The Cambridge Dictionary defines artist as “someone who creates things with great skill and imagination.” It’s a term affixed to many, but few truly embody it as does classical guitarist and virtuoso Sharon Isbin. Detailing all that she has accomplished is an ambitious goal, as her career trajectory spans years and includes everything from teaching …
“A good song lives on—it lives and survives fashions,” says Nancy Wilson, co-founder of Heart, whose songs “These Dreams,” “Barracuda,” and “Magic Man” are indeed timeless gems. One of today’s mostaccomplished artists, she helped crack the glass ceiling for women in rock music. Born in California, the daughter of a United States Marine, her family …
Suzi Quatro is an icon – the first female bass player to become a major rock star. She has influenced everyone, from Joan Jett to Chrissie Hynde. Born in Detroit, Suzi started playing as a teen with her sisters in The Pleasure Seekers and later in the hard-rock group, Cradle. In 1971 she moved to …
When Bonnie Raitt’s passion for social issues is aligned with her soulful voice and feel-good guitar playing, it becomes apparent as to why she is one of the most impactful musicians of her generation. Raised in L.A. but stationed in Massachusetts to attend Radcliffe College, Raitt dropped out of school to begin performing at local …
Most artists don’t publish one autobiography, let alone two, but classical guitarist Liona Boyd’s life is so rich with career milestones, professional achievements, and personal fulfillment that she has filled two volumes, and no doubt will eventually have enough for a third. She is known as the First Lady of the Guitar, a title she earned through …
Nine-time GRAMMY-Award winner Joni Mitchell is a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, painter, and guitarist that settled in the Laurel Canyon area of Southern California and is most well known for her iconic Woodstock performance. She started her journey into music by writing poetry and short stories before she even owned a guitar. She started playing and …
Peggy Jones, aka Lady Bo, grew up in New York City where she attended Manhattan’s High School for the Performing Arts. Initially focusing her studies on opera, tap dance, and ballet, it wasn’t until a run-in with Bo Diddley that her guitar aspirations began to take flight. Diddley quickly recognized the raw talent and potential …
Peggy “Lady Bo” Jones: Born 1940 – Deceased 2015 Read More »
Growing up in the Deep South within the era of the Great Depression, Odetta’s initial love with music blossomed through hearing the painfully honest tales sung by the struggling people throughout the 1930s. Continuing to be musical throughout her adolescence, Odetta eventually graduated from Los Angeles City College in 1950 with a degree in music. …
Crowned the Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe rattled conventions throughout the 1930s and ‘40s when she unabashedly exposed women to be soulful, gritty singers and passionate, well-practiced guitarists. At the tender age of six, Tharpe began performing throughout the south with her mother’s gospel evangelist troupe. After relocating to Chicago, it became …
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Born 1915 – Deceased 1973 Read More »
Elizabeth Douglas, better known as Memphis Minnie, claimed her title as Queen of Country Blues by beginning her 200-song recording career in the 1920s. Minnie was notorious for outplaying the boys while simultaneously presenting herself in fancy dresses and a flawless face of makeup. Always evolving, Minnie took her traditional southern blues style and transitioned …
