1.
Philadelphia
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In 1682, William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia was one of the capitals in the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Philadelphia became an industrial center. It became a destination for African-Americans in the Great Migration. The areas many universities and colleges make Philadelphia a top international study destination, as the city has evolved into an educational, with a gross domestic product of $388 billion, Philadelphia ranks ninth among world cities and fourth in the nation. Philadelphia is the center of activity in Pennsylvania and is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. The Philadelphia skyline is growing, with a market of almost 81,900 commercial properties in 2016 including several prominent skyscrapers. The city is known for its arts, culture, and rich history, Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Fairmount Park, when combined with the adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the watershed, is one of the largest contiguous urban park areas in the United States. The 67 National Historic Landmarks in the city helped account for the $10 billion generated by tourism, Philadelphia is the only World Heritage City in the United States. Before Europeans arrived, the Philadelphia area was home to the Lenape Indians in the village of Shackamaxon, the Lenape are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government. They are also called Delaware Indians and their territory was along the Delaware River watershed, western Long Island. Most Lenape were pushed out of their Delaware homeland during the 18th century by expanding European colonies, Lenape communities were weakened by newly introduced diseases, mainly smallpox, and violent conflict with Europeans. Iroquois people occasionally fought the Lenape, surviving Lenape moved west into the upper Ohio River basin. The American Revolutionary War and United States independence pushed them further west, in the 1860s, the United States government sent most Lenape remaining in the eastern United States to the Indian Territory under the Indian removal policy. In the 21st century, most Lenape now reside in the US state of Oklahoma, with communities living also in Wisconsin, Ontario. The Dutch considered the entire Delaware River valley to be part of their New Netherland colony, in 1638, Swedish settlers led by renegade Dutch established the colony of New Sweden at Fort Christina and quickly spread out in the valley. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their defeat of the English colony of Maryland
2.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania /ˌpɛnsᵻlˈveɪnjə/, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle, Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 5th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The states five most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, the state capital, and its ninth-largest city, is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States, it came into being in 1681 as a result of a land grant to William Penn. Part of Pennsylvania, together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden and it was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12,1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the states largest city of Philadelphia, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near Philadelphia was General Washingtons headquarters during the winter of 1777–78. Pennsylvania is 170 miles north to south and 283 miles east to west, of a total 46,055 square miles,44,817 square miles are land,490 square miles are inland waters, and 749 square miles are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States, Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Cities include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, the northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining communities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston City, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest, the state has 5 regions, namely the Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the Erie Plain. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the corner, has a humid continental climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that covers much of Delaware. Moving toward the interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increase. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches of snowfall annually, the state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, the Tuscarora Nation took up temporary residence in the central portion of Pennsylvania ca. Both the Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their lands in America
3.
Contemporary R&B
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Contemporary R&B, also known as simply R&B, is a music genre that combines elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, pop, hip hop and dance. The genre features a record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, an occasional saxophone-laced beat to give a jazz feel. Electronic influences are becoming a trend and the use of hip hop or dance-inspired beats are typical, although the roughness. Contemporary R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma, popularized by such as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Craig David, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston. That same year, Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included hip hop influences and this combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed new jack swing and was applied to artists such as Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Al B. Guy, Jodeci and Bell Biv DeVoe, the style became less popular by the end of the 1990s, but later experienced a resurgence. In 1990 Mariah Carey released Vision of Love as her debut single and it was immensely popular peaking at number 1 in many worldwide charts including the Billboard Hot 100, and it propelled Mariahs carrier. The song is said to have popularized the use of melisma. During the mid-1990s, Whitney Houstons The Bodyguard, Original Soundtrack Album sold over 40 million copies becoming the best-selling soundtrack of all time. Janet Jacksons self-titled fifth studio album janet. which came after her historic multimillion-dollar contract with Virgin Records, sold over twenty million copies worldwide. Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey recorded several Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hits, including One Sweet Day, Carey also released a remix of her 1995 single Fantasy, with Ol Dirty Bastard as a feature, a collaboration format that was unheard of at this point. Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC released albums in 1994 and 1995—Daydream, II and CrazySexyCool. In the late 1990s, neo soul, which added 1970s soul influences to the hip hop soul blend, arose, led by such as DAngelo, Erykah Badu. Hill and Missy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles, beginning in 1995, the Grammy Awards enacted the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, with II by Boyz II Men becoming the first recipient. The award was received by TLC for CrazySexyCool in 1996, Tony Rich for Words in 1997, Erykah Badu for Baduizm in 1998. At the end of 1999, Billboard magazine ranked Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson as the first, simultaneously, in the second half of the 1990s, The Neptunes and Timbaland set influential precedence on contemporary R&B and hip hop music. R&B acts such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher, in 2001, Alicia Keys released Fallin as her debut single. It peaking at one on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Top 40
4.
Soul music
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Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music, catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the lead vocalist and the chorus and a tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds, Soul music reflected the African-American identity and it stressed the importance of an African-American culture. The new-found African-American consciousness led to new styles of music, which boasted pride in being black, Soul music dominated the U. S. R&B chart in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U. S. By 1968, the music genre had begun to splinter. Some soul artists developed funk music, while other singers and groups developed slicker, more sophisticated, by the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres, leading to psychedelic soul. The United States saw the development of neo soul around 1994, there are also several other subgenres and offshoots of soul music. The term soul had been used among African-American musicians to emphasize the feeling of being an African-American in the United States, according to another source, Soul music was the result of the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the 60s. The phrase soul music itself, referring to music with secular lyrics, is first attested in 1961. The term soul in African-American parlance has connotations of African-American pride, gospel groups in the 1940s and 1950s occasionally used the term as part of their name. The jazz style that derived from gospel came to be called soul jazz, important innovators whose recordings in the 1950s contributed to the emergence of soul music included Clyde McPhatter, Hank Ballard, and Etta James. Ray Charles is often cited as popularizing the genre with his string of hits starting with 1954s I Got a Woman. Singer Bobby Womack said, Ray was the genius and he turned the world onto soul music. Charles was open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style, little Richard and James Brown were equally influential. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson are also acknowledged as soul forefathers. Cooke became popular as the singer of gospel group The Soul Stirrers
5.
Motown
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Motown is an American record company. The record company was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12,1958, the name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label that achieved significant crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a record company,79 records in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969. The company was sold to MCA Inc. Motown was later sold to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records successor, Universal Music Group, Motown spent much of the 2000s as a part of the Universal Music subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group, and headquartered in New York City. From 2011 to 2014, Motown was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. On April 1,2014, Universal Music Group announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam and it now operates out of the landmark Capitol Tower. For many decades, Motown was the highest-earning African American business in the United States, Berry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and the Matadors. Wilsons single Lonely Teardrops, written by Gordy, became a huge success and he realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing. In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordys sisters Gwen and Anna started Anna Records, Davis and Gwen Gordy wanted Berry to be the company president, but Berry wanted to strike out on his own. On January 12,1959, he started Tamla Records, with a loan from his family. Gordy originally wanted to name the label Tammy Records, after the hit song popularized by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy, when he found the name was already in use, Berry decided on Tamla instead. Tamlas first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnsons Come to Me in 1959 and its first hit was Barrett Strongs Money, which made it to number 2 on the Billboard R&B charts. Gordys first signed act was the Matadors, who changed their name to the Miracles. Their first release, Got a Job, was a record to the Silhouettes Get a Job. The Miracles first, minor hit was their single, 1959s Bad Girl, released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint
6.
