members of the original byrds band

[14] "Please Let Me Love You" was issued by Elektra Records on October 7, 1964, but it failed to chart. The cover was done to help support Miraculous Love Kids. [18][19] Gene Clark died of a heart attack later that year, while Michael Clarke died of liver failure in 1993. The principal members were Roger McGuinn (original name James Joseph McGuinn III; b. July 13, 1942, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), Gene Clark (in full Harold Eugene Clark; b. November 17, 1941, Tipton, Missourid. [234], On November 17, 1971, less than five months after the release of Byrdmaniax, the Byrds issued their eleventh studio album, Farther Along. [47] The band's regular appearances at Ciro's during March and April 1965 allowed them to hone their ensemble playing, perfect their aloof stage persona, and expand their repertoire. March 22, 1943, Richmond, Surrey, Englandd. [168] Parsons stayed at Richards' house in West Sussex immediately after leaving the Byrds, and the pair developed a close friendship over the next few years. [23] Impressed by the blend of their voices, the three musicians formed a trio and named themselves the Jet Set, a moniker inspired by McGuinn's love of aeronautics.[23]. [173] Although it was not the first country rock album,[174] Sweetheart of the Rodeo was the first album widely labeled as country rock to be released by an internationally successful rock act,[1][175] pre-dating Dylan's Nashville Skyline by over six months. [199] The first single to be released from the album was the title track, issued in October 1969 in America and reaching number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [115][116] The album's front cover artwork featured the first appearance of the Byrds' colorful, psychedelic mosaic logo, variations of which would subsequently appear on a number of the band's compilation albums, as well as on their 1967 release, Younger Than Yesterday. [258] Although they were billed as solo artists, the three musicians came together for an on-stage reunion during the show, performing a string of Byrds hits including "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Eight Miles High". [107] The band and their management strenuously denied these allegations, stating that the song's lyrics actually described an airplane flight to London and the band's subsequent concert tour of England. [265] According to contemporary press reports, the reunion was an unmitigated success, with the audience giving the band multiple standing ovations and shouting for more as they left the stage. [227], In May 1971, just prior to the release of the Byrdmaniax album, the Byrds undertook a sell-out tour of England and Europe, which included a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London that was released for the first time in 2008 as Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971. [258][260] In addition, the drummer also sought to trademark the name "The Byrds" for his own use.[256]. [112], Between 1977 and 1980, McGuinn, Clark and Hillman worked on and off together as a trio, modeled after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and, to a lesser extent, the Eagles. [251][252] This supergroup made up of former Byrds was reasonably successful commercially and managed to score a Top 40 hit with the single "Don't You Write Her Off" in March 1979. [206] York had become disenchanted with his role in the Byrds and had voiced his reluctance to perform material that had been written and recorded by the group before he had joined. The band was included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. [103] It also exhibits the influence of the Indian classical music of Ravi Shankar in the droning quality of the song's vocal melody and in McGuinn's guitar playing. Turn!" Crosby left The Byrds in 1967 and in . Turn! [23] Sensing the trio's potential, Dickson quickly took on management duties for the group, while his business partner, Eddie Tickner, became the group's accountant and financial manager. [200] Composed primarily by McGuinn, with some input from Bob Dylan (although not credited), "Ballad of Easy Rider" was written as the theme tune for the 1969 counterculture film Easy Rider. being released, Dickson and the Byrds approached Columbia Records and requested that Melcher be replaced, despite the fact that he had successfully steered the band through the recording of two number 1 singles and two hit albums. Some standout members of the jam group were Byrds bandmates, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman. [126][127], Released on February 6, 1967, the Byrds' fourth album, Younger Than Yesterday, was more varied than its predecessor and saw the band successfully mixing psychedelia with folk rock and country and western influences. Are the byrds in the rock and roll hall of fame? [181][182], The McGuinnHillmanWhiteParsons line-up was together for less than a month before Hillman quit to join Gram Parsons in forming the Flying Burrito Brothers. [130] Within a year, the compilation would be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America,[130] eventually going platinum on November 21, 1986, and is today the biggest-selling album in the Byrds' discography.