1.
Cy Coleman
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Cy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman on June 14,1929, in New York City to Eastern European Jewish parents and his mother, Ida was an apartment landlady and his father was a brickmason. He was a prodigy who gave piano recitals at Steinway Hall, Town Hall. Before beginning his fabled Broadway career, he led the Cy Coleman Trio, despite the early classical and jazz success, Coleman decided to build a career in popular music. His first collaborator was Joseph Allen McCarthy, but his most successful early partnership, the pair wrote many pop hits, including Witchcraft and The Best Is Yet to Come. One of his instrumentals, Playboys Theme, became the music of the regular TV shows and specials presented by Playboy. Colemans career as a Broadway composer began when he and Leigh collaborated on Wildcat, the score included the hit tune Hey, Look Me Over. When Ball became ill, she left the show, and it closed, next for the two was Little Me, with a book by Neil Simon based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Dennis. The show introduced Real Live Girl and Ive Got Your Number, in 1964, Coleman met Dorothy Fields at a party, and when he asked if she would like to collaborate with him, she is reported to have answered, Thank God somebody asked. The show was a success and Coleman found working with Fields much easier than with Leigh. The partnership was to work on two more shows – an aborted project about Eleanor Roosevelt, and Seesaw which reached Broadway in 1973 after a troubled out-of-town tour, despite mixed reviews, the show enjoyed a healthy run. The partnership was cut short by Fields death in 1974, Coleman remained prolific in the late 1970s. Also in 1970 he produced the single Lying Here, later in the decade, he collaborated on Welcome to the Club with A. E. Hotchner, and City of Angels with David Zippel. In the latter, inspired by the detective film noir of the 1930s and 1940s, he returned to his jazz roots. Colemans film scores include Father Goose, The Art of Love, Garbo Talks, Power, Coleman was on the ASCAP Board of Directors for many years and also served as their Vice Chairman Writer. One final musical with a Coleman score played in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum Dec. 2003-Jan,2004 under the title Like Jazz, as a Broadway tryout. Investor Transamerica Capital went forward with plans to mount a Broadway production renamed In the Pocket, dirk Decloedt and Maurice Hines were announced as director and choreographer with an anticipated opening in Spring 2006 but it never opened. Coleman studied at the The High School of Music & Art, Coleman died of cardiac arrest on November 18,2004 at New York Hospital,11,59 pm at the age of 75
2.
Dorothy Fields
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Dorothy Fields was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films, along with Ann Ronell, Dana Suesse, Bernice Petkere, and Kay Swift, she was one of the first successful Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood female songwriters. Fields was born in Allenhurst, New Jersey, and grew up in New York City, Fields went to and graduated in 1923 from the Benjamin Franklin School for Girls in New York City. At school, she was outstanding in the subjects of English, drama and her poems were even published in the school’s literary magazine. Her family, was involved in show business. Her father, Lew Fields, was a Jewish immigrant from Poland and they were known as the Weber and Fields vaudeville act. When the duo separated in 1904, Lew Fields went on to further his career in another direction, from 1904 till 1916, he produced about 40 Broadway shows, and was even nicknamed “The King of Musical Comedy” because of his achievements. She had two brothers, Joseph and Herbert, who also became successful on Broadway, Joseph as a writer and producer. Despite her natural familial connections to the theatre via her father, he disapproved of her choice to pursue acting and this began when he refused to let her take a job with a stock company in Yonkers. Hence Dorothy began working as a teacher and a laboratory assistant, in 1926, Fields met the popular song composer J. Fred Coots, who proposed that the two begin writing songs together. Nothing actually came out of interaction and introduction, however Coots introduced Fields to another composer and song-plugger. Fieldss career as a professional songwriter took off in 1928 when Jimmy McHugh, Fields and McHugh teamed up until 1935. Songs from this period include I Cant Give You Anything But Love, Exactly Like You, during the later 1920s, she and McHugh wrote specialty numbers for the various Cotton Club revues, many of which were recorded by Duke Ellington. In the mid 1930s, Fields started to write lyrics for films and collaborated with other composers, with Kern, she worked on the movie version of Roberta, and also on their greatest success, Swing Time. The song The Way You Look Tonight earned the Fields/Kern team an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936 and she wrote the lyrics for the 1936 movie The King Steps Out by directed by Josef von Sternberg based on the early years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Fields returned to New York and worked again on Broadway shows, in the 1940s, she teamed up with her brother Herbert Fields, with whom she wrote the books for three Cole Porter shows, Lets Face It. Something for the Boys, and Mexican Hayride, in 1946, Fields approached Oscar Hammerstein II with her idea for a new musical based on the life of famous female sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Hammerstein liked the idea and agreed to produce the show, Kern and Fields were signed on to write the songs in the show
3.
Musical theatre
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Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement, since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals. These were followed by the numerous Edwardian musical comedies and the theatre works of American creators like George M. Cohan. Musicals are performed around the world and they may be presented in large venues, such as big-budget Broadway or West End productions in New York City or London. Alternatively, musicals may be staged in smaller fringe theatre, Off-Broadway or regional theatre productions, musicals are often presented by amateur and school groups in churches, schools and other performance spaces. In addition to the United States and Britain, there are vibrant musical theatre scenes in continental Europe, Asia, Australasia, Canada, the three main components of a book musical are its music, lyrics and book. The interpretation of a musical is the responsibility of its team, which includes a director. A musicals production is also characterized by technical aspects, such as set design, costumes, stage properties, lighting. The creative team, designs and interpretations generally change from the production to succeeding productions. Some production elements, however, may be retained from the production, for example. There is no fixed length for a musical, while it can range from a short one-act entertainment to several acts and several hours in length, most musicals range from one and a half to three hours. Musicals are usually presented in two acts, with one intermission, and the first act is frequently longer than the second. A book musical is usually built four to six main theme tunes that are reprised later in the show. Several shorter musicals on Broadway and in the West End have been presented in one act in recent decades, moments of greatest dramatic intensity in a book musical are often performed in song. Proverbially, when the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing, typically, many fewer words are sung in a five-minute song than are spoken in a five-minute block of dialogue. Therefore, there is time to develop drama in a musical than in a straight play of equivalent length. Within the compressed nature of a musical, the writers must develop the characters, the material presented in a musical may be original, or it may be adapted from novels, plays, classic legends, historical events or films. On the other hand, many musical theatre works have been adapted for musical films, such as West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Oliver
4.
Sweet Charity
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Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and it is based on Federico Fellinis screenplay for Nights of Cabiria. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for 9 Tony Awards, the musical was adapted for the screen in 1969 with Shirley MacLaine as Charity and John McMartin recreating his Broadway role as Oscar Lindquist. Bob Fosse directed and choreographed this film, the young woman Charity Hope Valentine is a taxi dancer at a dance hall called the Fandango Ballroom in New York City. With a shoulder bag and a heart tattooed on her left shoulder, while Charlie silently preens himself, Charity speaks the pick-up lines she imagines him saying, and tells him how handsome he is. Charlie then steals her handbag and pushes her into the lake before running off, passers-by discuss the apparent drowning but do nothing, until a young Spaniard finally rescues her. In the Hostess Room of the Fandango Ballroom, Charity tries to convince herself and the other skeptical taxi dancers that Charlie tried to save her. Nickie, a dancer, tells Charity that her problem is you run your heart like a hotel — youve always got people checking in. The manager, Herman, arrives to them it is time for work. The hostess dancers proposition the audience in the front room of the Fandango Ballroom, Helene and Nickie try to comfort Charity about Charlies absence. On the street, after work, Charity gives to every beggar who approaches her until she realizes she has no money, just then, film star Vittorio Vidal rushes out of the smart Pompeii Club, in pursuit of his beautiful mistress, Ursula. Ursula refuses to go back inside with Vittorio, who takes the only-too-willing Charity instead. Inside the Pompeii Club, the dancers are dancing the latest craze, to everyones astonishment, the famous Vittorio is accompanied by the unknown Charity. She tries to him away from the subject of Ursula. Not having eaten since breakfast, Charity faints, there is general agreement amongst the dancers that she needs to be laid down. And Charity recovers enough to prompt Vittorio with your apartment, lying down on Vittorios bed, Charity claims she is no longer hungry. She admits she is a dance hall hostess, putting it down to the finger of fate. Vittorio is struck by her humor and honesty, starstruck, Charity asks for a signed photograph to prove to the girls she was really in his apartment
5.
