1.
Attleboro, Massachusetts
–
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as The Jewelry Capital of the World for its many jewelry manufacturers, according to the 2010 census, Attleboro had a population of 43,593 in 2010. Attleboro is located about 10 miles west of Taunton, the distance to Providence,18 miles northwest of Fall River. In 1634, English settlers first arrived in the territory that is now Attleboro and it was later incorporated from Rehoboth in 1694 as the town of Attleborough. It included the towns of Cumberland, Rhode Island, until 1747 and North Attleborough, Massachusetts, the town was reincorporated in 1914 as the City of Attleboro, with the -ugh removed from the name, although North Attleborough kept it. Like many towns in Massachusetts, it was named for a British town, during the Native American insurgency in the colonial era, Nathaniel Woodcock, the son of an Attleborough resident, was murdered, and his head was placed on a pole in his fathers front yard. His fathers house is now a historical site, the city became known for jewelry manufacturing in 1913, particularly because of the L. G. That company has moved out of the city, and the site of the former plant has been converted into a riverfront park. Attleboro was once known as The Jewelry Capital of the World, one such is the Guyot Brothers Company, which was started in 1904. Garlan Chain, Leach & Garner, and Masters of Design are jewelry manufacturing companies still in operation. Attleboro is located at 41°56′N 71°18′W and has an area of 27.8 square miles, of which 26.8 square miles is land and 1.0 square mile. Its borders form a polygon that resembles a truncated triangle pointing west. It includes the known as Briggs Corner, Dodgeville, East Junction, Hebronville. The Ten Mile River, fed by the Bungay River and by several brooks, the Manchester Pond Reservoir lies beside Interstate 95, and there are several small ponds in the city. There are two areas, the Antony Lawrence Reservation Area and Coleman Reservation Area, as well as the Bungay River Conservation Area in the north of the city. The highest point in Attleboro is 249-foot Oak Hill, located in the part of the city north of Oak Hill Avenue. Attleboro is part of the Providence metropolitan area and it is a short distance from Boston, and is linked to the Boston metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, there were 43,593 people,16,884 households, and 11,212 families living in the city, there were 18,022 housing units at an average density of 672.5 per square mile
Attleboro, Massachusetts
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Historic Attleboro train station
Attleboro, Massachusetts
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Downtown Attleboro
Attleboro, Massachusetts
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Mill Street in 1908
Attleboro, Massachusetts
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Downtown, about 1909
2.
Escondido, California
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Escondido is a city located in San Diego Countys North County region,30 miles northeast of Downtown San Diego, California. The city occupies a valley ringed by rocky hills. Incorporated in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County, the city had a population of 143,911 in the 2010 census. Escondidos municipal government set itself an operating budget limit of $426,289,048 for the fiscal year 2010–2011, the city is known as Eskondiid in Diegueño. Escondido is a Spanish word meaning hidden, one source says the name originally referred to agua escondida or hidden water, another says it meant hidden treasure. The Escondido area was first settled by the Luiseño, who established campsites and villages along the running through the area. The Kumeyaay migrated from areas near the Colorado River, settling both in the San Pasqual Valley and near the San Dieguito River in the southwestern and western portions of what is now Escondido, most of the villages and campsites today have been destroyed by development and agriculture. Spain controlled the land from the late 18th century to the early 19th century, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain, the local land was divided into large ranchos. Most of what is now Escondido occupies the former Rancho Rincon del Diablo, Alvarado was a Regidor of Los Angeles at the time, and the first Regidor of the pueblo of San Diego. The southern part of Escondido occupies the former Rancho San Bernardo, in 1846, during the Mexican–American War, the Battle of San Pasqual was fought southeast of Escondido. This battle pitted Mexican forces under Andrés Pico against Americans under Stephen W. Kearny, Archibald Gillespie, a park in Escondido is named for Carson. The city was home to a largely Spanish-speaking population in the first census, after statehood, non-Hispanic settlers came to Southern California in increasing numbers. The decade of the 1880s is known as the Southern California Land Boom because so many people moved to the state, in 1853, pro-Southern Copperheads proposed dividing the state of California to create a new Territory of Colorado. San Diego Judge Oliver S. Witherby suggested placing the capitol of the new territory in Rancho Rincon del Diablo and he envisioned a railroad connecting San Diego to Fort Yuma through an area about two miles south of the current Escondido site, heading east through San Pasqual. With a series of deeds in 1855 and 1856, the rancho was transferred from the heirs of Juan Bautista Alvarado to Witherby and he planned to profit from the town that he believed would be established from the dividing point on the railroad below the eastern hills. The proposal for splitting the state and creating the new territory passed in the California legislature and it was effectively killed in 1861 when Congress organized the Territory of Colorado in the area previously occupied by the Jefferson Territory. With Witherbys vision of owning a bustling state capitol unrealized, he set up an operation on the rancho instead. In 1868, Witherby sold the rancho for $8000 to Edward McGeary and John, Josiah, McGeary owned half the rancho, while the three Wolfskill brothers each owned an equal share of the other half
Escondido, California
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Downtown Escondido's Grand Avenue in May 2006.
Escondido, California
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Looking south west across Escondido from the hills near Dixon Lake.
Escondido, California
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Central Grand Ave, Escondido. Photo taken June 13, 2010.
Escondido, California
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Grape Day Park, Escondido with the city hall in the background. Photo taken June 13, 2010.
3.
