1.
Pop music
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Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid 1950s. The terms popular music and pop music are used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular. Pop and rock were synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they were used in opposition from each other. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music. Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other such as urban, dance, rock, Latin. Identifying factors include generally short to medium-length songs written in a format, as well as the common use of repeated choruses, melodic tunes. David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop music as a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, according to Pete Seeger, pop music is professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music, the music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical, jazz, rock, and novelty songs. Pop music, as a genre, is seen as existing and developing separately, pop music continuously evolves along with the terms definition. The term pop song was first recorded as being used in 1926, Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music. The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pops earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience. Since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the meaning of non-classical mus, usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles. Grove Music Online also states that, in the early 1960s pop music competed terminologically with beat music, while in the USA its coverage overlapped with that of rock and roll. From about 1967, the term was used in opposition to the term rock music. Whereas rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral. It is not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward, and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative. It is, provided from on high rather than being made from below, pop is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged. The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment, the lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions
Pop music
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The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that the term "pop" refers to music performed by such artists as
the Rolling Stones (pictured here in a 2006 performance)
Pop music
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According to several sources,
MTV helped give rise to
pop stars such as
Michael Jackson and
Madonna; and Jackson and Madonna helped make MTV.
Pop music
2.
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
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The Recording Academy is a U. S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals. The Recording Academy is headquartered in Santa Monica, neil Portnow is the current president of The Academy. The Recording Academy, which began in 1957, is known for its Grammy Awards, in 1997, the Recording Academy launched The Latin Recording Academy, which produces the Latin Grammy Awards. Michael Greene was the founder and the first President of the Latin Grammys, the origin of the Academy dates back to the beginning of the 1950s Hollywood Walk of Fame project. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce asked the help of recording industry executives in compiling a list of people in the music business who should be honored by Walk of Fame stars. This was the start of the Academy and also of the Grammy Awards, the Producers and Engineers Wing is a part of the academy made up of producers, engineers, mixers, and other technically involved professionals. It is composed of almost 6,000 members, the producers and engineers wing addresses various aspects of issues facing the recording profession. They also support music and recording arts education, the P&E Wing also advocates for the use of professional usage of recording technology as well as the preservation of recordings. The members of this division make up a portion of those who vote on the Grammy Awards each year. The Grammy University Network is an organization for students who are pursuing a career in the music industry. It offers forms of networking, interactive experiences and programs, advice from music professionals. The Recording Academy supports the MusiCares Foundation, an organization which provides money. The Academy has twelve chapters in various locations in the United States, the twelve chapters are, Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, New York City, Pacific Northwest, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Texas and Washington D. C. List of music organizations in the United States The Latin Recording Academy Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
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The Recording Academy's former Santa Monica Headquarters on
Pico Boulevard & 34th Street
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
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The entrance of the
Grammy Museum at
L.A. Live
3.
25 (Adele album)
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25 is the third studio album by British singer and songwriter Adele. It was released on 20 November 2015, through XL Recordings, following the release and international success of her second studio album 21, Adele considered quitting the music industry and going out on a positive note. However, she decided to take a hiatus instead and raise her son, during her sabbatical, she suffered from writers block and rescheduled studio sessions for a new album, fearing she had lost her ability to write songs. In 2013, Adele had a breakthrough and the material eventually became 25 manifested. Titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old,25 is a make-up record, in contrast to Adeles previous works, the production of 25 incorporated the use of electronic elements and creative rhythmic patterns, with elements of 1980s R&B and organs. Many journalists felt that the album impacted the industry by encouraging the public to return to buying physical albums. 25 received the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year, the album then won the 2017 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album. Hello also won Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, following the release of 21, Adele was considering quitting the music industry all together, stating she thought it was better to go out on a high. However, in early 2012 she announced she was taking a hiatus from music in order to take time. Her hiatus from music came to an end after the birth of her first child in October 2012, before the albums recording came under way, Adele made a conscious decision not to try and create another 21 and would not make another heartbreak record. Prior to the release,25 was listed as one of the most anticipated albums of 2015. Prior to the official announcement, music journalists and fans speculated that the album would be titled 25 continuing the age theme from Adeles previous releases 19 and 21. On the eve of her 26th birthday in May 2014, Adele posted a message via her Twitter account which prompted discussion about her next album. See you again later in the year, was interpreted by outlets including Billboard and Capital FM as meaning that her album would be titled 25. On 10 February 2013, Adele confirmed that she was in the early stages of her third album and was having meetings while staying in Los Angeles for the 85th Academy Awards. Initially recording sessions for 25 were unsuccessful, in which Adele suffered from writers block, Adele rescheduled the albums recording stating she did not feel ready, but returned to the studio when her son was eighteen months old, which inspired her to write an album about motherhood. In an interview on BBC One, it was revealed that an album about being a mother was written. Adele stated that the album took a time to write, saying she did not think the album was ever going to be finished
25 (Adele album)
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Sessions with
Ryan Tedder (pictured) were unfruitful, though he and Adele co-wrote "Remedy", which made the album's final cut.
25 (Adele album)
25 (Adele album)
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Producer
Greg Kurstin
4.
Grammy Awards
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A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959, to honor, following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12,2017, the Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating a given by their industry similar to the Oscars. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts, after it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it, one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner, the gramophone, for the awards, the number of awards given grew and fluctuated over the years with categories added and removed, at one time reaching over 100. The second Grammy Awards, also held in 1959, was the first ceremony to be televised, the gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, Billings developed a zinc alloy named grammium, which is trademarked. The trophies with the name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements. By February 2009,7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded, the General Field are four awards which are not restricted by genre. Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a full album if other than the performer. Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a single song if other than the performer. Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/composer of a single song, Best New Artist is awarded to a promising breakthrough performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist. The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012 and 2017. Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other such as artwork. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry, the many other Grammy trophies are presented in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the afternoon before the Grammy Awards telecast
Grammy Awards
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Grammy Awards
5.
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
The Beatles
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The "Fab Four" Beatles lineup in 1964 Top: Lennon, McCartney Bottom: Harrison, Starr
The Beatles
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Abbey Road Studios main entrance
The Beatles
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McCartney, Harrison, Swedish pop singer
Lill-Babs and Lennon on the set of the Swedish television show Drop-In, 30 October 1963
The Beatles
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The Beatles arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964
6.
52nd Grammy Awards
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The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31,2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, the show was moved to January to avoid competing against the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast, the remaining awards were given during the un-televised portion of the ceremony which preceded the broadcast. Beyoncé, who received the most nominations, with ten. Taylor Swift won four while The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, artists who won two awards include A. R. Rahman, Colbie Caillat, Eminem, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Jason Mraz and Rihanna. Judas Priest, AC/DC, and Imogen Heap each won a Grammy for the first time in their careers, taylor Swifts Fearless was awarded the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the youngest to win the award at age 20. Zac Brown Band was presented with the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and they follow behind LeAnn Rimes in 1997, Shelby Lynne in 2001 and Carrie Underwood in 2007. N. D. – The Black Eyed Peas apl. de. ap, Jean Baptiste, Printz Board, DJ Replay, Funkagenda, David Guetta, Keith Harris, & will. i. am, producers, Dylan Dresdow, Padraic Kerin & will. i. i. Jones In Boston - Chris Botti Legacy - Hiroshima Modern Art - The Rippingtons & Russ Freeman Down the Wire - Spyro Gyra Best Pop Vocal Album The E. N. D. i. Sasha Fierce - Beyoncé Intuition - Jamie Foxx The Introduction of Marcus Cooper - Pleasure P Ready - Trey Songz Thr33 Ringz - T-Pain Best Rap Solo Performance D. O. A. - Jay-Z Best I Ever Had - Drake Beautiful - Eminem Day N Nite - Kid Cudi Casa Bey - Mos Def Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Crack A Bottle - Eminem, Dr. I. Harris, R. Tadross & J. Timberlake, songwriters D. O. A, - Jay-Z Shawn Carter & Ernest Wilson, songwriters Best Rap Album Relapse - Eminem Universal Mind Control - Common R. O. O. T. S. - Francisco Céspedes Hu Hu Hu - Natalia Lafourcade Gran City Pop - Paulina Rubio Best Latin Rock, spooky, Scary Stories & Songs-Buck Howdy Captain Nobody - Dean Pitchford Nelson Mandelas Favorite African Folktales - Samuel L. R. Rahman, P. A. R. 8, Adagio From Symphony No.5 Benjamin Zander, conductor Shostakovich, Symphonies Nos.1 &15 Valery Gergiev, conductor Szymanowski, Symphonies Nos.8, note, Michael Jackson and Les Paul were given special tributes. Spyro Gyra received Their twelfth Grammy Award nomination at this years Grammy Awards and their first nomination was at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1980. Complete list of nominees and winners NARAS Fields and categories CBS GRAMMY Site
52nd Grammy Awards
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52nd Annual Grammy Awards
7.
Kelly Clarkson
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Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2002 after winning the first season of American Idol, Clarksons debut single, A Moment Like This, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single of 2002 in the U. S. It was followed with her studio album, Thankful, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Trying to reinvent her own image, Clarkson decided to part ways with American Idol management and developed a pop sound for her second album. It sold over 15 million copies worldwide and earned Clarkson two Grammy Awards and she took further creative control for her third album, My December, by becoming the executive producer and co-writing the entire material. However, it caused feud with her label, that was dissatisfied with her darker, less commercial rock music, Clarkson returned to the top of the charts with her more mainstream-oriented fourth album, All I Ever Wanted. Its lead single, My Life Would Suck Without You, holds the record for the biggest jump to one on the Billboard Hot 100. She scored another Hot 100 number-one single with Stronger from her studio album. Clarkson also became the first act to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album twice. Her sixth studio album and first Christmas record, Wrapped in Red, ended up as the holiday album of the year. Her seventh and final album under RCA, Piece by Piece, was her album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Its title track became her eleventh single on the Hot 100. She signed with Atlantic Records in 2016 and has prepared a soul-influenced album for a 2017 release, Clarkson has sold over 70 million records worldwide and scored a total of 100 number ones on the Billboard charts. Her accolades include three Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and two Academy of Country Music Awards. Often called one of the best vocalists in the industry, Clarkson is known for her powerhouse voice and she became the first artist in history to top each of Billboards pop, adult contemporary, country and dance charts. She was ranked nineteenth on VH1s list of 100 Greatest Women in Music, Clarkson has also ventured into television and film, as well as writing childrens book. Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Jeanne Ann, a first-grade English teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson and she is the youngest of three children with a brother named Jason and a sister named Alyssa. Clarkson also has two half brothers from her fathers second marriage
Kelly Clarkson
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Clarkson at the
57th Presidential Inauguration, January 21, 2013
Kelly Clarkson
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Clarkson performed at the
Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2002, following her win on American Idol
Kelly Clarkson
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Clarkson performing during her Hazel Eyes concert tour on November 15, 2005,
Canberra, Australia
Kelly Clarkson
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Clarkson and
Reba McEntire performing during the
2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour
8.
