hard rock

Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas (born February 14, 1972 on a military base in Landstuhl, Germany) is an American recording artist, the lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty and formerly of the band Tabitha's Secret. Thomas is also known for co-writing and singing on the Santana hit Smooth, on the album Supernatural, in 1999. On April 19, 2005, he released a solo album, ...Something to Be. This marked the first time that a male artist from a rock or pop group has debuted at No 1 with their first solo album since Billboard introduced the chart 50 years ago.

After Peter Banks found himself replaced in Yes by Steve Howe, he set his sights on creating a new band. That band was Flash. The group formed in 1971 when Banks recruited longtime associate Ray Bennett (Gun) along with Colin Carter (Pete Bardens' Camel) and Mike Hough. Original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye rounded out the group. Flash had a sound that felt a lot like that of Yes on its first two albums, but perhaps with a more pop-oriented texture. The group also had a more free-form approach to its virtuosic jamming, seeming to prefer improvisation to well-charted music.

Firebird is a British blues-rock power trio founded by Bill Steer in 1999. The music style, reminiscent of seventies rock bands such as Cream, is a radical departure from Steer's previous work with grindcore pioneers Napalm Death and death metal band Carcass. Firebird's lineup has seen several drummers and bass players come and go, but Steer's congenial vocals and guitar playing have kept the band's vibe stable. Discography: Firebird (2000), Deluxe (2001), No. 3 (2003) and Hot Wings (2006) Band members:

Blackfoot were a southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. They were formed in 1972 and were contemporaries of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but with a harder rock sound. They had a number of hit albums in the 1970s and early 1980s before their popularity started to wane. They had broken up by 1984, though not before former Uriah Heep keyboardist/songwriter Ken Hensley had joined the group during their last couple of years together.