mig007-parerea mea

Britney sweeps at otherwise tame VMAs

2008-09-08T16:09:00.009+03:00

Britney sweeps at otherwise tame VMAs

It took a year, but Britney Spears got the comeback she was seeking from the MTV Video Music Awards -- and she didn't even have to sing or dance.
Spears nabbed three VMAs, including video of the year, erasing last year's career-low performance. Her first Moonman trophies came during a 25th anniversary show that otherwise lacked a defining moment, with most of the zaniness coming from host Russell Brand.
"Wow, thank you, I'm in shock right now. I was not expecting this", Spears, looking spectacular in a shimmering silver dress, said as she accepted her third trophy of the evening for "Piece of Me".
Spears kept all three of her acceptance speeches short.
"This is such an honor to have this award right now", she said. "I want to thank my fans, this is dedicated to you".
There was no such honor for Spears last year, when the declining diva -- by then known more for her tabloid exploits and erratic behavior -- kicked off the Las Vegas telecast. Looking haggard and dazed, Spears bumbled her way through a performance of "Gimme More" that gave new meaning to the phrase "Sin City".
Though Spears didn't perform this time, she still opened the show, giving a blink-and-you-missed-it introduction of Rihanna. Still, just being there was enough for a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd long before she opened her mouth to get things rolling.
Spears did provide a few laughs during a pre-taped comedic segment with "Superbad" actor Jonah Hill that preceded the live telecast. There were a few more laughs during comedian Brand's opening monologue, but the celeb audience seemed more nervous than amused, as the frenetic Brit took aim at Madonna, the virginity of teen sensations the Jonas Brothers and President Bush, whom he called "a retarded cowboy fellow".
He clearly got under the skin of one celebrity, however, with his jokes about promise rings, which the Jonas Brothers wear to signify their virginity. Another famous promise-ring wearer, Jordin Sparks, said before giving out one award:
"I just wanna say, it's not bad to wear a promise ring because not every guy and a girl wants to be a slut, OK ?" she quipped.
Afterward, a somewhat contrite Brand apologized to a stone-faced Jonas Brothers, saying, "I didn't mean to take it lightly" before adding, "a little sex once and a while never hurt anybody".
Though the VMAs have been defined by zany, wild moments in the past -- the Michael and Lisa Marie kiss, the Britney-Madonna kiss, Prince's butt-out jeans just to name a few -- there were more head-scratching moments than outrageous ones at the sprawling ‘Paramount’ Studios lot.
The prim and proper Leona Lewis gave a graceful opening performance for a song by... Lil Wayne, who appeared on stage barechested, displaying his tattooed torso as his pants hung below his buttocks (Ralph Lauren's underwear line got a nice plug, however). He performed hits "A Milli" and a song with T-Pain.
The Jonas Brothers performed a version of their song "Lovebug" that was so genteel one might have thought they were doing a tribute to the Osmonds. But the trio then segued to a rocked-out version of the song in the final moments, as a throng of screaming fans surrounded them on one of the movie's many sets.
Pink gave perhaps the show's most rousing performance, a pyrotechnic-fueled performance of her new song, "So What".
T.I.'s performance was also noteworthy, since the last time he was due to perform at an awards show, he was arrested instead. At last year's BET Hip-Hop Awards, he was accused of trying to buy machine guns and silencers (he was sentenced earlier this year to serve about a year in prison after completing at least 1,000 hours of community service).
He performed a new song with Rihanna, who also appeared on last year's show. But the dazzling singer from Barbados is hardly in need of any second chances, coming into the VMAs as one of music's hottest acts thanks to her two No. 1 hits of the summer, "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia".
Closing the night was Kanye West who, like Spears, was hoping for a second chance after a disappointing VMA experience last year. In Las Vegas, he had a Kanye-sized hissy fit backstage and vowed never to appear at the VMAs again after he didn't get a Moonman trophy despite several nominations.This time, he had a stage all to himself, but he still may have reason to be miffed: he won no trophies during the ceremony, and, appearing after Spears accepted her third and final trophy of the evening, may have been more of an afterthought.

by NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, ‘AP’ Music Writer

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-09-04T23:12:00.005+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Demis Roussos -