Bob Fosse
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Robert Louis Bob Fosse was an American dancer, musical theatre choreographer, director, screenwriter, film director and actor. He won eight Tony Awards for choreography, more than anyone else and he was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning for his direction of Cabaret. Fosse was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 23,1927, to a Norwegian American father, Cyril K. Fosse, and Irish-born mother, Sara Alice Fosse, the second youngest of six. He teamed up with Charles Grass, another dancer. They toured theaters throughout the Chicago area, after being recruited, Fosse was placed in the variety show Tough Situation, which toured military and naval bases in the Pacific. Fosse moved to New York City with the ambition of being the new Fred Astaire and his appearance with his first wife and dance partner Mary Ann Niles in Call Me Mister brought him to the attention of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Fosse was signed to a MGM contract in 1953 and his early screen appearances included Give A Girl A Break, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis and Kiss Me Kate, all released in 1953. A short sequence that he choreographed in the latter brought him to the attention of Broadway producers, although Fosses acting career in film was cut short by typecasting, he was reluctant to move from Hollywood to theater. Nevertheless, he made the move, and in 1954, he choreographed his first musical, The Pajama Game and it was while working on the latter show that he first met the rising star whom he was to marry in 1960, Gwen Verdon. Verdon won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in Damn Yankees, in 1957 Fosse choreographed New Girl in Town, also directed by Abbott, and Verdon won her second Leading Actress Tony. That year he also choreographed the film version of Pajama Game starring Doris Day, in 1960, Fosse was, for the first time, both director and choreographer of a musical called simply Redhead. With Redhead, Verdon won her third Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, Verdon starred in Sweet Charity in 1966, with Fosse again the choreographer-director, and she starred in Chicago in 1975, with Fosse as director and choreographer. Fosse performed a song and dance number in Stanley Donens 1974 film version of The Little Prince, according to AllMusic, Bob Fosse stops the show with a slithery dance routine. In 1977, Fosse had a role in the romantic comedy Thieves. Notable distinctions of Fosses style included the use of turned-in knees, the famous Fosse Amoeba, sideways shuffling, rolled shoulders, with Astaire as an influence, he used props such as bowler hats, canes and chairs. His trademark use of hats was influenced by his own self-consciousness, according to Martin Gottfried in his biography of Fosse, His baldness was the reason that he wore hats, and was doubtless why he put hats on his dancers. He used gloves in his performances because he did not like his hands, some of his most popular numbers include Steam Heat and Big Spender. The Rich Mans Frug scene in Sweet Charity is another example of his signature style and his first, Sweet Charity, starring Shirley MacLaine, is an adaptation of the Broadway musical he had directed and choreographed
6.
Single (music)
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In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record, an album or an EP record. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats, in most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular, in other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album. As digital downloading and audio streaming have become prevalent, it is often possible for every track on an album to also be available separately. Nevertheless, the concept of a single for an album has been retained as an identification of a heavily promoted or more popular song within an album collection. Despite being referred to as a single, singles can include up to as many as three tracks on them. The biggest digital music distributor, iTunes, accepts as many as three tracks less than ten minutes each as a single, as well as popular music player Spotify also following in this trend. Any more than three tracks on a release or longer than thirty minutes in total running time is either an Extended Play or if over six tracks long. The basic specifications of the single were made in the late 19th century. Gramophone discs were manufactured with a range of speeds and in several sizes. By about 1910, however, the 10-inch,78 rpm shellac disc had become the most commonly used format, the inherent technical limitations of the gramophone disc defined the standard format for commercial recordings in the early 20th century.26 rpm. With these factors applied to the 10-inch format, songwriters and performers increasingly tailored their output to fit the new medium, the breakthrough came with Bob Dylans Like a Rolling Stone. Singles have been issued in various formats, including 7-inch, 10-inch, other, less common, formats include singles on digital compact cassette, DVD, and LD, as well as many non-standard sizes of vinyl disc. Some artist release singles on records, a more common in musical subcultures. The most common form of the single is the 45 or 7-inch. The names are derived from its speed,45 rpm. The 7-inch 45 rpm record was released 31 March 1949 by RCA Victor as a smaller, more durable, the first 45 rpm records were monaural, with recordings on both sides of the disc. As stereo recordings became popular in the 1960s, almost all 45 rpm records were produced in stereo by the early 1970s
7.
Shirley Bassey
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In January 1959, Bassey became the first Welsh person to gain a No.1 single. In 2000, Bassey was made a Dame for services to the performing arts, in 1977 she received the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in the previous 25 years. Bassey has been called one of the most popular vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century. Shirley Veronica Bassey was the sixth and youngest child of Henry Bassey and Eliza Jane Start and she grew up in the adjacent community of Splott. At the time, Tiger Bay was one of the largest ports in the world and was very multi-ethnic and her father was Nigerian, and her mother was English, from Teesside. Two of her mothers four children from previous relationships lived in the Bassey household, Eliza and Henrys second child died in infancy, so Shirley was born into a household of three sisters, two half-sisters, and one brother. Teachers and students alike at Moorland Road School noticed Basseys strong voice, even in the school choir the teacher kept telling me to back off till I was singing in the corridor. A classmate recalled her singing the refrain Cant help lovin that man of mine from Show Boat with such feeling that she made their teacher uncomfortable. After leaving Splott Secondary Modern School at age 14, Bassey found employment at a factory while singing in public houses and clubs in the evenings and on weekends. In 1953, Bassey signed her first professional contract, to sing in the variety show Memories of Jolson. She next took up an engagement in Hot from Harlem. Pregnant at 16 with her first child and unwilling to reveal the name of the childs father, in 1955, Bassey toured various theatres until she was noticed by the impresario Jack Hylton. He invited her to feature in Al Reads Such Is Life at the Adelphi Theatre in Londons West End, during the shows run, Philips record producer Johnny Franz spotted her on television, was impressed, and offered her a recording deal. Bassey recorded her first single, Burn My Candle, released in February 1956, owing to the suggestive lyrics, the BBC banned it, but it sold well enough nonetheless, backed with her powerful rendition of Stormy Weather. More singles followed, and in February 1957, Bassey had her first hit with The Banana Boat Song and she then made her American stage début in Las Vegas at El Rancho Vegas. In mid-1958, she recorded two singles that would become classics in the Bassey catalogue. As I Love You was released as the B-side of another ballad, Hands Across the Sea, it did not sell well at first, but after an appearance at the London Palladium sales began to pick up. In January 1959, As I Love You reached No.1 and stayed there for four weeks, it was the first No.1 single by a Welsh artist
8.
