Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Pop

Original Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor turns 64 today

With Duran Duran, Andy Taylor reached the pinnacle of his success during the 1980’s, but the guitarist has had also a successful solo career collaborating with many other artists and with Power Station back in the 1980’s. Look back at Taylor’s life and career on the day he turns 64

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Remembering the artist and politician Sonny Bono on his birthday

Sonny Bono helped to launch Cher’s career with their successful duo Sonny & Cher back in the 1960’s, with a string of hits such as “I Got You Babe” or “The Beat Goes On.” But he also wrote many songs for other artists and had an active acting career and later in his life, also as a politician. Look back at Sonny Bono’s life

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Roxette’s Per Gessle turns 66 today

Roxette had an impressive string of hit songs during the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Swedish duo consisting of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson, ruled the airwaves around the globe during that period, today, Per turns 66

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David Bowie releases “Sound and Vision” in 1977

On February 11, 1977, one of David Bowie’s most revolutionary and famous songs, “Sound and Vision,” was the first single to be released from the album “Low,” the Experimental Electronic-Rock adventure of the Berlin period. The back vocals on the song were done by a very special singer

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Rick Astley turns 61 today

The British singer became popular during the late 1980’s with songs such as “Never Gonna Give You Up” produced by the famous team Stock Aitken Waterman, despite that in recent years he’s more famous for the “rickrolling,” his career has been much more than that

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Shakira turns 48 today

Shakira has one of the most impressive music careers of the last 25 years, the hot Colombian singer became worldwide famous during the early 2000’s with the song “Whenever, Wherever” and ever since she’s unbeatable. We look back at her career and some interesting facts about Shakira, on the day she turns 48

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Phil Collins turns 74 today

Phil Collins first came to prominence during the 1970’s as the drummer, and later the lead singer, for Prog-Rock band Genesis, achieving a notorious and successful solo career in the 1980’s with a string of hit songs

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Remembering music legend Sam Cooke

Often called the “architect of soul music,” Sam Cooke paved the way for future artists like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye with his ability to blend gospel, soul, and pop music

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Remembering Robert Palmer

During the 1980’s Robert Palmer embraced the new MTV trend and went on to make some of the 1980’s most iconic music videos which earned him a new exposure to a younger audience including the famous one for the song “Addicted to Love”

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Remembering Françoise Hardy

Her career took off in the early 1960s with her debut single, “Tous les garçons et les filles” which became an instant hit, selling over a million copies estabilishing Hardy as a prominent figure in the yé-yé movement and a 1960’s icon

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Pat Benatar celebrates 72 today

The four-time Grammy Award winner, known for her powerhouse vocals and empowering rock anthems, became one of the most influential artists of the 1980s scoring worldwide hits such as “Love Is a Battlefield” and “We Belong”

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Kenny Loggins celebrates 77 today

Loggins has had a prolific career spanning soft rock hits and iconic movie soundtracks, earning the title “King of Movie Soundtracks” with unforgettable and iconic hits like “Footloose” from the film of the same name and “Danger Zone” from Top Gun

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The Last Christmas of George Michael

One of the biggest music stars and icons of the last four decades, George Michael left us on Christmas day eight years ago. We look back at his life and career and remember his strong legacy as an artist and human being.

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Ricky Martin turns 53 today

Ricky Martin is one of the leading Latin music artists worldwide and was able to cross boundaries and popularize that music style regardless of the language barriers

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1980’s Pop music icon Limahl turns 66 today

Limahl is mostly remembered for being part of the band Kajagoogoo and for his hit “The Neverending Story” in 1984. With a unique look that even inspired a Marvel superhero, Limahl it’s still one of the most recognizable 80’s Pop music icons. We look back at his life and career to celebrate his 66th anniversary.