Big Band
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A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big Bands evolved with the times and continue to this day, a big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. The terms jazz band, jazz ensemble, stage band, jazz orchestra and this does not, however, mean that each one of these names is technically correct for naming a big band specifically. The music is traditionally called charts, improvised solos may be played only when called for by the arranger. There are two periods in the history of popular bands. Beginning in the mid-1920s, big bands, then consisting of 10–25 pieces. At that time they played a form of jazz that involved very little improvisation, which included a string section with violins. A few bands also had violas and cellos, usually one or two along with them, the dance form of jazz was characterized by a sweet and romantic melody. Orchestras tended to stick to the melody as it was written and vocals would be sung, many of these artists changed styles or retired after the introduction of swing music. Although unashamedly commercial, these bands often featured front-rank jazz musicians - for example Paul Whiteman employed Bix Beiderbecke, there were also all-girl bands such as Helen Lewis and Her All-Girl Jazz Syncopators. Towards the end of the 1920s, a new form of Big Band emerged which was more authentically jazz and this form of music never gained the popularity of the sweet dance form of jazz. The few recordings made in form of jazz were labelled race records and were intended for a limited urban audience. Few white musicians were familiar with music, Johnny Mercer. The three major centres in this development were New York City, Chicago and Kansas City, some big ensembles, like the Joe King Oliver outfit played a kind of half arranged, half improvised jazz, often relying on head arrangements. Other great bands, like the one of Luis Russell became a vehicle for star instrumentalists, there the whole arrangement had to promote all the possibilities of the star, although they often contained very good musicians, like Henry Red Allen, J. C. Earl Hines became the star of Chicago with his Grand Terrace Cafe band, meanwhile, in Kansas City and across the Southwest, an earthier, bluesier style was developed by such bandleaders as Benny Moten and, later, by Jay McShann and Jesse Stone. Radio was a factor in gaining notice and fame for Benny Goodman. Soon, others challenged him, and the battles of the bands became a staple at theater performances featuring many groups on one bill
Big Band
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Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in 1921
Big Band
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Benny Goodman and
Peggy Lee
Big Band
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Glenn Miller
Big Band
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Ockbrook Big Band at
Pride Park Stadium
4.
Composer
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A composer is a person who creates or writes music, which can be vocal music, instrumental music or music which combines both instruments and voices. The core meaning of the term refers to individuals who have contributed to the tradition of Western classical music through creation of works expressed in written musical notation, many composers are also skilled performers, either as singers, instrumentalists, and/or conductors. Examples of composers who are well known for their ability as performers include J. S. Bach, Mozart. In many popular genres, such as rock and country. For a singer or instrumental performer, the process of deciding how to perform music that has previously composed and notated is termed interpretation. Different performers interpretations of the work of music can vary widely, in terms of the tempos that are chosen. Composers and songwriters who present their own music are interpreting, just as much as those who perform the music of others, although a musical composition often has a single author, this is not always the case. A piece of music can also be composed with words, images, or, in the 20th and 21st century, a culture eventually developed whereby faithfulness to the composers written intention came to be highly valued. This musical culture is almost certainly related to the esteem in which the leading classical composers are often held by performers. The movement might be considered a way of creating greater faithfulness to the original in works composed at a time that expected performers to improvise. In Classical music, the composer typically orchestrates her own compositions, in some cases, a pop songwriter may not use notation at all, and instead compose the song in her mind and then play or record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable recordings by influential performers are given the weight that written scores play in classical music. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music. In the development of European classical music, the function of composing music initially did not have greater importance than that of performing it. The preservation of individual compositions did not receive attention and musicians generally had no qualms about modifying compositions for performance. In as much as the role of the composer in western art music has seen continued solidification, for instance, in certain contexts the line between composer and performer, sound designer, arranger, producer, and other roles, can be quite blurred. The term composer is often used to refer to composers of music, such as those found in classical, jazz or other forms of art. In popular and folk music, the composer is usually called a songwriter and this is distinct from a 19th-century conception of instrumental composition, where the work was represented solely by a musical score to be interpreted by performers
Composer
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French composer
Louis-Nicolas Clérambault composing at the keyboard
5.
Conducting
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Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. A conductors directions will almost invariably be supplemented or reinforced by verbal instructions or suggestions to their musicians in rehearsal prior to a performance. The conductor typically stands on a podium with a large music stand for the full score. Conducting while playing a piano or synthesizer may also be done with musical theatre pit orchestras, communication is typically non-verbal during a performance. However, in rehearsals, frequent interruptions allow the conductor to give verbal directions as to how the music should be played or sung, Conductors act as guides to the orchestras or choirs they conduct. They choose the works to be performed and study their scores, to which they may make adjustments, work out their interpretation. They may also attend to matters, such as scheduling rehearsals, planning a concert season, hearing auditions and selecting members. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles such as big bands are usually led by conductors. The principal conductor of an orchestra or opera company is referred to as a music director or chief conductor, or by the German words Kapellmeister or Dirigent. Conductors of choirs or choruses are sometimes referred to as director, chorus master, or choirmaster. Conductors of concert bands, military bands, marching bands and other bands may hold the title of director, bandmaster. Respected senior conductors are sometimes referred to by the Italian word, an early form of conducting is cheironomy, the use of hand gestures to indicate melodic shape. This has been practiced at least as far back as the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, other devices to indicate the passing of time came into use. Rolled up sheets of paper, smaller sticks and unadorned hands are all shown in pictures from this period, the large staff was responsible for the death of Jean-Baptiste Lully, who injured his foot with one while conducting a Te Deum for the Kings recovery from illness. The wound became gangrenous and Lully refused amputation, whereupon the gangrene spread to his leg, in instrumental music throughout the 18th century, a member of the ensemble usually acted as the conductor. This was sometimes the concertmaster, who could use his bow as a baton and it was common to conduct from the harpsichord in pieces that had a basso continuo part. In opera performances, there were sometimes two conductors – the keyboard player was in charge of the singers, and the principal violinist or leader was in charge of the orchestra. By the early 19th century, it became the norm to have a dedicated conductor, the size of the usual orchestra expanded during this period, and the use of a baton became more common, as it was easier to see than bare hands or rolled-up paper
Conducting
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Steven Sametz conducting the Lehigh University Choir, sans baton
Conducting
Conducting
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Andrew Lee Neer conducting with a baton in Detroit in 2011
Conducting
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Giuseppe Verdi conducting his opera
Aida in 1881
6.