Jazz
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Jazz is a music genre that originated amongst African Americans in New Orleans, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in Blues and Ragtime. Since the 1920s jazz age, jazz has become recognized as a form of musical expression. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms, Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Although the foundation of jazz is deeply rooted within the Black experience of the United States, different cultures have contributed their own experience, intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as one of Americas original art forms. As jazz spread around the world, it drew on different national, regional, and local musical cultures, New Orleans jazz began in the early 1910s, combining earlier brass-band marches, French quadrilles, biguine, ragtime and blues with collective polyphonic improvisation. In the 1930s, heavily arranged dance-oriented swing big bands, Kansas City jazz, bebop emerged in the 1940s, shifting jazz from danceable popular music toward a more challenging musicians music which was played at faster tempos and used more chord-based improvisation. Cool jazz developed in the end of the 1940s, introducing calmer, smoother sounds and long, modal jazz developed in the late 1950s, using the mode, or musical scale, as the basis of musical structure and improvisation. Jazz-rock fusion appeared in the late 1960s and early 1970s, combining jazz improvisation with rock rhythms, electric instruments. In the early 1980s, a form of jazz fusion called smooth jazz became successful. Other styles and genres abound in the 2000s, such as Latin, the question of the origin of the word jazz has resulted in considerable research, and its history is well documented. It is believed to be related to jasm, a term dating back to 1860 meaning pep. The use of the word in a context was documented as early as 1915 in the Chicago Daily Tribune. Its first documented use in a context in New Orleans was in a November 14,1916 Times-Picayune article about jas bands. In an interview with NPR, musician Eubie Blake offered his recollections of the slang connotations of the term, saying, When Broadway picked it up. That was dirty, and if you knew what it was, the American Dialect Society named it the Word of the Twentieth Century. Jazz has proved to be difficult to define, since it encompasses such a wide range of music spanning a period of over 100 years. Attempts have been made to define jazz from the perspective of other musical traditions, in the opinion of Robert Christgau, most of us would say that inventing meaning while letting loose is the essence and promise of jazz. As Duke Ellington, one of jazzs most famous figures, said, although jazz is considered highly difficult to define, at least in part because it contains so many varied subgenres, improvisation is consistently regarded as being one of its key elements
9.
United Artists Records
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Brazilian soprano Bidu Sayão was the featured soloist on the unusual recording, which was released on both LP and reel-to-reel tape. Berry Gordy placed a number of early Motown acts with UA including Marv Johnson, UA signed Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller ro produce the variety of artists signed to the label after they left Atlantic. They had hits with the Exciters, Bobby Goldsboro, Jay and the Americans, UA also covered folk with the inclusion of Gordon Lightfoot on the roster, and easy listening mood music with the piano duo Ferrante & Teicher. The soundtracks from the James Bond movies and A Hard Days Night were very popular United Artists releases in the 1960s. However, the soundtrack album of United Artists film musical, West Side Story, was released by Columbia Records. As Henry Mancini was signed to RCA Victor, that handled the soundtracks of the United Artists films that he composed the music for. In addition to soundtracks and pop output, United Artists also produced a series of records under the Tale Spinners For Children name throughout the 1960s. These were album-length adaptations of fairy tales and childrens stories done in an audio drama format. United Artists also had a few labels, Unart, Ascot, United Artists Jazz, Musicor Ultra Audio. Unart was initially created in 1958 and was only in operation until 1959 producing some vocal group 45 singles, United Artists involvement with jazz was significant. The company recruited Alan Douglas in 1960 to run its new jazz department, the companys jazz included albums by Duke Ellington and Art Farmer, although there were only a few jazz titles after about 1963. In 1961, designer and photographer Frank Gauna who worked with Alan Douglas joined the company as art director after Candid Records was discontinued, Gauna photographed and designed a variety of album covers for the company. Around 1966 a subsidiary jazz label Solid State was founded, which lasted until 1969, on recordings by the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and Chick Corea. After the merger, Libertys ownership of Blue Note resulted in Solid States artists being transferred to the more prestigious label, and Solid State itself was wound up. In 1966 United Artists acquired the masters of Sue Records, a New York R&B/soul label whose artist roster included Ike & Tina Turner, Justine Baby Washington, some Sue material was reissued on Unart. United Artists Special Projects were budget records designed for product and movie tie-ins, in 1969, United Artists merged with co-owned Liberty Records and its subsidiary Imperial Records. Mainstream pop acts were signed to the label, among them being Traffic, the Spencer Davis Group, Peter Sarstedt, Shirley Bassey, the label also attempted, without success, to update the style of 1950s rock group Bill Haley & His Comets with a 1968 single. Later, through a deal with Don Ardens Jet Records
10.
Songwriter
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A songwriter is an individual who writes the lyrics, melodies and chord progressions for songs, typically for a popular music genre such as rock or country music. A songwriter can also be called a composer, although the term tends to be used mainly for individuals from the classical music genre. The pressure from the industry to produce popular hits means that songwriting is often an activity for which the tasks are distributed between a number of people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with a songwriter with a gift for creating original melodies, pop songs may be written by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own publishers, while others have outside publishers. The old-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degrees and college diplomas, a knowledge of modern music technology, songwriting elements and business skills are necessary requirements to make a songwriting career in the 2010s. Several music colleges offer songwriting diplomas and degrees with music business modules, the legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or transferred. This is governed by international copyright law, song pitching can be done on a songwriters behalf by their publisher or independently using tip sheets like RowFax, the MusicRow publication and SongQuarters. Skills associated with song-writing include entrepreneurism and creativity, songwriters who sign an exclusive songwriting agreement with a publisher are called staff writers. In the Nashville country music scene, there is a staff writer culture where contracted writers work normal 9-to-5 hours at the publishing office and are paid a regular salary. This salary is in effect the writers draw, an advance on future earnings, the publisher owns the copyright of songs written during the term of the agreement for a designated period, after which the songwriter can reclaim the copyright. In an interview with HitQuarters, songwriter Dave Berg extolled the benefits of the set-up, unlike contracted writers, some staff writers operate as employees for their respective publishers. Under the terms of work for hire agreements, the compositions created are fully owned by the publisher. In Nashville, young writers are often encouraged to avoid these types of contracts. Staff writers are common across the industry, but without the more office-like working arrangements favored in Nashville. All the major publishers employ writers under contract, songwriter Allan Eshuijs described his staff writer contract at Universal Music Publishing as a starter deal. His success under the arrangement eventually allowed him to found his own publishing company, so that he could. keep as much as possible, songwriters are also often skilled musicians. In addition to selling their songs and musical concepts for other artists to sing, songwriters need to create a number of elements for a song
11.
Record producer
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A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performers music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process, the roles of a producer vary. The producer may perform these roles himself, or help select the engineer, the producer may also pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record companies budget. A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording. Producers also often take on an entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, contracts. In the 2010s, the industry has two kinds of producers with different roles, executive producer and music producer. Executive producers oversee project finances while music producers oversee the process of recording songs or albums. In most cases the producer is also a competent arranger, composer. The producer will also liaise with the engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation actually is music director. The music producers job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music, at the beginning of record industry, producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1950s and 1960s due to technological developments, the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously, all of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio and the performance had to be recorded. As well, for a song that used 20 instruments, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. Examples include the rock sound effects of the 1960s, e. g. playing back the sound of recorded instruments backwards or clanging the tape to produce unique sound effects. These new instruments were electric or electronic, and thus they used instrument amplifiers, new technologies like multitracking changed the goal of recording, A producer could blend together multiple takes and edit together different sections to create the desired sound. For example, in jazz fusion Bandleader-composer Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio, other examples of such engineers includes Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Brian Wilson, and Biddu
12.