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Don Johnson Turns 75 today

Don Johnson came to prominence during the 1980’s when he starred on the hit TV series “Miami Vice,” he had a very mediatic marriage with actress Melanie Griffith and tried a career as a Pop singer during the 1980’s

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Top 10 Best Rock and Pop Christmas Songs

The 1970’s and 1980’s were a strong and fertile ground for Pop and Rock artists to do Christmas songs and turning it into memorable No.1 hits, while not all of the songs on this list are from those decades and not all made it to No.1, they all are memorable and have resisted the test of time for decades

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Singer Brenda Lee turns 80 today

Brenda Lee is mostly remembered by her 1960 hit “I’m Sorry,” but prior to that song she already had scored nine consecutive Top 10 Hot 100 songs. The singer was one of the first Country Pop artists to successfully achieve international fame. She was born on this day in 1944

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Pop Princess Britney Spears turns 43 today

Britney Spears became famous in the late 1990’s with songs such as “Opps!…I Did It Again” and “…Baby One More Time”, she has sold over 100 million records worldwide making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time, today the Pop Princess turns 43

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Reflections on the (Young) Rascals

It might seem odd to use the word “underrated” to describe a band with three #1 singles and six top twenty LPs, but then, the (Young) Rascals were an odd kind of band. And for all their (considerable) commercial success, they are rarely spoken of with the same respect as other bands from the same era, despite their groundbreaking achievements. Time to redress the balance…

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Kim Wilde turns 64 today

Kim Wilde stands as one of the greatest New Wave and Pop female artists of all time. The British singer scored several Hit singles during the 1980’s including “Kids in America,” “Cambodia,” “You Came” and “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”

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In 1985 Wham! “Make It Big” twice

In 1985 Wham! were one of the biggest pop bands (or duos) in the world and after a discreet debut with their first album “Fantastic” released in 1982, they went on to release their best selling and worldwide success “Make It Big” that included some of the 1980’s most memorable Pop music

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Rolling Stone magazine launches its first number in 1967

Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco, California in 1967, featuring John Lennon on the cover and offering a free roach clip to hold a marijuana joint. Over the years, despite controversy, the magazine has been able to maintain its position as the mother of all pop culture magazines

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British singer and actress Lulu turns 76 today

She’s an icon for the 1960’s Swinging London and has had a career filled with success over the last 60 years. From the “Shout!” hit to host her variety TV Shows in 1960’s, to Eurovision winner and to work with David Bowie in the 1970’s, we look back at her career

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Michael Jackson rises to No.1 with “Bad” in 1987

The song is one of the many hits Jackson scored from his album “Bad.” 5 years after “Thriller,” Michael Jackson was able to put out an album with the same amount of hit singles although with a different songwriting formula and edgier than the 1982 groundbreaking album. Find out what was the song about

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The British singer Cliff Richard turns 84

With more than 250 million records sold worldwide since the beginning of his career in the 1950’s, the singer was never able to successfully break into the American music market, despite dominating the British music scene pre-Beatles

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The Amazing Career Of P.P Arnold 

She is best known for her 1967 hit “First Cut Is the Deepest” but she’s far from being one hit wonder, P.P Arnold turns 78 today and for nearly 60 years she has been writing music history. Find out why

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Tiffany is not a teenager anymore

If you spent any time in an American mall in the late 1980’s, then you were fully aware of the Teen Pop sensation Tiffany, but even if you were not in America at the time you know her from her worldwide smash hit where “I Think We’re Alone Now” that made her a 1980’s pop references around the globe. Tiffany turns 53 today

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Looking back at Sting ‘s career

Sting has been one of the most successful artists in the world for well over 4 decades now. He became a well-known name back in the late 1970’s as frontman for The Police with whom he recorded 5 hit albums between 1978 and 1983. He released his first solo album in 1985 making a total now of 12 solo albums. Today, Sting turns 73

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Remembering Jim Diamond

In 1984 with “I Should Have Known Better,” his most memorable song, he reached No.1 in the U.K and charts in other countries in Europe and Australia, we remember Diamond on his birthday

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Jennifer Rush turns 64 today

Responsible for one of the biggest hit ballads from the 1980’s, Jennifer Rush rose to fame during the 1980’s with her hit ballad “The Power of Love,” an enduring 80’s classic