Universal Music Group
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Universal Music Group is an American-French global music corporation that is a subsidiary of the Paris-based French media conglomerate Vivendi. UMGs global corporate headquarters are in Santa Monica, California and it is considered one of the Big Three record labels, along with Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Universal Music was once the music attached to film studio Universal Pictures and its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in September 1934. The Decca Record Co. Ltd. of England spun American Decca off in 1939, MCA Inc. merged with American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram in May 1998, however, the name had first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group. The PolyGram acquisition included Deutsche Grammophon which traces its ancestry to Berliner Gramophone making Deutsche Grammophon UMGs oldest unit, UMGs Canadian unit traces its ancestry to a Berliner Gramophone breakaway firm the Compo Company. With the 2004 acquisition of Universal Studios by General Electric and merging with GEs NBC and this is the second time a music company has done so, the first being the separation of Time Warner and Warner Music Group. On June 25,2007, Vivendi completed its €1.63 billion purchase of BMG Music Publishing, after receiving European Union regulatory approval, doug Morris stepped down from his position as CEO on January 1,2011. Former chairman/CEO of Universal Music International Lucian Grainge was promoted to CEO of the company, Grainge later replaced him as chairman on March 9,2011. Morris became the chairman of Sony Music Entertainment on July 1,2011. With Grainges appointment as CEO at UMG, Max Hole was promoted to COO of UMGI, starting in 2011 UMGs Interscope Geffen A&M Records will be signing contestants from American Idol/Idol series. On January 2011, UMG announced it was donating 200,000 master recordings from the 1920s to 1940s to the Library of Congress for preservation, in March 2011, Barry Weiss became chairman & CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group & Universal Republic Records. Both companies are restructuring under Weiss, in December 2011, David Foster was named Chairman of Verve Music Group. Among the other companies that had competed for the music business was Warner Music Group which was reported to have made a $2 billion bid. However, IMPALA has said it would fight the merger, coincidentally, UMG sister company StudioCanal has owned the EMI Films library for several years. On September 21,2012, the sale of EMI to UMG was approved in Europe, UMG divested Mute Records, Parlophone, Roxy Recordings, MPS Records, Cooperative Music, Now Thats What I Call Music. Jazzland, Universal Greece, Sanctuary Records, Chrysalis Records, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, the Beatles recorded music library was allowed to remain with UMG despite being considered part of Parlophone and is now managed by UMGs reorganized Capitol Music Group worldwide. Robbie Williams, who had recorded for Chrysalis, had his transferred to Universals Island Records
7.
Arista Records
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/ˈɛ. rɪ. stə/ was a major American record label. It was a wholly owned unit of Sony Music Entertainment and was handled by Bertelsmann Music Group. The company operated under the RCA Music Group until 2011, the label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records. Until its demise in 2011, it was a distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States. Today, the labels reissues and catalogue releases are handled by RCA Records, after being fired from CBS Records, Clive Davis was hired by Columbia Pictures in June 1974 to be a consultant for the companys record and music operations. The label was named Arista after New York Citys secondary school honor society, in early 1975, most of the artists who had been signed to Bell were let go, except David Cassidy, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and the 5th Dimension. Others, such as Suzi Quatro and Hot Chocolate, were farmed out to the Bell/Arista-distributed label, several Bell acts, such as Barry Manilow, the Bay City Rollers, and Melissa Manchester moved to Arista. The British Bell label kept that name for a couple of years before changing its name to Arista, the label was immortalized in the 1978 Rockpile song They Called It Rock, in the lyric, Arista says they love you/But the kids cant dance to this. In addition to Manilow, the Kinks, and Dionne Warwick, Arista signed Aretha Franklin in 1980, the labels most significant acquisition came in 1983 when Davis signed Warwicks cousin, Whitney Houston. Houston would eventually become Aristas biggest-selling recording artist, with sales of 200 million records worldwide, Arista had an imprint label in the 1970s called Arista Novus, which focused on contemporary jazz artists. A country music division, Career Records, was merged into the Arista Nashville division in 1997, Arista Austin was used in the late 1990s as a country label. Additionally, Arista was the North American distributor of Jive Records from 1981 until 1987, during the 1990s, Arista also distributed Logic, Rowdy and Heavenly Recordings. Looking to stave off bankruptcy, Columbia Pictures sold Arista to German-based Ariola Records in 1979, after Ariola purchased General Electrics RCA Records in 1986, the combined company was renamed Bertelsmann Music Group, though Aristas U. S. releases would not note BMG until 1987. Into the 1980s, Arista continued its success, including major UK act Secret Affair, over the years it acquired Northwestside Records, deConstruction Records, First Avenue Records, and Dedicated Records in the UK. In 1989, Arista entered into a joint venture with Antonio L. A. Reid and Babyface in the creation of LaFace Records record company of TLC, in 1993, Arista also entered into a joint-venture with Sean P. Diddy Combs to form Bad Boy Records. In 1997 Arista acquired Profile Records, the home of Run-D. M. C. in 1989, Arista signed Milli Vanilli, a duo consisting of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan that was based in Germany. The label released its album, Girl You Know Its True, which was a remixed and re-edited version of All or Nothing. The album was certified platinum in the U. S. and charted five top-ten singles
8.
Entertainment One Music
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Entertainment One Music, a primary division of Entertainment One, is an independent record label in the United States. It has garnered the most Billboard hits of any independently owned music label in history and it is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name eOne Universal. On January 22,2009, Koch Records was officially branded as E1 Music by parent company Entertainment One, E1 Entertainment acquired KOCH Entertainment in June 2005, and renamed the company E1 Music. Since its inception as KOCH Records, E1 Music has charted over 100 albums on Billboards Independent Chart, E1 Music has been the number one independent label according to Billboard for the last six years and quickly grew to become North Americas largest independently owned and distributed record label. E1 Music covers all genres from adult-contemporary to rock, hip hop/urban to country. E1 Music was formed in January 1987 as Koch Records to serve as the North American umbrella for Koch Entertainment. They would sign many country, classical, and rock acts including Ringo Starr, Joan Baez, Chris Brubeck, Bob James, the label soon began to gain ground on the other independent record labels in the United States. In the 2000s, they began to sign hip hop acts. They signed various distribution deals with labels like Open Bar Entertainment, Terror Squad, D-Block Records, in 2004, they were able to sign a deal with Snoop Dogg and his Doggystyle Records along with Mobb Deep. They hired Snoop Dogg on to head up their western spin off Koch West, Koch also added onto their roster, Camron and his Diplomat Records. Diplomat rapper, Jim Jones would rise to prominence on the label through the deal, Koch later signed Yonkers rapper, J-Hood and his label On Da Grind Ent. Koch has also had releases from 2Pac, Tha Dogg Pound, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger and Gangsta Advisory. In 2007, when they signed J-Hood they gave him a big position in their Koch East division, J-Hood never released this album and he was booted from D-Block. In 2007, they signed a deal with Foxy Brown and her Black Rose Entertainment, as well as with Ray J. Slim Thug was signed to the label along with his Boss Hoggs label in late 2005. Latin Thug Records was formed by CEO Reyes to build a business with his brother and acting VP of A&R Mellow Man Ace that would focus on releasing personal projects. The label represents the extended Latin Thug family, including projects from Sen and Mellow and collaborations with B Real, Soul Assassins. In March 2008, the company signed neo-soul singer Dwele to their lineup, in October 2008, they signed also pop-jazz singer Basia, and released her comeback album Its That Girl Again a year later. Koch Records also releases music, such as Pokémon, Barney, Sesame Street, The Wiggles
9.
