Artists A-E

Here's a look at some of singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn's best song contributions during the '80s, a fertile and passionate period of his long career.

A band like Camper Van Beethoven should have enjoyed more success in its own time, but the pioneering college rockers were more interested in musical discovery than commercial success.

A profile of one of new wave's biggest stars, a band fueled by the beauty and stage presence of frontwoman Deborah Harry.

The Beastie Boys grew out of the early New York City hardcore punk and thrash scenes, initially performing and recording as a relatively straightforward hardcore trio. However, the group's active sense of humor and boundless energy eventually led to experimentation and an evolution into a rock music-inspired yet genuine rap/hip-hop outfit. On...

Other anthemic college rock bands gained far more attention during the '80s than The Call, but that group matched or exceeded almost all its contemporaries in terms of consistency, prolific output, and passionately engaging, righteous political anger. Led by late frontman and bassist Michael Been, The Call found a niche in the early days of new...

Pop/rock music from Australia has often had a tendency to introduce groundbreaking, consistently interesting bands to the rest of the world. The Church certainly qualifies as one of these, having released five strong albums throughout the '80s along with numerous singles and EPs as singular as any group active during the era.

Though best known as a founding member of legendary '60s rock band Traffic, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jim Capaldi also engineered a remarkably consistent if criminally underrated solo career throughout the '70s and '80s. As a lead vocalist, Capaldi never got the chance to shine as a member of Traffic, but his soulful style and...