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When Tim McGraw debuted in the early '90s, few would have predicted that he would eventually take over Garth Brooks' position as the most popular male singer in country music. Yet that's exactly what he did, thanks to a string of multi-platinum albums, a high-profile marriage to fellow superstar Faith Hill, and Brooks' own inevitable decline. His sound epitomized the strain of commercial country that dominated his era: updated honky tonk and Southern-fried country-rock on the uptempo tunes, well-polished, adult contemporary-tinged pop on the ballads. |
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After releasing their fifth studio album, The Resistance, the British alternative rock band Muse have announced new concerts dates for their 2010 North American tour. With stops in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Houston, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle and Salt Lake City. The album topped the charts in 19 countries. Much of the album's praise has been directed towards the three-part "Exogenesis," which used over 40 musicians in the recording process. |
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"With any trilogy," says John Mayer, "the third in the series blows it open."
On CONTINUUM the singer/songwriter/guitar slinger meets that challenge head-on. Mayer's third studio album follows the multi-platinum ROOM FOR SQUARES (2001) and HEAVIER THINGS (2003) and marks his first turn as producer. It is his most soulful, cohesive collection yet and he says it's no accident that this project is where all of his efforts, his potential, and his disparate influences fully come together. |
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Mark Knopfler is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. His group, Dire Straits, was formed in London in 1977 and went on to become an international success after the release of its debut album in 1978. Though it began as a group with a permanent lineup led by Knopfler, in its first few years it evolved into a brand name for Knopfler with varying personnel. . In 1995, Knopfler quietly laid Dire Straits to rest. He launched a full-fledged solo career with the release of Golden Heart in 1996; subsequent soundtrack efforts include 1998's Wag the Dog, 1998's Metroland, and 2002's Shot at Glory. |
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The Black Eyed Peas have added a few more shows to the forthcoming world tour, including a pair of year-end performances in Vegas. The trek will stop by arenas in 35 cities, including a March 6 concert in Toronto and April 11 in Vancouver. The Black Eyed Peas dropped their fifth studio set, "The E.N.D.," in June. The Grammy-nominated album, which was produced by the group's own Will.I.Am, topped The Billboard 200 and has spawned three chart-topping singles: "Boom Boom Pow," "I Gotta Feeling" and "Meet Me Halfway." |
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With five number one singles and four number one albums, the Eagles were among the most successful recording artists of the 1970s. In 2010, The Eagles are on the road with their Long Road Out of Eden Tour. The Eagles, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit will perform hits from their chart- topping Long Road Out of Eden album as well as classic selections from the group’s unparalleled songbook. With Western dates already scheduled in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Anaheim, Sacramento, San Jose, and Vancouver. The Eagles are expected to announce more dates in the near future. |
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With an extensive 2009 outing now complete, Irish vocal group Celtic Woman has mapped another lengthy run for 2010 in support of "Songs From the Heart." The new 75-date trek kicks off with a three-night stand Feb. 9-11 in Roanoke, VA, and runs through late spring, with featured shows in: Atlanta, Baltimore, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Saint Louis, Detroit, Memphis, San Antonio, Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton, and concludes in Salt Lake City. |
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Nickelback has added another leg to its forthcoming North American tour, which will follow a slew of international dates that kick off later this month as the band continues its "Dark Horse World Tour." The North American portion of the trek kicks off with four previously announced Canadian stops that begin April 6 in London, Ontario, and continues thru Toronto, Montreal, Washington DC, Atlanta, Dallas, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, and finishes in Vancouver June 3rd. The outing will also feature special guests Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown and Sick Puppies. |
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Few bands embodied the era of pop-metal like Bon Jovi. By merging Def Leppard's loud but tuneful metal with Bruce Springsteen's working-class sensibilities, the New Jersey-based quintet developed an ingratiatingly melodic and professional variation of hard rock -- one that appealed as much to teenagers as to housewives. Bon Jovi skillfully employed professional songwriters to give their songs, especially their power ballads, an appropriately commercial sheen, inaugurating a trend that dominated mainstream hard rock and metal for the next decade. |
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Michael Buble is gearing up for the launch of his North American spring and summer tour in support of his chart-topping album "Crazy Love.". Featured concerts include: Philadelphia, New York, Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Columbus, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. “Expect to come and be taken away for a couple hours,” Buble said about his live show. “I really, sincerely love what I do for a living. The fact that I get to do this and do what I love with these people … They‘re gonna see that right away. The production is going to be extravagant in some places, but very intimate in others." |
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Taylor Swift has been singing all her life, motivated by her grandmother, who was a professional opera singer. She began performing locally around her town and county at the age of ten, and at age 11 sang the national anthem before a Philadelphia 76ers game. By the time she was 12, she had picked up the guitar and began practicing four hours each day, until her fingers started to bleed. Swift's parents began to support her music, and recognized her talent, perseverance, and budding future as a professional musician. |
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AC/DC has added new North American dates--most of them on Canadian soil--to its ongoing world tour behind last year's blockbuster "Black Ice" album.
The legendary rockers, who currently are barnstorming through Europe, will launch their next round of American dates July 28 in Foxborough, MA. Following an Aug. 2 show in Albany, NY, the band heads to Moncton, New Brunswick, for its first date north of the US border. Six additional Canadian dates follow, including shows in Montreal (8/8) and Vancouver (8/30). |
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Embodying the rags-to-riches rap dream, Jay-Z pulled himself up by his bootstraps as a youth to eventually become the reigning rapper of New York City and, in turn, a major-label executive following his short-lived retirement from music-making. In the wake of his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z's albums sold millions upon millions with each release, and his endless parade of hits made him omnipresent on urban radio and video television. . Jay-Z and his Roc-a-Fella associates greatly influenced the industry and established many of the trends that pervaded during the late '90s and early 2000s. |
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Rascal Flatts, a country trio known primarily for its pleasing harmony, is comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Demarcus and LeVox, both from Columbus, OH, founded the group and later added Rooney, a Picher, OK, native. The blend now known as Rascal Flatts came together when second cousins Demarcus and LeVox invited Rooney to sit in as a substitute guitar player at a Printer's Alley gig in Nashville. Demarcus and Rooney were also playing in country star Chely Wright's band at the time. The rest is history. |
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Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands of the '80s. Equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion, they were rock & roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal. The Edge provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping sonic landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars. |
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In many ways, Alice in Chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. Drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-Van Halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. They were hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge bands. |
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