Mark Blake

It’s always been about music for the veteran guitarist, although distractions have included catching fire at the band’s first gig, realising he should be much richer than he actually was, and an alternative career he came close to pursuing

Pink Floyd explored the theme of communication on 1994 album The Division Bell – despite their infamous communication issues

ELO were the mad Englishmen who conquered the US in the 1970s – and Jeff Lynne was at the heart of it

The man who led Zeppelin looks back on Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda

When Chicago founder Terry Kath accidentally killed himself, the world was robbed of one of its greatest guitarists

Storm Thorgerson’s right-hand man on breaking the law, pushing creative concepts, refusing to work with record labels, watching Pink Floyd get rich and staying friends by never taking sides

The Yes powerhouse bassist had a unique talent for knowing where to be among a relentless band of virtuosos

In this exclusive extract from his new Fleetwood Mac book, Mark Blake tells the tale of Bob Welch, the man Mick Fleetwood credits as having played a crucial role in keeping the Mac together

Peter Green was one of the greatest guitarists of the late 60s British blues boom – but he never truly conquered his demons

Box set edition gives former Beatles and Pink Floyd engineer the chance to recall the crazy times and ambitious attitude that resulted in 1978’s Pyramid

It had a cow’s arse on the cover and a features track sampling their roadie cooking bacon – but their fifth record’s wild genius paved the way to their future

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic debut album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) was released on August 13, 1973, setting them on the path to stardom

How the “junior member” broke into the band’s songwriting clique, his embarrassment over his solo success, and how the Sex Pistols influenced his choice of record label

A blues band? A hard rock band? Think again

Yes singer pushed far beyond his comfort zone for 1976 debut solo record, and when it was finished the world – and his bandmates – seemed underwhelmed. Was it worth the effort?

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott on his love of Deep Purple – and the deep cut he loves

In 1966, The Who were a bunch of drinking, drugging, brawling rock stars-in-waiting. Pete Townshend was about to change all that

The Game dialled down Queen's hard rock, and Hot Space was such a departure that it confused their fan base. It was time for a rethink

Paul Kossoff should have been one of rock and blues' great guitar heroes. Instead, the light of the Free and Back Street Crawler guitarist shone briefly – and burned out quickly

He helped launch Pink Floyd’s career and got arrested with the Rolling Stones – John ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins was the King Of The 1960s Underground

Bruce Dickinson fronts the UK’s most successful heavy metal band, holds a commercial pilot’s licence, releases solo albums, write novels and screenplays, and more. A full life? Not half

Metal God Rob Halford salutes the most wonderful time of the year, as he selects his eight favourite Christmas songs

Fronting The Darkness gave Justin Hawkins fame, a collection of fabulous catsuits, and some serious addiction issues. After some dark days his band are now flying high again

In November 1973, 19-year-old Who fan Scott Halpin travelled to see the band play at San Francisco's Cow Palace. He ended up on stage

For over three decades, a two-minute clip of tuned wine glasses was the only sign of a project begun in 1980 and finally abandoned four years later