Patsy Cline was an American singer, songwriter, pianist and composer from the state of Virginia. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.
Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a member of Crazy Horse, and founder/frontman of the band Grin. Lofgren was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014.
George Lawrence Thorogood is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s US rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the Bone" and "I Drink Alone". He has also helped to popularize older songs by American icons, such as "Move It on Over", "Who Do You Love?", and "House Rent Blues/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer".
Washington, D.C., has been home to many prominent musicians and is particularly known for the musical genres of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, bluegrass, punk rock and its locally-developed descendants hardcore and emo, and a local funk genre called go-go. The first major musical figure from District of Columbia was John Philip Sousa, a military brass band composer. Later figures include jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Rouse, Buck Hill, Ron Holloway, Davey Yarborough, Michael A. Thomas, Butch Warren, and DeAndrey Howard; soul musicians, including Billy Stewart, The Unifics, The Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Van McCoy, The Presidents, The Choice Four, Vernon Burch, guitarist Charles Pitts, and Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul.
Charles Louis Brown was an American guitarist, bandleader and singer known as "The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C., area in the mid-1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.
The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band that formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland. The band's original line-up comprised John Starling on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone vocals, Ben Eldridge on banjo, Tom Gray on double bass, and John Duffey on mandolin; the latter three also provided backing vocals. Together they released their debut studio album, Act I, in 1972, followed by both Act II and Act III in 1973.
Roy Linwood Clark was an American singer, musician, and television presenter. He is best known for having hosted Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and in helping to popularize the genre.
"Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two on Billboard's US Hot 100 singles for the week ending August 28, 1971. The song was a success on its initial release and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 18, 1971, and Platinum on April 10, 2017. The song became one of John Denver's most popular songs. It has continued to sell, with over 1.8 million digital copies sold in the United States.
Mark Jeffery Anthony Hudson is an American musician, record producer and songwriter based in both Los Angeles and New York City. After first rising to prominence as a performer, songwriter and TV personality in the 1970s as a member of the Hudson Brothers trio, Hudson achieved independent success as record producer and songwriter, working with a broad variety of artists including Cher, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Hanson, Harry Nilsson, and the Baha Men.
George Edward Smith is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo Hall & Oates during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on several albums and five number one singles. When Hall & Oates took a hiatus in 1985, Smith joined the sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live, serving as bandleader and co-musical director of the Saturday Night Live Band.
The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums and two gold singles, and charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100 a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they achieved Top 10 three times, Top 20 six times and Top 40 14 times. They have sold over 20 million records worldwide.
Winston Churchill High School, often referred to as WCHS, Churchill High School, CHS or Churchill, is a public high school in Potomac, Maryland, United States, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County. It is the only public high school in Potomac.
The culture of Washington, D.C. is reflected in its status as the capital of the United States and the presence of the federal government, its large Black population, and its role as the largest city in the Chesapeake Bay region. The presence of the U.S. federal government, in particular, has been instrumental in developing numerous cultural institutions throughout the city, such as museums and performing arts centers. The city's historic Black population has also helped drive cultural activities and artistic pursuits. During the early 20th century, for example, Washington's U Street Corridor became an important center for African American culture.
Marcus Spencer Hummon is an American country music singer-songwriter. Notable songs written or co-written by Hummon include "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away", recorded by The Chicks; "Born to Fly", recorded by Sara Evans; "Only Love", recorded by Wynonna Judd; "The Cheap Seats", recorded by Alabama; "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey; "One of These Days", recorded by Tim McGraw; "Cornfields or Cadillacs", recorded by Farmer's Daughter; "Love Is the Right Place", recorded by Bryan White; and "Bless the Broken Road", recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as Rascal Flatts. Three of these songs reached number one on the country record charts: "Cowboy Take Me Away", "Born to Fly", and the Rascal Flatts version of "Bless the Broken Road". Hummon has also scored films and written operas and musicals.
Grace Bernadette Griffith was a folk and Celtic singer based in Washington, D.C. She has been honored with multiple Wammie awards by the Washington Area Music Association. In 1998, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Griffith died at the age of 64 following complications from Parkinson's disease on June 5, 2021.
Michelle Robin Lewis is an American singer-songwriter who has released two solo albums. She has since worked as a songwriter for artists including Cher, Shawn Colvin, Hilary Duff, Kay Hanley and Kelly Osbourne.
The Cherry People were a psychedelic pop and later hard rock music group from Washington, D.C., United States. Their track "And Suddenly" reached no.45 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts in 1969.
Harry Hepcat is an American first-generation rock and roll artist, performing rock, blues, doo-wop and rockabilly over seven decades. He is noted as a singer, guitarist, band leader, songwriter, radio disc-jockey, writer and media personality. A 1981 review stated, "His honest sense of fun distinguishes him from humorless idol-worshipers and from slapstick cretins..." He was a frequent guest on WCBS-FM in 'New York City' and, at the other end of the rock spectrum, was one of the first listed in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1998 and featured on the organization's first CD. Elvis Presley once said of him, to George Anderson, "Harry Hepcat is like a brother, not by blood, but by what he does."
Moses Kenneth Haughton Jr. better known by his stage name Moses Stone is an American recording artist, music producer, entrepreneur, and actor. Moses Stone is the founder of brands Art Sky Agency, Art Sky Entertainment, Art Sky Productions he founded in 2013. Stone has appeared on MTV, BET, Showtime at the Apollo, NBC'S The Voice, Nickelodeon.
Justin Phillip Jones is an American singer-songwriter. In addition to singing, he plays piano, guitar, and harmonica. His music has been described by the Washington Post as "electrified country and roots-rock that leaves plenty of space for Jones to hold court...like Dave Grohl when at full throttle and Townes Van Zandt when at ease." He has toured North America extensively, and with a backing band that has sometimes been referred to as the Driving Rain. He is the first artist signed to 9:30 Records.
