Sanctuary Records
Encyclopedia
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world. It was also the world's largest independent owners of music intellectual property rights, with over 150,000 songs.

History

The company was formed in 1979 by Rod Smallwood
Rod Smallwood
Rod Smallwood, co-manager of the British band Iron Maiden and co-founder in 1976 of then Smallwood-Taylor Enterprises, today Sanctuary Group which is the world's largest music management company. The company was named after the Maiden song by the same name...

 and Andy Taylor
Andy Taylor (music entrepreneur)
Andy Taylor, co-manager of the British band Iron Maiden and co-founder in 1976 of Sanctuary Records, which described itself, as of January 2007, as the UK's largest independent record company, one of the world's leading developers of music intellectual property rights and the world's largest...

, who had first met as undergraduates at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

, and later organized dance events for students together. In 1979, they discovered (in a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 pub) and then managed Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

. They consequently named the record company after the band's song “Sanctuary", a 1980 single later included on the reissued version of their 1980 eponymous debut album
Iron Maiden (album)
*On the 1998 remastered release, the fade out of "Transylvania" and the intro to "Strange World" were moved to the end of "Transylvania".-Personnel:*Paul Di'Anno – vocals*Dave Murray – guitar*Dennis Stratton – guitar, backing vocals...

.

Sanctuary Records is noted for preferring to sign artists with long-term appeal, usually the artists are those considered heritage acts, being artists that have had a long career and steady fan base.

Between 1989 and 1991, Sanctuary was co-owned by the Zomba Group, whose music publishing arm still held the music of Iron Maiden in 2001.

In 1994, the company diversified. Amongst the new media interests included a joint venture with screenwriter and producer, Raymond Thompson, which evolved into the Cloud9 Screen Entertainment Group.

Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

's back catalog was re-issued by Sanctuary in conjunction with Columbia/SME Records in the US in 2002.

Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...

's 1980s back catalog (originally released on RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

) was re-issued by Sanctuary's Castle Music
Castle Communications
Castle Communications was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane and Jon Beecher. The company was acquired by the American music distributor Alliance Entertainment in 1994 and in 2000 it was absorbed into Sanctuary Records Group...

 label in conjunction with Kenny Rogers' Dreamcatcher Records in the UK. The albums were only available as imports in the US. Rogers' 2003 release "Back To The Well" was released by Sanctuary in the UK.

Mayan Records was an imprint of Sanctuary Records, under which Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...

's UK album The Monster Show
The Monster Show
The Monster Show is a 2005 album by Lordi. The Monster Show is a Hybrid album of Get Heavy and The Monsterican Dream for marketing in UK, including a DVD with three of their videos...

was released.

After a £110m loss in 2005 pressure from the UK financial and business leaders led to Smallwood becoming merely a general manager of the company, Taylor becoming Chief Executive and former British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

 chief executive Bob Ayling being installed as the new Chairman. On May 26, 2006, Ayling dismissed Taylor from the company over severe problems and inaccuracies in previous years' accounting. Sanctuary Group PLC shares had already become drastically reduced in value after a restructuring designed to deal with the previous year's huge loss. In late 2006, Smallwood left the company, taking with him Iron Maiden's management interests.

In April 2007 Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

reported that Sanctuary Records would cease to exist as a new release label in the US that summer, though catalog, licensing, and new media operations would continue. On October 22, 2007, the record company was absorbed by Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

. By December 2007, it appeared that the Sanctuary name had begun to be airbrushed away, with both Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...

 and Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...

 being transferred to the Universal-owned Decca Music Group for future releases.

Sanctuary and Mathew Knowles

Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...

, father of Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

 and manager of Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...

, joined the label as an executive in 2003, when Sanctuary purchased his urban music company in America. However, this move proved disastrous when records by such acts as Bizarre
Bizarre (rapper)
Rufus Arthur Johnson , better known as Bizarre is an American recording artist best known for his work with Detroit hip-hop group D12. His songs are often about subjects which create shock value such as rape and drugs.-Early life:Bizarre was born as Rufus Arthur Johnson on July 5, 1976 in Detroit,...

 of D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...

, Ray J
Ray J
William Ray Norwood Jr. , better known by his stage name Ray J, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.-Early life:...

 and De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...

 were delayed, and the main company headed towards collapse.

After restructuring the main company in 2006, it was decided no more records would be released by this American Urban division, while in July of that year Sanctuary came to the agreement that it would sell the MWE talent agency back to Mr. Knowles for £2.7m.

Bid and buy out

In July 2006, it was reported that MAMA, the management group behind the Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....

 and Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...

 and headed by Mean Fiddler
Mean Fiddler Music Group
Festival Republic is a UK music promoter. Among its interests, it runs the Reading and Leeds festivals and is contracted to manage the Glastonbury Festival.-History:...

 chief Dean James, bid for the group. This proved unsuccessful.

