1.
MTV
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MTV is an American cable and satellite television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks and headquartered in New York City. Launched on August 1,1981, the originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys. In its early years, MTVs main target demographic was young adults and it has received criticism towards this change of focus, both by certain segments of its audience and musicians. MTVs influence on its audience, including issues involving censorship and social activism, has also been a subject of debate for several years, in recent years, MTV had struggled with the secular decline of music-related cable media. In April 2016, MTV announced it would start to return to its original music roots with the reintroduction of the classic MTV series MTV Unplugged. It was also reported that the series MTV Cribs would be making a return on Snapchat, MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the US and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent. As of July 2015, approximately 92,188,000 US households have received MTV, several earlier concepts for music video-based television programming had been around since the early 1960s. The Beatles had used music videos to promote their records starting in the mid-1960s, CBS rejected the idea, but Williams premiered his own musical composition Classical Gas on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, where he was head writer. The series featured clips from various popular artists, but was canceled by its distributor in 1971. The channel, which featured video disc jockeys, signed a deal with US Cable in 1978 to expand its audience from retail to cable television, the service was no longer active by the time MTV launched in 1981. The QUBE system offered many specialized channels, One of these specialized channels was Sight on Sound, a music channel that featured concert footage and music-oriented television programs. With the interactive QUBE service, viewers could vote for their favorite songs, the original programming format of MTV was created by media executive Robert W. Pittman, who later became president and chief executive officer of MTV Networks. Pittman had test-driven the music format by producing and hosting a 15-minute show, Album Tracks, the inspiration for PopClips came from a similar program on New Zealands TVNZ network named Radio with Pictures, which premiered in 1976. The concept itself had been in the works since 1966, when record companies began supplying the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation with promotional music clips to play on the air at no charge. Few artists made the trip to New Zealand to appear live. A shortened version of the shuttle launch ID ran at the top of hour in various forms. The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star and this was followed by the video for Pat Benatars You Better Run. Sporadically, the screen would go black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR, MTVs lower third graphics that appeared near the beginning and end of music videos would eventually use the recognizable Kabel typeface for about 25 years
2.
MTV Video Music Award
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An MTV Video Music Award is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. By 2001, the VMA had become a coveted award, the statue given to winners is an astronaut on the moon, one of the earliest representations of MTV, and colloquially called a moonman. The statue is now made by New York firm, Society Awards, since the 2006 ceremony, viewers are able to vote for their favorite videos in all general categories by visiting MTVs website. The first VMA ceremony was held in 1984 at New York Citys Radio City Music Hall, the ceremonies are normally held in either New York City or Los Angeles. However, the ceremonies have also hosted in Miami and Las Vegas. 1984, At the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, Madonna performed her hit Like a Virgin wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown, during the performance, she rolled around on the floor, revealing lacy stockings and a garter. Cyndi Lauper spoke in Exorcist-esque gibberish to explain the VMA rules right before winning the Best Female video for Girls Just Want to Have Fun, David Bowie and The Beatles were rewarded with the first ever Video Vanguard Awards for their work in pioneering the music video. 1988, At the 1988 Video Music Awards Michael Jackson appeared for the first time, a pre-recorded live performance of Bad was shown. He was also awarded the Video Vanguard Award, paula Abdul was nominated for six awards, picking up four wins. She performed a medley of her singles Straight Up, Cold Hearted. When Madonna won the Viewers Choice Award for her Like a Prayer video, the tone that the commercial sought to convey sharply contrasted with the music video. When Pepsi executives saw the video, they yanked the advertisement after only two airings, in an attempt to dissociate themselves from Madonna. She also gave one of the most memorable performances of her hit Express Yourself, the performance consisted of both a dramatic 18th-century reinterpretation of Vogue as well as her dramatically becorseted breasts. His video Thriller influenced and changed music videos into what it is like today, a conflict between Poisons Bret Michaels and C. C. DeVille culminated in a fistfight at the Video Music Awards in 1991, deVille was fired and replaced by Pennsylvanian guitarist Richie Kotzen. Paul Reubens had his first public appearance following an arrest for lewd-conduct earlier that year, taking the stage in costume as Pee-wee Herman, he received a standing ovation, after which he asked the audience, Heard any good jokes lately. Prince & The New Power Generation performed their sexually charged song Gett Off on a Caligula-esque set and his trousers were parodied numerous times throughout the following year, on In Living Color & even on the next years VMAs by Howard Stern. It also marked the last TV appearance of Kiss with Eric Carr,1992, In the 1992 show, MTV requested Nirvana perform Smells Like Teen Spirit, while the band itself had indicated it preferred to play new songs Rape Me and tourettes
3.
