Jewel Biography (1974-)

Singer, songwriter. Born Jewel Kilcher on May 23, 1974, in Payson, Utah. A popular recording artist, Jewel grew up in Alaska. She began her musical career at the age of six, joining her parents, singer-songwriters Atz Kilcher and Nedra Carroll, on stage. After her parents divorced, Jewel continued to tour with her father for several years.

When Jewel was 15,…

Jimi Hendrix Biography (1942-1970)

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix (later changed to James Marshall) on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington. Learning to play guitar as a teenager, Hendrix grew up to become a rock guitar legend. He had a difficult childhood, sometimes living in the care of relatives and even acquaintances at times.

His mother, Lucille, was only…

Ringo Starr Biography (1940-)

Musician, singer, songwriter, actor. Born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in Liverpool, England. Known for his easy-going personality, Ringo Starr first rose to fame in the early 1960s as the drummer for the legendary rock group the Beatles. He grew up poor in Liverpool, and his father left the family when Starr was only three. A sickly child,…

Eric Clapton Biography (1945-)

(born March 30, 1945, Ripley, Surrey, England) British rock musician who was a highly influential guitarist in the late 1960s and early 1970s and later became a major singer-songwriter.

Clapton was raised by his grandparents after his mother abandoned him at an early age. He began playing the guitar in his teens and briefly studied at the Kingston…

Taylor Swift Biography (1989-)

Singer, songwriter, musician. Born Taylor Alison Swift on December 13, 1989, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Swift spent her early years on her family’s Christmas tree farm. Her grandmother had been a professional opera singer, and Swift soon followed in her footsteps. By the age of 10, Swift was singing at a variety of local events, including fairs and contests. She…

Shakira Biography (1977-)

Singer, songwriter. Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia. With a Lebanese father and Colombian mother, Shakira honors her Latino and Arabic heritage in her music. She wrote her first song at the age of 8 and signed her first record deal at 13.

After her first two albums flopped, Shakira took the reins of…

Avril Lavigne Biography (1984-)

Singer, songwriter. Born Avril Ramona Lavigne on September 27, 1984 Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Raised in a strict Christian household, Avril grew up singing in the church choir and playing guitar. She was discovered singing country covers in Kingston, Ontario, and signed with Arista Records soon after, releasing her first album, Let Go, in 2002. A mixture of pop and…

Bob Marley Biography (1945-1981)

Singer, musician, songwriter. Born on February 6, 1945, in Jamaica. Bob Marley helped introduce reggae music to the world and remains one of its most beloved artists to this day. The son of a black teenage mother and much older, later absent white father, he spent his early years in the rural village known as Nine Miles…

Johnny Cash Biography (1932-2003)

Country singer, guitarist, songwriter. Born February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas. The son of poor Southern Baptist sharecroppers, Cash, one of seven children born to Ray and Carrie Rivers Cash, moved with his family at the age of three to Dyess, Arkansas, so that his father could take advantage of the New Deal farming programs instituted by President Roosevelt….