On 15 June 2007 Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

 announced it had reached an agreement to buy Sanctuary Records for £44.5 million.

Former artists

  • Sally Oldfield
    Sally Oldfield
    Sally Oldfield is a singer-songwriter, and the sister of the composers Mike Oldfield and Terry Oldfield.-Early life:...

  • 3 Colours Red
    3 Colours Red
    3 Colours Red were a rock band from the United Kingdom. They achieved their biggest chart success at the end of the 1990s, along with other Britrock bands such as Ash and Feeder. The band was named by sticking a pin in a London listings magazine, Time Out...

  • Aberfeldy
    Aberfeldy (band)
    Aberfeldy are a band formed by the singer-songwriter Riley Briggs in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2002. The band is named after the Scottish town.-History:...

  • Alan Price
    Alan Price
    Alan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....

     and The Electric Blues Company
  • Allman Brothers Band (Hittin' the Note
    Hittin' the Note
    Hittin' the Note is a 2003 studio album by the American Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band. Released through Sanctuary Records, it was their first studio album to include lead slide guitar player Derek Trucks and bass player Oteil Burbridge and marked the full-time return of guitar player...

    )
  • Andy Bell
    Andy Bell (singer)
    Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...

  • Angelou
    Angelou (band)
    Angelou was an English folk rock band formed in 1996 by singer-songwriter Holly Lerski with guitarist Jo Baker, the duo taking the band's name from the author Maya Angelou....

  • Anthrax
    Anthrax (band)
    Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...

  • Apollyon Sun
    Apollyon Sun
    Apollyon Sun was a Metal band formed by singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Fischer and guitarist Erol Unala in early 1995, after the termination of Celtic Frost, Fischer's prior group. The group was unofficially dissolved in 2001 when Fischer invited Erol Unala to contribute to the reformation of Celtic...

  • The Ataris
    The Ataris
    The Ataris are a rock band from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent E.P. was released on November 25, 2010 on the Gainesville, Florida based label, Paper + Plastick. It contained the brand new tracks "All Souls' Day" and "The Graveyard of The Atlantic"...

  • Atomkraft
    Atomkraft
    Atomkraft are an English heavy/speed metal band who were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They formed in 1979 and disbanded 1988. Their "Total Metal" approach is somewhere between fellow NWOBHM bands such as Motörhead and Venom, punk rock bands such as The Dickies, and early...

  • Belle & Sebastian
    Belle & Sebastian
    Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...

     - Rough Trade Records
    Rough Trade Records
    Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...

  • Billy Idol
    Billy Idol
    William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...

  • Bizarre
    Bizarre (rapper)
    Rufus Arthur Johnson , better known as Bizarre is an American recording artist best known for his work with Detroit hip-hop group D12. His songs are often about subjects which create shock value such as rape and drugs.-Early life:Bizarre was born as Rufus Arthur Johnson on July 5, 1976 in Detroit,...

     - Urban Division
  • Black Sabbath
    Black Sabbath
    Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...

  • Blondie
    Blondie (band)
    Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

  • Blues Traveler
    Blues Traveler
    Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...

  • Blue Öyster Cult
    Blue Öyster Cult
    Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...

  • Blue Nile
  • Brides of Destruction
    Brides of Destruction
    Brides of Destruction were an American hard rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band's last lineup consisted of singer London LeGrand , Tracii Guns and Scot Coogan...

  • Bruce Ruffin
    Bruce Ruffin
    Bruce Ruffin is a rocksteady and reggae artist.-Biography:...

  • The Charlatans
    The Charlatans (British band)
    The Charlatans are an English alternative rock band. The band's line-up currently comprises Tim Burgess , Mark Collins , Martin Blunt , Tony Rogers and Jon Brookes .Former members of the band include guitarist Jon Day , vocalist Baz Ketley...

     - Creole Records
    Creole Records
    Creole Records was a UK record label that found most of its success in the disco and reggae genres in the mid 1970s to early 1980s.Creole released the debut singles of both Boney M. and Amanda Lear in 1975...

  • Christine McVie
    Christine McVie
    Christine McVie is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, though she has also released three solo albums...

     (except North America)
  • Corrosion of Conformity
    Corrosion of Conformity
    Corrosion of Conformity is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina formed in 1982. For almost the majority of its existence, the band has consisted of guitarist Woody Weatherman, bassist Mike Dean , drummer Reed Mullin and vocalist and rhythm...

  • Bruce Dickinson
    Bruce Dickinson
    Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....