The Roussos had been in Egypt for two generations and on 15 June 1946 Artemios Venturis Roussos was born in Alexandria. His mother, Olga, and his father, George, both of Greek extraction, had also been born in the country their parents had come to in the 1920s. Following the Greek custom, the baby was named after his paternal grandfather, Demis being a pet name for Artemios. In the heart of an orthodox community, he lived in the middle of a Muslim city. From his early childhood he was immersed in folk music, exposed to Byzantine and Arabic influences. Attracted to singing, he joined the choir of the Greek Byzantine Church with which he sang for five years as a soloist. At the same time he studied musical theory and learnt how to play the guitar and the trumpet. Everything was going well when the Suez crisis blew up in 1961. Residents in Egypt had to leave the country and the Roussos – Mr Roussos was an engineer with a property construction company – returned to their native land, Greece. At the age of 17, with only music in his head and to the great disappointment of his mother who was hoping to send him to the best school in Athens, Demis formed his first band, ‘The Idols’, in which he played guitar and bass. At that time the band members were his cousin Jo, Natis Lalaitis, Nikos Tsiloyan and Anthony. A chance happening meant that one day Demis had to replace the group’s singer for a short time and he sang an Afro-American spiritual, ‘The house of the rising sun’, and another popular success of the time, ‘When a man loves a woman’. The public was immediately won over by his voice. Overcome by a great desire for independence, he began to feel the need to take control of his own life. Henceforth, bands and clubs became part of his daily life. Meeting Lucas Sideras and Argyris Koulouris lead him to play the international successes of the moment in clubs and night-clubs. The great turning point of his musical career was his meeting with Vangelis Papathanassiou in the summer of 1966. One particular song introduced Vangelis to Demis’ unique voice. Within his group he began to sing more and more often, frequently as a soloist. However, a few meetings with Vangelis did take place. These young musicians, cut off from the international music scene, soon realised that an interesting career could only be accomplished outside their country.
Demis left his group and began to practice new songs with Vangelis. At the end of March 1968, Lucas and Demis took the train to London. Vangelis was supposed to join them a few days later. Fate decided otherwise. When they arrived in Dover, at the English border, with no work permits, customs officers discovered photos and tapes in their luggage and quickly realised what their true intentions were. The young musicians cut short their journey. Back in Paris, trapped by the circumstances, their savings melted away day by day. Unable to leave Paris where unrest was brewing, only a recording could get them out of a tight spot. They learnt that ‘Phonogram’ was holding an international conference and, plucking up all the courage they could find, they went to meet with the executives and explained their situation. A draconian contract, which promised exclusivity for six years, was drawn up. Confronted by the necessity to get by, they signed the contract and were able to begin recording. Their dream was at last coming true. It was in the 4m² cellar near the Porte d’Italie where they practised that ‘Rain and tears’, composed by Vangelis, was born. The lyrics were written by Boris Bergman, a young song-writer introduced to them by the record company. The recording of the single took place in extremis in rather unusual circumstances. The following day the studio closed due to the general strike. A few weeks later ‘Rain and Tears’ was number one in the charts. They had made a hit ! They themselves saw very little difference in what they were doing but they began to receive proposals for concerts and they were swept up in success. In June a week of performing at Olympia as Sylvie Vartan’s opening act was a real success. They spent the summer in the clubs of the South of France. Their success continued to grow. Hundreds of thousands of copies of their first album were sold and Demis’ fantastic voice brought them a great many more successes with ‘It’s five o’clock’, ‘I want to live’, ‘End of the world’ and ‘Spring, summer, winter and fall’. These five hit singles were accompanied by two albums, one of which became number one. The group climbed to number one in Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Italy… ‘Aphrodite’s Child’ lasted for two years. They made 239 television appearances over this period. Demis married Monique with whom he had a daughter, Emilie. Vangelis however was dissatisfied. He wanted a more serious music, more like the music he composed alone. He wished to confront the English and American markets, to stop touring and devote his time to studio work. The recording of the double album ‘666’, based on the texts of Saint John’s Apocalypse, was the materialisation of this desire for change. It was a critical moment for the group: after three months of costly recording, the record company panicked. The break-up of the group became inevitable after a heated argument between Vangelis and Lucas. In the end it was Vangelis alone who, one year later, finished the album which was seen at the time as a classical masterpiece. Supported by the record company ‘Phonogram’, Demis began a solo career.
Inspired by the numerous folk themes in his head and using the sounds and instruments of pop music Demis fulfilled his dream. Two months in the studio were required to complete this first LP. He composed some of the melodies and conceived some of the arrangements. Named ‘Fire and Ice’, love, life and death are its major components. This twelve track album was released in 1971. Demis was already no longer totally unknown, his first single, ‘We shall dance’, having been one of the biggest hits of summer 1971 not only in France, but all over Europe. His international career took off straightaway. 1972 was a year of travelling. Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Germany welcomed him. In June ‘My Reason’ was released and for several weeks Demis was once again at the top of the singles’ charts in France. In September he achieved national consecration with a performance at Olympia that revealed his talent. His vocal potential was fantastic and his stage presence extraordinary. In front of 30 000 people he performed ‘Velvet Morning’, a song composed specially for the occasion by Lakis Vlavianos, a Greek born in Athens on 7 July 1947. He composed most of Demis’ songs, ‘My friend the wind’, ‘Someday, somewhere’… Accompanist and conductor, he played the organ, Melotron and Moog Synthesizer. A trip to South America lead to a big tour in 1973, the year which saw the release of his second album, ‘Forever and ever’ comprising songs that would nearly all become great hits just like ‘Forever and ever’, ‘My friend the wind’, ‘Lovely sunny days’, ‘My reason’, ‘When I was a kid’, ‘Goodbye my love, goodbye’… Two million records had already been sold in one year of solo career and the Demis Roussos phenomenon was only just beginning. That year I heard a lot about him on the radio and I often listened to old ‘Aphrodite’s Child’ records and to my great surprise I learnt that he was going to give a recital in my home town as the opening act for Joe Dassin. That was my first meeting with Demis. Until then I had never seen him on stage but he was in my imagination, omnipresent, all-powerful. His entrance was announced by an instrumental from his orchestra, a mixture of Wagnerian and Byzantine music added to by an impressive sound system. Demis appeared on stage. His stature was impressive, his long tousled beard flowing like a prophet’s, lightning in his eyes, his smile confident and satisfied. Demis, the Pope of pop, with the physique, the majestic gestures, the lofty allure, appeared shrouded in a cloud of smoke. That night he mixed a harmonious cocktail of both Greek and Byzantine music with sublime nuances. Steeped in this music, the public was captivated by his technical perfection. Demis Roussos had a musical style without improvisation, full of finesse and beauty. On stage the colours were perfectly matched to the music: tender, gentle, nothing aggressive. One of the songs, the unknown ‘Thousand years of wondering’, lasted six minutes. Composed by Lakis Vlavianos, it fluctuated between Bach, Led Zeppelin and the Yardbirds. This fantastic recital ended with a journey through Greece with ‘My reason’. His music moved the public, stirring in peoples’ hearts the strange charm procured by religious chants and the aggressive rhythm of Arabic chants. People let themselves be overcome by his extraordinary voice. It was at that moment that I personally became a... fan of Demis.
