“Heartbreak Hotel” ELVIS PRESLEY  A suicide note was the unlikely inspiration behind the song that became Elvis’ first No. 1 hit and million-selling single. Steel guitarist and session musician Tommy Durden read a newspaper article about a man who had killed himself, leaving behind a note with the haunting words: “I walk a lonely street.” Durden brought the article to his friend and co-writer Mae Boren Axton. A 41-year-old high school... 

ISAAC HAYES HAD JUST WRAPPED A CONCERT WHEN photographer Norman Seeff shot this session for the soul legend’s 1977 album, New Horizon. “We rented a beautiful studio in San Francisco,” recalls Seeff, “and didn’t begin shooting until 1 a.m. I told him, ‘I’m concerned; you must be exhausted.’ He said, ‘No, no, I’m fine.’” Hayes sang for Seeff and his team. “Everyone was transfixed,” says Seeff. “There was an energy in the... 

SMOOTH BLEND Robin Thicke scores by blurring the lines between pop, soul and hip-hop By Russell Hall Although many artists become more serious with age, Robin Thicke sees himself on a reverse course—shedding youthful intensity in favor of a more freewheeling aesthetic. “I started out with very lofty ambitions,” says the 37-year-old. “The guys I admire got more serious as they got older. John Lennon went from ‘Help!’ to ‘Working Class... 

ALUS HOMETOWN: Montville, N.J. INFLUENCES: Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin ALBUM: Alustrious EP, out now WEBSITE: facebook.com/alusmovement Born and raised in New Jersey, Alus comes by her musical talent honestly. Her grandmother, a Juilliard graduate, was once a renowned musician in the Violinaires, a group of violinists that regularly performed with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the rest of the Rat Pack. Meanwhile, her father... 

JENNA TORRES HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen ALBUM: A Woman’s Touch, out now WEBSITE: jennatorres.com To some, singer-songwriter Jenna Torres is a study in contrasts, but she doesn’t see it that way. “I guess being a New York City girl and a country music artist might seem like a contradiction,” she says, “but to me the big city is the heartland. Every day I’m surrounded by 8 million stories... 

J RAND HOMETOWN: Delray Beach, Fla. INFLUENCES: Eminem, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway ALBUM: As-yet-untitled LP, due out 2014 WEBSITE: jrandmusic.com As a teenager, J Rand groomed himself for the spotlight by singing Michael Jackson songs at a local karaoke bar in his hometown. “When I was a kid I was always fascinated by entertainers,” he says. While pursuing a solo career, he performed with various local cover bands. In 2010, Rand signed with... 

SKATERS After paying dues separately, the punkers find overnight success together Band bios are notoriously filled with bunk, but Michael Ian Cummings’ story checks out. Ask the singer and guitarist where in New York City he and his fellow Skaters tended bar, and he’ll list a string of watering holes where young rockers actually congregate, swill Pabst, and tell stories that might inspire an album of crackling indie-punk jams, as the group’s... 

SHARON JONES Not even cancer can stop this funk-soul powerhouse   “I thought I was going to die,” Sharon Jones declares bluntly. The  57-year-old soul dynamo was diagnosed with bile duct cancer just weeks before the release of Give the People What They Want, her new album with longtime backing band the Dap-Kings. Everything was put on hold as Jones, who was still mourning the loss of her mother from cancer, underwent a seven-hour surgery and... 

NENEH CHERRY Musical inspiration has been a long time coming for the ’80s hit-maker   It’s been 25 years since Neneh Cherry’s megahit “Buffalo Stance” from her debut Raw Like Sushi invaded U.S. airwaves, and nearly 18 since she released her last solo album. But the Swedish singer-songwriter is back with a new album, Blank Project. “I’ve been saying I’d do it for 17 years, but it became, ‘I need to do this now,’” she says.... 

A GREAT BIG WORLD A great big hit propels the melodic pop duo to the top of the charts Piano-pop duo A Great Big World’s debut album, Is There Anybody Out There?, includes two versions of their recent haunting smash, “Say Something.” Christina Aguilera, who fell for the song when she heard it on TV’s So You Think You Can Dance, asked the duo—Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino—if she could record the tune with them for The Voice. No surprise,... 

LOS LONELY BOYS A new songwriting process leads to fresh inspiration for the Texican trio JoJo Garza’s got a good excuse for not hearing his phone ring. As often happens when he has tour downtime with brothers Henry and Ringo Garza, he takes the opportunity to jam. That is, after all, how Los Lonely Boys’ eighth studio album Revelation first poked its head into the world. “Songs are born on the road—they just come,” JoJo says. “We’ve... 

LEA MICHELE Glee fans’ favorite leading lady tries on a new role: pop star     For more than four years, millions of Americans watched Lea Michele belt out a broad range of hits on TV’s Glee. On her debut solo album, Louder, she shifts effortlessly between luxurious ballads and uptempo numbers that showcase her vocal and songwriting talent. The Emmy-nominated actress and singer tapped a stable of hit collaborators including Christina Perri,... 

DIERKS BENTLEY Life throws the country star a heart-tugging batch of inspiration  Dierks Bentley’s new album, Riser, reflects the emotional roller coaster he endured beginning with his father’s death two years ago and concluding with the recent birth of his first son. “That definitely changed my perspective,” says Bentley. “A lot of the heavier material on Riser wouldn’t have come about without those things happening.” Bentley, 38,... 

JAKE SHIMABUKURO  In his talented hands, the ukulele demands new respect They say there’s no such thing as an overnight sensation—then there’s ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. Though well-known in Japan and in his native Hawaii, he was virtually unknown in the rest of the world until a 2006 YouTube clip of him playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” generated nearly 13 million views and turned him into an international... 

THE FRAY The piano-pop rockers regroup and set out in new musical directions  After a disappointing commercial reception for the Fray’s third album, 2012’s Scars and Stories, the Denver foursome found themselves wondering—after 10 years and three records—if they wanted to carry on. “Those are the defeats that make you do the math and figure out whether this is something you really want to do,” says singer and pianist Isaac Slade. After... 

NEON TREES Time off to recharge leads to a new perspective and a colorful album    Success can exact a price. It’s something alt rockers Neon Trees learned after scoring with their 2010 debut album Habits, powered by their breakout single “Animal,” and their follow-up two years later, Picture Show, which included their first Top 10 hit, “Everybody Talks.” Hitting it big brought unexpected demands for touring and promotion, and pressures... 

DAVID CROSBY He helped create two iconic bands, but his latest set is a family affair By Jeff Tamarkin There’s always been plenty of harmony in David Crosby’s famed voice and songwriting. His life, on the other hand, not so much. He’s endured battles with drug abuse, brushes with the law, and a long line of health scares—the latest in February when he underwent an emergency heart procedure. In the ’80s, Crosby spent time in prison on drug... 

DESMOND CHILD For the renowned studio master, everything begins with the lyric By Michael Gallant For Desmond Child, music comes down to honesty. “What makes something desirable has a worthwhile element—and in the case of music, it has to have truth. When that element isn’t there, people don’t pay attention.” For more than three decades, the world has been paying close attention to the innovative songwriter-producer, who helped create and... 

DESMOND CHILD For the renowned studio master, everything begins with the lyric By Michael Gallant For Desmond Child, music comes down to honesty. “What makes something desirable has a worthwhile element—and in the case of music, it has to have truth. When that element isn’t there, people don’t pay attention.” For more than three decades, the world has been paying close attention to the innovative songwriter-producer, who helped create and...