Music
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, co-songwriter and bassist for the Beatles. One of the most successful composers and performers of all time, his songwriting pa...
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer, songwriter, record producer and lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music, Mercury defied the conventions of a rock frontman, with hi...
The Rolling Stones , formed in London in 1962, are the most popular and enduring band of the rock era. An unbelievable six decades ago, they pioneered the gritty, heavier-driven sound that came to define hard rock. Their line-up was vocalist Mick Jagger, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guita...
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are cited as one of the progenitors of hard rock and heavy me...
Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). Dire Straits were called "the biggest British ro...
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They were among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, though originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unhol...
Genesis are an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, in 1967. The band's most commercially successful line-up consists of keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. The 1970s line-up featuring singer Peter Gabriel and g...
The Bee Gees were formed in 1958, featuring brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. to late 1970s and 1980s. The Bee Gees wrote all of their own hits and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop music history. They have sold over 220 million records worldwide, among t...
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon in 1980. The group consists of a trio of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting) and Andy Fletcher (keyboards). They have sold more than 100 million recor...
Phil Collins (30 January 1951) is an English drummer, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. The drummer/singer of rock band Genesis from 1970-1996, he went solo in 1981. Between 1982 and 1990, Collins scored three UK and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. When his work with G...
Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, widely regarded as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth ...
Edward Christopher Sheeran MBE (born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In 2012, Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthro...
David Robert Jones OAL (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was acclaimed by critics and music...
George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, disc jockey, fashion designer, photographer and record producer. He is the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. At the height of the band's fame, during the 1980s, they recorded glob...
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was a British singer and songwriter, known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals. At the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, she won five awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and becoming the first B...
Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. Boyle's debut studio album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released in November 2009 and b...
Adele Adkins - simply "Adele" (5 May 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. She is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 120 million records. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 and spawned the UK top-five singles "Chasing Pavements" and "Make You Feel My Lo...
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE (born 2 October 1951), known as Sting, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He was the frontman, songwriter and bassist for new wave rock band the Police from 1977 to 1984. In 2000, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording; i...
Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel (born 19 February 1963), known professionally as Seal, is a British singer-songwriter, renowned for his distinctive soulful singing voice. He has sold over 20 million records worldwide, with hit songs "Crazy" and "Killer" (UK no 1 UK), and his most celebrated song, "K...
Sir Roderick David Stewart CBE (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havin...
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. A member of Take That from 1990 to 1995, he has achieved greater success with his solo career.He has received a record 18 Brit Awards, Best British Male Artist four times, Outstanding ...
Mamma Mia! (1999) is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, members of the band. It includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Lay All Your Love on Me", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "...
Oliver! is a British coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The 1968 film adaptation, directed by Carol Reed, was highly successful, winning six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice (Broadway 1971, London 1972). Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, by 1980, the musical had grossed more than $237 million worldwide. Running for over eight years in Lond...
Oh, What a Lovely War! is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood in 1963 which is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The musical premiered at the Theatre Royal Stratford East on 19 March 1963 to rave audience reaction. Richard Attenborough's film adaptation was re...
Starlight Express is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope of impressing a first-class carriage, Pearl. Famously, the acto...
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a musical with music and lyrics written by Richard and Robert Sherman and a book by Jeremy Sams. It is based on the 1968 film of the same name written by Roald Dahl, Ken Hughes, and Richard Maibaum, which in turn is based on the book of the same name by Ian Fleming. The...
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a sung-through musical comedy with lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly with the full format wa...
Blood Brothers is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Willy Russell. The story revolves around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie, separated at birth, one raised in a wealthy family, the other in a poor family. The musical won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on natio...
Billy Elliot: The Musical is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film, with music by Elton John, and the book and lyrics by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a motherless British boy who begins taking ballet lessons. The story of his personal s...
The Rocky Horror Show is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. Premiered in London in 1973, it tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, unveiling his new creation, a sort of F...