Acquiring here and there all the records already released, from this point in time I collected all the documentation I could about Demis and in this way I learnt a great deal despite being puzzled by certain articles! In 1973 I attempted to visit him in Neuilly-sur-Seine where he had an apartment. Unfortunately he was away and I later learnt that, in fact, he only spent a few nights there each year. During the same year, I had the chance to meet him at a gala, to be present at the sound rehearsal and to get an autograph. It was my first real meeting with Demis Roussos. 1974 saw Demis triumph in Germany, release his new album, ‘My only fascination’, and start up his own newspaper, ‘Demis Roussos News’, intended for his friends all around the world. This first review was a chance for Demis to take stock of the last three years of his career spent as a solo artist. We learn that in 1000 days he gave 380 concerts in 18 countries, flew 400 000 km by plane, travelled 100 000 km by car, took part in 120 television programmes, in 180 radio programmes, in three singing festivals, in M.I.D.E.M. ’73, recorded 40 songs, including 3 albums requiring 600 hours of studio time, received 15 gold discs and sold nearly 9 million records… In their private life, the Roussos wanted to create a real home. They bought a house in Maisons-Laffitte, just outside Paris. Wishing to add his personal touch, Demis ended up having everything renovated. The specialised press got hold of the story. After two years redecoration, the house was at last ready. It was a superb dwelling, all white in 1930’s style inspired by American colonial houses. On the programme for 1975 were five 45 day tours on five continents. The rest of his time was devoted to preparing a double album which he had been thinking about for over a year. It was a two hour show, the first part with famous songs such as ‘My Reason’, ‘Forever and ever’ and ‘Goodbye my love, goodbye’ and the second part inspired by Homer. Certain musical passages were composed by Manos Hadjidakis and the lyrics were written all in English by several different authors, including Constandinos and Boris Bergman. Unfortunately, this work, which should have been released on LP, never saw the light of day. 1975 was also a year marked by a happy event. On Monday 15 September 1975 the little boy so long awaited by Demis and his wife Dominique was born at 3:35 in the morning. The proud father saw in Cyril the continuation of the Roussos’ name. The album ‘Souvenirs’ was released in France followed in 1976 by ‘Happy to be’. 1976 was also the year that Demis toured England and released the LP ‘The Roussos Phenomenon’ followed in 1977 by his first album in French, ‘Ainsi soit-il’. In 1977 the album ‘Demis Roussos Magic’ was also released in France. More than 30 million records had already been sold worldwide. However, keeping up a palace from which he rarely benefited, Demis decided to go to Monaco and his family moved there that same year. On 5 December he began several days of recitals at the Olympia Stadium in Paris. 1978 saw the release of the album entitled ‘Demis Roussos’ which was recorded in America. In June 1979 the Roussos settled near Malibu where they rented a magnificent villa by the sea. The album ‘Universum’, recorded in French, German, Italian, Spanish, was released and became extremely successful in Latin America.
A new album, ‘Man of the world’, was released on 19 May 1980 and took Demis to the top of the charts. It included his new single, ‘Lost in love’, which had been released in England and the Netherlands, and also ‘I need you’, released as a single in France, Italy and Spain. This new album included songs from Barry Mann, Harry Nilsson, Francis Rossi and several other artists from the world of pop. The songs were a success. ‘Lost in love’ was successful in England, the Netherlands and Belgium. ‘Sorry’ was also a hit in England, as was ‘I need you’ in France, Italy and Spain. ‘San Pedro’s Children’, with ‘Sorry’ on the B-side, was released in Germany after ‘Lost in love’. The album ‘Man of the world’ came out in four different versions. Side 1 of the French version comprising ‘Man of the world’, ‘Slacham dance’, ‘Lost in love’, ‘Miss you nights’, ‘Little girl’, ‘I need you’, ‘I’d give my life’. Side 2 comprising ‘Sorry’, ‘Had to run’, ‘San Pedros children’, ‘The wedding song’, ‘Love is away’, ‘We’re over’. In England, idem except that on side 2 ‘How glad I arn yoy oem’ replaces ‘Had to run’. In Spain ‘Sonora’, the Spanish version of ‘I need you’, is to be found on side 1 and ‘Cançion de boda’ instead of ‘Wedding song’ on side 2. In Italy ‘Credo’ replaces ‘I need you’ on side 1 and ‘Nascera’ (‘Highway home’) replaces ‘Had to run’ on side 2. Released in almost every country in the world, the album was produced by David McKay.
In June 1980 Demis weighed in at 147kg. Stop ! He had already tried a diet in 1979 in an attempt to lose weight. At last he found the one that suited him best. In June 1980 he began his diet in earnest. The result surprised more than a few. In ten months he lost 50kg. Meanwhile, in September he gave a few galas in England in the clubs around London followed by a tour in Argentina in October. In Italy he was awarded a gold disc after selling 150 000 copies of his album ‘Universum’. At the end of February 1981, Demis was in France. He took part in the ‘Marché International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale’ in Cannes and appeared in a special televised show, ‘Le Palmarès des chansons’, during which he sang ‘Forever and ever’, ‘My reason’ and numerous other older titles. He concluded with his latest single, ‘Si j’étais roi de la Terre’, produced by Alec Constandinos. In Rouen he participated in an RTL radio show with Michel Drucker. A new single, ‘Race to the end’, was released. It was composed, arranged and produced by Vangelis Papathanassiou using texts by Jon Anderson. It is a vocal adaptation of the film ‘Chariots of fire’. It was released in England on 16 March 1981 but the rest of the world had to wait until the end of March or April. The new album, ‘Race to the end’, was recorded in May and June 1981 and produced in August. With Vangelis, Demis recorded the French version of ‘Race to the end’ and another song which he would produce in France. After a tour of Australia, from 17 June to 16 July 1981, he began a new grand tour of Europe from 16 November to 15 December 1981 with 27 concerts, six in England, the others in Holland, Belgium, France and Switzerland. In France, the French version of the single ‘Race to the end’, entitled ‘La course infinie’, was released as was a Spanish version, ‘Es tu libertad’. Véronique Skawinska, a friend of Demis, wrote a book about the diet he had undertaken. It was published in autumn 1981. In August 1981, Demis took advantage of his holidays to prepare for working on a new album in September and October 1981. In November 1981, Vicky Leandros recorded a duet album with singers such as Johnny Halliday, David Soul and Demis. This duet with his his fellow countrywoman came out as a single in December in Holland and Switzerland. Produced in March 1982, ‘Demis’, a new album in a new musical style reflecting Demis’ altered image, appeared in England, Holland, Germany and numerous other countries around the world. It was comprised of the following titles: ‘Lament’, ‘We’re shining’, ‘Take me sailing’, ‘Song without end’, ‘For the free’, ‘Gypsy lady’, ‘Need to forget’, ‘Race to the end’ and ‘Where are they now’. It came out in France, Italy, and Spain with tracks sung in the language of each country. For France, ‘Lament’ became ‘Au nom de l’amitié’, ‘Song without end’ became ‘Ma chanson qui n’en finit pas’, ‘For the free’ became ‘Les enfants du futur’, ‘Race to the end’ became ‘La course infinie’ and ‘Where are they now?’ became ‘Où est ce temps ?’ For Italy, ‘For the free’ became ‘Ese tu’ and ‘Need to forget’ became ‘Impossible dimenticarti’. For Spain, ‘Take me sailing’ became ‘Una isla an el cielo’, ‘For the free’ became ‘En el nombre de I’amistad’, ‘Need to forget’ became ‘Nessecito Olvidar’ and ‘Race to the end’ became ‘Es tu libertad’. A single was released under the title ‘Lament’. As he had to do numerous television and radio shows to promote his record, Demis decided to move to England where he rented an apartment for six months. In the autumn of 1982 a single, ‘Follow me’, and an album, ‘Attitudes’, were released in France. The European version, released at the end of October or the beginning of November, comprised the following tracks: ‘Follow me’ (long version composed to the second movement of Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez), ‘Pretender’, ‘Planet Earth is blue’, ‘Deepest of all’, ‘Take my hand’, ‘Flaming star’, ‘House of the rising son’. For the English version, ‘Take my hand’ was replaced by a newly remixed version of ‘Lament’. ‘Flaming star’ was also replaced by ‘Race to the end’. An international single, ‘Follow me’ and ‘Song without an end’, was also produced. In 1983 the single ‘Jay’ was released, followed in 1984 by ‘Reflections’, an album produced by his friend Vangelis. It was a collection of well-known songs from numerous different artists. 1985 saw the release of another single, ‘Amis pour la vie’. This was the year in which an exceptional event was to leave a deep and lasting mark on Demis. On June 14 he was the victim of a plane hijacking when he was travelling with his wife Pamela. Shocked by this traumatising experience and having brushed with death, Demis realised just how precious and beautiful life is. He decided to work towards making the world a better place through what he knew best, his music. He planned to start recording again and to appear on stage. In 1986 he released a single, ‘Island of love’, followed in 1987 by another, ‘Quand je t’aime’. The album entitled ‘Le Grec’ and dedicated to his mother was released in 1988. Demis composed two of the tracks, ‘The beauty of your eyes’ and ‘Futureless forever’. ‘Voice and vision’, an album from which the track ‘On écrit sur les murs’ was also released as a single, came out in December 1989.
Two singles came out in 1990, ‘Poésie’ and ‘Même si’. The album ‘Christmas’, recorded at the beginning of the nineties is still considered as the best selling collection of classical Christmas songs. Tours were organised in a number of French churches, home of these timeless songs. ‘Insight’, album on which, amongst other things, we find the poem ‘Spleen’ from Charles Baudelaire’s work ‘Les fleurs du mal’, was released in 1993. Demis is accompanied on this track by Ronnie. The symphonic album ‘In Holland’ and the album ‘Immortel’ were released in 1995. The latter is a collection of quintessential popular French songs such as ‘Les Moulins de mon coeur’ by Michel Legrand, ‘La mer’ and ‘Que reste-t-il de nos amours ?’ by Charles Trénet, ‘Les feuilles mortes’ by Prévert, ‘La vie en rose’ and ‘L’hymne à l’amour’ by Edith Piaf. ‘Serenade’ came out in 1996. It is a collection of classical western opera pieces. A new CD, ‘Mon île’, composed of different ethnic music, was released in 1997. The most famous track remains ‘Dinata’. ‘The phenomenon’, a four CD collection, was released in 1998 and covers the thirty years of Demis Roussos’ career. It includes a song from his early days, ‘Thousand years of wondering’, and also a short rock opera inspired by Homer already planned in 1975. A DVD was also produced. It includes photos and enables us to discover the ‘Aphrodite’s Child’ era, to hear a moving interpretation of ‘Race to the end’ and to enjoy ‘On écrit sur les murs’ where Demis plays the bass. A new CD, recorded in German, ‘Auf Meinen Wegen’, English and Italian, was produced and released in 2000.‘Universal’ has just released a 20 track compilation. This luxurious object includes a biography derived from this site and illustrated with numerous photos.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-09-02T01:40:00.003+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Pussycat Dolls -

