100+ People- Part 5

For as long as I can remember I've been a big music fan. In the movie Eddie and The Cruisers, there is an exchange between Eddie Wilson (Michael Pare) and Frank "Wordman" Ridgeway (Tom Berenger) about how the two go together and need each other. Each by itself is a good medium for story telling and communicatin but the two together are a powerful combination. The song writer(s) might have one idea of what their song means but they can not control what their song will mean to someone else nor what others will do with their song. How many songs have been turned around into totally differnt versions of the same song. Think about the phemnomina of Rap music and remixes. How different would movies and television be without the score and music helps to set the tone and direction of the scenes you're watching. Chances are that you have at least one song that can put you in a good mood no matter what the world may dish up to you the moment you hear that first note or one song that motivates you.

Bands & Musicians

• Led Zeppelin- Lead singer, Robert Plant has one of the best know voices in Rock and Roll. He won a Grammy last year for an album that he did with Blue Grass singer Alison Krauss. Jimmy Page is one of three legendary guitarists that were in the Yardbirds (Eric Clapton, also appearing in my list, and Jeff Beck, being the other two). I didn't find any Twitter accounts but Led Zeppelin and Robert Plant both have official websites and a Wikipedia entry.

• Eric Clapton- Even if you're not into the Blues or already a fan of Eric Clapton, you've probably heard a song of his without realizing it. Several of his songs have been in various movie soundtracks in the last few decades. Everybody wanted to do unplugged after he did it. He was another of the famous guitarists that was in the Yardbirds (Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page are the other two). I didn't find a Twitter account and his official website can be found here.

• B.B. King- If you're a Blues fan you've probably already know of B.B. King. Eric Clapton and many other Rock and Roll greats list him as an influence. In fact, King and Clapton did an album together called Riding With The King. B.B. King has an official website and he has a museum that can be found online as well. Although I didn't find a Twitter account, I did see links to MySpace and Facebook from his website.

• Chuck Berry- Chances are you've probably heard of Chuck Berry. Many people credit him with Rock and Roll taking off the way it did, certainly he has influenced a lot of musicians over the years. Chuck Berry has a website a Wikipedia entry and I did find a MySpace account.

• It is really hard to "imagine" music and the world without the Beatles. An uncle of mine once joked about being by the magizine section in a store and hearing some teenager girls saying "Wow, Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings". Unfortunately, only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as Yoko Ono and Pete Best (their drummer before Ringo) are alive. Paul,Ringo, and Pete all have their own websites in addition to Imagine Peace, Yoko's website. The Beatles, Paul McCartney, and Yoko all have Twitter accounts. I found Wikipedia entries for The_Beatles, Lennon/McCartney, Paul_McCartney, Ringo_Starr, Pete_Best, and Yoko_Ono. Yoko is in Facebook, as well as having a MySpace account. Ringo has a MySpace account.

• At one time people seemed to like the Beatles or the Stones, although Mick Jagger might not ever seem to get his Satisfaction, the Rolling Stone have certainly had some time in the spotlight. The band has a website and Wikipedia entry and I found MySpace and Facebook sites for them as well.

• If you're a Van Halen fan, you've probably given some thought to weither David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar was the better singer. There is little doubt however that Eddy Van Halen is one of the guitar greats. Sammy and Michael have been in Chickenfoot together since leaving Van Halen. I found Wikipedia entries for Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Micahel Anthony, and Chickenfoot. I also found MySpace and Facebook sites for Chickenfoot.

• I wonder what all will be written about U2, when all is said and done. The Jousha Tree brought the to mainstream success and they've sold out countless concerts since then. I found Wikipedia entries for U2, Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. The band has MySpace and Facebook sites.

• It is hard to imagine the Alternative/Grunge rock era without Pearl Jam. They were also the band that boycotted Ticketmaster. Although I didn't find Facebook or MySpace sites, they do have a Wikipedia entry and Twitter account.

• If you listen to "Classic Rock", you've probably heard Jethro Tull. Many people might say that they're "Living in the Past" but the vocals and flute of Ian Anderson are hard to mistake for anyone else in the world of "Classic Rock". I found Wikipedia entries for Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson. The band also has a MySpace site.