[135][136]. Who were the members of the Byrds in 1965? - KnowledgeBurrow.com [256] None of these three original members were interested in the venture and so Clark instead assembled a group of musicians and friends, including Rick Roberts, Blondie Chaplin, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and the ex-Byrds Michael Clarke and John York, under the banner of "The 20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds". [161][162] Journalist David Fricke has described the reactions of Emery and the Grand Ole Opry audience as indicative of the resistance and hostility that the Byrds' venture into country music provoked from the Nashville old guard.[12]. Who were the original members of the band The Byrds? [1] The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member. ", "Pack Up the Plantation: Live! [248] In keeping with the new spirit of reconciliation that the reunion fostered, McGuinn permanently disbanded the Columbia lineup of the group in February 1973. [258][260] At the court hearing in May 1989, the judge denied the injunction, ruling that McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman had failed to show that they would be irreparably damaged by Clarke's actions. Turn! BEST AND ONLY ALL BYRDS TRIBUTE BAND!!! - Google Groups The band had a much larger, more positive impact on the world at large than any Billboard chart position or album sales or concert attendance figure could possibly measure. In Taylor Jenkins Reid 's novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, the reasoning behind the musical group's name, The Six, is fairly self-explanatory: there are six members in the band. [245] Nonetheless, the album managed to climb to number 20 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and number 31 in the UK. Well, okay. Score: 4.3/5 (31 votes) . [264] Since 2002, Rogers and Nienhaus have continued to tour as part of the band Younger Than Yesterday: A Tribute to the Byrds, along with bassist Michael Curtis and drummer Tim Politte. [189][192] The distinctive sound of the StringBender became characteristic of the Byrds' music during White's tenure. Despite the dizzying array of personnel changes that the group underwent in later years, this lack of a dedicated lead singer would remain a stylistic trait of the Byrds' music throughout the majority of the band's existence. [182] Things came to a head on September 15, 1968, following a band performance at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, when Hillman and Spector came to blows backstage. the Yardbirds, 1960s British musical group best known for their inventive conversion of rhythm and blues into rock. [98] The title track, "5D (Fifth Dimension)", was released as a single ahead of the album and was, like "Eight Miles High" before it, banned by a number of U.S. radio stations for supposedly featuring lyrics that advocated drug use. [238] Plans for a reunion accelerated in mid-1972, however, when the founder of Asylum Records, David Geffen, offered each of the original band members a sizable amount of money to reform and record an album for his label. [77][78] A number of authors, including Ian MacDonald, Richie Unterberger, and Bud Scoppa, have commented on the Byrds influence on the Beatles' late 1965 album Rubber Soul,[79] most notably on the songs "Nowhere Man"[80] and "If I Needed Someone", the latter of which utilizes a guitar riff similar to that in the Byrds' cover of "The Bells of Rhymney". [Part 1]", "Easy Rider: Original Soundtrack album review", "Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 album review", "Live At Royal Albert Hall 1971 album review", "Musicians Associated with the Byrds: DaDi - Jim Dickson", "Byrds v. Byrds: The 20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds 19841988", "Byrds v. Byrds: The Battle for the Byrds' Name 19891990", "Younger Than Yesterday: A Tribute to the Byrds - Biography", "CD Proves to Everything There Is a Season", "Byrds Co-Founders Plan 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' 50th Anniversary Tour", "Byrds members played 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' & more at Town Hall (pics, setlist)", "100 Greatest Artists of All Time - No. [208] Battin's recruitment marked the last personnel change to the group for almost three years and as a result, the McGuinn-White-Parsons-Battin line-up became the most stable and longest-lived of any configuration of the Byrds. [98] The album also saw Hillman coming forward as the band's third vocalist, in order to fill the hole in the group's harmonies that