Percussion drums, those essential and heavenly instruments of Latin rhythm, cover the stage: they emit an unexpected presence, like silent band members waiting to come alive. The buzzing current in the air tastes sweet like brown sugar, but also hints at crackling spice. The crowd awaits a genius, a

Bright, Charming, Ebullient, Pioneering, Rhythmic

The music scene during the 1970s was defined by flash, glam, and a whole slew of over-the-top eccentricities. In the midst of this glamorama emerged a band that would popularize art-rock and establish the mood of British experimentalism. Headed by Brian Ferry, Roxy Music played on the fusion of art a

Brit-pop, Charming, Glam rock, Glamour, Moody, Sexy, Sophisticated

In 1941 (or so he insists), Plácido Domingo was literally born into Zarzuela, Spain's popular operetta tradition. His father, Plácido Domingo, Sr., and his mother, Pepita Embil -- both Zarzuela stars -- moved the family from Madrid to Mexico to create their own Compañía de Opereta y Zarzu

Charming, Epic, Grand, Opulent, Pathos

The electrifying artistic force that was Elvis Presley can't be contained in a single account. Variously thought of as the King, Elvis the Pelvis, a degenerate, and a teen icon, Presley was the living confluence of America's multiple cultures. Born to poor parents in Tupelo, Mississippi, he lived w

Charming, Cool, Lush, Masculine, Mythic, Oldies rock, Pioneering, Pop, Sexy