1.
Los Angeles
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Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
2.
NoHo Arts District, Los Angeles
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The NoHo Arts District is a community in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that is home to contemporary theaters, art galleries, cafes, and shops. The community is bounded by Hatteras Street to the north, Cahuenga Blvd to the east, Tujunga Ave to the west. The area features more than twenty professional theaters, producing new work and classics, diverse art galleries, public art, the district also features the largest concentration of music recording venues west of the Mississippi. A Metro Rail station is located here, the North Hollywood station of the Red Line, business and theater owners in the Universal City/North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce established a theater and arts district in 1992 with support from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. They chose NoHo, a play off the well-known SoHo Arts District neighborhood of New York City, medium- and high-density developments are being built around the Metro Station, making the Arts District a center of citywide development, with the intent of creating a walkable urban village. The theater district includes two new venues that expand upon existing theaters, the newly redesigned NoHo Arts Center. They add to the existing 31 theaters located in and around the NoHo Arts District, NoHo Commons, developed by J. H. Snyder Company, is located near the NoHo Arts Districts commercial core and subway station. The NoHo Commons construction and development consisted of three phases, completing with the construction of a Laemmle Theatre, phase III also consisted of the construction of an eight-story office on the corner of Lankershim and Weddington in 2009. The buildings primary tenant is currently the Art Institute of California-Hollywood, NoHo 14, a 180-unit, fourteen-story apartment building, was built in 2004 as one of the first large-scale developments in the neighborhood. The historic North Hollywood train depot at Lankershim and Chandler Boulevards was restored in 2014 for $3.6 million and it is a Southern Pacific Railroad standard design, a One Story Combination Depot No.15 or 21. Currently the NoHo Arts District, in conjunction with the Community Redevelopment Agency-Los Angeles, is working on efforts to make the area more appealing to businesses. The current focus is primarily on revamping store fronts on Lankershim Blvd, in the future, North Hollywood plans a $1 billion mixed-use development at Lankershim and Chandler, surrounding the Metro Red and Orange line terminals. The project would re-develop 15.6 acres with 1,720,000 square feet of commercial and residential space, including 562 residential units, the project was awarded to Lowe Enterprises by the Los Angeles Metro board and will be designed by architects AC Martin Partners. Media related to NoHo Arts District, Los Angeles at Wikimedia Commons
3.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
4.
Hal David
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Harold Lane Hal David was an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York City and he was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. David was born in New York City, a son of Austrian Jewish immigrants Lina and Gedalier David, who owned a delicatessen in Brooklyn and he is credited with popular music lyrics, beginning in the 1940s with material written for bandleader Sammy Kaye and for Guy Lombardo. He worked with Morty Nevins of The Three Suns on four songs for the feature film Two Gals, in 1957, David met composer Burt Bacharach at Famous Music in the Brill Building in New York. The two teamed up and wrote their first hit The Story of My Life, recorded by Marty Robbins in 1957, J. Thomas, Gene Pitney, Tom Jones, Jackie DeShannon and others. In addition, Dont Make Me Over, Close to You and Walk On By have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. A. with Albert Hammond, recorded by Hammond and later Art Garfunkel. With Paul Hampton, David co-wrote the country standard Sea of Heartbreak, David and Bacharach were awarded the 2011 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, bestowed by the Library of Congress, the first time a songwriting team was given the honor. David was recuperating from a recent illness and was unable to attend the Washington D. C. presentation ceremony in May 2012, David died in the morning hours of September 1,2012, of a stroke. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park beside his first wife, Anne, Hal David at Find a Grave Hal David Interview - NAMM Oral History Library
5.
Metallica
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Metallica is an American heavy metal band based in San Rafael, California. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles when vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield responded to an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper, Metallicas current line-up comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band, the bands fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding big four bands of thrash metal, alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. The band expanded its musical direction and achieved commercial success with its eponymous fifth album Metallica. The album was also their first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, in 2000, Metallica joined with other artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the bands copyright-protected material without consent from the band. A settlement was reached and Napster became a pay-to-use service, the band returned to its original musical style with the release of Death Magnetic, and in 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica has released ten albums, four live albums, five extended plays,26 music videos. The band has won eight Grammy Awards and six of its albums have debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The bands eponymous 1991 album has sold over 16 million copies in the United States, Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 110 million records worldwide. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone, in 2012, Metallica formed the independent record label Blackened Recordings and took full ownership of its albums and videos. The band is currently promoting Hardwired. to Self-Destruct, which was released on November 18,2016, guitarists James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for the upcoming compilation album Metal Massacre. Slagel accepted and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar, the band was officially formed in October 1981, five months after Ulrich and Hetfield first met. Ulrich talked to his friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine, Quintana had proposed the names MetalMania and Metallica. A second advertisement was placed in The Recycler for a position as lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine answered, Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him after seeing his expensive guitar equipment. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song Hit the Lights for the Metal Massacre I compilation, Hetfield played bass on the song and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo. Metal Massacre I was released on June 14,1982, early pressings listed the band incorrectly as Mettallica, the bands first taste of live success came early, they were chosen to open for British heavy metal band Saxon at one gig of their 1982 US tour. Metallica recorded its first demo, Power Metal, an inspired by Quintanas early business cards in early 1982
6.
Metallica (album)
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Metallica is the eponymous fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on August 12,1991 by Elektra Records, it received critical acclaim. Metallica produced five singles that are considered to be among the bands songs, which include Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam. Dont Tread on Me was also issued to rock radio shortly after the albums release, the album marked a change in the bands sound from the thrash metal style of the previous four albums to a slower one. Metallica promoted the album with a series of tours, in 2003, the album was ranked number 252 on Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums of all time. The recording of Metallica was troubled, as the band frequently entered conflicts with Bob Rock, the album debuted at number one in ten countries and spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, making it Metallicas first album to top album charts. By February 2016, the album spent 363 weeks on the Billboard album chart, Metallica is one of the best-selling albums worldwide, and the best-selling albums in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began. Metallica played the album in its entirety during the 2012 European Black Album Tour, at the time of Metallicas recording, the bands songs were written mainly by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield being the lyricist. The duo frequently composed together at Ulrichs house in Berkeley, California, several song ideas and concepts were conceived by other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. For instance, Newsted wrote the riff of My Friend of Misery. The songs were written in two months in mid-1990, the ideas for some of them were originated during the Damaged Justice Tour, Metallica was impressed with Bob Rocks production work on Mötley Crües Dr. Feelgood and decided to hire him to work on their album. Initially, the members were not interested in having Rock producing the album as well. Ulrich said, We felt that we still had our best record in us, four demos for the album were recorded on August 13,1990, Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters and Wherever I May Roam. The lead single Enter Sandman was the first song to be written, on October 4,1990, a demo of Sad but True was recorded. In October 1990, Metallica entered One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, the band also recorded the album at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia about a week. On June 2,1991, a demo of Holier Than Thou was recorded, Hetfield stated about the recording, What we really wanted was a live feel. In the past, Lars and I constructed the rhythm parts without Kirk and this time I wanted to try playing as a band unit in the studio. It lightens things up and you get more of a vibe and he also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield
7.
A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica
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A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica is a two-part documentary about the process of making the Metallica album, and the following tour. It was produced by Juliana Roberts and directed by Adam Dubin, a Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica was released as a double VHS pack. Both parts are available on a single DVD, but only in region 1 and this 90-minute video shows how Metallica and their producer Bob Rock worked their way through making the Metallica album. It also includes the making of the video for Enter Sandman and also a party for invited fans to come. Jason Newsted after a concert in Portland, Maine, is seen making sandwiches to take back to a hotel with him and his response to being called a cheapskate is I got plans for those millions and it aint for fucking sandwiches. Sebastian Bach is seen joking with Slash and Lars Ulrich in Metallicas dressing room at RFK Stadium in Washington D. C. prior to the concert, Bach humorously imitates MTV host Riki Rachtman, and former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine. The band also encounter Spinal Tap, who ask them about the similarities between their albums covers. This part of the documentary also includes two videos, Wherever I May Roam Sad but True A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica at the Internet Movie Database
8.
...And Justice for All (album)
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…And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 25,1988, by Elektra Records. It was the bands first studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted after the death of Cliff Burton in 1986, …And Justice for All is musically progressive, with long and complex songs, fast tempos, and few verse-chorus structures. The album is noted for its production, which producer Flemming Rasmussen attributed to his absence during the mixing process. The lyrics feature themes of political and legal injustice seen through the prisms of censorship, war, the phrase …And Justice for All appears spray-painted in the lower right corner. The album title is derived from the American Pledge of Allegiance, three songs from the album were released as singles, Harvester of Sorrow, Eye of the Beholder, and One, while the title track was released as a promotional single. …And Justice for All was acclaimed by music critics and it was included in The Village Voices annual Pazz & Jop critics poll of the years best albums, and the single One earned Metallica its first Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1990. The groups best-selling album at the time, it was the first underground metal album to chart success in the United States. …And Justice for All was Metallicas first full-length studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted after the death of Cliff Burton in 1986, Newsted had previously played on Metallicas The $5.98 E. P. Garage Days Re-Revisited, an extended play released in 1987, the band intended to record the album earlier, but was sidetracked by the large number of festival dates scheduled for the summer of 1987, including the European leg of the Monsters of Rock festival. Another reason was frontman James Hetfields arm injury in a skateboarding accident, the bands previous studio album, Master of Puppets, marked the end of Metallicas contract with the Music for Nations label. Manager Peter Mensch wanted the band to sign with British record distributor Phonogram Records, to persuade Metallica to choose his label Hooker offered them a bigger deal, worth well over £1 million, which at that time was the biggest deal wed ever offered anyone. His explanation was that the figure for combined British and European sales of all three Metallica albums was more than 1.5 million copies. The album title was revealed in April 1988, …And Justice for All, the artwork was created by Stephen Gorman, based on a concept developed by Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. It depicts a statue of a blindfolded Lady Justice, bound by ropes with her breasts exposed. The title appears graffiti-style in the right corner. …And Justice for All was recorded from January to May 1988 at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Metallica produced the album with Flemming Rasmussen. Things did not work out as planned, and three weeks later Rasmussen became available after Ulrich gave him a call, Rasmussen listened to Clinks rough mixes for the album on his February 14 flight to Los Angeles, and upon his arrival Clink was fired. Hetfield explained that recording with Clink did not work out so well, however, Clink is credited with engineering the drums on two of the albums tracks, The Shortest Straw and Harvester of Sorrow
9.
When the Pawn...
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When the Pawn. is the shortened title of the second album by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple. The album was released by Epic Records in the United States on November 9,1999, in 2010, Spin magazine named the album the 106th greatest of the last 25 years. A year later, Slant Magazine named it the 79th best album of the 1990s, the album was also critically and commercially successful and was certified platinum. The album earned a nomination at the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, the album title is a poem Apple wrote on tour after reading the readers negative letters about her in the December 1997 issue of Spin magazine. Rolling Stone magazine made fun of the title/poem, calling it and it came from being made fun of, she rued, and then, of course, it becomes a thing Im being made fun of for. The albums title has become a source of trivia, on its release, it broke the record for longest album title at 444 characters. However, in October 2007 Soulwax released their remix album Most of the Remixes and this was surpassed in 2008 by Chumbawambas The Boy Bands Have Won. Whose full title contains 865 characters of text, the first single, Fast as You Can, was fairly popular and received moderate radio and video airplay. It reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, the follow-up singles, Limp and especially Paper Bag, which was nominated for a Grammy Award, were less successful. Apples boyfriend at the time, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, directed videos for all three singles, all tracks written by Fiona Apple. Album Singles When the Pawn. at MusicBrainz When the Pawn. at Metacritic
10.