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Remembering Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer became worldwide famous during the 1980’s with songs such as “Johnny and Mary” and “Addicted to Love” and he made some of the 1980’s most iconic music videos. We remember the singer who died on this day in 2003

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Toni Basil is 81 today

She became worldwide famous with the catchy Pop tune “Mickey” in 1982, but after the success of “Mickey,” Basil would go on to direct videos for the Talking Heads, choreograph tours for David Bowie and bring street dance to the public back in the day

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Bill Medley turns 84 today

Bill Medley’s distinctive voice is noted for his bass-baritone voice in songs such as The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Unchained Melody” and the 1980’s classic “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”

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The 5th Dimension singer Lamonte McLemore turns 85

Best known as a founding member of the Grammy-winning vocal group The 5th Dimension and with a career that spans both music and photography, Lamonte McLemore remains mostly remembered by the iconic The 5th Dimension 1969 song “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”

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In 1984 “Relax” the controversial debut single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, became the longest running chart hit since 1967

One of the most controversial and most commercially successful records of the decade “Relax” sold a reported 2 million copies in the UK alone, making it the seventh best-selling single in the UK Singles Chart’s history and would be the first song to emphasize the then, shock impact of Frankie members Holly Johnson’s and Paul Rutherford’s open homosexuality

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The Culture Club drummer Jon Moss turns 67

Jon Moss became worldwide famous as the drummer for Culture Club, but the drummer of songs such as “Karma Chameleon” and former Boy George romantic partner actually came from a strong Punk Rock background prior joining the Culture Club that included many famous Punk bands

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Disco Diva Gloria Gaynor turns 77

With her signature song “I Will Survive” perhaps is fair to say Gloria Gaynor owes her place in music history to the Disco revolution of the late 1970’s, but her career had already a rich history prior to that

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Liv Hanna releases the single “Proud of Yourself”

Liv Hanna once again enlisted renowned producer Flex to produce “Proud of Yourself.” Flex was responsible for the production of Liv Hanna’s most recent record, “TEASE ME.” The masterful, heartfelt lyrics were entirely penned by Liv Hanna. “Proud of Yourself” is a piano-driven ballad that teeters between Alt-Pop, Dark Pop, Indie Pop, and Pop Rock

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The Top 10 Clash Songs

Joe Strummer, one of the leading figures of the Punk Rock movement, was born on 21 August 1952. He formed and fronted The Clash between 1976 and 1986, leaving a valuable legacy in Rock music that remains fresh and continues to influence new generations

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Top 10 John Deacon Queen songs

The quiet and talented John Deacon was never too much fond of the spotlight, not even when Queen was performing for tens of thousands of people, the bassist and composer was born 74 years ago today in 1951

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Top 10 1990’s Defining Madonna songs

After a successful decade that introduced her to the mainstream and put her on the throne of Pop music as the Queen, Madonna would seem to have a problem adapting to the new era of the 1990’s to match her previous success, but for her, between eroticism and mysticism, this was a piece of cake

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Madonna: The Absolute Queen of Pop 66th Birthday

Madonna Louise Ciccone doesn’t need introductions, the living legend who was born on August 16, 1958, turns an amazing 66th birthday today. We pay tribute to the absolute Queen of Pop with several special features on Pop Expresso including photo galleries, lists of her most defining songs, insights on some of her big hits and also Quizzes

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The singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram turns 55

In 1988 at age 19 Tanita Tikaram scored two major hit singles with “Twist in My Sobriety” and “Good Tradition” from her debut album “Ancient Heart”. She’d never repeat the same success again but remains an active musician and singer

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Remembering the singer-songwriter Eric Carmen

Eric Carmen’s solo career took off with the release of his self-titled debut album in 1975. The album featured the hit single “All by Myself,” a power ballad that Carmen composed based on a theme from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The song became a massive hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100

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Tom Jones hits the top of the charts around the world in 1968 with the controversial murder-ballad “Delilah”