Pink (singer)
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Alecia Beth Moore, known professionally as Pink, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. She was signed to her first record label with original R&B girl group Choice in 1995, the label, LaFace Records saw potential in only Pink, offering her a solo deal. Pink rose as an artist with her solo album, Cant Take Me Home. It was certified double-platinum in the United States and spawned two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hits, There You Go and Most Girls and she gained further recognition with the Moulin Rouge. Soundtrack Lady Marmalade, which gave Pink her first Grammy Award as well as her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, Pink took control in early 2001 insisting she wanted to work with her childhood hero, Linda Perry. Pink took more control and pursued a pop direction for her second album. It sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and yielded three United States top-ten singles, Get the Party Started, Dont Let Me Get Me, Pinks third album, Try This, generated considerably lower sales, but earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Pink revived her popularity with her fourth and fifth albums, Im Not Dead and Funhouse, with the latter containing her second United States number-one hit. Pink concluded the first decade of her career with the compilation album Greatest Hits, so Far. which featured Fuckin Perfect and the chart-topping single Raise Your Glass. In 2014 Pink recorded an album, Rose Ave. with Canadian musician Dallas Green under a folk music duo named You+Me. Recognized for her signature vocals and acrobatic performances, Pink has sold over 60 million albums worldwide. Her career accolades include three Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, a Daytime Emmy Award and six MTV Video Music Awards, in 2009, Billboard named Pink the Pop Songs Artist of the Decade. Pink was also the second most-played female solo artist in the United Kingdom during the 2000s decade, vH1 ranked her number 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music, while Billboard awarded her the Woman of the Year award in 2013. At the 63rd annual BMI Pop Awards, she received the BMI Presidents Award for her achievement in songwriting and global impact on pop culture. Alecia Beth Moore was born on September 8,1979, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to nurse Judy and insurance salesman Jim Moore and she has described her background as Irish-German-Lithuanian-Jew. Although a healthy baby at birth, she developed asthma that plagued her through her early years. Pink attended Central Bucks High School West, when Moore was a toddler, her parents began having marital problems, and before she was 10 her parents had divorced. Pink developed her voice early in life, in high school, Pink joined her first band, Middleground, but it disbanded upon losing a battle of the bands competition
Pink (singer)
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Pink performing live during
Truth About Love Tour in April 2013
Pink (singer)
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Pink in 2004
Pink (singer)
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Pink at a secret London performance to promote the Funhouse album, on November 4, 2008
Pink (singer)
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Pink performing "
Just Give Me a Reason " featuring
Nate Ruess.
9.
Sarah McLachlan
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Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist. Known for her ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2009. McLachlans best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards, in addition to her personal artistic efforts, she founded the Lilith Fair tour, which showcased female musicians on an unprecedented scale. The Lilith Fair concert tours took place from 1997 to 1999, on May 6,2014, she released her first album of original music in four years, titled Shine On. Sarah McLachlan was born on January 28,1968, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as a child, she took voice lessons, along with studies in classical piano and guitar. When she was 17 years old and still a student at Queen Elizabeth High School in Halifax, she fronted a short-lived rock band called The October Game. One of the songs, Grind, credited as a group composition, can be found on the independent Flamingo Records release Out of the Fog. It has yet to be released elsewhere and her high school yearbook predicted that she was destined to become a famous rock star. She finally signed to Nettwerk two years later before having written a single song, a mutual acquaintance introduced her to her birth mother when she was nineteen. McLachlan did not seek her out and was ambivalent about meeting her, in 1994 McLachlan was sued by Uwe Vandrei, an obsessed fan from Ottawa, who alleged that his letters to her had been the basis of the single Possession. The lawsuit was also challenging for the Canadian legal system, Vandrei was an admitted stalker whose acknowledged goal in filing the lawsuit was to be near McLachlan, consequently, precautions were taken to ensure McLachlans safety if she had to be in the same location as Vandrei. Before the trial however, Vandrei was found dead in an apparent suicide. Vandreis preoccupation with McLachlan was explored at length in Canadian author Judith Fitzgeralds book, Building a Mystery, in 1997, McLachlan married her drummer, Ashwin Sood, in Jamaica. While she was pregnant with her first child, her mother died from cancer in December 2001, while working on her next album, Afterglow, she gave birth to daughter India Ann Sushil Sood in Vancouver on April 6,2002. On June 22,2007 she gave birth to her daughter, Taja Summer Sood. McLachlan announced her separation from Ashwin Sood in September 2008 and they divorced the same year, the signing with Nettwerk prompted McLachlan to move to Vancouver, British Columbia. There she recorded her first album, Touch, in 1988, during this period she also contributed to an album by Moev, and embarked on her first national concert tour as an opening act for The Grapes of Wrath. Her 1991 album, Solace, was her breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles The Path of Thorns
Sarah McLachlan
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McLachlan after a performance at JFK Airport, July 2010
Sarah McLachlan
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McLachlan at a 1993 benefit for
Clayoquot Sound
Sarah McLachlan
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McLachlan in
Menlo Park, California, USA
Sarah McLachlan
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McLachlan performing for
Good Morning America in 1998
10.
Justin Timberlake
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Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer-songwriter, actor and record producer. Born and raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search, in the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. With his first two albums exceeding sales of 10 million copies worldwide, he was established as one of the most commercially successful singers of the decade, furthermore, he produced records and collaborated with other artists. For his live performances, including the concert tour for the albums, he began performing with his band The Tennessee Kids, composed by instrumentalists. Timberlake voiced the character in DreamWorks Animations Trolls, which soundtrack includes his fifth Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single. Among numerous awards and accolades, Timberlake has won ten Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2013. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lynn Harless and Charles Randall Timberlake, a Baptist church choir director. Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a community between Memphis and Millington. He has two half-brothers, Jonathan and Stephen, from Charles second marriage to Lisa Perry and his half-sister Laura Katherine died shortly after birth on May 12,1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album NSYNC as My Angel in Heaven. He was inspired to become a performer by Janet Jackson, saying She didnt just stand there and sing her song, fascinated by her energy, at the age of 11, Timberlake appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country music songs as Justin Randall. Timberlake then recruited Chasez to be in a singing group, organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman. The boy band NSYNC formed in 1995, and began their career in 1996 in Europe, Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers. In 1998, the rose to prominence in the United States with the release of their self-titled debut studio album. Their second album No Strings Attached sold 2.4 million copies in the first week, nSYNCs third album Celebrity was also financially successful. Upon the completion of the Celebrity Tour, the group went into hiatus in 2002, in late 1999, Timberlake appeared in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model and it was released on March 12,2000. The rise of his own stardom and the decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of NSYNC. Band member Lance Bass was openly critical of Timberlakes actions in his memoir Out of Sync and his debut solo studio album Justified was released in November and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies, fewer than previous N Sync releases
Justin Timberlake
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Timberlake at the
Cannes Film Festival, May 2013
Justin Timberlake
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Timberlake in London on his
Justified World Tour, December 2003
Justin Timberlake
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Timberlake performing at a concert in
St. Paul, Minnesota in January 2007 during the
FutureSex/LoveShow
Justin Timberlake
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Timberlake (left) with
Andrew Garfield (right) at an event for
The Social Network in Madrid, October 2010
11.
James Taylor
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James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and he is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No.3 single Fire and Rain and had his first No.1 hit the year with Youve Got a Friend. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies, following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over a million copies and his chart performance had a resurgence during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work. He achieved his first number one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World. He is notable for his covers of other peoples songs, such as How Sweet It Is. James Vernon Taylor was born at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on March 12,1948 and his father was from a well-off family of Southerners of Scottish ancestry. His mother, the former Gertrude Woodard, studied singing with Marie Sundelius at the New England Conservatory of Music and was an opera singer before the couples marriage in 1946. James was the second of five children, the others being Alex, Kate, Livingston and they built a house in the Morgan Creek area off the present Morgan Creek Road, which was sparsely populated. James would later say, Chapel Hill, the Piedmont, the hills, were tranquil, rural, beautiful. Thinking of the red soil, the seasons, the way things smelled down there, I feel as though my experience of coming of age there was more a matter of landscape, James attended public primary school in Chapel Hill. Isaacs career prospered, but he was away from home, on military service at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Isaac Taylor later rose to dean of the UNC School of Medicine from 1964 to 1971. The Taylors spent summers on Marthas Vineyard beginning in 1953, Taylor first learned to play the cello as a child in North Carolina and switched to the guitar in 1960. He began attending Milton Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts in fall 1961. Summering before then with his family on Marthas Vineyard, he met Danny Kortchmar, the two began listening to and playing blues and folk music together, and Kortchmar quickly realized that Taylors singing had a natural sense of phrasing, every syllable beautifully in time. I knew James had that thing, Taylor wrote his first song on guitar at 14, and he continued to learn the instrument effortlessly
James Taylor
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Taylor in the mid-1970s
James Taylor
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Taylor in the early 1970s
James Taylor
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Mise en scène for
Two-Lane Blacktop:
Boswell, Oklahoma
James Taylor
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At Winterfest, 1985
12.
41st Grammy Awards
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The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24,1999 at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998, lauryn Hill was the main recipient, winning a total of 5 awards including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Her album was the first Hip Hop act ever to win the coveted award, also the ceremony was known as the Grammy Year of Women, every artist nominated for Album of the Year were all female. Madonna won four awards while musicians the Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, celine Dion also received two awards both for My Heart Will Go On, which received a total of four awards. It is widely remembered for Ricky Martins performance of La Copa De La Vida/ The Cup of Life, Best Orchestral Performance Pierre Boulez & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Mahler, Symphony No
41st Grammy Awards
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41st Annual Grammy Awards
13.