  • Rob Dickinson
    Rob Dickinson
    Rob Dickinson is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter previously of the band Catherine Wheel. He is now a solo artist. Dickinson was raised in Norfolk, England, and is the younger cousin of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson....

  • Dio
    Dio (band)
    Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...

  • Peter DiStefano
    Peter DiStefano
    Peter DiStefano is best known as the guitarist for the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros...

  • Dokken
    Dokken
    Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...

  • DragonForce
    DragonForce
    DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...

  • Drowning Pool
    Drowning Pool
    Drowning Pool is a four-piece alternative metal band from Dallas, Texas.-Early days :Drowning Pool rose to fame while playing along with Ozzy Osbourne during an Ozzfest tour. Their 2001 debut album, Sinner was certified platinum within six weeks...

  • De La Soul
    De La Soul
    De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...

     - Urban Division
  • Earth, Wind and Fire - Urban Division
  • Elton John
    Elton John
    Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer
    Emerson, Lake & Palmer
    Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...

     (label outside the US, Canada, and Japan)
  • Engerica
  • Europe
    Europe (band)
    Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...

  • Ex Cathedra
    Ex Cathedra
    Ex Cathedra is a British choir and early music ensemble based in Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. It performs choral music spanning the 15th to 21st centuries, and regularly commissions new works....

  • Joey Ramone
    Joey Ramone
    Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...

  • Fun Lovin' Criminals
    Fun Lovin' Criminals
    The Fun Lovin' Criminals is an American alternative hip hop / alternative rock group from New York City. Their musical style is primarily eclectic, covering styles such as hip hop, rock, funk, blues and jazz. Their songs often deal with life in New York City, as well as urban life in general...

  • Gamma Ray
    Gamma Ray (band)
    Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...

  • The Gathering
    The Gathering (band)
    The Gathering is a Dutch alternative rock band, founded in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits in the small city of Oss, North Brabant....

  • Thea Gilmore
    Thea Gilmore
    Thea Eve Gilmore is a British female singer-songwriter. She began her career working in a recording studio, where she was discovered by her now long-time collaborator, producer and sometime co-songwriter Nigel Stonier, whom she married in October 2005.-Career:Gilmore was born in Oxford to Irish...

  • Gizmachi
    Gizmachi
    Gizmachi is a metalcore band from Newburgh, New York, formed in 1998. They are the first band to be signed to Big Orange Clown Records a subsidiary of Sanctuary Records owned by Shawn "Clown" Crahan, one of the percussionists for the popular nu metal band Slipknot. Gizmachi was one of the bands on...

  • Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
    Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
    Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in Carmarthen, west Wales in 1991. They sang songs in both Welsh and English. They split up in May 2006.-Biography:...

  • Gravity Kills
    Gravity Kills
    Gravity Kills is an American industrial rock band from Jefferson City, Missouri. Their music was described by one critic as "a blending of eerie industrial rock with a pop-infused melodic chorus and a bit of hard-core head banging."...

  • Adam Green
    Adam Green (musician)
    Adam Green is an American singer-songwriter.Green's off-kilter style has achieved a moderate college radio following in the United States, and enjoys increasing popularity in a number of European countries, particularly Germany.-Career:Green attended Emerson College for one semester in 1998 before...

  • Groove Armada
    Groove Armada
    Groove Armada is an English electronic music duo from London, England comprising Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I See You Baby" and "Superstylin'"...

  • Guns N' Roses
    Guns N' Roses
    Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

  • Helloween
    Helloween
    Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...

  • Humble Pie
    Humble Pie (band)
    Humble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie"...

  • Idlewild
    Idlewild (band)
    Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...

     - Pye Records
    Pye Records
    Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...

  • illScarlett
    IllScarlett
    IllScarlett is a Canadian rock and reggae band.Their sound can be defined as pop infused rock reggae. They have made a name for themselves in the Canadian music scene and are making their name known throughout the United States and around the world...

  • Iron Maiden
    Iron Maiden
    Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

     (North America only, in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment
    Sony Music Entertainment
    Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

    )
  • Jane's Addiction
    Jane's Addiction
    Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...

  • Jimmy Chamberlin Complex
    Jimmy Chamberlin Complex
    The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex is an alternative rock/jazz fusion band, founded by Jimmy Chamberlin and Billy Mohler. Their debut album entitled Life Begins Again was released on January 25, 2005...

  • JoBoxers
    JoBoxers
    JoBoxers was a predominantly British New Wave/soul group formed in 1982, when former Subway Sect members Rob Marche , Dave Collard , Chris Bostock , and Sean McLusky teamed up with American singer, Dig Wayne...

  • Journey
    Journey (band)
    Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...

  • King Crimson
    King Crimson
    King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...

  • The Kinks
    The Kinks
    The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...

