All in one wild year: Bobby Vinton, "the Polish Prince," has his first hit single with "Roses Are Red"; Neil Sedaka scores a chart-topper with the toe-tapper "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," a song that he …

After leaving the Drifters, Ben E. King charts with both "Spanish Harlem" and the #1 hit "Stand by Me." The latter revisits the Top 10 in 1986, when it becomes the theme song for the coming-of-age movi …

A decade before gunshots and gang-banging roughed up L.A.'s rap scene, fists and fluids were exchanged at SoCal's punk epicenter. Black Flag actually triggered riots with their brutal brand of hardcore …

Today's country guys and gals hold a sense of Nashville tradition close to their hearts, but they're not afraid to bust out into new terrain, either, mixing classic-country sounds with everything from  …

As country music keeps on growing in a million different directions at once, it serves up so many sounds and styles it's tough to keep track. One minute you've got Carrie Underwood sinking her teeth de …

At the epicenter of Colombian salsa lies the songwriting genius of Jairo Varela, leader of the veteran Grupo Niche. A veritable hit factory, Niche is responsible for simmering favorites such as the hyp …

Somewhere in between Cuba Gooding, Jr. shouting "Show me the money!" at Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire and the police clapping the cuffs on the Unabomber, there was a lot of great music made in 1996. One  …

No matter what kind of sound rang your chimes in 1996, you didn't have to look far to find it. If you were after some kickin' country with a rocking touch, Shania Twain was serving up her romantic ulti …

Nineteen ninety-five was loaded with plenty of potential distractions, from the epic adventure unfurled in Braveheart to the televised trial of O.J. Simpson, but turning even the most casual ear to the …