Decca Records
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Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U. S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis along with American Deccas first president Jack Kapp and later American Decca president Milton Rackmil. In 1937, as a result of anticipating Nazi aggression leading to World War II, Lewis sold American Decca, the British label was renowned for its development of recording methods, while the American company developed the concept of cast albums in the musical genre. Both wings are now part of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, the US Decca label was the foundation company that evolved into UMG. The name Decca was coined by Wilfred S. Samuel by merging the word Mecca with the initial D of their logo Dulcet or their trademark Dulcephone, Samuel, a linguist, chose Decca as a brand name as it was easy to pronounce in most languages. The name dates back to a gramophone called the Decca Dulcephone patented in 1914 by musical instrument makers Barnett Samuel. That company was renamed the Decca Gramophone Co. Ltd. Within years, Decca Records Ltd. was the second largest record label in the world, Decca bought the UK branch of Brunswick Records and continued to run it under that name. In the 1950s the American Decca studios were located in the Pythian Temple in New York City, in classical music, Decca had a long way to go from its modest beginnings to catch up with the established HMV and Columbia labels. The pre-war classical repertoire on Decca was not extensive, but was select, heinrich Schlusnus made important pre-war lieder recordings for Decca. John Culshaw, who joined Decca in 1946 in a junior post and he revolutionised recording – of opera, in particular. Hitherto, the practice had been to put microphones in front of the performers, Culshaw was determined to make recordings that would be a theatre of the mind, making the listeners experience at home not second best to being in the opera house, but a wholly different experience. To that end he got the singers to move about in the studio as they would onstage, used sound effects and different acoustics. His skill, coupled with Decca engineering, took Decca into the first flight of recording companies and his pioneering recording of Wagners Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Georg Solti was a huge artistic and commercial success. In the wake of Deccas lead, artists such as Herbert von Karajan, Joan Sutherland, however, Culshaw was, strictly speaking, not the first to do this. Far from being a mere rendering of the score, the 3-LP album set used sound effects to recreate the production as if the listener were watching a stage performance of the work. Until 1947, American Decca issued British Decca classical music recordings, afterwards, British Decca took over distribution through its new American subsidiary London Records. American Decca actively re-entered the classical music field in 1950 with distribution deals from Deutsche Grammophon, American Decca began issuing its own classical music recordings in 1956 when Israel Horowitz joined Decca to head its classical music operations
10.
L.A. Reid
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Antonio Marquis L. A. Reid is an American music executive, musician, songwriter, record producer, author and former television music competition judge. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Reid was also the founder and CEO of Hitco Music Publishing, based in New York, Reid first began his music career as a drummer, with his first appearance on record being with the Cincinnati funk rock outfit Pure Essence. Pure Essence released one solitary 45 in the mid-1970s and they later appeared on local FM rock radio station WEBNs second annual LP compilation, but the group was renamed Essence. Reid would experience more success when he became a member of the 1980s R&B band The Deele, best known for their 1988 hit Two Occasions. The band had broken up before the success of the single, the song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. After The Deele disbanded, Reid and band mate Kenneth Babyface Edmonds founded LaFace in 1989 through a joint venture with Arista Records, with funding from Arista Records creator Clive Davis. The label soon became one of the destinations for popular African-American entertainers who created Black Pop music that was easily accessible to both Urban and Top 40 radio formats. Reid signed 14-year-old Usher to the label, whose six album releases have sold 65 million units worldwide, other popular acts on the label during its peak include Toni Braxton, TLC, and Outkast. Both TLC and Toni Braxton went on to more than 65 million records each. Initially headquartered in Atlanta, the played a significant role in building the current landscape of the Atlanta music industry. Hitco Publishing Group With the belief that good songwriting is essential to the success of recording artists, Reid formed the Hitco Publishing Group in 1996 and he gave the future senior vice president of Island Def Jam Music Group his first position as an inter-level creative person at Hitco. In May 2000, Edmonds and Reid sold their remaining 50% stake in LaFace to parent company BMG, the label became an imprint of Arista Records, with Arista taking on sales, marketing, and promotional duties for its acts. At this time, Reid also succeeded his mentor Clive Davis as president of Arista Records, in 2000, LaFace was merged into Arista Records with Reid being promoted to president and CEO of Arista Records. In 1997 Reid was accepted to the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in preparation to become CEO of Arista Records in 2000, Reid signed his first unknown artist, pop/rocker Avril Lavigne, to Arista. Her debut album Let Go sold 6 million copies in the United States, as president of Arista Records, Reid brought the company great success by signing artists such as P. nk and Ciara. Outkasts Speakerboxxx/The Love Below also went on to sell 10 million copies and won a Grammy Award for Album of the year. Following the merger of Sony and BMG, L. A. Reid was released from his contract at Arista in 2004 and quickly became the chairman, Reid stepped down as Chairman/CEO of Island Def Jam in March 2011
11.
Babyface (musician)
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For the guitarist and Beard Of Wales, see Thee Faction. Kenneth Brian Edmonds, known professionally as Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter and he has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career, and has won 11 Grammy Awards. Edmonds was born on April 10,1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin, Barbara was a production operator at a pharmaceutical plant. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers, attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, when he was in eighth grade, Edmonds father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music, Edmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him Babyface because of his youthful look. He also performed in the group Manchild as a guitarist and he played keyboards in the light-funk and R&B group the Deele. One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune Slow Jam for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983, Babyface remained in the Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group. His album Playlist consists of eight songs and two original works. It was released on September 18,2007 and it was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label. On February 4,2014, he released a Grammy Award-winning duet album with Toni Braxton titled Love, Marriage & Divorce on Motown Records. In the late 1980s, he contributed to the creation of new jack swing, writing and producing music for the likes of Bobby Brown, Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul, in 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Three of the early artists TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton were very successful. TLCs second album CrazySexyCool, for which he wrote and produced some of the hits, under his direction, TLC was able to sell more than 60 million albums worldwide, and a combined total of 75 million records. Toni Braxtons first two albums, Toni Braxton and Secrets, for which he wrote the majority of the songs, Babyface helped form the popular late-1990s R&B group Az Yet. Edmonds also helped to mold and work some of his then-wife Tracey Edmonds acts, such as Jon B. Edmonds has worked with many performers in contemporary music. “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, produced for Whitney Houston, was his first No.1 Top 40 hit in the US. He also wrote and produced Boyz II Mens 1992 End of the Road and 1994 Ill Make Love to You and he received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year from 1995 to 1997
12.
Mariah Carey
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Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. In 1990, Carey rose to fame with the release of Vision of Love from her eponymous debut album, the album produced four chart-topping singles in the US and began what would become a string of commercially successful albums which solidified the singer as Columbias highest selling act. Carey and Boyz II Men spent a record sixteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995–1996 with One Sweet Day, following a contentious divorce from Sony Music head Tommy Mottola, Carey adopted a new image and traversed towards hip hop with the release of Butterfly. In 1998, she was honored as the worlds best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards, Carey parted with Columbia in 2000, and signed a record-breaking $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records America. In the weeks prior to the release of her film Glitter and its soundtrack in 2001. The project was received and led to a general decline in the singers career. Careys recording contract was out for $50 million by Virgin. After a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to the top of music charts with The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey once again ventured into film with a well-received supporting role in Precious, and was awarded the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Throughout her career, Carey has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, according to the RIAA, she is the third-best-selling female artist in the United States, with 63.5 million certified albums. With the release of Touch My Body, Carey gained her 18th number-one single in the United States, in 2012, the singer was ranked second on VH1s list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. Mariah Carey was born in Huntington, New York, to Patricia and her mother is of Irish descent, while her father had African-American and Afro-Venezuelan ancestry. The surname Carey was adopted by her Venezuelan grandfather, Francisco Núñez, Patricia was an occasional opera singer and vocal coach before she met Alfred in 1960. As he began earning a living as an engineer, the couple married later that year. After their elopement, Patricias family disowned her for marrying a black man, Carey later explained that she felt neglected by her maternal family while growing up, which affected her greatly. In the years between the births of Careys older sister Alison and herself, the Carey family struggled within the community due to their ethnicity, Careys name was derived from the song They Call the Wind Maria, originally from the 1951 Broadway musical Paint Your Wagon. When Carey was three, her parents divorced, after their separation, Alison moved in with her father, while the other two children, Mariah and brother Morgan, remained with their mother. Carey grew apart from her father and would stop seeing him altogether. By age four, she recalled that she had begun to sneak the radio under her covers at night, during elementary school, she excelled in subjects that she enjoyed, such as music, art, and literature, but did not find interest in others
13.
