Kate Bush was the first British solo female artist to top the UK album charts and the first female artist to enter the album chart at number one.

From her acclaimed 50 Words for Snow, Wild Man tells of the sightings of the mythical Yeti in the Himalayas and of efforts to hide and protect him.

Blues is a type of slow sad music with strong rhythms, developed by African American musicians in the southern US.

Sometimes referred to by the moniker ‘Mother of the Blues’ Ma Rainey recorded nearly 100 blue songs in the early 20th century.

A key step in the development of modern popular music is the arrival of Rock n Roll with its clear link to the Blues that came before it.

Elvis Presley was the first real rock and roll star.

The Beatles were one of the most successful and influential pop-music groups of the 1960s.

The pressures of fame led the Beatles to break up in 1970.

The upbeat tempo, strong off-beat rhythms, lively horn section and punchy vocals all contribute to the iconic funk sound.

James Brown was a prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader, as well as one of the most iconic figures in funk and soul music.

Upbeat, with a dance feel, and often featuring strings and group vocals, Disco has an iconic ‘four on the floor’ drumbeat, with strong bass lines and fast guitar rhythms.

Chic is an American band that was formed in 1972 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards.

Inspired by the A-line of New York’s subway, and written in 1939, Take the ‘A’ Train was adopted as the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

This orchestra was one of the greatest of all jazz big bands, made up of instruments including trumpets, trombones, saxophones, drums and bass.

Oasis were emblematic of a revival of melodic, guitar-based music in the 1990s that became known as Britpop.

Many of these bands were influenced by The Beatles and Oasis were explicit about this influence.

This song by Icelandic singer Björk was created in collaboration with Jah Wobble and David Arnold as part of the soundtrack of the 1993 crime drama The Young Americans.

The song is inspired by the film’s central character and is underscored by moody strings.

Bronski Beat was a very popular Scottish synth pop trio of the 1980s.

Formed in 1983, their debut hit came the following year – the striking tale of a boy who was cast away by his family and neighbours for being gay.

Destiny's Child was an American musical girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams.

Say My Name is taken from Destiny’s Child’s second album, Writings on the Wall, and is part of a series of songs separated by commandments: ‘thou shalt not hate’; ‘thou shalt not give into temptation’; ‘thou shalt cherish life’.