Clark's departure had left. [172], After returning to California, the Byrds' released the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album on August 30, 1968,[36] almost eight weeks after Parsons had left the band. [122][123] The song features the trumpet playing of South African musician Hugh Masekela and as such, marks the first appearance of brass on a Byrds' recording. [224] Following completion of the album recording sessions, the Byrds once again headed out on tour, leaving Melcher and engineer Chris Hinshaw to finish mixing the album in their absence. [67] Despite the success of "Mr. Tambourine Man", the Byrds were reluctant to release another Dylan-penned single, feeling that it was too formulaic, but Columbia Records were insistent, believing that another Dylan cover would result in an instant hit for the group. Clark played percussion and guitar and was an original member of the Byrds, the. Jim McGuinn changed his name to Roger McGuinn in 1967. [71][72][73] In particular, McGuinn's distinctive rectangular spectacles would go on to become popular among members of the burgeoning hippie counterculture in the United States. promises to sit in occasionally. [81], For their third Columbia single, the Byrds initially intended to release a cover of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (it was even premiered on the California radio station KRLA),[82] but instead they decided to record "Turn! [265], During the 2000s, two more ex-members of the Byrds died when drummer Kevin Kelley succumbed of natural causes in 2002[266] and bassist Skip Battin, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, died at his home in 2003. [20][21] David Crosby died in 2023. [6][7][8][9] As the 1960s progressed, the band was influential in originating psychedelic rock and raga rock, with their song "Eight Miles High" and the albums Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967), and The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). [264] Performing under the banner of The Byrds Celebration, the tribute group toured extensively throughout the remainder of the 1990s, although Parsons was replaced by session drummer Vince Barranco in 1995 and Battin was forced to retire due to ill-health in 1997. [112][113], The Byrds' third album, Fifth Dimension, was released in July 1966. the original line up. [234], Following completion of the album, Crosby persuaded McGuinn to dissolve the Columbia version of the Byrds, who were still touring at that time. Wayne Shorter, 89 Picture | In Memoriam: Notable people who died in [17] Among the album's shortcomings, critics made note of a lack of sonic unity and the absence of the Byrds' signature jangly guitar sound. [218] Band biographer Johnny Rogan has suggested that the inclusion of these newly recorded live versions of older songs served to forge a spiritual and musical link between the Byrds' current line-up and the original mid-1960s incarnation of the band. jack on Twitter: "like the Byrds' Fifth Dimensionsome members of the [253][254] The trio toured internationally and recorded the albums McGuinn, Clark & Hillman and City. March 8, 1946, Scottsbluff, Nebraska), Jim Messina (b. December 5, 1947, Maywood, California), and Rusty Young (b. February 23, 1946, Long Beach, California). Steve Mackey dead: Britpop band Pulp bassist dies at 56 PAUL STANLEY Explains Why He Declined To Perform With Original KISS [163] Even Hillman, who had previously been Parsons' biggest supporter in the band, began to grow weary of his forceful demands. [253] Clark departed the group in late 1979, resulting in a third and final album being billed as McGuinn-Hillman. like the Byrds' Fifth Dimension.some members of the band had audibly still barely learned to play but they were already feeling the heat from the Beatles and Dylan, moving past the sound of their 1st 2 highly successful albums the previous year. [232][233] Unfortunately, the compilation album also failed to reach the UK charts, while contemporary reviews made note of its misleading and inaccurate title, since among its twelve tracks, only "Chestnut Mare" had been a genuine hit in the United Kingdom. [7], The Byrds' second album, Turn! [257] This tribute act began performing on the lucrative nostalgia circuit in early 1985, but a number of concert promoters began to shorten the band's name to the Byrds in advertisements and promotional material. [270], Since the band's 1960s heyday, the influence of the Byrds on successive generations of rock and pop musicians has grown steadily, with acts such as the Eagles, Big Star, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, R.E.M., the Bangles, the Smiths, and innumerable alternative rock bands of the post-punk era all exhibiting signs of their influence. [169] He died on September 19, 1973, at the age of 26, following an accidental overdose of morphine and alcohol in his room at the Joshua