If one artist has ever changed the world of blues music, that artist would be Eric “Slow Hand” Clapton. Clapton has been one of the most influential blues performers of our time and has changed the world with his soulful singing and talented guitar playing. He is one of those artists that you just have to listen to when the mood strikes. The great thing about Eric is how versatile of a player that he is.

For example, “Tears in Heaven” is much different style and feel when compared to “White Room”. Both songs are challenging in their own way to learn as a musician but as a general listener, you can just hear the different moods between the songs.

Lots of his work is like this, it’s very complicated. Clapton can play great melodies and solos even when he plays slow, earning him the nickname “Slow Hand”. At the same time however, Clapton is also a fantastic fast player on the electric and also has the nickname of “God” to many of his die-hard fans.

It’s important to look at the history of this artist to more fully understand his music as a whole. Eric was born in England to a sixteen year old mother. His grandparents took him under their wing and raised him as their son while his mother posed as his sister.

He wouldn’t learn the truth about his heritage until he turned nine years old. This was very troubling for young Eric and he started to do poorly in school and had to go to secondary school to try to get back on track. After secondary school Clapton attended a few art schools but dropped out due to “excessive” rock and roll.

Clapton was 13 when he got his first guitar, a heavy thing with steel strings which made it difficult to play for the beginner player. Then when he was 17 he joined his first band, The Roosters. The Roosters were very short lived, but Clapton started to gain notoriety among the local scene musicians. It was apparent even then of the young artists talent. It was this same year, 1963, when he was picked up by Yardbirds. He played with the Yardbirds for a while before the band started to move to more of a commercial rock sound of those times.     

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers would be the next band that Eric would lend his services to. It was with this band that Clapton would earn his second nickname “God” due to a fans display of affection on London’s Islington Tube Station. He would play with the Bluesbreakers on and off until 1966 when he joined one of his most famous bands, Cream.

Cream was an awesome band. “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room” are two of their more popular songs. “White Room” has one of the hardest guitar solo’s ever written by a band. The other members of Cream include Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

Cream was only together for two short years but during that time they make music that would influence artists forever. Songs on their three albums during this time showcased the talent in this band. While in the band, Clapton expanded the entire blues genre by incorporating his signature licks into the music.

Basically, it breaks down like this: if the blues where the Bible, artists like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Skip James would be the Old Testament and Clapton would be the New Testament. Well, you would probably have to include others in it as well, like Jack White, but the list goes on and on. 

After the break of Cream, Eric found himself in a standstill of his career. He continued to search for a band to allow him to show off his musical talent and joined with several other artists during this time but each attempt was ultimately unsuccessful.

It wouldn’t be until 1974 and the release of his album 461 Ocean Boulevard, that he would be back in the saddle musically. It was time for Clapton to start being cool again as he embarked on his full-fledged solo career.

Now, I’m a product of the 80’s, and growing up, I got to hear Clapton’s newest stuff first hand. This is how I originally got interested in this artist. Then, over the years, I began listening to his earlier work.

One of the first songs that I ever heard from him was “Wonderful Tonight” and I thought it was absolutely heartwarming.

That’s one of the things I like about Clapton, he sings what he feels. Not what he thinks he should sing or what everyone else wants him to sing. He just sings what is on his mind.

I’m really glad that he actually started singing in addition to playing guitar, because he is an excellent singer and songwriter. Why waste talent right?

Another good thing about Clapton is that each one of his albums have a different sound and feel to them. Something that you don’t see everyday in musicians. Usually, they just stick to a formula to keep their music different but still having a signature sound to it.

Clapton didn’t do any of that. He just made music that he felt was good, and it was good. He’s such a diverse artist musically that I don’t think that he could stick to a cookie-cutter format even if he wanted to. 

I mean, the guy just oozes talent and lots of guitar players can’t even come close to him. Sure, they can try, but they will never be as good as Clapton. Clapton is “God” after all.

Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers began making records in the 70’s. Now some 40 years later Tom is still a pillar of musical genius. He began playing guitar during his high school years in the 60’s. His style is considered to be slow and bluesy, the definitive sound of Southern Rock. Now, I know that artist’s hate genre branding, but Petty and his band helped defined the genre, not many artists can say that.

Petty’s music features a lot of acoustic rock styling's mixed with bluesy funk sounding riffs. It’s great music to just sit and chill too or sing along with while in the car. While other artists were developing their music into a more metal and glam feel, Petty and The Heart Breakers were continuing to shape their own music, away from the glitz and glamour that was overtaking the nation during that time.

Tom and the band remained true to their roots and continued to create music that people both liked and was different than the other bands that were emerging during the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Tom and the band are great influences to their fellow musicians standing up strong for artist rights. I think this is important as well because artist’s should have creative control over their music. Tom wanted control over what label would manage his music back in the 70’s when the record company tried to switch labels on him without his consent.

