Medwyn Goodall

Medwyn Goodall might not be a household name in the United States, but in the U.K. he has achieved considerable commercial success, releasing over 70 albums. The multi-instrumentalist is one of New Age music's most popular crossover artists. As with many of the genre's icons, his first stab at a music career was as a pop-rocker. Born in Yorkshire in 1961, a young Goodall logged time in a local band called Trax (not to be confused with Pete Bellotte's Italian-disco project of the same name). He gradually drifted toward New Age, which began to penetrate mainstream consciousness in the 1980s, as both a style of music and a spiritual movement. By 1987 Goodall had signed with the now-influential New World Records imprint. Early releases such as Emergence and Kindred Spirits were rudimentary affairs; guitar and synthesizer dominate both. Over the years, however, his recordings would develop far more lavish personalities while boasting an array of instrumentation (mandolin, piano, harp, glockenspiel, panpipes, vibraphone, etc.). Goodall, who eventually started his own record label, MG Music, also records under the Midori alias when he's going for more of an ethnic fusion sound.