  • KISS
    KISS (band)
    Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

  • Living Colour
    Living Colour
    Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...

  • Lowgold
    Lowgold
    Lowgold are an English indie rock band formed in 1997 in St Albans, comprising vocalist and rhythm guitarist Darren Ford, lead guitarist Dan Symons and bassist Miles Willey....

  • Lynyrd Skynyrd
    Lynyrd Skynyrd
    Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...

  • Manic Street Preachers
    Manic Street Preachers
    Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...

  • Marillion
    Marillion
    Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...

     (US and UK)
  • The Marmalade
  • Meat Loaf
    Meat Loaf
    Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...

  • Megadeth
    Megadeth
    Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...

  • Ministry
    Ministry (band)
    Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...

  • Morrissey
    Morrissey
    Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...

     - Attack Records
    Attack Records
    Attack Records ran originally from 1969 to 1980 as an imprint of Trojan Records. Notable artists included The Pioneers, Gregory Isaacs, I-Roy, Big Youth and The Upsetters....

  • Alison Moyet
    Alison Moyet
    Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...

  • Jo O'Meara
    Jo O'Meara
    Joanne Valda O'Meara is an English singer-songwriter, television personality and actress. Formerly one of the lead singers of pop group S Club, she launched a solo single after the group's split in 2003, which cut short the production of a proposed album following an appearance on Celebrity Big...

  • William Orbit
    William Orbit
    William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...

  • Orange Goblin
    Orange Goblin
    Orange Goblin are a stoner metal band from the United Kingdom that formed in 1995. The band's lineup currently consists of singer Ben Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, bassist Martyn Millard, and drummer Chris Turner.-History:...

  • Dolores O'Riordan
    Dolores O'Riordan
    Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She led The Cranberries to worldwide success and fame for 13 years before the band took a hiatus in 2003. Her first solo album Are You Listening? was released in May 2007...

  • Kelly Osbourne
    Kelly Osbourne
    Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, television personality, host, judge, fashion designer, singer, and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne...

  • Overkill
    Overkill (band)
    Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...

  • Pet Shop Boys
    Pet Shop Boys
    Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....

  • Photek
    Photek
    Photek is Rupert Parkes , a Los Angeles-based British record producer and DJ. He joined the drum and bass scene relatively early , and is still one of its most respected players...

  • Pitchshifter
    Pitchshifter (band)
    Pitchshifter are a British five-piece electronic-metal band from Nottingham, United Kingdom formed in 1989. The band was started by bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden, lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A...

  • Robert Plant
    Robert Plant
    Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...

     and the Strange Sensation
    Strange Sensation
    The Strange Sensation is Robert Plant's backing band, formed during his nine year break from solo recording. After 1993's Fate of Nations, Plant teamed up with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page to form Page and Plant...

  • Play
    Play (band)
    Play was a Swedish pop girl group, consisting of, in total, seven young women. Faye Hamlin, Anna Sundstrand, Anaïs Lameche, and Rosie Munter formed Play's original line-up from the band's formation from 2001 until late 2003. After founding member Faye left the group, fifth member Janet Leon joined...

  • Queensrÿche
    Queensrÿche
    thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....

  • Ray J
    Ray J
    William Ray Norwood Jr. , better known by his stage name Ray J, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.-Early life:...

  • Rollins Band
    Rollins Band
    Rollins Band was an American rock band led by singer and songwriter Henry Rollins.They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "Liar", which both earned heavy airplay on MTV in the early 1990s...

  • The RZA
    RZA
    Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...

  • Saint Etienne
    Saint Etienne (band)
    Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...

  • Scorpions
    Scorpions (band)
    Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...

  • Simple Minds
    Simple Minds
    Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...

  • Status Quo
  • Stratovarius
    Stratovarius
    Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...

  • Styx
    Styx (band)
    Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....

  • Tangerine Dream
    Tangerine Dream
    Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...

     ("Pink Years" and "Blue Years" albums)
  • The Cranberries
    The Cranberries
    The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...

  • The Strokes
    The Strokes
    The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....

     - Rough Trade Records
    Rough Trade Records
    Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...

     (UK only)
  • Super Furry Animals
    Super Furry Animals
    Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...

  • Tegan and Sara
    Tegan and Sara
    Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...

  • Tesla
    Tesla (band)
    Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :...

  • Uriah Heep
    Uriah Heep (band)
    Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...

  • Venom
    Venom (band)
    Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...

  • Virgin Steele
    Virgin Steele
    Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...

  • Ween
    Ween
    Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...

  • Widespread Panic
    Widespread Panic
    Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...

  • Neil Young
    Neil Young
    Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

  • Within Temptation
    Within Temptation
    Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic gothic metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a...

     (UK only)
  • Wu-Tang Clan
    Wu-Tang Clan
    The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...


External links

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