42nd Grammy Awards
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The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23,2000 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999, santana was the main recipient with eight Grammys, tying Michael Jacksons record for most awards won in a single night. Santanas album Supernatural was awarded a total of nine awards, stephen Harris, Dante Ross, Matt Serletic, Lauryn Hill, Jerry Duplessis, Wyclef Jean, K. C. – Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg Guilty Conscience – Eminem & Dr. Dre Best Rap Album The Slim Shady LP – Eminem E. L. E, the Final World Front – Busta Rhymes Da Real World – Missy Elliott I Am. – Nas Things Fall Apart – The Roots Best Female Country Vocal Performance Man, Carlos Nakai Inner Voices – R. Carlos Nakai Plains – George Winston Best Contemporary Jazz Performance Inside – David Sanborn Ethnomusicology, Vol. D. Best Spoken Comedy Album Chris Rock for Bigger & Blacker Best World Music Album Livro-Caetano Veloso Elton John Designer, the design of the 42nd GRAMMY AWARDS logo, also known as the Millennium Logo, was commissioned to Mark Deitch and Associates. The actual design was conceived and executed by Raoul Pascual, Michael Green of the Recording Academy stipulated that the logo should encompass all forms of musical genre and the GRAMMY logo had to be prominently featured. My problem was how to translate that into a visual, I designed black and white icons of the instruments using a vector program. I was working overtime and I was getting desperate, I was moving the different icons around the GRAMMY logo but none of the combinations seemed to work. As I picked up the guitar icon, I decided to pray, I said if you bless me with a winning design, I will give you the glory every time I share how I designed the GRAMMY logo. Suddenly, I inadvertently released my hold of the icon and it fell on top of the GRAMMY logo, I stared at the image on my screen and I saw my solution. I added the other icons and curved them to suggest movement from behind, with suggestions from the staff and the people at the Recording Academy in the course of several weeks, the design underwent an evolution from a 2 dimensional rendering into 3D
42nd Grammy Awards
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42nd Annual Grammy Awards
14.
Sting (musician)
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Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE, better known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for the new wave rock band The Police from 1977 to 1984. He has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age and he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police in 2003. In 2000, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording, in 2003, Sting received a CBE from Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to music, and was made a Kennedy Center Honoree at the White House in 2014. He was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2017, with The Police, Sting became one of the worlds best-selling music artists. Solo and with The Police combined, he has sold over 100 million records, in 2006, Paste ranked him 62nd of the 100 best living songwriters. He was 63rd of VH1s 100 greatest artists of rock, and he grew up near Wallsends shipyards, which made an impression on him. At eight or ten years old, he was inspired by the Queen Mother waving at him from a Rolls-Royce to divert from the shipyard prospect towards a more glamorous life. He helped his father deliver milk and by ten was obsessed with an old Spanish guitar left by a friend of his father. He attended St Cuthberts Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne and he visited nightclubs such as Club AGogo to see Cream and Manfred Mann, who influenced his music. After being a bus conductor, building labourer and tax officer, he attended Northern Counties College of Education from 1971 to 1974 and he taught at St Pauls First School in Cramlington for two years. Sting performed jazz in the evening, weekends and during breaks from college and he played with the Phoenix Jazzmen, Newcastle Big Band, and Last Exit. He gained his nickname after his habit of wearing a black, bandleader Gordon Solomon thought he looked like a bee, which prompted the name Sting. In the 1985 documentary Bring on the Night a journalist called him Gordon, to which he replied, My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, in Time in 2011 he said, I was never called Gordon. You could shout Gordon in the street and I would just move out of your way, in January 1977, Sting moved from Newcastle to London and joined Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani to form The Police. From 1978 to 1983 they had five UK chart-topping albums, won six Grammy Awards and their initial sound was punk-inspired, but they switched to reggae rock and minimalist pop. Their final album, Synchronicity, was nominated for five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and it included their most successful song, Every Breath You Take, written by Sting, in 1983. While never formally breaking up, after Synchronicity the group agreed to concentrate on solo projects, as the years went by, the band members, particularly Sting, dismissed the possibility of reforming
Sting (musician)
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Sting performing at
Madison Square Garden, New York on 1 August 2007
Sting (musician)
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Sting performing in
Norway during 1985
Sting (musician)
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Sting and
Bono at the
Conspiracy of Hope concert in
New Jersey, 1986
Sting (musician)
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Sting with the Police at
Madison Square Garden, New York, 1 August 2007
15.
46th Annual Grammy Awards
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The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8,2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, the big winners were Outkast, who won three awards including Album of the Year & Beyoncé Knowles, who won five Awards. Tied for the most nominations, with six each, were Knowles, Outkast, Jackson Christina Aguilera – Beautiful Bold type indicates the winner out of the list of nominees. King Funny Girl performed by the original Broadway cast with Barbra Streisand & Sydney Chaplin Golden Jubilee Concert, Beyoncé became the fourth female artist to win a record five awards in one night. Prior to Beyoncé Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill had won five in one night, since 2004 Amy Winehouse and Alison Krauss became the fifth and sixth artists respectively to tie this record. Beyoncé is the one of these six artists who did not win a general field award out of her five wins. In 2010 Beyoncé broke this record and this record was later tied by Adele in 2012. Justin Timberlake apologized for the Super Bowl halftime show the week in his acceptance speech that night. Janet Jackson however did not appear at the Grammy Awards, as Evanescence were presented with the award for Best New Artist, rapper 50 Cent went up to the stage. 50 Cent was nominated for Best New Artist, losing to Evanescence, Luther Vandross won four awards however he was unable to attend due to a stroke he suffered several months earlier. Celine Dion sang his song Dance With My Father with Richard Marx playing piano in tribute to Luther Vandross, the song was ultimately awarded the award for Song of the Year later that night. During the show showed a videotaped clip that was pre-taped of him saying Whenever I say goodbye its never for long because I believe in the power of love. Vandross died the year in 2005. The show also featured a Tribute to The Beatles in honor of the 40 year anniversary of their arrival in America, during the show, both widows of deceased members – Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison – made an on-stage appearance. New York Times, February 4,2004, The Grammy Award Winners of 2004
46th Annual Grammy Awards
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46th Annual Grammy Awards
16.
49th Grammy Awards
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The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning September 15,2005 and ending September 14,2006 in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11,2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Dixie Chicks were the nights biggest winners winning a total of five awards. Mary J. Blige received the most nominations, with eight, don Henley was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the show on February 9,2007. The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction for VMC Programming, the performance of Roxanne by The Police to open the show promoted the start of their reunion tour. Bold type indicates the winner out of the list of nominees. Record of the Year Be Without You – Mary J. Elsewhere – Gnarls Barkley Danger Mouse, producer, Ben H. mastering engineer Song of the Year Be Without You – Mary J. Blige Johntá Austin, Mary J. A. Best Contemporary Jazz Album The Hidden Land – Béla Fleck and the Flecktones People People Music Music – Groove Collective Rewind That – Christian Scott Sexotica – Sex Mob Who Let the Cats Out. – Janet Jackson Kelis Was Here – Kelis In My Own Words – Ne-Yo Best Rap Solo Performance What You Know – T. I. I. I. Gabriel Arillo, Aldrian Davis & Clifford Harris songwriters Best Rap Album Release Therapy – Ludacris Lupe Fiascos Food & Liquor – Lupe Fiasco In My Mind – Pharrell Game Theory – The Roots King – T. I. Best Reggae Album Love Is My Religion – Ziggy Marley Too Bad – Buju Banton Youth – Matisyahu Rhythm Doubles – Sly and Robbie Who You Fighting For
49th Grammy Awards
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49th Annual Grammy Awards
17.
John Mayer
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John Clayton Mayer is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and raised in nearby Fairfield and he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but disenrolled and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook. Together, they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters, after their split, Mayer continued to play local clubs—refining his skills and gaining a following. After his appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest Festival, he was signed to Aware Records, and then Columbia Records and his following two full-length albums—Room for Squares and Heavier Things —did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single Your Body Is a Wonderland, though Mayer started his career mainly performing acoustic rock, he began moving towards the blues genre that had originally influenced him as a musician. By 2005, he was collaborating with artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton, forming the John Mayer Trio, he released a live album in 2005 called Try. and his third studio album Continuum in 2006. Both albums received critical acclaim, and Continuum earned Mayer a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Waiting on the World to Change and that album was followed by Battle Studies in 2009, a return to pop, with a number-one grossing tour. However, the discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012, even so, the album enjoyed a generally favorable reception, though was less commercially successful than his previous work. After extensive treatments for his vocal problems—and a two-year hiatus—Mayer began performing as a singer again in January 2013, the album is named for where he lives in Montana and features country music influences. By 2014, he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide, after developing an interest in the Grateful Dead and connecting with Bob Weir, Mayer formed Dead & Company with three former Grateful Dead musicians. After two well-received tours in the fall of 2015 and summer of 2016, the band has committed to another tour for the summer of 2017. Mayers secondary career pursuits extend to television hosting, comedy, and writing and he supports various causes and has performed at charity benefits. He is an aficionado, and has been on the jury at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. His latest song is Love on the Weekend, John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16,1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Richard and Margaret Mayer. He grew up in nearby Fairfield, the middle child between older brother Carl and younger brother Ben and his father is Jewish, and Mayer has said that he relates to Judaism. As a middle school student, Mayer became close friends with tennis star James Blake
John Mayer
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John Mayer performing on the
The Early Show in 2006
John Mayer
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Mayer, June 2007
John Mayer
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Mayer performing at the
Barclays Center in
Brooklyn, New York, on December 17, 2013
John Mayer
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January 2005, left to right:
David Ryan Harris, John Mayer and
Steve Jobs at
Macworld 11, SF
Moscone Center.
18.
Taylor Swift
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Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. One of the most popular contemporary female recording artists, she is known for songs about her personal life. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at age 14 to pursue a career in country music and she signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. Her eponymous debut album in 2006 peaked at five on Billboard 200. The albums third single, Our Song, made her the youngest person to single-handedly write, Swifts second album, Fearless, was released in 2008. Buoyed by the pop success of the singles Love Story and You Belong with Me. The album won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest Album of the Year winner, Swift was the sole writer of her 2010 album, Speak Now. It debuted at one in the United States and the single Mean won two Grammy Awards. Her fourth album, Red, yielded the successful singles We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, with her fifth album, the pop-focused 1989, she became the first act to have three albums sell a million copies within one week in the United States. Its singles Shake It Off, Blank Space and Bad Blood reached number one in the US, Australia, the album received three Grammy Awards, and Swift became the first woman and fifth act overall to win Album of the Year twice. The 2015 eponymous concert tour for 1989 became one of highest-grossing of the decade, as a songwriter, Swift has received awards from the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Swift is one of the artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums—including 27.1 million in the US—and 130 million single downloads. She has appeared in Times 100 most influential people in the world, Forbes top-earning women in music, Forbes 100 most powerful women and she was the youngest woman to be included in the third of these and ranked first in Celebrity 100. Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13,1989, in Reading and her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, was a financial advisor, and her mother, Andrea Gardner Swift, was a homemaker who worked previously as a mutual fund marketing executive. She has a brother named Austin. Swift spent the years of her life on a Christmas tree farm in Cumru Township. She attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia Montessori School, run by Franciscan nuns, the family then moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical theater and she also traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons
Taylor Swift
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Swift performing at
Ford Field in
Detroit during
The 1989 World Tour in May 2015
Taylor Swift
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Swift performing at
Yahoo! headquarters in
Sunnyvale, California in 2007
Taylor Swift
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Swift performing in the
Prudential Center in
New Jersey during the
Fearless Tour in 2010
Taylor Swift
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Swift performing in
Los Angeles during the Fearless Tour in 2010
19.