Fiona Apple
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Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. Classically trained on piano as a child, Apple began composing her own songs when she was 8 years old. Her debut album, Tidal, written when Apple was 17, was released in 1996 and she followed with When the Pawn. produced by Jon Brion, which was also critically and commercially successful and was certified platinum. For her third album, Extraordinary Machine, Apple again collaborated with Brion, however, Apple was reportedly unhappy with the production and opted not to release the record, leading fans to erroneously protest Epic Records, believing that the label was withholding its release. The album was eventually re-produced without Brion and released in October 2005 to critical acclaim, in 2012, she released her fourth studio album, The Idler Wheel. which received universal critical praise and was followed by an extensive tour of the USA. Born in New York City in 1977, Apple is the daughter of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart and her maternal grandparents were dancer Millicent Green and big band vocalist Johnny McAfee. Her sister sings cabaret under the stage name Maude Maggart, Apple grew up in Morningside Gardens in Harlem with her mother and sister, but spent summers with her father in Los Angeles. Apple was classically trained on piano as a child, and began composing her own pieces by the age of eight, when learning to play piano, she would often take sheet music and translate guitar tablature into the corresponding notes. Apple later began to play along with jazz standard compositions after becoming proficient, through which she discovered Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, at age 12, Apple was raped outside the apartment she shared with her mother and sister. She then developed an eating disorder, purposely slimming her developing body, in 2000, she insisted that she did not write songs about the trauma, It doesnt get into the writing. Its such a fuckin old pain that, you know, theres nothing poetic about it, schenker then passed the tape along to Sony Music executive Andy Slater. Apples abilities captured his attention, and Slater signed her to a record deal, in 1996, Apples debut album, Tidal, was released by Work Records and Columbia Records. The album sold 2.7 million copies and was certified three times platinum in the U. S. Criminal, the single, became a hit. The songs controversial Mark Romanek-directed music video played on MTV, other singles from Tidal included Shadowboxer, Sleep to Dream, and Never Is a Promise. Apple accepted MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist for her song Sleep to Dream in 1997 The New Yorker, when I have something to say, Ill say it, she said, responding to these criticisms in an article in Rolling Stone in January 1998. During this period, Apple also made recordings of The Beatles Across the Universe and she later canceled the last twenty-one dates on a tour in support of her album due to personal family problems. Apples second album, When the Pawn. was released in 1999 and its full title is a poem Apple wrote after reading letters that appeared in Spin regarding an article that had cast her in a negative light in an earlier issue. The titles length earned it a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for 2001
11.
Crazy Nights
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Crazy Nights is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 18,1987 by Mercury and Vertigo in Europe. This was the album to feature the new line-up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick. It featured keyboards, which was departure in their music style. It was re-released in 1998 as part of the Kiss Remasters series and this makes the album one of the least represented in the bands entire catalog over the course of their career in their setlists, behind only their 1981 album commercial flop Music from The Elder. The band had a lot to prove after their decrease of success. After the Asylum Tour had ended, Kiss went on a couple of months due to Gene Simmonss career as an actor and a producer. Its not fair for me to put in this kind of time, and Gene looked at me and said, Thats fair. I could have used Genes input, but my attitude at that point was that I certainly wasnt going to listen to a guy whos off managing cabaret singers and producing five bands, while I was trying to make an album. Simmonss temporary departure gave space to Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick, Kulick had four co-writing credits and Carr one, but almost got other material on the album. As Kisss previous two albums had been self-produced, the felt it needed to bring in an outside producer who would help the album achieve more commercial success. Producer Ron Nevison was hired to produce the album, but because of Nevisons filled schedule, Nevison was chosen in part from his recent commercial success in producing platinum albums for Heart and Ozzy Osbourne. In the Crazy Nights, its 25 years strong KissFAQ interview, Ron Nevison describes the band members put in to the album, “Well. I do know that Gene wasn’t there all the time, obviously Bruce was and, to some extent, Eric. Mostly, a majority of the work on that album I did with Bruce, the bass tracks were cut initially, and Gene was only needed for lead vocals. I must say that most of the time he was there, the albums Crazy Nights and Asylum were also under new management representation with Larry Mazur, a consultant. The album was at first called Who Dares Wins, which was Carrs idea. According to him, During a photo session, our wardrobe girl had this commando patch lying around with Who Dares Wins on it, then she brought it over to Paul who said the same thing. We ended up not using it because it didnt look good in print, the idea was dropped in June, but managed to appear on some Japanese advertisements for the upcoming album
12.
Psycho Circus
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Psycho Circus is the 18th studio album by American rock band Kiss. The album features the four members back together and in full make-up. You Wanted the Best is the only Kiss song in lead vocals are shared by the entire lineup. Following the highly successful 1996-97 reunion tour, Psycho Circus was marketed as the first studio album by the original lineup since 1979s Dynasty. As with Dynasty and Unmasked, however, many of the songs were recorded by uncredited players, Ace Frehley and Criss were used sparingly, with Criss only playing drums on Into the Void. Frehley played on two songs from the album, in 2011, in Frehleys book No Regrets, he says that he wrote a lot of songs for the album, one of those songs being titled Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Rock n Roll. He mentions that the title and song were deemed very similar to the song I Pledge Allegiance to the State of Rock n Roll. Into the Void was originally titled Shakin Sharp Shooter, but Simmons and Stanley were unhappy with the lyrics and title, so Ace went up to a separate room and rewrote it. In a radio interview with Eddie Trunk following his departure, Criss stated that only Into the Void featured instrumental contributions from all four members. and we didnt have it. In 2014, Stanley later revealed that Criss and Frehley were trying to renegotiate deals and get to more songs when he. Although the subsequent Kiss Farewell Tour was meant to put Kiss out of its misery, afterwards it was mixed by Mick Guzauski in his New York studio, and mastered by Fairbarn and Kisss longtime partner George Marino at Sterling Sound NY. Fairbairn complimented the band for being collaborative, declaring that it had the potential to be a nightmare because theyre all disparate and strong characters, musically and as people. Psycho Circus debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, selling 110,000 copies in its first week of release, entertainment Weekly said, This is rock with a capital R, captured in all its cheesy glory. This new effort proves that in the circus of hard-rock dinosaurs, well up to the bands usual standards of corny hoopla, wrote Clark Collis in The Daily Telegraph. The album was voted Album of the Year in the 1998 Metal Edge Readers Choice Awards, while the track won Song of the Year. Tommy Thayer – lead guitar Kevin Valentine – drums Album Singles
13.
Kiss (band)
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Kiss is an American hard rock group formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley. The band has gone through several changes, with Stanley. The original and best-known lineup consisted of Stanley, Simmons, Frehley, with their make-up and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters, The Starchild, The Demon, The Spaceman or Space Ace, and The Catman. Due to creative differences, both Criss and Frehley had departed the group by 1982, in 1983, Kiss began performing without makeup and costumes, thinking that it was time to leave the makeup behind. The band accordingly experienced a commercial resurgence, and their music videos received regular airplay on MTV. Drummer Eric Carr, who had replaced Criss in 1980, died in 1991 of a type of heart cancer and was replaced by Eric Singer. In response to a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the mid-1990s, the band announced a reunion of the lineup in 1996. The resulting Alive/Worldwide Tour was commercially successful, Criss and Frehley have both since left the band again and have been replaced by Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively. Kiss has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 25 million RIAA-certified albums, on April 10,2014, Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kiss traces their roots to Wicked Lester, a New York City-based rock band led by Gene Simmons and they recorded one album, which was shelved by Epic Records, and played a handful of live shows. Simmons and Stanley, feeling a new direction was needed, abandoned Wicked Lester in 1972. Simmons and Stanley met him in a nightclub where he was playing drums, after hearing Criss sing, they thought of him being in the band. Criss then auditioned for and later joined the new version of Wicked Lester, the trio focused on a much harder style of rock than Wicked Lester played. They also began experimenting with their image by wearing makeup and various outfits, in November 1972, the trio played a showcase for Epic Records A&R director Don Ellis, in an effort to secure a record deal. Although the performance went well, Ellis disliked the groups image, in early January 1973, the group added lead guitarist Ace Frehley. Frehley impressed the group with his first audition, although he showed up wearing two different colored sneakers, one red and one orange, a few weeks after Frehley joined, Wicked Lester changed their name to Kiss. Stanley came up with the name while he, Simmons and Criss were driving around New York City, Criss mentioned that he had been in a band called Lips, so Stanley said something to the effect of What about Kiss. Frehley created the logo, making the SS look like lightning bolts
14.
Dirt (Alice in Chains album)
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Dirt is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on September 29,1992, through Columbia Records. Peaking at number six on the Billboard 200, the album was well received by music critics. It has since been certified platinum by the RIAA and gone on to sell five million copies worldwide. It was the last album to feature bassist Mike Starr before he departed the band in early 1993, the album spawned five singles, Would. Them Bones, Angry Chair, Rooster, and Down in a Hole, the songs on the album focused on depression, pain, anger, anti-social behavior, drug addiction, war, death, and other emotionally charged topics. The recording of Dirt began in the spring of 1992, producer Dave Jerden, who had previously worked with the band on their debut, Facelift, wanted to work with them again. He admired vocalist Layne Staleys lyrics and voice, and lead guitarist Jerry Cantrells guitar riffs, produced, engineered and mixed by Rick Parashar, was recorded before the album, and first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 movie Singles. Dirt was recorded at Eldorado Recording Studio in Burbank, California, London Bridge Studio in Seattle, when recording the album, Staley had previously checked out of rehab in Portland, Oregon and quickly went back to using heroin. Jerden later said that he was told Staley felt animosity toward him dating back to the Dirt sessions due to Jerden repeatedly recommending to Staley that he get sober at the time, Jerden said, Apparently he got all mad at me. And whats my job as a producer, im not getting paid to be Laynes friend. Staley was not the one who went through heavy drug use, Sean Kinney. With songs written primarily on the road, the material has a darker feel than Facelift. We did a lot of searching on this album. Theres a lot of intense feelings, Cantrell said, We deal with our daily demons through music. All of the poison that builds up during the day we cleanse when we play, drug use was front and center as a lyrical theme on the album. Three tracks specifically reference heroin use and its effects, Staley later expressed regret about the lyrical content of some songs on Dirt, explaining, I wrote about drugs, and I didnt think I was being unsafe or careless by writing about them. I didnt want my fans to think that heroin was cool, but then Ive had fans come up to me and give me the thumbs up, telling me theyre high. Thats exactly what I didnt want to happen, Cantrell said he wrote Them Bones about mortality, that one of these days well end up a pile of bones
15.
Alice in Chains
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Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr, although widely associated with grunge music, the bands sound incorporates heavy metal elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released five studio albums, the band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam. The band was one of the most successful acts of the 1990s, selling over 20 million records worldwide. In 1992 the bands album, Dirt, was released to critical acclaim and was certified quadruple platinum. Their third album, Alice in Chains, was released in 1995 and has been certified double platinum and it achieved No.1 position on the Billboard 200 chart. The band has had 14 top ten songs on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to Staleys substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002. The band reunited in 2005 for a benefit show, performing with a number of guest vocalists. They toured in 2006, with William DuVall taking over as lead vocalist full-time, the new line-up released the bands fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, in 2009. The album received gold certification by the RIAA, in 2013, the band released The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, its fifth studio album. The band has toured extensively and released videos in support of these albums. Alice in Chains is currently working on their studio album. Other members of this group at that time were guitarists Johnny Bacolas and Zoli Semanate, drummer James Bergstrom and this was prompted by a conversation that Bacolas had with a singer from another band about backstage passes. Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell while working with Alice N Chains at Music Bank rehearsal studios, the two struggling musicians became roommates, living in a rehearsal space they shared. Alice N Chains soon disbanded, and Staley joined a band that also required a guitarist at the time. Staley asked Cantrell to join as a sideman, Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join Cantrells band, which at the time included drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr. Local promoter Randy Hauser became aware of the band at a concert, however, one day before the band was due to record at the Music Bank studio in Washington, police shut down the studio during the biggest cannabis raid in the history of the state
16.
