R.E.M.
In Athens, Georgia (USA), Michael Stipe and Peter Buck met in 1978 in the record store where Buck worked and discovered they shared an...
Rabbit
Formed in 1973 in Newcastle (NSW, Australia), Rabbit were originally a three-piece band playing covers of songs by artists such as Alice Cooper, The Who...
Racey
"When I met you, you were seventeen, not just another teenage queen" - Shakespeare? Dylan? Lennon & McCartney?
While not strictly speaking 'one-hit wonders', Racey had...
Rachel Sweet
At 16, Akron-girl Rachel Sweet was a veteran performer, having been on the stage since the age of nine as well as recording commercials...
Radiators, The
Singer Brian Nichol and guitarist Stephen 'Fess' Parker had played together in a high school band in the NSW south coast town of Bega...
Radio Birdman
The Radio Birdman saga began in Sydney, Australia, in 1973 with The Rats - a band comprising Mick Lynne on bass, Rob Younger on...
Radio Luxembourg
Arguably the earliest commercial radio station broadcasting in the English language, Radio Luxembourg started broadcasting to the entertainment-starved listeners of the United Kingdom.
Often mistakenly referred to...
Radio Stars
Radio Stars was formed by Martin Gordon (ex-Sparks), vocalist Andy Ellison (ex-John's Children) and Ian MacLeod in 1977.
The band signed to Chiswick Records and released...
Radiohead
It is a well-known fact that the weight of just one hit single can destroy a band - should you duplicate your sound and be...
Railway Children, The
The Railway Children formed in 1985 in Wigan, Lancashire.
Gary Newby
Vocals, guitar
Brian Bateman
Guitar
Stephen Hull
Bass
Guy Keegan
Drums
Rain Parade
This psychedelia-tinged, late-60s-influenced new wave band hailed from Los Angeles.
Leader David Roback left in 1985 to form Opal and later Mazzy Starr.
Keyboards/violin player William...
Rainbow
A few months prior to his departure from Deep Purple in 1975, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore teamed up with members of a decidedly mediocre American...
Raincoats, The
Formed in 1976 while Gina Birch (bass) and Ana Da Silva (guitar and vocals) were at Hornsey Art College, The Raincoats were a London-based...
Ral Donner
Ralph Stuart Emanuel Donner was born in Norwood Park, Chicago and sang in church as a child. He sang in local talent shows as...
Ramases
Once glance at the grammatically-challenged and logic-dodging sleeve notes on the 1971 Space Hymns album will convince you that Mister Ram (Kimberley Barrington Frost to his...
Ramones, The
The Ramones were nasty, ugly and played music so fast and simple it was borderline inane, but this band of creeps from Forest Hills...
Randy Newman
Randy Newman was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Southern California. His career in music began while he was at UCLA, thanks...
Rare Earth
Having played the club circuit since 1961 under the name The Sunliners, it was on joining Motown's subsidiary Rare Earth Records - set up by...
Raspberries, The
The Raspberries, a Cleveland-based band, summed up everything classic power pop was about (before the term was even being used); simplicity, Beach Boys-esque harmonies, and delightfully skilled melodies...
Ratcat
Ratcat came together in Sydney (Australia) from the ashes of a garage band called Danger Mouse.
Their eponymous debut mini-LP was released in 1987 by...