"Inside every woman is a Pussycat Doll", says Robin Antin, the innovator behind the singing-and-dancing ensemble that has risen from underground cool to major label hot. "It's about female empowerment, about being confident with who you are. It's about singing and dancing in front of a mirror by yourself and having fun".
With their debut album, PCD, set for release by ‘A&M’ Records on September 13, 2005 (led by the #1 smash "Don't Cha", a duet with Busta Rhymes and produced by Cee-Lo), The Pussycat Dolls go beyond being extraordinarily beautiful. With tremendous voices, and after working with today's top songwriters and producers (including 'Will.I.Am' from the Black Eyed Peas, Timbaland, Rich Harrison, Sean Garrett and Ron Fair), The Pussycat Dolls are ready to stamp their mark on music and on attitudes.
"To me, a Pussycat Doll is fearless but also vulnerable", says lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. "We're strong but we like to play too. The line in 'Don't Cha' -- 'don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me' -- is meant to be empowering. The Pussycat Dolls are not about just being hot but also about saying something with real feeling".
From triple-threat Scherzinger, to Jessica Sutta, the one-time captain of the ‘Miami Heat’ dance troupe; from Carmit Bachar, the "La Vida Loca" girl on Ricky Martin's world tour, to Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt, two of the most talented young dancers in Hollywood, and Melody Thornton, a young powerhouse singer, these Pussycat Dolls represent the next step for the group whose ‘Sunset Strip’ performances became the hippest ticket in Hollywood.
The Pussycat Dolls were born in a tiny dance studio in the L.A. garage of actress Christina Applegate, with whom Antin was rooming in the early '90s. Antin had appeared in commercials, and did choreography for music videos for the likes of Smash Mouth, The Offspring and No Doubt. "But I wanted to do something creative and different", she says.
So Antin invited over a few girlfriends who were also tour/music video dancers and they began to play around with her own choreography, a style endowed with the spirit of famed choreographer Bob Fosse ("Sweet Charity", "Cabaret") but also music from Led Zeppelin to punk rock, Siouxsie and The Banshees to Bjork, and fashion as well. Meanwhile Applegate suggested they perform at the ‘Sunset Strip's renowned ‘Viper Room’. Owner Johnny Depp saw them rehearse and reportedly said, "This is why I opened a club". The Pussycat Dolls, which have seen many members in its evolving lineup since debuting in 1995, became the Thursday night opening act for the next six years.
A turning point came in 2000 when No Doubt's Gwen Stefani came to a show and said she'd love to do a guest spot, not just to dance but to sing. So did Christina Aguilera. In 2002 it was time to take the show to a bigger venue and so The Pussycat Dolls moved to ‘The Roxy’. For two shows a week, for seven weeks, the place was sold out. Other guest performers included Brittany Murphy, Charlize Theron, Nikka Costa, Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson. All of them appeared without pay, just for the fun of it, including emcee Applegate.
That same year, Antin joined forces with Jimmy Iovine, Chairman, Interscope Geffen ‘A&M’, who in turn brought in ‘A&M’ President Ron Fair to executive produce the project and help take the concept to a higher level.
Their "We Went As Far As We Felt Like Going" was heard in 2004's Shark Tale, their cover of the standard "Sway" (helmed by ‘Fair’, also producer for Aguilera and the Black Eyed Peas, among others) was heard in 2004's “Shall We Dance ?” The Pussycat Dolls were also seen in 2003's “Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle” and Pink's "Trouble" video as well as 2005's “Be Cool”. Scherzinger was featured with Will Smith on "If U Can't Dance (Slide)" on his 2005 Lost And Found album.
Today, there is a Pussycat Dolls line of makeup from Stila and The Pussycat Dolls Lounge opened in April 2005 inside Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, featuring a different roster of performers. The future may hold a line of clothing, lingerie, perfume, videogames, TV and movie projects, and other lounges.
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger is what entertainment industry executives call "a triple threat". This free-spirited artist is not just another pretty face; she can sing, act, AND dance. In a business that has been criticized for placing more emphasis on "image" than "ability" she shatters stereotypes with her blend of exotic beauty, charisma, and undeniable talent.
Scherzinger, who is of Hawaiian-Russian-Filipino descent, knew from a young age that she was destined to become an entertainer; performing is in her blood. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, as a child she watched her family of entertainers perform Polynesian shows featuring her mother as the lead hula dancer and her grandmother, Tutu, as the singer. At the age of six her family relocated to Louisville, Kentucky. Transitioning from island life was a new challenge for Nicole. "It was difficult at first because I didn't look like everyone else", she recalls, feeling at times like the ugly duckling.
Growing up, Nicole attended performing arts junior and senior high schools. At 14 her first professional play was at the prestigious Actors Theatre of Louisville. While attending Wright State University in Dayton, OH, she majored in theatre and minored in dance, garnering such lead roles as Velma Kelly in "Chicago" and Julie LaVerne in "Show Boat", supporting herself with local modeling jobs.
Nicole then learned the rock band ‘Days Of The New’ was looking for a female vocalist. Soon after hearing the demos she recorded with lead singer, Travis Meeks, the band's producer Scott Litt called her out to L.A., where she recorded their second album and set out on the road to tour with them.
After touring she returned home to work on her own music. However auditions for ‘WB’'s talent series "Popstars" had her driving to Chicago, joining an audition line at five a.m. but would soon pay off. ‘Eden's Crush’, the girl group that resulted from "Popstars", was a sensation. Its 2001 self-titled debut album went Top 10 and the single "Get Over Yourself" went to #1 on ‘Billboard’'s singles chart. In its year-plus together, the band toured with N*Sync and Jessica Simpson.
After ‘Eden's Crush’, Nicole explored opportunities in the acting world. Back in LA, she landed acting roles in feature films such as "Chasing Papi" and guest-starred in television series such as "My Wife and Kids".
It wasn't long until she heard that The Pussycat Dolls were looking for singers and she landed the coveted spot for PCD. "The Pussycat Dolls have no boundaries", says Scherzinger, who also wrote on the soon to be released album. "We continue to stretch and find ourselves in every performance. We do what is truthful for each of us". While it is obvious she has everything it takes to be a career artist, it is Nicole Scherzinger's unbridled passion to express herself musically that intrigues and inspires her growing legion of fans.
Carmit Bachar
Carmit Bachar, the fire-hot redhead, is as talented as she is beautiful. Her mother is of Dutch/Indonesian descent and her father is Israeli. Being a native of Los Angeles and coming from a family of entertainers has led her down the path of working with some of the most successful artists in music: No Doubt, Beyonce, P. Diddy, Macy Gray and Janet Jackson to name a few. She has numerous feature film and commercial credits - her "bon-bon" was most recognized as Ricky Martin's La Vida Loca girl ! Carmit is one of the most respected dancers and choreographers in the business.
Carmit has been putting her heart and soul into the Dolls since the underground movement began. "Individual personality makes this group sassy", she says, which is where her nickname 'Foxy' comes from. "You have to be comfortable in your skin and exude confidence".
Born with a cleft lip/palate, Carmit's success has given her the desire to give back to children. She is in the process of founding a non-profit organization, ‘Smile With Me’, for the community of cleft children in Los Angeles. Carmit believes in limitless possibility and having overcome her own obstacles, she feels compelled to instill passion and creativity wherever she goes. With her inspirational personality, powerful presence and determination, she is sharing that light with one child at a time.
This ‘Doll’'s enthusiasm, drive and discipline give her the momentum to succeed in this fast paced world.
Ashley Roberts
Phoenix native Roberts started dancing when she was three, singing when she was nine. Her father was a drummer turned car dealer who had played for ‘The Mamas & The Papas’; her mother was a Pilates instructor. Four years ago, just out of high school, she headed for L.A. During previous summers she had come to the West Coast to study modern dance. This time, she was in L.A. for good. Since then she's hooked commercials and appeared in a Counting Crows video. Within six months, she was also a ‘Pussycat Doll’. "I honestly didn't know about them but the word of mouth among dancers was awesome".
Noting that when she sings she has a Marilyn Monroe-type voice, she says her onstage character is "flirtatious but innocent. She's a fun free spirit. I guess I'm 'the blonde' in the group but", she adds with a smile, "it ain't natural".
Jessica Sutta
When she tore the ACL in both knees as a teenager while on stage, Jessica Sutta's dream of being a prima ballerina ended. But her dreams of being a dancer were just beginning.
Born and raised in Miami, of Irish-Russian-Polish, Catholic-Jewish heritage, she went to the New World School of the Arts at age 14 to study dance. After being injured, she switched to theater, but told herself that she'd dance again. And she did, dancing in the ‘Miami Heat’ troupe and being named captain her final year, 2001. As an actress, she was featured as a pill-poppin' Gothic teenager in the drama series "Ocean Ave.", shot in South Florida for audiences from Sweden to South Africa, and in the film “Bully” directed by Larry Clark.
In 2002, she moved to L.A. and three months later met Antin. "She's sweet, always positive, and very sensitive," says Antin, "but on stage she turns it on".
With her pale skin and dark hair, Sutta's persona echoes a Bettie Page pin-up. From the moment she joined ‘The Pussycat Dolls’, she says, "this is where I always wanted to be. I thought The Pussycat Dolls were genius. I am so blessed to be a part of this group".
Melody Thornton
Melody Thornton was a rising young star in hometown Phoenix, singing backup for local artists and performing the National Anthem for the Arizona Diamondbacks while attending college. Her Mexican maternal grandmother had been a singer for mariachi bands; her African-American paternal grandfather was a blues guitarist and her mother was a Mexican folklore dancer. Being the only Latina and African-American in ‘The Pussycat Dolls’ means a great deal to her. "I think a lot of the audience can relate to me", she says, "and that adds to the Dolls".
The first time she saw The Pussycat Dolls was on Christina Aguilera's "MTV Diary." "I loved the concept." She recorded the show and played it back over and over. Studying that tape paid off. Melody was welcomed aboard in December 2003.
Kimberly Wyatt
Down-home Southern girl Kimberly Wyatt also happens to be, according to Antin, "the sexiest dancer I have ever seen in my life". Says Wyatt, "I'm a lot shyer than most of the girls, but my personality onstage is full-out. I really go for it".
Born in Warrensburg, MO, a tiny farm town near the Ozarks, her father is a trucker and her mother goes on the road with him. Having danced since she was seven, by the time Wyatt was 14 she was earning scholarships to study in New York each summer, from the Joffrey Ballet to the Broadway Dance Center. Graduating high school at 17, she promptly flew to Las Vegas to audition for cruise ship and casino shows. Landing a revue on ‘Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas’, then the largest cruise ship in the world, she was able to visit most of Southern Europe.
In 2001, she moved to L.A., despite an offer from the Hubbard St. Dance Co. in Chicago. "All I knew was that L.A. is where dancers got jobs and L.A. was the dot MapQuest led to. My parents thought, 'Oh my God, what is she going to turn into out there ?'"
In 2003, Antin was the choreographer for a video for Nick Lachey's solo album when she met Wyatt. Antin asked her that night to join The Pussycat Dolls. "I had only seen a poster for them", Wyatt recalls. "I remember falling in love with the girls. Not many acts let you be sexy and still be about girl power".
"Small town Middle America is different from the coasts", she says, "and all the girls come from big cities. I have a different perspective. They love my stories about towns where the fancy clothing store is Wal-Mart." –“Interscope Geffen A&M”.Founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995, ‘the Pussycat Dolls’ began as a burlesque dance revue based in Los Angeles, spawned a second revue in Las Vegas, grew into an A-list phenomena with a revolving cast of guest celebrities, and eventually became a recording act with a number one dance hit. It wasn't long after launching its revue that the troupe began attracting actresses and models who wanted to become a ‘Pussycat Doll’ for a night. Christina Aguilera, Pamela Anderson, Kelly Osbourne, Pink, Britney Spears, Carmen Electra, and Gwen Stefani are just some of the names that donned lingerie and pin-up costumes and joined the Dolls for their flirtatious shows. An appearance in the 2003 film “Charlie's Angels”: Full Throttle was followed by numerous television appearances, most with Carmen Electra. Capitalizing on the nationwide attention and the addition of former ‘Eden's Crush’ member Nicole Scherzinger as lead singer, the single "Don't Cha" with special guest Busta Rhymes appeared at the beginning of 2005 and climbed to number two on the pop chart, number one on the dance chart. With help from ‘the Black Eyed Peas' “will.i.am” and producer Timbaland, ‘the Pussycat Dolls’ recorded their full-length debut. The ‘A&M’ label released PCD, a Top Ten hit, in the summer of 2005.

