Ayano Kaneko　

Aretha Franklin　

For nearly 40 years, Aretha Franklin has been an icon of contemporary pop music, known around the world as the Queen of Soul. With her extraordinary range and incendiary gospel-inspired phrasing, Fr ..more

Ayumi Hamasaki　

Ayumi Hamasaki is enjoying a string of Japan chart-toppers that help establish her as one of the most successful female solo singers of ’00s, along with Misia and Hikaru Utada. In addition to being a ..more

ABBA　

The most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s, the origins of the Swedish superstars ABBA dated back to 1966, when keyboardist and vocalist Benny Andersson, a onetime member of the ..more

Amaranthe　

Sweden’s Amaranthe is a metalcore band known for its mix of melodic pop and death metal. Formed in 2008, Amaranthe features several vocalists, with Elize Ryd and Jake E handling most of th ..more

Allan Holdsworth　

Guitarist Allan Holdsworth was widely considered one of the finest instrumentalists in all of jazz fusion, yet never truly received the recognition that he so rightfully deserved. Born on August 6, ..more

Ace Frehley　

Along with Eddie Van Halen, Kiss’ Ace Frehley inspired numerous up-and-coming rockers to pick up the guitar in the 1970s -- and come the ’90s, he was listed by just about every contemporary r ..more

Andy Partridge / Chris Braide　

Arctic Monkeys　

By distilling the sounds of Franz Ferdinand, the Clash, the Strokes, and the Libertines into a hybrid of swaggering indie rock and danceable neo-punk, Arctic Monkeys became one of ..more

Avicii　

As one of the most popular DJs of the late-2000s EDM boom, Grammy-nominated Swedish producer Avicii went on to top the charts in multiple countries and tour the world with his uplifting house anthe ..more

Aoi Teshima　

Al Di Meola　

Guitarist Al Di Meola first rose to prominence as a blazing jazz fusion artist before his playing matured and he began to conquer other styles, such as acoustic Latin music. Born on July 22, 1954 i ..more

Aya Shimazu　

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION　

AZKi　

Aya Matsuura　

Amy Winehouse　

Much can be said about the late Amy Winehouse, one of the U.K.’s flagship vocalists during the 2000s. The British press and tabloids seemed to focus on her rowdy behavior, heavy consumption of alco ..more

amazarashi　

Alice Nine.　

Adrianne Lenker