At another peak in the amazing career of Aerosmith. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Aerosmith was recently selected for an MTV "Icon" event and is the subject of a special VH1 2-hour "Behind The Music" episode, premiering July 5. Aerosmith is one of only five artists to have received the American Music Awards prestigious International Artist Award.

Born in Mississippi and adopted at only a week old, Audrey Faith Perry grew up in the small town of Star. She sang in church growing up and, at 19, moved to Nashville to pursue a country music career. Hill's first Music City job was selling T-shirts at Fan Fair. She later landed an office job with singer-songwriter Gary Morris' Nashville company. Morris heard her singing along with the radio and asked her to perform on demo tapes. Hill's first professional gig was singing backup for songwriter-musician Gary Burr, who would later become her co-producer. She was discovered by a Warner Bros. executive while singing with Burr at Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe.

Warner Bros. Records released Hill's debut album, Take Me as I Am, in the fall of 1993. She made country music history in January 1994 when her debut single, "Wild One," held the No. 1 position for four consecutive weeks on Billboard's country singles chart. Hill was the first female country singer to accomplish the feat with a debut single since Connie Smith did with "Once a Day" in 1964.It Matters to Me was released in 1995, and the title cut gave Hill her fourth charttopping hit. The follow up, Faith, hit stores in 1998 and produced the crossover hit "This Kiss," which went to No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart and peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart. It was just the beginning of Hill's across-the-board popularity.Breathe, Hill's most recent release, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 and country albums charts and has sold over 3 million copies. It contains her crossover smash "Breathe," which went to No. 1 on the Billboard country singles, adult contemporary and Top 40 charts. The steamy music video gained Hill attention outside the world of country. The song and album also earned her Grammy awards in 2001 for female country vocal performance and best country album, respectively.

Hill picked up her third Grammy award in 2001 for a duet with husband, Tim McGraw, on the steamy ballad, "Let's Make Love." The couple, who married after teaming up for the Spontaneous Combustion tour in 1996, embarked on the co-headlining Soul 2 Soul tour in 2000. The outing raked in $49.6 million, making it the top country tour of the year. The Hill-McGraw collaborations on "It's Your Love" and "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me," have garnered the pair vocal event awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Hill was named female vocalist of the year at the CMA Awards in 2000 and the ACM Awards for 1998 and 1999.

Hill has performed at several high-profile events, including Super Bowl XXXIV, the 1996 Summer Olympics, VH1 Divas Live 2000 and the 2000 Academy Awards, where she stepped in at the last minute for an ailing Whitney Houston. Her image has graced the covers of countless national magazines, including People, US Weekly, Glamour, TV Guide, Redbook and Country Weekly. She also has landed lucrative endorsements with CoverGirl, Pepsi and ALLTEL.

Hill launched the Faith Hill Family Literacy Project in 1996, along with Warner Bros. Records and Time Warner. The project is designed to help combat illiteracy worldwide. Hill's concern for family literacy is a result of her own family's firsthand experience with the issue. Her father, one of 14 children, never learned to read after being forced to quit school in order to help support his family. Hill's dream is that "someday every person will be able to read."

Tim McGraw was born May 1, 1967, in Delhi, La. After a small-town upbringing, he arrived in Nashville in the early '90s and released his self-titled debut album in 1992 on Curb Records. He didn't have a major hit until 1994's Not a Moment Too Soon, which included the controversial single "Indian Outlaw." He followed that up with his first No. 1 record, "Don't Take the Girl," and continued with "Down on the Farm," "Refried Dreams" and the title cut. The project was named album of the year in 1994 by the Academy of Country Music.

McGraw's next album, 1995's All I Want, sold multi-platinum on the strength of the multi-week No. 1 hit "I Like It, I Love It." In 1996, McGraw teamed up with Warner Bros. recording artist Faith Hill for the Spontaneous Combustion Tour. It proved to be just that, as McGraw and Hill were married in October 1996. Daughter Gracie arrived in 1997, Maggie in 1998.