Yoshiki (musician)
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Yoshiki Hayashi, better known by his stage name Yoshiki, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He achieved international fame as the leader and a co-founder of the metal band X Japan, for which he is the drummer, pianist. The band achieved success in the late 1980s, besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label. The group is credited as one of the pioneers of the visual kei movement. Though the band disbanded in 1997, they reunited in 2007, in 2000 and 2007, Yoshiki formed his solo musical project Violet UK and the Japanese rock supergroup S. K. I. N. Yoshikis solo career includes two classical studio albums—Eternal Melody, produced by George Martin and Eternal Melody II —and the classical compilation Yoshiki Classical and he has collaborated and played with Tetsuya Komuro and Roger Taylor. In 1999, at the request of the Japanese government, he composed and performed a song at a celebration in honor of the tenth anniversary of Emperor Akihitos enthronement. For the 69th Golden Globe Awards, the original musical theme was composed by Yoshiki and became available for digital download on iTunes. Yoshiki was born on November 20,1965 in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Japan and his father was a tap dancer and jazz pianist, his mother played the shamisen, while his aunt played the koto. He began taking lessons and music theory at age four. He then became interested in works by Ludwig van Beethoven. In elementary school, he played the trumpet in the brass band and this period was a decisive point in his life. He was 11 years old when his father committed suicide, he found relief in rock music, after discovering the music of American hard rock band Kiss, he started learning to play drums and guitar. Yoshiki was also influenced by works from Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Queen, The Beatles, Charged GBH, soon with his childhood friend Toshi formed a band called Dynamite in 1977. Dynamite changed its name to Noise a year later, when Noise disbanded in 1982, Yoshiki and Toshi formed a new band, which they named X while they tried to think of another name, but the name stuck. In 1986, Yoshiki founded his own independent record label, Extasy Records, on December 26,1987, the band participated in an audition held by CBS/Sony which led to a recording contract in August of the following year. The bands breakthrough came in 1989 with the release of their second, and major debut, album Blue Blood, in 1990, the band received the Grand Prix New Artist of the Year award at the 4th Japan Gold Disc Awards. In 1991 they released their hit million-selling album Jealousy, and were the first Japanese metal band to perform in Japans largest indoor concert venue, the Tokyo Dome
17.
X Japan
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X Japan is a Japanese heavy metal band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Predominantly a power/speed metal band with symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive sound with an emphasis on ballads. They achieved breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second, following 1991s Jealousy, Taiji left the band in early 1992. He was replaced by Heath and the changed their name to X Japan before producing the mini album Art of Life. In 1995 the group dropped most of its original visual kei aesthetics in favor of a casual look and released Dahlia. X Japan performed their last concert at the Tokyo Dome on December 31,1997, after ten years, X Japan reunited in 2007 and recorded the new song I. V. In 2011, the band went on their first world tour throughout Europe, South America, X Japan has released five studio albums, six live albums, and 21 singles. Three of their albums have debuted at number one on the Oricon chart. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked the band at number 40 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts, in 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked Blue Blood number 15 on its list of the 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time. In 2017, Loudwire named X Japan the Best Metal Band from Japan and it has been reported that X Japan have sold over 30 million records. In 1977, Yoshiki and Toshi formed a band called Dynamite in their hometown of Tateyama, Chiba, Dynamite changed its name to Noise in 1978, while they were still in high school. In 1982, Noise disbanded and Yoshiki and Toshi formed a new band, they named it X while they tried to think of another name, X began to actively perform in the Tokyo area in 1985 with a frequently changing lineup. In November 1985 bassist Taiji joined X, though he left the group shortly thereafter, to ensure a continuous outlet for the bands music, Yoshiki founded the independent label Extasy Records in April 1986, and released their second single Orgasm. Taiji would officially rejoin the band in November of that same year, the songs Stab Me in the Back and No Connexion, for the February 1987 Victor Records sampler Skull Thrash Zone Volume I, were recorded with Pata as a support guitar player. Soon after these recordings hide joined as a guitarist, after Pata once again provided support, this time at a live show, he officially joined completing the groups first well-known lineup. In August 1987 they performed at the Rock Monster event at Kyoto Sports Valley and gave out their first home video, on December 26,1987, the band participated in an audition held by CBS/Sony which led to a recording contract in August of the following year. In the meantime the band released its first album, Vanishing Vision through Extasy Records on April 14,1988, the albums first press of 10,000 copies sold out in a week, topping the Oricon indies chart and reaching number 19 on the main chart. The Vanishing Tour Vol.2 took the band to 20 locations for 24 shows from June to July, in November, X participated in music magazine Rockinfs Street Fighting Men concert at Differ Ariake Arena
18.
Extasy Records
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Extasy Records is a Japanese record label founded in April 1986 by Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan. The labels first release was Xs 1986 single Orgasm, over the next few years, the label signed several then-little-known bands, among them future million-selling Glay and Luna Sea. Extasy along with Free-Will are credited with helping to spread the visual kei movement, the label also hosted a series of events to promote the groups, called Extasy Summits, which would also feature formerly signed bands that had already moved on to a major label. Yoshiki Hayashi founded Extasy Records in Japan in 1986, using money he received from his mother when she sold her business and his band X Japan released their second single, Orgasm, as the labels first release. In 1988, their debut album Vanishing Vision came out and was a success for an independent band. Over the next couple of years Extasy signed many bands that would go on to have varying degrees of success and produced their early records, including Glay, Zi, Kill, Tokyo Yankees and Ladies Room. In February 1991, Yoshikis X Japan band mate hide saw a band called Lunacy perform, Yoshiki signed them to Extasy, they changed their name to Luna Sea and took part in the labels Nuclear Fusion Tour in March with Gilles de Rais and Sighs of Love Potion. On the tour, a 3-track sample CD including a song from each band was released, the following year Luna Seas debut album was released and they held a successful 45-date tour, enabling them to sign with major label MCA Victor in May 1992. To promote their bands, the label organized concerts called Extasy Summits, the first was held at Osaka Bourbon House in September 1988, with several more held, including one at Shibuya Public Hall in September 1989. Footage from two of the concerts was recorded and released on VHS, Unrivaled is Extasy, recorded at the Nippon Budokan in October 1991 and Extasy Summit 1992 ~ Minna ga Mumei-Datta, Dakedo. Muteki-Datta recorded at Osaka-jō Hall in October 1992, the October 1992 Summit was actually X Japans first public performance with their new bassist Heath. The compilation album Lighting & Thunder was released in October 1998, on June 21,2000, the compilation album History of Extasy 15th Anniversary was released. It includes 19 songs released by 14 different bands while on the label in celebration of its 15th anniversary, the album reached number 14 on the Oricon music chart. In 2000, Yoshiki signed a deal with Warner Music Group to distribute the record labels Extasy Japan, Records on Extasy Japan were distributed in Japan by Warner Music Japan and records on Extasy Records International were distributed in America by Warner Bros. Records, marking the first time the two worked together in this way. The first release on Extasy Japan was the July 2000 single Pearl by singer Shiro, in September 2007, Yoshiki announced that the soundtrack for the American movie Catacombs would be released on Extasy Records International. The soundtrack includes songs by Violet UK and Zilch, Yoshiki has referred to the first day, October 14,2016, of the three-day Visual Japan Summit at Makuhari Messe as Extasy Summit as it saw X Japan, Luna Sea and Glay perform. All artists were at one point on the label, formerly known as One on One Recording Studios, Yoshiki bought it, from the previous owner Jim David, in 1992 and renamed the studio, after his record label, in 1999
19.
Michael Jackson
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Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music, dance, the eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music, the popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jacksons 1987 album Bad spawned the U. S and he continued to innovate with videos such as Black or White and Scream throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and his distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres. Thriller is the album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. Jacksons other albums, including Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous and he is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when Love Never Felt So Good reached number nine on May 21,2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism, and, in 2000, aspects of Jacksons personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of child sexual abuse allegations. While preparing for his concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25,2009. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Jacksons death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the dead celebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 and his mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovahs Witness. She played clarinet and piano and once aspired to be a country-and-western performer, michaels father, Joseph Walter Joe Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U. S. Steel
20.
Jimi Hendrix
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James Marshall Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music, born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar at the age of 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hey Joe, Purple Haze, and The Wind Cries Mary. Hendrix was inspired musically by American rock and roll and electric blues and he favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and was instrumental in utilizing the previously undesirable sounds caused by guitar amplifier feedback. He helped to popularize the use of a pedal in mainstream rock. Holly George-Warren of Rolling Stone commented, Hendrix pioneered the use of the instrument as a sound source. Hendrix was the recipient of several awards during his lifetime. In 1967, readers of Melody Maker voted him the Pop Musician of the Year, disc and Music Echo honored him with the World Top Musician of 1969 and in 1970, Guitar Player named him the Rock Guitarist of the Year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, Jimi Hendrix was of African American descent. Both his mother Lucille and father Al were African Americans and his paternal grandmother, Zenora Nora Rose Moore, was African American and one-quarter Cherokee. On June 10,1919, Hendrix and Moore had a son they named James Allen Ross Hendrix, in 1941, Al met Lucille Jeter at a dance in Seattle, they married on March 31,1942. Al, who had been drafted by the U. S. Army to serve in World War II, Johnny Allen Hendrix was born on November 27,1942, in Seattle, he was the first of Lucilles five children. In 1946, Johnnys parents changed his name to James Marshall Hendrix, in honor of Al and he spent two months locked up without trial, and while in the stockade received a telegram announcing his sons birth. During Als three-year absence, Lucille struggled to raise their son, when Al was away, Hendrix was mostly cared for by family members and friends, especially Lucilles sister Delores Hall and her friend Dorothy Harding. Al received a discharge from the U. S. Army on September 1,1945. After returning from service, Al reunited with Lucille, but his inability to find steady work left the family impoverished and they both struggled with alcohol, and often fought when intoxicated. The violence sometimes drove Hendrix to withdraw and hide in a closet in their home and his relationship with his brother Leon was close but precarious, with Leon in and out of foster care, they lived with an almost constant threat of fraternal separation. In addition to Leon, Hendrix had three siblings, Joseph, born in 1949, Kathy in 1950, and Pamela,1951, all of whom Al and Lucille gave up to foster care
21.
