initially appeared to be the group's breakthrough in the US market, where MTV embraced the album's lead single "Pure Morning", but subsequent singles and videos failed to match the success of its predecessor .The singles "You Don't Care About Us", from Placebo (1996), and "Pure Morning", from Without You I'm Nothing, were the peak of their British success, both charting in the top ten. Since Without You I'm Nothing, the band have received less positive coverage from the British music press who, on occasion, have mocked the perceived pretension of front -man Molko. However , the band has retained a huge popular and critical following in continental Europe . By way of their English-accented fluent French front-man, France has become their first target market in Europe, which has led to them gaining a huge popularity there, even in excess of their British fan base .
The band's third release, Black Market Music, added hip-hop and disco elements to their tense rock sound. The UK saw a release date of October 2000; US fans were treated to a re-sequenced version that autumn . The US version featured a slightly different track listing, adding the aforementioned Bowie version of "Without You I'm Nothing" and the band's cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You". The recording spawned additional UK hits such as "Taste in Men" and " Slave to the Wage ".[
Placebo encountered resistance from the British music industry upon release of the single " Special K" due to its reference of a ketamine high as a simile for love. The song was released in Australia as a single before eventually being made available in the UK as an EP featuring the B- sides and remixes that would have filled out a conventional two- disc single release. At the time the band claimed this was due to dissatisfaction with the two-disc single format , a claim somewhat undermined by their subsequent single releases all being made available in two-CD formats accompanied by a 7" vinyl.
Their style altered little from Placebo through Black Market Music, based around fairly straightforward guitar playing , often influenced by the style of 1970s British and American rock, and Molko's high-pitched vocals. The first single for the album, "Taste in Men", was one of their most popular, with a trance synthesiser in the background and wailing distorted guitars. Black Market Music did not receive the same level of long term recognition and media hype as Without You I'm Nothing did, but its peak sales outperformed those of its predecessor, in both the UK and France.
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton , East Sussex, in 2004. Formed by Luke Pritchard (vocals/guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar), Paul Garred (drums), and Max Rafferty (bass guitar), the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty. Dan Logan was drafted in as a temporary replacement, until Peter Denton joined the band on a permanent basis in October 2008.A self- described “pop” band, their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and post-punk revival of the new millennium . With songs described as “catchy as hell” The Kooks have experimented in several genres including rock, Britpop, pop, reggae , and ska, at times being described as “a less severe Arctic Monkeys”. Signed to Virgin Records just three months after forming , The Kooks broke into the musical mainstream with their debut album Inside In/Inside Out (2006). The album was ultimately successful, achieving quadruple platinum status in the UK within a year and also overseas in the form of a platinum certification in Australia and two times platinum in Ireland . The Kooks found themselves entering into mainstream media attention, with the band winning the award for Best UK & Ireland Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 and picking up a nomination at The Brit Awards for the single "She Moves in Her Own Way. With their follow up Konk (2008) debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart it recorded first week sales of 65,000, achieving gold status in both the UK and Ireland. The Kooks are currently working on their third studio album.

Formation and early years (2004–2005)

The original members of The Kooks all met as students at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music in 2003. The inspiration to form a band came to Pritchard as he and Garred were out shopping for clothes one day. Speaking to MTV Garred said, "we had this vision on how we wanted the band to look and stuff —so we bought some clothes and these hats.“ Sharing a love of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan , The Police , and David Bowie Pritchard got Harris and Rafferty involved under the guise of a school music project. Pritchard himself said "We got together just on a whim, really ." With no demo of their material Garred and Pritchard went in search of a gig, and according to Garred, they were able to book their first show simply because the manager liked their hats. "So we went in to get a gig, we don't have a demo, and this guy told us, 'Well, you can't get a gig if you don't have a demo, but I like your hats, so I'm going to give you a gig,'" said Garred. However the band was unable to make the performance as they were making their demo at the time. Taking their name from the David Bowie song "Kooks" they began rehearsing; Pritchard revealed the first song they ever played as a group was a cover version of The Strokes ' song "Reptilia".The Kooks recorded an EP demo, sending it out in search of gigs, they instead received offers from managers and record companies. The band had only been together as a group for three months when they signed with Virgin Records, after being spotted by the label at the Brighton Free Butt Festival in 2005. In an interview with musicomh.com, Pritchard revealed "It was really quick how it all happened , we did a demo with a mate of ours in London, which we sent off to one guy to get some gigs, and he turned out to be a manager. He rung us up and it kind of went from there." The members of the band have since revealed that they felt they weren’t ready at the time, "We were way too early to sign a record deal ... We were really young, we'd been together like two or three months, so we really didn't want to sign. But then we thought it's a really good opportunity and Virgin seemed like really cool people - they just seemed to really understand where we were coming from.," said Pritchard, who has also complimented the space the record label allowed for the band to grow, "They were patient with us and let us develop our style, whatever it is."
Coldplay are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1997, the group comprises Chris Martin (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass guitar), and Will Champion (drums, backing vocals, other instruments ).
Coldplay's early material was compared to acts such as Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, U2, and Travis. They achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single "Yellow", followed by their debut album, Parachutes (2000), which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), won multiple awards, including NME's Album of the Year. Their next release, X&Y (2005), received a slightly less enthusiastic yet still generally positive reception. The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), was produced by Brian Eno and released again to largely favourable reviews , earning several Grammy nominations and wins. According to Contactmusic.com, Coldplay have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Musical style