Tim & Bob
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Tim & Bob, also known as Funktwons, are Grammy Award-winning songwriting musicians and a Hip-hop/R&B production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene as it is widely known for today. They have won three Grammy Awards amongst twelve nominations and have more than 300 million albums worldwide making them one of the most successful producer duos in music history. They are among the most consistent urban producers in the last 18 years, growing up in Peoria, Illinois, Tim was raised on R&B through his fathers band. His father was a player and multi-instrumentalist so Tim learned trumpet, piano, guitar, drums. From elementary school through college, Tim played the trumpet and piano in school band, Bob played in his church as an organist and piano player from the age of 9, so he brought an understanding of gospel music to the duo. Tim met Bob through a friend at the local mall. The two worked together at Tims house in the basement, recording music on equipment purchased by Tims mother and they moved to New Orleans for a year then went to Chicago and Detroit where they established a small production company with a studio. They worked with George Clintons backing vocalist Paul Hill to perfect demo recordings intended for producer Dallas Austin in Atlanta, in Atlanta, Tim & Bob met Dallas Austin who signed them to his company D. A. R. P. and stamped them as Tim & Bob. The duo began working with artists TLC, Boyz II Men, Madonna,112, Tim & Bob brought from Detroit their friends Tony Rich and Mario Winans. Tim & Bob won two Grammy Awards, including one in 1995 for Best R&B Album for Boyz II Mens II, Tim & Bob produced and wrote five songs on the Boyz II Men LP II which eventually became the biggest selling album in history by an R&B group. Tim & Bob were frequently brought in by producers Jimmy Jam, Tim & Bob were also instrumental in getting the rock group Papa Roach signed to DreamWorks while inking a production deal with Capitol Records. The duo signed Athena Cage from the group Kut Klose and produced an album of songs. In 1999 Tim & Bob produced Sisqós hit Thong Song, the single was awarded Song of the Year Hip Hop/Rhythmic at the 2000 Radio Music Awards. In 2001, Tim & Bob produced Cases Missing You, which was his number one song. Both projects were nominated for Grammy Awards, Tim & Bob discovered Bobby Valentino produced his self-titled album which spawned the hit songs Tell Me and Slow Down in early 2005. The latter song was No.1 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In 2006, Tim & Bob signed a deal with Dimensional Music Publishing
14.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
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James Samuel Jimmy Jam Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed success since the 1980s with various artists. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US, Jimmy Jam is the son of Cornbread Harris, a Minneapolis blues and jazz musician. Jimmy Jam met Lewis while in school in Minneapolis. They did not meet in class, however, but while attending a TRIO Upward Bound program on the University of Minnesota campus and they formed a band called Flyte Tyme, which evolved into The Time. In 1981, they were joined by Morris Day and toured with Prince as his opening act, as members of The Time, they played instruments on two of the groups five albums. The pair asked Andrews to manage them, and through her relationships Andrews first introduced Jam and they produced their first masters for Avant for the SOS Band. Andrews set-up Jam and Lewiss company Flyte Tyme Productions as a business entity, the producers went on to produce several other masters for Avant under Dina Andrews Management for the SOS Band, Cherrelle, Alexander ONeal and Change. The pair was fired by Prince from a tour after a blizzard left them unable to rejoin during a break to produce music for The SOS Band. However, one of the tracks they were producing, Just Be Good to Me, became a hit and sealed the duos reputation, the duo would rejoin The Time for two albums, 1990s Pandemonium and the 2011 album Condensate under the name the Original 7ven. The duo was noted for use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. Their collaboration on her album, 1989s Rhythm Nation 1814. In 1991, they founded a label, Perspective Records. Later that year, their newly minted label experienced success with a Minneapolis-based gospel/R&B collective of artists known as Sounds of Blackness and their debut single, Optimistic served as a groundbreaking anthem stressing positivity and encouragement. The song served as a summer and fall anthem and began propelling Jam, other successes followed with Blackness as well as music from labelmates Mint Condition, Lo-Key. and Solo. A highlight for Perspective was the opportunity to release the soundtrack for the 1992 motion picture Mo Money, Executive produced by Jam and Lewis, the soundtrack featured cuts from Mint Condition, Ralph Tresvant and Caron Wheeler, as well as a duet by Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross. Blige, Mariah Carey, Prince, Spice Girls, Vanessa Williams, George Michael, Melanie B, Rod Stewart, Kelly Price, Gwen Stefani, New Edition, Eric Benet, Pia Zadora, SOLO, and The Human League. In 1999, they produced the hit Open My Heart by Yolanda Adams which helped her popularity, Terry Lewis married R&B singer Karyn White, with whom he had a daughter, Ashley Nicole Lewis
15.
Sean Combs
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Sean John Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer and entrepreneur. He was born in Harlem and was raised in Mount Vernon and he worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his label Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993. His debut album No Way Out has been certified seven times platinum and was followed by successful albums such as Forever, The Saga Continues. in 2009 Combs formed the musical group Diddy – Dirty Money and released the critically well-reviewed and commercially successful album Last Train to Paris. Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and is the producer of MTVs Making the Band, in 2016 Forbes estimated Combs net worth at $750 million. Sean John Combs was born on November 4,1969 in Harlem in Manhattan, New York City, and was raised in Mount Vernon, New York. His mother, Janice, was a model and teachers assistant and his father, at age 33, Melvin was shot to death while sitting in his car on Central Park West, when Combs was 2 years old. Combs graduated from the Roman Catholic Mount Saint Michael Academy in 1987 and he played football for the academy, and his team won a division title in 1986. Combs said that he was given the nickname Puff as a child, after dropping out of Howard University in 1990, after two years as a business major, Combs became an intern at New Yorks Uptown Records. While talent director at Uptown, he helped develop Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, in his college days Combs had a reputation for throwing parties, some of which attracted up to a thousand participants. In 1991, Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser with Heavy D held at the City College of New York gymnasium, the event was oversold, and a stampede occurred in which nine people died. In 1993, after being fired from Uptown, Combs established his new label Bad Boy Entertainment as a joint venture with Arista Records, taking then-newcomer The Notorious B. I. G. with him. Both The Notorious B. I. G. and Craig Mack quickly released hit singles, followed by successful LPs, Combs signed more acts to Bad Boy, including Carl Thomas, Faith Evans,112, Total, and Father MC. The Hitmen, his production team, worked with Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Aretha Franklin. Mase and The Lox joined Bad Boy just as a widely publicized rivalry with the West Coasts Death Row Records was beginning, Combs and The Notorious B. I. G. were criticized and parodied by Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight in songs and interviews during the mid-1990s. During 1994–1995, Combs produced several songs for TLCs CrazySexyCool, which finished the decade as number 25 on Billboards list of top pop albums of the decade, in 1997, under the name Puff Daddy, Combs recorded his first commercial vocal work as a rapper. His debut single, Cant Nobody Hold Me Down, spent 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his debut album, No Way Out, was released on July 1,1997, through Bad Boy Records. Originally titled Hell up in Harlem, the album underwent several changes after The Notorious B. I. G. was killed on March 9,1997, several of the labels artists made guest appearances on the album. No Way Out was a significant success, particularly in the United States, four other singles, Cant Nobody Hold Me Down, Its All About the Benjamins, Been Around the World, and Victory, were also released
16.