Tree Inn. Usher, who had a wealth of production experience and a love of innovative studio experimentation, would prove invaluable to the Byrds as they entered their most creatively adventurous phase. The Byrds - Biography - IMDb [273] Lavezzoli concluded that "like it or not, terms like 'folk rock', 'raga rock' and 'country rock' were coined for a reason: the Byrds did it first, and then kept moving, never staying in the 'raga' or 'country' mode for very long. He loves all sorts of rock musicians, from The Beatles to Guns N Roses and Dirty Honey. [196] These recordings were subsequently issued as the Preflyte album on Usher's own Together Records imprint in July 1969. [144] White, who had also played on Younger Than Yesterday,[141] contributed country-influenced guitar to the tracks "Natural Harmony", "Wasn't Born to Follow", and "Change Is Now". Flashback: The Original Byrds Lineup Reunites at the Hall of Fame I didn't try to reason with them. The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology 19691972, Gram Parsons Archives Vol.1: Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Byrds&oldid=1142819750, Psychedelic rock music groups from California, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 15:06. "They took folk music and electrified it, and their sound, particularly Roger McGuinn's ringing guitar, continues to influence bands today." [178][179] Today, however, it is considered a seminal and highly influential album, serving as a blueprint for the entire 1970s country rock movement, the outlaw country scene, and the alternative country genre of the 1990s and early 21st century. . [235] Musically, the album found the Byrds beginning to move away from their country rock soundalthough at least half the album still bore a strong country influenceand instead, embrace a style indebted to 1950s rock 'n' roll music. The History of the Byrds | Mental Itch Members Chris Hillman (1965 - 1968) Clarence White (1968 - 1973) David Crosby (1964 - 1967) Gene Clark Gene Parsons (1968 - 1972) Gram Parsons (1967 - 1968) John Guerin John York (1968 - 1969) Kevin Kelley (1968 - 1968) Michael Clarke (1964 - 1968) Roger McGuinn Skip Battin (1972 - 1973) [218] The song was issued as a single in the U.S. on October 23, 1970, but it only managed to climb to number 121 on the Billboard chart. [241] The band underwent a further personnel change following a show on February 10, 1973, in Ithaca, New York, when Skip Battin was dismissed by McGuinn, who had capriciously decided that the bassist's playing abilities were no longer of a sufficient standard. Although the Byrds' fame was short-lived, their impact was great on the music world. He credits many of these artists and more to his inspiration as he plays the guitar. [164] However, biographer Johnny Rogan has pointed out that the April 1968 release of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" served to strengthen McGuinn's position as head Byrd, with the guitarist's familiar drawl occupying the lead vocal spot and negligible input from Parsons, despite the single's obvious country leanings. [258][260] Although he was no longer connected with Clarke's tribute act, Gene Clark was not invited to participate in these official Byrds reunion concerts due to residual ill-feeling stemming from his earlier "20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds". May 14, 1976, London), guitarist Eric Clapton (original name Eric Patrick Clapp; b. One source of conflict was the power struggle that had begun to develop between producer Melcher and the band's manager, Jim Dickson, with the latter harboring aspirations to produce the band himself, causing him to be overly critical of the former's work. [24] While performing at the Troubadour folk club in Los Angeles, McGuinn was approached by fellow Beatles fan Gene Clark, and the pair soon formed a Peter and Gordon-style duo, playing Beatles' covers, Beatlesque renditions of traditional folk songs, and some self-penned material. [13], In addition to "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", Younger Than Yesterday also includes the evocative Crosby and McGuinn penned song "Renaissance Fair", a cover of Dylan's "My Back Pages" (which was later released as a single), and a quartet of Chris Hillman songs, which found the bassist emerging fully formed as an accomplished songwriter. I just said, "it's a shameful waste goodbye". [42] He remains active, releasing albums and touring, often with ex-Desert Rose Band member Herb Pedersen. [16][229], In October 1971, CBS Records in the UK issued The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II to capitalize on the group's recent appearance at the Lincoln Folk Festival and perhaps as a reaction to the chart failure suffered by Byrdmaniax. [207] The rest of the band had begun to doubt his commitment and so, a consensus was reached among the other three members that York should be fired. [138][139] The song found the Byrds successfully blending their signature harmonies and chiming 12-string guitar playing with the sound of the pedal steel guitar for the first time, foreshadowing their extensive use of the instrument on their next album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Turn! Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group March 1st. Consequently, the album includes musical contributions from all of the key players in the Byrds' convoluted history, including Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, and the group's only consistent member, Roger McGuinn . [152][155] Michael Clarke also returned to the recording studio briefly, towards the end of the album sessions, before being informed by McGuinn and Hillman that they were dismissing him from the band. [42], As the only original band member left, McGuinn elected to hire bassist John York as Hillman's replacement. Gene grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and learned how to play guitar and harmonica at a young age. PDF The Byrds - rockhall.com [111] In effect, Clark's exit from the plane represented his exit from the Byrds, with McGuinn telling him, "If you can't fly, you can't be a Byrd. He was taking over the band, so we couldn't really let that happen. [226][231] Rogan has speculated that the Byrds' decision to produce their next album themselves was an attempt on the band's part to prove that they could do a better job than Melcher had done on their previous record. [245] As a result, a planned tour in support of the album failed to materialize. [67][69] A chart battle ensued, but the Byrds' rendition stalled at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Cher's version reached number 15. This logic . [258] To strengthen their case, the three musicians announced in December 1988 that they would be performing a series of concerts in January 1989 as the Byrds. [96] As a result, the band was forced to re-record the song at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles on January 24 and 25, 1966, and it was this re-recorded version that would be released as a single and included on the group's third album. [21][150][151] Session drummers Jim Gordon and Hal Blaine were brought in to replace Clarke temporarily in the studio, although he continued to honor his live concert commitments with the group. [27] He also took part in a 1977 reunion of Crosby, Stills & Nash, which saw the group release their multi-platinum selling CSN album. A further distinctive aspect of the Byrds' image was their unsmiling air of detachment, both on stage and in front of the camera. [128] Although it received generally positive reviews upon its release, the album was, to a degree, overlooked by the record-buying public and consequently peaked at number 24 on the Billboard chart and number 37 on the UK Albums Chart. [36] Although the material on Preflyte was five years old at the time of its release, the album actually managed to outperform Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde in America, garnering moderately enthusiastic reviews and peaking at number 84 on the Billboard album chart. And though the two most talented latter-day band members Gram Parsons and Clarence White-met untimely deaths, the five original Byrds share a distinction rare among pan theon rock groups: they're all still alive. Folk-rock legends The Byrds were inducted into the hall of fame in 1991.Founding members included Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke. [103][105], Upon release, "Eight Miles High" was banned by many U.S. radio stations, following allegations made by the broadcasting trade journal the Gavin Report, that its lyrics advocated recreational drug use. [236][241], Following Guerin's departure, he was temporarily replaced for live performances by session drummers Dennis Dragon and Jim Moon. [241][242] Although Guerin participated in recording sessions with the band[243] and appeared on stage with them from September 1972,[239] he was never an official member of the Byrds and instead received a standard session musician's wage, while continuing to undertake work for other artists as an in-demand studio player. [67] The Byrds' rendition of "All I Really Want to Do" is noticeably different in structure to Dylan's original: it features an ascending melody progression in the chorus and utilizes a completely new melody for one of the song's verses, to turn it into a Beatlesque, minor-key bridge. Turn! [154] He emerged from jail free of his drug habit and remained musically active up to his death in 2023. Turn! [233] An equivalent compilation wasn't released in the U.S. until November 1972, when The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II was issued. (to Everything There Is a Season)" was issued on October 1, 1965[36] and became the band's second U.S. number 1 single, as well as the title