• If you've ever played Six Degrees of Seperation, a game where someone suggests two movie stars and you try to connect them through movies that they'd played in and Kevin Bacon, there is a good chance that you'd use Yes to connect muscians in British Rock. Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman, Geoff Downs, Bill Bruford, and Alan White have all been in one or more of the various lineups of Yes. I found Wikipedia entries for Yes, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman, Geoff Downs, Bill Bruford, and Alan White. I didn't really come accross any MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter accounts for the more promenent Yes and former Yes memebers but with there being so many I might have missed something!

• Aerosmith is another one of the bands that train just keeps rolling for. They were already well known in the 70's and 80's when they decided that they didn't want a "Permanent Vacation" they became introduced to another generation. Liv Tyler, Steven Tyler's daughter, has probably escliped the widespread fame of her father's band and I wonder how many of her fans were introduced to the band via her notoriety. Lead guitarist Joe Perry has his own website, a Twitter account, as well as MySpace and Facebook sites. I found Wikipedi entries for Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry. Aeroforceone tweets about the band. Steven Tyler has a MySpace site and the band has MySpace and Facebook sites.

• Coming from the Detroit area it is darn near impossible not to be a Bob Seger fan. Did you happen to see Tom Cruise's scene from Risky Business where he danced around to "Old Time Rock And Roll"? Bob Seger has a Wikipedia entry, he is on Twitter, and he has a Facebook site.

• You've probably heard "Hotel California", if not countless other Eagles songs. The band had a bad break up at one point and reported wouldn't get back together till Hell freezes over, well it must have frozen over because they did get back together. Don Henley says on their "Hell Freezes Over" album (recorded during their "Hell Freezes Over" tour) "for the record we never really broke up, we just took a 14 year vacation". Bandmembers Joe Walsh and Timothy B Schmit have their own websites as well. I found Wikipedia entries for The Eagles, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. While Don Henley's website said that "He does not communicate via social networking sites and has not authorized any account to be created on his behalf." the band appears to have a MySpace site and Timothy B. Schmit has Twitter accountand Facebook and MySpace accounts. So who knows, maybe Hell will freeze over again before Don Henley does anything with any of the Social Networking sites.

• Kiss has to be one of the first best known bands to understand what a powerful tool marketing can be. For decades their fanbase has been refered to as the Kiss Army and their devotion is legendary. The band was founded with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss all wearing makeup that concealed their faces. In addition to the websites already linked to, I found websites for current and former band members Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Eric Carr, and Bruce Kulick. I found Wikipedia entries on Kiss, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Kiss Army, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Mark St. John, Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, and Bruce Kulick. The band has a Twitter account, Facebook and MySpace sites and Ace has a Twitter account.

• Although John Mellencamp's name has changed through the years from John Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp, and finally to John Mellencamp, he has firmly identified himself with the Midwest and his home state of Indiana. I saw him perform during one of his many appearences at Farm Aid. He has a Wikipedia entry, a Twitter account, and Facebook and MySpace sites.

• To a lot of their fans, REM will always be that little ole alternative band from Athens Georgia, but their popularity with in College Radio and the mainstream public has grown way beyond that. They have a Wikipedia entry, Twitter account, and Facebook and MySpace sites.

• Regardless of if you like Madonna's music or not you have to admit that she has been good at marketing, promotion, and re-inventing herself. Her career might have gotten an initial boost from MTV, but she's had several totally different looks in her career and has inspired countless artists. I didn't find an offical Twitter account but she has a Wikipedia entry, as well as Facebook and MySpace sites.

Stay Tuned

So far we've met some Internet Stars; Leaders in Motivation & Inspiration; Authors; Actors, Directors, and Comedians; and Musicians, who'll be next? Be sure to look for 100+ People That I Want to Meet Part 6 and the rest of the series and you can read the intro here. Feel free to subscribe to this blog via email or your rss reader, there are several options available in the upper righthand corner of this blog.

Photo credit: "DJ Night 4" courtesy of fangol.