Coldplay's musical style has been defined as alternative rock, being compared to Radiohead and Oasis . Lead singer /songwriter Chris Martin once labelled the band's music as " limestone rock". The band's music has been called "meditative" and " blue romantic"; it "[reflects] on their emotions " and Martin "endlessly examine[s] his feelings ". Martin's lyrical wordplay has been called feminist , similar to Andrew Montgomery of Geneva. They have described their music as "very heavy soft rock" on their Myspace page.
The tone of the band's first studio album, Parachutes, was described as melodic pop with "distorted guitar riffs and swishing percussion". It was also described as being "exquisitely dark and artistically abrasive". In a review for A Rush of Blood to the Head, the songs were considered to contain " lush melodies and a heartbreak" and that they had a "newfound confidence." The music on X&Y has been considered to be "ruminations on Martin's doubts, fears, hopes ,and loves ." Coldplay acknowledge the Scottish alternative rock band, Travis, as a major influence on their earlier material.[
The Singers
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Kt (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, 25 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, composer and pianist . He has worked with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.
In his four-decade career, John has sold more than 250 million records,] making him one of the most successful artists of all time. His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" has sold over 37 million copies, becoming the best selling single of all time. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 U.S. albums, 56 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, four No. 2 hits, and nine No. 1 hits. He has won five Grammy awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s ,and was knighted in 1998. He entered into a civil partnership with David Furnishon 21 December 2005 and continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him as the most successful male solo artist on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists" (Third overall, behind only The Beatles and Madonna).
Andrew Abraham (born 16 July 1964 in North London, England) is an English singer. He was the runner -up in the second UK series of TV talent show The X Factor in 2005 to Shayne Ward , and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.Before applying for The X Factor, Abraham was a refuse collector. Prior to this he worked as a bus driver for Arriva London North based at Palmers Green bus garage . Abraham has two children by his wife Denise, a daughter called Tara and a son called Jacob. He is of Grenadian descent.Abraham was narrowly beaten to the top spot on The X Factor by Shayne Ward by 1.2% of the national public vote . Abraham was mentored throughout the competition by Sharon Osbourne although fellow judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh also higlhy praised the singer throughout the competition. Other performers who came to prominence in the same series of The X Factor were finalists Journey South and quarter -finalist Chico Slimani.

After The X Factor

On 26 March 2006, Abraham's debut album entered the UK album chart at number two, selling 176,000 copies in its first week and being beaten to the top spot by Journey South.In 2006, Abraham's debut album was the twelfth highest selling album of the year with total sales of around 300,000.Abraham's second album, Soul Man, was not as popular yet it still managed to make the Top 20 in the UK Charts. The album included the Christmas song "December Brings Me Back To You", a duet with television presenter Michael Underwood.A Very Best Of album was released in May 2008.His third studio album, Even If, was released in June 2008 to positive reviews, and its title track reached number 67 in the UK Charts. Album sales were not helped by its distribution company Pinnacle Entertainment (UK) going into administration due to the downturn in the economy . The album was released digitally on iTunes in March 2009.Abraham released the Christmas single Oh Holy Night in December 2009.On 3 August 2008, it was reported in The Daily Star Sunday newspaper that Abraham had told friends that he would not release any further material, and instead he would concentrate on becoming a property developer. However on 6 August 2008, Abraham announced on his website that this was not true.In January 2010 Andy signed up with celebrity management agency Champions (UK) Plc who are working on new material with Andy as well as a number of exciting projects .On 14th March 2010 Andy performed at Arsenal player Theo Walcott's 21st birthday party , alongside Beverley Knight. Andy is a huge Arsenal fan and will be playing in the Arsenal

