Top Retro/Vintage Artists on Rhapsody Online

Chris Isaak

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:55:14 -0800

Gifted with an absolutely divine voice and a riveting stage presence, Isaak is one of the few performers that can pull off both infectious rockers and heartfelt ballads with utter conviction and unrivaled style. Though it was the former that made him cool, it was the latter that made him famous. Once his "Wicked Game" was featured in David Lynch's 1990 film masterpiece Wild At Heart, it wasn't long before people took notice; naturally, an ultrasexy video for the song with supermodel Helena Christensen didn't exactly hurt his popularity. Subsequent efforts, while smoother and less steamy than his 1980s work, have all been successes. - Doug Russell

Old Crow Medicine Show

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:02:56 -0700

- Eric Shea

Stray Cats

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:28 -0800

The Stray Cats brought propulsive '50s rock and roll back to the radio during the era of Synth Pop and REO Speedwagon. After striking out stateside, they took their American sound to England and hit pay dirt. Their "veddy British" video for "Stray Cat Strut" was put on heavy rotation during the birth of MTV, and they rode the wave of success all the way home. The Blasters, the Paladins or Robert Gordon may have had a purer revival sound, but Brian Setzer put a lot of modern guitar bite into the Cats's well-crafted tunes, but after they had a quick succession of hits, but their star dimmed long before the 1980s ended. The same guitar that served the Stray Cats so well helped jump-start the Retro/Swing Revival movement in the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Hopefully the nouveau big band scene will last, or Setzer may be forced to spearhead a Dixieland band. Regardless of what the future holds, Stray Cats songs like "Rumble in Brighton" will remain youthful snippets of greasy-haired fun. - Nick Dedina

The Cramps

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:56:28 -0800

From the swamps of B-movie back lots and the rays of cathode television tubes, the Cramps are, after over twenty years, still creeping out with their absolutely unique, horror-fried rock 'n' roll. Their music is blood and sweat. With a strong, basic rock backbeat and a loud, distorted, driving guitar pushing a repetitive rush of raucous rawk, the Cramps could take over any town. Like a family of zombies, there's no stopping them from crawling and slithering into and under your skin -- theyll shake your bones and make your soul dance like a wildcat on fire. Heated passion and comic book evil give rise to howls, hoots, and chanted vocals. - Mark Murrmann

Sha Na Na

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:38:59 -0800

Reverend Horton Heat

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:26:50 -0700

The Reverend is back to baptize his trailer children in a collecton of past works. This upbeat Rockabilly freakout will slap a big fat brass-knuckles buckle on the Bible Belt. Farmers' daughters beware! The Reverend is on the loose crooning and boppin' all over the map to super-elastic, bouncy basslines and guitars so wild they must have been miked, mixed, and produced in the fiery depths of Hell. - Eric Shea

Dick Dale

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:52:48 -0800

Some people think Dick Dale is a crazy shaman, and a lot of other people believe that he actually invented Surf music in the early 1960s by first exploiting the sounds of a Fender Stratocaster as played through the cranked reverb chamber of a Fender Twin amplifier. His Latin-influenced, lightning speed, staccato, arpeggiated guitar playing has been copied by everyone who has ever played Surf music. The Beach Boys covered his "Let's Go Trippin'" and "Miserlou." Jimi Hendrix copied Dale's trademark guitar setup -- a right-handed Stratocaster flipped and strung southpaw. Hendrix best described the effect of Dale's playing when he muttered "You'll never wanna hear surf music again" on "Third Stone From The Sun" (which Dale would later cover). - Mark Murrmann

Southern Culture on the Skids

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:01:02 -0800

Chapel Hill wavers of the white trash flag who fry up Rockabilly like it was a gravy covered pork link. A pastiche of Martin Denny and Hasil Adkins as fronted by Cletus, the slack jawed yokel. Reeking of naughahyde and Colonel Sanders, Southern Culture on the Skids make music to become your own grandfather by.