Trombone
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The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the players vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate, nearly all trombones have a telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Many modern trombone models also utilize a rotary valve as a means to lower pitch of the instrument, variants such as the valve trombone and superbone have three valves like those on the trumpet. The word trombone derives from Italian tromba and -one, so the name means large trumpet, the trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore like its valved counterpart the baritone and in contrast to its conical valved counterparts, the euphonium and the horn. The most frequently encountered trombones are the trombone and bass trombone. The most common variant, the tenor, is an instrument pitched in B♭, an octave below the B♭ trumpet. A person who plays the trombone is called a trombonist or trombone player, the trombone is a predominantly cylindrical tube bent into an elongated S shape. Rather than being completely cylindrical from end to end, the tube is a series of tapers with the smallest at the mouthpiece receiver. The design of these affects the intonation of the instrument. As with other instruments, sound is produced by blowing air through pursed lips producing a vibration that creates a standing wave in the instrument. The detachable cup-shaped mouthpiece is similar to that of the baritone horn and it has the venturi, a small constriction of the air column that adds resistance greatly affecting the tone of the instrument, and is inserted into the mouthpiece receiver in the slide section. The slide section consists of a leadpipe, the inner and outer tubes. Modern stays are soldered, while sackbuts were made with loose, the slide, the most distinctive feature of the trombone, allows the player to extend the length of the air column, lowering the pitch. To prevent friction from slowing the action of the slide, additional sleeves were developed during the Renaissance, and this part of the slide must be lubricated frequently. Additional tubing connects the slide to the bell of the instrument through a neckpipe, for example, second position A is not in exactly the same place on the slide as second position E. Many types of trombone also include one or more rotary valves used to increase the length of the instrument by directing the air flow through additional tubing. This allows the instrument to reach notes that are not possible without the valve as well as play other notes in alternate positions. Like the trumpet, the trombone is considered a cylindrical bore instrument since it has sections of tubing, principally in the slide section
Trombone
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A tenor trombone
Trombone
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A disassembled trombone. From left to right: mouthpiece, outer slide, bell section, inner slide.
Trombone
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A tenor trombone mouthpiece
Trombone
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The trombone section of the Eau Claire Municipal Band is featured at a Fourth of July celebration in Owen Park.
7.
Singing
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Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist, Singers perform music that can be sung with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in an ensemble of musicians, such as a choir of singers or a band of instrumentalists, Singers may perform as soloists, or accompanied by anything from a single instrument up to a symphony orchestra or big band. Singing can be formal or informal, arranged or improvised and it may be done as a form of religious devotion, as a hobby, as a source of pleasure, comfort, or ritual, as part of music education, or as a profession. Excellence in singing requires time, dedication, instruction, and regular practice, if practice is done on a regular basis then the sounds can become more clear and strong. Professional singers usually build their careers around one specific genre, such as classical or rock. They typically take voice training provided by teachers or vocal coaches throughout their careers. Though these four mechanisms function independently, they are coordinated in the establishment of a vocal technique and are made to interact upon one another. During passive breathing, air is inhaled with the diaphragm while exhalation occurs without any effort, exhalation may be aided by the abdominal, internal intercostal and lower pelvis/pelvic muscles. Inhalation is aided by use of external intercostals, scalenes and sternocleidomastoid muscles, the pitch is altered with the vocal cords. With the lips closed, this is called humming, humans have vocal folds which can loosen, tighten, or change their thickness, and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of the chest and neck, the position of the tongue, any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced. Sound also resonates within different parts of the body and an individuals size, Singers can also learn to project sound in certain ways so that it resonates better within their vocal tract. This is known as vocal resonation, another major influence on vocal sound and production is the function of the larynx which people can manipulate in different ways to produce different sounds. These different kinds of function are described as different kinds of vocal registers. The primary method for singers to accomplish this is through the use of the Singers Formant and it has also been shown that a more powerful voice may be achieved with a fatter and fluid-like vocal fold mucosa. The more pliable the mucosa, the more efficient the transfer of energy from the airflow to the vocal folds, Vocal registration refers to the system of vocal registers within the voice. A register in the voice is a series of tones, produced in the same vibratory pattern of the vocal folds
Singing
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American jazz singer and songwriter
Billie Holiday in New York City in 1947
Singing
Singing
–
"Vocalist" redirects here. See also:
Lead vocalist and
Backing vocalist.
Singing
–
Ercole de' Roberti: Concert, c. 1490
8.
United States of America
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
United States of America
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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764
United States of America
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Flag
United States of America
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The signing of the
Mayflower Compact, 1620.
United States of America
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The
Declaration of Independence: the
Committee of Five presenting their draft to the
Second Continental Congress in 1776
9.
United States Army
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The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784, the United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775. As a uniformed service, the Army is part of the Department of the Army. As a branch of the forces, the mission of the U. S. The branch participates in conflicts worldwide and is the major ground-based offensive and defensive force of the United States, the United States Army serves as the land-based branch of the U. S. Section 3062 of Title 10, U. S, the army was initially led by men who had served in the British Army or colonial militias and who brought much of British military heritage with them. As the Revolutionary War progressed, French aid, resources, a number of European soldiers came on their own to help, such as Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who taught Prussian Army tactics and organizational skills. The army fought numerous pitched battles and in the South in 1780–81 sometimes used the Fabian strategy and hit-and-run tactics, hitting where the British were weakest, to wear down their forces. Washington led victories against the British at Trenton and Princeton, but lost a series of battles in the New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776, with a decisive victory at Yorktown, and the help of the French, the Continental Army prevailed against the British. After the war, though, the Continental Army was quickly given land certificates, State militias became the new nations sole ground army, with the exception of a regiment to guard the Western Frontier and one battery of artillery guarding West Points arsenal. However, because of continuing conflict with Native Americans, it was realized that it was necessary to field a trained standing army. The War of 1812, the second and last war between the United States and Great Britain, had mixed results. After taking control of Lake Erie in 1813, the U. S. Army seized parts of western Upper Canada, burned York and defeated Tecumseh, which caused his Western Confederacy to collapse. Following U. S. victories in the Canadian province of Upper Canada, British troops, were able to capture and burn Washington, which was defended by militia, in 1814. Two weeks after a treaty was signed, Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans and Siege of Fort St. Philip, U. S. troops and sailors captured HMS Cyane, Levant, and Penguin in the final engagements of the war. Per the treaty, both sides, the United States and Great Britain, returned to the status quo. Both navies kept the warships they had seized during the conflict, the armys major campaign against the Indians was fought in Florida against Seminoles. It took long wars to defeat the Seminoles and move them to Oklahoma
United States Army
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Storming of Redoubt #10 in the
Siege of Yorktown during the
American Revolutionary War prompted the British government to begin negotiations, resulting in the
Treaty of Paris and British recognition of the United States of America.
