Dave Edmunds

After establishing himself as a hotshot guitarist in the blues-rockers Love Sculpture, Dave Edmunds built a solo career by painstakingly re-creating oldies in his own studio, usually recording every track by himself. He learned how to uncannily replicate the sound of Sun, Chess, and Phil Spector records, which not only helped him garner several U.K. hits in the early '70s, but led to successful production work with artists like the Flamin' Groovies and Brinsley Schwarz. In the late '70s, he hit the peak of his career when he teamed up with Nick Lowe to form Rockpile, releasing a classic album with them as well as a well-received string of solo albums. After the group imploded in the early '80s, he slipped away from the mainstream, even as he made his most commercial music with Jeff Lynne. Edmunds eventually retreated to cult status in the '90s.