Gino Vannelli

The 1970s was a decade dominated by glam, punk, heavy metal, new wave, disco and funk. It was a decade where notions of pop and rock authenticity and hipness were constantly being contested and redefined. In the midst of such a heady maelstrom, a handful of artists such as Gino Vannelli and Steely Dan opted to buck all the trends, writing and producing sophisticated jazz-inflected pop. In Vannelli's case, such decade defining hits as "People Gotta Move" and "I Just Wanna Stop" came wrapped in elaborate arrangements dominated by multiple synthesizers while being totally bereft of guitars. Gino Vannelli remains one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary pop music.