United States Army
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Emblem of the United States Department of the Army
United States Army
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General
Andrew Jackson stands on the parapet of his makeshift defenses as his troops repulse attacking
Highlanders during the
defense of New Orleans, the final major battle of the War of 1812
United States Army
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The
Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the American Civil War
10.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
World War II
–
Clockwise from top left: Chinese forces in the
Battle of Wanjialing, Australian
25-pounder guns during the
First Battle of El Alamein, German
Stuka dive bombers on the
Eastern Front in December 1943, a U.S. naval force in the
Lingayen Gulf,
Wilhelm Keitel signing the
German Instrument of Surrender, Soviet troops in the
Battle of Stalingrad
World War II
–
The
League of Nations assembly, held in
Geneva,
Switzerland, 1930
World War II
–
Adolf Hitler at a German
National Socialist political rally in
Weimar, October 1930
World War II
–
Italian soldiers recruited in 1935, on their way to fight the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
11.
Artie Shaw
–
Artie Shaw was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and actor. Also an author, Shaw wrote both fiction and non-fiction, widely regarded as one of jazzs finest clarinetists, Shaw led one of the United States most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Though he had hit records, he was perhaps best known for his 1938 recording of Cole Porters Begin the Beguine. Prior to the release of Beguine, Shaw and his band had languished in relative obscurity for over two years and, after its release, he became a major pop artist within short order. The record eventually became one of the defining recordings. Musically restless, Shaw was also a proponent of what became known much later as Third Stream music. Shaw also recorded with jazz groups drawn from within the ranks of the various big bands he led. He served in the US Navy from 1942 to 1944, and, following his discharge in 1944, Shaw was born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City, the son of Sarah and Harry Arshawsky, who worked as a dressmaker and photographer. His family was Jewish, his father was from Russia, his mother from Austria, Shaw grew up in New Haven, Connecticut where, according to his autobiography, his natural introversion was deepened by local antisemitism. Shaw bought a saxophone by working in a store, and began learning the saxophone at 13, by 16, he switched to the clarinet. Returning to New York, he became a musician through the early 1930s. In 1929 and 1930, he played with Irving Aaronsons Commanders, where he was exposed to symphonic music, in 1935, Shaw first gained attention with his Interlude in B-flat at a swing concert at the Imperial Theater in New York. During the swing era, his big bands were popular hits like Begin the Beguine, Stardust, Back Bay Shuffle, Moonglow, Rosalie. The show was received, but forced to dissolve in 1937 because his bands sound was not commercial. His incorporation of stringed instruments could be attributed to the influence of classical composer Igor Stravinsky. S. However, after recording Any Old Time, she left the band due to hostility from audiences in the South as well as music company executives who wanted a more mainstream singer. His band became successful, and his playing was eventually recognized as equal to that of Benny Goodman. Longtime Duke Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard cited Shaw as his favorite clarinet player, in response to Goodmans nickname, the King of Swing, Shaws fans dubbed him the King of the Clarinet
Artie Shaw
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Artie Shaw in
Second Chorus (1940)
Artie Shaw
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Artie Shaw and his band playing "Ev'rything's Jumpin'" from
Second Chorus (1940)
Artie Shaw
–
Artie Shaw, ca 1947. Photography by
William P. Gottlieb.
Artie Shaw
–
Artie Shaw performing his "
Concerto for Clarinet " in 1940
12.
Mitch Miller
–
Mitchell William Mitch Miller was an American oboist, conductor, recording producer and recording industry executive. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor, Mitch Miller was born in Rochester, New York, on July 4,1911, to a Jewish family. His mother was Hinda Rosenblum Miller, a seamstress, and his father, Abram Calmen Miller. He had four siblings, two of whom, Leon and Joseph, survived him, Miller took up the oboe at first as a teenager, because it was the only instrument available when he went to audition for his junior high school orchestra. A talented oboist, at age fifteen he played with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and he graduated in 1932 with honors. Miller played the prominent English horn part in the Largo movement of Dvořáks New World Symphony in a famous 1947 recording conducted by Leopold Stokowski. As part of the CBS Symphony, Miller participated in the accompaniment to the infamous radio broadcast of Orson Welless The War of the Worlds. This was a position in a recording company, because the A&R executive decided which musicians. After arriving at Columbia, he helped direct the careers of artists who were signed to the label, such as Doris Day, Dinah Shore and Jo Stafford. Miller also discovered Aretha Franklin and signed her to the first major recording contract of her career, when Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records promised her artistic freedom to create records outside the pop mainstream in a more rhythm-and-blues-driven direction, she left Columbia after five years. Previously, Miller had offered Presley a contract, but balked at the amount Presleys manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was asking. In defense of his stance, he once told NME in January 1958, Rock n roll is musical baby food, it is the worship of mediocrity. Producer Bob Stanley had found the group during a series of early 1954 Mexican civil rights concerts in East Los Angeles and their lead guitarist Bill Aken was the only Caucasian in the Latino band. Despite his distaste for rock n roll, Miller emphasized emotional expression over vocal perfection, songs like A White Sport Coat by Marty Robbins and Rock-a-Billy by Guy Mitchell are just two examples. As a record producer, Miller gained a reputation for innovation and gimmickry. Music historian Will Friedwald wrote in his book Jazz Singing that Miller exemplified the worst in American pop and he first aroused the ire of intelligent listeners by trying to turn — and darn near succeeding in turning — great artists like Sinatra, Clooney, and Tony Bennett into hacks. Miller was hardly a rock n roller, yet without these ideas there could never have been rock n roll, mule Train, Millers first major hit and the foundation of his career, set the pattern for virtually the entire first decade of rock. The similarities between it and, say, Leader of the Pack, need hardly be outlined here, while Millers methods were resented by some of Columbias performers, including Harry James, Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney, the label maintained a high hit-to-release ratio during the 1950s
Mitch Miller
–
Miller on Sing Along with Mitch, 1961
Mitch Miller
–
Mitch Miller's single for his 1957 recording of the River Kwai March and the Colonel Bogey March
13.