Paula Abdul
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Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, voice actress, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 before rising to prominence in the 1980s as a highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the video era. Abdul later scored a string of pop hits in the late 1980s. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for seventh among the female performers who have topped the chart. She won a Grammy for Best Music Video – Short Form for Opposites Attract, after her initial period of success, Abdul suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life. She saw renewed fame and success as a judge on American Idol in the 2000s. Abdul was born in San Fernando, California, to Jewish parents, Abduls father, Harry Abdul, was born into the Syrian-Jewish community in Aleppo, Syria, was raised in Brazil, and subsequently emigrated to the United States. Her mother, the concert pianist Lorraine M. Rykiss, grew up in one of the two Jewish families in Minnedosa, Manitoba, and has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestors from Ukraine, Abdul holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada. She has a sister named Wendy, in 1980, she graduated from Van Nuys High School. An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film Singin in the Rain. Abdul began taking lessons at an early age in ballet, jazz. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a cheerleader, at 15, she received a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film, Junior High School. Abdul studied broadcasting at the California State University, Northridge, during her freshman year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team—the famed Laker Girls. Within a year, she became head choreographer, Abdul was discovered by The Jacksons, after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. She was signed to do the choreography for the video to their single Torture and my only problem was how to tell the Jacksons how to dance, Abdul later recalled. Imagine me telling them what routines to do, I was young, I was scared. Im not quite sure how I got through that, the success of the choreography in the video led to Abduls career of choreographer in music videos. It was also due to the success of the video that Abdul was chosen to be the choreographer for the Jacksons Victory tour, Abdul choreographed videos for several singers throughout the 1980s, including many videos for Janet Jackson during her Control era
4.
Living Colour
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Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip hop, country, exploratative. Their lyrics range from the personal to the political, in some of the latter cases attacking Eurocentrism and racism in America, Living Colour rose to fame with their debut album Vivid in 1988. Although the band scored a number of hits, they are best remembered for the rock anthem Cult of Personality and they were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards and won their second Grammy Award for their follow-up album Times Up. After disbanding in 1995, Living Colour reunited in late 2000, english-born guitarist Vernon Reid had formed a number of bands, and after a few years, he formed Living Colour in New York in 1984. Reid assembled a number of bands under the name Vernon Reids Living Colour from 1984 to 1986, Reid was well known on the downtown New York jazz scenes because of his tenure in Ronald Shannon Jacksons Decoding Society. The bands sound was different from the songs that showed up later on their major label recordings. Soon after, the band became experienced at touring, including performing regular gigs at the club CBGB, Vivid, released on May 3,1988, gathered sales momentum only when later that year, MTV began playing the video for Cult of Personality. The album reached No.6 on the U. S. Billboard 200 chart, on April 1,1989, the band performed on NBCs Saturday Night Live. Four months later, the band gained exposure as an opening act, along with Guns N Roses. The album reached No.13 on the Billboard 200, other guests included Maceo Parker and Little Richard. In 1991, Living Colour joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour, in 1992, Skillings left the band and was replaced by Doug Wimbish. This new line up released their third album, Stain, in February 1993. The album reached No.26 in the U. S. a further drop since their debut, despite retaining their strong fan base, Living Colour disbanded in January 1995, after failing to settle on a common musical goal during sessions for their fourth studio album. Four of these tracks were included on the compilation Pride, following the breakup, individual band members released a variety of solo efforts. Living Colour reformed on December 21,2000, at CBGB as a gig billed Head>>Fake w/ special guests, Head>>Fake was the current drum and bass project headed by Calhoun and Wimbish. Glover was on the bill to sing a few songs and Reid came on three songs. The reunion was followed by the release of the fourth studio album, Collideøscope, in 2003, their first album not to chart in the United States
5.