Red Elvises

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:09 -0800

Communist clowns suck down everything trashy about American culture and spit it back out with such spazzy retro cool, they got themselves on Melrose Place. They play balalaika along with guitars and say they sing "in English and Russian (not at the same time)." - Tim Quirk

Derailers

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 12:05:37 -0700

The Derailers play Buck Owens-inspired Honky-Tonk with subtle Texan undertones. Although their music flirts with slap-happy Rockabilly Revival rhythms, the band seem to look toward Bakersfield for their roots. The songs are quirky and jerky at times, but they aren't afraid to dip into more romantic laments every now and again. Tube-tone guitar playing and strong, soulful singing satisfy. - Eric Shea

The Duo-Tones

Tue, 12 May 2009 11:19:49 -0700

Paul Johnson and Gil Orr helped blueprint the highly influential (and still hugely popular) surf guitar style with the Surfaris, the Belairs and the Chantays. As the Duo-Tones, the two prove they don't even have to plug in their guitars to produce musical electricity. - Nick Dedina

Helena

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:07:20 -0700

Helena Noguerra speaks five languages, sings in three, is a popular TV presenter in France, has worked as a radio DJ, has published a novel, and does more than her fair share of modeling. Belgian born, Helena is part of the French retro pop movement called "minimalist variety" (similar to the American and English indie baroque pop scene), she was a member of a number of musical groups, including the moody downtempo act Ollano, whose self-titled album enjoyed a Stateside release. Then, Helena went solo with the sly Projet: Bikini before putting out Azul under her first name. Perhaps spurred on by the international success of such sonically similar artists as Italy's Carla Bruni and Brazil's Bebel Gilberto, Azul was released in the U.S. and received a warm critical response. A lovely combination of 1960s Parisian pop, bossa nova and modern electronica, Azul was produced by chill crowd favorite Bertrand Burgalat and features Noguerra's breathy vocals and witty faux naif lyrics in Portuguese, French and English. Her subsequent album, Nee Dans La Nature, downplays the electronics and has an even more pastoral feel than her previous work. Philippe Katerine, Noguerra's musical collaborator, has released a number of worthy albums under the band name Katerine. - Nick Dedina

Santo and Johnny

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:04 -0800

Dave Alvin

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:13:31 -0700

Guitarist Dave Alvin first came to prominence in the early '80s as the songwriter and lead guitarist of The Blasters, a seminal L.A. Roots band he started with his older brother Phil. The Blasters made a blisteringly kinetic amalgam of R&B, Rockabilly, blues, country, and every possible Roots music subgenre. After leaving The Blasters in the mid-'80s, Alvin briefly played guitar for X before striking out on his own. After one record on a major label, he settled into a long-standing relationship with Hightone Records that has seen him evolve into a multifaceted songwriter and guitarist. He's equally at home picking Country Blues-style acoustic guitar or leading his band through material that comfortably blurs the boundaries of Pop, rock, country and blues. - Tom Heyman

Danny Gatton

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:57:40 -0700

Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:03:37 -0700

Nobody updates Western Swing and Rockabilly as faithfully or well as Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. This airtight band, sporting slicked-back hair, western shirts, and cowboy boots, acts as a soundtrack to your favorite roadhouse movie. - Chris Slater

Mike Ness

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:31:03 -0700

Social Distortion leader Mike Ness fuses Punk's fury with the sound and style of country and blues; his direct influences seem more the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash than the Sex Pistols or the Ramones. Ness was only seventeen at the start of Social Distortion's nearly-twenty-year career; his early musical efforts were simple, rebellious anthems that celebrated hard living. In 1982, the group released the successful Mommy's Little Monster LP, which established the group's sound with its ferocious guitar attacks, undaunted backbeats and sincere, telling lyrics. A short jail stint and Ness's subsequent sobriety seemed to fuel him even more, and '90s self-titled LP, recorded for Sony, was a major hit. And Ness's formative influences, especially Cash, snuck back in to the group's sound -- Social Distortion even covered Cash's "Ring of Fire" on that LP. With his latest solo set, Ness has elected to produce a stripped-down record, without the trademark wall of sound. But Ness's intensity is still palpable. - Mike Cloward

