My Favorite Artists

In the mid-1950s, Chuck Berry began taking road trips to Chicago, the Midwest capital of black music, in search of a record contract. Early in 1955, he met the legendary blues musician Muddy Waters, who suggested that Berry go meet with Chess Records. A few weeks later, Berry wrote and recorded a song called "Maybellene" and took it to the executives at Chess. They immediately offered him a contract; within months, "Maybellene" had reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 5 on the pop charts. With its unique blend of a rhythm and blues beat, country guitar licks and the flavor of Chicago blues and narrative storytelling, many music historians consider "Maybellene" the first true rock 'n' roll song. To find out more click here.

Born in Gainesville, Florida, with more than a little hillbilly in his blood, Tom Petty was a Southern shit kicker, a kid without a whole lot of promise. Rock and roll made it otherwise. From meeting Elvis, to seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, to producing Del Shannon, backing Bob Dylan, putting together a band with George Harrison, Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, making records with Johnny Cash, and sending well more than a dozen of his own celebrated recordings high onto the charts, Tom Petty’s story has all the drama of a rock and roll epic. Petty, known for his reclusive style, has shared with Warren Zanes his insights and arguments, his regrets and lasting ambitions, and the details of his life on and off the stage. For more about Tom Petty click here.

Jeff Lynne was born in Birmingham, England, in 1947, and began his career in music playing guitar in local bands before forming Electric Light Orchestra in the early 1970s. After achieving minor success in the first half of the decade, ELO exploded onto the scene, producing nearly thirty Top 40 hits before disbanding in 1986. At that point, Lynne embarked on an equally successful career as a producer, collaborating with musicians including George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Brian Wilson, as well as becoming one of the founding members of Grammy Award–winning supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. In recent years, Lynne has continued to work as a producer, while also releasing new albums under the Electric Light Orchestra name. For Jeff Lynne's biography click here.