McGraw recorded the multi-platinum Everywhere, named album of the year by the Country Music Association in 1998. The lead single, "It's Your Love," was the first musical collaboration between McGraw and Hill. It held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard country singles chart for six weeks, garnered the couple a vocal event of the year trophy from the CMA, and won vocal event, video, song and single of the year for 1997 at the ACM Awards. McGraw joined Hill on other award-winning collaborations, including "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me," which won the 1998 ACM vocal event trophy, and "Let's Make Love," which earned the duo their first ever Grammy award in 2001.A Place in the Sun arrived in 1999, debuting at No. 1 on both the Billboard country and pop albums charts and producing hits "Please Remember Me," "My Best Friend," "My Next Thirty Years" and "Something Like That." The project won McGraw his second straight CMA album of the year award in 1999. Already a popular headline act, McGraw joined the lineup for the George Strait Country Music Festival. He also teamed up with Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson to record "Milk Cow Blues" for the Wheel's Grammy-winning Bob Wills tribute album, Ride With Bob. McGraw's picked up male vocalist of the year honors at the CMA awards in 1999 and 2000 and at the ACM awards for 1998 and 1999.

McGraw Greatest Hits was released in December 2000 and has since gone multi-platinum. His sixth studio album, Set This Circus Down, hit stores in March 2001.

Born Aug. 25, 1961, in Flatwoods, Ky., William Ray Cyrus was singing with his father's gospel quartet and his mother's bluegrass group before he reached school age. As a boy, he formed a country duo with his brother. When he was 19 he began playing guitar and performing locally with Sly Dog, a band named after his one-eyed pet bulldog. The band soon took up residence in an Ironton, Ohio, bar called Changes. When it burned to the ground in 1984, so did the band's equipment. Cyrus took it as a sign that he should try his fortunes elsewhere and thus headed west. A two-year stint in Los Angeles resulted in a dead-end job selling cars instead of stardom. He returned to Kentucky, reformed Sly Dog, landed a job as the "house band" at The Ragtime Lounge in Huntington, W.V., and began making weekly trips to Nashville to knock on doors.

Cyrus was a show business pro by the time he was discovered by Mercury talent scouts while opening a Reba McEntire concert in Louisville, Ky., in 1990. Two years later he set the music world aflame with "Achy Breaky Heart" and his hit album, Some Gave All. The hit song was named single of the year by the Country Music Association in 1992. The follow-up album was the million selling It Won't Be the Last. But by the time of 1994's Storm in the Heartland, Cyrus' image had become tarnished. Radio stations began closing their ears to his distinctive sound. He responded by stripping his style down to the earthy, rootsy sound of Trail of Tears. The 1996 album earned him widespread critical respect and a single of the year award from the TNN/Music City News Country Awards voters. He assembled a greatest hits collection called Cover to Cover, which included the new track "It's All the Same to Me." The performance returned him to the country radio in 1997 and paved the way for 1998's Shot Full of Love. In 2000, he released the album Southern Rain.

Cyrus' connection to his audience is deep and profound. Few artists in any musical genre have given more of themselves so consistently. His devotion to the public is legendary, even by country music standards; and the amount of charity work he does has been staggering. Because his early hits were so catchy, he became an instant favorite with children in particular. As a result, Cyrus has held scores of dying, crippled and infirm tots in his arms.

Cyrus' first four albums for Mercury Nashville put his sales in excess of 13 million units. He has earned accolades from the Country Music Association, the American Music Awards, Billboard, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), TNN/Music City News Awards and numerous other organizations.

In early 2001, Cyrus took his acting career beyond music videos by taking on a starring role in the dramatic series, Doc, on cable network PAX-TV.

Describing the Dixie Chicks as a country music band is like calling Dolly Parton a singer, Roy Rogers a cowboy or Ross Perot a millionaire. It doesn't come close to conveying the true essence of this dynamic trio.

The Dixie Chicks (lead vocalist Natalie Maines; award winning fiddler Martie Maguire; and Dobro/banjo/guitarist Emily Robison) represent a refreshing blend of powerful harmonies, distinctive instrumental abilities and good ol' (as well as great new) country music.

