Universal If one woman embodies the pop-star prototype of the '80s, it would be Madonna. But one would be foolish to not also acknowledge that Belinda Carlisle's influence is right up there with Madge's. Alongside guitarists Jane Weidlin and Charlotte Caffey, bassist Kathy Valentine and drummer Gina Schock, Carlisle had multpile hits with the ...

XYQ Management Wang Chung is one of many '80s acts that is often remembered as a one-hit wonder when in fact they dented the charts multiple times. The English duo -- singer-guitarist Jack Hues and bassist Nick Feldman -- enjoyed a string of hits during that decade, the biggest being the smash "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." That song, in ...

Sheryl Nields From her initial success as the spiky-haired singer-bassist of 'Til Tuesday to an acclaimed string of solo albums, Aimee Mann has proven herself one of the most talented and consistent singer-songwriters of the last 25 years. This month, Mann returns with Charmer, a straightforward pop-rock outing that includes such winners ...

Michael Putland, Hulton Archive When I heard about Bob Welch's death on June 7th -- allegedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound -- I was both sad and shocked. But it went beyond that. First, June 7th happens to be my birthday. Second, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bob more than once. The first time was when I was writing a daily oldies ...

Clay Patrick McBride For nearly 40 years, the name Lynyrd Skynyrd has been synonymous with Southern Rock. Songs like "Sweet Home Alabama," "That Smell," "Gimme Three Steps" and the anthem "Free Bird" provided the soundtrack for a generation of Americans. Though tragedy has trailed the band throughout its existence, Skynyrd has soldiered on. ...

JoeJackson.com Joe Jackson arrived on the music scene in 1979 and had a hit single right out of the box in the form of "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" His debut, Look Sharp! was also the first of three albums he made with his original band: Jackson on keyboards and vocals, Gary Sanford on guitar, Graham Maby on bass and Dave Houghton on ...

Sony Few musicians in rock 'n' roll history have been as influential or eclectic as Patti Smith, from her first album, Horses, to her National Book Award-winning memoir Just Kids. This week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer returns with the release of Banga, her first studio album since 2007 and her first disc of new material since 2004's ...