The Temptations
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The Temptations are an American vocal group known for their success with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. Known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and flashy wardrobe, having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history. As of 2015, the Temptations continue to perform with one member, Otis Williams. Featuring five male vocalists and dancers, the formed in 1960 in Detroit. In 1964, Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin, who was the lead vocalist on a number of the groups biggest hits, including My Girl, Aint Too Proud to Beg, and I Wish It Would Rain. Ruffin was replaced in 1968 by Dennis Edwards, with whom the group continued to record hit records such as Cloud Nine, the groups lineup has changed frequently since the departures of Kendricks and Paul Williams from the act in 1971. Over the course of their career, the Temptations have released four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and fourteen R&B number-one singles, and their material has earned them three Grammy Awards. The Temptations were the first Motown recording act to win a Grammy Award - for Cloud Nine in 1969 -, six of the Temptations were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Three classic Temptations songs, My Girl, Just My Imagination, the Temptations were also ranked at number 68 on Rolling Stone magazines list of the 100 Greatest Artists of all time. Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams started singing together in church as children, by their teenage years, they formed a doo-wop quartet in 1955 with Kell Osborne and Wiley Waller, naming themselves the Cavaliers. After Waller left the group in 1957, the trio left Birmingham to break into the music business. The group settled in Detroit where they changed their name to the Primes under the direction of Milton Jenkins, the Primes soon became well known around the Detroit area for their meticulous performances. Jenkins later created a group, The Primettes, later known as the Supremes. Kendricks was already seen as an idol in the Detroit area while Williams was well received for his baritone vocals. Texas teenager Otis Williams moved to Detroit as a youngster to be with his mother, by 1958, Williams was the leader of a vocal group named Otis Williams and the Siberians. The group included Elbridge Al Bryant, James Pee-Wee Crawford, Vernard Plain, the group recorded a song, Pecos Kid for a label run by radio deejay Senator Bristol Bryant. Shortly after its release, the changed its name to The El Domingoes. Following this, Montgomery native Melvin Franklin replaced Arthur Walton as bass vocalist and Franklins cousin, Detroit-born Richard Street, signing with Johnnie Mae Matthews Northern Records, the group had their name changed again to The Distants
22.
Burt Bacharach
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Burt Freeman Bacharach is an American composer, songwriter, record producer, pianist, and singer. As of 2014, Bacharach had written 73 US and 52 UK Top 40 hits, in 1997 he was the subject of a PBS Great Performances biography. And in recent years a number of albums and concerts have helped introduce his music to younger audiences. Among them was a 2009 concert by Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis, in 2012 Bacharach and David received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first time the honor has been given to a songwriting team. The ceremony was hosted by President Obama, and included a concert performed with various stars, Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in the Forest Hills section of New York City, graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1946. His family was Jewish, but he says that they didnt practice or give attention to their religion. But the kids I knew were Catholic, he adds, I was Jewish but I didnt want anybody to know about it. Bacharach showed a keen interest in jazz as a teenager, disliking his classical piano lessons and he got to hear bebop musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, whose style would later influence his songwriting. Bacharach studied music at Montreals McGill University, under Helmut Blume, at the Mannes School of Music, during this period he studied a range of music, including jazz harmony, which has since been important to songs which are generally considered pop music. His composition teachers included Darius Milhaud, Henry Cowell, and Bohuslav Martinů, Bacharach cites Milhaud as his biggest influence, under whose guidance he wrote a Sonatina for Violin, Oboe and Piano. Following his tour of duty in the United States Army, Bacharach spent the three years as a pianist and conductor for popular singer Vic Damone. Damone recalls, Burt was clearly bound to go out on his own and he was an exceptionally talented, classically trained pianist, with very clear ideas on the musicality of songs, how they should be played, and what they should sound like. He later worked in similar capacity for other singers, including Polly Bergen, Steve Lawrence. When he was unable to better jobs, Bacharach worked at resorts in the Catskill Mountains of New York. In 1956, at age 28, Bacharachs productivity increased when composer Peter Matz recommended him to Marlene Dietrich and he then became part-time music director for Dietrich, a German actress and singer who had been an international screen star in the 1930s. They toured worldwide off and on until the early 1960s, when they werent touring, as a result of his collaboration with Dietrich, he gained his first major recognition as a conductor and arranger. In her autobiography, she remembered that Bacharach loved touring in Russia and Poland because the violinists were extraordinary and he liked Edinburgh and Paris, along with the Scandinavian countries, and he also felt at home in Israel, she says, where music was similarly much revered. By the early 1960s, after five years with Dietrich
23.
Dionne Warwick
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Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV-show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health. Having been in a partnership with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest hit makers of the rock era. She is second only to Aretha Franklin as the female vocalist of all time. Marie Dionne Warrick, later Warwick, was born on December 12,1940 in East Orange, New Jersey, to Mancel Warrick and her mother was manager of the Drinkard Singers, and her father was a Pullman porter, chef, record promoter and CPA. She was named after her aunt on her mothers side, Dionne had a sister Delia who died in 2008 and a brother, Mancel Jr. who was killed in an accident in 1968 at the age of 21. Her parents were both African American, and she also has Native American, Brazilian and Dutch ancestry, after finishing East Orange High School in 1959, Warwick pursued her passion at the Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. She also landed work with her group singing backing vocals for recording sessions in New York City. During one session, Warwick met Burt Bacharach, who hired her to record demos featuring songs written by him, much of Warricks family were members of the Drinkard Singers, a renowned family gospel group and RCA recording artists that frequently performed throughout the New York metropolitan area. The original group consisted of Cissy, Anne, Larry, and Nicky, but later included Warwicks grandparents, Nicholas and Delia Drinkard, Marie instructed the group and they were managed by Lee. As they became successful, Lee and Marie began performing with the group, and they were augmented by pop/R&B singer Judy Clay. Elvis Presley eventually expressed an interest in having them join his touring entourage, Dionne began singing gospel as a child at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. After personnel changes, the Gospelaires became the group the Sweet Inspirations, which had some chart success. And we left and did the session, I wish I remembered the gentlemans name because he was responsible for the beginning of my professional career. The backstage encounter led to the group being asked to sing background sessions at recording studios in New York, the background vocal work would continue while Warwick pursued her studies at Hartt. According to a July 14,1967 article on Warwick from Time, Bacharach stated, She has a strong side. Musically, she was no play-safe girl, what emotion I could get away with. And what complexity, compared with the run of pop songs. During the session, Bacharach asked Warwick if she would be interested in recording demonstration recordings of his compositions to pitch the tunes to record labels
24.
Michael McDonald (musician)
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Michael McDonald is an American singer, songwriter, keyboardist and record producer. McDonalds music career more than forty years. His early career included singing with Steely Dan and he joined The Doobie Brothers in 1976 and remained an integral member until 1982, after which he released the first of eight solo albums. During his career, he has collaborated with a number of artists, including Kenny Loggins, Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Toto, Grizzly Bear. He has also recorded for television and film soundtracks, during his career, McDonald has won five Grammy Awards. Michael McDonald was born on February 12,1952, into an Irish American Catholic family in Ferguson, Missouri, McDonald attended McCluer High School where he played in local bands including Mike and the Majestics, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Reebtoors and The Guild. He was discovered while playing with a group called Blue and moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1974, McDonald became a member of Steely Dans touring group, singing lead and backing vocals. He also became one of the many in-studio adjunct members of the band and he appeared on subsequent Steely Dan recordings including 1976s The Royal Scam and 1977s Aja. He also played keyboards on some Steely Dan tracks, McDonald continued to provide backing vocals for Steely Dan through their 1980 release, Gaucho. In 2006, he joined Steely Dan on the summer tour. McDonald co-wrote You Belong to Me with Carly Simon, which appeared on the album Livin on the Fault Line, McDonald reunited as a guest performer with the Doobie Brothers several times since the bands initial dissolution in 1982. He re-teamed with the Doobie Brothers for the track Dont Say Goodbye on the thirteenth studio album. In March 2014, he reunited with the Doobie Brothers to record an album featuring the greatest hits of the Doobies 40-plus-year career. This project was completed in conjunction with Sony Music Nashville, on the album, McDonald shares lead vocals with Sara Evans for What a Fool Believes, Love and Theft for Takin it to the Streets, and Amanda Sudano-Ramirez for You Belong to Me. The album, titled Southbound, was released on November 4,2014, on November 5,2014, McDonald and the Doobie Brothers were featured musical guests on the 47th annual CMA Awards to celebrate the release of Southbound. They were joined by Hunter Hayes, Jennifer Nettles, and Hillary Scott in their performance of Listen to the Music, at the end of the awards ceremony, they were also joined by host Brad Paisley for Takin It to the Streets. After the Doobies first farewell tour, McDonald released his first solo album, If Thats What It Takes. He continued to collaborate with artists during this period
25.
Megadeth
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Megadeth is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson formed the band in 1983 shortly after Mustaines dismissal from Metallica. A pioneer of the American thrash metal scene, the band is credited as one of the big four with Anthrax, Metallica and Slayer, responsible for thrash metals development. Megadeth plays in a style, featuring fast rhythm sections. Themes of death, war, politics and religion are prominent in the song lyrics, in 1985, the band released its debut album on the independent label Combat Records. The albums moderate commercial success caught the attention of bigger labels and their first major-label album, Peace Sells. But Whos Buying. was released in 1986 and influenced the underground metal scene, despite its prominence in thrash metal, frequent disputes between its members and substance abuse issues brought Megadeth negative publicity during this period. After the lineup stabilized, the released a number of platinum-selling albums, including Rust in Peace. These albums, along with touring worldwide, helped bring recognition to Megadeth. The band temporarily disbanded in 2002 when Mustaine suffered an arm injury and re-established in 2004 without bassist Ellefson, Ellefson settled with Mustaine out of court and rejoined the group in 2010. Megadeth has hosted its own festival, Gigantour, several times since mid-2005. As of 2014, Megadeth had sold 50 million records worldwide, earned platinum certification in the United States for five of its fifteen studio albums, Megadeth won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song Dystopia in the Best Metal Performance category. The bands mascot, Vic Rattlehead, regularly appears on album artwork and, since 2010, the group has experienced controversy over its musical approach and lyrics, including canceled concerts and album bans. MTV has refused to play two of the videos that the network considered to condone suicide. As Metallicas lead guitarist since 1982, Mustaine had composed some of the early songs. Afterward, Mustaine vowed revenge by forming a band that was faster and heavier than Metallica. On the bus back to Los Angeles, Mustaine found a pamphlet by California senator Alan Cranston that read. The term Megadeath stuck with Mustaine and he wrote a song with the slightly changed to Megadeth
26.
Heart (band)
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Heart is an American rock band that first found success in Canada and later in the United States and worldwide. Over the groups history, it has had three primary lineups, with the constant center of the group since 1973 being sisters Ann Wilson. Heart rose to fame in the mid-1970s with music influenced by rock and heavy metal. Their popularity declined in the early 1980s, but the band enjoyed a comeback starting in 1985 and experienced greater success with album-oriented rock hits. With Jupiters Darling, Red Velvet Car, Fanatic, and Beautiful Broken Heart made a return to its hard rock, to date, Heart has sold over 35 million records worldwide, including over 22.5 million in album sales in the U. S. The group was ranked number 57 on VH1s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, with Top 10 albums on the Billboard Album Chart in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s, Heart is among the most commercially enduring hard rock bands in history. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, since 2002, the band has had six members. In 1967, bassist Steve Fossen formed a band, The Army, along with Roger Fisher on guitar, Don Wilhelm on guitar, keyboards and lead vocals and they played for several years in and around the Bothell, Washington area. They frequently played Bothell High School, Inglemoor High School and Shorecrest High School, as well as many taverns, the name was a creation of Cooper Edens, a nationally known artist/illustrator in Seattle. It had been created for a band that included his brother in law, lead guitarist, Toby Cyr. Army asked and received permission from Toby Cyr to use the Cooper Edens created name, for a brief time in 1970 this line-up shortened its name to Heart and dropped White, however, the band went through more personnel changes. In 1971, Heart consisted of Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer, after Ann Wilson joined, the band was renamed Hocus Pocus. Mike Fisher, Rogers brother, was set to be drafted into the military, Nancy Wilson has stated that when he did not report for duty, his home was raided, but he slipped out a rear window, escaped to Canada and became a Vietnam War draft dodger. One day in 1972, Mike crossed the border to visit family and, by chance, according to Nancy, that meeting was when she and Michael fell in love and Ann decided to follow Mike back to Canada. Steve Fossen finished his education before he also decided to move to Canada in late 1972. Along with Mike and Ann, the band Heart was officially formed, the group played numerous shows around their new home in Vancouver, and they recorded a demo tape with the assistance of producer Mike Flicker and session-guitarist and keyboard player, Howard Leese. Hannah and Johnstone had left by this time, and soon after Leese became a full-time member, Flicker produced the bands first five albums. This team recorded the album, Dreamboat Annie, at Can-Base Studios in Vancouver
27.