by David Jeffries, ‘All Music Guide’

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-09-01T14:37:00.005+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- JON BON JOVI (2) -

Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. on March 2, 1962) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. As lead singer and founder of the rock band ‘Bon Jovi’, he has sold just under 156 million albums worldwide (August 2008). He is also the owner of an Arena Football League team, the ‘Philadelphia Soul’.
Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr., in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the son of two former marines, hairdresser John Francis Bongiovi, Sr. and one-time ‘Playboy’ bunny Carol Sharkey. He is Italian-American: his father was born in Sciacca, near Agrigento in Sicily. He grew up in neighboring Sayreville, New Jersey. Bon Jovi attended St. Joseph High School, in Metuchen, New Jersey during his freshman and sophomore years. He later transferred to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey.
When he was 17, Jon was working sweeping floors at his cousin Tony Bongiovi's recording studio, ‘The Power Station’. In 1980, when Meco was there recording “Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album”, Tony recommended Jon for the song "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas". This became his first professional recording (credited as John Bongiovi). He left in 1983 when he got a record deal.
Later, along with Hugh Mcdonald, who would in future, replace Alec John Such as ‘Bon Jovi’'s bass player in 1994, and David Saboe, Jon released a song, “Runaway”, one of a few songs John wrote during his bus travels from Sayreville to ‘The Power Station’. He went several record companies, including ‘Atlantic Records’,and ‘Mercury’ (‘PolyGram’), but they all turned him down. He went (as a last resort) to a Disc Jockey at ‘WAPP-FM’, a Manhattan radio show, and asked for the DJ to listen to “Runaway”; the DJ accepted. The DJ enjoyed “Runaway” and played it; he even put it onto the ‘WAPP’ record. “Runaway” became a hit on the charts. Along the way, ‘Mercury’ (‘PolyGram’) gave Jon a recording contract in 1983, and to promote “Runaway”, Jon called up Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres and Alec John Such and formed a band. John later found a man called Doc McGhee, who later became their manager. After John claimed he wanted a group name, one of the group suggested ‘Bon Jovi’. Although Doc McGhee showed distaste to this suggestion, (Claiming it sounded like a French Ice Cream) the name stuck, and the Group emerged as ‘Bon Jovi’, along with John slightly changing his name to suit the band, and emerging as ‘Jon Bon Jovi’.
With the help of their new manager Doc McGhee, the band's debut album, “Bon Jovi”, was released on January 21, 1984. The album went gold in the US (sales of over 500,000) and was also released in the UK. The group found themselves opening for ‘ZZ Top’ at the Madison Square Garden (before their first album had been released), and for ‘Scorpions’ and ‘Kiss’ in Europe. They also made an appearance on Dick Clark's “American Bandstand”.
In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album “7800 Fahrenheit” was released, but the response was poor. The leading British metal magazine ‘Kerrang !’, who had been very positive about the debut record, called the album "a pale imitation of the Bon Jovi we have got to know and learned to love". Jon Bon Jovi himself later said it could have and should have been better. The band members, in interviews, have said they will not perform live any song off that album anymore.
The turning point came when they brought in songwriter Desmond Child for their third album, “Slippery When Wet”. With Child co-writing many of their hits on this and future albums the band shot to super-stardom around the world with songs such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive". The band recorded the album in Vancouver, and frequented many of Vancouver's strip clubs during their time away from the studio. The name of the album is said to be an homage to those very strip clubs.
The album has sold in excess of 29 million copies worldwide since its release in late 1986.
The next album from Bon Jovi was “New Jersey” released in 1988. The album was recorded very shortly after the tour for “Slippery”, because the band wanted to prove that they were not just a one hit wonder. The resulting album is a fan favorite and a mammoth commercial success, with hit songs such as "Bad Medicine", "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "I'll Be There for You", which are still nightly-stalwarts in their live repertoire. “New Jersey” was a commercial smash and became the first hard rock album to spawn five Top Ten singles.
"Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" both hit number one, and "Born to Be My Baby" (#3), "Lay Your Hands on Me (#7), and "Living in Sin" (#9) rounded out the list. "Blood on Blood" was also popular among fans. “New Jersey” was supported by video releases such as “New Jersey: The Videos” and “Access All Areas”, as well as a massive 18-month tour, originally billed ‘The Jersey Syndicate Tour’. In 1989, the band headlined the Moscow Music Peace Festival. Despite the band achieving massive success, “New Jersey” almost led to the end of the band as they went straight back out on the road so soon after the heavy touring for their previous album. During the New Jersey tour, singer Bon Jovi began having vocal difficulties. The extremely high notes and unrelenting schedule threatened to damage his voice permanently. With the help of a vocal coach, he made it through the tour. Bon Jovi has tended to sing slightly lower pitches since then. This constant living on the road almost destroyed the strong bond between the band members. Sambora is noted on the albums as co-writer for many songs, yet he resented the lack of attention that was heaped on Jon alone. As mentioned in ‘VH1's Behind the Music’, the band members note that at the end of the tour, each band member went their separate way, even departing in separate jets after the tour ended in Guadalajara, Mexico in early 1990. To date, the album New Jersey has sold 18 million copies worldwide.
Between 1990 and 1992, the band members went their separate ways after the very rigorous two year New Jersey Tour, which exceeded 200 shows on 5 continents. This time off also helped them determine where Bon Jovi would fit within the rapidly changing music scene upon their return. Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album, a soundtrack to the movie "Young Guns II" (in which he also appeared for less than a second), more commonly known as “Blaze of Glory”. Released in 1990, the album featured high profile guests such as: Elton John, Aldo Nova, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck, among others. The album fared well commercially and received very positive reviews and quickly achieved platinum status. The title track, "Blaze of Glory", hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jon an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, but he did not win the award. That same year, however, "Blaze of Glory" was awarded a Golden Globe.
The band returned with the album “Keep the Faith” in 1992. The album, which was produced by Bob Rock, featured a more mature sound and lyrical content than any of their previous efforts. Their fans were pleasantly surprised and the album became a moderate hit amidst the rise of grunge. Its most recognizable tunes were the hit singles "Bed of Roses", "Keep the Faith" and "In These Arms", which all hit the Top 40 in the U.S. Some other songs on the album were released as singles in other parts of the world, mainly the fan favorite epic, "Dry County" the hooky "I Believe", and the crowd favorite "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead". This album is also notable for being the first in a string of subsequent albums for Bon Jovi which proved more popular worldwide than in the U.S. The album went double platinum in the U.S., but has sold much more worldwide.
In 1994, Bon Jovi released a "greatest hits" album titled “Cross Road”, which also contained two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as a new, updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94" available only on the U.S. version. The diction of 'prayer' in the new version was altered by a mixing error, and is heard as "'rayer" on some pressings. The song "Always" was originally written for a soundtrack to the film “Romeo Is Bleeding”, but after seeing (and disliking) the movie, the band decided not to lend the song to the producers, and instead released it on "Cross Road". The video for "Always" featured Carla Gugino, an actress known for her roles in several TV shows' and films such as “Son In Law” and actor Jack Noseworthy, best known for his role in the 2000 film “U-571". “Always", spent thirty-two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Bon Jovi's all-time biggest hits. The song peaked at #4 on the US charts and at #1 in countries across Europe, Asia and in Australia. The single sold very well, going platinum in the U.S.
That same year, bassist Alec John Such left the band, the first and only lineup change since Bon Jovi began. Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on "Runaway", unofficially replaced Such as bassist. To this day, there is still speculation about whether Alec was fired or left on his own accord. Jon has claimed that Such was making too many mistakes onstage as a result of intoxication while performing. Such denied many of these claims in an interview soon after his departure, but later admitted there was some truth to them. Jon has made it public that there has been contact between Such and other band members recently. He even rejoined the band on stage for one song ("Wanted Dead or Alive") during their "homecoming" show at ‘Giants’ Stadium in 2001. While he has not been officially replaced, Hugh McDonald has handled studio and live bass duties since then, with rumors that he had also recorded bass on previous albums. Jon said, regarding the departure of Such: "Of course it hurts. But I learned to accept and respect it. The fact that I'm a workaholic, studio in, studio out, stage on, stage off, want to be dealing with music day and night, doesn't mean everyone else has to adjust to that pace. Alec wanted to quit for a while now, so it didn't come as a complete surprise".
With the 1995 album “These Days”, Bon Jovi took the mature rock sound they had developed on “Keep the Faith” further. The record as a whole was darker and more downbeat than the usual Bon Jovi flare. As a result, “These Days” went Platinum in the U.S. and topped the UK charts. Despite critical kudos, it spun off only one hit single in the U.S., "This Ain't A Love Song". Nevertheless, the other tracks proved sufficiently popular to garner various successful European singles, including "Hey God", "Something for the Pain", "Lie to Me", and the title track "These Days". In 1996, Bon Jovi claimed in an interview with the German ‘Bravo’ magazine that, as a result of the overwhelming success of the "These Days" tour, the album had sold in excess of 10 million copies worldwide.
By 1996, Bon Jovi had established themselves as a "force" in the music industry, proving much more durable (and successful) than most of their 80's glam peers.
Jon had since been bitten by the acting bug. He landed lead roles in movies “Little City” and “The Leading Man”, as well as in “Moonlight and Valentino”, “Tranny Freakout !”, “Homegrown”, and “U-571”, among others. While he was free between filming different movies, Jon wrote what would become his second solo album, 1997's “Destination Anywhere”. The album received very positive reviews and was a success across Europe. It was rumored that the record company was pursuing Jon to name the record "These Days, Part 2", since the album was somewhat of a moody progression from “These Days”. A short movie of the same name was recorded right around the record's release, based entirely on the songs from the record and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. Dave Stewart of ‘Eurythmics’ played guitar on the record, as well as producing some of the tracks.