Vikki Carr
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Vikki Carr is an American vocalist and humanitarian who has had a singing career for over four decades. She established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation in 1971, cardona was born in El Paso, Texas. After taking the stage name Vikki Carr, she signed with Liberty Records in 1962 and her first single to achieve success was Hes a Rebel, which in 1962 reached #5 in Australia and #115 in the United States. Producer Phil Spector heard Carr cutting the song in the studio, in 1966, Carr toured South Vietnam with actor/comedian Danny Kaye to entertain American troops there. The following year her album It Must Be Him was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, the title track reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in 1967, sold over 1 million copies, and received a gold disc. She had two other songs make the US Top 40, 1968s The Lesson and 1969s With Pen in Hand, around this time, Dean Martin called her the best girl singer in the business. Carr had 10 singles that made the US pop charts and 13 albums that made the US pop-album charts, in 1968 she taped six specials for London Weekend TV. She appeared on television programs, such as ABCs The Bing Crosby Show in the 1964–1965 season. In 1970, she was named Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and she guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1973. Carr married Michael Nilsson, a paint company executive, on August 20,1979 and she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981. Carr also achieved the feat of singing for five presidents during her career, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush. She also received Grammy nominations for the discs Brindo a La Vida, Al Bolero, A Ti and her numerous Spanish-language hit singles include Total, Discúlpame, Déjame, Hay Otro en Tu Lugar, Esos Hombres, Mala Suerte and Cosas del Amor. The last song spent more than two months at No.1 on the US Latin charts in 1991, her biggest Spanish-language US hit and her Spanish-language albums have been certified gold and platinum in Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. She also voiced Georgette in the Latin American dub of Disneys Oliver, in 1999 she taped a PBS TV special, Vikki Carr, Memories, Memorias, in which she performed popular bilingual tunes from the 1940s and 1950s. Her guests were Pepe Aguilar, Arturo Sandoval, and Jack Jones, in 2001, she released a bilingual holiday album, The Vikki Carr Christmas Album. In 2002, she appeared to acclaim in a Los Angeles production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies, which also featured Hal Linden, Patty Duke. In 2006, Carr made a appearance in a straight-to-video thriller called Puerto Vallarta Squeeze. In 2008, Carr hosted a PBS TV special, Fiesta Mexicana, later that year, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Recording Academy
Vikki Carr
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Vikki Carr in 1974.
Vikki Carr
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Vikki Carr in 1968
20.
It Must Be Him (album)
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It Must Be Him is a 1967 album by Vikki Carr. The album reached No.12 on the Billboard charts and is the singers most successful English-language release to date, the title song reached No.3 on the singles charts. It was produced by Tommy Oliver
It Must Be Him (album)
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It Must Be Him
21.
Bobbie Gentry
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Roberta Lee Streeter, professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is an American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material. Her songs typically drew on her Mississippi roots to compose vignettes of the Southern United States, Gentry rose to international fame with her intriguing Southern Gothic narrative Ode to Billie Joe in 1967. Gentry charted eleven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and four singles on the United Kingdom Top 40 and her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. After her first albums, she had a run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip. She lost interest in performing in the late 1970s, and since 2010 has lived in a gated community in Shelby County. Gentry was born near Woodland in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, a child to Robert. Her parents divorced shortly after her birth, and her mother moved to California and she was raised on her grandparents farm in Chickasaw County. Her grandmother traded one of the milk cows for a neighbors piano. She attended school in Greenwood, Mississippi, and began teaching herself to play the guitar, bass, banjo, and she moved to Arcadia, California, at age 13 to live with her mother. Gentry graduated from Palm Valley School in 1960 and she chose her stage name from the 1952 film Ruby Gentry, about a heroine born into poverty but determined to make a success of her life. She began performing at country clubs, and encouraged by Bob Hope. Gentry then moved to Los Angeles to enter UCLA as a philosophy major and she supported herself with clerical jobs, occasionally performing at nightclubs. She later transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to develop her composition, in 1964, she made her recording debut in two duets – Requiem for Love and Stranger in the Mirror with rockabilly singer Jody Reynolds. She continued performing in nightclubs until Capitol Records executive Kelly Gordon heard a demo she had recorded in 1967, in 1967 Gentry produced her first single, the country rock Mississippi Delta. However, the flipside, Ode to Billie Joe, with its sound and controversial lyrics. Questions arose among the listeners, what did Billie Joe and his girlfriend throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge, Gentry herself has commented on the song, saying that its real theme was indifference, Those questions are of secondary importance in my mind. The story of Billie Joe has two more interesting underlying themes, first, the illustration of a group of peoples reactions to the life and death of Billie Joe, and its subsequent effect on their lives, is made. Second, the gap between the girl and her mother is shown, when both women experience a common loss, and yet Mama and the girl are unable to recognize their mutual loss or share their grief
Bobbie Gentry
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Gentry in 1970
Bobbie Gentry
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Cover of Bobbie Gentry's debut album (1967)
Bobbie Gentry
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In this photograph from the November 10, 1967 issue of
Life magazine, Gentry strolls across the Tallahatchie Bridge in
Money, Mississippi. The bridge collapsed in June 1972.
22.
Ode to Billie Joe (album)
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Ode to Billie Joe is the debut solo studio album by Bobbie Gentry. It was produced by Kelly Gordon and arranged by Jimmie Haskell and it was the only album to displace The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band from its 15-week reign at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. –2,30 Bugs –2,05 Hurry, Tuesday Child –3,52 Lazy Willie –2,36 Ode to Billie Joe –4,15 Billboard albums Billboard Singles The Mystery of Billy Joe
Ode to Billie Joe (album)
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Ode to Billie Joe
23.
The 5th Dimension
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The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera and Broadway—the melange was coined as Champagne Soul. Formed as The Versatiles in late 1965, the changed its name to the hipper The 5th Dimension by 1966. The five original members were Billy Davis Jr. Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore and they have recorded for several labels over their long careers. Their first work appeared on the Soul City label, which was started by Imperial Records/United Artists Records recording artist Johnny Rivers, the group later recorded for Bell/Arista Records, ABC Records, and Motown Records. Some of the songwriters popularized by the 5th Dimension went on to careers of their own, especially Ashford & Simpson, who wrote California Soul. In the early 1960s, Lamonte McLemore and Marilyn McCoo got together with three friends from Los Angeles — Harry Elston, Lawrence Summers. and Fritz Baskett — to form a group called the Hi-Fis. In 1963, they sang at clubs while taking lessons from a vocal coach. In 1964, they came to the attention of Ray Charles and he produced a single by the group, Lonesome Mood, a jazz-type song that gained local attention. However, internal disagreements caused Elston to go his way, eventually leading to his forming the Friends of Distinction, with latter day Hi-Fis member, McLemore sought to form another group and started looking for members to join him and McCoo. McCoo, who had studied with the vocal coach Eddie Beal, had appeared in high school. His grandmother fostered his career by arranging for private voice and acting lessons as he grew up, in his teens, he toured with Dorothy Dandridge and Nat King Cole, joined the Wings Over Jordan Choir, and played a small part in the film Porgy and Bess. He demonstrated his skill as a classical artist by placing third in the Metropolitan Opera auditions held in St. Louis, after finishing high school, he worked his way through Lincoln University by conducting the school and church choir. After graduating, he organized his own 25-member gospel choir, another of McLemores friends from St. Louis days, Billy Davis Jr. started singing in gospel choirs at an early age. He later saved enough money to buy a cocktail lounge in St. Louis, when asked to join McLemores new group, he agreed, while hoping for a solo contract from Motown. The members began rehearsing as the Versatiles in late 1965 and auditioned for Marc Gordon, who headed Motowns Los Angeles office. Although the groups demo tape was rejected by Motown, Gordon agreed to them and brought them to the attention of Johnny Rivers. Their first Soul City single, Ill Be Lovin You Forever, was a successful single, in 1965 The Mamas & the Papas first single, lead member John Phillips Go Where You Wanna Go, failed to open the foursomes chart career. The budding songwriter Jimmy Webb supplied the group with their hit, Up, Up and Away
The 5th Dimension
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The 5th Dimension in 1969. Back row: Townson and McLemore. Front row: LaRue, Davis, and McCoo.
24.
Up, Up and Away (The 5th Dimension album)
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Up, Up and Away is the debut album by American pop group The 5th Dimension, released in 1967. The title track was released as a single and became a pop hit. The groups first single release on Soul City Records, Train Keep On Moving/Ill Be Loving You Forever was not a success, both songs appear as bonus tracks on a later CD reissue of the album. The first single released from album, Go Where You Wanna Go, was initially recorded by The Mamas & the Papas. The 5th Dimensions version became a Top 20 hit in the US, the groups second release, Another Day, Another Heartache, also charted, peaking at #45. It was their third release, the ubiquitous Up, Up and Away, the group and the song amassed a total of five different Grammy Awards between them in 1967. Many different artists have recorded versions of the song. The group appeared on television shows of the day, including The Hollywood Palace, Shebang, and particularly The Ed Sullivan Show. –2,54 Learn How to Fly –3,01 Poor Side of Town –3,21 CD Reissue Bonus Tracks Ill Be Loving You Forever –3,11 Train Keep on Movin –2,47 Too Poor to Die –1,53 Billy Davis, Jr. F
Up, Up and Away (The 5th Dimension album)
–
Up, Up and Away
25.