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
6.
Neil Young
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Neil Percival Young, OC OM, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, producer, director and screenwriter. Young began performing in a group covering Shadows instrumentals in Canada in 1960, in 1966, after a brief stint with the Rick James-fronted Mynah Birds, he moved to Los Angeles, where he formed Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and others. Young had released two albums by the time he joined Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969, in addition to two as a member of Buffalo Springfield. From his early albums and those with his backing band Crazy Horse, Young has recorded a steady stream of studio and live albums. Youngs often-distorted electric guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature tenor singing voice transcend his long career, Young also plays piano and harmonica on many albums which frequently combine folk, rock, blues and other musical styles. Known to rip up live set lists, Young often plays acoustic versions of songs in one show and his gritty guitar work, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname Godfather of Grunge and led to his 1995 album Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam. More recently Young has been backed by Promise of the Real, Young directed films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including Journey Through the Past, Rust Never Sleeps, Human Highway, Greendale, and CSNY/Déjà Vu. He also contributed to the soundtracks of the films Philadelphia and Dead Man, Young has received several Grammy and Juno awards. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him twice, as a solo artist in 1995, in 2000, Rolling Stone named Young the 34th greatest rock n roll artist. He has lived in California since the 1960s but retains Canadian citizenship and he was awarded the Order of Manitoba on July 14,2006, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 30,2009. Young was born on November 12,1945, in Toronto and his father, Scott Alexander Young, was a journalist and sportswriter who also wrote fiction. His mother, Edna Blow Ragland Rassy Young was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, although Canadian, his mother had American and French ancestry. Youngs parents married in 1940 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and their first son, shortly after Youngs birth in 1945, his family moved to rural Omemee, Ontario, which Young later described fondly as a sleepy little place. Young suffered from polio in 1951 during the last major outbreak of the disease in Ontario, after his recovery, the Young family vacationed in Florida. During that period, Young briefly attended Chisolm Elementary School in New Smyrna Beach, in 1952, upon returning to Canada, Young moved from Omemee to Winnipeg for a year, before relocating to Toronto and Pickering. Young became interested in music he heard on the radio. When Young was twelve, his father, who had several extramarital affairs and his mother asked for a divorce which was granted in 1960. Young went to live with his mother, who moved back to Winnipeg, during the mid-fifties, Young listened to rock n roll, rockabilly, doo-wop, R&B, country, and western pop
7.
Like a Prayer (song)
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Like a Prayer is a song by American singer Madonna, from her studio album of the same name. Sire Records released it as the lead single on March 3,1989. She co-wrote and co-produced the song with Patrick Leonard, the track denoted a more artistic and personal approach to songwriting for Madonna, who felt she needed to cater more to her adult audience. Like a Prayer is a pop song with elements of gospel music. A choir provides background vocals that heighten the songs spiritual nature, Madonna introduced liturgical words in the lyrics—inspired by her Catholic upbringing—but changed the context in which they were used. They have dual meanings of sexual innuendo and religion, like a Prayer was acclaimed by critics, and was a commercial success. The music video, directed by Mary Lambert, portrays Madonna as a witness to a murder of a girl by white supremacists. While a black man is arrested for the murder, Madonna hides in a church for safety seeking strength to go forth as a witness, the clip depicts Catholic symbols such as stigmata, Ku Klux Klan-style cross burning, and a dream about kissing a black saint. The Vatican condemned the video, while family and religious groups protested its broadcast and they boycotted products by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, which used the song for a commercial. Madonnas contract with Pepsi was then canceled, although she was allowed to retain her initial fee, the song has been featured on five of Madonnas concert tours, most recently the Rebel Heart Tour in 2015. Like a Prayer has been covered by many artists, the song is noted for the mayhem surrounding the music video, and the different interpretations of its content, leading to discussions among music and film scholars. Alongside its respective album, Like a Prayer has been considered a point in Madonnas career. 1988 was a year on the recording front for Madonna. Following the critical and commercial failure of her 1987 film Whos That Girl, however, unfavorable reviews once again caused her discomfort. Her marriage to actor Sean Penn ended and the couple filed for divorce in January 1989, Madonna turned 30, the age at which her mother had died, and thus the singer experienced more emotional turmoil. No matter how you try to get away from it, the sin is within you all the time and it was this fear that haunted me, it taunted and pained me every moment. My music was probably the only distraction I had, but she understood that as she was growing up, so was her core audience. Feeling the need to attempt something different, Madonna wanted the sound of her new album to indicate what could be popular in the music world and she had certain personal matters on her mind that she thought could be the musical direction of the album
8.