Brandy Norwood
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Brandy Rayana Norwood, known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. Born into a family in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, she began her career as a child. In 1993, Norwood signed with Atlantic Records, the following year, she released her self-titled debut album, which was certified quadruple Platinum in the US, selling six million copies worldwide. Norwood starred in the UPN sitcom Moesha as the title character and her second album, Never Say Never, sold 16 million copies worldwide, featured two number one singles, and earned Norwood her first Grammy Award. This launched her international stardom, with films, endorsements, sold out concert tours. Throughout the 2000s, Norwood held a position in the pop industry. In 2002, she starred in the reality series Brandy, Special Delivery and her third and fourth albums, Full Moon and Afrodisiac, were released to critical and commercial success. She served as a judge on the first season of Americas Got Talent before being involved in a widely publicized car accident in 2006, after several lawsuits stemming from the accident, Norwoods fifth album, Human, was released to commercial failure. In the 2010s, Norwood received a critical and commercial resurgence, in 2010, she returned to television as a contestant on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars and starred in the reality series Brandy & Ray J, A Family Business. In 2012 she became a regular in the BET series The Game. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago and she starred in and executive produced a new sitcom Zoe Ever After on the BET network in January 2016. Throughout her career, she has sold over 40 million records worldwide, the Recording Industry Association of America lists Norwood as one of the top selling artists in the United States, with 10.5 million certified albums. Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, one American Music Award and she is the older sister of entertainer Ray J, as well as a cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg. Raised in a Christian home, Norwood started singing through her fathers work as part of the church choir. In 1983, her parents relocated to Los Angeles, California, Norwood began entering talent shows by the time she was eleven, and, as part of a youth singing group, performed at several public functions. To manage her daughter, Norwoods mother soon resigned from her job, while Norwood herself dropped out of Hollywood High School later, and was tutored privately from tenth grade on. During the early stages of her debut album, Norwood was selected for a role in the ABC sitcom Thea. Norwood recalled that she appreciated the cancellation of the show as she was unenthusiastic about acting at the time, and she stated, I felt bad for everybody else but me
17.
112 (band)
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112 is an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly artists on Bad Boy Records, the group signed to the Def Soul roster in 2002 and they had great success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as Only You, Anywhere and the Grammy-nominated single, Peaches and Cream. The group most notably won a Grammy Award in 1997 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for featuring in the song Ill Be Missing You with Sean Combs, the group had its start when the members met while attending high school. The original group consisting of Daron Jones, Michael Keith, & Reginald Finley sang together while Jones & Keith were in middle school & Finley was in high school. Once they joined Finley in high school they met fellow schoolmate Aldon Lagon who was working at a local McDonalds in Atlanta & added him due to his bass voice. They then met a high tenor vocalist Marvin Scandrick they sang with in the school chorus. Known as Forte at the time, the group performed talent shows and performed at churches, the group then changed their name from Forte to 112 after the Atlanta club where Combs first had the boys to audition. Soon afterwards they found living in New York City, recording their debut album 112. Released in 1996, the album went double platinum. The album which was produced by Tim & Bob entered into the top 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. It featured the hit singles Only You and Cupid, both of which peaked at #13 on the Hot 100 and #3 and #2 on the R&B charts respectively, the group also contributed to records by artists including The Notorious B. I. G. In the years followed, they toured with other performers such as Whitney Houston. A series of tracks by 112 populated the charts in 1997, beginning with the Tim & Bob produced single Come See Me. Cupid, Produced by Arnold Hennings, released in May, made the top 10 and was certified gold in the same month, another 1997 single, Ill Be Missing You, hit the top 40 in June and was certified triple platinum by July. Attaining the number one position by August, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997. Ill Be Missing You sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven weeks, the track also topped the R&B singles, R&B singles sales, and rap singles charts for eight weeks running. The group booked tours with the Isley brothers, Keith Sweat, and New Edition, as well as with Puff Daddy, the group spent 18 successive months on the road fulfilling tour commitments. Their second album, Room 112 was released in 1998, and featured the hits, Love Me featuring Mase, both the album and the song Love Me were certified gold
18.
Brian McKnight
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Brian McKnight is an American R&B singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays eight instruments including piano, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and he is one of the very few leggiero tenors in the pop genre. McKnight is perhaps most recognized for his falsetto and belting range. McKnights work has earned him 16 Grammy Awards nominations, though he has never won and he is third only to Morten Lindberg and Snoop Dogg for the record of most Grammy nominations without a win. McKnight was born in Buffalo, New York and his musical career began in childhood when he became a member of his church choir. In 1990, McKnights older brother, Claude McKnight III, and his band, Take 6 and this encouraged McKnight to shop his own demo tapes and by the age of 19, he signed his first recording deal with Mercury Records subsidiary, Wing Records. In 1992, Brian McKnight was released, and his debut album peaked at fifty-eight in the Billboard 200 chart. It was followed by two albums for Mercury, 1995s I Remember You and 1997s Anytime. Anytime, McKnights final album with Mercury, sold two million copies and was nominated for a Grammy. The video for Anytime, directed by Darren Grant, was nominated for Best Male Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, in 1997, McKnight recorded Remember the Magic for Disney Worlds 25th anniversary. McKnight signed with Motown in 1998 and released the Christmas album Bethlehem, in 1999, McKnight released Back at One, his most successful album to date, which eventually went on to sell over 3 million copies. Also Back at One is one of four of McKnights studio albums to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, in 2004, McKnight co-wrote with Australian Soul artist Guy Sebastian the song Wait, off Sebastians Beautiful Life album. In October 2007, McKnight made his Broadway debut in the show Chicago, from 2006 to 2010 he hosted a radio show, The Brian McKnight Morning Show with Pat Prescott on KTWV The Wave in Los Angeles, CA. The show was briefly simulcast on KHJZ-FM, Smooth Jazz 95.7 The Wave in Houston, on January 26,2009, McKnight hosted The Brian McKnight Show from 7PM-Midnight on 98.7 KISS FM in New York City. In 2009, he appeared in the season of Celebrity Apprentice. Each celebrity played to raise money for the charity of his or her choice, McKnight elected to play for Youthville USA. From September 2009 to May 2010, McKnight served as the personality and hosted The Brian McKnight Show. The show was cancelled on May 29,2010 after one season, on March 31,2011 McKnight sang the National Anthem for MLB Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio with his sons Brian, Jr. and Niko
19.
Shawn Stockman
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Shawn Patrick Stockman is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of the vocal group Boyz II Men. He is currently a judge on the television show The Sing-Off, alongside Jewel Kilcher, Ben Folds, Stockman recorded a solo album as a side project during the late 1990s, but the LP was never released. He has written the songs Forever, Hot Thing, and Let It Go, Shawn went to CAPA in South Philadelphia. He was a major and this is where he met the other members of Boyz II Men. Shawn wrote and sang the song Visions of a Sunset for the Mr. Hollands Opus film soundtrack and he got his singing start with the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale at the age of 8. Most recently, Stockman started his own label called Soul Chemistry Projects. He has also recorded a cover of Beyoncé Knowles hit song If I Were a Boy, Shawn has been serving as a judge along with Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger, Sara Bareilles, and Jewel Kilcher on NBCs The Sing-Off with host Nick Lachey. The show first premiered on December 14,2009, the season premiered on December 6,2010, the third season premiered on September 19,2011. Stockman is the cousin of Atlanta-based neo-soul singer Anthony David, official website Shawn Stockman at the Internet Movie Database Shawn Stockman at Allmusic
20.
Wanya Morris
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Wanyá Jermaine Morris is an American singer, best known as a member of the R&B group Boyz II Men. He grew up in the Richard Allen neighborhood of Philadelphia, Morris previously dated R&B singer Brandy in the mid 90s. Once dated TLC rap singer Lisa Left-Eye Lopes, the remained friends and he sang a song with her called Let It Out. He currently resides in New Jersey with his wife and children, on March 8,2016, Morris was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold, millennium Renaissance Unreleased Happy in Hell (with Colt Ford Boyz II Men Official website Wanya Morris record label website Wanya Morris at the Internet Movie Database Wanya Morris at Allmusic
21.
