Bryan Ferry

Born to a working-class family in the Northern English town of Washington in Tyne and Wear, Ferry defied his blue-collar beginnings by studying fine art at Newcastle University. During this time, he was taught by British pop-art pioneer Richard Hamilton, whose famous collage "Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?" inspired the Roxy Music song "In Every Dream Home a Heartache." Hamilton went on to refer to Ferry as "his greatest creation."

In 1967, after seeing the "King of Soul" Otis Redding perform live in London, Ferry decided to pursue a music career. Having failed an audition to become the lead singer for British prog outfit King Crimson, he set about forming a band with his university friend, bassist Graham Simpson. Saxophonist Andy Mackay and synthesizer master Brian Eno were subsequently added to the lineup after responding to a newspaper advertisement seeking additional members, and Roxy Music was officially born.

As well as fronting Roxy Music, Ferry is a successful solo artist, with original hits including "Slave To Love" and "Kiss and Tell." He's also released several covers throughout his career. In a discussion with Roxy Music biographer Michael Bracewell, Ferry compared his approach to covering songs to French painter Marcel Duchamp: "I like the idea of Duchamp taking something like a bicycle wheel and just placing it in a different context and putting his signature on it, really. And I guess I was thinking that when I took a song that was by someone else, and did my version of it; that I was adding my stamp to it, my signature."