The Association (band)
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The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the band at 1967s Monterey Pop Festival. Jules Alexander was in Hawaii in 1962 serving a stint in the Navy when he met Terry Kirkman, the two young musicians jammed together and promised to get together once Alexander was discharged. At the same time, Kirkman played in groups with Frank Zappa for a period before Zappa went on to form The Mothers of Invention. This led in February 1965 to the forming of The Men and this group had a brief spell as the house band at The Troubadour. After a short time, however, The Men disbanded, with six of the members electing to go out on their own, at the suggestion of Kirkmans then-fiancée, Judy, they took the name The Association. On drums, guitar, bass and vocals, and Bob Page on guitar, banjo, however, Page was replaced by Jim Yester on vocals, guitar and keyboards before any of the groups public performances. The new band spent about five months rehearsing before they began performing around the Los Angeles area, most notably a regular stint at The Ice House in Pasadena and they also auditioned for record labels but faced resistance due to their unique sound. Eventually, the small Jubilee label issued a single of Babe Im Gonna Leave You, in 1966 Fredericks turned the reins over to Pat Colecchio, who managed the group for the next eight years. Their national break would come with the song Along Comes Mary, Alexander first heard the song when he was hired to play on a demo version and persuaded Almer to give the Association first dibs on it. The song proved controversial thanks to the fact that Mary was street slang for marijuana, went to No.7 on the Billboard charts and led to the groups first album, And Then. Along Comes the Association, produced by Curt Boettcher and begun in Gary S. Paxtons garage, with vocals done separately at Columbia. Another song from the album, Cherish, written by Kirkman, would become the Associations first No.1 hit in September 1966, the group followed with their second album, Renaissance, released in late 1966. The band changed producers, dropping Boettcher in favor of Jerry Yester, the album did not spawn any major hits, and the album only reached No. 34, compared with the No.5 showing for And Then, Records, which had been distributing Valiant, bought the smaller label, and with it, the Associations contract. In May 1967, Alexander left the band to study meditation in India and was replaced by Larry Ramos on vocals and guitar. Ramos joined the band while Alexander was still performing with them after bassist Coles hand was injured by a firecracker, Alexander subbed on bass while Ramos played lead guitar, Ramos had previously performed with The New Christy Minstrels and had even recorded solo singles for Columbia Records. He went on to sing co-lead on two of the Associations biggest hit singles, Windy and Never My Love, with the lineup settled, the group returned to the studio, this time with Bones Howe in the producers chair
The Association (band)
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The group in 1968 Top row, from left: Jim Yester, Brian Cole, Ted Bluechel; bottom row, from left: Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Terry Kirkman
26.
Bonnie Raitt
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Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter, musician, and activist. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk, in 1989, after several years of critical acclaim but little commercial success, she had a major hit with the album Nick of Time. Raitt has received 10 Grammy Awards and she is listed as number 50 in Rolling Stones list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 89 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Raitt was born in Burbank, California and she is the daughter of the Broadway musical star John Raitt and his first wife, the pianist Marjorie Haydock, and was raised in the Quaker tradition. She began playing guitar at Camp Regis-Apple Jack in Paul Smiths, NY, later she gained notice for her bottleneck-style guitar playing. Raitt says she played a little at school and at camp, Camp Regis-Applejack, Raitt is of Scottish ancestry, with her ancestors being those who constructed Rait Castle near Nairn. After graduating from Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1967 Raitt entered Radcliffe College, majoring in social relations and she said her plan was to travel to Tanzania, where President Julius Nyerere was creating a government based on democracy and socialism. Raitt became friends with blues promoter Dick Waterman, during her second year of college Raitt took a semester off and moved to Philadelphia with Waterman and other local musicians. Raitt says it was an opportunity that changed everything, in the fall of 1970, while opening for Mississippi Fred McDowell at the Gaslight Cafe in New York, she was seen by a reporter from Newsweek, who began to spread the word about her performance. Scouts from major companies were soon attending her shows to watch her play. She eventually accepted an offer from Warner Bros. which soon released her album, Bonnie Raitt. While admired by those who saw her perform, and respected by her peers and her critical stature continued to grow but record sales remained modest. Her second album, Give It Up, was released in 1972 to universal acclaim, though many still regard it as her best work. 1973s Takin My Time was also met critical acclaim. Raitt was beginning to receive press coverage, including a 1975 cover story for Rolling Stone. By now, Raitt was already experimenting with different producers and different styles, in 1976, Raitt made an appearance on Warren Zevons eponymous album with his friend Jackson Browne and Fleetwood Macs Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. 1977s Sweet Forgiveness album gave Raitt her first commercial breakthrough when it yielded a hit single in her remake of Runaway, recast as a heavy rhythm and blues recording based on a rhythmic groove inspired by Al Green, Raitts version of Runaway was disparaged by many critics. However, the commercial success prompted a bidding war for Raitt between Warner Bros. and Columbia Records
Bonnie Raitt
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Bonnie Raitt performing in 2007
Bonnie Raitt
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Raitt performing at the
Berkeley Community Theater, 1976–1977
27.
Ace of Base
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Ace of Base was a Swedish pop group, originally consisting of Ulf Buddha Ekberg and three siblings, Jonas Joker Berggren, Malin Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren. The group released four albums between 1992 and 2002, which sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making it the third-most successful Swedish band of all time, after ABBA. Happy Nation, also called The Sign, is one of the debut albums of all time. It was the first debut album to produce three No.1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, All That She Wants, The Sign and Dont Turn Around. Following the formal departure of singer Linn in 2007, the band performed a series of concerts as a trio in Europe, Jenny Berggren said in November 2009 that she would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the band to focus on a solo career. In 2009, Jonas and Ulf recruited two new vocalists, Clara Hagman and Julia Williamson, and released The Golden Ratio in September 2010. The new band went through several names, Kalinin Prospect after an avenue in Moscow, CAD and they toured the clubs of Sweden with self-written material, techno inspired by the likes of The KLF and Snap. Johnny left the group in 1989, and Niklas made his departure known by failing to appear at a performance, Jonas asked his friend Ulf Ekberg to stand in for Niklas. The new quartet sought a new name to make a fresh start, Linn was reported to have said, No one could pronounce the name of the group and nobody could remember it. They settled on Ace of Base after Ulf was inspired by the video for the Motörhead song Ace of Spades. However, the continued to struggle to gain recognition, partly due to the preference of heavy metal over techno in their hometown. In 1991 they responded to an ad by producer John Ballard. A Jamaican reggae band resided in a next door to theirs. This resulted in a fusion of reggae with pop which became the trademark sound. Wheel of Fortune did not convince Telegram to sign the band, the demo was eventually sold for a small price to the independent Danish label Mega Records in March 1992. Wheel of Fortune was re-recorded and released as a single in Denmark in May, a small-budget music video was shot and directed in a small studio by Viking Nielsson and in September, after two failures, the single finally charted. While Wheel of Fortune was a modest success, a different song led Ace of Base to take off internationally. After hearing Swedish top 20 hit Another Mother, which Kayo had written, composed and performed and they contacted the songs producer, Denniz PoP, and sent him a demo of a song they called Mr Ace
Ace of Base
–
The founding members of Ace of Base: (left to right) Jonas, Jenny, Linn, and Ulf
Ace of Base
–
Ace of Base formed in
Gothenburg,
Sweden.
Ace of Base
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Ace of Base was influenced by
Kayo's "Another Mother" to create "All That She Wants".
Ace of Base
–
Linn's image was blurred on the cover art of
Flowers and
Cruel Summer
28.
Luciano Pavarotti
–
Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian operatic tenor who also crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time. As one of the Three Tenors, Pavarotti became well known for his televised concerts, Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others. He died from cancer on 6 September 2007. Luciano Pavarotti was born in 1935 on the outskirts of Modena in Northern Italy, the son of Fernando Pavarotti, a baker and amateur tenor, and Adele Venturi, a cigar factory worker. Although he spoke fondly of his childhood, the family had little money, according to Pavarotti, his father had a fine tenor voice but rejected the possibility of a singing career because of nervousness. World War II forced the family out of the city in 1943, for the following year they rented a single room from a farmer in the neighbouring countryside, where the young Pavarotti developed an interest in farming. After abandoning the dream of becoming a goalkeeper, Pavarotti spent seven years in vocal training. Pavarottis earliest musical influences were his fathers recordings, most of them featuring the popular tenors of the day – Beniamino Gigli, Giovanni Martinelli, Tito Schipa, at around the age of nine he began singing with his father in a small local church choir. He was interested in pursuing a career as a football goalkeeper. He subsequently taught in a school for two years but finally allowed his interest in music to win out. Recognising the risk involved, his father gave his consent only reluctantly, Pavarotti began the serious study of music in 1954 at the age of 19 with Arrigo Pola, a respected teacher and professional tenor in Modena who offered to teach him without remuneration. According to conductor Richard Bonynge, Pavarotti never learned to read music and he later said that this was the most important experience of his life, and that it inspired him to become a professional singer. At about this time Pavarotti first met Adua Veroni, like Pavarotti, Freni was destined to operatic greatness, they were to share the stage many times and make memorable recordings together. During his years of study, Pavarotti held part-time jobs in order to sustain himself – first as an elementary school teacher. The first six years of study resulted in only a few recitals, all in small towns, when a nodule developed on his vocal cords, causing a disastrous concert in Ferrara, he decided to give up singing. Pavarotti attributed his immediate improvement to the psychological release connected with this decision, Pavarotti began his career as a tenor in smaller regional Italian opera houses, making his debut as Rodolfo in La bohème at the Teatro Municipale in Reggio Emilia in April 1961. He made his first international appearance in La traviata in Belgrade, very early in his career, on 23 February 1963, he debuted at the Vienna State Opera in the same role. In March and April 1963 Vienna saw Pavarotti again as Rodolfo, while generally successful, Pavarottis early roles did not immediately propel him into the stardom that he would later enjoy
Luciano Pavarotti
–
Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in
Strelna, 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of
St. Petersburg.
Luciano Pavarotti
–
With
Joan Sutherland in I puritani (1976)
Luciano Pavarotti
–
Luciano Pavarotti performing on 15 June 2002 at a concert in the
Stade Vélodrome in
Marseille
29.
Zubin Mehta
–
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mehta is also the chief conductor of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival. Mehta was born into a Parsi family in Bombay, India, while in school, Mehta was taught to play the piano by Joseph de Lima, who was his first piano teacher. Mehta initially intended to study medicine, but eventually became a student in Vienna at the age of 18. Also at the academy along with Mehta were conductor Claudio Abbado. Mehtas first marriage was to Canadian soprano Carmen Lasky in 1958 and they have a son, Mervon, and a daughter, Zarina. Two years after the divorce, Carmen married Mehtas brother, Zarin Mehta, in July 1969, Mehta married Nancy Kovack, an American former film and television actress. Mehta, a permanent resident of the United States, retains his Indian citizenship, in 1958, Mehta made his conducting debut in Vienna. The same year he won the International Conducting Competition in Liverpool and was appointed assistant conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Mehta soon rose to the rank of chief conductor when he was made Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1960, a post he held until 1967. In 1978 Mehta became the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic and remained there until his resignation in 1991, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra appointed Mehta its Music Advisor in 1969, Music Director in 1977, and made him its Music Director for Life in 1981. Since 1985, Mehta has been conductor of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence. Additionally, from 1998 until 2006, Mehta was Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Munich Philharmonic named him its Honorary Conductor. Since 2005, Mehta has been the conductor of the Palau de les Arts. Mehta conducted the Vienna New Years Concert in 1990,1995,1998,2007 and 2015 and he has also made a recording of Indian instrumentalist Ravi Shankars Sitar Concerto No. 2, with Shankar and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in between those appearances he conducted the historic 1992 production of Tosca in which each act took place in the actual setting and at the actual time specified in the score. This production starred Catherine Malfitano in the role, Plácido Domingo as Cavaradossi. On 29 August 1999, he conducted Mahler Symphony No,2, at the vicinity of Buchenwald concentration camp in the German city of Weimar, with both the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, sitting alongside each other. The making of this production was chronicled in a documentary called The Turandot Project which Mehta narrated, on 26 December 2005, the first anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Mehta and the Bavarian State Orchestra performed for the first time in Chennai at the Madras Music Academy
Zubin Mehta
–
Zubin Mehta in 2007
Zubin Mehta
–
With
Isaac Stern at Lincoln Center, 1980
Zubin Mehta
–
Mehta conducting the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Mumbai, October 2008
Zubin Mehta
–
Zubin Mehta, 2010
30.