Columbia Records
–
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc. the United States division of Sony Corporation. It was founded in 1887, evolving from an enterprise named the American Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the sound business. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of singers, instrumentalists. It is one of Sony Musics three flagship record labels alongside RCA Records and Epic Records, rather, as above, it was connected to CBS, a broadcasting media company which had purchased the company in 1938, and had been co-founded in 1927 by Columbia Records itself. Though Arista Records was sold to Bertelsmann Music Group, it would become a sister label of Columbia Records through its mutual connection to Sony Music. The Columbia Phonograph Company was founded in 1887 by stenographer, lawyer and New Jersey native Edward Easton and it derived its name from the District of Columbia, where it was headquartered. At first it had a monopoly on sales and service of Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders in Washington. As was the custom of some of the regional companies, Columbia produced many commercial cylinder recordings of its own. Columbias ties to Edison and the North American Phonograph Company were severed in 1894 with the North American Phonograph Companys breakup, thereafter it sold only records and phonographs of its own manufacture. In 1902, Columbia introduced the XP record, a brown wax record. According to Gracyk, the molded brown waxes may have sold to Sears for distribution. Columbia began selling records and phonographs in addition to the cylinder system in 1901, preceded only by their Toy Graphophone of 1899. For a decade, Columbia competed with both the Edison Phonograph Company cylinders and the Victor Talking Machine Company disc records as one of the top three names in American recorded sound. In order to add prestige to its catalog of artists. The firm also introduced the internal-horn Grafonola to compete with the extremely popular Victrola sold by the rival Victor Talking Machine Company, during this era, Columbia used the famous Magic Notes logo—a pair of sixteenth notes in a circle—both in the United States and overseas. Columbia was split into two companies, one to make records and one to make players, Columbia Phonograph was moved to Connecticut, and Ed Easton went with it. Eventually it was renamed the Dictaphone Corporation, in late 1923, Columbia went into receivership
Columbia Records
–
Original home of Columbia in Washington, D.C., in 1889
Columbia Records
Columbia Records
–
A Columbia type AT cylinder
graphophone, first released in 1898
Columbia Records
–
This article is about the American record label active worldwide except in Japan. For the Columbia label which was a unit of EMI, see
Columbia Graphophone Company. For the Columbia label in Japan, see
Nippon Columbia.
14.
Rosemary Clooney
–
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She also had success as a jazz vocalist and she continued recording until her death in 2002. Rosemary Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky, the daughter of Marie Frances and she was one of five children. Her father was of Irish and German descent and her mother was of Irish and English ancestry, when Clooney was 15, her mother and brother Nick moved to California. She and her sister Betty remained with their father, the family resided in the John Brett Richeson House in the late 1940s. Rosemary and Betty became entertainers, whereas Nick became a newsman, in 1945, the Clooney sisters won a spot on Cincinnati, Ohios radio station WLW as singers. Her sister Betty sang in a duo with Rosemary for much of the early career. Clooneys first recordings, in May 1946, were for Columbia Records and she sang with Tony Pastors big band. Clooney continued working with the Pastor band until 1949, making her last recording with the band in May of that year and her first as a solo artist a month later, in 1950–51 she was a regular on the radio and television versions of Songs For Sale on CBS. In 1951, her record of Come On-a My House, produced by Mitch Miller and it was her first of many singles to hit the charts—despite the fact that Clooney hated the song passionately. She had been told by Columbia Records to record the song, Clooney recorded several duets with Marlene Dietrich and appeared in the early 1950s on Faye Emersons Wonderful Town series on CBS. Clooney also did several guest appearances on the Arthur Godfrey radio show and they did duets as he played his ukulele, and other times she would sing one of her latest hits. In 1954, she starred, along with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and she starred, in 1956, in a half-hour syndicated television musical-variety show The Rosemary Clooney Show. The show featured The Hi-Los singing group and Nelson Riddles orchestra, the following year, the show moved to NBC prime time as The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney but only lasted one season. The new show featured the singing group The Modernaires and Frank DeVols orchestra, in later years, Clooney would often appear with Bing Crosby on television, such as in the 1957 special The Edsel Show, and the two friends made a concert tour of Ireland together. On November 21,1957, she appeared on NBCs The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford, in 1960, Clooney and Crosby co-starred in a 20-minute CBS radio program aired before the midday news each weekday. Clooney left Columbia Records in 1958, doing a number of recordings for MGM Records, finally, toward the end of 1958, she signed with RCA Victor Records, where she stayed until 1963. In 1964, she went to Reprise Records, and in 1965 to Dot Records, upon her recovery from a nervous breakdown in 1968, Clooney signed with United Artists Records in 1976 for two albums
Rosemary Clooney
–
Clooney in 1954
Rosemary Clooney
–
John Brett Richeson House in Maysville
Rosemary Clooney
–
With
Bing Crosby in
White Christmas
Rosemary Clooney
–
Clooney performing in 1977
15.
