At the 1987 WEA sales meeting in Miami, Elektra Chairman/CEO Bob Krasnow introduced his newest find, a young African-American singer/songwriter named Tracy Chapman. The Cleveland-born folksinger – who would have fit perfectly on Jac Holzman’s early Elektra roster – stood at the podium, alone with her guitar, and sang emotionally resonant songs with provocative titles like “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution.” Those assembled were blown away by Chapman’s passion and talent, but mainstream commercial potential? Not so much.

Krasnow, on the other hand, heard in Chapman an authentically original voice and personality, fresh and distinct from the current music scene. By the time the two returned to the annual WEA gathering the following August, Chapman’s self-titled Elektra debut album had proven an unlikely #1 phenomenon on the Billboard 200, highlighted by the top 10 pop hit, “Fast Car.” Ultimately certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, Tracy Chapman also earned Chapman her first two Grammy Awards, for “Best Contemporary Folk Album” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.”

The album should have been impossible to follow, but 1989’s Crossroads proved an inspired, platinum-certified second act. Matters of the Heart was released in 1992, followed three years later by New Beginning, featuring the platinum-certified single, “Give Me One Reason,” a top 3 hit on Billboard’s “Hot 100” and 1996 Grammy Award winner for “Best Rock Song.”

Two further Elektra releases followed before Chapman made her Atlantic Records debut with 2007’s Where You Live. Hailed as being among the most powerful works of her career, the acclaimed collection fully ratified Tracy Chapman’s continuing status as pop’s preeminent folk voice.

Seattle-based, Mother Love Bone was a pioneering band in the music scene of the late 80’s and 90’s.  Established in 1988 by ex-Green River members Jeff Ament, Bruce Fairweather and Stone Gossard, ex-Malfunkshun frontman Andrew Wood and ex-Ten Minute Warning and Skin Yard drummer Greg Gilmore, they quickly became one of Seattle’s most promising bands.  Mother Love Bone released one E.P. Shine in March of 1989 to wide critical acclaim. A year later on March 16, 1990, days before their debut album Apple was to be released, Andrew Wood suffered a heroin overdose and died 3 days later. This ended the future of the band’s success, but not influence. After Wood’s death, Ament and Gossard paired with Wood’s former roommate Chris Cornell for the tribute group Temple of The Dog (named after lyric in Wood’s song).  Gossard and Ament would go on to join other Temple of the Dog members, Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready to form Pearl Jam.  David Browne of The New York Times wrote that "Apple may be one of the first great hard-rock records of the 90s" and that "Wood could have been the first of the big-league Seattle rock stars."

Glen Spardello is an independent singer-songwriter with a unique and raw sound that cannot be defined. With a distinctive voice that is not quite folk and not precisely blues, Spardello's sound will appeal to a variety of audiences who appreciate honest, stripped down music. Hailing from the smallest state in America, Spardello puts Rhode Island indie music on the map in a big way.

 

Raised on the sound waves of '90's alternative, and hip to the guitar riffs of '80's metal and '70's classic rock, Spardello has managed to fuse a variety of influences into a signature sound that won't sit still under any genre umbrella. Spardello's unadulterated song writing makes his debut album, 5IVE 2N9E (Five Two Nine), an authentic listening experience for those looking for honesty in today's nebulous musical landscape.

The official SoundCloud page of The Howard Stern Show.

French Singer Songwriter exploring North America one song at a time/Auteur compositeur français basé à Portland dans l'Oregon explorant les Etats-Unis et le Canada


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