The Three Tenors in Concert 1994
–
The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 is a live album by José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti with conductor Zubin Mehta. The album was recorded on July 16,1994 at the Three Tenors concert in Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, an estimated 1.3 billion viewers watched the concert on television across the world. The AllMusic reviewer wrote that the singers displayed vitality and pizzazz during the concert, the reviewer remarked on the oddity of a concert by classical musicians held in a sports stadium, but nonetheless believed that the popularity of the tenors made the venue less ludicrous. Tracks 7–10 are a medley titled A Tribute to Hollywood, and Tracks 14–25 are a medley titled Around the World, both arranged and orchestrated by Lalo Schifrin
The Three Tenors in Concert 1994
–
Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti, and Mehta
31.
Lyle Lovett
–
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American country singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 25 singles to date, including his highest entry, Lovett has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Album. Its Not Big Its Large was released in 2007, where it debuted and peaked at number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, a new studio album, Natural Forces, was released on October 20,2009 by Lost Highway Records. The last studio album on his Curb Records contract, Release Me, was released in February 2012, Lovett was born in Houston, Texas, when his family lived in the nearby community of Klein. He is the son of William Pearce and Bernell Louise Lovett and he was raised in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Lovett attended Texas A&M University, where he received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both German and Journalism in 1980 and it is a common misconception that he and Robert Earl Keen were roommates at A&M. However, they lived near each other in College Station, became friends, and wrote The Front Porch Song together. Lovetts music career began as a songwriter, but he signed with MCA Records in 1986. While typically associated with the genre, Lovetts compositions often incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album, Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal, Best Pop Vocal Collaboration and Best Country Male Vocal. Lovett has acted in a number of films, including Robert Altmans films, The Player, Short Cuts, Prêt-à-Porter, Bastard Out Of Carolina, Cookies Fortune, more recently, he has acted in The New Guy and Walk Hard, The Dewey Cox Story. His television acting forays include Mad About You, Brothers & Sisters, The Bridge, Castle, the Bloodhound Gangs song The Bad Touch does a reference to Lovett, And youll Lovett just like Lyle. Lovett was given an award called an Esky for Surest Thing in Esquires 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue, the magazine said of Lovett, The secret of Lyle Lovetts endurance comes down to the three Cs, class, charisma and consistency. In the studio and on stage with his giant orchestra, hes spent two decades gracefully matching genuine songcraft with A-list musicianship, in 2010 Lovett appeared on an episode of Spectacle, Elvis Costello with. Which also featured John Prine and Ray LaMontagne and he appeared on Castle in Season 3, Episode 9 in the role of a government agent. In 2011, Lovett was named Texas State Artist Musician by the Texas Commission on the Arts, Lovett contributed a cover of Buddy Hollys Well. All Right for the tribute album Listen to Me, Buddy Holly, in 2013 Lovett appeared in Episode 2 of The Bridge, an FX series, as Flagman, a lawyer. Lovett plays a role in Angels Sing, a family Christmas movie released by Lionsgate
Lyle Lovett
–
Lovett in a 2005 concert
Lyle Lovett
–
Lyle Lovett performing on the Watson Stage at MerleFest in 2011, Wilkes County, N.C. Photo by Forrest L. Smith, III
32.
I Love Everybody
–
I Love Everybody is the fifth album by Lyle Lovett, released in 1994. The album consists of written by Lovett prior to the recording of his first album. On the 8th track, Record Lady, Lyle refers to college friend and fellow musician, Robert Earl Keen. Robert Earl, several songs prominently feature one or more of Lovetts trademark penchants, wry humor, playful surrealism and disturbing frankness. Lovetts wife at the time, Julia Roberts, provides backing vocals on several tracks, other performers lending their voice include Rickie Lee Jones and Leo Kottke. Bucky Burruss – background vocals Willie Green, Jr
I Love Everybody
–
I Love Everybody
33.
Seal (musician)
–
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, better known by his stage name Seal, is an English singer and songwriter. He has sold more than 30 million records worldwide and is known for his hits, including Kiss From A Rose. He was a coach on The Voice Australia in 2012 and 2013, Seal has won multiple awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards, he won Best British Male in 1992, as well as four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. As a songwriter, he received the British Academys Ivor Novello Award, for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, in years for Killer. Seal was born Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel at Paddington General Hospital in Paddington, London, to a Nigerian mother, Adebisi Ogundeji, Seals first and middle names are in the Yoruba language. He was raised by a family in Westminster, London. He received a diploma in architecture and worked various jobs in the London area. In the 1980s, Seal spent a time singing in local clubs. In 1987 he joined Push, a British funk band and toured with them in Japan, in Thailand he joined a blues band for a while before separating from the group and journeying throughout India on his own. He returned to England, sleeping on the couch of friend Julian Bunster and he sometimes asked him do I sing well. To which he received the response that he sang better than most current artists. His first break came with SExpress sharing vocals with their UK top 10 hit and he then met the producer Adamski and was given the lyrics of the song Killer, which was a huge hit in 1990 and catapulted his career. Seal first came to attention as vocalist on the Adamski single Killer in 1990. The single eventually reached number one in the UK, Seal subsequently signed to ZTT Records and released his self-titled début album in 1991. Two versions of the album are known to be in circulation, the original premix version and this is attributed to the demand for a produced single rushing the final album edit and, as Seal puts it, his and producer Horns inability to let go. Seal was positively received by critics, the singles Crazy, Future Love Paradise and his own rendition of Killer performed well on the charts. In particular, Crazy became a hit in 1991, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart and number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Seal stole the show at the 1992 Brit Awards held at the Hammersmith Odeon, London and he won in three categories, Best British Male, Best British Video and Best British Album
Seal (musician)
–
Seal at The Voice Judges, Celebrities Dine At Bondi Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Sydney, Australia 2012
Seal (musician)
–
Seal in March 2008
34.
Joni Mitchell
–
Roberta Joan Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian singer-songwriter and painter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock and jazz, Mitchells songs often reflect social and environmental ideals as well as her feelings about romance, confusion, disillusionment, Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatchewan and western Canada before busking in the streets and shoddy nightclubs of Toronto. In 1965, she moved to the United States and began touring, some of her original songs were covered by folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell, with songs like Big Yellow Taxi and Woodstock, helped define an era. Her 1971 recording Blue was rated the 30th best album made in Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Mitchell switched labels and began moving toward jazz rhythms by way of lush pop textures on 1974s Court and Spark, her best-selling LP, featuring the radio hits Help Me, around 1975 her vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto. She turned again toward pop, embraced electronic music, and engaged in political protest and she is the sole producer credited on most of her albums, including all her work in the 1970s. A blunt critic of the industry, she quit touring and released her 17th. With roots in art, Mitchell designed her own album covers. She describes herself as a painter derailed by circumstance, Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7,1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Myrtle Marguerite and William Andrew Anderson. Her mothers ancestors were Scottish and Irish, her father was from a Norwegian family and her father was a Royal Canadian Air Force flight lieutenant who instructed new pilots at RCAF Station Fort Macleod, where the Allied forces were gathering to learn to fly during World War II. During those years, she moved with her parents to various bases in western Canada, after the war, her father began working as a grocer, and his work took the family to Saskatchewan, to the towns of Maidstone and North Battleford. She later sang about her upbringing in Song for Sharon. In Maidstone they lived beside the track, where Mitchell waved at the only train that passed through each day. Many of the residents were First Nations people. Mitchell seemed athletic rather than academic, but still responded to her mothers love of literature and her fathers love of music, at age nine, Mitchell contracted polio in an epidemic, and was hospitalised for weeks. No longer athletic, she turned her thoughts to her creative talent, by nine, she was a smoker, she denies claims that smoking has affected her voice. At 11, she moved with her family to the city of Saskatoon and she responded badly to formal education, preferring a freethinking outlook, and was drawn to art, a pursuit often regarded as peripheral at the time
Joni Mitchell
–
Mitchell performing in 1983
Joni Mitchell
–
Joni Mitchell's star on
Canada's Walk of Fame
35.
Turbulent Indigo
–
Turbulent Indigo is the fifteenth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Released in 1994, it won a Grammy Award for Pop Album of the Year, john Milward, writing for Rolling Stone, wrote that it was Mitchells best album since the mid-70s. The album marked her return to Warner Music distribution after her previous album, the album takes inspiration from the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh for Mitchells self-portrait on the cover. The song Not to Blame was rumored to be about Mitchells singer-songwriting colleague Jackson Browne who was alleged to have beaten his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, the song Sex Kills referenced a number of late 20th century topical issues, including violence, AIDS, global warming and consumerism. As of December 2007, the album has sold 311,000 copies in the US
Turbulent Indigo
–
Turbulent Indigo
36.
Mariah Carey
–
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
Mariah Carey
–
Carey performing on
Good Morning America in May 2013
Mariah Carey
–
Carey exiting the
Shepherd's Bush Theatre after promoting her single "Vision of Love" on
The Wogan Show, in 1990
Mariah Carey
–
Carey performing "One Sweet Day" alongside
Boyz II Men, during a taping at
Madison Square Garden on October, 1995.
Mariah Carey
–
Carey at the
Edwards Air Force Base during the making of the "
I Still Believe " music video on December, 1998.
37.