Mother Goose
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The figure of Mother Goose is the imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes often published as Mother Gooses Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one nursery rhyme, a Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom. The so-called Mother Goose rhymes and stories have formed the basis for many classic British pantomimes, Mother Goose is the name given to an archetypal country woman. She is credited with the Mother Goose stories and rhymes popularized in the 17th century in English-language literature, an early mention appears in an aside in a versified French chronicle of weekly events, Jean Lorets La Muse Historique, collected in 1650. His remark, comme un conte de la Mère Oye shows that the term was readily understood, additional 17th-century Mother Goose/Mere lOye references appear in French literature in the 1620s and 1630s. According to Eleanor Early, a Boston travel and history writer of the 1930s, and 1940s and she was reportedly the second wife of Isaac Goose, who brought to the marriage six children of her own to add to Isaacs ten. After Isaac died, Elizabeth went to live with her eldest daughter, who had married Thomas Fleet, according to Early, Mother Goose used to sing songs and ditties to her grandchildren all day, and other children swarmed to hear them. Finally, her son-in-law gathered her jingles together and printed them, another authority on the Mother Goose tradition, Iona Opie, does not give any credence to either the Elwes-Thomas or the Boston suppositions. Perraults publication marks the first authenticated starting-point for Mother Goose stories, the first public appearance of the Mother Goose stories in the New World was in Worcester, Massachusetts, where printer Isaiah Thomas reprinted Sambers volume under the same title in 1786. This edition was registered with the Stationers Company in 1780, however, no copy has been traced, and the earliest surviving edition is dated 1784. The name Mother Goose has been associated in the English-speaking world with childrens poetry ever since, in 1837, John Bellenden Ker Gawler published a book deriving the origin of the Mother Goose rhymes from Flemish puns. In music, Maurice Ravel wrote Ma mère loye, a suite for the piano, there is also a song called Mother Goose by progressive rock band Jethro Tull from their 1971 Aqualung album. The song seems to be unrelated to the figure of Mother Goose, since she is only the first of many images that the narrator encounters. The pantomime was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 29 December, in the first scene, the stage directions show her raising a storm and, for the very first time, flying a gander. The magical Mother Goose transformed the old miser into Pantaloon of the commedia dellarte and the British pantomime tradition, and she was played en travesti by Samuel Simmons – a pantomime tradition that survives today – and she also raises a ghost in a macabre churchyard scene. Some families in Utah give their gifts from Mother Goose on New Years Eve. Books by L. Frank Baum and illustrator W. W, denslow in the late 1890s featured Mother Goose and Father Goose. The Complete Mother Goose, nursery rhymes old and new, fully annotated edition by Daryl Leyland, with decorations and illustrations by Max Van Doren
9.