Marty Robbins
–
Martin David Robinson, known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and racing driver. Robbins was born in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County and his mother was mostly of Paiute Indian heritage. Robbins was reared in a family situation. His father took odd jobs to support the family of 10 children, among his warmer memories of his childhood, Robbins recalled having listened to stories of the American West told by his maternal grandfather, Texas Bob Heckle, who was a local medicine man. Robbins left the home at 17 to serve in the United States Navy as an LCT coxswain during World War II. He was stationed in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, to pass the time during the war, he learned to play the guitar, started writing songs, and came to love Hawaiian music. After his discharge from the military in 1947, he began to play at venues in Phoenix, then moved on to host his own show on KTYL. After Little Jimmy Dickens made a guest appearance on Robbins TV show, Robbins became known for his appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1980, he appeared on the PBS music program Austin City Limits during Season 5, in addition to his recordings and performances, Robbins was an avid race car driver, competing in 35 career NASCAR Grand National races with six top-10 finishes, including the 1973 Firecracker 400. In 1967, Robbins played himself in the car racing film Hell on Wheels, Robbins was partial to Dodges prepared by NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Cotton Owens, and owned and raced Chargers and then a 1978 Dodge Magnum. He was also the driver of the 60th Indianapolis 500 Buick Century pace car in 1976 and his last race was in a Junior Johnson-built 1982 Buick Regal in the Atlanta Journal 500 on November 7,1982, a month before his death. Robbins had a history of cardiovascular disease, after his third heart attack on December 2,1982, he underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery. He did not recover and died six days later on December 8,1982 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Robbins was awarded an honorary degree by Northern Arizona University. Robbins 1957 recording of A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation sold over one million copies and his musical accomplishments include the Grammy Award for his 1959 hit and signature song El Paso, taken from his album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. El Paso was the first song to hit No.1 on the pop chart in the 1960s. It was followed up, successfully, by Dont Worry, which reached No.3 on the pop chart in 1961, becoming his third, El Paso was followed by one prequel and one sequel, Feleena and El Paso City. Also in 1961, Robbins wrote the words and music and recorded I Told the Brook, Robbins decided to keep it in the final version. The song reached No.1 on the chart
Marty Robbins
–
Robbins in 1966.
16.
Frankie Laine
–
Often billed as Americas Number One Song Stylist, his other nicknames include Mr. Rhythm, Old Leather Lungs, and Mr. Steel Tonsils. His hits included Thats My Desire, That Lucky Old Sun, Mule Train, Cry of the Wild Goose, A Woman In Love, Jezebel, High Noon, I Believe, Hey Joe. The Kids Last Fight, Cool Water, Moonlight Gambler, Love Is a Golden Ring, Rawhide, and Lord, You Gave Me a Mountain. He sang well-known theme songs for many movie Western soundtracks, including 3,10 To Yuma, Gunfight at the O. K. Corral, and Blazing Saddles, although he was not a country & western singer. Laine sang a variety of song styles and genres, stretching from big band crooning to pop, western-themed songs, gospel, rock, folk, jazz. Laines enduring popularity was illustrated in June 2011, when a TV-advertised compilation called Hits reached No.16 on the British chart. The accomplishment was achieved nearly 60 years after his debut on the UK chart,64 years after his first major U. S. hit and he was also known as Mr. Rhythm for his driving jazzy style. Laine was the first and biggest of a new breed of singers who rose to prominence in the post–World War II era. This new, raw, emotionally charged style seemed at the time to signal the end of the previous eras singing styles and was, indeed, a harbinger of the rock n roll music that was to come. In the words of Jazz critic Richard Grudens, Franks style was very innovative and his 1946 recording of Thats My Desire remains a landmark record signaling the end of both the dominance of the big bands and the crooning styles favored by contemporary Dick Haymes and others. Often called the first of the soul singers, Laines style cleared the way for many artists who arose in the late 1940s and early 1950s, including Kay Starr, Tony Bennett. I think that Frank probably was one of the forerunner of…blues, a lot of singers who sing with a passionate demeanor—Frank was and is definitely that. I always used to love to him with Thats…my…desire. And then later Johnnie Ray came along that made all of those kind of movements, hes one of those singers thats not in one track. And yet and still I think that his records had more excitement, and I think that was his big selling point, that he was so full of energy. You know when you hear his records it was dynamite energy, — Herb Jeffries Frankie Laine was born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio on March 30,1913, to Giovanni and Cresenzia LoVecchio. His parents had emigrated from Monreale, Sicily, to Chicagos Near West Side, in Little Italy, Laines family appears to have had several organized crime connections, and young Francesco was living with his grandfather when the latter was killed by rival gangsters. He later attended Lane Technical High School, where he helped to develop his power and breath control by joining the track and field
Frankie Laine
–
Jimmy Crawford (left) and Frankie Laine, ca. 1947. Photography by
William P. Gottlieb.
Frankie Laine
–
Laine and Patti Page, circa 1950s.
Frankie Laine
–
Nan Grey and Frankie Laine in a scene from Rawhide, 1960.
17.
Johnny Mathis
–
John Royce Johnny Mathis is an American singer of popular music and jazz. Mathis has sold well over 100 million records worldwide, according to Guinness Book of British Hit Singles writer and charts music historian Paul Gambaccini, Mathis also recorded six albums of Christmas music. In a 1968 interview, Mathis cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, United States, in 1935, the fourth of seven children of Clem Mathis and Mildred Boyd. The family moved to San Francisco, California, settling on 32nd Avenue in the Richmond District and his father had worked in vaudeville, and when he saw his sons talent, he bought an old upright piano for $25 and encouraged him. Mathis began learning songs and routines from his father and his first song was My Blue Heaven. Mathis started singing and dancing for visitors at home, at school, when he was 13, voice teacher Connie Cox accepted him as her student in exchange for work around her house. Mathis studied with Cox for six years, learning scales and exercises, voice production, classical. He is one of the few popular singers who received years of professional voice training that included opera. The first band he sang with was formed by his school friend Merl Saunders. Mathis eulogized him at his funeral in 2008, thanking him for giving him his first chance as a singer, Mathis was a star athlete at George Washington High School in San Francisco. He was a jumper and hurdler, and he played on the basketball team. In 1954, he enrolled at San Francisco State University on a scholarship, intending to become an English teacher. In San Francisco while singing at a Sunday afternoon jam session with a jazz sextet at the Black Hawk Club, Mathis attracted the attention of the clubs co-founder. After repeated calls, Noga finally persuaded Avakian to come hear Mathis at the 440 Club, after hearing Mathis sing, Avakian sent his record company a telegram stating, Have found phenomenal 19-year-old boy who could go all the way. At San Francisco State, Mathis had become noteworthy as a jumper, and in 1956 he was asked to try out for the U. S. Olympic Team that would travel to Melbourne, Australia. Mathis had to decide whether to go to the Olympic trials or to keep his appointment in New York City to make his first recordings, on his fathers advice, Mathis opted to embark on a professional singing career. His LP record album was released in late 1956 instead of waiting until the first quarter of 1957, Mathiss first record album, Johnny Mathis, A New Sound In Popular Song, was a slow-selling jazz album, but Mathis stayed in New York City to sing in nightclubs. His second album was produced by Columbia Records vice-president and record producer Mitch Miller, Miller preferred that Mathis sing soft, romantic ballads, pairing him up with conductor and music arranger Ray Conniff, and later, Ray Ellis, Glenn Osser, and Robert Mersey
Johnny Mathis
–
Johnny Mathis in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in
Santa Ynez, California, on May 25, 2006.