Eurovision 2008

On 1 March 2008, Abraham won Eurovision – Your Decision 2008, the UK selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, held on 24 May 2008, with his song "Even If". He was selected as a wild card in Eurovision – Your Decision by Terry Wogan and won the contest in a sing-off with favourite Michelle Gayle through a public vote.
In the final , Abraham finished equal last of the 25 entries, sharing 14 points (obtained from San Marino and Ireland) alongside Germany and Poland . In addition to becoming only the second UK act ever to come last in Eurovision, Abraham also became the first since 1989 not to hit the top 40 singles chart, peaking at number 67. Of all the UK entries that have made the singles chart (only three did not), it is the second least successful ever.
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams (born 13 February 1974, Stoke -on-Trent) is a multi-BRIT Award-winning English singer, songwriter, actor , and musician. His career started in 1990, at the age of 16, as a dancer and singer with the pop band Take That. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams left the group in 1995 to launch his solo career. Williams was born to Peter and Janet Williams in Stoke-on-Trent on 13 February 1974. He and his older sister, Sally , were raised by his mother , Janet, as she and his father , attempted stand -up comedian Peter "Parp" Conway, separated when Williams was three days old and since divorced. Williams attended Mill Hill Primary School and St Margaret Ward's Roman Catholic School where he was "touched" by music, and also attended dance school UKDDF in Tunstall, Staffordshire. He participated in several school plays , and his biggest role was that of the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver. Prior to becoming involved in Take That, Williams worked as a double glazing salesman, but he was fired after being caught advising customers not to buy from the company. In 1990, the sixteen year old Williams was the youngest member to join Take That. According to the documentary Take That: For the Record, his mother read an advertisment seeking members for a new boy band and suggested that he try out for the group. He met fellow member Mark Owen on the day of his audition/interview with Nigel Martin-Smith. During the heights of the band's popularity, Williams was known as the extrovert and practical joker of the band. Although the majority of the band's material was written and performed by Gary Barlow, Williams did perform lead vocals on their first Top Ten hit Could It Be Magic, I Found Heaven, and Everything Changes. However, he had conflicts with Martin-Smith over the constricting rules about being in Take That, and he began dabbling in alcohol and cocaine.
In July 1995, Williams' drug abuse had escalated to a near drug overdose the night before the group was scheduled to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards. According to the documentary For the Record, he stated that he was unhappy with his musical ideas not being taken seriously by lead singer Barlow and Nigel Martin-Smith, because his desires to explore more hip hop and the rap genre conflicted with the band's usual ballads. Barlow explained in interviews that Williams had given up trying to offer creative input and merely did as he was told. As well as Williams' friction with the management of the band, Jason Orange had problems with his increasingly belligerent behaviour, his lack of interest in performing, and his frequent habit of missing the band's rehearsals. Both Orange and Barlow confronted Martin-Smith about the internal conflict, because they did not want him dropping out while touring and before any possible future touring of America, which never took place . During one of the last rehearsals before the tour commenced, the group confronted Williams about his attitude and stated they wanted to do the tour without him. He agreed to quit the band and left; it would be the last time for twelve years that they were all together. Despite the departure of Williams, Take That completed their Nobody Else Tour as a four-piece band. They later disbanded on February 13, 1996, which was coincidentally Williams' twenty-second birthday.
Shortly afterwards, Williams was photographed by the press partying with fellow band Oasis at Glastonbury. Following his departure, he became the subject of talk shows and newspapers as he acknowledged his plans to become a solo singer, and he was spotted partying with George Michael in France. However, a clause in his Take That contract prohibited him from releasing any material until after the group was officially dissolved, and he was later sued by Marth-Smith and forced to pay $200,000 in commission. After various legal battles over his right to a solo career, Williams was victorious in getting released from his contract with BMG. On June 27, 1996, Williams formally announced that he had signed with Chrysalis Records.
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (born on 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Coldplay. He is married to American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he has two children .Chris Martin was born in Exeter, Devon and is the oldest of five children. His father, Anthony Martin, was a Chartered Accountant, and his mother, Alison Martin, was a music teacher . Martin was raised in Whitestone, Devon and attended Exeter Cathedral School. It was at the prep school that Martin formed his first band, The Rocking Honkies, with Nick Repton & Iwan Gronow. After Exeter Cathedral, Martin boarded at Sherborne School, a boys ' independent school in Dorset. At Sherborne, Martin started a blues band called The Rockin' Honkies. Their debut performance was met with boos from the crowd. He also met future Coldplay manager Phil Harvey at the school. Martin continued his studies at University College London, staying at Ramsay Hall where he read Ancient World Studies and graduated with First Class honours in Greek and Latin .