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Johnny Lee Middleton
Johnny Lee Middleton (born May 7, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the bass guitar player for Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Musical beginnings Middleton was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. His first experience as a performing musician was as first-chair trumpet in the sixth-grade orchestra. The band director provided early encouragement. "I'd get free lessons from him, so I learned how to play the saxophone, the clarinet, [and] the oboe. He kind of gave me an ear for music." As a bass player, however, Middleton is largely self-taught. At age 14, he joined the high-school jazz band. With the bass rig behind him, he quickly discovered "the way the bass moves the earth" – and just as quickly realized "you could get more girls by playing bass instead of trumpet." He invested $35 in his first bass, locked himself in his bedroom with REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, and Black Sabbath records, and learned to play along. Among his influences, M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. The band gained in popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their second album, ''The Christmas Attic'', the year previous. In 2007, the ''Washington Post'' referred to them as "an arena-rock juggernaut" and described their music as "Pink Floyd meets Yes and the Who at Radio City Music Hall." TSO has sold more than 10 million concert tickets and over 10 million albums. The band has released a series of rock operas: ''Christmas Eve and Other Stories'', ''The Christmas Attic'', ''Beethoven's Last Night'', ''The Lost Christmas Eve'', their two-disc ''Night Castle'' and '' Letters From the Labyrinth''. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their extensive charity work and elaborate c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member with formal musical training and also provided backing and occasional lead vocals. Entwistle was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who in 1990. Renowned for his musical abilities, Entwistle's instrumental approach used pentatonic lead lines and a then-unusual treble-rich sound ("full treble, full volume"). He was voted as the greatest bassist ever in a 2011 ''Rolling Stone'' readers' poll and, in 2020, the same magazine ranked him number three in its own list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time. Early life John Alec Entwistle was born on 9 October 1944 in Chiswick, which is now part of London. He was an only child. His father, Herbert, who died in 2003, played the trumpet and his mother, Maud (née Lee) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul O'Neill (producer)
Paul O'Neill (February 23, 1956 – April 5, 2017) was an American music composer, producer, lyricist, and guitarist. Career Early years Paul O'Neill was born in Flushing, Queens, New York City,Huffington Post, Entertainment, April 25, 2012 the second of his parents' ten children. His music and literary influences, as well as his own artistic visions, were well established before he began working full-time in the industry in his late teens. O'Neill began playing guitar with a number of rock bands in high school and quickly graduated to folk guitar gigs at downtown clubs. He took his first serious musical steps in the mid-1970s when he took his first progressive rock band, Slowburn, into Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios in New York City. It was there that he first met engineer Dave Wittman who had the ability to capture on tape the sounds O'Neill was hearing in his head. O'Neill ended up shelving the project because he was not happy with final results. He later credited Slowb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hall Of The Mountain King (song)
''In the Hall of the Mountain King'' is an 1875 orchestral piece composed by Edvard Grieg. ''In the Hall of the Mountain King'' or ''Hall of the Mountain King'' may also refer to: Geography * Hall of the Mountain King, the largest chamber in the Ogof Craig a Ffynnon cave system in Wales * Hall of the Mountain King, a cliff structure found at Bryce Canyon National Park in southwest Utah Books * ''In the Hall of the Mountain King'', a story by John Varley (author) * ''Hall of the Mountain King'', a novel by Judith Tarr Film and TV * ''La Maldicion de la Bestia'', also known as ''Hall of the Mountain King'', a 1975 Spanish horror movie Music * ''Hall of the Mountain King'', the title and title track of a 1987 album by Savatage See also * ''Hall of the Mountain Grill ''Hall of the Mountain Grill'' is the fourth studio album by space rock band Hawkwind, released in 1974. It is regarded by many critics as a career highlight. Overview The group's fourth studio album, it was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fight For The Rock
''Fight for the Rock'' is the third full-length album by the American heavy metal band Savatage. It is their first album with new bass player Johnny Lee Middleton. Released in 1986, it is largely regarded as the band's worst release by both fans and band members, with the band referring to it as "Fight for the Nightmare". Jon Oliva said in October 1994, "I've never really been fond of that album. WE'VE never been fond of that album". The band said that they were driven to make the record by their label, Atlantic Records; particularly Oliva began writing pop-rock songs for other artists on the label such as John Waite. However, the label eventually turned around and told the band to record the music that Oliva had written for other artists themselves. This destroyed the band's credibility in the eyes of the press and reviews were not kind to the band. It not only destroyed the band's image, but the negative critical reaction has been cited as a cause of Oliva's bout of drug and al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jon Oliva