But the Dixie Chicks are much more than just great music. They are young, talented and full of energy that transcends into everything they do. Maguire has played violin since the age of 5 and has been recognized in many national fiddle competitions; Robison has been playing various instruments professionally since the age of 12; and Maines, a Lubbock, Texas native and daughter of world renowned steel guitarist, Lloyd Maines, is vocally carrying the legacy of West Texas music into its next generation. When you experience Natalie's talent, you will understand why she was awarded a vocal scholarship from Berkelee School of Music in 1994. When sisters Maguire and Robison join in with harmony, it is truly magical.

However, the real magic happens when this trio hits the stage. The Chicks deliver the music that start toes tappin', hearts beatin' and the dance floor movin'. They remain as bright eyed, entertaining and approachable as when they first debuted on a Dallas street corner in 1989. As their repertoire and fan base has grown, so has their musicianship and ability to captivate audiences.

They have that hard to identify quality (call it magnetism or charisma) exuded by entertainers who genuinely enjoy what they are doing and others tend to get caught up in their enthusiasm. Press and concert promoters, as well as fans of all ages, have picked up on the band's distinctive style. The Dixie Chicks have been voted the best country band in Dallas at the Observer Music Awards for four years in a row.

In 1997, the group signed with Sony, and a year later released their groundbreaking album, Wide Open Spaces. That album went on to sell more than 11 million copies which made it the best-selling debut in country music history. Wide Open Spaces went on to win the Grammy for best country album and the Dixie Chicks won the best country performance by a duo or group for the single, "There's Your Trouble."

The much anticipated follow-up album, Fly, was released in 1999. This album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Country album charts. Fly stayed at the top of the charts for an unprecedented 36 weeks, helping to earn the trio many awards, including two Grammys, the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year and the Billboard awards.

While the Dixie Chicks clearly exhibit a love for traditional country music, they have an uncanny ability to crossover to pop and rock audiences as well. In 1999, they joined the Lilith Fair Tour and appeared with the likes of Stevie Nicks, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Sheryl Crow. With the successful headlining tour in support of Fly in 2000, the Dixie Chicks proved that country acts could sell out arenas as well as anyone else. This quickly developed into the year's biggest and most successful tour by a single country act.

After taking a break from the road and the studio, the Dixie Chicks released Home in 2002, which includes such hits as "Long Time Gone," "Landslide" and "Travelin' Soldier." They also received the first-ever video visionary award at the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards.

Born Randy Traywick in Marshville, N.C., Randy Travis grew up a hellraiser; drinking, fighting, dabbling in drugs and committing petty crimes on a path heading straight toward prison. But the rebel ninth-grade dropout "found himself" in the spotlight of a Charlotte, N.C., nightclub, where he, the runaway, won a talent show. With the help and direction of the club's owner, Lib Hatcher, the teenager underwent a startling transformation.

He purified his mind, turning his back on substance abuse and focusing on music. At the time, Nashville was deep in the Urban Cowboy, pop-country phase of the early 1980s. Travis was intent on bringing back fiddles, steel guitars and honky-tonk lyrics. He recorded for a tiny label, Paula Records, and, in classic country fashion, drove from radio station to radio station throughout the South to promote his work.

After five years of paying dues in North Carolina, he and Hatcher (who had become his manager) moved to Music City in 1981 with little more than dreams and determination to sustain them. Back then, not a single executive on Music Row could hear the possibilities in Travis' subtly shaded backwoods baritone. He was turned down by every record label in town. Hatcher took a job managing a nightclub called The Nashville Palace. Travis became its dishwasher and short-order cook. Occasionally, he'd take off his grease-stained apron and emerge from the kitchen to sing a song, which would invariably make the hard-core country patrons go wild. While at The Nashville Palace, Travis recorded an independent album under the name Randy Ray. Randy Ray Live was enough for Hatcher to secure Travis a deal with Warner Bros. Records.