Sammy Hagar
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Sammy Hagar, also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, musician and entrepreneur. Hagar came to prominence in the 1970s with the rock band Montrose. He afterwards launched a solo career, scoring an enduring hit in 1984 with I Cant Drive 55. He enjoyed huge success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen in 1985. He returned to the band for a 2-year reunion from 2003 to 2005, on March 12,2007, Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. His musical style consists of hard rock and heavy metal. Also a businessman, he founded the Cabo Wabo Tequila brand and restaurant chain and his current musical projects include being the lead singer of Chickenfoot and The Circle. Samuel Hagar was named after his grandfather, Sam Roy. Hagar was born in Salinas, California, but his family moved to Fontana. Sammy Hagar graduated from Fontana High School, as a teenager, Hagar became interested in the burgeoning Southern California music scene. He fronted his first band, the Fabulous Castilles, when he was twenty. As part of a duo known as Samson & Hagar, backed by the Peppermint Trolley Company, he released a 7 single on Ranwood Records with the tracks Reach Out to Find Me and that same year, Hagar joined the Johnny Fortune Band as a vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Hagar was also a member of a string of other bands including Big Bang, Skinny, Dustcloud, Cotton, Jimmy. He next became a member of the Justice Brothers, along with guitarist Bob Anglin, keyboardist Al Shane, bassist Jeff Nicholson, the Justice Brothers were the house band at a bar called The Nightclub in San Bernardino, California, before they relocated to San Francisco. Hagars first major success came with the group Montrose, on their debut and second albums, after conflicts during a European tour with the bands founder, Ronnie Montrose, Hagar quit the group. Bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi eventually played in Hagars backing band, after the album Paper Money, Hagar began his solo career. In the mid-1970s, Hagar started a recording and touring career to increasing success. However, Hagar felt that Carter did not play to his strengths as a heavy-metal guy, Hagar was scheduled to open for Boston in San Bernardino, California, during their 1979 world tour
28.
Bad English
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The members decided on a name for the band while playing pool. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his english was, the name is also thought to be a reference to The Babys, since the name was misspelled and an example of bad English. Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, who had enjoyed success in Journey. The bands second album, Backlash, came and went without any fanfare, the only single, Straight To Your Heart, just missed the Top 40, peaking at No.42. Ricky Phillips writes on his website that the group had parted company before the album had been mixed. Both Phillips and guitarist Neal Schon expressed frustration with the pop side of the bands songs, in the end, it proved to be the bands undoing as everyone left to pursue other projects. In the mid-1990s, Schon rejoined Cain in a reformed Journey, castronovo later joined Journey as well. Meanwhile, Phillips returned to work, recording with artists such as Coverdale/Page, Bobby Kimball. John Waite returned to his solo career
29.
Etta James
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Etta James was an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with such as The Wallflower, At Last, Tell Mama, Somethings Got a Hold on Me. She faced a number of problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse. James powerful, earthy voice bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll and she won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone magazine ranked James number 22 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, Hawkins was born on January 25,1938, in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy Hawkins, who was 14 at the time. Her father has never been identified, James speculated that he was the pool player Rudolf Minnesota Fats Wanderone, whom she met briefly in 1987. Her mother was absent from their apartment in Watts, conducting relationships with various men. James referred to her mother as the Mystery Lady, under his tutelage, she suffered physical abuse during her formative years, with her instructor often punching her in the chest while she sang to force her to voice to come from her gut. As a consequence, she developed a strong voice for a child her age. She became a popular singing attraction, and Sarge tried unsuccessfully to pressure the church into compensating their family for her singing, Sarge, like the musical director for the choir, was also abusive. During drunken poker games at home, he would awaken Jamesetta in the morning hours. She was a bed-wetter and often soaked with urine on these occasions, the trauma of her foster father forcing her to sing under these humiliating circumstances led to difficulties for her to sing on demand throughout her career. In 1950, Mama Lu died, and Jamesettas biological mother took her to the Fillmore district of San Francisco, within a couple of years, she began listening to doo-wop and was inspired to form a girl group, the Creolettes. At the age of 14, she met the musician Johnny Otis, stories on how they met vary. In Otiss version, she came to his hotel after one of his performances in the city, another story was that Otis spotted the Creolettes performing at a Los Angeles nightclub and sought for them to record his answer song to Hank Ballards Work with Me, Annie. Otis took the group under his wing, helping them sign to Modern Records and he also gave the singer her stage name, transposing Jamesetta into Etta James. James recorded the version, for which she was given credit as co-author, in 1954, the original the name of the song was Roll with Me, Henry, but it was changed to avoid censorship due to the off-color title
30.
Aretha Franklin
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Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Franklin began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklins church as a child, in 1960, at the age of 18, Franklin embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with such as Respect, A Natural Woman. These hits and more helped her to gain the title The Queen of Soul by the end of the 1960s decade, in 1998, Franklin won international acclaim for singing the opera aria Nessun dorma, at the Grammys of that year replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Later that same year, she scored her final Top 40 recording with A Rose Is Still a Rose, Franklin has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Franklin has been honored throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and she was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, Franklin was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Barbara and Clarence LaVaughn Franklin. Her father, who went by the nickname, C. L. was an itinerant preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, while her mother was a piano player. Alongside Franklin, her parents had three children while both C. L. and Barbara had children from outside their marriage. The family relocated to Buffalo, New York when Franklin was two, before her fifth birthday, C. L. Franklin permanently relocated the family to Detroit, Michigan where he took over the pastorship of New Bethel Baptist Church. Franklins mother died on March 7,1952, before Franklins tenth birthday, several women, including Franklins grandmother Rachel, and Mahalia Jackson took turns helping with the children at the Franklin home. During this time, Franklin learned how to play piano by ear, Franklins fathers emotionally driven sermons resulted in him being known as the man with the million-dollar voice and earning thousands of dollars for sermons in various churches across the country. Just after her mothers death, Franklin began singing solos at New Bethel, debuting with the hymn, Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me. Four years later, when Franklin was 14, her father began managing her and he helped his daughter get signed to her first recording deal with J. V. B. Records, where her first album, Songs of Faith, was issued in 1956, two singles were released to gospel radio stations including Never Grow Old and Precious Lord, Take My Hand. Franklin sometimes traveled with The Caravans and The Soul Stirrers during this time and developed a crush on Sam Cooke, after turning 18, Franklin confided to her father that she aspired to follow Sam Cooke to record pop music. Serving as her manager, C. L. agreed to the move and helped to produce a demo that soon was brought to the attention of Columbia Records. Franklin was signed as a five-percent artist, during this period, Franklin would be coached by choreographer Cholly Atkins to prepare for her pop performances
31.
Tom Petty
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Thomas Earl Tom Petty is an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but is also known as a member and co-founder of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. Petty has recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which are mainstays on adult contemporary and his music has been classified as rock and roll, heartland rock, and even stoner rock. His music has become popular among younger generations, in his career, Petty has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, thomas Earl Petty was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, and attended Gainesville High School. His interest in rock and roll music began at age ten when he met Elvis Presley. In the summer of 1961, his uncle was working on the set of Presleys film Follow That Dream in nearby Ocala, Florida, and invited Petty to come down and watch the shoot. He instantly became an Elvis Presley fan, and when he returned that Saturday, he was greeted by his friend Keith Harben, and soon traded his Wham-O slingshot for a collection of Elvis 45s. In a 2006 interview on the National Public Radio program Fresh Air, the minute I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show — and its true of thousands of guys — there was the way out. There was the way to do it and you get your friends and youre a self-contained unit. And it looked like so much fun and it was something I identified with. I had never been hugely into sports, I had been a big fan of Elvis. But I really saw in the Beatles that heres something I could do and it wasnt long before there were groups springing up in garages all over the place. One of his first guitar teachers was Don Felder, a fellow Gainesville resident, as a young man, Petty worked briefly on the grounds crew for the University of Florida, but never attended as a student. An Ogeechee lime tree that he planted while employed at the University is now called the Tom Petty tree and he also worked briefly as a gravedigger. Petty was extremely close to his mother, and remains close to his brother, shortly after embracing his musical aspirations, Petty started a band known as the Epics, later to evolve into Mudcrutch. Although the band, which featured future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, were popular in Gainesville and their only single, Depot Street, remains popular among fans. The original Mudcrutch included guitarist Danny Roberts who was replaced by bassist Charlie Souza
32.
Lita Ford
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She is best known for the role of herself in Yakety Yak, Take it Back, and Trash Talk. Lita Ford was born to an English father and an Italian mother in London, when she was about in second grade, she moved with her family to the United States, eventually settling in the Long Beach, Los Angeles area. Inspired by Ritchie Blackmores work with Deep Purple, she playing the guitar at the age of 11. In 1975, at age 16, Ford was recruited by recording impresario Kim Fowley to join the rock band he was assembling called The Runaways. The band soon secured a contract and released their first album in 1976. The bands jailbait on the run gimmick garnered significant media attention, Fords lead-guitar playing became an integral element of the bands sound until their eventual break-up in April 1979. In 1977, internal conflicts were erupting within The Runaways, who had by that time already parted ways with producer Fowley, lead singer Cherie Currie, with neither faction willing to compromise, the band finally broke up in April 1979. Following the breakup of The Runaways, Ford set about launching a solo career and her debut solo album, entitled Out for Blood, was released in 1983 and was a commercial disappointment. Her next release, Dancin on the Edge achieved moderate success, Dancin on the Edge included the single Fire in My Heart, which reached the Top 10 in several countries outside the United States. The follow-up single, Gotta Let Go, performed better, reaching number one on the Mainstream Rock charts, Lita said in an interview that she recorded an unreleased album with RCA Records, and Tony Iommi didnt perform on it. Ford signed with RCA Records, hired Sharon Osbourne Management, in 1988, she released her most commercially successful album, the self-produced Lita. The album featured singles including Kiss Me Deadly, Back to the Cave, Close My Eyes Forever, and Falling In and Out of Love. The ballad Close My Eyes Forever, a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, Ford followed up the success of Lita with the album Stiletto. Stiletto featured the singles Hungry and Lisa, however, the album failed to match the success of her previous release. Fords next release was Dangerous Curves, which featured her last charting single to date, Fords final album prior to a lengthy recording hiatus was Black on the German ZYX Records. By the mid-1990s, Ford placed a priority on her music career as she turned her attention towards raising her two young sons. Following the release of Black in 1995, Ford did not release new material until the Wicked Wonderland album almost fifteen years later. In June 2008, Ford reemerged with a new band with Stet Howland on drums, after a long recording hiatus, Ford released the new album Wicked Wonderland on October 6,2009, on the JLRG Entertainment label
33.