Bon Jovi reunited in 1999 to record the song "Real Life" for the movie “EdTV”. David Bryan didn't make it to the filming of the video for the song because of a recent hand injury sustained in a home improvement mishap, so the band used a cardboard cutout of him for the shoot. The song was a major success.
After another lengthy hiatus of nearly three years, during which several band members worked on independent projects, Bon Jovi regrouped in 1999 to begin work on their next studio album. Their 2000 release, “Crush”, enjoyed overwhelming success both in the US and overseas, thanks in part to the smash-hit single "It's My Life", co-written by famous Swedish producer Max Martin. “Crush”, which also produced such hits as "Say it isn't so", and helped introduce Bon Jovi to a new, younger fan base. ‘The Crush Tour’, which began that summer, originally encompassed only 60 or so shows and was extended because of Bon Jovi's worldwide popularity, with the band remaining on tour through mid-2001. While on tour, Bon Jovi released a collection of live performances from throughout their career in an album entitled, “One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001”. The Crush tour was notable in that the European 2000 leg included the band headlining two nights at ‘Wembley’ Stadium, these would be the final shows ever at the venue before it was demolished.
Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the band performed as part of the historic star-studded ‘The Concert for New York City benefit’ concert for victims and their families. They performed an acoustic medley of "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" with a stirring finale of "It's My Life".
In late 2002, “Bounce”, the band's follow-up to “Crush”, hit stores. Though “Bounce” did not enjoy the level of success of its predecessor, the album did produce hit singles such as "Everyday" and the title track. The band went on ‘the U.S. Bounce Tour’ for this album, during which they made history as the last band to play ‘Veterans’ Stadium in Philadelphia before it was torn down. The band also released a promotional album through ‘Target’. The album featured eight demo and live tracks.
Following ‘the Bounce Tour’, which wrapped up in August 2003, Bon Jovi embarked on what would become a unique and ambitious project. Originally intending to produce an album consisting of live acoustic performances of various songs, the band ended up rewriting, re-recording and reinventing 12 of their biggest hits in a new and much different light. “This Left Feels Right” was released in November 2003, with the title referring to the "left turn" of sorts that the band took in redoing the songs heard on this record.
The following year the band released a box set entitled “100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong”, the title an homage to Elvis Presley's “50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong”. The set consisted of four CDs packed with 38 unreleased and 12 rare tracks, as well as a DVD. The box set marked the sales of 100 million Bon Jovi albums and also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's first record in 1984.
In November 2004, Bon Jovi was honored with the award for Merit at the American Music Awards, where they performed a sneak preview of an unfinished song, "Have a Nice Day". Bon Jovi also participated in Live 8 on July 2, 2005, where they debuted the full, final version of "Have a Nice Day", alongside the classics, "Livin' on a Prayer" and "It's My Life". On August 20, 2005, the band headlined Miller Brewing Co.'s Big Brew-Ha, celebrating its 150th anniversary. The free stadium concert at ‘Miller’ Park in Milwaukee included one preview song from the band's forthcoming album.
er the release of “Have A Nice Day”, the band started gearing up for the new 2005-2006 worldwide Have A Nice Day Tour. This tour, being shorter than previous ones with only seventy-five shows originally planned, took the band to numerous stadiums and arenas throughout the world. During the tour, Bon Jovi performed as the headlining act ahead of Nascar's Daytona 500 on February 19, 2006. 2006 as B-sides on the single "Who Says You Can't Go Home".
Bon Jovi's long-awaited ninth studio album, “Have a Nice Day”, was released in September 2005. The album topped the charts around the world, giving Bon Jovi a career-best first week, selling over 202,000 albums. "Have A Nice Day" was the first single off the new album, and debuted at radio worldwide on July 18, 2005. The second single, "Who Says You Can't Go Home", was released in the U.S. in the spring of 2006, although internationally it was the third single release after "Welcome to Wherever You Are". In the U.S. a duet version of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with country singer Jennifer Nettles of the band ‘Sugarland’ was released, and in May 2006, Bon Jovi made history by becoming the first Rock & Roll Band to have a #1 hit on ‘Billboard’'s Hot Country Chart. On February 11, 2007, Bon Jovi also finally won the elusive Grammy Award, for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".
Soon after the release of “Have A Nice Day”, the band started gearing up for the new 2005-2006 worldwide ‘Have A Nice Day Tour’. This tour, being shorter than previous ones with only seventy-five shows originally planned, took the band to numerous stadiums and arenas throughout the world. During the tour, Bon Jovi performed as the headlining act ahead of Nascar's Daytona 500 on February 19, 2006. Originally it was planned for them to be the first act to perform at the new ‘Wembley’ Stadium in London, however, the construction company Multiplex who were behind the stadium's rebuilding project said the completion of the stadium had been delayed until 2007. The concert was therefore moved to the Milton Keynes National Bowl with the same performance dates. Following dates in Japan and Europe, Bon Jovi extended the tour and returned to the US in the summer of 2006 for a few stadium shows, including 3 sold-out shows in the band's native New Jersey at Giants Stadium. Jon Bon Jovi thanked the crowd for their support because the group had now sold out Giants Stadium eight times. On February 7, 2006, a promotional album, Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour, was released through Wal-Mart, which contained six live tracks recorded in December 2005 in Boston. Three of these tracks were released in the U.K. in June 2006 as B-sides on the single "Who Says You Can't Go Home".
On November 14, 2006, Bon Jovi were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame alongside James Brown and Led Zeppelin, joining music legends such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and Elvis Presley. They will not be eligible for the U.S. equivalent until 2009.
With the end of the ‘Have A Nice Day Tour’, Bon Jovi began to throw around ideas for their next project. Among the potential offerings were going to Nashville to record with country stars (following the success of "Who Says You Can't Go Home"), a second greatest hits CD, a new studio album, and even new movies. In November 2006, Jon Bon Jovi revealed that the band were back in the studio working on a new Nashville-influenced album, and will be touring again.
In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their new tenth studio album, “Lost Highway”. The album debuted at number #1 on the ‘Billboard’ charts, the first time that Bon Jovi have had a number one album on the US charts since the release of “New Jersey” in 1988. Thanks to the band's new country music fanbase, the album sold 292,000 copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., and became Bon Jovi's third US number one album. The first single from the new album was "(You Want to) Make a Memory", which debuted (and peaked) at #27 in the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100, Bon Jovi's highest ever debut in the U.S. charts. The album reached Number #1 in Japan, Canada, Australia and Europe, and reached number #2 in the UK. The single “(You Want to) Make a Memory” was released in the UK following the opening of the O2 arena in the UK, the single debuted low at only #33, it is widely suggested that the performance of the single was hindered by ‘Mercury’ UK, following supply issues and text download redemption problems.
To promote the new album, Bon Jovi appeared at the 6th annual CMT Awards in Nashville on April 16, on ‘American Idol’ on May 2, on ‘MTV Unplugged’ on June 22. They also performed at ‘the Live Earth’ concert at ‘Giants’ Stadium on July 7th. Also to promote the album, the band are performing nine concerts in total in June and July 2007, a mini-tour which has unofficially been called ‘the Lost Highway Tour’ by fans. As part of the 'tour', Bon Jovi were the first group to perform at London's new O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) when it opened to the public on June 24, 2007. The 23,000 seat stadium sold out within 30 minutes of tickets being released.
In a September 2007 interview for ‘Glamour’ Magazine Jon raised eyebrows with his comments on Pete Doherty ("I've never heard a single one of his songs"), David Beckham ("past his prime"), Robbie Williams ("That guy couldn't even fill a bar") and ‘Oasis’ ("couldn't fill a bar either - and they're full of themselves"). In a subsequent interview he clarified his remarks and claimed to have been quoted out of context.
Bon Jovi recently appeared at the opening of the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. They played a string of 10 shows to mark the opening of the arena.
As a prelude to the 2008 Major League Baseball All Star Game, Bon Jovi played a free concert in Manhattan's Central Park on the Great Lawn. The band will then play at Madison Square Garden from July 14-15.
In the mid 80's, Jon was briefly linked to actress Diane Lane.
During a stop in Los Angeles on the New Jersey tour in 1989, Bon Jovi secretly took a trip to Las Vegas, where he married his high school sweetheart, the former Dorothea Hurley on April 29, 1989 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together they have four children: Stephanie Rose (May 31, 1993), Jesse James Louis (February 19, 1995), Jacob Hurley (May 7, 2002), Romeo Jon (March 29, 2004). Despite musical success and demands on personal time, Bon Jovi maintains a strong family foundation to this day.
In 2001, he received an honorary degree at the Monmouth University graduation ceremony at which he also gave the commencement address.
In 2004, he became founder and primary owner of the ‘Philadelphia Soul’ of the Arena Football League with fellow band member Richie Sambora. He appeared in several television commercials for the league, typically with John Elway, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Bon Jovi has been a ‘New York Giants’ fan his entire life, and also has a long-standing friendship with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, demonstrated by Belichick often playing Bon Jovi music at Patriots practices.A Democrat, Bon Jovi toured extensively on behalf of Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, appearing at and playing acoustic sets (with Sambora) at rallies for the Kerry-Edwards ticket throughout the United States. Bon Jovi also played as a part of ‘the Live Earth’ concert at the Meadowlands in 2007, and was introduced by former Vice President Al Gore.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-30T07:31:00.004+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- BEYONCE KNOWLES -