In 1985, the label released the single "On the Other Hand," which only made it to No. 67 on the Billboard country singles chart. Travis' second single, "1982," was a Top 10 hit that kicked his career into high gear. The label then re-released "On the Other Hand" in 1986, and the song went to No. 1. Travis followed it up with charttopping hits "Diggin' Up Bones" and "Forever and Ever, Amen," which won the Country Music Association's single of the year award in 1987. Travis won the CMA's prestigious Horizon Award in 1986, won album of the year honors in 1987 for Always and Forever and took home male vocalist of the year trophies in 1987 and 1988. George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, the Grand Ole Opry cast and the rest of country's classic stylists voiced their support for the plainspoken young man from North Carolina -- they had found someone to "carry the torch" into the future.

Travis' major label debut album, Storms of Life, was released in 1986 and went on to sell more than 4 million copies. Always and Forever, his second collection, was No. 1 for 10 solid months and won a Grammy Award. Old 8x10, his third set, also won a Grammy. To be sure, the first boom in the "new country" movement had sounded. In 1986, Travis was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. By the time he turned 30 in 1989, he'd sold more than 13 million records, paving the way for a new generation of country stars like Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Travis Tritt.

Travis and Hatcher married in 1991, and, in 1992, Travis became the first country artist to release two albums simultaneously. Both volumes of his Greatest Hits became sales blockbusters. Later that year, he and Alan Jackson collaborated on Jackson's No. 1 smash "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)." Travis then scored back-to-back No. 1 hits of his own, "If I Didn't Have You" and "Look Heart, No Hands." In 1994, Travis launched his film career with a variety of roles. He also has been a guest star on several top-rated TV dramas, including Touched by an Angel and Matlock. "Acting was a way for me to learn something new," Travis explains. "Learning keeps you young."

In 1997, Travis left Warner Bros. Records and signed with new label DreamWorks Nashville. His first album for the label, 1998's You and You Alone, put Travis back in the spotlight with Top 5 singles "Out of My Bones," and "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man," and the Top 10 single "The Hole." Travis managed to record the album while filming roles in Francis Ford Coppola's big-screen treatment of John Grisham's The Rainmaker and the Patrick Swayze feature Black Dog.

Travis released a second DreamWorks album, A Man Ain't Made of Stone in 1999. The next year he followed with Inspirational Journey, a contemporary Gospel album on Warner Bros. In early 2001, Travis signed a new record deal with independent label Relentless/Nashville. He is currently working on a new album with longtime producer Kyle Lehning

Shania Twain was born Eileen Edwards in Canada on Aug. 28, 1965, the second oldest of five siblings. She was raised in Timmins, Ontario, about 500 miles due north of Toronto, where her stepfather, an Ojibway Indian named Jerry Twain, and mother, Sharon, had both been raised. It was a proud but, at times, impoverished existence. They struggled to keep enough food in the cupboards, but there was always an abundance of music in the household.

Twain often grabbed a guitar and retreated to the solitude of her bedroom singing and writing until her fingers ached. "I grew up listening to Waylon, Willie, Dolly, Tammy, all of them," she recalls. "But we also listened to the Mamas and the Papas, The Carpenters, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. The many different styles of music I was exposed to as a child not only influenced my vocal style, but even more so, my writing style." Her mom noticed Twain's talents, and soon the youngster was being shuttled to radio and TV studios, community centers, senior citizens' homes, "everywhere they could get me booked." An 8-year-old Twain was often pulled out of bed to sing with the house band at a local club but only after alcohol sales ended at midnight. Later, Twain spent summers working with her stepfather as the foreman of a dozen-man reforestation crew in the Canadian bush, where she learned to wield an axe and handle a chain saw as well as any man. In the winter season, she would sing in clubs and do television and radio performances as often as her schooling would allow.

In 1987, at age 21, Twain lost her parents in an automobile accident. She took on the responsibility of raising her three younger siblings. She managed to keep the household going with a job at Ontario's Deerhurst Resort, which not only provided for her new family responsibilities but also gave her an education in every aspect of theatrical performance, from musical comedy to Andrew Lloyd Webber to Gershwin. Three years later, with her brothers grown enough to take care of themselves, Twain was on her own. Shedding her real name, Eileen, she adopted the Ojibway name of Shania, meaning "I'm on my way." Twain recorded a demo tape of original music and set her sights on Nashville.

