Simon John Keenlyside was born in London on 3rd August 1959, son of Raymond and Ann Keenlyside. Both his father and his grandfather were professional violinists; Raymond played second violin in the Aeolian Quartet. “Where other children would have nursery rhymes, I’d go to bed to the sounds of Haydn, Mozart and Schubert.” "If you sang as a boy you got picked on. It was lucky for me that I was sporty and athletic."
Planxty was an Irish folk music band consisting of soon-to-be-legendary musicians Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitars), Andy Irvine (mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), and Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, tin whistle). The band was formed in 1972, and quickly revolutionized and popularized Irish folk music, touring and recording to great acclaim. The band broke up twice; first in 1975 and again in 1983. The band re-united again in 2004. Their final performance (to date) was in 2005.
There is no pigeon hole for Lucida Scroll. They just play original songs that are fun to play and even more fun to listen to. Covering subjects from Love, to politics, from celebrity culture to an epic 12 minute song about a mad doctor, there is something to like about Lucida Scroll, whatever your taste! Having been together since late 2010, Lucida Scroll already have a UK tour this April/May. They have spent most of the last few months holed up in the studio, writing and honing their songs, and playing a series of warm up shows.
Harrison Birtwistle is one of the world's foremost living composers. Born Accrington, 1934, he studied Clarinet and Composition at the Royal Manchester College of Music from 1953 where, along with fellow students Peter Maxwell Davies, Alexander Goehr, John Ogdon and Elgar Howarth, he formed the New Music Manchester group which was dedicated to performing avant-garde and contemporary compositions.
Recording artist, Jann Arden is a Canadian songwriter and performer. Arden produced 10 CDs, 17 top ten singles, earned a number of industry related awards and honors and also engages in acting, writing and charity work. In 2009 she released her latest album, Free. In February 2007, Arden released Uncover Me, a collection of Arden's favorite songs. Uncover Me debuted at #1 on the Digital SoundScan Chart and placed 3rd on the Nielsen’s SoundScan Chart. This was Jann's highest debut to date spanning her 15 year recording career. In April 2007, Uncover Me was certified Platinum in Canada.
Bobby Long is a British unsigned musician; categorizing himself as Acoustic / Folk / Grunge. Some of his musical influences include Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits. According to his myspace, he is currently recording an EP. More information on him and his music can be found on his music MYSPACE
Dexys Midnight Runners - the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe - were a British post-punk and northern soul band who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. The word "Dexys" in this case, comes from a colloquialism of "dextroamphetamine" or "purple hearts," a type of amphetamine diet pill that was a popular "upper" drug with England's Northern Soul scene in the 1960s.
Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Fajardo, September 1, 1957, in Havana, Cuba) is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, actress and social activist. Known as the "Queen of Latin Pop", she in the top 100 best-selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those in the United States. Estefan is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date.