John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva (born July 22, 1959) is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the co-founder, keyboardist and lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage, which he co-founded with his younger brother Criss Oliva. Since 1996 he has also been a songwriter, musician and vocalist in Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Producer Paul O'Neill (rock producer), Paul O'Neill referred to Oliva in numerous interviews as the single greatest vocalist/musician he has ever worked with. Biography Early life The Oliva family moved around a lot when Jon and Criss were young, living in California for four years until moving to Florida in 1976. Much like his brother Criss, Jon found music his calling during the family's time in California. Starting off with his father's piano, Jon dabbled in guitars, pianos and drums before buying "a really ugly bass". Jon and Criss continued their musical exploits and played a block party, playing Kiss (band), Kiss, Deep Purple and ZZ Top cove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Wacholz
Steve Wacholz (born November 5, 1962) is an American heavy metal drummer. He is best known as the drummer of Savatage from 1977, 1979–1994. His hard-hitting playing style earned him the nickname "Doctor Hardware Killdrums" (simply "Doc") by his bandmates, as he was known for using a large three kick drumset and extra large 3S drumsticks. Biography Wacholz was born in White Plains, New York Steve "Doc" Wacholz met Criss Oliva when he was 14 years old in Tampa Bay Florida. In 1979, Steve Wacholz joined the Oliva brothers band Avatar and jammed in a shack behind the Oliva home that was dubbed "The Pit" by the band. Wacholz originally had tried out to be part of Criss' older brother Jon Oliva's band, Alien, but when the first Savatage line-up was taking shape in 1977, Jon, who was originally on drum duties, was relieved of them by Wacholz. They also gave Steve a nickname that would follow him throughout his career: "Doctor Hardware Killdrums", often shortened to just "Doc" or "D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Criss Oliva
Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. Biography Early life Oliva's family moved around the country during his childhood, stopping off in California before making Florida their home. It was in California that Oliva found music and considered it his calling, and he continued his musical interests when he moved to Florida. His main influences as a guitarist were Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker. He spent countless hours figuring out his favorite songs on records, and when he found it difficult to figure out a part on the record he just made up his own licks. This would later help him in his songwriting. Savatage Oliva and his brother Jon formed their first band together, Avatar, in 1978, from the ashes of their former bands Tower and Alien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy Metal Music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distortion (music), distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic Beat (music), beats and loudness. In 1968, three of the genre's most famous pioneers – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple – were founded. Though they came to attract wide audiences, they were often derided by critics. Several American bands modified heavy metal into more accessible forms during the 1970s: the raw, sleazy sound and shock rock of Alice Cooper and Kiss (band), Kiss; the blues-rooted rock of Aerosmith; and the flashy guitar leads and party rock of Van Halen. During the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence,Walser (1993), p. 6 while Motörhea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poison (American Band)
Poison is an American glam metal band formed in 1983, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The most successful incarnation of the band consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, bassist and pianist Bobby Dall, and lead guitarist and backing vocalist C.C. DeVille. The band achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s and has sold 16 million records in the United States and over 50 million albums worldwide. The band is perhaps best known for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one hit single "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", and other top 40 hit singles in the 1980s and 1990s, including "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Won't Forget You", "Nothin' but a Good Time", "Fallen Angel", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Unskinny Bop", " Something to Believe In", " Ride the Wind", and " Life Goes On." The band's breakthrough debut album, the multi-platinum ''Look What the Cat Dragged In'', was released in 1986, followed by '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glam Band
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diverse sources across music and throwaway pop culture, ranging from bubblegum pop and 1950s rock and roll to cabaret, science fiction, and complex art rock.P. Auslander, ''Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music'' (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2006), , pp. 57, 63, 87 and 141. The flamboyant clothing and visual styles of performers were often camp or androgynous, and have been described as playing with other gender roles. Glitter rock was a more extreme version of glam rock. The UK charts were inundated with glam rock acts from 1971 to 1975. The March 1971 appearance of T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan on the BBC's music show ''Top of the Pops'', wearing glitter and satins, is often cited as the beginning of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla (Blue Öyster Cult song), Godzilla". The band has sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States alone. Blue Öyster Cult‘s music videos, especially "Burnin' for You", received heavy rotation on MTV when the music television network premiered in 1981, cementing the band's contribution to the development and success of the music video in modern popular culture. Blue Öyster Cult's longest-lasting and the most commercially successful lineup included Buck Dharma, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocals, "rhythm guitar, stun guitar", keyboards, synthesizer), Allen Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals, keyboards), and Albert Bouchard (drums, percussion, vo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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