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), commonly known as Beyoncé (pronounced /bion.sei/), is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of R&B girl group ‘Destiny's Child’, the best-selling girl group of all time.
In June 2003, after a series of commercial successes with the group, Beyoncé released her debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love”. The album became one of the most successful albums of that year, spawning the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", and earned Knowles five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004. The formal disbandment of ‘Destiny's Child’ in 2005 facilitated her continued success as a solo artist. She released her second album, “B'Day” in 2006, which spawned the UK number-one singles "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful Liar", as well as the worldwide hit, "Irreplaceable". Knowles has sold over 20 million albums worlwide.
The success of her solo albums has established her as one of the most marketable artists in the industry. However, she has also added acting and endorsement deals to her repertoire. In 2006, she starred alongside Steve Martin and Kevin Kline in the comedy “The Pink Panther”, and that same year, scored the main role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical “Dreamgirls”, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Knowles launched her family's fashion line ‘House of Deréon’ in 2004, and among her many lucrative commercial deals are Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, and L'Oréal. Knowles has been with long-time boyfriend Jay-Z since 2002, though they have been discreet about their relationship. After much speculation, they married on April 4, 2008.
Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a successful record manager, and Tina Beyincé, a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African-American, Native American, and French) descent. Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother and to prevent the name from becoming obsolete, since only a few of the Beyincé males carry the name. Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles. She is the older sister of Solange Knowles, a singer-songwriter and actress.
Knowles was schooled at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes. Although Knowles was a shy girl, her interest in music and performing began unexpectedly after joining in a school talent show. Once she had a moment on the stage, she overcame her shyness and wanted to become a singer and performer. By age seven, Knowles had entered her first talent show, singing John Lennon's "Imagine". She won the contest and was honored with standing ovation.
In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnate school in Houston, where she would perform on-stage with the school's choir. She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston neighborhood of Alief. Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church, in St. John's United Methodist Church. She only lasted in the choir for two years, however, because she was preoccupied with her newfound career.
At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for a girl group. They, along with Knowles' friend Kelly Rowland were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing. Originally named ‘Gyrl's Time’, they were eventually cut down to six members. With Knowles and Rowland, ‘Gyrl's Time’ attracted audience nationally. West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio — The Plant Recording Studios — in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being featured because Frager thought she had personality and the ability to sing. As part of efforts to sign Gyrl's Time to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in “Star Search”, the biggest talent show on national TV that time. They participated, but lost the competition because the song they performed was not good, as Knowles herself admitted. Knowles had her first "professional setback" after that defeat, but regained confidence after knowing that then-pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also experienced the same fate.
To manage the group, Mathew Knowles (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. The move reduced Knowles family's income by half and her parents separated because of the pressure. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four, with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina's salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time; Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout ‘Destiny's Child’ era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to ‘Elektra’ Records, only to be dropped months later before they could release an album.
Taken from a passage in the Book of Isaiah, the group changed its name to ‘Destiny's Child’ in 1993. Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to ‘Columbia’ Records in late 1997. That same year, ‘Destiny's Child’ recorded their major label debut song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, “Men in Black”.
The following year, the group released its self-titled debut album, scoring their first major hit "No, No, No". That album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and won the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for "Best R&B/Soul Single" for "No, No, No", "Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year" and "Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist". However, the group rose to bona fide stardom after releasing their multi-platinum sophomore album “The Writing's on the Wall” in 1999. The record features some of the group’s most widely-known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", the group's first number-one single, “Jumpin' Jumpin'", and "Say My Name", which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. “The Writing's on the Wall” sold more than seven million copies, essentially becoming their breakthrough album.
Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.
After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, “Charlie's Angels”. It became their best-charting single, topping the official U.S. singles chart for eleven consecutive weeks. The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging. ‘Destiny's Child’'s third album, “Survivor”, channels the turmoil they underwent, spawning its eponymous lead single, which was a response to the experience. The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit, believing that the songs were aimed at them. However, the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on U.S. Billboard 200 with 663,000 units sold. To date, “Survivor” has sold over ten million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the U.S. alone. The album spawned other number-one hits — "Bootylicious" and the title track, "Survivor", the latter of which earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. After releasing their holiday album, “8 Days of Christmas”, the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.
While Knowles was with ‘Destiny's Child’, she also made appearances as a solo artist. In 2000, Knowles was featured on "I Got That" by rapper Amil, which was released on the latter's debut album, “All Money Is Legal”. In early 2001, while ‘Destiny's Child’ was finishing “Survivor”, Knowles landed a major role in the MTV made-for-television film, “Carmen: A Hip Hopera”, starring alongside American actor Mekhi Phifer. Set in Philadelphia, the film is a modern interpretation of the 19th century opera “Carmen” by French composer Georges Bizet.
In 2002, Knowles co-starred in the comedy film “Austin Powers in Goldmember”, playing Foxxy Cleopatra opposite Mike Myers. The movie topped the box office, gaining $73.1 million on its first weekend. Knowles recorded her first solo single, "Work It Out", for the film's soundtrack. The following year, Knowles starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the comedy film “The Fighting Temptations”, and recorded "Fighting Temptation", alongside female rappers Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free for its soundtrack.
That same year, Knowles was the featured vocalist on her boyfriend Jay-Z's hit single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". She also recorded a version of 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and released it in March 2003. Luther Vandross and Knowles remade the duet "The Closer I Get to You", which was originally recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway in 1977. Their version won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals the following year, and Vandross' "Dance with My Father", which also features Knowles, won for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
After Williams and Rowland released their solo efforts, Knowles dropped her debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love”, in June 2003. Featuring many musical collaborators, the album contains a combination of uptempo and slow jam songs. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one, selling 317,000 copies in its first week. Certified 4x platinum on August 5, 2004 by the Recording Industry Association of America, the album has sold 4.2 million copies to date in the United States.
"Crazy in Love", featuring a guest rap verse from Jay-Z, was released as the album's lead single. It became one of the biggest hits of that summer, staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks and topping many charts worldwide. Knowles also successfully dominated the United Kingdom, simultaneously topping the singles and album charts there. "Crazy in Love" became the fourth best-selling single in the U.S. in 2003. "Crazy in Love" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and considered to be the "proudest moment" of the album.
Toward the end of the summer, "Baby Boy", the second single from “Dangerously in Love” which features dancehall singer Sean Paul, began to climb the charts. It also became one of the biggest hits of 2003, dominating U.S. radio airplay and spending nine weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 — one week longer than "Crazy in Love". "Baby Boy" was certified as a platinum single by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Me, Myself and I" was released as the third single, and “Dangerously in Love” 's fourth and final single, "Naughty Girl", came out in mid-2004. Both of the final two singles made the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. Unlike "Crazy in Love", the final three singles attained more immediate commercial successes, propelling the album to the top of the charts and going a long way toward it being certified multi-platinum.
Knowles won five awards at the 2004 Grammy Awards for her solo effort, which included the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Dangerously in Love 2", Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love", and the Best Contemporary R&B Album. She shares this distinction with four other female artists: Lauryn Hill (1999), Alicia Keys (2002) Norah Jones (2003) and Amy Winehouse (2008). In 2004, she won a BRIT Award for International Female Solo Artist.
In 2004, Knowles planned to release a follow-up album featuring some of the left-over recordings from “Dangerously in Love”. However, her musical aspirations were put on hiatus due to conflicting schedules, including her recording with ‘Destiny's Child’ for their final album. Early in that year, Knowles performed the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, fulfilling a childhood dream.
After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Knowles rejoined Rowland and Williams for “Destiny Fulfilled”, released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the Billboard 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records. In support of the album, ‘Destiny's Child’ embarked on the 2005 “Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It” world tour, which started in April and ran through September. On the Barcelona, Spain visit, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg. In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled “#1's”, including all of ‘Destiny's Child’'s number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including "Stand Up for Love". ‘Destiny's Child’ was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006. They were also recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time.
Continuing her film career, Knowles co-starred in the film “The Pink Panther”, playing the role of ‘Xania’, an international pop star, opposite Steve Martin, who plays ‘Inspector Clouseau’. The film was released on February 10, 2006, and debuted at number one at the box office, doing $21.7 million in ticket sales in its first week. Knowles recorded "Check on It" for the film, featuring Slim Thug, and reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, which was first number-one hit from a soundtrack.
In late 2005, Knowles again put her second album on hold after she landed a role in “Dreamgirls”, the film adaptation of the 1981 hit Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group loosely based on ‘Motown’ all-female group ‘The Supremes’. In the film, she portrays the Diana Ross-based character Deena Jones. Knowles told Billboard magazine: "I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie". Released in December 2006, “Dreamgirls” stars Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson. Knowles recorded several songs for the film's soundtrack, including the original song "Listen". On December 14, 2006, Knowles was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for the film, Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Original Song for "Listen". The film won two 2007 Academy Awards.
Inspired by her role in “Dreamgirls”, Knowles worked on her second album without any specific plan, telling MTV News, "[When filming ended] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas". Knowles worked with previous musical collaborators, including Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins and Sean Garrett, at the ‘Sony Music’ Studios in New York City. Completed in three weeks, she co-wrote and co-produced nearly all songs included in the album.
“B'Day” was released worldwide on September 4, 2006 and on September 5, 2006 in the United States to coincide with the celebration of her twenty-fifth birthday. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling more than 541,000 copies in the first week, her highest first-week sales mark as a solo artist. The album also had the third-highest debut-sales total of 2006 and has been certified three-times platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. Although it was a commercial success, the relatively short time for production of the album was the subject of critical scrutiny. The Rolling Stone magazine's Brian Hiatt said that "while the mostly up-tempo disc never lacks for energy, some of the more beat-driven tracks feel harmonically and melodically undercooked, with hooks that don't live up to “Crazy in Love” or the best ‘Destiny's Child’ hits". Despite such criticisms, the album was complimented by others, with Gail Mitchell of Billboard magazine writing, "...throughout [the album], she romps with creative abandon, thankfully unafraid of stretching the boundaries lyrically and musically".
The album spawned the UK number-one single "Déjà Vu", the album's lead single, featuring Jay-Z. "Ring the Alarm", the second single, became her highest-charting single debut, opening at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside North America, "Irreplaceable" was released in October 2006 as the album's second single. Like "Baby Boy", the single received massive airplay, which helped propel it at number one. "Irreplaceable" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks, giving Knowles her fourth number-one single. It broke the record "Baby Boy" used to have, but it failed to match ‘Destiny's Child’'s "Independent Women Part I".
Knowles re-released “B'Day” on April 3, 2007 as a deluxe edition, seven months after the release of the original version. The re-release version features new tracks, including "Beautiful Liar", a duet with Latin superstar Shakira. The track made Billboard history when it jumped from number ninety-four to number three on the Hot 100 on April 2007; and "Amor Gitano", a duet with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández, used as the theme song for the Colombian telenovela, “Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa”. Also included in the re-release of “B'Day” are Spanish-language versions of "Beautiful Liar", "Irreplaceable", and "Listen". Simultaneously, the “B'Day Anthology Video Album” was released featuring ten videos, including the director's cut of "Listen" and the extended remix of "Get Me Bodied”. During the week of April 22nd, the deluxe edition of B'Day and the B'Day Anthology Video Album that includes the song "Still in Love (Kissing You)" were pulled from distribution due to a lawsuit filed by English singer Des'ree. The lawsuit is over Knowles' cover of Des'ree's 1998 record, "I'm Kissing You". After the infringement issue, the present version of the re-issue does not include the track.
In support of the album, Knowles embarked on her lengthy “The Beyoncé Experience” concert tour, visiting over ninety venues worldwide. She started the tour in Japan on April 10, 2007 and concluded it on December 30, 2007 in Las Vegas. The documented footage on September 2, 2007 at Los Angeles' Staples Center was released on November 20, 2007 as “The Beyoncé Experience Live !” DVD.
Since 2002, Knowles has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has collaborated several times. Rumors began to circulate about their relationship after Knowles was featured on "'03 Bonnie and Clyde". In spite of persistent rumors about their relationship, they remained discreet about it. In 2005, rumors began to spread about the marriage of the couple. Knowles closed the speculation stating that she and Jay-Z were not even engaged. When asked again about the subject in September 2007, Jay-Z replied, "One day soon — let's leave it at that". Laura Schreffler, senior writer for ‘OK!’’ magazine, said, "They are intensely private people".On April 4, 2008, Knowles and Jay-Z were married in New York City. Although official confirmation has yet to come from either individual's camp, it became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-28T09:13:00.004+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- The Cheetah Girls -