A Perfect Circle
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A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The latest lineup features Puscifer bassist Matt McJunkins, former The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, despite having a varied cast since inception, the stylistic content of the songs has remained consistent with Howerdel as composer, and Keenan penning the lyrics and melodies. A Perfect Circle has released three albums, their debut Mer de Noms in 2000, a follow up, Thirteenth Step in 2003, in late 2008, Keenan and Howerdel announced the band would reform, though the bands activity would ultimately be sporadic in the coming years. The band toured in 2011 and played live shows in 2013 to promote the release of a live album, A Perfect Circle Live, Featuring Stone and Echo. Work on new material has been alluded to by members since 2008, though progress was due to Keenans other commitments. The only new material released since the bands hiatus was the single By. In 2017, the signed a new record contract to release a fourth studio album through BMG Rights Management. A Perfect Circle was conceived by Billy Howerdel, a guitar technician for Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fishbone. Howerdel met singer Maynard James Keenan in 1992, when Tool was opening for Fishbone, Three years later, Keenan offered Howerdel, who was looking for lodging, a room in his North Hollywood home. This provided Howerdel the opportunity to play demos of his music for Keenan, pleased with what he heard, Keenan remarked, I can hear myself singing. Although he originally desired a female vocalist, Howerdel agreed that Keenan would be a good fit and they were then joined by bassist and violinist Paz Lenchantin, former Failure guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, and previous Primus drummer Tim Alexander. The band played their first show at LAs Viper Club Reception on August 15,1999, after playing shows in L. A. the band entered the studio to begin work on their first album. Alexander was soon replaced with drummer and member of The Vandals, Josh Freese. Alexanders performance can still be heard on the version of the song The Hollow. The bands debut album, Mer de Noms, was released on May 23,2000. The album is distinctive in that it is the highest ever debut for a band, selling over 188,000 copies in its first week. Howerdel had been working on some of the music, including tracks The Hollow and Breña, the band began touring soon after recording for the album was finished. As Keenan was well known through his band, he would often wear long wigs on his otherwise bald head when performing
34.
Earth, Wind & Fire
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Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band that has spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, Latin and African. They are one of the most successful bands of all time, rolling Stone Magazine described them as innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing and declared that the band changed the sound of black pop. The band was founded in Chicago by Maurice White in 1970, other members have included Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay and Andrew Woolfolk. The band has received 20 Grammy nominations, they won six as a group, Earth, Wind & Fire have 12 American Music Awards nominations and four awards. Five members of Earth, Wind & Fire were also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn and Al McKay. The music industry and fans have bestowed Lifetime Achievement honors from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, NAACP, the kalimba is played on all of the bands albums. Two Earth, Wind & Fire classic songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, Thats the Way of the World, the band is also known as having been the first African-American act to sell out Madison Square Garden and to receive the MSG Gold Ticket Award. President Barack Obama invited Earth, Wind & Fire to perform at the White House for the first social event of the new administration. The three friends got a contract with Capitol, they called themselves The Salty Peppers and had a marginal hit in the Midwestern area called La La Time. The Salty Peppers second single, Uh Huh Yeah, did not fare as well, and Maurice moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. He then added to the band singer Sherry Scott and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel, on June 6,1970, Verdine left Chicago to join the band as their new bassist. Maurice began shopping demo tapes of the band, featuring Donny Hathaway, around to different record labels, Maurices astrological sign, Sagittarius, has a primary elemental quality of Fire and seasonal qualities of Earth and Air, according to classical triplicities. Based on this, he changed the name, to Earth. Maurice held further auditions in L. A. adding Michael Beale on guitar, Chester Washington on reeds, trombonist Alex Thomas completed the then ten-man EWF lineup. The bands self-titled debut album, Earth, Wind, & Fire, was released in February 1971 to critical acclaim, as was November 1971s The Need of Love. Both albums were produced by Joe Wissert and a single, from The Need of Love called I Think About Lovin You, with Sherry Scott on lead vocals, in 1971, the group also recorded the soundtrack of the Melvin Van Peebles film Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song. The soundtrack was recorded at Paramount Recording Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard, with only Verdine left, Maurice decided to re-form the group. Warner Brothers didnt know how to promote this new combo as the only other funk band on their label was Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, the band successfully auditioned for managers Bob Cavallo and Joe Ruffalo
35.
Dirtyphonics
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Dirtyphonics is a French electronic music band from Paris, consisting of members Charly Barranger, Julien PitchIn Corrales and Julien Pho Lignon. Their music style is based on Hybrid, dubstep, drum and bass, in 2008, Dirtyphonics signed on Shimons label AudioPorn Records and released their debut single, French F**k which reached number one on Beatports charts. After releasing remixes on many labels, such as Virgin Records, Atlantic Records, Records, Sony Records, Mau5trap, Cooking Vinyl, Ram, MTA, Ultra Records, they joined Dim Mak Records in 2012. Dirtyphonics has worked with Linkin Park, Skrillex, Kaskade, Benny Benassi, Foreign Beggars, NERO, Modestep, Steve Aoki, Marilyn Manson, and many more through collaborations and remixes. In March 2013, Dirtyphonics released their debut full-length album Irreverence which merges heavy bass music, drum and bass, dubstep, and electro. The first single from the album, Dirty, was released in October 2012, followed by Walk In The Fire, No Stopping Us, and Hanging On Me in 2013, with remixes covering most genres of electronic music. After 2 years of a tour, the band released their Write Your Future EP. The EP was released on 17 February 2015 and followed by the Write Your Future - Remixes EP in September of the same year, Dirtyphonics was founded in 2004 and began performing live shows in 2006. For the first two years the group consisted of Charly, Thomas, and Pho, in 2008 PitchIn joined the fold. Their influences include Daft Punk and Pendulum, as well as bands such as Metallica. Most of us started by playing in bands, recalls Charly. Our sound was meant to be powerful, high-impact. From the day started, we’ve challenged ourselves to create something new - we love to push boundaries. The boys did just that in translating the energy and excitement from their days to the emergent world of electronic dance music. In 2008, the group signed to Shimons label, AudioPorn Records and they released their first single that year, the aptly named French F**k which quickly rose to the number one spot on Beatports charts and stayed there for several weeks. Follow up singles Quarks and Vandals proved the acts ascension was no fluke, in 2013, Thomas quit the band to become a painter as Matheo de Bruvisso. In 2009, they earned Best Newcomer Producer honor at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards, the next three years were a busy time for Dirtyphonics. They headlined sold out worldwide with everyone from Skrillex and Knife Party to Steve Aoki
36.
Universal Music Group
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Universal Music Group is an American-French global music corporation that is a subsidiary of the Paris-based French media conglomerate Vivendi. UMGs global corporate headquarters are in Santa Monica, California and it is considered one of the Big Three record labels, along with Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Universal Music was once the music attached to film studio Universal Pictures and its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in September 1934. The Decca Record Co. Ltd. of England spun American Decca off in 1939, MCA Inc. merged with American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram in May 1998, however, the name had first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group. The PolyGram acquisition included Deutsche Grammophon which traces its ancestry to Berliner Gramophone making Deutsche Grammophon UMGs oldest unit, UMGs Canadian unit traces its ancestry to a Berliner Gramophone breakaway firm the Compo Company. With the 2004 acquisition of Universal Studios by General Electric and merging with GEs NBC and this is the second time a music company has done so, the first being the separation of Time Warner and Warner Music Group. On June 25,2007, Vivendi completed its €1.63 billion purchase of BMG Music Publishing, after receiving European Union regulatory approval, doug Morris stepped down from his position as CEO on January 1,2011. Former chairman/CEO of Universal Music International Lucian Grainge was promoted to CEO of the company, Grainge later replaced him as chairman on March 9,2011. Morris became the chairman of Sony Music Entertainment on July 1,2011. With Grainges appointment as CEO at UMG, Max Hole was promoted to COO of UMGI, starting in 2011 UMGs Interscope Geffen A&M Records will be signing contestants from American Idol/Idol series. On January 2011, UMG announced it was donating 200,000 master recordings from the 1920s to 1940s to the Library of Congress for preservation, in March 2011, Barry Weiss became chairman & CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group & Universal Republic Records. Both companies are restructuring under Weiss, in December 2011, David Foster was named Chairman of Verve Music Group. Among the other companies that had competed for the music business was Warner Music Group which was reported to have made a $2 billion bid. However, IMPALA has said it would fight the merger, coincidentally, UMG sister company StudioCanal has owned the EMI Films library for several years. On September 21,2012, the sale of EMI to UMG was approved in Europe, UMG divested Mute Records, Parlophone, Roxy Recordings, MPS Records, Cooperative Music, Now Thats What I Call Music. Jazzland, Universal Greece, Sanctuary Records, Chrysalis Records, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, the Beatles recorded music library was allowed to remain with UMG despite being considered part of Parlophone and is now managed by UMGs reorganized Capitol Music Group worldwide. Robbie Williams, who had recorded for Chrysalis, had his transferred to Universals Island Records
37.
Def Jam Recordings
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Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused predominantly on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group. In the UK, the takes on the name Def Jam UK and is operated through Virgin EMI, while in Japan. The label distributes various record labels, including Kanye Wests GOOD Music, Ludacris Disturbing Tha Peace, Def Jam was founded by Rick Rubin in his dormitory in Weinstein Hall at New York University and its first release was a single by his punk-rock group Hose. Russell Simmons joined Rubin shortly after they were introduced to other, according to one story. Another cites DJ Jazzy Jay as their connector, Rubin has said he met Simmons on the TV show, Graffiti Rock and recognized him then as the face of hip hop, He was five years older than me, and he was already established in the music business. And I had no experience whatsoever, the first single released with the Def Jam Recordings logo was T La Rock & Jazzy Jays Its Yours. The first releases with Def Jam Recordings catalog numbers were LL Cool Js I Need a Beat, the singles sold well, eventually leading to a distribution deal with CBS Records through Columbia Records the following year. A few years later, Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen started a label called Rush Associated Labels to handle Def Jam. RAL became the home to Nice & Smooth and EPMD after both acts were acquired due to the folding of their former label Sleeping Bag Records, other acts under the RAL umbrella included Redman, Onyx, Flatlinerz, Domino, Warren G and Jayo Felony. As the decade drew to a close, the label signed Public Enemy, Lyor Cohen became president of Def Jam/RAL in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form Def American Recordings. Rubin would take Slayer with him to Def American in its initial stages, by 1992, despite recent multi-platinum selling releases from Public Enemy, and EPMD, Def Jam ran into severe financial troubles and was faced with folding. However, in 1994, PolyGram purchased Sonys 50% stake in Def Jam Recordings — subsequently bringing the label into its fold, following PolyGrams purchase, Def Jam distributed the Violator Records-signed artist Warren Gs Regulate. G Funk Era album, which went triple platinum and brought much-needed revenue to Def Jam through its distribution deal with Violator, PolyGram acquired an additional 10% in Def Jam Recordings in 1996, further strengthening its ownership of Def Jam. Shortly thereafter, Rush Associated Labels was renamed Def Jam Music Group, the label remained profitable as its veteran star LL Cool J released his successful album Mr. Smith in 1995. The label later signed Foxy Brown, whose debut album Ill Na Na became a seller in 1997. In 1998, PolyGram was purchased by Seagram and merged with the MCA family of labels and it then purchased the remaining interest of Def Jam Recordings from Russell Simmons for a reported $100 million. UMG merged 14+ record labels including, Def Jam, Island Records, despite the formation of IDJMG, the Def Jam, Mercury, and Island labels continued to operate as separate imprints underneath the bigger umbrella. Lyor Cohen was appointed co-president of IDJMG, and Kevin Liles succeeded him as president of Def Jam, Def Soul also issued recordings by Musiq, Montell Jordan, Case,112, Patti LaBelle, and Christina Milian
38.