Richard Hawley

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:00 -0800

Richard Hawley is a baritone singer-songwriter from Sheffield, England, who first came to fame as the guitarist for '90s U.K. alt-rock band the Longpigs. It was, however, after his alignment with Pulp singer and friend Jarvis Cocker -- who had invited Hawley to become a touring member of the popular Britpop band -- that he became an in-demand axe for hire for the likes of Beth Orton, Robbie Williams and Joe Strummer's the Mescaleros. As a solo musician, Hawley garnered the praise of critics and fellow musicians (namely Chris Martin and Thom Yorke) alike for his 2002 sophomore album, Late Night Final, with its haunting and romantic '50s rock sound (a la Roy Orbison), and was asked to open for Coldplay and Pulp. His much-lauded third album, Cole's Corner, was shortlisted for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, and the more recent Lady's Bridge, a heartrending letter to his hometown, is among his most powerful and engrossing works to date. - Dan Shumate

April March

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:15:22 -0800

Californian chanteuse April March has betrayed a love of all things French since her early childhood, and she hasn't changed a bit in the ensuing decades. Possessed of a beguilingly sweet voice and an impressive command of French, March sings precious, ethereal cream puffs of songs, with the help of muted instrumentation. - Sarah Bardeen

? & the Mysterians

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:38:12 -0700

The Vox organ lead-in on "96 Tears" is an unmistakable introduction to one of the '60s greatest Garage hits. ? and the Mysterians have been making a recent comeback, seducing a whole new generation with their raw and sometimes raunchy three-chord, organ-drenched primal rock 'n' roll. - Mark Murrmann

The Waifs

Wed, 27 May 2009 10:34:43 -0700

Los Straitjackets

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 10:53:41 -0800

Royal Crown Revue

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:44:27 -0700

Royal Crown Revue were packing dance floors long before retro swing became de rigeur in the late '90s. Songs range from hearty, horn-driven rave-ups to slinky ballads. Zoot suit and fedora recommended.

Ronnie McDowell

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:05:22 -0700

Like a lot of Urban Cowboy country music artists, Ronnie McDowell was heavily influenced by the King. Probably more so than anyone who ever played at Gilly's. In fact, he was the voiceover on a 1979 made-for-TV movie about Elvis that starred Kurt Russell as the King. The stint turned into a pseudo-obsession, and McDowell soon found himself donning all the aesthetics of a regular Las Vegas Elvis impersonator. Although his up-tempo, hook-laden, Country Pop sounds a bit more like Ronnie Milsap after downing a pot of coffee, McDowell went on to do more voiceovers for the 1990 television series, Elvis. - Eric Shea

Flat Duo Jets

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:15 -0700

The Chapel Hill, N.C., duo of Dexter Romweber on vocals and guitar and the elusive Crow on drums have been bashing out shine-running hillbilly anthems since the 1980s. Incorporating elements of Swamp Rock, Rockabilly and Country Swing, Flat Duo Jets records are volatile mixes of croon and clamor. With a carny's sleight of hand, the Jets can switch in a flash from the empty bottle sadness of "You Belong to Me" to the hell-busting-loose furor of "Riot in Cell Block #9" and "Go Go Harlem Baby." Romweber possesses Jerry Lee Lewis' ability to transform mild-mannered '50s rock 'n' roll standards into noise-scorched powderkegs in a dance of rowdy flames. They're at their best live, when every song they touch becomes an unburnished gem of ragged power and worthy testimony to the legendary rock thoroughbreds who once called Sun Records home. - Chad Driscoll

Those Darlins

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:31 -0800

South Carolina bassist Kelley and Kentucky guitarist Jessi got together in the mid-'00s at the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp, founded by Kelley in Murfreesboro , Tennessee . Not long after, they were joined by Virginia-raised baritone ukulele plucker Nikki. At that point, they were a cowpunk power trio, all sharing the fake surname Darlin. In 2006, they commenced performing inebriated live gigs during which crowd members noted their raucous hick energy, three-way harmonies, less-then-reverent wit, ability to trade instruments, shapely gams and snazzy cowboy boots. By 2008, the Darlins were showcasing their hot-mama hybrid of old-timey white blues, rockabilly and pub-rock on disc: A three-song teaser EP was highlighted by numbers about living snaggle-toothed in a middle-of-nowhere shack and about coming home after too many drinks and devouring an entire chicken found in the fridge. A four-song live and "field recording" CD-R added renditions of "Tom Dooley" and Ernest Tubb's "Nails in My Coffin." Their uproarious debut album, produced with chamber-pop additives by Jeff Curtin, but sounding nothing like his more famous studio understudies Vampire Weekend, followed in 2009. - Chuck Eddy