Michael McCary
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Michael Mike Sean McCary is an American singer, best known as the former bass singer of the R&B group Boyz II Men. In 2003, Michael McCary left Boyz II Men due to back problems, resulting from multiple sclerosis. McCary plays in the film Mannsfield 12, in which he takes on the role of Herold and he has also appeared on the television game show Identity on March 24,2007. Lately, Michael has been seen in the room as a celebrity juror on a TV show that airs daily called Jury Duty. He was also shown in the pilot for a show with Paula Poundstone called A Pound of Paula. McCary is the son of Omarnetta Thomas and Robert McCary Sr and he has a brother named Robert McCary Jr. Michael was due to make a long-awaited return to the group in 2011 for their twenty-year anniversary album with all new material. However, negotiations between McCary and the group broke down, and this was confirmed by Boyz II Men via their website and he is the step-brother of fellow singer Will Downing. Boyz II Men Official website Michael McCary at the Internet Movie Database Michael McCary at Allmusic
22.
A cappella
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A cappella music is specifically group or solo singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It contrasts with cantata, which is usually accompanied singing, the term a cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato style. The term is used, albeit rarely, as a synonym for alla breve. A cappella music was used in religious music, especially church music as well as anasheed. Gregorian chant is an example of a singing, as is the majority of secular vocal music from the Renaissance. The madrigal, up until its development in the early Baroque into a form, is also usually in a cappella form. Jewish and Christian music were originally a cappella, and this practice has continued in both of these religions as well as in Islam, the polyphony of Christian a cappella music began to develop in Europe around the late 15th century AD, with compositions by Josquin des Prez. The early a cappella polyphonies may have had an accompanying instrument, by the 16th century, a cappella polyphony had further developed, but gradually, the cantata began to take the place of a cappella forms. 16th century a cappella polyphony, nonetheless, continued to influence church composers throughout this period and to the present day. Recent evidence has shown some of the early pieces by Palestrina. Such is seen in the life of Palestrina becoming an influence on Bach. In the Byzantine Rite of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, bishop Kallistos Ware says, The service is sung, even though there may be no choir. In the Orthodox Church today, as in the early Church, singing is unaccompanied and this a cappella behavior arises from strict interpretation of Psalms 150, which states, Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Divine Liturgies and Western Rite masses composed by composers such as Peter Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Arkhangelsky. Certain high church services and other events in liturgical churches may be a cappella. Many Mennonites also conduct some or all of their services without instruments, sacred Harp, a type of folk music, is an a cappella style of religious singing with shape notes, usually sung at singing conventions. Opponents of musical instruments in the Christian worship believe that opposition is supported by the Christian scriptures. There is no reference to music in early church worship in the New Testament
23.
Motownphilly
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Motownphilly is Boyz II Mens 1991 debut single for their debut album Cooleyhighharmony. The single was a success peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, michael Bivins, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap during the bridge. The video for the song was filmed in locations in Philadelphia. Two new jack swing groups, Another Bad Creation and Bell Biv DeVoe, are mentioned in the first verse, Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD, both groups appear briefly in the video, as does Sudden Impact, a short-lived, all-white R&B group organized by Bivins. The song title etymology involves a combination of two of the main musical influences, 1960s Motown and 1970s Philly soul. The song was featured during the 2016 Democratic National Convention, as the took place in Philadelphia
24.
End of the Road
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End of the Road is a single recorded by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Boomerang soundtrack. It was released in 1992 and written and produced by Kenneth Babyface Edmonds, L. A. Reid, the song achieved overwhelming domestic and international success. In the United States, End of the Road spent a record breaking 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Whitney Houston would later break this record in the year, with I Will Always Love You. Boyz II Men would later match, and break Houstons record, internationally, End of the Road reached #1 in Australia, United Kingdom and the Hot 100 Eurochart, among others. Due to the success of the single, Boyz II Mens debut album Cooleyhighharmony was re issued in 1992 and 1993 to include the song. At the 1993 Grammy Awards, End of the Road was nominated for two Grammys, winning both, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best R&B Song, End of the Road is considered one of the most successful songs of all time. It was the #1 single of 1992 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1992 and it is ranked by Billboard as the sixth most successful song of the decade 1990–1999. End of the Road was released on June 30,1992 and it was released as a single from the Boomerang soundtrack and did not originally appear on Boyz II Mens debut album, CooleyHighHarmony. It was released after all singles from their debut had been released, End of the Road debuted at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 18,1992. Within 4 weeks, it reached #1, holding the position for 13 consecutive weeks from August 15,1992 - November 7,1992 and it also spent four weeks atop of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was also performed by guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. on his 1993 album A River In The Desert, bassist Michael Manson covered the song from his 2008 album Up Front. Marcela Morelo recorded a Spanish version of the song in her 2009 album Otro plan, south Korean boy group U-KISS did an a cappella version of the hit song. Westlife covered this on a cappella, in addition, Boyz II Men included a Spanish-language version on their Spanish-language compilation Evolución. During the series finale of the sitcom A Different World, Whitley led everyone in singing End of the Road at hers, American Idol season ten contestant Stefano Langone performed the song during Idol Goes to the Movies week. An a cappella version was re-recorded for Boyz II Mens 2007 album, Motown, another re-recorded version appears on Boyz II Mens 2011 album, Twenty. A reggae cover was recorded by Frankie Paul in 1996 for his Jet Star album, keyshia Cole sampled the song on her single Trust and Believe, from her 2012 album, Woman to Woman. JLS sang this on their last tour, Goodbye – The Greatest Hits, in Muppets Most Wanted, the song is covered by the Gulag prisoners
25.
Billboard Hot 100
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The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US
26.
Elvis Presley
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Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is referred to as the King of Rock and Roll. Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis and his music career began there in 1954, when he recorded a song with producer Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a popularizer of rockabilly. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, Presleys first RCA single, Heartbreak Hotel, was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. He was regarded as the figure of rock and roll after a series of successful network television appearances. In November 1956, Presley made his debut in Love Me Tender. In 1958, he was drafted into military service, in 1973, Presley featured in the first globally broadcast concert via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii. Several years of drug abuse severely damaged his health. Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century and he won three Grammys, also receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. Presley was born on January 8,1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys Love and Vernon Elvis Presley, Jesse Garon Presley, his identical twin brother, was delivered stillborn 35 minutes before his own birth. Thus, as a child, Presley became close to both parents and formed an especially close bond with his mother. The family attended an Assembly of God, where he found his musical inspiration. Although he was in conflict with the Pentecostal church in his later years, rev. Rex Humbard officiated at his funeral, as Presley had been an admirer of Humbards ministry. Presleys ancestry was primarily a Western European mix, including Scots-Irish, Scottish, German, gladyss great-great-grandmother, Morning Dove White, was possibly a Cherokee Native American. Gladys was regarded by relatives and friends as the dominant member of the small family, Vernon moved from one odd job to the next, evincing little ambition. The family often relied on help from neighbors and government food assistance, the Presleys survived the F5 tornado in the 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak. In 1938, they lost their home after Vernon was found guilty of kiting a check written by the landowner, Orville S. Bean and he was jailed for eight months, and Gladys and Elvis moved in with relatives
27.