Personally, I think Tom just wanted to say in the loop, and why not? Every artist wants to know where their money is coming from.

Petty is mostly known for playing Gibson and Fender Guitars. Most notable of his collection are his Gibson Dove and his 1964 Strat in sunburst. He has also designed a Signature model Rickenbacker guitar for Rickenbacker Guitars. Rickenbacker guitars were originally made famous by the Beatles.

The history of the band stems from 1976 when the group, consisting of Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Ron Blair, Benmont Tench, and Stan Lynch, began working on their debut self titled album. The album wasn’t immediately successful for the band. In fact the band wouldn’t become successful until three years later with their release of Damn the Torpedoes, released under a new record label.

The band would continue on adding and subtracting members over the years. Fellow band mates of the crew included Howie Epstein, Scott Thurston and  Steve Ferrone.

The band have released a total of ten albums thus far, the most current being The Last DJ in 2002. Petty has also enjoyed a lucrative solo career while releasing three solo albums during this time. His most recent solo work is called Highway Companion and was released in 2006. Tom is also a member of the Traveling Wilburys, a super group comprising of Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne.

Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers are a band known for their talents in the art of story telling. Most, if not all of their music, tells a story. This is a great artistic talent to have because it gives listeners something entertaining to listen too.

This also sets them apart from many other bands that just infuse emotion into their music. Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers music has pulp to it. It gives you something to follow along with as you listen to it. It’s great thinking music.

Throughout the years Tom has also focused his talents into the realm of television, appearing on an episode of the Simpsons where he attempts to teach Homer about songwriting. Other spots include small parts in the movies FM, Made in Heaven and The Postman.

With amazing talent, awesome songs and a rock attitude that invented Classic Rock Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers have won their way into the hearts and souls of many die-hard fans all over the world. Their music is truly inspiring and has served as a base for many new artists of today. They have and will always continue to lift up the spirits of fans, where ever they may be.

To all musicians it's important to remain an artist at heart. Being an artist can be a daunting task but it is always a work of love. Artist's are artists because they have to be, they have this drive within them to create things with their mind and work with their hands. They love to build things that look different than everything else does. An artist gets bored looking at the world and have this urge to modify and enhance something. They also like making new things.

There are many avenues to art, music, poetry, painting, web design. Music is a wholesome art that allows the flow of emotion, venting of personal frustration and overall self-expression. A Musician has many tools to do this with, their voice, their instrument and just about anything else that makes a sound.

Jim Morrison was one of these people that just oozed art. In his music, his drawing, and his life in general. The Doors was an outlet to help him spread his message to the whole world. The band itself was a beautiful vision that came to fruition in 1965 by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore.

Jim was the front man for the group but all the musicians in this band were musically gifted. The hypnotic bass lines, transcendent guitar riffs, and tranquil drum beats all came together in a way never before seen before this band.

The band took their name from a 1954 book entitled The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley which took it’s name from an 18th century poem by William Blake called “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”.

Their music is full of originality and is great mood music for the truly mellow at heart. The slow paced jams like “People are Strange” and “The End” and “When the Music is Over” are often complimented on their albums with upbeat, energy driven songs like “Break on Through to the Other Side”, “Hello, I Love You” and “Light My Fire”.

The most astonishing thing about The Doors is that they were only around for a short time. Jim left the band just six years after the formation of this legendary music group. The band still continued for two years after he left but without much success.

During their time together, however, the band was very productive. Jim released a book called “The Lords and the New Creatures”, wrote two movies called “HWY: An American Pastoral” and “A Feast of Friends”. The group, as a collective, also released seven albums during this time. This include The Doors, Strange Days, Waiting for the Sun, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel, L.A. Woman, and Other Voices.

In 1971, Jim Morrison left the band to become a writer. He moved to Paris in March and rented an apartment there in the city. Tragedy would strike just four months later when the artist was found dead, at the age of 27. Un-confirmed sources would allege that Jim Morrison’s death was a result of a heroin overdose. He was buried in Paris, France soon after and his memorial remains one of the most visited graves in the history of the world.

Since Jim’s death the band has continued to make and produce music for millions of fans. The Doors music has also evolved to make some of the best re-makes and re-mixes ever recorded. Some examples are the re-mix of “Riders on the Storm” in 2004 by artist Snoop Dogg and a re-mixed version of the same song with artist Blondie, which can be found at the top of this page.  Their songs have also been featured in video games like Guitar Hero World Tour.

The remaining members of the Doors would reunite the band in 2002 calling the group “The Doors of the 21st Century”. Then would go through a few member changes and arraignments as well as other names for the different variations of the group. Some of these would include calling the band “Riders on the Storm”, and “Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors”.

