Music has always been an important part of my life. I love to listen to good music, I sing in my chruch choir, and even compose a little. My secret ambition is to sing in a performance of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. :)
Below are images and links of my favorite artists:
ABBA is the Swedish rock group that has become famous the world over. The members of this other "fab four" are Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid (“Frida”) Lyngstad ("ABBA" is just an acronym of their first names). The songs were written by Bjorn and Benny, along with their manager Stig Anderson. The band was first formed in 1973 and they disbanded ten years later. Among their most famous songs are "Dancing Queen", "Waterloo", "Ring Ring", "SOS", "Thank You For the Music", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Super Trouper", "Honey Honey", "Lovelight", and "Fernando". They have written many others besides. ABBA fans still hope for an ABBA reunion someday, although at present it seems unlikely. Three of them (all but Agnetha) came together in London on the stage of the musical Mamma Mia!, and that may be as close to reunion as there will ever be. Yet, even over 20 years after the group’s disbandment, ABBA continues to live on in the hearts of millions of worldwide fans.
Enya is a singer and musician who combines the folk style of her native Ireland with modern electronic "new age" sounds. Enya composes the music, arranges it with her producer, Niky Ryan, and the Lyrics are written by Niky's wife, Roma. Part of Enya's unique style comes from the multi-layered recordings (sometimes hundreds of times for just one song) of her own voice. She has currently six albums, all of which are excellent: Watermark, Shepherd Moons, The Celts, The Memory of Trees, A Day Without Rain, and Amarantine.
Vangelis and Ray Lynch are both electronic composers, but two very different electronic composers!
Vangelis' music is symphonic, frequently majectic, and sometimes very experimental. He has such a wide range of unique styles that his music is very hard to classify. Here are his major albums, with my valient attempt at grouping (or maybe the word should be "wrenching") them into "musical catagories":
Her name sadly little known in the USA, Elaine Paige is the singing superstar of the British stage! She has earned great fame playing many parts, including Eva Peron (Evita), Grizabella (Cats), and Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard). She is not only one of best-singing stage actresses in the world, but also one of the most versatile!
I have started a mailing list for fans of Elaine! To subscribe, go here.
Like Elaine, Sarah Brightman is known mainly in Britian, which is a pity. She is a very versitile singer, able to sing opera, rock, and stage musicals with equal ease. Among her albums are "Phantom of the Opera" (the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical), "Eden" (an Eclectic album of pop and classical), "Fly" (with a "techno" sound), "Dive: (a pop album with a oceanic theme), and "Harem", with a mid-eastern flavor.