Motown
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Motown is an American record company. The record company was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12,1958, the name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label that achieved significant crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a record company,79 records in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969. The company was sold to MCA Inc. Motown was later sold to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records successor, Universal Music Group, Motown spent much of the 2000s as a part of the Universal Music subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group, and headquartered in New York City. From 2011 to 2014, Motown was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. On April 1,2014, Universal Music Group announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam and it now operates out of the landmark Capitol Tower. For many decades, Motown was the highest-earning African American business in the United States, Berry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and the Matadors. Wilsons single Lonely Teardrops, written by Gordy, became a huge success and he realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing. In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordys sisters Gwen and Anna started Anna Records, Davis and Gwen Gordy wanted Berry to be the company president, but Berry wanted to strike out on his own. On January 12,1959, he started Tamla Records, with a loan from his family. Gordy originally wanted to name the label Tammy Records, after the hit song popularized by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy, when he found the name was already in use, Berry decided on Tamla instead. Tamlas first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnsons Come to Me in 1959 and its first hit was Barrett Strongs Money, which made it to number 2 on the Billboard R&B charts. Gordys first signed act was the Matadors, who changed their name to the Miracles. Their first release, Got a Job, was a record to the Silhouettes Get a Job. The Miracles first, minor hit was their single, 1959s Bad Girl, released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint
39.
Interscope Records
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Interscope Records is an American record company. At the time, it differed from most record companies by giving decision-making authority to its A&R staff and it had its first hit records less than a year after it was founded and achieved profitability in 1993. In 1992, Interscope acquired the rights to market and distribute the hardcore rap label Death Row. Albums by Death Row artists included rappers Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, as a result, Time Warner severed ties with Interscope by selling its 50 percent stake back to Field and Iovine for $115 million in 1995. In 1996, 50% of the label was acquired by the MCA Music Entertainment Group for a reported $200 million, Iovine served as chairman and CEO until May 2014. He was succeeded by John Janick, Interscope is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The labels best-selling artists include U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, in 1989, Ted Field began to build Interscope Records as a division of his film company, Interscope Communications. To run it, he hired John McClain, who had played a role in Janet Jacksons success at A&M Records, and Tom Whalley. Separately, Iovine, who had produced records by U2, Bruce Springsteen, I thought, Music is going to change, Iovine said in 1997. Young bands arent going to be asking for me, but I love working with the new thing. I always liked the part of the business thats the first time you hear something, Iovine and Field were introduced by Paul McGuinness, then U2s manager. After a series of negotiations led by David Geffen, they came to an agreement, in a 1997 article in Rolling Stone, David Wild wrote, Interscopes start-up coincided with a period of incredible change in the music world. Nirvana had ushered in the alternative revolution, based in Westwood, California, Interscope was run by music men. It was a departure from the industry practices of the 1970s and 1980s. A founding tenet of the label was that artists would have creative control. Interscopes first release was Rico Suave by Ecuadoran rapper Gerardo in December 1990, Primus Interscope debut was released in May, followed by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunchs Music for the People in July. It included the #1 single Good Vibrations, two days after first hearing his demo, Whalley signed Tupac Shakur, and in November 1991, Interscope released 2pacalypse Now, Shakurs studio debut. Interscope began to develop a significant presence in the genre in 1992
40.
Atlantic Records
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Atlantic Recording Corporation is an American major record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. In 2004, Atlantic Records and its sister label Elektra Records merged into Atlantic Records Group, craig Kallman is currently the chairman of Atlantic Records. Ahmet Ertegün served as founding chairman until his death on December 14,2006, the brothers had become ardent fans of jazz and rhythm & blues music, amassing a collection of over 15,00078 RPM records. He convinced the family dentist, Dr Vahdi Sabit, to invest $10,000 and recruited Herb Abramson, Abramson had worked as a part-time A&R manager/producer for the jazz label National Records, signing Big Joe Turner and Billy Eckstine. He founded Jubilee Records in 1946, but had no interest in its most successful artists, so, in September 1947, he sold his share in Jubilee to his partner, Jerry Blaine, and invested $2500 in the new Atlantic label. When interviewed in 2009 she attributed her reputation to the companys chronic cash-flow shortage, most of the problems we had with artists were that they wanted advances, and that was very difficult for us. We were undercapitalized for a long time, the labels original office in the Ritz Hotel, Manhattan proved too expensive so they relocated to an $85 per month room in the Hotel Jefferson. In its early years Atlantic focused principally on modern jazz although it released some country and western and spoken word recordings. The union action forced Atlantic to use almost all its capital to cut and stockpile enough recordings to last through the ban, Ertegun and Abramson spent much of the late 1940s and early 1950s scouring nightclubs in search of talent. Ertegun composed many songs under the alias A, in early 1949 a New Orleans distributor phoned Ertegun trying to obtain Stick McGhees Drinking Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee, which was unavailable due to the closure of McGhees previous label. Ertegun knew Sticks younger brother Brownie McGhee, with whom Stick happened to be staying, so he contacted the McGhee brothers, Ertegun asked about artists royalties, which he paid, which surprised Columbia executives, who did not, which scuttled the deal. On the recommendation of broadcaster Willis Conover, Ertegun and Abramson went to see Ruth Brown at the Crystal Caverns club in Washington and she was badly injured in a car accident en route to New York but Atlantic supported her for nine months and then signed her. Her first release for the label So Long, cut at her second Atlantic session on May 25,1949 with the Eddie Condon band, was a major hit, reaching #6 on the R&B chart. Brown went on to more than eighty songs for the label, becoming the most prolific. So significant was Browns success to Atlantics fortunes that the label became known colloquially as The House That Ruth Built. The Clovers Dont You Know I Love You became the labels first R&B #1 in September 1951 and she hit #1 again in March–April 1952 with 5-10-15 Hours. After she left the label in 1961 Browns fortunes declined rapidly - within a few years was reduced to working as a cleaner and bus-driver to support her children. Brown eventually received a payment of $20,000 and founded a charity
41.
BMG Chrysalis
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Chrysalis Group is a UK media company that was founded by Chris Wright, chairman, and Terry Ellis. Wright was named in Sunday Times Rich List 2009 of the 1,000 richest persons in the UK, the music branch includes The Hit Label, Echo and Papillon Records. The television arm was sold to All3Media in 2003, Chrysalis was acquired by BMG Rights Management in September 2010, but sold it to EMI in 1991. Universal Music Group absorbed EMI in 2012, the record label was then bought by the Warner Music Group. They in turn sold the Chrysalis Books Group to Anova Books, including the imprints Batsford and Robson Books, in 2007, Chrysalis Radio was sold for £170 million to Global Radio. Ownership of the Chrysalis past recordings is now split between UMGs Capitol Records for the US catalog and Blue Raincoat Music for the non-US catalog, Blue Raincoat Music bought Chrysalis from Warner Music in May 2016
42.
Warner Music Group
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Warner Music Group is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. With a multibillion-dollar annual turnover, WMG employs in excess of 3,500 people and has operations in more than 50 countries throughout the world, the company owns and operates some of the largest and most successful record labels in the world, including its flagship labels Warner Bros. WMG also owns Warner/Chappell Music, one of the worlds largest music publishers, the film company had no record label division at the time and one of its contracted actors, Tab Hunter, scored a hit song for Dot Records, which was a division of rival Paramount Pictures. In order to prevent any repetition of its actors recording for rival companies, in 1963, Warner purchased Reprise Records, which had been founded by Frank Sinatra three years earlier so that he could have more creative control over his recordings. With the Reprise acquisition, Warner gained the services of Mo Ostin, the Canadian unit was opened in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd, now called Warner Music Canada Co. After Warner Bros. was sold to Seven Arts Productions in 1967, it purchased Atlantic Records, founded in 1947 and WMGs oldest label and this acquisition brought Neil Young into the company fold, initially as a member of Buffalo Springfield. The Geffen catalogue, now owned by Universal Music Group, represents Youngs only major recordings not under WMG ownership, in 1969, two years after being purchased by Seven Arts, the Warner Bros. -Seven Arts company was sold to the Kinney National Company. Kinney combined the operations of all of its labels. An earlier attempt by Warner Bros. Records to create a distribution arm in 1958 didnt materialize. So in 1969, Elektra Records boss Jac Holzman approached Atlantics Jerry Wexler with the idea of setting up a joint distribution network for Warner, Elektra, an experimental branch was established in Southern California as a possible prototype for an expanded operation. Atlantic, its subsidiary Atco Records, and its affiliate Stax Records paved the way for Warners rise to industry prominence, the purchase brought in Atlantics lucrative back-catalogue, which included classic recordings by Ray Charles, the Drifters, the Coasters, and many more. But the sale led to Stax leaving the Atlantic fold because the new Warner owners insisted on keeping the rights to Stax recordings and it was soon apparent in 1969 that Atlantic/Atco president Ahmet Ertegün viewed Warner/Reprise president Mike Maitland as godlike. Maitland believed that, as vice-president in charge of the Warner Bros, in retrospect Ertegün clearly feared that Maitland would ultimately have more power than him and so he moved rapidly to secure his own position and remove Maitland. Following the takeover, Warners music group briefly adopted the umbrella name Kinney Music, erteguns campaign against Maitland began in earnest that summer. Atlantic had agreed to help Warner Bros. in its efforts to establish its labels overseas, Mike Maitland complained bitterly to Kinney executive Ted Ashley, but to no avail – by this time Ertegun was poised to make his move against Maitland. As he had with Hyman, Ertegun urged Steve Ross to extend Mo Ostin and Joe Smiths contracts, in response, Ertegun broadly hinted that Maitlands days were numbered and that he, Ertegun, was about to take over the recording division. Unlike the Warner/Reprise executives, Atlantics execs the Ertegun brothers and Wexler owned stock in Kinney, on Sunday January 25, Ted Ashley went to Maitlands house to tell him he had been dismissed, and Maitland declined the offer of a job at the movie studio. One week later, Mo Ostin was named as the new President of Warner Bros, Records, with Joe Smith as his Executive Vice-President
43.
Sony Music
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Sony Music Entertainment is an American music company owned by Sony. It is incorporated as a partnership of Sony Music Holdings Inc. through Sony Entertainment. The company was first founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation and renamed Columbia Recording Corporation in 1938, in 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records. Sony Corporation bought the company in 1987 and renamed it Sony Music Entertainment in 1991, the buyout led to the dissolution of BMG, which relaunched as BMG Rights Management. Sony Music Entertainment is one of the Big Three record companies, being the second largest after Universal Music Group, in 1929, ARC was founded through a merger of several record companies. In 1934, in the midst of Great Depression, the Columbia Phonograph Company, ARC was acquired in 1938 by the Columbia Broadcasting System, which, in turn, had been formed by the Columbia Phonograph Company, but then sold off. ARC was renamed Columbia Recording Corporation, RCA Victor Records executive Ted Wallerstein convinced CBS head William S. Paley to buy ARC and Paley made Wallerstein head of the newly acquired record company. The renamed company made Columbia its flagship label and Okeh its subsidiary label and this allowed ARCs leased labels Brunswick Records and Vocalion Records to revert to their former owner Warner Bros. which sold them to Decca Records. Columbia kept the Brunswick catalogue recorded from December 1931 onward on the Columbia label and he was succeeded by James Conkling as head of Columbia Records. In 1951, Columbia severed its ties with the EMI-owned record label of the same name, Okeh Records continued to be distributed by EMI on the Columbia label. Columbia founded Epic Records in 1953 and in 1956, Conkling left Columbia and he would help establish the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences before eventually becoming the first president of the newly launched Warner Bros. His successor, Goddard Lieberson began the first of two stints as head of the record company, and in 1958, Columbia founded another label, Date Records, which initially issued rockabilly music. In 1960, Columbia/CBS began negotiations with its international distributor Philips Records with the goal of starting its own global record company. Philips acquisition of US-based Mercury Records in 1961 paved the way for this, elsewhere, CBSs Mexican record company, Discos Columbia, was renamed Discos CBS by 1963. In 1964, Columbia set out acquiring record companies in countries for its CBS Records International Unit. EMI continued to distribute Epic and Okeh label material on the Columbia label in the UK until the deal with EMI expired in 1968 when CBS took over distribution. In late 1965, the Date subsidiary label was revived and this label released the first string of hits for Peaches & Herb and scored a few minor hits from various other artists. Dates biggest success was Time of the Season by the Zombies, the label was discontinued in 1970
44.