Even if the name of the band has changed over the years, their legacy still remains. In 2007, the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and won a Lifetime Achievement award, the same year, at the Grammys. They are also the first American Rock and Roll band to sell 8 consecutive Gold Records. The band has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and are in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine.

The greatest band in the history of Rock and Roll is and always will be The Beatles. No other band has ever contributed to the world of music more than this band. They have changed the lives of fans, musicians, artists, and just about anyone who has heard their music. Their music started a revolution of free-thinking and re-ignited the passion in the hearts of millions. They will always be remembered for their spirited music, tragic losses and awe inspired performances.

The Beatles were not just a band, they were an idea. A way of thinking, an inspiration to life itself. The revolution continues in present times with the second wave of Beatle Mania hitting mainstream culture even today. With the advancements of technology allowing for a whole new way that The Beatles can tickle your ear drum and stay close to your heart. With games like The Beatles: Rock Band, you can now play along with your favorite band in an attempt to master their music with your controller. This allows a whole new generation of people to experience The Beatles and allows original fans of the group to experience them in a whole new way.

The Beatles are a band plagued with controversy, tragedy and conspiracy. The separation of the band and Yoko Ono being key points in the band’s history. Not to mention the infamous assassination of John Lennon. 

It’s important to learn about this band from the beginning though, not jump the gun to the end of the band. So we’ll start at the start and just try to enjoy the journey along the way.

The band met in Liverpool England when Sir Paul McCartney met John Lennon and joined his band at the time, The Quarrymen, the year was 1957. Guitarist George Harrison joined the band a year later and the group was soon performing regular gigs around England. The band was also joined by Vocalist  Stuart Sutcliffe and Drummer Peter Best during it’s early stages but Sutcliffe didn’t remain with The Quarrymen long and soon left the group.

The Quarrymen needed something that would make them stand out from the countless other rock bands at the time, something that would make them more media friendly and improve their image amongst the people in England. So they changed their name to The Beatles after going through a few other tough choices.

The band still needed something to help them spread their music to even more people. What they eventually realized what they needed was new management. This came in the form of Brian Epstein, the band’s new manager in 1961, he saw the band had potential and began working with them to help shape their image even further. This included a band member change, however, and Pete Best was asked to leave the group. So who was this new Beatle you ask? Drummer Ringo Starr.

With the quartette was now complete, the band began to record it’s first professional album. In 1962, they had their first hit with “Love Me Do” which performed well both internationally as well as locally for the band. This is where people first started noticing the band and their charismatic vocals, distinct guitar riffs and one of a kind sound. The great thing about The Beatles was how musically expansive they were. They started out as a typical rock band, with just the guitars and drums and then developed their sound to include more instruments and not losing their edge. The band could incorporate a variety of instruments into their songs and still have a good, solid, sound to them. One of the instruments that the band loved to use was the Piano. This was a non-typical instrument to play in a rock band at the time but the band integrated it beautifully within their songs. 

The Beatles were a group that became world famous because they were talented and very experimental. It was like an awaking of the culture of the time and The Beatles were leading the way. The band’s most famous moment would have to be when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. This is perhaps the most famous musical performance in the history of the world and The Beatles made it happen for over 400 million fans with their performance. This is what really kick started Beatlemania for people who weren’t already loyal to the band and opened the eyes of millions to their music.

The Beatles are also one of the most creative bands of all time. Experimenting with Psychedelic art and later venturing into movies. They had several movies like the Yellow Submarine and the Magical Mystery Tour, which quickly became cult classics by fans of the group. The group were born artists, they explored every aspect of it and wrote poetry and sonnets and other creative outlets of the mind. This helped to influence their music and hone their skills in all forms of The Arts.

The Beatles were a band with a legacy as well. With 7 Grammy Awards, 6 Diamond Albums, 24 Multi-Platinum Albums, 39 Platinum albums, 45 Gold albums, and many other awards the group joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and currently hold the title of most albums sold in the United States.

The band broke up in 1970 due to tensions within the band. With the passing of their good friend and manager Brain Epstein shortly before, the band scrambled to find a direction within their career.  Some say it was due to John’s marriage to Yoko Ono, some say it was just a lack of understanding the different members creative inputs to the band but none-the-less the band would no longer play together.

This was finalized in December of 1980 with the assassination of John Lennon by crazed fan Mark David Chapman outside of John’s apartment building. This tragic death would put the world of music into mourning for generations to come.

The Beatles will always be remembered for their contributions to Rock and Roll, their music, their art and most of all their fans. This loving band shaped the world with their music and ideals, their radical thinking and sense of compassion. No other band will ever do what this band has done. They will live on forever in the hearts and minds of their fans and fellow artists.