Although Twain landed a record deal with Mercury Records on the basis of her original material, her self-titled 1993 debut album featured only one of her songs, the feisty "God Ain't Gonna Getcha for That." Singles "What Made You Say That" and "Dance With the One That Brought You" each peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard country singles chart. It took a phone call from a distant admirer, rock producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (AD/DC, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Bryan Adams and many more) for Twain to find a true believer, both in her voice and her original songs. Twain and Lange met face to face in Nashville at Fan Fair in 1993 and married six months later, by which time they'd written half an album's worth of tunes together. As 1994 unfolded, they traveled and wrote their way across the United States, Canada, England, Spain, Italy and the Caribbean. They began to lay down basic tracks for a new album in Nashville, later recording overdubs and mixing in Quebec.

The first results of their labor, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under," entered the Billboard country singles chart in January 1995, peaking at No. 11. Twain's second album, The Woman in Me, debuted on the country albums chart the following month. The collection has sold 18 million copies, making Twain the best-selling country female artist of all time. The single "Any Man of Mine," hit the charts in May and became the first of four consecutive No. 1 hits for Twain, including "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!," "You Win My Love" and "No One Needs to Know." The project won a Grammy for country album of the year and was named album of the year by the Academy of Country Music in 1995.

Twain's third Mercury collection, Come on Over, was released in 1997, two years after her last album. The project continued Twain's hot streak, producing No. 1 hits "Honey, I'm Home" and "Love Gets Me Every Time." The sultry ballad "You're Still the One" went to No. 1 on the country singles chart and made it to No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart, solidifying Twain as a crossover artist. The sassy "Man! I Feel Like a Woman," a Top 5 country hit, helped secure the singer a contract with cosmetics company Revlon, which used the tune in TV ads featuring Twain. Come on Over has sold 11 million copies to date.

While The Woman in Me broke records and made Twain an international star, critics didn't know what to make of her sexy image and independent approach to marketing her music. Instead of touring to promote the record, Twain made a series of sexy videos, one of which was shot on location in Egypt. The singer finally mounted her first major tour in 1998 following the release of Come on Over. The highly anticipated outing helped earn Twain entertainer of the year trophies from the ACM and the Country Music Association in 1999.

Twain has won a total of five Grammys, including two for best country song ("Come on Over" and "You're Still the One") and two for best country female vocal performance ("Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "You're Still the One"). She also has taken home trophies from the Canadian Country Music Awards, Canada's JUNO Awards and the American Music Awards. In 1999, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) named Twain both country songwriter of the year and pop songwriter of the year. Her ballad, "You're Still the One," was named BMI's country and pop song of the year.

At the top of her game, Twain retreated to her home in Switzerland with her husband at the end of 1999. She and Lange welcomed their first child together in the summer of 2001 while preparing her 2002 release Up!, featuring the hit single "I'm Gonna Getcha Good." Twain plans to start pre-production for a new tour early in 2003, eager to make the same personal connection with her fans that produced such sensationally successful results on the Come On Over world tour.

Born as an only child on Aug. 28, 1982, in Jackson, Miss., Margaret LeAnn Rimes began singing before she was 2. At age 5, she entered and won her first song and dance competition and told her parents, Wilbur and Belinda, she wanted a life in show business. The family moved to Texas to pursue that dream, and at 7, she made her stage debut in a Dallas musical production of A Christmas Carol. Rimes was a two-week champion on Star Search when she was 8. She built a dedicated following in Texas through her powerful a cappella performances of the Star Spangled Banner at Dallas Cowboy games and rodeo events.

At age 11, she recorded her first album, All That, produced by her father and released on the independent label Nor Va Jak. The LP featured a version of "Blue," which had been sent to Rimes by songwriter Bill Mack. Mack had originally written the song more than 30 years before and given it to Patsy Cline, who died in a plane crash before she could record it. The song lay dormant until Mack heard Rimes sing at one of her appearances and subsequently sent her a tape. All That, sold locally in the Dallas area, also created a stir in Nashville and sparked a bidding war among several labels for Rimes' talents. Ultimately, she signed with Curb Records.