track for their second album. Turn! [2] The last time that all five members had worked together as the Byrds was in 1966, prior to Clark's departure from the band. (Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, who completed the quintet, both died in the early 1990s; McGuinn steered the band through various . [86] Nonetheless, it was a commercial success, peaking at number 17 on the U.S. charts and number 11 in the UK. [238] The album's title track, sung by White with the rest of the group harmonizing, would later become a poignant and prophetic epitaph for the guitarist when it was sung by ex-Byrd Gram Parsons and the Eagles' Bernie Leadon at White's funeral in July 1973. [223][225] Controversially, Melcher and Hinshaw elected to bring in arranger Paul Polena to assist in the overdubbing of strings, horns, and a gospel choir onto many of the songs, allegedly without the band's consent. So we put mine on and then the contract dispute went away Basically it was a misunderstanding. He was born as Harold Eugene Clark on November 17, 1944, in Tipton, Missouri. together an all Byrds tribute band dedicated to the Byrds first 5 albums, and. [92][93], While the Byrds outwardly seemed to be riding the crest of a wave during the latter half of 1965, the recording sessions for their second album had not been without tension. album review", "The Notorious Byrd Brothers album review", "The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers SACD review", "Clarence White: With the Byrds and After, 19681973", "Show 9 - Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. [161] Emery mocked the band throughout their interview and made no secret of his dislike for their newly recorded country rock single, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere". Gene Clark was one of the founding members of The Byrds and was one of the lead singers and songwriters for the band. [17] In the years following its release, all five band members were openly critical of the album, with the general consensus being that the material included on it was weak and that the recording sessions had been rushed and ill-thought out. "Our . [130][147] In addition, during the Byrds' performance at the Monterey Pop Festival on June 17, 1967, Crosby gave lengthy in-between-song speeches on controversial subjects, including the JFK assassination and the benefits of giving LSD to "all the statesmen and politicians in the world", to the intense annoyance of the other band members. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [1] Roger McGuinn turned his attention to establishing his own career, releasing a series of solo albums between 1973 and 1977, and making a high-profile appearance with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. [157][159] He found a kindred spirit in Hillman, who had played mandolin in a number of notable bluegrass bands before joining the Byrds. [40] Hillman's background was more oriented towards country music than folk or rock, having been a member of the bluegrass groups the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, the Hillmen (also known as the Golden State Boys), and, concurrently with his recruitment into the Jet Set, the Green Grass Group. This is officially sanctioned by the 3 remaining founding. Turn! [207] He was replaced, at the suggestion of Parsons and White, by Skip Battin, a freelance session musician and one-time member of the duo Skip & Flip. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on . [239] Discussions regarding a reunion between Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke had taken place as early as July 1971, around the same time as the then current line-up of the band were recording the Farther Along album. [32] Initially, this blend arose organically, but as rehearsals continued, the band began to actively attempt to bridge the gap between folk music and rock. Hillman's cousin Kevin Kelley was quickly recruited as the band's new drummer[12] and the trio embarked on an early 1968 college tour in support of The Notorious Byrd Brothers. [160] During this period, Parsons attempted to exert a controlling influence over the group by pressuring McGuinn to recruit either JayDee Maness or Sneaky Pete Kleinow as the band's permanent pedal steel guitar player. [43] Rather than using band members, producer Terry Melcher hired a collection of top session musicians, retroactively known as the Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Knechtel (bass), Jerry Cole (guitar), and Leon Russell (electric piano), who (along with McGuinn on guitar) provided the instrumental backing track over which McGuinn, Crosby and Clark sang. [70], Author John Einarson has written that during this period of their career, the Byrds enjoyed tremendous popularity among teenage pop fans, with their music receiving widespread airplay on Top 40 radio and their faces adorning countless teen magazines.