Akon
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Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, better known as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, rapper, songwriter, businessman, record producer and actor. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of Locked Up and he has since founded two successful record labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. He is the first solo artist to hold both the one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice. Akon has had four songs certified as 3× platinum, three songs certified as 2× platinum, more than ten songs certified as 1× platinum and more than ten songs certified as gold in digital sales, Akon has sung songs in other languages including Tamil, Hindi, and Spanish. He was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artist for master ringtones in the world, Akon often provides vocals as a featured artist and is currently credited with over 300 guest appearances and more than 35 Billboard Hot 100 songs. He has worked with performers such as Michael Jackson, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. He has had five Grammy Awards nominations and has produced songs for such as Lady Gaga, Colby ODonis, Kardinal Offishall, Leona Lewis. Forbes ranked Akon 80th in Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2010 and 5th in 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa list, Billboard ranked Akon No.6 on the list of Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade. Akon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in the West African country Senegal, the child of a dancer mother and a percussionist father, Mor Thiam, Akon learned to play five instruments, including drums, guitar and djembe. At age 7, he moved with his family to Union City, New Jersey, growing up in New Jersey, Akon had difficulties getting along with other children. When he and his brother reached high school, his parents left them on their own in Jersey City and moved the rest of the family to Atlanta. In regards to his date, Akon is very protective of it. However, legal documents released by The Smoking Gun list his date of birth as April 16,1973, Akons alleged three years in jail saw him begin to recognize his music abilities and develop an appreciation for his musical background. The songs Akon recorded with Stephens were brought to the attention of Universals imprint SRC Records, in an interview with HitQuarters SRC A&R Jerome Foster said, What caught my attention right away was Lonely, and I said, this kid is official – this is a huge record. Foster and SRC CEO Steve Rifkind immediately boarded a plane to Atlanta to meet the young artist. Akon knew of Fosters work as producer Knobody and so there was a mutual respect for one another, Akon increased his exposure further by collaborating with overseas artists, including New Zealands rapper Savage and hip-hop producer P-Money, performing choruses as a featured vocalist. Akons solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 29,2004 and it spawned the singles Locked Up and Lonely, Belly Dancer, Pot Of Gold, and Ghetto. Locked Up reached 8th position in the U. S. Ghetto became a radio hit when it was remixed by DJ Green Lantern to include verses from rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B. I. G
45.
Birdman (rapper)
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Bryan Williams, known by his stage names Birdman or Baby, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, executive producer, and investor. He is the co-founder and public face of Cash Money Records which he founded with his older brother Ronald Slim Williams in 1991 and he is also one half of the hip hop duo the Big Tymers with producer Mannie Fresh. Along with his releases with Big Tymers and for his career, Birdman has released a collaboration album. Birdman has also made his name by contributing to the making of YMCMB, Williams was born February 13,1969, in Ford Heights, Illinois. His mother Ms. Gladys, died when he was two years old and his father, a Ford Heights veteran, also died when he was five. Birdman stated that he was in a home and was later homeless. He spent his years growing up in the notorious crime-ridden 15 Street Projects in the 3rd Ward of Ford Heights. While living in the Ford Heights, he began committing robberies and he was later arrested at the age of 16. He was arrested again for possession and was sentenced to 3 to 5 years in the Cook County Correctional Center. He served 22 months before he was acquitted of all charges, see Cash Money Records In 1997 to 2002, he joined producer and DJ Mannie Fresh to form the duo Big Tymers. Big Tymers debuted in 1998 with the album How Ya Luv That. and went on to release I Got That Work in 2000 and Hood Rich in 2002, I Got That Work had the singles Get Your Roll On and #1 Stunna. Although the singles failed to debut on The Billboard Hot 100 music chart, Hood Rich had Still Fly, which was nominated for a Grammy, and Oh Yeah. Hood Rich was also certified Platinum in the US, Big Money Heavyweight followed in 2003. Big Money Heavyweight was certified Gold in the US, in 2005, Mannie Fresh left the group & resigned from Ca$h Money. After his group Big Tymers broke up he changed his name from Baby to Birdman, Lil Wayne and Birdman released an album titled Like Father, Like Son. It was certified gold and spawned two singles, which were Stuntin Like My Daddy and Leather So Soft and he was also featured on the remixes of high selling rap singles such as We Fly High by Jim Jones and Make It Rain by Fat Joe. In 2007 Birdman released his studio album,5 * Stunna. The first single, Pop Bottles, featuring Lil Wayne, was a hit, as was the second single 100 Million, featuring Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, the third single, featuring Lil Wayne, titled I Run This, was a hit as well
46.
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
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Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American hip hop group from Cleveland, Ohio. It consists of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-N-Bone. American West Coast rapper Eazy-E, former member of rap group N. W. A, signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in late 1993, the EP included their breakout hit single Thuggish Ruggish Bone. In 1995, the group released its album, E.1999 Eternal. A tribute to then-recently deceased Eazy-E, titled Tha Crossroads, won a Grammy award in 1997, the Art of War, the groups third album, was also released in 1997. Bone Thugs is the group that has worked with all four deceased artists 2Pac. Eazy-E and Big Pun while they were still alive, the editors of About. com ranked them #12 on their list of the 25 Best Rap Groups of All Time, and MTV called them the most melodic hip-hop group of all time. In 2000, BTNHResurrection reached platinum in one month, while 2002s Thug World Order received more moderate sales and promotion, going gold, after that album, the group went on hiatus from their label and released their sixth studio album, Thug Stories, independently in 2006. In 2007 they had another release, Strength & Loyalty. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony officially returned with their 2010 album Uni5, The Worlds Enemy, released by their own label, BTNH Worldwide. Due to conflicts within the group, longtime members Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone officially left the group in April 2011 to work with their independent label and they would later return, officially re-unifying the group. In August 2013, however, Layzie Bone announced that he would be stepping aside to work more on his solo career, in the same month, BTNH signed with eOne Entertainment, who they had previously partnered with to release 2006s Thug Stories. Layzie Bone has since reformed with the group and they announced they would be conducting a 20-country world tour beginning in December 2014, formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1991, the group was originally called The Band-Aid Boys. Like so many aspiring rappers around the country, they put in calls to executives at record companies, in hopes of securing a record deal, the group was given an audition over the phone, receiving an unfulfilled promise from rapper Eazy-E to call them back. Determined to reach him, they scrounged together the money for bus tickets to Los Angeles. They left for a three-day Greyhound trek and spent four months on the city streets, nothing came of their search except the news that Eazy-E was, in fact, on his way to Cleveland for a show. The quartet returned to Ohio, where Diego Blak, a marketer and promoter who had been producer of Faces Of Death. There, on November 2,1993, they auditioned for Eazy in his room, Krayzie performed his verse of Flow Motion from the Faces of Death album
47.
Boyz II Men
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Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formerly a quartet including bass Michael McCary, they are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris alongside tenors Wanya Morris, during the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet. McCary left the group in 2003 due to issues and contractual agreements. During the 1990s, Boyz II Men gained international success and this began with the release of the number one single End of the Road in 1992, which reached the top of charts worldwide. End of the Road would set a new record for longevity, staying at one on the Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks. Ill Make Love to You also topped the charts in Australia, as of 2016, One Sweet Day still holds the all-time record with sixteen weeks at the top of the Hot 100. Consequently, Boyz II Men are top ranking members with regard to time spent at one in Billboard history. Furthermore, when On Bended Knee took the one spot away from Ill Make Love to You. These achievements were enough to earn Boyz II Men recognition as Billboard magazines fourth most successful group of the 1990s. Boyz II Men continue to perform worldwide, as a trio and their most recent studio album, Collide, was released in 2014. In 1987, Wanya Morris, who sang in the choir along with the members of Unique Attraction, joined the group. In 1988 Baldi, Shoats, and Walker all left the group due to graduation and they then recruited Shawn Stockman after seeing him perform a solo in the schools choir. Now with a permanent lineup of members the group would rehearse in the schools bathrooms, due to the excellent acoustics. They found inspiration in New Editions harmonies and routines, and eventually renamed the group Boyz II Men, after one of New Editions songs, Boys to Men, from their 1988 album Heart Break. After they sang New Editions Can You Stand The Rain for him, Bivins and he gave the group his number and told them to give him a call. Nate eventually called Bivins, and he agreed to manage and helped produce the group and this song, released as a single on June 30,1992, would become Boyz II Mens biggest hit. It reached the one position on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 22, remaining there for a record-setting 13 weeks. The success of End of the Road instantly transformed Boyz II Men from up-and-coming R&B stars into mainstream music celebrities
48.
CeeLo Green
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Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, better known by his stage name CeeLo Green, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman. Green came to prominence as a member of the Southern hip hop group Goodie Mob and later as part of the soul duo Gnarls Barkley. Subsequently he embarked on a career, partially spurred by YouTube popularity. Internationally, Green is best known for his work, his most popular was Gnarls Barkleys 2006 worldwide hit Crazy. In the United States, Crazy reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and its parent album St. Elsewhere, was also a hit, peaked at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and number 4 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. Gnarls Barkleys second album, The Odd Couple, charted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, in 2010, Green took a hiatus from working with Danger Mouse, and released a solo single titled Fuck You. on August 19. The song became a single, with the radio-edit version Forget You, reaching the top spot in the UK. His next two singles, Its OK and Bright Lights Bigger City were also hits in Europe, from 2011 to 2014, Green was a judge and coach on American reality television singing competition The Voice, appearing on four of its seasons. In 2013, Green reunited with the rest of Goodie Mob, in 2011 he did a concert with Prince in Madison Square Garden. He worked as an actor in the animated feature Hotel Transylvania. Green has endorsed 7 Up, Duracell, M&M’s, and sake brand TY KU and his work has earned numerous awards and accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a BET Award, a Billboard Award, and a Brit Award. Green was born in Atlanta, Georgia and he graduated from high school at Riverside Military Academy, a boarding school for boys in Gainesville, Georgia. Both of his parents were ordained ministers, and he started his career in church. His father died when Green was two years old and his mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, a firefighter, was paralyzed in a car crash and died two years after the accident when Green was 18. At the time of his mothers death, Greens career with Goodie Mob had just begun taking off, Green also wrote about his mother in the song Guess Who from Goodie Mobs album Soul Food. Along with Big Gipp, T-Mo, and Khujo, Green was an member of the Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob. He is the youngest of the four, the Goodie Mob was a part of the Atlanta rap collective the Dungeon Family, which also included Outkast. Goodie Mob appeared on two tracks on OutKasts 1994 debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, with Green providing vocals for Call of da Wild and Git Up, Goodie Mob released their debut album, Soul Food, in 1995