I'll Make Love to You
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Ill Make Love to You is a 1994 number-one hit single by R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. The song, which was written by Babyface, was the single from their second album II. The single was a commercial success. It held the one position on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks. At the time, the song tied a record for the most weeks at one that had been set by Whitney Houstons I Will Always Love You in late 1992. Boyz II Men would later break their own record in 1996 with One Sweet Day, a collaboration with Mariah Carey, Ill Make Love to You also topped the U. S. R&B and adult contemporary charts for nine and three weeks, respectively, in 1994. It sold 1,627,000 copies domestically, earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies. It also peaked at number 5 in the United Kingdom, Ill Make Love to You won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and two American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Single and Favorite Soul/R&B Single. It ranks at number 19 on Billboards All-Time Top 100 Songs, the music video featured a woman and a man. The man, whose name is Duane, installs a security system in the womans house and she later invites him to have a drink, but hes busy. It turns out that she likes him, likewise as he likes her too. While reading the letter, he begins to take off his clothes. In the end, he writes her a letter, she receives it and reads it, it is a love letter, Duane Martin was also featured in the music video. The Red Phantom with Juliet on background vocals, the lyrics Ill make love to you like you want me to / And Ill hold you tight, baby, all are sung by a group of penguins in the animated film Happy Feet. The song is featured on the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 2, jenna mentions she is going to sing a duet of this song with her mother Verna in the episode of 30 Rock named after her. Featured in a scene on the movie Cant Hardly Wait, featured on the American Reunion soundtrack. Part of the song is sung by The Barden Bellas in the movie Pitch Perfect, JLS sang a cover of this on The X Factor in the live finals. In Upper Montclair, NJ near, the intersection of Valley Rd and Bellevue Ave, there is a radio station
28.
One Sweet Day
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One Sweet Day is a song by American singer Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and Boyz II Men, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. One Sweet Day was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for her studio album, Daydream. The song speaks about the death of a one, how the protagonist took their presence for granted and misses them. Both Carey and Boyz II Men wrote the song about people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic. One Sweet Day received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom praised its content and vocals. It was ranked first in Rolling Stones readers poll for the Best Collaboration of All Time, the song spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming the longest running number one song on the chart. Subsequently, One Sweet Day became the Billboards most successful song of the 1990s, internationally, the song topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand, and reached the top-ten in Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Carey performed One Sweet Day live alongside Boyz II Men at the 38th Grammy Awards ceremony, additionally, the song was performed at Princess Dianas memorial service in September 1997. One Sweet Day was part of the set list on several of Careys succeeding tours, making its debut during the albums accompanying set of concerts and it is featured on her compilation albums, #1s, Greatest Hits, The Ballads, and #1 to Infinity. The music video for One Sweet Day was filmed in February 1995, and features snippets of Carey and Boyz II Men in and around the studio, the busy schedule of both Carey and Boyz II Men did not allow time to record a proper video. The singer later said that she was content a real music video was never filmed, critics felt the video choice was wise, and agreed that the simple concept paid homage to the songs selfless message. One Sweet Day was a song that Carey wrote with the R&B group Boyz II Men, Carey had the idea and chorus composed, and after meeting with Boyz II Men, they realized they too had a similar idea in development. Together, using Careys chorus and idea, as well as the melody they had produced, they wrote, the song was produced by Afanasieff, who built on the songs melody and added various grooves and beats. Whole idea of when you lose people that are close to you, it changes your life and it had basically the same lyrics and fitted over the same chord changes. It was really, really weird, we finished the right then. We were all kinda flipped about it ourselves, fate had a lot to do with that. I know some people wont believe it, but we wouldnt make up such a crazy story
29.
Luis Fonsi
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Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, more commonly known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 15,1978 to parents Alfonso Rodriguez, in 1995, Fonsi enrolled at Florida State University to study music. He also joined the choir and sang with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Luis Fonsi is the oldest child of Alfonso Rodriguez and Delia Lopez-Cepero and he has two younger siblings, Jean Rodriguez, who also is a singer, and Tatiana Rodriguez. As a child, Luis Fonsi showed signs that music was going to direct his life, as a child he imitated the stars of the popular group, Menudo, and while still young, he joined the San Juan Childrens Choir. In 1989, when Fonsi was 10 years old, he with his family from Puerto Rico to Orlando, although his English at the time was very poor, Fonsi did not argue moving. According to Fonsi, his father told him that he was going to live in the city as Mickey Mouse. This would be exciting for a ten year old boy. After living in the United States for one month, Fonsi spoke English without a hint of an accent and he entered Dr. Phillips High School, and participated in a group called Big Guys. They sang at parties and local festivals. One of the members of the group, Joey Fatone, later joined NSYNC and he also joined the universitys choir, which let him travel and perform throughout the United States and London. He did well in schooling while specializing in the field of music, after graduating from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fonsi decided to better prepare himself for a future, stable career inside show business. He was offered a scholarship to attend Florida State University School of Music. While he was finishing his degree in Vocal Performance, he began to demo tapes in Miami. Soon after that he was offered a contract by Universal Music Latino. In 1998, Fonsi recorded his album, Comenzaré. The record peaked at number 11 on Billboards Top Latin Albums chart and contained the singles Si Tu Quisieras, Perdóname, Dime Como, and Me Iré. Comenzaré became an instant hit in Puerto Rico and across Latin America, with Fonsi conquering such markets as Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and his 2000 follow-up, Eterno, was even more successful
30.
Daddy Yankee
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Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, known by his stage name Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, actor and record producer. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico and he is known as the King of Reggeatón. Ayala aspired to be a baseball player, and tried out for the Seattle Mariners of the Major League Baseball. Before he could be signed, he was hit by a stray round from an AK-47 rifle while taking a break from a studio recording session with reggaeton mix tape icon DJ Playero. Since then, he has sold over 18 million albums, Daddy Yankee first appeared on the 1992 DJ Playeros Mixtape, Playero 34, with the song So Persigueme, No Te Detengas. Ayala was originally going to become a baseball player but he was shot in his leg while taking a break from a studio recording session. The bullet was never removed and he credits this incident with allowing him to pursue a musical career and he made a few songs talking about the shooting incident, but his most complete song about it was 6 De Enero, released in 2012. His first official project as a solo artist was No Mercy. Early in his career he attempted to imitate the style of Vico C and he went on to emulate other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and DJ Drako, taking elements from their styles in order to develop an original style. In doing so, he abandoned the traditional model of rap. In 1997, Daddy Yankee collaborated with the rapper Nas, who was an inspiration for Ayala, in the song The Profecy and he released two compilation albums, El Cartel and El Cartel II, in 1997 and 2001, respectively. Both albums were very famous around Puerto Rico, but were not very successful around Latin America, between those years, Ayala released a total of nine music videos, including Posición featuring Alberto Stylee, Tu Cuerpo En La Cama featuring Nicky Jam and Muévete Y Perrea. In 2003, Ayala collaborated for the first time with the prestigious reggaeton producers Luny Tunes in the album Mas Flow, with his commercial success song Cógela Que Va Sin Jockey. In 2003, Daddy Yankee released an album named Los Homerun-es. That was later charted, Seguroski, being his first charted single after six of them. Barrio Fino performed well in the charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. Ayalas next album, Barrio Fino, was produced by Luny Tunes and DJ Nelson among others and released in July 2004 by El Cartel Records and it was the most highly anticipated album in the reggaeton community. Ayala had enjoyed Salsa music since he was young, and this led him to music of genres besides reggaeton in the album
31.
Justin Bieber
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Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After a talent manager discovered him through his YouTube videos covering songs in 2008 and signed to RBMG, Bieber released his debut EP, My World and it was certified Platinum in the U. S. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a record chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber released his first full-length studio album, My World 2.0 and it debuted at or near number one in several countries, was certified triple Platinum in the U. S. and contained his most successful single at the time, Baby. He released his studio album, Under the Mistletoe, in November 2011. Bieber released his studio album, Believe, in 2012. His fourth studio album Purpose was released in November 2015 to commercial success and his U. S. album and singles sales total 44.7 million. He has sold an estimated 100 million records, making him one of the world’s best-selling music artists, Bieber has won numerous awards, including the American Music Award for Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2012. In his career, he has won one Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song Where Are Ü Now at the 2016 ceremony. He has been listed four times by Forbes magazine among the top ten most powerful celebrities in the world in 2011,2012, Bieber also became the first artist to surpass 10 billion total video views on Vevo. Bieber was born on March 1,1994, in London, Ontario, at St Josephs Hospital and he is the only child of Jeremy Jack Bieber and Patricia Pattie Mallette. Pattie raised her son with the help of her mother, Diane and his mother is of French-Canadian descent, his paternal great-grandfather was of German ancestry, and his other roots are English, Scottish and Irish. He has also claimed that he has some undetermined Aboriginal Canadian ancestry, through Jeremy, Bieber has two younger half-siblings, Jazmyn and Jaxon. Pattie worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Bieber attended a French-language immersion elementary school in Stratford, the Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School. Growing up, he learned to play the piano, drums, guitar and he graduated from high school in Stratford, Ontario, the St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in 2012 with a 4.0 GPA. In early 2007, aged 12, Bieber sang Ne-Yos So Sick for a singing competition in Stratford and was placed second. Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and she continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Biebers popularity on the site grew
32.
