Vocalists
Roy Head was born a sharecropper's son in the tiny town of Three Rivers, Texas. Growing up listening to every style of music available on his small radio, Roy became heavily influenced by early Rhythm & Blues musicians. While still in high school Roy and five buddies formed the band The Traits...
Peter Yarrow is the Peter in the wildly successful popular folk music trio Peter, Paul, and Mary. During his often musical NAMM Oral History interview, Peter spoke of the role music played during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, as well as the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. The...
Archie Bell, a native of Houston, Texas, grew up listening to his mother sing in the Baptist church. Out of her seven sons she singled out Archie and suggested that he should try to be a singer. After seeing Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke in concert together, Archie decided that would be his path as...
Betty Wright was three years old when she was placed on a pile of phone books in a studio in order to reach the microphone when her family recorded gospel music. She began writing songs very young, many of which were performed by her siblings. In the 1960s, Betty made the move to R&B music and...
Harry Casey wrote a few songs and headed into a Miami studio with the simple goal of making a dance record. He used the studio musicians and would later ask those guys to tour with him when his record became a big hit. KC and the Sunshine Band helped define the disco era, even though Harry always...
Larry Moudy sang and played the guitar for the musical group Up With People beginning in 1967. After being drafted and serving in the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne, Larry returned to the group to sing, play, and help manage the tours. In 1975, he was hired by Fender back in the CBS days and...
Greg Jones grew up in Los Angeles and sang for a number of rock bands, which gave him the opportunity to write music. His songs can be heard on the television show "Smallville." Greg’s interest in pro lighting lead to a sales rep job for Martin Lighting, which added a new element to his career....
Billy J. Kramer took part in the British Invasion, coming to America and performing a number of his hit songs on the Ed Sullivan Show, just like four of his friends from Liverpool did a few months earlier. In fact, several of the songs he performed were written by Paul and John, who wanted to write...
William Bell began singing in doo-wop groups before signing for Stax Records in Memphis, which is where his first hit was recorded. In fact that song, "You Don't Miss Your Water" was also the first big hit for the newly formed record label that would go on to redefine soul music. William wrote...
Valerie Day became a pop star in the 1980s when she and her husband formed the band Nu Shooz. Their first big hit, "I Can't Wait" helped define the synth-heavy sound of the era, as well as establish the band as a hit maker. They charged with several other songs and continue to record and perform...