Def Leppard
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Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and this is the bands longest-standing line-up. The bands strongest commercial success came between the early 1980s and the early 1990s, the bands next studio album, Pyromania in January 1983, with Photograph and Rock of Ages as the lead singles, turned Def Leppard into a household name. In the U. S. Pyromania was certified diamond, in 2003, the album ranked number 384 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Def Leppards fourth album Hysteria, released in 1987, topped the UK and U. S. album charts. As of 2009, it has reached beyond the success of Pyromania, having been certified 12× platinum for sales of over 12 million in the U. S. and has gone on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide. The album spawned seven hit singles, including the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 number one Love Bites, alongside Pour Some Sugar on Me, Hysteria, Armageddon It, Animal, Rocket, and Women. Their next studio album, Adrenalize, reached number one in the UK and U. S. charts in 1992, and contained several hits, including Lets Get Rocked and Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad. Their 1993 album, Retro Active, contained the hit song Two Steps Behind, while their greatest-hits album Vault, released in 1995. As one of the worlds best-selling music artists, Def Leppard have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and they are one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling over 10 million copies in the U. S. The band were ranked No.31 in VH1s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, Rick Savage, Tony Kenning, and Pete Willis, all students at Tapton School in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, formed a band called Atomic Mass in 1977. The band originally consisted of Willis on guitar, Savage on bass, only 18 at the time, Joe Elliott tried out for the band as a guitarist following a chance meeting with Willis after missing a bus, in November 1977. During his audition it was decided that he was suited to be the lead singer. Their first ever gig was in the hall in A Block in Westfield School in Mosborough. The band adopted a name proposed by Elliott, Deaf Leopard, at Kennings suggestion, the spelling was slightly modified in order to make the name seem less like that of a punk band. In January 1978, Steve Clark joined the band, according to Elliott, he successfully auditioned for the band by playing Lynyrd Skynyrds Free Bird in its entirety. In November, just prior to recording sessions for what would be a three-song release known as The Def Leppard E. P, Kenning abruptly left the band, he would later form the band Cairo. He was replaced for those sessions by Frank Noon, by the end of the month, Rick Allen, then only 15 years old, had joined the band as its full-time drummer
10.
Steve Winwood
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Stephen Lawrence Steve Winwood is an English musician whose genres include rock, blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, pop rock, and jazz. Though primarily a vocalist and keyboardist, Winwood also plays guitar, drums, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, violin. Winwood was a key member of The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and Go. He also had a solo career with hits including While You See a Chance, Valerie, Back in the High Life Again. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic in 2004, in 2005, Winwood was honoured as a BMI Icon at the annual BMI London Awards for his enduring influence on generations of music makers. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Winwood #33 in its 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, Winwood has won two Grammy Awards. He was nominated twice for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist,1988 and 1989, like Eric Clapton, he has been part of many bands, including Traffic, The Spencer Davis Group, and Blind Faith. Stephen Lawrence Winwood was born in Handsworth, Birmingham and his father, Lawrence, a foundryman by trade, was a semi-professional musician, playing mainly the saxophone and clarinet. Young Winwood became interested in swing and Dixieland jazz as a boy, began playing piano at age four and he first performed with his father and older brother, Muff, in the Ron Atkinson Band at the age of eight. Winwood was a choirboy at St Johns Church of England, Perry Barr and he later admitted to having sneaked a few plays of the organ there. While he was young the family moved from Handsworth to the semi-rural suburb of Great Barr at the northern edge of the city. Winwood attended the Great Barr School which was one of the first comprehensive schools and he also attended the Birmingham and Midland Institute of Music to develop his skills as a pianist, but did not complete his course. B. At this time, Winwood was living on Atlantic Road in Great Barr, Winwood modelled his singing after Ray Charles. Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group at age 14, along with his brother, Muff. Steves distinctive high tenor singing voice and vocal style drew comparisons to Ray Charles, at the end of 1965 the group had their first number one single with Keep On Running and the money from this success allowed Winwood to buy his own Hammond B-3 organ. During this time Winwood joined forces with guitarist Eric Clapton as part of the one-off group Eric Clapton, songs were recorded for the Elektra label, but only three tracks made the compilation album, Whats Shakin. Winwood co-wrote and recorded the hits Gimme Some Lovin and Im a Man before leaving the Spencer Davis Group, Winwood met drummer Jim Capaldi, guitarist Dave Mason, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood when they jammed together at The Elbow Room, a club in Aston, Birmingham. After Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, the quartet formed Traffic, soon thereafter, they rented a cottage near the rural village of Aston Tirrold, Berkshire to write and rehearse new music
11.
