Biography of Joseph Arthur

Singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur was discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-'90s and soon signed to his Real World label. His debut, Big City Streets, was released in 1997 and was practically unnoticed. Not discouraged by industry politics, the native of Akron, OH, continued to make music and dove into his Earth-inspired abstract art. His eclectic brooding is similar to the likes of Leonard Cohen, Joe Henry, and the late Jeff Buckley. He doesn't stick to one sound, for his time spent with Gabriel exposed his musical styles to a global palette. Arthur participated in Gabriel's annual WOMAD shows and spent the latter part of the '90s on the road with residency tours in the Northeast and Northwest, which included opening dates for labelmates Ben Harper and Gomez.In 1999, Arthur released the seven-song EP Vacancy, in which he received a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package, thanks to his design with co-art director Zachary Larner. Following brief critical acclaim, Arthur released his sophomore effort, Come to Where I'm From, on Virgin a year later. The album showed Arthur's musical fondness for basic country-rock and Americana. He spent summer 2000 headlining club dates across North America and additional opening dates with The The followed that fall. Two years later, Arthur issued the four-EP series Junkyard Hearts, a precursor to his third opus, Redemption Son. North American dates with Tracy Chapman followed in summer 2003, then one year later the critically acclaimed Our Shadows Will Remain appeared. After starting his own label, Lonely Astronaut (distributed by Sony), Arthur published a collection of his artwork entitled We Almost Made It, complete with a mostly instrumental accompaniment, The Invisible Parade, in the spring of 2006. A few months later fans were greeted with his fifth record, Nuclear Daydream, as well as a tour that featured Arthur with a full live band, something he had never done before. Arthur also provided vocals on "Sublime," from the Twilight Singers' iTunes-only five-song EP A Stitch in Time. In April 2007, he released Let's Just Be, his second album with his own label, with help from his Lonely Astronaut band. ~ MacKenzie Wilson

Biography of James McNally

A member of the Pogues during their final years, Irish whistle player James McNally next surfaced with the Afro-Celt Sound System before making his solo debut with 1998's Everybreath. ~ Jason Ankeny

Biography of Iarla Ó Lionáird

With his ultra-rich vocals and large repertoire of traditional Irish songs, Iarla Ó Lionáird (pronounced ear-lah o'linnard) has taken the world of Celtic folk music by storm. One of Ireland's leading singers of the traditional old-timey style, Ó Lionáird has continued to build on his traditional roots. In addition to recording as a soloist, he's helped to bring the Afro-Celt Sound System to international attention. In a review of his solo album, Seven Steps to Mercy, http:www.Ink19.com wrote, "[the album] centers on the pure and shimmering vocal qualities of Iarla as he sings of immigrant memories, alcoholism, rivers, crucifixion, and love songs." A native of the Gaelic-speaking village of Cuil Aodha, Ó Lionáird has been singing most of his life. The son of a school headmaster who knew influential choir director Sean O'Riada, Ó Lionáird began attending rehearsals of O'Riada's group, Coir Cuil Aodha, at the age of five. His vocal talents were sharpened even further by Peadar O'Riada, who assumed leadership of the choir following his father's death in 1971. Recording for the first time at the age of seven, Ó Lionáird continued to evolve as a vocalist. Throughout his early teens, he placed first in every competition that he entered. While attending college in Dublin during the mid-'80s, he continued to build his reputation as a singer and vocal teacher. In 1989, he became the host of a traditional music series, The Pure Drop, broadcast by RTE Television. Frustrated by his inability to secure the support of a record label, Ó Lionáird temporarily left music in the early '90s. He took his first steps toward a return when he wrote a six-page letter asking the RealWorld record label for an audition. The letter and accompanying demo tape impressed the label so much that he was invited to participate during RealWorld's recording week marathon at their studios in western England. The release of Seven Steps to Mercy, his debut solo album, recorded with the sole accompaniment of uillean pipes, was held back when Ó Lionáird agreed to record with the Afro-Celt Sound System. His debut appearance with the group came on the 1996 album Sound Magic, Vol. 1; Ó Lionáird continued to work with the multi-ethnic group. Ó Lionáird has also collaborated with Shaun Davey and accordionist Tony MacMahon, with whom he recorded a live album, Aislingi Ceoil. While most of Seven Steps to Mercy was recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Michael Brook, tracks spanning his full career were included. The earliest recording was a rendition of "Aisling Gheal" that he recorded at the age of eleven with Peadar O'Riada producing. Ó Lionáird's second solo album was the soundtrack for the film I Could Read the Sky, based on the book by Chicago-based Irish-American novelist Tim O' Grady. The album also includes fiddler Martin Hayes and Irish vocalist Sinead O'Connor, with whom he recorded a duet version of "Singing Bird." Ó Lionáird toured with Faith of Our Fathers in 1999. ~ Craig Harris

Biography of Vernon Reid

As the lead guitarist of Living Colour and a co-founder of the Black Rock Coalition, Vernon Reid has done a great deal to undermine stereotypical expectations of what music black artists ought to play; his rampant eclecticism encompasses everything from hard rock and punk to funk, R&B and avant-garde jazz, and his anarchic, lightning-fast solos have become something of a hallmark as well. Born in London, Reid and his family emigrated to Brooklyn while he was a child; he began playing guitar at age 15, initially studying jazz and progressing quickly. In 1980, he joined drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society, a cutting-edge jazz group with whom he appeared on six albums; over the course of the decade, Reid went on to work with a wide variety of experimental musicians -- Defunkt, Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Arto Lindsay, and Public Enemy, among others.Around 1983, Reid formed the first version of what was to become Living Colour; in 1985, with journalist Greg Tate, he formed the Black Rock Coalition, an organization devoted to opening doors in the music business for black musicians who were not content being confined to the roles of soul crooner or rapper. Living Colour did not really begin to jell until their lineup stabilized in 1986, and when Mick Jagger saw the group perform at CBGB's and invited them to appear on his Primitive Cool album. Jagger went even further, producing two demo tracks and helping to convince Epic to sign the group. Living Colour debuted to massive critical acclaim in 1988 with Vivid; the group lasted through Time's Up (1990) and Stain (1993) before disbanding in 1995. Reid has continued to make periodic appearances on others' recordings, and in 1996, he issued his solo debut, Mistaken Identity. He resurfaced in 2002 as one half of Yohimbe Brothers, a duo also featuring DJ Logic. The two released the Front End Lifter album in September and subsequently toured the United States throughout October. ~ Steve Huey

Biography of Deep Forest

Deep Forest is a dance music project masterminded by producer Dan Lacksman and keyboardist Michel Sanchez. They released their self-titled first album in 1994; the single "Sweet Lullaby" was a major club hit and received some pop radio airplay. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Biography of Ronan Browne

No biography available

Biography of Big Blue Ball

No biography available