Sylvia Robinson
Godmother of hip-hop
A singer, producer and record label owner from Harlem, Sylvia Robinson was among the very first to recognise the early sounds of hip-hop issuing out of the Bronx. Assembling three young MCs – Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike and Master Gee – under the name The Sugarhill Gang, the resultant single Rapper’s Delight, which found the trio rhyming over the hook of Chic’s disco hit Good Times, would become a huge international hit, selling 50,000 copies a day and hitting No 3 in the UK. But Robinson could see hip-hop wasn’t merely party music, and later Sugar Hill Records releases dealt in social commentary – see Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s 1982 single The Message, an unflinching evocation of life in the ghetto.
Vivienne Westwood
Godmother of punk
Would punk have had as much power to shock, appall and inspire were it not for the anarchic street couture of Vivienne Westwood? In 1971, Westwood and her partner Malcolm McLaren opened a boutique, Let It Rock, on London’s King’s Road. By 1976, Let It Rock had renamed itself Sex, McLaren was managing a young group of upstarts named the Sex Pistols, and Westwood’s clothing – a mishmash of biker gear, S&M rubberwear, tartan and razorblades – gave an image to the nascent punk movement.
Bruce Pavitt
Godfather of grunge
At the dawn of the 1980s, Bruce Pavitt was living in Olympia, and running an indie radio show called Subterranean Pop, focusing on the weird alternative sounds popping up across the United States. Soon, Subterranean Pop became a fanzine. Then Pavitt started releasing cassette compilations and before long, Sub Pop – as it became known – would become a proper label, signing Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Tad, Green River, and a fledgling group called Nirvana. At first, this distorted, melodic guitar music was known as “the Seattle sound” – but when a Sub Pop catalogue described Green River’s debut EP as “ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation”, a genre was born.
Mel Cheren
Godfather of disco
Melvin Cheren entered the music industry as a salesman for ABC-Paramount Records, but following a stint in the army became an advocate for a new, liberated kind of 70s dance music – disco. Cheren – known to friends as “Uncle Mel” – founded the label West End Music Industries, which introduced groundbreaking concepts such as the 12-inch vinyl format and the instrumental B-side. In 1977, Cheren helped provide funds for his former lover Michael Brody to convert a former parking garage in Soho into a new club, the Paradise Garage. With DJ Larry Levan on the decks and a powerful sound system, the Garage became ground zero for the disco boom.
Steve Strange
Godfather of the New Romantics
As promoter of the Blitz nightclub in Covent Garden, Steve Strange – the glamorous alterego of a Caerphilly schoolboy named Stephen Harrington – was a demanding host. You were only gaining entry if dressed extravagantly, with androgyny, experimental fashion and gravity-defying haircuts all the rage. Yes, it was elitist, but among the so-called “Blitz Kids” were future members of Culture Club, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Spandau Ballet – not to forget Strange’s own group Visage, who scored a Top 10 hit with Fade To Grey.
Frankie Knuckles
Godfather of house
Electronic music culture wouldn’t exist as we know it without Frankie Knuckles. His marathon DJ sets at Chicago clubs the Warehouse and Power Plant introduced all kinds of innovations, with Knuckles airing extended edits of soul, funk and Eurodisco tracks made using reel-to-reel tape, or augmented by drum machines. Knuckles was an in-demand remixer throughout the 80s and 90s, and a hero in his home town: in 2005 Barack Obama – then an Illinois state senator – declared 25 August to be Frankie Knuckles Day. Knuckles passed away in 2014 following diabetes-related complications.
Famous for a reason
What do all these people have in common? They are famous for a reason, be that for their love of music or for revolutionising the music industry. The Famous Grouse’s reputation is also built upon this ethos. Created in 1896, the founder Matthew Gloag didn’t want to be famous, he simply wanted to make the best whisky he could possibly make so he created The Grouse Brand. It soon became so popular that it was renamed The Famous Grouse. Renowned for its quality, craftsmanship and exceptional taste, The Famous Grouse is available in four expressions, including the smooth The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold and the distinctive The Famous Grouse Smoky Black.
Please enjoy The Famous Grouse whisky responsibly.