Stockard Channing

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:13:17 -0700

The Mermen

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:57:06 -0800

Mojo Nixon

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:55:19 -0800

With "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin," an ode to former MTV VJ Martha Quinn, Mojo Nixon earned his place as the irreverent wild man of rock 'n' roll in the late '80s. His penchant for raucous, rough-and-ready Rockabilly fully intact, his lyrics remain funny and biting. - Will Lerner

Jason & The Scorchers

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:20:00 -0800

Not content to just burn down the barn, these guys torpedo the feed store, the post office and the bank while they're at it. Not so much cowpunks as hard rockers with a fondness for country music, Jason and the Scorchers play like the Stones and sing like Hank Williams, Sr. - Tim Quirk

Rocket from the Crypt

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:15:57 -0800

RFTC are punk's first music revue. Using terse lyrical content and blasts of distorted guitar as ringleaders, the band fills in the sideshow aspect of their music with a rockin' soul horn section and a myriad of influences as widespread as rockabilly and the MC5. The San Diego sextet is widely known for their incendiary live performances, complete with an abundance of both sheer noise and old-fashioned showmanship. RFTC grind out their torrid songs like a mid-'60s Garage Punk band -- noisy, ramshackle, and teetering on the edge of reckless abandon. - Mark Murrmann

Man or Astro-Man?

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:15:54 -0800

Not just your average everyday Surf revival outfit, Man or Astro-Man? creates some of the most compelling, well-crafted, and unique instrumental (well, for the most part) music around. While the Mermen expand on the Surf formula by incorporating a spaced-out, Pink Floyd-ian psychedelia, Man or Astro-Man? delves into experimental, edgy Post-Punk a la Sonic Youth. Strange and alien voices creep eerily into the musical mix; computer generated haunted spaceship sounds ooze into the sonic crevices. The guitars -- the foundation upon which all Surf is built -- are tweaked in ways that are unspeakable for purists. It's as if an amped-out Blixa Bargeld is sitting in with the band. Their live shows are multimedia extravaganzas: computer wizardry, video feeds, elaborate costumes, props, and the startling display of each member's impressive virtuosity and wild theatricality. - Will Lerner

The Blasters

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:56:09 -0700

Robert Gordon

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:20:21 -0800

Robert Gordon mixes New Wave production and arrangements with Rockabilly and country. His reverb vocals are smooth and swagger around a rootsy band almost as good as Big Sandy's. Perfect music for swanky secondhand store stereos. - Eric Shea

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:42:39 -0700

This talented Rockabilly Revival/Country Rock outfit is almost as bad-ass as the black-clad man for whom they're named. With pure Americana heart and soul, the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash unleash their heavy, toe-tapping shuffle rhythms, adroit and stylish steel picking, and tone-showcasing guitar work that approximates a train chooglin' down the track full steam ahead. The soulful singer belts it out like he's been in prison for twenty years and busted out to taste his first bite of fried chicken in two decades. - Eric Shea

Aqua Velvets

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 10:53:43 -0800

Always respectful of their influences, the Aqua Velvets have been playing their particular brand of Surf since the late 1980s and their sound has changed little over the years. Rather than messing things up with goofy spaceman alter-egos or distorted Punk injections, they tear through clean, island-flavored rockers with the single-mindedness and technical ability of true Dick Dale acolytes.

The Jaggerz

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:30 -0800

Seventies boogie-rock band now goes the blusey R&B route, adding horns to their danceable blues grooves. Perfect music for dancing at blues festivals.

