Jack DeJohnette (b. 1942) is an American jazz drummer and pianist. DeJohnette was born in Chicago, Illinois. Besides the drums, he studied the piano, which he plays on several recordings. He first became known as a member of Charles Lloyd's band, a band that Keith Jarrett also was a part of at that time. From 1969 to 1972 he played with Miles Davis and recorded many albums for ECM as both leader and sideman.
2 Live Crew is a controversial rap group, largely due to the sexual themes of one album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989). The 2 Live Crew formed as three men in the Air-Force all became stationed in Riverside California in 1983. Inspired by Planet Rock and Pretty Tony records, they put the group together with the intentions of "sustaining the 808 kick drum". They recorded their first release in 1984 which became a staple of Luke Skywalker and The Ghetto Style DJ's in Miami.
Junior Murvin (born Murvin Smith Jr. in Port Antonio, circa 1949) is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is best known for the classic single "Police and Thieves", produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1976. Murvin's soaring voice and the infectious rhythm made "Police and Thieves" into an international hit during the summer of 1976. The song was so influential that it was recorded by the punk rock pioneers The Clash on their debut album the following year.
William Anthony Colon is a Puerto Rican salsa music icon. First and foremost a trombonist, also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City. Colon was born in the Bronx, New York in April 28 1950, to Puerto Rican parents. He picked up the trumpet from a young age, and later switched to trombone, inspired by the all-trombone sound of Mon Rivera and -at least during a specific period in the 1960s- that of Eddie Palmieri. He was bullied in his neighborhood because of this, and had to defend himself quite often from gang members.
James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 2, 1942 in St. Matthews, South Carolina) is an American avant-garde jazz and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer's distinctive guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging." His singing has been called "raggedly soulful." Ulmer began his career playing with various soul jazz ensembles, and first recorded with organist John Patton in 1969. After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer played with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley, Rashied Ali and Larry Young.
Dr. Octagon is one of Kool Keith's many alter egos. His initial release as Dr. Octagon was 1996's Dr. Octagonecologyst, on which he collaborated with Dan the Automator Nakamura and DJ QBert. After the name was dropped in favour of Dr. Dooom, it was widely believed that it wouldn't be used again until the release of 2006's The Return of Dr. Octagon, which Keith maintains was changed and released without his consent.
Louis Logic started rapping at a young age but it wasn't until he attended Penn State in the mid/late 90s where he recorded his first release, "Logistics 101" which ended up being the B-side for his first 12 inch, "Planet Rock" featuring L-Fudge. Banking L-Fudge's popularity on Jedi Mind Trick's Superregular Records in 1998, Louis started gaining notoriety. He released a series of 12 inches "General Principal" featuring J-Treds (with the widely favored B-side, "Factotum")...
Cornell, or Cornel, Campbell started recording in 1956, cutting shuffle and early ska tunes like "My Treasure" and "Don't Want Your Loving" at the ubiquitous Studio One for Coxsone Dodd. His singing style is delicate and ephemeral, making heavy use of falsetto. His stint at Studio One produced some beautiful tunes like Stars, Queen Of The Minstrels, Magic Spell, Trick In The Book and many others. His sister, Cecille Campbell, also sang at Studio One and was a member of the Soulettes with Rita Marley.
Dominick Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Crooked I is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. The name "Crooked I" comes from a shortened version of his original moniker, Crooked Intriago. It has nothing to do with the malt liquor. He is 1/4th of rap supergroup Slaughterhouse (with Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9" & Joell Ortiz), and is currently regarded as the best rapper on the west coast, after rising to hip-hop prominence with his freestyle series 'Hip-Hop Weekly', which he released a new freestyle over popular industry beats every week for 52 weeks.
Nicole Willis began her professional career in London in 1984, singing and writing with the Washington Week In Review alongside members of The Brand New Heavies. She then returned to New York the following year to work with Blue Period and the Hello Strangers, meeting up with Supa DJ Dmitry Brill. Soon after, she sang alongside Lady Miss Kier Kirby and Dmitry in the earliest line-up of Deee-Lite.