18.
Guy Mitchell
–
Guy Mitchell was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles, in the fall of 1957, Mitchell starred in ABCs The Guy Mitchell Show. He appeared as George Romack on the 1961 NBC western detective series Whispering Smith, with World War II hero Audie Murphy in the leading role. Born of Croat immigrants in Detroit, Michigan, at age 11 he was signed by Warner Brothers Pictures, to be a child star, after leaving school, he worked as a saddlemaker, supplementing his income by singing. Dude Martin, who had a country music broadcast in San Francisco, Mitchell served in the United States Navy for two years in World War II, then sang with Carmen Cavallaros big band. In 1947 he recorded for Decca with Cavallaros band, but left due to food poisoning and he went next to New York City and made records for King Records as Al Grant. He won on the radio show Arthur Godfreys Talent Scouts in 1949 as a soloist, mitch Miller, in charge of talent at Columbia Records, noticed Cernik in 1950. He joined Columbia and took his new name at Millers urging, Miller supposedly said, my name is Mitchell and you seem a nice guy. Bob Merrill wrote hits for Mitchell, in the 1950s and 1960s Mitchell acted in such movies as Those Redheads From Seattle and Red Garters. He appeared in Choose a Victim, a 1961 episode of Thriller and his first hit was My Heart Cries for You. He ventured into rock with songs including Heartaches by the Number, Rock-a-Billy, The Same Old Me, and his biggest hit, Singing the Blues, which was number one for 10 weeks in 1956. He married three times, first to Jackie Loughery, a former Miss USA, then to Elsa Sorensen and his third wife, Betty, survived him after 25 years of marriage. Mitchell died on July 1,1999, aged 72, at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas, in 2007, to commemorate what would have been his 80th birthday, the English division of SonyBMG released The Essential Collection CD. His song Heartaches by the Number was part of the soundtrack of the 2010 video game Fallout, the album was entitled 20 Golden Pieces of Guy Mitchell. The songs on the album are, - Guy Mitchell Appreciation Society site, belle49. freeserve. co. uk Guy Mitchell obituary Biodata, The Interlude Era site], earthlink. net Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
–
Guy Mitchell
19.
Johnnie Ray
–
John Alvin Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Tony Bennett credits Ray as being the father of rock. In 1952, Ray rose very quickly from obscurity to stardom in the United States and he became a major star in the United Kingdom by performing and releasing recordings there in 1953 and shared billing there with many acts including Frank Holder. He matched these achievements in Australia the following year and his career in his native United States began to decline in the late 1950s, and his American record label dropped him in 1960. He never regained a strong following there and very rarely appeared on American television after 1973 and his fan base in other countries, however, remained strong until his last year of performing, which was 1989. His recordings never stopped selling outside the United States, Johnnie Ray was born January 10,1927, in Hopewell, Oregon, to parents Elmer and Hazel Ray. Along with older sister Elma, Ray spent part of his childhood on a farm in Dallas, Oregon, the family later moved to Portland, Oregon, where Ray attended high school. At age 13, Ray became deaf in his left ear following a mishap occurred during a Boy Scout blanket toss. In later years, Ray performed wearing a hearing aid, surgery performed in 1958 left him almost completely deaf in both ears, although hearing aids helped his condition. He began singing professionally on a Portland, Oregon, radio station at age 15, Ray first attracted the attention of Bernie Lang, a song plugger, who was taken to the Flame Showbar nightclub in Detroit, Michigan by local DJ, Robin Seymour of WKMH. Lang went to New York to sell the singer to Danny Kessler of the Okeh label, Kessler came over from New York, and he, Lang and Seymour went to the Flame. According to Seymour, Kesslers reaction was, Well, I dont know and this kid looks well on the stand, but he will never go on records. It was Seymour and Lowell Worley of the office of Columbia who persuaded Kessler to have a test record made of Ray. Worley arranged for a record to be cut at the United Sound Studios in Detroit, Seymour told reporter Dick Osgood that there was a verbal agreement that he would be cut in on the three-way deal in the management of Ray. But the deal evaporated, and so did Seymours friendship with Kessler. Rays first record, the self-penned R&B number for OKeh Records, Whiskey, the following year he dominated the charts with the double-sided hit single of Cry and The Little White Cloud That Cried. Selling over two copies of the 78rpm single, Rays delivery struck a chord with teenagers and he quickly became a teen idol. When executives of Columbia Records, the parent company of OKeh, realized that the Caucasian Ray had developed a fan base of white listeners, Rays performing style included theatrics later associated with rock and roll, including tearing at his hair, falling to the floor, and crying
Johnnie Ray
–
Ray in 1969, as best man at
Judy Garland 's wedding, by
Allan Warren
Johnnie Ray
–
Ray in
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
Johnnie Ray
–
January 12, 1954 Los Angeles Examiner photo and caption announcing Ray's 1954 divorce.
20.
