Sometimes sublime and tender, sometimes raving and frightening, Janis Joplin's vocals had a raw energy unmatched by any white blues singer of her time. And Joplin lived as wildly as she sang. Although she was born into a comfortable, middle-class family in Port Arthur, Texas, she always seemed to be

Bombast, Classic rock, Gritty, Primal, Psychedelic music, Visceral

Reluctant rock star and style-transcending musical pioneer, Beck burst onto the scene in 1994 with his critically acclaimed album "Mellow Gold." Its oddball folk-rap hit, "Loser," struck a chord with a Dylanesque slide guitar, psychedelic samples, a hip-hop beat, and the catchy refrain, "I'm a loser

Citational, Clean, Ebullient, Playful, Pop, Smarty arty pop

Jimi Hendrix was a leftie. But rather than use a left-handed guitar, he simply used a right-handed one upside down. Perhaps this is an appropriate figure for his approach to music: Hendrix took matters in hand and twisted them to meet his very personal vision of the world. When he revisits a blues cl

Classic rock, Intimate, Kaleidoscopic, Kinetic, Moody, Psychedelic, Psychedelic music, Spiritual

David Byrne's work constitutes a Postmodern, apocalyptic mixture of music, lyrics, film, and photography. He is best known as the former songwriter and lead vocalist for the Talking Heads, a band he cofounded in 1975 with fellow classmates from the Rhode Island School of Design. Byrne's lyrics, whic

Smarty arty pop