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
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The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is a 2004 British-American television film about the life of English comedian Peter Sellers, based on Roger Lewiss book of the same name. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and it also won nine Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Rush. The film shows Peter Sellers as a complex and tormented genius, whose success as a film star concealed his difficult, the film makes clear that much of his success and identity were dependent initially on his domineering and doting mother. Eventually this success, first in radio and eventually in film, led to his succumbing to destructive mood swings and insecurity, discovering his gift for comedy, his ego began to undermine his personal relationships with friends and co-workers. His own personality often merged with that of his film characters, many familiar faces have small roles in the film, Edward Tudor-Pole plays Spike Milligan and The League of Gentlemens Steve Pemberton plays Harry Secombe. Mackenzie Crook of The Office also has a role as a luxury automobile salesman. Ray Ellington was played by his son, Lance Ellington, Rush impersonates most of the important characters that Sellers played in his film career. Actor Geoffrey Rush stated in interviews that the film was structured to be reminiscent of a Peter Sellers film. However, it was darker than Sellers actual films since it depicted Sellers troubled experiences in his life and this included at various times Rush dressing up to play other characters in his life. In these instances he broke the wall to give a monologue to the audience. For all the success and the women, he is rather a lonely, and that is what redeems him. Hollywood was immediately interested in adapting Lewiss biography, in the mid-1990s Madonnas company Maverick bought the rights, but the Sellers project did not get off the ground. Many different writers worked on the screenplay, among them Lee Hall, eventually the writers Christopher Markus, strangelove and Hal Ashbys Being There. Being There is shown to be the one film about which Sellers was truly passionate since it gave him an opportunity to display his skills as an actor, the film achieved its highest theatrical success in Australia, earning close to US$1 million at the box office. The Belfast Telegraph notes how the film captured Sellerss life of drugs, drink, fast cars and he may have been a brilliant actor, but as a human being he had no saving graces at all. The man on the screen is charmless, humourless and boring - the one thing you could never say about Peter, the Life and Death of Peter Sellers was nominated for the Palme dOr at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Geoffrey Rush won for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
13.
Nynne
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Nynne is a Danish film directed by Jonas Elmer, starring Mille Dinesen. It is based on the bestselling Danish novel Nynnes dagbog by Henriette Lind, Lotte Thorsen and Anette Vestergaard, Nynne was the fourth-most seen film total in theaters in Denmark in 2005, with 429,301 tickets sold. Dinesen reprised the role in a series the following year. The film is about Nynne, who lives in the city and she is single, in her 30s, comforts herself with power shopping, has unsuccessful dates, loves to gossip with her friends, and has a hangover every weekend. CD track list Clark Anderson – Real Love Terry Walker – Ain’t No Love Alex – Os To, johnny Deluxe – Det Du Gør Bryan Rice – No Promises Søs Fenger – Lykken Vender Eddie Holman – Hey There Lonely Girl Remee Allstars – My Way Pelding Feat. Joy Morgan – Little Girl Blue Brinck – Its My Life Beverley Knight – Keep This Fire Burning New Originals Feat
14.
Prince Philip
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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Philip was born into the Greek and he was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was an infant. After being educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939, from July 1939, he began corresponding with the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth, whom he had first met in 1934. During the Second World War he served with the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets, after the war, Philip was granted permission by King George VI to marry Elizabeth. After an engagement of five months, he married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947, just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh. Philip left active service when Elizabeth became Queen in 1952. He was formally made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, Philip has four children with Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. He has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, a keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He is a patron of over 800 organisations and serves as chairman of the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme for people aged 14 to 24 and he is the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the oldest-ever male member of the British royal family. Philips four elder sisters were Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and he was baptised into the Greek Orthodox Church. His godparents were Queen Olga of Greece and the Mayor of Corfu, shortly after Philips birth, his maternal grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg, then known as Louis Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven, died in London. Louis was a naturalised British citizen, who, after a career in the Royal Navy, had renounced his German titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten during the First World War. After visiting London for the memorial, Philip and his mother returned to Greece where Prince Andrew had remained behind to command an army division embroiled in the Greco-Turkish War, the war went badly for Greece and the Turks made large gains. On 22 September 1922, Philips uncle, King Constantine I, was forced to abdicate, the commander of the army, General Georgios Hatzianestis, and five senior politicians were executed. Prince Andrews life was believed to be in danger, and Alice was under surveillance, in December, a revolutionary court banished Prince Andrew from Greece for life. The British naval vessel HMS Calypso evacuated Prince Andrews family, with Philip carried to safety in a cot made from a fruit box. Philips family went to France, where settled in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud in a house lent to them by his wealthy aunt, Princess George of Greece. Because Philip left Greece as a baby, he not have a strong grasp of Greek
15.
Glastonbury Festival
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Glastonbury Festival is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place near Pilton, Somerset. In addition to music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages, films and albums recorded at Glastonbury have been released, and the festival receives extensive television and newspaper coverage. The majority of staff are volunteers, helping the festival to raise millions of pounds for good causes, regarded as a major event in British culture, the festival is inspired by the ethos of the hippie, counterculture, and free festival movements. It retains vestiges of these traditions, such as the Green Fields area, after the 1970s, the festival took place almost every year and grew in size, with the number of attendees sometimes being swollen by gatecrashers. Michael Eavis hosted the first festival, then called Pilton Festival, after seeing an open-air Led Zeppelin concert at the 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. They featured works by composers, sponsored by the Clark family, as well as a wide range of traditional works, from Everyman to James Shirleys Cupid. The festival retains vestiges of this such as the Green Fields area, encompassing the Green Futures. The first festival at Worthy Farm was the Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival, mounted by Michael Eavis on Saturday 19 September 1970, and attended by 1,500 people. The original headline acts were The Kinks and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders but these acts were replaced at short notice by Tyrannosaurus Rex, Other billed acts of note were Quintessence, Stackridge, and Al Stewart. The 1971 festival featured the first incarnation of the Pyramid Stage, conceived by Bill Harkin the stage was a one-tenth replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza built from scaffolding and metal sheeting and positioned over a blind spring which was found by dowsing. Performers included David Bowie, Mighty Baby, Traffic, Fairport Convention, Gong, Hawkwind, Skin Alley, The Worthy Farm Windfuckers and Melanie. It was paid for by its supporters and advocates of its ideal, and embraced a mediaeval tradition of music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights, the 1971 festival was filmed by Nicolas Roeg and David Puttnam and was released as a film called simply Glastonbury Fayre. The 1980s saw the festival become a fixture, barring periodic fallow years. In 1981, Michael Eavis took control of the festival, and that year a new Pyramid Stage was constructed from telegraph poles and metal sheeting, a permanent structure which doubled as a hay-barn and cow-shed during the winter. In the 1980s, the area of the festival became the starting point for a new childrens charity called Childrens World. 1981 was the first year that the festival profits. Since 1983, large festivals have required licences from local authorities and this led to certain restrictions being placed on the festival, including a crowd limit and specified times during which the stages could operate
16.
Get the Party Started (album)
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Get the Party Started is a 2007 album by Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey. Released in June 2007, the album features newly remixed tracks by contemporary producers, the remixes feature recorded vocal tracks previously issued in the 1980s and 90s. I Will Survive was recorded in 1996 for the album The Show Must Go On but was not issued at that time. In addition, the features new recordings including a cover version of Pinks Get the Party Started. The album project was spearheaded by Bassey and saw her working with songwriting partners Catherine Feeney and Nikki Lamborn, the album was released in the UK and Europe on Monday 25 June 2007 without being leaked onto the internet before the release date. It entered the UK Albums Chart at #6, her highest chart position for an album since 1970. On 22 July 2013 it was awarded a silver disc by BPI, get the Party Started Big Spender I This is My Life Slave to the Rhythm Can I Touch You There. What Now My Love Kiss Me Honey, Honey Hello You Only Live Twice The Living Tree * Where Is the Love I Will Survive * New recordings exclusive to this release. Get the Party Started The album was re-issued in November 2009 as a download only with several bonus tracks. Get the Party Started Big Spender The Living Tree The Living Tree Get the Party Started
17.