Tony Bennett
–
Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. He is also a painter, having created works under the name Anthony Benedetto that are on permanent public display in several institutions and he is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York. Born and raised in Astoria to an Italian-American family, Bennett began singing at an early age and he fought in the final stages of World War II as a U. S. Army infantryman in the European Theater. Afterward, he developed his technique, signed with Columbia Records and had his first number-one popular song with Because of You in 1951. Several top hits such as Rags to Riches followed in the early 1950s and he then refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached a peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his song, I Left My Heart in San Francisco. His career and his personal life experienced a downturn during the height of the rock music era. Bennett staged a comeback in the late 1980s and 1990s, putting out gold record albums again and he has won 19 Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, and was named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide, Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born on August 3,1926, in Astoria, Queens, New York, to grocer John Benedetto and seamstress Anna Suraci. In 1906, John had emigrated from Podàrgoni, an eastern district of the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria. Anna had been born in the U. S. shortly after her parents emigrated from the Calabria region in 1899. Other relatives came over as well as part of the migration of Italians to America. Tony grew up with a sister, Mary, and an older brother. With a father who was ailing and unable to work, the children grew up in poverty, John Sr. instilled in his son a love of art and literature and a compassion for human suffering, but died when Tony was 10 years old. The experience of growing up in the Great Depression and a distaste for the effects of the Hoover Administration would make the child a lifelong Democrat. Young Tony grew up listening to Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Judy Garland, and Bing Crosby as well as artists such as Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden. His Uncle Dick was a tap dancer in vaudeville, giving him a window into show business
Tony Bennett
–
Tony Bennett performing in 2003
Tony Bennett
–
Bennett (right) with Chicago columnist and talk show host
Irv Kupcinet, during the 1950s
Tony Bennett
–
Bennett (right) with composer
Harold Arlen, rehearsing for the television program
The Twentieth Century in 1964
Tony Bennett
–
President
George W. Bush and
First Lady Laura Bush pose with the
Kennedy Center honorees: actress
Julie Harris, actor
Robert Redford, singer
Tina Turner, ballet dancer
Suzanne Farrell and Tony Bennett. December 4, 2005, at a reception in the
Blue Room at the
White House.
21.
Epic Records
–
Epic Records is an American record company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc. Epic was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 and it later expanded its scope to include a more diverse range of musical genres, including pop, R&B, rock and hip hop. Historically, the label has housed popular acts such as Boston, ABBA, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Dave Clark Five, Gloria Estefan, Pearl Jam, Shakira, Anastacia, and Sly & the Family Stone. Along with Columbia and RCA Records, Epic is one of Sony Music Entertainments three main record labels, L. A. Reid has served as chairman and CEO of Epic since July 2011. Sylvia Rhone was appointed president in March 2014, Epic Records was launched in 1953 by Columbia Records for the purpose of marketing jazz, pop and classical music that did not fit the theme of its more mainstream Columbia Records label. Initial classical music releases were from Philips Records which distributed Columbia product in Europe, pop talent on co-owned Okeh Records were transferred to Epic which made Okeh a rhythm and blues label. Epics bright-yellow, black, and blue became a familiar trademark for many jazz. By 1960, the musical base had been expanded to include all genres. This was done in part to prevent the roster of Columbia Records from being overstuffed with newer artists, subsequently, Epic became better known for its signing of newer, fledgling acts. By the end of the 1960s, Epic earned its first gold records and had evolved into a formidable hit-making force in rock and roll, R&B and country music. Among its many acts, it included Roy Hamilton, Bobby Vinton, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, Tammy Wynette, Donovan, The Yardbirds, Lulu, July, Helen Shapiro and Jeff Beck. Also during the 1960s, Epic oversaw the smaller subsidiary CBS labels including Okeh Records, in 1968, Epic recordings began being distributed in the UK by CBS after the distribution deal with EMI expired that year, Epic itself launched in England around 1971. Epic was involved in a trade of artists. Graham Nash was signed to Epic because of his membership in The Hollies, when the newly formed Crosby, Stills & Nash wanted to sign with Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegün worked out a deal with Clive Davis whereby Richie Furays new band Poco would sign with Epic. Also contributing to the success was its distribution of Philadelphia International Records. Sony bought CBS Records in 1987, and the company was renamed Sony Music in 1991. In 2004, Sony merged with another powerhouse music distributor, BMG, bringing labels such as RCA, Arista, Columbia, Epic, Jive, in February 2009, singer and songwriter Amanda Ghost was appointed president of Epic Records. Later in the year, Sony BMG Music merged Epic and Columbias operations, Sony BMGs Legacy Recordings reissues the companys classic and catalog titles
Epic Records
–
Classic radial sound sunburst logo, used from the 1960s to 1973, revived in late 1998; used until 2005. Still used on Japanese operations. This logo was used on
Pearl Jam 's
Vitalogy in 1994,
No Code in 1996 and
Yield in February 1998.
Epic Records
–
Epic Records
Epic Records
–
Primary businesses
22.
United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
United Kingdom
–
Stonehenge, in
Wiltshire, was erected around 2500 BC.
United Kingdom
–
Flag
United Kingdom
–
The
Bayeux Tapestry depicts the
Battle of Hastings, 1066, and the events leading to it.
United Kingdom
–
The
Treaty of Union led to a single united kingdom encompassing all Great Britain.
23.
Russia
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Russia, also officially the Russian Federation, is a country in Eurasia. The European western part of the country is more populated and urbanised than the eastern. Russias capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world, other urban centers include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod. Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a range of environments. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, the East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants, in 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of states, most of the Rus lands were overrun by the Mongol invasion. The Soviet Union played a role in the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century, including the worlds first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space. By the end of 1990, the Soviet Union had the second largest economy, largest standing military in the world. It is governed as a federal semi-presidential republic, the Russian economy ranks as the twelfth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity in 2015. Russias extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world, making it one of the producers of oil. The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterised as a potential superpower. The name Russia is derived from Rus, a state populated mostly by the East Slavs. However, this name became more prominent in the later history, and the country typically was called by its inhabitants Русская Земля. In order to distinguish this state from other states derived from it, it is denoted as Kievan Rus by modern historiography, an old Latin version of the name Rus was Ruthenia, mostly applied to the western and southern regions of Rus that were adjacent to Catholic Europe. The current name of the country, Россия, comes from the Byzantine Greek designation of the Kievan Rus, the standard way to refer to citizens of Russia is Russians in English and rossiyane in Russian. There are two Russian words which are translated into English as Russians
Russia
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Kievan Rus' in the 11th century
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Flag
Russia
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The
Baptism of Kievans, by
Klavdy Lebedev
Russia
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Sergius of Radonezh blessing
Dmitry Donskoy in
Trinity Sergius Lavra, before the
Battle of Kulikovo, depicted in a painting by
Ernst Lissner
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