Hasil Adkins

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 08:37:49 -0700

Responsibility for the sometimes infuriatingly dumb subgenre of Psychobilly rests almost solely on the shoulders of poor Hasil Adkins; but as is the case with many maligned styles of music, Psychobilly's originator is the purest example of the form and his material is some of its best. From the murkily depraved rantings of "She Said" to the countrified dementia of his most recent recordings, Adkins has been spilling his twisted guts since the very birth of rock 'n' roll, with little loss of the utterly original inspiration and sonic nihilism that made his first sides so great. - Mike McGuirk

Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:26:51 -0700

The Paladins

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:11:17 -0700

The three players of the Paladins -- drummer, guitarist, and stand-up bass player -- work together as tightly and precisely as the components of a gun. And this gun can fire just about any type of ammunition at hand from Rockabilly to R&B, from blues to Swing. They may have come from California, but the Paladins have as much hillbilly fire in their music as all of hell and half of Georgia. - Chad Driscoll

The Pipettes

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:36:22 -0700

The Pipettes aren't the first to resurrect the 1960s Brill Building/Phil Spector girl group sound, but they're probably the most thorough. Matching polka dot dresses? Check. Synchronized dance moves? Check. And, of course, three-part harmonies as sweet and cozy as a slumber party with your best girlfriends. But the Pipettes lace their one-ice-cream-soda-and-two-straws sound with a shot of whiskey, they put the "malt (liquor)" in "malted," they ... well, you get the picture. The Pipettes are hipsters from present-day Brighton, UK, not homecoming queens from Iowa, circa 1963. Accordingly, their edgy homage, while positively reveling in all that was great about the Phil/Brill aesthetic, is that of a post-Bikini Kill girl group.

The Pipettes were assembled by Brighton producer Monster Bobby and original Pipette Julia, who recruited Becki and Rose; Julia left the band and was replaced by Gwenno in 2004. Backed by the Cassettes, the girls began gigging around the UK and releasing a string of limited-edition singles that whetted the appetites of downloaders and labels alike, including Memphis Industries, which put out the group's debut in July 2006. - Rachel Devitt

Jeff Larson

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:17 -0700

Rosie Flores

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:53:10 -0800

Many musical folks regard Rosie Flores as the Queen of Americana. Since the late 1970s, she has sunk her teeth into various projects from the hyper Cow Punk of Rosie and the Screamers to the all female Power Pop folk sounds of the Screaming Sirens. Since 1987 Flores has been recording her own impressive solo material that never fails to wow critics on various levels. Her sweet and charming vocals traverse between angel and temptress tones (yes, the recurring siren theme in her work is more than appropriate). Much like her elastic inflections, Flores' songwriting is ever-changing within a realm of pastoral influences. Today her songs reflect an agrestic amalgamation of everything that is good in the world of Americana. Flores manages to create relevant songs that are rooted in traditional American music. - Eric Shea

Eric Heatherly

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:35:29 -0700

Not too many people know that Eric Heatherly once played in Shania Twain's band. You'd never guess this by listening to his music: whereas Twain's songs seem built for radio and the charts, Heatherly's work is grittier and rooted in rustic twang-rock. He grew up in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison records. Those albums likely turned Heatherly on to some early Sun Studio material, because his more upbeat songs show traces of a swinging rockabilly influence. - Eric Shea

Buck Naked and the Bare Bottom Boys

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:36:48 -0700

San Francisco pornobilly pioneers. Plenty of guitar twang, vocal sass, and lewd lyrics to keep everyone's organs grinding long after the party's over. - Charles Hodgkins

The Meteors

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:54:54 -0800

Louis St. Louis

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:13:13 -0700

Satan's Pilgrims

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:58:26 -0700

Voodoo surf, hot rod music and a touch of Memphis soul. With reverb leaping off the guitars like jumping flames, it'd be easy to believe they sold their souls to make such fiery music. - Mark Murrmann

Dash Rip Rock

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:39:35 -0700

Blazing country punk with a cheek full of tongue and a belly full of booze. When they speed through "I Saw the Light," you're pretty sure that just means Satan has flipped on the hi-beams as he barrels toward them in his pickup truck. - Tim Quirk

Jools Holland

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:34:48 -0800

The irrepressible Jools Holland is well-known to Americans for his stint as Squeeze's keyboardist, as well as for his charismatic co-hosting of the TV series Night Music with David Sanborn in the late 1980s. He's the musically talented answer to David Letterman in Great Britain, where Later With Jools Holland places him in a wonderfully intimate "chat and play" format with such guests as Paul Weller and the Beautiful South. His own solo albums are a frothy, pub-friendly mix of classic R&B, Jump Blues and Ska -- think of a Swing Revival version of Madness or Ian Dury. - Nick Dedina