In order for today’s society to be able to think and analyze the fact that a 1968 song that trivializes the idea of murdering a woman can still remain so popular today, we have to put up in perspective history and the  1960’s and 1970’s society as well as the once very trendy “murder ballad” genre, and “Delilah” is despite all the controversy one of the greatest Pop songs ever made

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The legendary Whitney Houston was born 61 years ago

Whitney Houston was the most awarded female act of all time with 200 million records sold worldwide, one of music’s greatest voices, she passed away aged only 48. We remember her exceptional life and career, and her voice and music through the concert Live in Japan, 1990, today that marks her 61st birthday

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U2’s The Edge turns 63

The Edge’s guitar playing has become one of the most important parts of U2’s distinctive and influential sound which still inspires new generations of musicians today

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Looking back at the influential and iconic Louis Armstrong and five of his best songs

To talk about Pop Culture, Jazz and overall music in the 20th century and not mentioning Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, would be ignoring history. Born on this day in 1901, Armstrong crossed over race and classes in a highly segregated period of the United States due to his talent as a trumpeter, composer, vocalist, occasional actor and also his charisma and achieved worldwide fame, performing as a household name in legendary stages all over the world throughout his influential career

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Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim turns 61 today

In the mid-1990s, Cook adopted the moniker Fatboy Slim and his 1998 album, “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby,” catapulted him to international fame, featuring hit singles like “The Rockafeller Skank,” “Praise You,” and “Right Here, Right Now”

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Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry turns 82

Gentry’s breakthrough came in 1967 with the release of “Ode to Billie Joe,” a song she wrote and recorded that became an instant hit, and that together with “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”, earned her top places in the mainstream charts despite the artist’s association with Country music

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Cat Stevens turns 76

Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, penned memorable songs such as “Wild World” and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”, during the 1960’s and 1970’s released several acclaimed albums and has in recent years returned to do music after an almost 30 years hiatus. He turns 76 today

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Kim Carnes turns 79 today

Kim Carnes gave memorable vocals to the 1981 hit “Bette Davis Eyes” and later also to the U.S.A For Africa “We Are The World”. She has led a successful singer-songwriter career since the 1960’s that still keeps going strong

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The spectacular Live Aid took place on this day in 1985

Held on July 13, 1985 at simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England and at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, U.S. Live Aid featured a never before seen parade of Pop and Rock artists including Queen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Madonna, Wham!, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Bob Dylan among many many others

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The singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega celebrates 65 today

With a career spanning over four decades, Vega continues to be a vital and relevant voice in the music industry, and her memorable song “Luka,” about child abuse told from the perspective of a young boy, that received widespread acclaim and charted internationally, continues as relevant today as it was when first released in 1987

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Soft Cell singer Marc Almond turns 67

Marc Almond might still be best remembered for Soft Cell’s smash hit “Tainted Love” in 1981, but the singer has had a fulfilling and creative solo career since 1984, releasing until now 26 albums. He turns 67 today

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Beck celebrates 54 today

Beck’s breakout moment came with the release of the single “Loser” in 1993 that became an unexpected hit and quickly propelled him into the spotlight gaining attention for his innovative and lo-fi recordings, which combined elements of folk, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music

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Remembering the Depeche Mode co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher

As a co-founder and member of one of the world’s most popular and influential bands, Depeche Mode, Andy Fletcher’s career was filled with countless hit songs including “Just Can’t Enough”, “Strangelove”, “Enjoy The Silence”, “Personal Jesus”, “Dream On”, “Master and Servant” and “Everything Counts”. Fletcher was born on this day 63 years ago.

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Singer Joan Osborne turns 62 today

Joan Osborne is best remembered by her 1995 hit “One Of Us”, despite not been able to duplicate the success she had with that song, she continues to release new music and keeps active on the music business

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Huey Lewis celebrates 74 today

The band Huey Lewis and the News are known for their infectious blend of rock, pop, and rhythm and blues and scored several hits during the 1980’s including “I Want a New Drug,” “The Power of Love” and “Stuck With You”

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