This KORD Interactive Playlist commemorates the career of Aston “Family Man” Barrett, the longtime bassist for reggae pioneers Bob Marley and the Wailers. You can use the stem player to isolate or mute Barrett’s booming rhythms, or deconstruct each song any other way you wish.

All songs are presented in chronological order to underscore the evolution of Barrett’s approach. This playlist will continue to grow as we add new songs and stories, so check back often.

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Aston “Family Man” Barrett elevated the low end to unprecedented heights. His emphatic approach to bass guitar ripples across reggae history like a seismic tremor, grounding and galvanizing a series of now-classic recordings from Peter Tosh, Burning Spear and, most famously, Bob Marley and the Wailers, whose ranks Barrett and his drum-playing brother Carlton joined ahead of the 1973 LP Catch a Fire.

“I’ve played before Bob, with Bob and after Bob, and along the way, I create a whole new concept of bass playing,” Barrett said in 2007. “That’s just my thing. That’s my destiny.”

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This KORD Interactive Playlist commemorates the career of Motown Records’ longtime backing vocal trio the Andantes, spotlighting their role in landmark hits by the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and others. You can use the stem player to isolate or mute the Andantes’ enchanting, gospel-inspired harmonies, or deconstruct each song any other way you wish.

All songs are presented in chronological order to underscore the relentless evolution of the Motown Sound. This playlist will continue to grow as we add new songs and stories, so check back often.

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In the wee small hours of Jan. 14, 1970, the night she delivered her final performance as a member of the Supremes in front of a packed house at Las Vegas’ New Frontier Casino & Hotel, Diana Ross retired to the blackjack table to try her luck. The odds seemed stacked in Ross’ favor: following 11 years and 12 number-one Billboard pop hits as the impossibly glamorous focal point of the most commercially successful act in the Motown Records stable, the singer was poised to launch a solo career, and was already at work on her self-titled debut solo LP, a project spearheaded by the up-and-coming songwriting and production team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

Sure enough, Ross drew blackjack on consecutive $200 wagers, raking in $800 (about $6,300 as of early 2024) within moments of taking her seat opposite the dealer. “An agent or manager shakes his head appreciatively at the show of nerve and luck,” Life magazine reported from the casino floor. “‘She may weigh 90 pounds, but she’s got a will of iron,’ one said.”

• Ain't No Mountain High Enough

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In 1986, the year thrash evolved from a speedy branch of heavy metal into a genuine commercial phenomenon, Anthrax watched from the stage as its ear-splitting assault drove the Denver crowd to madness. Then, in founder Scott Ian’s words, “A kid climbed onstage and fucked up my pedalboard.” Guitar tech Artie Ring, fearing damage to Anthrax’s gear, went to toss the kid off the stage. Moments later, Ring found himself consumed by the fray, and when the battered and bruised roadie crawled out of his bunk the next day, he clutched his back in pain. The band asked what happened, and Ring replied “Oh, man, I got caught in a mosh.”

• Caught In A Mosh

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If Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” is the sacred text of Southern rock, then its “Sweet Home Alabama” is the genre’s national anthem: the song that most compellingly articulates the pride in Southern culture implicit in classics such as the Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider,” the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” and “Free Bird” itself. 

• Sweet Home Alabama (Live)

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Nirvana’s 1991 grunge landmark “Smells Like Teen Spirit” inspired untold numbers of loud, gravel-voiced anthems about youthful angst and rebellion. Perhaps the most surprising came from a hardcore hip-hop foursome based in Queens, N.Y.

• Slam

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“Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” inaugurated Gladys Knight and the Pips’ partnership with songwriter Jim Weatherly, a pairing that yielded the most successful recordings of their respective careers.

• Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)

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The Supremes earned their biggest hit of the post-Diana Ross era with 1970’s psychedelic pop symphony “Stoned Love,” a showcase for the vocals of Ross’ replacement, Jean Terrell.

• Stoned Love

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Billy Griffin remembers what it was like at the peak of his music career, when he was an eligible bachelor dating Hollywood starlets. “I would get in my car… and I knew when the girl sat down, I could say ‘You wanna hear my record?’ and I would just turn on the radio. ‘Love Machine’ would come on. Every channel. That is a hit.”

• Love Machine

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