Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music

Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). The band existed from 1971 through 1983, then reunited for a concert tour in 2001, and have announced that they will be recording a new album in 2005-2006 for a 2007 release. The group's name was partly an homage to the titles of old cinemas and dance halls, and partly a pun on the word 'rock.' (Ferry first named the band Roxy, but learning of an American band with the same name prompted the alteration of the name.) The juxtaposition of nostalgic and contemporary (or futuristic) themes was a distinctive feature of the band, particularly in their earliest incarnation. The group is noted for their combination of idiosyncratic experimentation and sophisticated wit, evident in their literate lyrics, restrained instrumental virtuosity, and highly developed visual presentation (mainly directed by Ferry) which expropriated imagery from the realms of high fashion, kitsch, and commercial photography. Roxy Music were a significant influence on the early British punk movement, as well as providing a model for many "New Wave" acts and the subsequent New Romantic and experimental electronic groups of the early 1980s. Ferry and co-founding member Brian Eno have also had broadly influential solo careers, and Eno in particular has emerged one of the most significant record producers of the late 20th century, with credits including landmark albums by acts such as Devo, Talking Heads and U2.