Elvis Costello
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Declan Patrick MacManus, better known by his stage name Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. His critically acclaimed album, My Aim Is True, was released in 1977. Shortly after recording it, he formed the Attractions as his backing band and his second album, This Years Model, was released in 1978, and was ranked number 11 by Rolling Stone on its list of the best albums from 1967–1987. His third album, Armed Forces, was released in 1979 and his first three albums all appeared on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Costello and the Attractions toured and recorded together for the part of a decade. Much of Costellos work since has been as a solo artist, steeped in wordplay, the vocabulary of Costellos lyrics is broad. His music has drawn on many genres, one critic described him as a pop encyclopaedia. He has won awards in his career, including a Grammy Award. In 2003, Costello and the Attractions were inducted into the Rock, in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Costello number 80 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Costello has co-written several original songs for motion pictures, including God Give Me Strength from Grace of My Heart, for the latter, Costello was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Costello was born in 25 August 1954 at St Marys Hospital, London, the son of Lilian Alda and Ross MacManus, Costello lived in Twickenham, attending Archbishop Myers R. C. School, which is now St Marks Catholic Secondary School, in neighbouring Hounslow, with a musically inclined father, Costellos first broadcast recording was with his father in a television commercial for R. Whites Lemonade. His father wrote and sang the song, Costello provided backing vocals, the advertisement won a silver award at the 1974 International Advertising Festival. Costello moved with his Liverpool-born mother to Birkenhead, Cheshire, in 1971, there, he formed his first band, a folk duo called Rusty, with Allan Mayes. After completing secondary school at St. Francis Xaviers College he moved back to London where he formed a band called Flip City. They were active from 1974 through to early 1976, around this time, Costello adopted the stage name D. P. His father had performed under the name Day Costello, and Elvis has said in interviews that he took this name as a tribute to his father and he worked for a short period as a computer operator at the Midland Bank computer centre in Bootle. He continued to write songs and began looking for a recording contract
12.
Lou Reed
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Lewis Allan Lou Reed was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, the Velvet Underground was unsuccessful during their active years, but gained a significant cult following to become one of the most widely acclaimed and influential bands in rock history. Brian Eno famously stated that, while the Velvet Undergrounds debut album sold only 30,000 copies, Reeds solo career began in 1972. He had a hit the year with Walk on the Wild Side. Reed was known for his distinctive voice and poetic lyrics. Reed was born on March 2,1942 at Beth El Hospital in Brooklyn and grew up in Freeport, contrary to some sources, his birth name was Lewis Allan Reed, not Louis Firbanks, a name that was coined as a joke by Lester Bangs in Creem magazine. Reed was the son of Toby and Sidney Joseph Reed, an accountant and his family was Jewish, and although he said that he was Jewish, he added, My God is rocknroll. Its an obscure power that can change your life, the most important part of my religion is to play guitar. Reed attended Atkinson Elementary School in Freeport and went on to Freeport Junior High School and his sister said that as a teenager, he suffered panic attacks, became socially awkward and possessed a fragile temperament but was highly focused on things that he liked – principally music. Having learned to play the guitar from the radio, he developed an early interest in rock and roll and rhythm and blues, Reed began experimenting with drugs at the age of 16. His first recording was as a member of a group called the Jades. His love for playing music and his desire to play gigs brought him into confrontation with his anxious, visiting a psychologist, Reeds parents were made to feel guilty as inadequate parents, and consented to electroconvulsive therapy. Reed appeared to blame his father principally for what he had subjected to. He wrote about the experience in his 1974 song, Kill Your Sons, in an interview, Reed said of the experience, They put the thing down your throat so you dont swallow your tongue, and they put electrodes on your head. Thats what was recommended in Rockland County then to discourage homosexual feelings, the effect is that you lose your memory and become a vegetable. You cant read a book because you get to page 17 and have to go back to page one again. Upon his recovery from the bout of illness and associated treatment, Reed resumed his education at Syracuse University in 1960, studying journalism, film directing and he was a platoon leader in ROTC and was later expelled from the program for holding an unloaded gun to his superiors head. In 1961, he began hosting a radio program on WAER called Excursions On A Wobbly Rail