I Am What I Am (Shirley Bassey album)
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I Am What I Am was the only studio album recorded by Shirley Bassey for the Towerbell Records label. Several other tracks were recorded at this label and issued as singles only. The recording sessions took place at Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, in July, following the success of the previous album All by Myself, this album peaked at number 25 in the UK album chart and reached Gold status. This release was the first digitally recorded album made by Shirley Bassey and was issued on vinyl, cassette, consisting of mainly re-recordings from Shirley Basseys back catalogue and two new songs, this album was recorded live with The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carl Davies. The album also reunited Shirley Bassey with Norman Newell, who had served successfully as her producer throughout the 1960s, Towerbell Records is now defunct but this album has been re-issued on CD many times on various labels. Several of the performances made for this recording were remixed for the 2007 album Get the Party Started. arcor. de/bassey/info/trkl048. html
18.
Peggy Lee
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Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on radio to singing with Benny Goodmans big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist. During her career, she wrote music for films, acted and she and her family were Lutherans. Her father was Swedish-American and her mother was Norwegian-American, after her mother died when Lee was four, her father married Min Schaumber. Lee first sang professionally over KOVC radio in Valley City, North Dakota and she later had her own series on a radio show sponsored by a local restaurant that paid her a salary in food. Both during and after her school years, Lee sang for small sums on local radio stations. Radio personality Ken Kennedy, of WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota, Lee left home and traveled to Los Angeles at the age of 17. She returned to North Dakota for a tonsillectomy and was noticed by hotel owner Frank Bering while working at the Doll House in Palm Springs and it was here that she developed her trademark sultry purr – having decided to compete with the noisy crowd with subtlety rather than volume. Beringin offered her a gig at The Buttery Room, a nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel East in Chicago, There, she was noticed by bandleader Benny Goodman. According to Lee, Bennys then-fiancée, Lady Alice Duckworth, came into The Buttery, so the next evening she brought Benny in, because they were looking for a replacement for Helen Forrest. And although I didnt know, I was it and he was looking at me strangely, I thought, but it was just his preoccupied way of looking. I thought that he didnt like me at first, but it just was that he was preoccupied with what he was hearing and she joined his band in 1941 and stayed for two years. In 1942 Lee had her first No.1 hit, Somebody Else Is Taking My Place, which sold over a million copies and made her famous. She sang with Goodmans orchestra in two 1943 films, Stage Door Canteen and The Powers Girl, in March 1943 Lee married Dave Barbour, a guitarist in Goodmans band. Lee said, David joined Bennys band and there was a ruling that no one should fraternize with the girl singer, but I fell in love with David the first time I heard him play, and so I married him. Benny then fired David, so I quit, too, Benny and I made up, although David didnt play with him anymore. Its to Mr. Barbours credit that he refused to let his wifes singing and composing talent lay dormant for too long, I fell in love with David Barbour, she recalled. But Why Dont You Do Right was such a giant hit that I kept getting offers, and at that time it was a lot of money
19.
Chaka Khan
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Chaka Khan is an American recording artist whose career has spanned five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. Widely known as the Queen of Funk, Khan has won ten Grammys and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide, Khan was ranked at number 17 in VH1s original list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. In 2015, she was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time, Khan was the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with I Feel for You in 1984. In the course of her career, Khan has achieved three gold singles, three gold albums and one platinum album with I Feel for You. With Rufus, she achieved four gold singles, four gold albums, in December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 65th most successful dance artist of all-time. Chaka Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23,1953 into an artistic, bohemian household in Chicago, Illinois. She is the eldest of five born to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. She was raised in the Hyde Park area, an island in the middle of the madness of Chicagos rough South Side housing projects and her sister Yvonne later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother, Mark, who formed the funk group Aurra and she has two other sisters, Zaheva Stevens and Tammy McCrary. Chaka Khan was raised as a Catholic and she attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz as a child. Khan became a fan of rhythm and blues music as a pre-teen and at eleven formed a group, the Crystalettes. Though many think that she was given the name Chaka while in the Panthers she has made it clear that her name Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi was given to her at age 13 by a Yoruba Baba. In 1969, she left the Panthers and dropped out of school, having attended Calumet High School. She began to perform in groups around the Chicago area, first performing with Cash McCalls group Lyfe, which included her then boyfriend Hassan Khan. She was asked to replace Baby Huey of Baby Huey & the Babysitters after Hueys death in 1970, the group disbanded a year later. While performing in bands in 1972, she was spotted by two members of a new group called Rufus and soon won her position in the group. They later signed with ABC Records in 1973, prior to signing with the label, she married on-and-off boyfriend Hassan Khan, changing her stage name to Chaka Khan. In 1973, Rufus released their eponymous debut album and that changed when Wonder himself collaborated with the group on a song he had written for Khan
20.
ClassiKhan
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ClassiKhan also features the themes of classic film favourites from Khans youth, To Sir With Love and the James Bond themes Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever. The collection concludes with one new composition, the ballad I Believe, co-written by Khan, the title ClassiKhan is naturally also a reference to Khans accompaniment on the set. ClassiKhan was both a critical and commercial success, even reaching #42 on Billboards R&B albums chart. Hey Big Spender -3,18 Hazels Hips -2,59 Best Is Yet to Come -4,44 Crazy -3,09 Im in the Mood for Love -3,47 Is That All There Is, additional editing at 22nd St. Street Studios. Mastered at ARFI Digital Studios, NYC, NY, norman Scott - photography Giulio Costanzo - art direction, design
21.
Bette Midler
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Bette Midler is an American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian, and film producer. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her career in several Off-Off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist. In 2008, she signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to perform a series of shows titled Bette Midler, The Showgirl Must Go On, Midler made her motion picture debut in 1979 with The Rose, which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress. In the following years, she starred in a string of hit films, including, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Outrageous Fortune, Beaches, The First Wives Club, and The Stepford Wives. She starred in For the Boys and Gypsy, and won two additional Golden Globe awards for these films, in a career spanning almost half a century, Midler has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award. She has sold over 35 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, Midler is currently appearing on Broadway in a revival of Hello, Dolly. which began preview performances on March 15,2017, and will premiere at the Shubert Theatre on April 20th. It is her first leading role in a Broadway musical, Midler was born in Honolulu, where her family was one of the few Jewish families in a mostly Asian neighborhood. Her mother, Ruth, was a seamstress and housewife, and her father, Fred Midler, worked at a Navy base in Hawaii as a painter, and was also a housepainter. She was named after actress Bette Davis, though Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one, /ˈbɛt/ and she was raised in Aiea and attended Radford High School, in Honolulu. She was voted Most Talkative in the 1961 school Hoss Election, Midler majored in drama at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and was a sister of Delta Phi Epsilon international sorority, but left after three semesters. She earned money in the 1966 film Hawaii as an extra, Midler married artist Martin von Haselberg on December 16,1984, about six weeks after their first meeting. Their daughter, Sophie von Haselberg, who is also an actress, was born on November 14,1986, Midler relocated to New York City in the summer of 1965, using money from her work in the film Hawaii. She landed her first professional role in Tom Eyens Off-Off-Broadway plays in 1965, Miss Nefertiti Regrets and Cinderella Revisited, a childrens play by day. From 1966 to 1969, she played the role of Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway, after Fiddler, she joined the original cast of Salvation in 1969. She began singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in the Ansonia Hotel, during this time, she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first album in 1972, The Divine Miss M. It was during her time at the Continental Baths that she built up a core following. In the late 1990s, during the release of her album Bathhouse Betty, Midler commented on her time performing there, Despite the way turned out
22.
Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
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Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook is an album by Bette Midler. The DVD features are limited, offering just a few clips that could be described as videos. This album is known to have been affected by Extended Copy Protection technology. Fever -3,38 Alright, Okay, You Win -2,48 I Love Being Here With You -2,46 Duet With Barry Manilow Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe -4,54 Is That All There Is
23.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
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Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, television producer and director, singer/songwriter and author. Hewitt began her career as a child by appearing in television commercials. She rose to fame for her role as Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox teen drama Party of Five and she later starred in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer and its 1998 sequel. From 2005 to 2010, Hewitt starred as Melinda Gordon on the CBS supernatural drama Ghost Whisperer and she later starred on the Lifetime drama series The Client List from 2012 to 2013, and was previously nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the pilot film. From 2014 to 2015, she starred as Special Agent Kate Callahan on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds, in addition to acting, she has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects. As a singer, Hewitt has been signed by Atlantic Records and Jive Records and she has released four studio albums, including Love Songs, Lets Go Bang, Jennifer Love Hewitt and BareNaked. Her most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 is the 1999 release How Do I Deal and she has also contributed music to the promotion or soundtracks of acting projects. Hewitt was identified as the number one choice on the November 1999. TV Guide named her the sexiest woman on television in 2008, Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Patricia Mae, a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. Hewitt grew up in Nolanville, in Central Texas, and has close ties in parts of Arkansas. After their parents divorced, Hewitt and her older brother Todd were raised by their mother, Patricia Mae Hewitt died on June 12,2012, aged 67, following a battle with cancer. As a young girl, Hewitt was attracted to music, which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry, at the age of three, she sang The Greatest Love of All at a livestock show. The following year, at a hall, she entertained an audience with her version of Help Me Make it Through the Night. By age five, she had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio, at nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team. In Los Angeles, she attended Lincoln High School where her classmates included Jonathan Neville, after moving to Los Angeles, Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some for Mattel toys. Her first break came as an actor on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated. She later appeared in the action video short Dance. Workout with Barbie, released by Buena Vista and she played Pierce Brosnans daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde, which featured Brosnan as a reporter for Auto World magazine, whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures
24.
The Client List
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The Client List is a 2010 television film that premiered on the Lifetime Network on July 19,2010, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and directed by Eric Laneuville. A fictionalized dramatization of a 2004 prostitution scandal in Odessa, Texas, the film follows Sam Horton, a mother of three who becomes a prostitute to meet her financial obligations. Sam desperately starts looking for a job and when she applies for one at a massage parlor, at first, Sam refuses the job offer, but after one night when she is unable to pay for gas, she realizes how badly her family needs money. Seeing that she has no options left, Sam reluctantly accepts the position. Lying to her mother and her friends about the nature of her job, Sam starts bringing in a lot of money. In addition to the abundant money, Sam soon becomes the most popular masseuse among the clients, due to the stress of her job, Samantha starts sniffing cocaine as a means to keep up with her busy schedule. The police raid the massage parlour after a tip off and her husband leaves her after he sees the bust on TV. Sam gets help from a lawyer friend and she is tried and gets 30 days in jail on a plea bargain after spilling a list of 69 prominent clients in the small town. After being in jail for five weeks, Sam gets paroled, when she goes back home, several of the clients wives came to her house. Samantha is scared that they are going to lynch her, Samantha gets a job as a waitress, goes to Narcotics Anonymous meetings and went back to college. She also reconciles with her husband.9 million viewers and was the highest rated program for the evening amongst female viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, entertainment Weeklys Ken Tucker considered it a typical Lifetime film that offer cheap thrills … while offering moral uplift. Calling it malarkey, he felt that Hewitt was able to sell the film to the due to her talent for communicating sincerity. The film was released on DVD in January,2011 in North America, no release has been confirmed for other regions. On August 10,2011, it was announced that Lifetime has ordered production of The Client List television series based on the film, Hewitt reprised the lead role and also serves as executive producer. The series, however, is a re-imagining of the film, the series premiered on April 8,2012. On November 1,2013, Lifetime cancelled the series two seasons, the final episode of series aired on June 16,2013. Official website The Client List at the Internet Movie Database Jennifer Love Hewitt, TV, Prostitution, the Client List, Hewitt Parties With More Than Five
25.
Lana Del Rey
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Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer, songwriter, and model. Her music has been noted for its style, its preoccupation with themes of tragic romance and melancholia. Del Rey received further recognition after her major-label debut Born to Die peaked at two on the United States charts and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. Three of the EPs tracks were featured in her short film Tropico, in 2014, Del Rey released her third studio album, Ultraviolence, which received positive critical and commercial reception, it became her first number-one record in the United States. In 2015, following a North American tour with Courtney Love and Grimes, Del Rey released her studio album. It also received critical and commercial response, the album had the fourth highest first week sales by a female artist in 2015. Del Rey is set to release her studio album, titled Lust for Life. She has one sister, Caroline Grant, and one brother. Her paternal grandfather, Robert England Grant, Sr. was a Kidder, Peabody & Co. investment banker, a president for Plough, Inc and Textron. Del Rey grew up in rural Lake Placid, New York, and attended a Catholic elementary school and for one year and she began singing in her church choir when she was a child, where she was the cantor. At age fifteen, she was sent to Kent School by her parents to deal with her rampant alcohol abuse, her uncle, before becoming a singer, Del Rey wanted to be a poet. As a child, her father wrote country songs for personal enjoyment, while her mother was interested in singing, during this time, Del Reys uncle taught her how to play guitar, and she realized could probably write a million songs with those six chords. Shortly after, she began writing songs and performing in nightclubs around the city under various names such as Sparkle Jump Rope Queen and Lizzy Grant, I was always singing, but didnt plan on pursuing it seriously, Del Rey said. The following fall, she enrolled at Fordham University where she majored in philosophy, Del Rey said she chose to study the subject because it bridged the gap between God and science. I was interested in God and how technology could bring us closer to finding out where we came from, according to Del Rey, she had trouble making friends in boarding school and college, and said, that was when my musical experience began. I kind of people for myself. After college, she moved to Brooklyn, where she resided for four years. On April 25,2005, a compact disc was registered under Elizabeth Woolridge Grant with the United States Copyright Office
26.
Theophilus London
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Theophilus Musa London is a Trinidadian-born American rapper and singer. London was born in Trinidad, and later moved to Brooklyn and he then moved to the Poconos and graduated from Pocono Mountain East High School in 2006. His debut EP Lovers Holiday, released on Warner Bros. Records on February 7,2011, features TV on the Radios Dave Sitek, Sara Quin from Tegan and Sara, Glasser, and Solange Knowles. His full-length debut album Timez Are Weird These Days, mixed by noted producer Dan Carey, was released by Warner Brothers on July 19,2011, London was one of the headliners of the Northside Festival in Brooklyn in June 2011. On June 30,2011, London performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the buzz has been building for some time. He also said that he would be releasing a new mixtape titled I Want You Still, in September 2014, it was announced that the new album would be released in October and executive produced by Kanye West. 2011, Timez Are Weird These Days 2014, Vibes 2008, Jam
27.
