Brian Thomas Ray (born January 4, 1955) is an American session musician, musical director, guitarist and singer–songwriter. He is best known for his work as a guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.

Brian Ray grew up in southern California. His first musical performances were in front of his peers – at show and tell – setting his own lyrics to the tune of old folk songs.

By the age 9, he began playing the guitar. His elder sister Jean (of folk duo Jim and Jean) spurred his interest in rock music through her record collection. Jean invited Brian to play at the LA Troubadour when he was 15 years old. She was "probably the most important and influential person" in Ray's early life.

In 1973, shortly after graduating high school, Ray began his musical career as part of Bobby Pickett and the Crypt Kicker Five, playing the "Monster Mash" at a fundraising benefit hosted by and for Phil Kaufman. Kaufman took Ray in and would later introduce him to singer Etta James at a rehearsal for the world-famous Troubadour, just as James was on the brink of a career comeback. That brief introduction would eventually lead to Ray's 14-year career as Etta James' musical director and guitarist.

Carl Clarke Martin (born 24 October 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Crewe Alexandra.

Carl and twin brother Callum both had good career prospects in football having played since a young age and having football run in the family. Carl went to Hendon School, North London. Callum is still a player at Wealdstone. The twins began their football careers at the age of 11 playing for side Princes Park. They went on to play for Sunday football teams, including Pinnacle Youth FC, a club founded by proud dad Cuthbert. The pair also spent an amount of free time modelling, notabaly an advert for adidas with footballers such as Arjen Robben and David Trezeguet. The most memorable moment in the brother's football career so far is when they got the call up to represent England school boys U18s. In doing so they made history in becoming the 1st set of twins to be capped by England.

Martin started his career in non-league football with Wealdstone before signing for Football League Two side Crewe Alexandra in October 2009. He made his league debut for Crewe on 19 January 2010 in the 1–1 draw with Hereford United at Edgar Street. On March 9, 2010, Martin was sent off in a league game against Grimsby Town, which led to his manager Dario Gradi slating him to the media, not for the sending off but for not following his manager's instructions by running with the ball. Gradi went on to state that Martin would not feature again until he could trust him to follow instructions, also stating: "whatever ban he gets will be music to my ears."

Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009)—known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound),delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention.

His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and they sold millions of records.

Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" along with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed.

Richard A. "Rick" Nielsen (born December 22, 1946) is the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Cheap Trick. For the band's first few albums, Nielsen wrote the majority of the material himself. He is well known for having many custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, including his famous five-neck guitar.

Nielsen formed Cheap Trick in 1972 with bassist Tom Petersson, another Rockford, Illinois native. Before Cheap Trick, he was in a number of bands, including Grim Reapers and Fuse. The latter recorded a one-off debut album released on Epic Records which sold poorly. After the record failed to gain any attention, the band moved to Philadelphia and the band changed their name to Sick Man Of Europe.

The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972 and returned to Illinois in 1973. Upon their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson renamed the band Cheap Trick after adding drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Randy "Xeno" Hogan. In 1974, Hogan left the band and lead singer Robin Zander joined after his contract with a Wisconsin resort was completed.

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM (born 18 June 1942) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of the Beatles (1960–1970) and Wings (1971–1981), he has been described by Guinness World Records as "The Most Successful Composer and Recording Artist of All Time", with 60 gold discs and sales of over 100 million albums and 100 million singles. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the Beatles, and with Lennon formed one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. After leaving the Beatles, he began a solo career and later formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine.

According to the BBC, his Beatles song "Yesterday" has been covered by over 2,200 artists—more than any other song. Wings' 1977 release, "Mull of Kintyre", became one of the best-selling singles ever in the UK, and he is "the most successful songwriter" in UK chart history, according to Guinness. As a songwriter or co-writer, he is included on thirty-one number one titles on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2012 he has sold over 15.5 million RIAA certified units in the United States.