In 1996, Rimes' debut single, a re-recorded version of "Blue," entered Billboard's country singles chart at No. 49 and went to the Top 10, making a then-13-year-old Rimes the youngest country singer to debut that high. Rimes' album, also titled Blue, shot to the top of the charts the week it debuted, landing at No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart and No. 3 on the pop Billboard 200. The tune was named both single and song of the year for 1996 by the Academy of Country Music, and Rimes was named the ACM's Top New Female Vocalist.

The Blue album also produced Rimes' first No. 1 hit, "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)." The follow-up album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs, debuted at No. 1 on the country, pop and contemporary Christian charts -- a first-time accomplishment for a country artist. The Early Years: Unchained Melody, a compilation album of Rimes' earlier work, was released in 1997. In 1999, she released a self-titled CD that featured cover versions of hit songs "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces" and "Me & Bobby McGee." To date, Rimes has sold 14 million albums, according to figures from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Rimes won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 1997 and a Grammy award in 1996 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Blue." Rimes is only the second country artist (behind Bobbie Gentry) ever to win the Grammy in the all-genre Best New Artist category, an award she also took home in 1996.

In 1997, Rimes began to stretch beyond the country music world. She charted a No. 1 pop hit with the Diane Warren-penned tune, "How Do I Live." The same year she starred in the TV movie, Holiday in Your Heart, which was adapted from a book she co-wrote with noted author Tom Carter. In 1999, Rimes joined rock legend Elton John for a duet on "Written in the Stars," a tune that appeared first on his Aida album and later on her I Need You album. Later in '99, she traveled to Europe to perform a Thanksgiving Day concert for the Pope. In 2000, Rimes continued her movie career with a cameo role in Coyote Ugly. She also recorded four tunes for the film's soundtrack.

In 2000, Rimes also began two major legal battles. She sued her father, Wilbur Rimes, and former co-manager Lyle Walker for mismanagement, claiming the two had cheated her out of $7 million. After turning 18, Rimes also sued Curb Records, asking a Tennessee court to release her from the long-term contract that she and her parents signed when she was 12. The judge upheld the contract in March 2001, but Rimes is appealing the ruling.

Borrowing their name from a character in the cult 60s science fiction movie Barbarella, this UK pop band achieved global fame in the early 80s thanks to a series of catchy synth-pop tunes, a strong visual image, and expensively produced promotional videos which enjoyed endless rotation on the nascent MTV music channel. The band's classic line-up featured vocalist Simon Le Bon (b. 27 October 1958, Bushey, Hertfordshire, England), keyboard player Nick Rhodes (b. Nicholas James Bates, 8 June 1962, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands, England), guitarist Andy Taylor (b. 16 February 1961, Wolverhampton, England), bass player John Taylor (b. Nigel John Taylor, 20 June 1960, Birmingham, West Midlands, England) and drummer Roger Taylor (b. 26 April 1960, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, West Midlands, England). Formed by Rhodes and John Taylor in 1978, the early line-ups of the band included Simon Colley (bass/clarinet), Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy (b. 30 May 1960, Birmingham, Worcestershire, England; vocals), Andy Wickett (vocals), Alan Curtis (guitar), and Jeff Thompson.

They established a residency at the Rum Runner in Birmingham, and the club's owners Michael and Paul Berrow became the band's first managers. Duran Duran came to prominence in late 1980 when they toured with Hazel O'Connor and won a contract with EMI Records. Firmly in the "new romantic" bracket, they enjoyed early publicity and reached the UK Top 20 the following year with their debut single, "Planet Earth". The follow-up "Careless Memories" barely scraped into the UK Top 40, but this proved merely a minor setback. "Girls On Film", which was accompanied by a risqué Godley And Creme video that featured nude models, brought them their first UK Top 5 hit. Two albums quickly followed and hits like "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Save A Prayer", and "Rio" revealed that there was considerable songwriting substance behind the hype. By 1983, they were in the ascendant, having broken into the US Top 10 three times. "Is There Something I Should Know?", a gloriously catchy pop song, entered the UK charts at number 1, thereby underlying the strength of their fanbase. They were now, unquestionably, the most popular teen idols in the country. An impressive run of transatlantic Top 10 hits followed over the next two years, including "Union Of The Snake", "New Moon On Monday", "The Reflex" (a UK/US number 1), "The Wild Boys", and "A View To A Kill", the latter a James Bond movie theme which gave the band their second US chart-topper.