ASAP Rocky
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Rakim Mayers, better known by his stage name ASAP Rocky, is an American rapper, record producer, director, actor and model from the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. He is a member of the hip hop group A$AP Mob, Rocky released his debut mixtape Live. A$AP, in 2011 to critical acclaim, the success of his mixtape led to a record deal with Polo Grounds Music, RCA Records, and Sony Music Entertainment. He subsequently recorded his 2013 debut album Long, A$AP, which was also well received by critics and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. In 2015, Rocky released his studio album titled At. The album debuted at one on the Billboard 200, making it Rockys second consecutive album to debut at number one and has received critical acclaim from music critics. Rocky has also directed videos for himself, Danny Brown. He is also a record producer, producing under the pseudonym Lord Flacko. Rakim Mayers was born on October 3,1988, in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan and his father was from Barbados, and his mother is African American. He has a sister, Erika B. Mayers first name was taken from the hip hop artist Rakim and his cousin is fellow ASAP Mob member ASAP Nast. Rocky started rapping at the age of 8, when he moved to Harrisburg and he learned how to rap from his older brother, who also wore the French braids hairdo that Mayers later adopted. When Mayers was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs, when Mayers was 13, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death inspired Rocky to take rapping more seriously, Mayers grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats. He was also influenced by Mobb Deep, Three 6 Mafia, UGK, Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan, A$AP Rocky sold drugs while moving around homeless shelters with his mother and sister. At the age of 15, he was selling crack in the Bronx, after living for a period in a shelter with his mother in New York City, he moved to midtown Manhattan. It had been formed by A$AP Yams, A$AP Bari and A$AP Illz, in July 2011, Rocky released his lesser known first mixtape Deep Purple which includes his first debut single Purple Swag. In August 2011, Rockys debut single Peso, was leaked online, after he released a music video for his song Purple Swag, he received attention from several record labels
28.
Skepta
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Joseph Junior Adenuga, better known by his stage name Skepta, is a British grime artist, songwriter, record producer and music video director. His fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, was released on 6 May 2016 to critical acclaim, Adenuga has stated ‘DIY’ music is the future and told Time Out magazine, I’m not a rapper. His influence on contemporary British popular culture as a key figure in the scene saw him appear on Debretts 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. Following the formation of Boy Better Know, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the DVD Lord of the Mics 2, shortly after the clash, Skepta released a mixtape entitled Joseph Junior Adenuga. He is the brother of fellow musician Jme and radio presenter Julie Adenuga, Skepta was originally a DJ from Tottenham-based grime crew Meridian Crew. Following the formation of Boy Better Know, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the DVD Lord of the Mics 2, shortly after the clash, Skepta released a mixtape entitled Joseph Junior Adenuga. Skepta publicly released his debut album Greatest Hits on 17 September 2007, Skepta self-released the first single Rolex Sweep in September 2008 and reached number 89 on the UK Singles Chart. Skepta then released the album Microphone Champion on 1 June 2009 and he then also released single Too Many Man with JME, Wiley, Frisco and Shorty, which went to chart at number 79. Three singles charted in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, cross My Heart came in at number 31 and dropped out of the Top 40 a week later. Doin it Again spent 3 weeks in the top 100 album charts, in 2011 Skepta caused a big controversy by releasing a hardcore music video of his single All over the house. In 2012, Skepta released two singles from his forthcoming album. Both Hold On and Make Peace Not War were Top 40 charting singles in the UK but were a departure from Skeptas usual sound, Skeptas second major label album was intended to be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, entitled The Honeymoon but was delayed till 2012. After a disappointing response from the first two singles Skepta decided to release a mixtape, titled Blacklisted. It was released on 2 December 2012 along with music videos to support the prior to the release. The singles music video won the award for Best Video at the 2014 MOBO Awards, upon receiving the award, Skepta stated that the video cost him £80. In late 2014, Skepta released another single titled It Aint Safe featuring A$AP Bari and this was followed in early 2015 with Shutdown, as well as features on Red Eye to Paris by Flatbush Zombies and the remix of Ojuelegba by Wizkid, also featuring Drake. Skepta and others joined Kanye West at a show in London. He was also named one of GQs 50 best dressed British men in 2015, in an interview it stated that Skeptas making his acting debut in 2015 film Anti-Social Released initially in May
29.
Grime (music)
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Grime is a genre of music that emerged in East London in the early 2000s. It developed out of earlier UK electronic music styles, including UK garage and jungle, and also influence from Jamaican dancehall, ragga. The style is typified by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 130 or 140 bpm, rapping is also a significant element of the style, and lyrics often revolve around gritty depictions of urban life. Other prominent artists include Ghetts, Jme, Skepta, Stormzy, prominent grime crews include Boy Better Know, Newham Generals, Roll Deep, and Ruff Sqwad. In the mid 2010s, grime began to receive attention in North America. Grime emerged in the early 2000s in Londons East-end and it has origins tied with UK pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM, Deja Vu FM, Freeze 92.7 and Raw Mission. This indicated the movement of UK garage away from its house influences towards darker themes, among the first tracks to be labelled grime as a genre in itself were Eskimo, Ice Rink and Igloo by Wiley, Pulse X by Musical Mob and Creeper by Danny Weed. Dizzee Rascal garnered widespread acclaim and commercial success with Boy in da Corner winning the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. Grime has since received exposure from television stations including Channel U, Logan Samas show on London radio station Kiss FM, Grime is not an offshoot of early electronic music, but rather a subgenre that draws from a wide variety of influences. The genre’s popularity grew exponentially in the United Kingdom, as people across the musical spectrum appreciated Grime’s eclectic mix of instrumentation. This hybridization united many different music scenes, allowing for it to spread in the same word-of-mouth and mixtape-based style as hip-hop and it also paved the way for more electronic music artists to incorporate stronger African and Caribbean influences in the future. Grime never received the same attention worldwide that it did in the UK, much like many other less mainstream forms of British electronic music, its main scene and fan base remained in the United Kingdom. From 2013 onwards producers started to create what they called instrumental grime and they battled in so-called war dubs, in April 2014, Meridian Dan reached #13 in the UK Singles Charts with his single German Whip featuring Big H and Jme. Two months after that, Skepta reached #21 in the UK Singles Chart with his single Thats Not Me featuring his brother Jme. Two months later, Lethal Bizzle released the single Rari WorkOut featuring Jme and Tempa T, as of 2015, Lethal Bizzle has four of the highest charting grime songs to date. In February 2016, Ministry of Sound and DJ Maximum released a compilation entitled Grime Time. In May 2016, Skeptas fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, the album explored grimes relationship with the United States, and features appearances from ASAP Mob members Young Lord and ASAP Nast as well as production and vocals from Pharrell Williams. The album was awarded the 2016 Mercury Prize, in February 2017, Stormzys album Gang Signs & Prayer, was the first grime album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart
30.
Dee Snider
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Daniel Dee Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider came to prominence in the early 1980s as lead singer of the metal band Twisted Sister. He was ranked 83 in the Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time, born in Astoria, Queens, New York, Snider grew up in nearby Baldwin, Long Island, and graduated from Baldwin Senior High School in 1973. His father, Bob, is a retired New York State Trooper and Nassau County court clerk and his father was Jewish and his mother was from a Catholic family of Swiss descent. Snider and his siblings were raised as Episcopalians after his mother joined the church, as a child, he sang in a church choir, several school choruses and the Baldwin High School Concert Choir. Snider was also selected for the All-State Chorus for singing, in early 1976, Snider joined Twisted Sister and became the sole songwriter of the band thereafter. The group released their first studio album, Under the Blade, in September 1982, less than a year later, Twisted Sister released their sophomore effort, You Cant Stop Rock n Roll. Their third album, Stay Hungry, hit shelves on May 10,1984 and this would become the bands most successful record with the hits Were Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock. To emphasize the twisted sister image, Snider adopted a persona of metal-inspired drag with long blond hair, an excessive amount of eye shadow and rouge. During the mid-1980s, before the premiere of Headbangers Ball, the first MTV program to consist entirely of metal videos was Heavy Metal Mania. The first episode aired in June 1985 and was hosted by Dee Snider and it featured metal news, interviews with metal artists, and in-studio co-hosts. That same year in November, Twisted Sister released Come Out, in 1985, a Senate hearing was instigated by the Parents Music Resource Center, who wanted to introduce a parental warning system that would label all albums containing offensive material. The system was to include identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album. Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa all testified against censorship, such a system was never implemented, but the result of the hearing brought about what is now the generic Parental Advisory, Explicit Content label. The PMRC was initially formed by the wives of Washington, D. C. power brokers Senator Al Gore, tipper Gore in particular became the face of the PMRC and a public foil for Snider in the hearings. A fifth Twisted Sister album would be made in 1987s Love Is for Suckers, the record was originally planned to be a Dee Snider solo effort, but Atlantic Records encouraged a release under the Twisted Sister name. Touring lasted only into October that year and on the 12th of that month and it was during this time that Snider formed Desperado, a band featuring ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, ex-Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme, and bassist Marc Russel. The groups only album, Ace, has never officially released
31.