Daydream (Mariah Carey album)
–
Daydream is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released on September 29,1995, by Columbia Records. The follow-up to her successful album Music Box and holiday album Merry Christmas. Throughout the project, Carey collaborated with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote, with Daydream, Carey took more control over the musical direction as well as the albums composition. Carey said she considered Daydream the beginning of her musical and vocal transformation, during the albums production, Carey endured many creative differences with her label and husband Tommy Mottola. On Daydream, Carey collaborated with Jermaine Dupri for the first time and it was also the first time she had worked with Boyz II Men, an R&B group consisting of four male vocalists. Together, they wrote the concept and lyrics for One Sweet Day, with his assistance and the addition of a few contemporary producers, she was able to make a subtle transition into the R&B market. Daydream was nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 38th annual ceremony, due to the albums critical and commercial success, critics believed Carey would be one of the nights big winners. However, to her dismay, she was shut out, causing the subject to become very public. She left the annual ceremony empty-handed, six singles were released from the album. The song topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand and became a hit in Finland, France. The second single One Sweet Day topped the Billboard Hot 100 for sixteen weeks and became the number one single in American history. It also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and peaked within the top five in Australia, France, Ireland, jointly, the singles from Daydream spent a combined six months at the top of the Hot 100. To promote Daydream, Carey embarked on the short but successful, Daydream World Tour, visiting Japan and it was Careys second album to be certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of ten million copies in the United States. Aside from its success in the United States, the made the top five of the best-selling albums in Japan by a non-Asian artist. Daydream remains one of the albums of all time, with 25 million copies sold worldwide. Aside from being Careys second highest worldwide seller, Daydream served as her most personal, during the albums recording, Carey grew as an artist, as well as a writer. For the first time in her career, Carey was able to make music that she related to, R&B. While Columbia allowed Carey more leniency with the music she recorded and they feared the sudden change was completely left field for her music, and worried it would jeopardize the albums success
Daydream (Mariah Carey album)
–
Daydream
Daydream (Mariah Carey album)
–
Carey and her dancers performing the lead single "
Fantasy " during the
Adventures of Mimi Tour in 2006.
Daydream (Mariah Carey album)
–
Carey and Boyz II Men performing "One Sweet Day" at Madison Square Garden
38.
Eagles (band)
–
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. With five number-one singles, six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and six number one albums, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. Hotel California is ranked 37th in Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and their Greatest Hits was the best selling album of the 20th century in the U. S. They are the music act and the highest-selling American band in U. S. history. The band released their album, Eagles, in 1972. Their next album, Desperado, was successful than the first, only reaching number 41 on the charts. However, the album does contain what would go on to be two of the bands most popular tracks, Desperado and Tequila Sunrise, the band released On the Border in 1974, adding guitarist Don Felder as the fifth member midway through the recording of the album. The album generated two top 40 singles, Already Gone and their first number one, Best of My Love. Their 1975 album One of These Nights included three top 10 singles, One of These Nights, Lyin Eyes, and Take It to the Limit, guitarist and vocalist, Joe Walsh, also joined the band in 1975. The album yielded two singles, New Kid in Town and Hotel California. The Eagles disbanded in July 1980 but reunited in 1994 for the album Hell Freezes Over and they toured consistently and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2007, the Eagles released Long Road Out of Eden, their first full album in 28 years. The next year launched the Long Road Out of Eden Tour in support of the album. In 2013, they began the extended History of the Eagles Tour in conjunction with the bands documentary release, following the death of Frey in January 2016, Henley stated in several interviews that he didnt think the band would perform again. However, in March 2017 it was announced that the Eagles would be headlining two concerts in July 2017, the Eagles began in early 1971, when Linda Ronstadt and then-manager John Boylan recruited local musicians Glenn Frey and Don Henley for her band. While on the tour, Frey and Henley decided to form a band together, Frey later credited Ronstadt with suggesting Leadon for the band, and arranging for Leadon to play for her so Frey and Henley could approach him about forming a band together. They also pitched the idea to Meisner and brought him on board and these four played live together behind Ronstadt only once for a July concert at Disneyland, but all four appeared on her eponymous album. It was later proposed that J. D. Souther should join the band, the four were signed in September 1971 to Asylum Records, the new label started by David Geffen, who was introduced to Frey by Jackson Browne
Eagles (band)
–
Eagles (left to right): Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit during their
Long Road Out of Eden Tour
Eagles (band)
–
Glenn Frey
Eagles (band)
–
Don Henley
Eagles (band)
–
Joe Walsh
39.
Hell Freezes Over
–
Hell Freezes Over is the second live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. The album is the first to be released after Eagles had re-formed following a break up. The bands lineup was that of the Long Run era, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and it contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live in April 1994 for an MTV special. Two Top 40 singles, Get Over It and Love Will Keep Us Alive, were released from the album and it also features an acoustic version of Hotel California. It is the last album to feature Don Felder before his termination from the band in 2001, the album went to No.1 on the Billboard album chart upon its release where it stayed for two weeks. The album has sold over 9 million copies in the United States, Hell Freezes Over was also released in video form on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD. Before the album was released, the Eagles also started a tour, the album name is in reference to a quote by Don Henley after the bands breakup in 1980, he commented that the band would play together again when Hell freezes over. Henley said in 1982 on the break-up, I just rule out the possibility of putting the Eagles back together for a Lost Youth, in 1993, an Eagles tribute album, Common Thread, The Songs of the Eagles, was recorded by several country artists. Travis Tritt, who covered Take It Easy in the album, the former Eagles band members agreed, and it would be the first time the group had appeared together in 13 years. Two months later, Frey and Henley had lunch with their management, the band members performed live for the first time in April 1994 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California for an MTV special, the recording sessions produced 11 tracks for the Hell Freezes Over album, including a new arrangement of Hotel California that features an extended acoustic guitar and percussion opening. At the beginning of the concert, Glenn Frey joked to the audience, For the record, we never broke up, the tour began in May 27 and the Hell Freezes Over album was released on November 8,1994. The album is the second live album, behind their live album in 1980. The new song Get Over It became a modest hit, and another new song, Love Will Keep Us Alive, the DVD is one of the first music releases to feature a DTS format soundtrack in addition to a PCM stereo soundtrack. The DVD also featured the song Seven Bridges Road in DTS audio only, the DVD has since been re-released with an additional Dolby Digital soundtrack. The album has also released as DTS CD in 1997. Help Me Through the Night 21.1 speaker set-up, Timothy B, schmit is on the front-left, Glenn Frey on the front-right, Don Henley on the rear-left and Joe Walsh on the rear-right. Frey, as the singer of the main melody, is also featured on the front-center channel
Hell Freezes Over
–
Hell Freezes Over
40.
Annie Lennox
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Ann Annie Lennox, OBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. With a total of eight Brit Awards, including Best British Female Artist six times and she has also been named the Brits Champion of Champions. Lennox embarked on a career in 1992 with her debut album, Diva. To date, she has released six studio albums and a compilation album. Aside from her eight Brit Awards, she has collected four Grammy Awards. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award, the highest accolade from Billboard Magazine. In 2004, she won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Into the West, written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King. In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, notable for raising money and awareness for HIV/ AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa. In 2011, Lennox was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for her tireless charity campaigns, on 4 June 2012 she performed at the Queens Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace. Lennox performed the song Little Bird during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London on 12 August 2012, Lennox has been named The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was rated No.22 on VH1s 100 Greatest Women in Music and she has earned the distinction of most successful female British artist in UK music history due to her commercial success since the early 1980s. As of June 2008, including her work within Eurythmics, Lennox had sold over 80 million records worldwide, Annie Lennox was born on Christmas Day 1954 in Summerfield Maternity hospital, Aberdeen, the daughter of Dorothy and Thomas Allison Lennox. In the 1970s, Lennox won a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London and she lived on a student grant and worked at part-time jobs for extra money. Lennox was unhappy during her time at the Royal Academy and spent her time wondering what direction she could take. Lennoxs flute teachers final report stated, Ann has not always sure of where to direct her efforts. She is very, very able, however, two years later, Lennox reported to the Academy, I have had to work as a waitress, barmaid, and shop assistant to keep me when not in musical work. She also played and sang with a few bands, such as Windsong, during the period of her course, in 2006, the academy made her an honorary Fellow. Lennox also was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, in 1976, Lennox was flautist with a band called Dragons Playground, leaving before they appeared on TVs New Faces
Annie Lennox
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Annie Lennox performing at the Rally for Human Rights during the
International AIDS Conference 2010 in
Vienna as part of her
SING Campaign.
Annie Lennox
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Lennox in the mid-1980s
Annie Lennox
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Lennox (far right) and
David A. Stewart (left) performing as
Eurythmics in 1987.
Annie Lennox
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Annie Lennox on stage in 2004
41.
Medusa (Annie Lennox album)
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Medusa is the second solo album by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in March 1995, and consists entirely of cover songs. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and peaked in the United States at number 11 and it has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States and sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. The album yielded four singles in the United Kingdom, No More I Love Yous, A Whiter Shade of Pale, Waiting in Vain and Something So Right. You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart and Here Comes the Rain Again, along with Why, Little Bird, professional reviews for Medusa were mixed, ranging from favourable to outright hostile. This wildly uneven album of cover versions starts with perhaps its highest point—a truly wonderful interpretation of No More I Love Yous, unfortunately, Lennox doesnt work the same magic with more familiar material like Al Greens Take Me to the River and Procol Harums A Whiter Shade of Pale. This was subsequently released on videotape as Annie Lennox in the Park and on DVD as Annie Lennox Live in Central Park
Medusa (Annie Lennox album)
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Medusa
Medusa (Annie Lennox album)
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DVD cover
42.
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
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Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on October 25,1994, by Maverick, Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave Jam Hall, and Nellee Hooper in order to move into a more mainstream sound. The success of the soundtrack single Ill Remember in 1994 marked the beginning of this transformation, Bedtime Stories is a pop album which was inspired by contemporary R&B. Like its predecessor Erotica, the album explores themes of love, sorrow, and romance. Critics described the album as autobiographical, as the song Human Nature addresses the controversy surrounding her book Sex. Bedtime Stories received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the albums candid lyrics and production. Commercially, the proved to be successful. Debuting and peaking at three on the Billboard 200, the album was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It also became her fifth album in Australia and peaked within the top five in other international territories. Bedtime Stories has sold more than seven million copies worldwide, other singles released, Bedtime Story and Human Nature, did not match the previous singles success. In order to further promote Bedtime Stories, Madonna performed songs from the album on the American Music Awards of 1995, a concert tour was also planned, but did not take place due to Madonna acquiring the title role in the 1996 musical film, Evita. In 1992, Madonna released her controversial Sex book and her studio album Erotica. She also starred in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence, during the same period, Madonnas appearance on David Lettermans talk show was noted for her controversial behavior. It included the singer using profanity that required censorship on television and this made the episode the most censored in American network television talk-show history, while at the same time garnering the show some of the highest ratings it ever received. All releases were panned by critics and fans alike, calling Madonna a sexual renegade and claiming that she had too far. A song titled Ill Remember was included in the soundtrack of the film With Honors in early 1994, regarding the controversial period of her career, Madonna said, I feel Ive been misunderstood. So I decided to leave it alone because thats what ended up concentrating on. Sex is such a subject and its such a distraction that Id rather not even offer it up
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
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Madonna performing the album's lead single "
Secret ", during the
Drowned World Tour in 2001
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
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Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
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Madonna was inspired by
Jean Harlow (photo) for her style on the album
43.
