Michael Kiwanuka is a British musician of Ugandan heritage who writes songs combining soul and rootsy folk influences and sings them with a deep, husky soulful voice. The Home Again Songfacts says that after signing with Communion Records, Kiwanuka recorded his debut EP, Tell Me A Tale, with the help of Paul Butler from The Bees, who took the Muswell Hill, London native to his Isle of Wight studio to record the songs.
(Steve Smyth is also a former guitarist for the metal bands Nevermore, Testament, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors, and Forbidden ) "Hailing from the rugged heartland of the New South Wales south coast, Steven Smyth's roots in music can be traced back, past adolescent forays into punk, folk and rock, to a childhood of Sunday gospel sessions. Smyth's musical passions range far and wide. At 14, he started a short-lived punk band, by his late teens it was all about Bob Dylan.
Chris Isaak (born June 26, 1956 in Stockton, California as Christopher Joseph Isaak) is an American Rock'n'Roll singer, songwriter, and occasional actor.
Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Keb' Mo' (born October 3, 1951 in South Los Angeles, California as Kevin Moore) is an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first started recording in the early 1970s with Jefferson Airplane violinist
Papa John Creach. Creach hired him when Moore was just twenty-one years old; Moore appeared on four of Creach's albums. He was further immersed in the blues with his long stint in the Whodunit Band, headed by Bobby "Blue" Bland producer Monk Higgins. Moore jammed with Albert Collins and Big Joe Turner.
Jimmy Buffett (born December 25, 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his "island escapism" lifestyle and music including hits such as "Margaritaville (Songs of the Century #234)," and "Come Monday". He has a rabid, but genial, cult following known as "Parrotheads." They call the youngest members "Parakeets." Buffett has written three No. 1 best sellers.
Clare Bowditch is a a critically acclaimed, ARIA award-winning singer from Melbourne, Victoria. She came to prominence in 2005 with the release of her second album "What Was Left", which received excellent critical reviews, high rotation airplay on radio station Triple J and moderate commercial success.
Her sweet folk-pop style has been compared to that of Cat Power and Beth Orton.
Visit the Clare Bowditch website or her Myspace profile. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Nick Lowe (born Nicholas Drain Lowe, 24th March 1949, Walton-on-Thames, England) is a singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A pivotal figure in U.K. pub rock, punk rock, and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano, and harmonica. He is perhaps best known for his songs "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Understanding" and "Cruel to Be Kind", as well as his production work with Elvis Costello.
Paul Greene (Culburra Beach, NSW) has been a quiet achiever in the Australian Music Scene. Strongly Independent, he has traveled incessantly delivering his music across his continent, with an infectious live energy and great songs. There is no hype with Paul Greene. His songs span a range of styles, but always come from the heart with lyrics you can sink your teeth into.
Emmylou Harris is truly a modern innovator. For over 30 years, Emmylou has flowed effortlessly between genres achieving popularity in pop, folk, country and now alternative. The common bridge is an exquisite vocal style and a gift for discovering the heart of a song. Born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 2, 1947, the daughter of Walter and Eugenia Harris grew up near Washington, D.C. As a college student in the late 60s, she sang with a local folk duo and eventually moved to Greenwich Village.
Martha Tilston is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, currently based in Gloucestershire. Her music combines many aspects of English and Irish folk music with more modern acoustic styles, and perceptive lyrics combining personal subjects with political, social and environmental themes. She is the daughter of acclaimed songwriter Steve Tilston and step-daughter of singer Maggie Boyle, and began writing songs at an early age.