Cyndi Lauper
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Cynthia Ann Stephanie Cyndi Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT activist. Her career has spanned over 30 years and her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors. This album included the one hit of the same name and Change of Heart. Since 1989, Lauper has released nine albums and participated in many other projects. In 2010, Memphis Blues, became Billboards most successful album of the year. In 2013, Lauper won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, the musical was awarded five other Tonys including Tony Award for Best New Musical. In 2014, Lauper was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording. In 2016, the West End production won Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards Lauper has established herself as a pop culture icon selling over 50 million records and 20 million singles. She has won awards at the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, the New Yorks Outer Critics Circle, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards. An inductee into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Lauper is one of the few singers to win three of the four major American entertainment awards. Lauper won the inaugural Best Female Video prize at the 1984 VMAs for Girls Just Want To Have Fun and this music video is recognized by MTV, VH1 and Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the greatest ever music videos of the era. She is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museums Women Who Rock exhibit. Her debut album is included in Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, VH1 has ranked Lauper No.58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. Lauper has been celebrated for her work, particularly as an advocate for LGBT rights in the United States. Her charitable efforts were acknowledged in 2013 when the singer was invited as a special guest to attend US President Barack Obamas second-term inaugural, Lauper was born at Boulevard Hospital in Astoria, Queens, New York City, to a Catholic family. Her father, Fred, was of German and Swiss descent and her mother, Catrine, is Italian American. Laupers siblings are younger brother Fred, and older sister, Ellen, Laupers parents divorced when she was five. Her mother remarried and divorced again, Lauper grew up in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens and, as a child, listened to such artists as The Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Billie Holiday
32.
Queen (band)
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Queen are a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, before forming Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with elaborate stage. Mercury joined the band in 1970, suggested Queen as a new band name, John Deacon was recruited before the band recorded their eponymous debut album in 1973. The latter featured Bohemian Rhapsody, which stayed at one in the UK for nine weeks. The bands 1977 album News of the World contained We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions, by the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. Their performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert has been ranked among the greatest in history by various music publications. In 1991, Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS, since then, May and Taylor have performed under the name of Queen with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert as vocalists on several tours. The band have released a total of 18 number-one albums,18 number-one singles, estimates of their record sales generally range from 150 million to 300 million records, making them one of the worlds best-selling music artists. Queen received the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1990 and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1968, guitarist Brian May, a student at Londons Imperial College, may placed an advertisement on a college notice board for a Mitch Mitchell/Ginger Baker type drummer, Roger Taylor, a young dental student, auditioned and got the job. While attending Ealing Art College, Tim Staffell became friends with Farrokh Bulsara, Bulsara felt that he and the band had the same tastes and soon became a keen fan of Smile. In 1970, after Staffell left to join the band Humpy Bong, the band had a number of bass players during this period who did not fit with the bands chemistry. It was not until February 1971 that they settled on John Deacon and they recorded four of their own songs, Liar, Keep Yourself Alive, The Night Comes Down and Jesus, for a demo tape, no record companies were interested. It was also around this time Freddie changed his surname to Mercury, inspired by the line Mother Mercury, on 2 July 1971, Queen played their first show in the classic line-up of Mercury, May, Taylor and Deacon at a Surrey college outside London. Having attended art college, Mercury also designed Queens logo, called the Queen crest, the logo combines the zodiac signs of all four members, two lions for Leo, a crab for Cancer, and two fairies for Virgo. The lions embrace a stylised letter Q, the crab rests atop the letter with flames rising directly above it, There is also a crown inside the Q and the whole logo is over-shadowed by an enormous phoenix. The whole symbol bears a resemblance to the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
33.
Live at Wembley '86
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Live at Wembley 86 is a double live album by English rock band Queen. It was recorded live on Saturday 12 July 1986 during the Magic Tour at Wembley Stadium in London, the album was released on 26 May 1992, with a companion DVD released in June 2003. The album was remastered and re-released with bonus tracks in August 2003 in the US as Live at Wembley Stadium after the companion DVD and this name has also been used on subsequent releases elsewhere, although they lack the bonus tracks included with the US version. A remastered special edition DVD was released on 5 September 2011 in the UK, snippets of the Friday show were included on earlier DVDs, but the remastered release marked the first time that the concert has been presented in full. A Deluxe Edition also included the Saturday concert in remastered CD form, during the introduction to Who Wants to Live Forever, Mercury addressed the rumours at the time of a Queen breakup by pointing to his bottom and saying, Theyre talking from here. He went on to say So forget those rumours, were gonna stay together until we fucking well die, one Vision –5,50 Tie Your Mother Down –3,52 In the Lap of the Gods. 00pm with tickets costing £14.50
34.
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
35.
Pussycat Dolls
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The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. Overseen by Antin, Interscope and various partners, the group was transformed into a global image, the Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success with hit singles Dont Cha, Buttons, Stickwitu, and their first album PCD. However, despite their success, the group was plagued by internal conflict due to the emphasis on Scherzinger, the groups lead vocalist. Bachars departure from the group preceded the release of their second and final studio album Doll Domination, in 2009, they announced a minor hiatus that was later revealed to be an official break-up. The Dolls brand diversified into merchandise, reality programs, a Las Vegas act, product endorsements, spin-off recording groups. Billboard ranked the Pussycat Dolls as the 80th most successful act of the 2000s. The group has sold 54 million records worldwide, making one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. In 2012, The Pussycat Dolls ranked 100th on VH1s 100 Greatest Women in Music, Antin began exploring the idea of a modern burlesque troupe during 1990 with Carla Kama and Christina Applegate as performers. The troupe began to perform in 1995, with a repertoire of 1950s and 1960s popular music standards while dressed in lingerie or old-fashioned pin-up costumes and they secured a Thursday night residency at a Los Angeles nightclub, the Viper Room, where they stayed from 1995 to 2001. They appeared briefly in the 1998 films Matters of Consequence, from 1995 to 2003 there were numerous guest vocalists, and many changes to the dance personnel. The troupe received wider press coverage during June 1999, when Playboy featured a Pussycat Dolls pictorial, three years later, The Pussycat Dolls moved to the Roxy. They were featured in magazines, television specials for MTV and VH1, ad campaigns, some of The Pussycat Dolls appeared in the 2003 film Charlies Angels, Full Throttle, dancing to Mancinis The Pink Panther Theme. They were also featured in Pinks Trouble music video, along with Applegate, Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra the troupe was featured in a Maxim magazine shoot in 2002, which increased public interest in them. Following their growing popularity, music producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair became involved with the group helping them to transform into a franchise, the former dance troupe evolved into a popular music recording group and became employees of Iovines label Interscope Records. The only troupe members who remained after the process were Robin Antin, Carmit Bachar, Cyia Batten, Kasey Campbell, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta. During 2003, Antin struck a joint venture with Interscope Records to develop The Pussycat Dolls into a brand, auditions followed suit, for a separate group which would not include celebrity members. Singers Nicole Scherzinger, Melody Thornton and Kaya Jones were recruited, joining Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, in February 2004 they performed Big Spender live at the MTV Asia Awards. In 2004, they recorded We Went as Far as We Felt Like Going for the Shark Tale soundtrack and recorded the single, Jones left the group in 2005, Batten and Campbell had left earlier