Celine Dion
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Céline Marie Claudette Dion, CC OQ ChLD is a Canadian singer and businesswoman. Dion first gained recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest where she represented Switzerland. Following a series of French albums during the 1980s, she signed on to Epic Records in the United States, in 1990, Dion released her debut English-language album, Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved fame after releasing several English albums along with additional French albums. Her albums, Falling into You and Lets Talk About Love, were certified diamond in the US while Deux became the best-selling French-language album of all time. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a hiatus from entertainment to start a family and spend time with her husband and she returned to the top of pop music in 2002 and signed to perform nightly in A New Day. A five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Paradise and it became the most successful residency show of all time, grossing US $385 million. Dions music has influenced by genres ranging from rock and R&B to gospel. Her recordings are mainly in French and English, although she sings in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese. While her releases have received mixed critical reception, she is regarded as one of pop musics most influential voices. Dion has won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and she is the second best-selling female artist in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. In 2003, Dion was honoured by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling over 50 million albums in Europe, Dion remains the best-selling Canadian artist and one of the best-selling artists of all time with record sales of over 200 million copies worldwide. Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, the youngest of 14 children of Thérèse, a homemaker, and Adhémar Dion, Dion was raised a Roman Catholic in a poverty-stricken, but, by her own account, happy home in Charlemagne. Music had always been a part of the Dion family, indeed, Dion herself was named after the song Céline. Thereafter, she continued to perform with her siblings in her parentss small piano bar called Le Vieux Baril, from an early age, Dion had dreamed of being a performer. In a 1994 interview with People magazine, she recalled, I missed my family and my home, I had one dream, I wanted to be a singer. At age 12, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to write and compose her first song, Ce nétait quun rêve, whose title translates as It Was Only a Dream or Nothing But A Dream. Her brother, Michel Dion, sent the recording to music manager René Angélil, Angélil was moved to tears by Dions voice and decided to make her a star
Celine Dion
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Celine Dion, 2012
Celine Dion
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Céline Dion on stage with her dancers performing "
River Deep – Mountain High " on the Taking Chances World Tour in September 2008.
Celine Dion
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Dion performing "
God Bless America " with members of the Band of the
U.S. Air Force Reserve, 2002.
Celine Dion
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Dion during her
Taking Chances Tour concert in
Bell Centre, Montréal, on 19 August 2008.
44.
Falling into You
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Falling into You is the fourth English-language studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 8 March 1996, by Columbia/Epic Records. The follow-up to her successful album The Colour of My Love and French-language Deux. Throughout the project, she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced Its All Coming Back to Me Now, several songs were produced by David Foster, including Diane Warrens Because You Loved Me. Generally, Dion worked with fourteen producers on Falling into You, Falling into You won many awards around the world, including Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 39th annual ceremony, during which Dion performed live. In April 1997, she won three World Music Awards for Worlds Best Selling Artist of the Year, Worlds Best Selling Pop Artist of the Year. The album is on Rock and Roll Hall of Fames Definitive 200 list Falling into You became one of the albums in history. It topped the charts around the world, including one in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Australia. It became one of the albums of 1996 and 1997 in various countries. It was certified Diamond, Multi-Platinum, Platinum and Gold around the world, the album has sold eleven million copies in the US, over two million in the UK, and over one million in Germany, France, Canada and Australia. In Europe, it has sold nine million units. Five singles were released from the album in Europe, four in Australia, the major success came with the release of Because You Loved Me, theme from Up Close & Personal, Its All Coming Back to Me Now, and Eric Carmens All by Myself. Falling into You presented Dion at the height of her popularity, the singles also encompassed a variety of musical styles. Falling into You and River Deep, Mountain High made prominent use of percussion instruments and its All Coming Back to Me Now and All by Myself kept their soft-rock atmosphere, but were combined with the classical sound of the piano. The ballad, Because You Loved Me, written by Diane Warren, the album also includes English adaptations of songs from Deux, If Thats What It Takes, I Dont Know and Fly. Outside North America, Falling into You also features a cover of Carole Kings A Natural Woman, in Asia, the Japanese hit To Love You More was added as well. Dion worked on Falling into You with many producers, mainly with Jim Steinman, David Foster, Ric Wake, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Falling into You divided music critics. Billboard editor Paul Verna gave it a positive review and he called it a deep album that will solidify Dions reputation as one of the worlds true pop divas. Larry Flick, also from Billboard, spoke positively about Because You Loved Me and he wrote that Because You Loved Me is rife with grand romance, larger-than-life production, and a climax that is best described as the musical equivalent to 4th of July fireworks
Falling into You
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Falling into You
45.
Toni Braxton
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Toni Michelle Braxton is an American singer–songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, television personality, and philanthropist. Her self-titled debut studio album was released in 1993 and it sold over 10 million copies worldwide, spawning such hits as Another Sad Love Song and Breathe Again and earning Braxton three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. Released in 1996, her album, Secrets, continued her acclaim and mega success. Braxton won two Grammy Awards for Secrets, in 2000, her third album, The Heat, was released. It sold over 4 million copies and included the hit single He Wasnt Man Enough and she then released three more studio albums – More Than a Woman, Libra and Pulse, experiencing personal and label conflicts in between these releases. In 2014, Braxton and long-time collaborator Babyface released an album entitled Love, Marriage & Divorce. Throughout her career, Braxton has sold over 67 million records, including 41 million albums and she has won seven Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards and several other awards. Braxton is also an Executive Producer of the show, starring her younger sister. On September 18,2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Toni Michelle Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland. Braxtons maternal grandfather was also a pastor, Braxton is the eldest of six siblings. She has a younger brother Michael, Jr. and four younger sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina and they were raised in a strict religious household, and Braxtons first performing experience was singing in her church choir. On her appearance May 24,2014 broadcast of NPRs Wait Wait, dont Tell Me. she stated that she was not singing to herself at the gas station. Pettaway, working as an attendant at the Annapolis service station where she was refueling, recognized her from local performances and introduced himself, though skeptical, Braxton decided to, in her words, take a chance and accepted. Braxton and her four sisters began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989 and their first single, Good Life, was released in 1990. Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of Antonio L. A. Reid and Kenneth Babyface Edmonds. Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of Love Shoulda Brought You Home, Baker, who was pregnant at the time, did not record the song but suggested, that Braxton record it. Her recording was included on the soundtrack along with Give U My Heart. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, on July 13,1993, LaFace Records released Braxtons self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
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Braxton at the 2009 VH1 Divas Red Carpet
Toni Braxton
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Braxton press photo, 2015
Toni Braxton
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Soul Beach Music Festival press conference, Toni Braxton with
Gee Money, May 2010
Toni Braxton
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Braxton performing in
Romania during New Year's Eve 2011.
46.
Secrets (Toni Braxton album)
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Secrets is the second studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on June 18,1996 by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 1997 Grammy Awards, Secrets has been certified octuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Worldwide, the album has sold over 15 million copies, in support of the album, Braxton embarked on the Secrets Tour, playing dates in North America and Europe from August 1996 to October 1997. The albums first song Come On Over Here is a finger-poppingly upbeat and it was described as a neo-Motown composition. The second track and lead single, the airily funky Youre Makin Me High, was produced by Babyface and Bryce Wilson and it was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. The third track Theres No Me Without You is a romantic song, the fourth track and second single Un-Break My Heart is a ballad written by Diane Warren. She played the song to Arista Records president Clive Davis. He thought it would be perfect for Toni Braxton, with background vocals by Shanice Wilson and produced by David Foster, the song spent 11 weeks at number one at pop and 14-week stay at number one on adult contemporary radio stations in late 1996. It also won a 1997 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and it is a song of blistering heartbreak, as Braxton sings to her former lover, begging him to return to her and undo all the pain he has cause. The fifth track Talking in His Sleep is about adultery, the sixth track How Could an Angel Break My Heart was co-written by Babyface and Braxton and features saxophonist Kenny G. Over a lulling ballad melody, the singer makes her agony a thing of beauty, Let It Flow, from the soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale, eventually became a staple of urban contemporary radio. The song is a tune that requires the singer to reach down to her lowest register. The first single released, Youre Makin Me High, became a success earning Braxton her first number-one single on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Its B-side, Let It Flow, was another radio airplay smash and was featured on the multi-platinum 1995 Waiting to Exhale, after the triumph of two consecutive number-one singles, Braxton offered her third single, I Dont Want To, during the spring of 1997. The R. Kelly-written and -produced single made the top 20 of the Hot 100 and its B-side, I Love Me Some Him, was a major radio airplay hit domestically. The album was well-received both critically and commercially, Braxton also added more awards to her mantle, which included another two Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The track Theres No Me Without You received an amount of airplay on lebanese radio stations. The album received positive reviews from music critics
Secrets (Toni Braxton album)
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Secrets
47.
Tracy Chapman
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She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist. Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987, the following year she released her critically acclaimed debut album Tracy Chapman, which became a multi-platinum worldwide hit. The album garnered Chapman six Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, three of which she won, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single Fast Car, Chapman released her second album Crossroads the following year, which garnered her an additional Grammy nomination. Chapmans most recent release is Our Bright Future, in 2008, Chapman was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was raised by her mother, who recognized Tracys love of music and, despite not having much money, Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of eight. She says that she may have been first inspired to play the guitar by the television show Hee Haw, raised Baptist, Chapman attended an Episcopal high school. She was accepted into the program A Better Chance, which students at college-preparatory high schools away from their home community. She graduated from Wooster School in Connecticut, then attended Tufts University and she graduated with a B. A. degree in anthropology and African studies. During college, Chapman began busking in Harvard Square and playing guitar in Club Passim, the Nameless Coffeehouse and she made her major-stage debut as an opening act for womens music pioneer Linda Tillery at Bostons Strand Theater on May 3,1985. Another Tufts student, Brian Koppelman, heard Chapman playing and brought her to the attention of his father, Koppelman, who ran SBK Publishing, signed Chapman in 1986. After Chapman graduated from Tufts in 1987, he helped her to sign a contract with Elektra Records, at Elektra, she released Tracy Chapman. The album was acclaimed, and she began touring and building a fanbase. Rolling Stone ranked the song number 167 on their 2010 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and it is the highest-ranking song both written and performed by a female performer. Talkin bout a Revolution, the follow-up, charted at number 75 and was followed by Baby Can I Hold You, the album sold well, going multi-platinum and winning three Grammy Awards, including an honor for Chapman as Best New Artist. Later in 1988, Chapman was a performer on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now. According to the VH1 website, Her album helped usher in the era of political correctness—along with 10,000 Maniacs, Chapmans liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late 80s. Her follow-up album Crossroads was less successful, but still achieved platinum status. By 1992s Matters of the Heart, Chapman was playing to a small and her fourth album New Beginning proved successful, selling over three million copies in the U. S
Tracy Chapman
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Chapman in Bruges, 2009
Tracy Chapman
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Chapman in Budapest, Hungary, 1988
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