The Beatles
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The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960, with Stuart Sutcliffe initially serving as bass player. The core of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them. They acquired the nickname the Fab Four as Beatlemania grew in Britain the next year, from 1965 onwards, the Beatles produced increasingly innovative recordings, including the albums Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road, after their break-up in 1970, they each enjoyed successful musical careers of varying lengths. McCartney and Starr, the members, remain musically active. Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in November 2001. The Beatles are the band in history, with estimated sales of over 600 million records worldwide. They have had more number-one albums on the British charts and sold more singles in the UK than any other act, according to the RIAA, the Beatles are also the best-selling music artists in the United States, with 178 million certified units. In 2008, the group topped Billboard magazines list of the all-time most successful Hot 100 artists, as of 2016 and they have received ten Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and they were also collectively included in Time magazines compilation of the twentieth centurys 100 most influential people. In March 1957, John Lennon, then aged sixteen, formed a group with several friends from Quarry Bank school. They briefly called themselves the Blackjacks, before changing their name to the Quarrymen after discovering that a local group was already using the other name. Fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney joined as a rhythm guitarist shortly after he, in February 1958, McCartney invited his friend George Harrison to watch the band. The fourteen-year-old auditioned for Lennon, impressing him with his playing, after a month of Harrisons persistence, they enlisted him as their lead guitarist. By January 1959, Lennons Quarry Bank friends had left the group, the three guitarists, billing themselves at least three times as Johnny and the Moondogs, were playing rock and roll whenever they could find a drummer. They used the name until May, when they became the Silver Beetles, before undertaking a tour of Scotland as the backing group for pop singer. By early July, they had changed their name to the Silver Beatles, allan Williams, the Beatles unofficial manager, arranged a residency for them in Hamburg, but lacking a full-time drummer they auditioned and hired Pete Best in mid-August 1960
33.
On Bended Knee
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On Bended Knee is a 1994 number-one hit single by Boyz II Men for the Motown label. It is the single from their second album, II. Written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song reached #1 on the Hot 100 Airplay, on Bended Knee stayed at number one for a total of six weeks. The single is notable for having replaced the previous Boyz II Men single, Ill Make Love to You, in the lyrics, the speaker begs on bended knee for his ex-lover to come back to him, and apologizes for his wrongdoing. The music video featured the members and their breakup and eventual reconciliation with four famous actresses, Kim Fields, Renée Jones, Lark Voorhies. The video begins with Wanyas girlfriend in the car with him, accusing him of looking at another woman at the grocery store and he eventually finds her sitting on bleachers where they make up. Shawn meets a girl with a dog at the park and falls in love with her after just meeting her, michael gets into a fight with his girlfriend on his birthday and hes shown alone, drawing a picture of her, but then she comes back to him. The band appears singing on the subway and in the rain, the music video was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana. It includes footage from Audubon Park, the streetcar, and the French Quarter
34.
Billboard (magazine)
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Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events and it is also known for its music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular singles and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows, Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegens interest in 1900 for $500, in the 1900s, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows. It also created a service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the industry as the jukebox, phonograph. Many topics it covered were spun-off into different magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment so that it could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was passed down to his children and Hennegans children, until it was sold to investors in 1985. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1,1894 by William Donaldson, initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called Billboard Advertising. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co. managed magazine production, the first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns like The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable, a department for agricultural fairs was established in 1896. The title was changed to The Billboard in 1897, after a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegans interest in the business in 1900 for $500, to save it from bankruptcy. That May, Donaldson changed it from a monthly to a paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London and he also re-focused the magazine on outdoor entertainment like fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, a lack of professionalism, economics and it had a stage gossip column covering the private lives of entertainers, a tent show section covering traveling shows and a sub-section called Freaks to order. According to The Seattle Times, Donaldson also published articles attacking censorship, praising productions exhibiting good taste
35.
Heart Break
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Heart Break is the fifth studio album by American R&B quintet New Edition, released June 20,1988 by MCA Records. It is the first album to return the Boston-reared band as a quintet after the exit of original member Bobby Brown. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. By 1987, New Edition was a group in transition, the band members were aging out of their teens into their twenties, and sought for their image and sound to reflect their coming of age. The New Edition members had actually known Gill since they released their hit Candy Girl in 1983 and they had joked that they would let him in the group if he could improve his dancing skills. Prompting Gill’s entrance into the group was when lead singer Ralph Tresvant considered recording a solo album, to circumvent New Edition being left without a lead singer, Michael Bivins suggested bringing in 20-year-old Gill to replace him. Gill accepted the invitation, joining the group in the spring of 1987, Tresvant, however, wasn’t ready to leave— resulting in New Edition, inadvertently, becoming a quintet again as they began production on their fifth album, Heart Break. While most of Heart Break features principal vocals by Tresvant, with solos by Ricky Bell. Gill took the lead on the track “Boys to Men”- a song in which the singer initially resisted and resented recording, feeling it was too juvenile, Boys To Men became one of the albums most eminent numbers, despite it never being officially released as a single. Another standout album track was “Competition, ” a song written by Tresvant that addresses the disappointment felt over the departure of Bobby Brown two years earlier, one song in particular, Where It All Started, was a thinly veiled jab at New Kids on the Block. The group was discovered by their former producer Maurice Starr as a response to New Edition severing ties with him on less than amicable terms. The two groups would later team up for a duet on the latters 2008 reunion album The Block, Heart Break peaked at numbers twelve and three on the US Billboard 200 and R&B Albums Chart respectively, selling 500,000 copies by August 19,1988. On September 28,1988, it was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America, after sales of 2 million, it earned double platinum certification from the RIAA in July 1994. The album has earned international sales of four million copies. Heart Break spun off five hit singles, If It Isnt Love, Youre Not My Kind of Girl, Can You Stand the Rain, Crucial, and N. E. Boys to Men was later on released as a 6th single in 1991 Many have called this album the most seminal New Edition album. Four fans from Philadelphia in particular were inspired by one of the songs on the album, ironically, Boys to Men, the song that Johnny Gill hated recording, ended up becoming the name of the group who changed their name to Boyz II Men. The group would end up being managed and mentored by Michael Bivins, Boyz II Men names New Edition as one of their most influential bands
36.
Michael Bivins
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Michael Lamont Bivins is an American singer and rapper, and a founding member of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. Bivins was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and he is a member of the group New Edition. Michael Bivins is one of the members of New Edition. When the group broke up he formed Bell Biv DeVoe with Ricky Bell, the group is credited with being one of the pioneers of the new jack swing sound. Their debut album, Poison, peaked at five on the Billboard 200 chart in 1990. He also discovers, manages, and produces for other acts, most notably Another Bad Creation, MC Brains, Boyz II Men and he serves as the music entrepreneur and A&R man of both of his own acts. He also has the New Edition Movie that he produced, most recently, he appeared in the basketball film Crossover as the character, Heart Attack. Bivins also manages Artist Development at Making the Band 4 and is CEO, a judge on the Centric TV version of Showtime at the Apollo said of Apollo Live. Which premiered Fall 2012 on Centric, that Michael Bivins has really grown as an artist and entrepreneur since his debut as one of the heartthrobs of the R&B teen idols called New Edition
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