Free were an English rock band formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums. Lead guitarist Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler in 1975, but died from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 25 in 1976. Bassist Andy Fraser formed Sharks…
Back in the late 1960s, Free was just one of hundreds of blues-based bands that grew up under the shadow of the Rolling Stones and, later, Cream. Like Fleetwood Mac, Free came together with a little help from those twin founders of the British blues boom–John Mayall and Alexis Korner–and like Led Zeppelin, they hit lucky–and big–early on…
One of the most uncompromising free jazz records ever made, this one-off improvisation by a group of Dutch players, led by percussionist Pierre Courbois, is an archetype of the style. Free jazz doesn't just require a lot of unrestrained blowing and freeform noise, although there are passages of that here…
The radical free jazz group Gruppo Romano Free Jazz electrified the musical world of Italy when it was organized in 1966 and brought its members worldwide acclaim. Since then, Mario Schiano, Giancarlo Schiaffini, and Bruno Tommaso have appeared on dozens of recordings and, to varying degrees, developed considerable reputations in Italy and internationally. The live concert at the Roman Philharmonic Academy (with 1,400 in attendance) documented on this recording was a 36th reunion of sorts, with the young trombone phenom Sebi Tramontana added for the second piece…
Although Free was never destined to scrape the same skies as Led Zeppelin, when they first burst out of the traps in 1968, close to a year ahead of Jimmy Page and company, they set the world of British blues-rock firmly on its head, a blistering combination of youth, ambition, and, despite those tender years, experience that, across the course of their debut album, did indeed lay the groundwork for all that Zeppelin would embrace…
Rainbows Are Free is a 5-piece doom metal band from Norman, Oklahoma. They won the 2011 "Woody Award" for "Best Metal Artist" in Oklahoma and again in 2012…
When it comes to rock vocalists, there’s none better than Paul Rodgers. “Robert Plant?” you counter. Well, maybe you ought take your argument to Plant himself, who’s previously capitulated with the hearty recommendation that “Paul Rodgers is the voice of all British voices”…
Sometimes, a change of pace does creativity good. Allowing a chance to recharge and refresh can give you a whole new perspective. Recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of multi-platinum jugaruant Rock band Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora is not immune to needing such alternate directions in life…