At the peak of their success, they decided to wind down and venture into other projects, such as the Power Station and Arcadia, while Le Bon caused many a teenage heart to flutter when he was almost killed in a yachting accident in 1986. The same year the band regrouped, minus Roger and Andy Taylor, to record Notorious with producer Nile Rodgers. Although the title track was a big hit the band had by now lost many of their original fans, and excellent follow-up singles such as "Skin Trade" and "Meet El Presidente" failed to break into the Top 20 either side of the Atlantic. The trio of Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor continued recording, however, knowing that they had already secured a place in pop history. Pointlessly tinkering with their name (to DuranDuran) failed to restore the band's commercial fortunes, and the release of a singles compilation raised question marks about their future. Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (b. 8 December 1956, Brooklyn, New York City, USA; ex-Missing Persons), who first featured on Notorious, and Sterling Campbell became permanent members in June 1989, although the latter left two years later, going on to play with Cyndi Lauper and David Bowie among others.

Renewed interest in Duran Duran came about in 1993 when "Ordinary World" became a major transatlantic hit (USA number 3/UK number 6). It was followed by "Come Undone", which reached number 7 in America. Both tracks were taken from Duran Duran, which caused critics who had written them off to amend their opinions. In 1995 they released Thank You, a covers album that paid tribute to the band's influences, although they attracted hostile criticism for versions of rap classics "White Lines (Don't Do It)" and "911 Is A Joke". Two years later John Taylor left the band, leaving Le Bon and Rhodes to carry on with the long-serving Cuccurullo. Their contract with EMI ended following the record company's refusal to release Medazzaland in the UK, although Greatest sold well on the back of an 80s revival. Pop Trash, released on the Hollywood label, was a deliberate attempt to escape the pop tag with which Rhodes and Le Bon will forever be associated. The following May, the five original members announced they were to play together for the first time in over 15 years.

One of the most commercially successful bands of the past three decades, the Eagles had a modest beginning as a California studio band. Gathered by producer John Boylan in 1970, Glenn Frey (guitar), Bernie Leadon (banjo, mandolin), Randy Meisner (bass) and Don Henley (drums) served as Linda Rondstadt's back-up band. After attracting the attention of Rondstadt's label Asylum, they recorded their self-titled debut album, which went gold and produced several Top 40 hits.

Their 1973 follow-up Desperado, wasn't as commercially viable, but is notable for its melancholy title track that has been covered by numerous artists, including Rondstadt herself. 1974's On The Border, however, was a bona fide hit, producing the No. 1 single "Best of My Love." The Eagles capitalized on this newfound success with the quick release of One of These Nights, an album that topped the charts immediately and won the band the first of its four Grammy Awards for the Top 10 single "Lyin' Eyes."

Now certified rock stars, the Eagles saw fit to release a greatest hits album in 1976, which remains rock 'n' roll's best-selling hits album to date. Leadon was replaced by Joe Walsh of the James Gang and the band recorded the Grammy Award-winning Hotel California in 1977. The album produced several hits, including the title track with the infamously long guitar solo. After a brief hiatus and further lineup changes (the replacement of Meisner with Timothy B. Schmidt), the Eagles released The Long Run in 1979, a solid success featuring the chart-topping single "Heartache Tonight."

The Eagles celebrated the new decade with the release of a live album, but the band split up in 1981. Throughout the '80s, each band member embarked on his own solo career, of which Henley's was the most successful. The former drummer earned critical acclaim as a serious singer/songwriter, winning a Grammy Award for the wistful composition The End of the Innocence.

The Eagles reunited in 1994 for a hugely successful stadium tour and released the No. 1 album Hell Freezes Over. Four years later, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. In 2001, The Eagles were again in the news when their total album sales hit a whopping 83.5 million - making them the third biggest selling band of all time, behind the Beatles and Led Zeppelin