When we said the whole world's going Desi, we meant it ! Take for example, Cheetah Girl, Sabrina Bryan. Now we told you about the Cheetah Girls going Bollywood in their next flick, “The Cheetah Girls - One World”, and turns out Sabrina liked it so much that she's releasing her very own Bollywood dance instruction video ! Hmm... now with the show, “So You Think You Can Dance”, doing a Bollywood routine, and now Sabrina's video, seems like Bollywood dance fever is quite the craze !

When we say the whole world is going Desi, we mean it ! And up next is Disney's wildly popular, Cheetah Girls. This time around the ladies are heading over to Bollywood for their new flick, “The Cheetah Girls - One World”. Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, and Kiely Williams, traveled to India to train in Bollywood dance and to film the movie. The trailer shows the girls decked out in lenghas and dancing, Bollywood style along with Indian dancers. The flick premieres on the 'Disney Channel' on August 22nd.

Watch here The Cheetah Girls Biography

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-27T02:08:00.004+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- MODERN TALKING -

Modern Talking was a German pop music duo consisting of composer/producer Dieter Bohlen and singer Thomas Anders. Genre-wise they were often classified under euro disco. By sales, it is the single most successful pop group in Germany.
Former members: Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen
Origin: Germany
Genre(s): Euro disco, Eurodance, Synthpop, Hi-NRG, Italo Disco
Years active: 1984–1987; 1998–2003
First formed at the end of 1984 they unexpectedly became immensely popular with their disco hit “You're My Heart, You're My Soul” with which they occupied the number one position in 35 countries including their homeland where it perched at the top for six weeks. The track was then followed by another number one hit “You Can Win If You Want” in the middle of 1985 from the “The First Album”. Soon after this second hit, Modern Talking released “Cheri Cheri Lady” which quickly climbed to the top as well, the only track released from their second album “Let's Talk About Love”. The success continued with two other number one singles such as “Brother Louie” and “Atlantis Is Calling (S.O.S. for Love)” both from the third album “Ready For Romance”. The duo also charted high with their sixth single “Geronimo's Cadillac” from the fourth album “In The Middle Of Nowhere” and “Jet Airliner” from their fifth album “Romantic Warriors”.
During this era Modern Talking were successful in Europe, Asia, South America, Middle East, particularly in Iran, where all Western pop music was banned after 1979 Islamic revolution, and also in several African countries. In the United Kingdom they entered the top ten only once with the song Brother Louie (#4 UK in 1986). Like most European pop groups, they were almost unknown in North America, never appearing in the US charts, although they did become one hit wonders in Canada when Brother Louie hit #34 in 1987. Composer Dieter Bohlen employed mood-evoking lyrics and intellectually-designed synthesizer-based music which was out of vogue in the US before Modern Talking even formed. They released two albums a year between 1985 and 1987 while also promoting their singles on television all over Europe eventually selling 65 million records within three years.
After the duo split up in 1987, Bohlen formed his own project ‘Blue System’ immediately after the split and enjoyed several high chart positions with tracks like “Sorry Little Sarah”, “My Bed Is Too Big”, “Under My Skin”, “Love Suite” and “Déjà Vu”. Anders went solo recording some of his new pop like material in Los Angeles and London, and also in his native country. As a solo artist, Anders toured in places like Moscow, Sun City, Hong Kong and Santiago de Chile during which time he would sing songs from his pop solo albums, in the meantime keeping his thousands of enthusiastic loyal fans satisfied with former Modern Talking material. Anders recorded five solo albums in English “Different”, “Whispers”, “Down on Sunset”, “When Will I See You Again” and “Souled” and one album in Spanish “Barcos De Cristal”. Both his voice and vocal delivery advanced with every album he recorded; however, he found more success in foreign countries than at home. Despite all the quarrells and disagreements that Dieter and Thomas experienced between themselves in the past, Anders and Bohlen began keeping in touch again after Anders moved back to Koblenz, Germany in 1994.
In the beginning of 1998 the duo reunited, and had their first performance together in March on Germany's biggest TV show ‘Wetten, dass… ?’. Their first comeback album “Back For Good” which included four new tracks as well as all of the previous hits redone with modern techniques not only stayed at number one position in Germany for five consecutive weeks but also went to number one in many countries, eventually selling six million units worldwide. They won the award at World Music Awards for being the Best Selling German Band that year. The follow-up album “Alone” was very successful as well. A series of singles and four more albums followed as “Year Of The Dragon”, “America”, “Victory” and “Universe”. After reaching the point where they had already collected 500 gold and platinum awards worldwide, Bohlen and Anders decided to split up again in 2003. His involvement in ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar’, the German edition of the UK's ‘Pop Idol’, was one of the major reasons and he said he knew it was best to stop while still on top. They released one more compilation album in 2003 calling it “The Final Album” which contained all of the duo's singles. Thomas Anders started another solo career immediately, while Bohlen had by now begun devoting most of his time to new talents, especially those he discovered on DSDS.In 2006 Bohlen included a secret message in his song “Bizarre Bizarre” which was played backwards: "There will never be an end to Modern Talking". However, Bohlen said: "He meant to say that the music of Modern Talking will live forever". Anders has kept the Modern Talking songs in his repertoire and produced songs in a similar vein for his solo records (‘Independent Girl’). In 2006 he produced an album “Songs Forever” of Swing and Jazz versions of popular songs (including Modern Talking's first hit). Bohlen has written two autobiographical books, one of which also detailed Modern Talking's history from his perspective, and sold a million copies in Germany. The sequel was heavily criticised for his unfairness towards the people he worked with. As a result of that, he withdrew from the public for a year until 2006, when he said he regretted putting out the second book. Anders had not been the only one pressing charges against Bohlen and demanding that sections of the book be modified. Frank Farian was angered by Bohlen's literary output and released a book in which he tried to expose Bohlen as a fraud, but this didn't get down well with the public either. Bohlen's first book was the basis of an animated comedy film called “Dieter - Der Film”. The soundtrack of this film contained one previously unreleased Modern Talking song “Shooting Star” which had been written for the “Universe” album. Anders recently had his first and Bohlen his fourth child.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-26T16:26:00.003+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Maksim Mrvica -

Birth name: Maksim Mrvica
Born: May 3, 1975 (1975-05-03) (age 33); in Šibenik, SR Croatia
Occupation(s): Pianist
Genre(s): Classical Crossover / Techno-Classical
Mrvica took up piano lessons from the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C major. When war broke out in 1991, both Mrvica and his professor were determined that this would not disrupt his music studies. In spite of the war and surrounding turbulence, Mrvica entered in, and won, his first major competition in Zagreb in 1993.
Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpan, who himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He then spent a year at the ‘Franz Liszt’ Conservatoire in Budapest and during this year he won first prize at the Nicolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. In 2000, he moved to Paris to study with Igor Lazko and gained first prize in the Pontoise Piano Competition in 2001.
When he returned to Croatia he found himself to be the focus of intense media interest and he made frequent television appearances as well as giving a great number of interviews. He soon found himself recording his first CD, “Gestures”, an album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. “Gestures” became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia, and Mrvica was even invited to officiate the Porin award ceremony, an honour not usually granted to a classical artist.
Soon after this launch Mrvica was spotted by the musician, author and manager Tonči Huljić, who composed several tracks for the crossover string quartet, ‘Bond’, and it was Tonči who put Mrvica in touch with British impresario Mel Bush. Mel had, by chance, been looking for a new pianist for some time and he recognised Maksim's potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences. ‘EMI Classics’ was also interested in Mrvica and soon a new album was underway. This album was “The Piano Player”, which gave a new spin to compositions by Handel and Chopin. Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful, particularly in Asia, where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China, Platinum in Taiwan and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong. It was also in the number 1 slot in the ‘HMV’ international pop chart in Hong Kong for twelve consecutive weeks.Mrvica has performed in a couple of international beauty pageants and ‘MTV’ awards. His image and charisma also attracted the interest of global brands such as ‘American Express’, who sponsored him in Singapore, and automobile giants ‘Chevrolet’ and ‘BMW’, for whom he performed at their respective Colombian and Malaysian car launches.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-25T13:12:00.005+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Basshunter -

Jonas Erik Altberg (born December 22, 1984, in Halmstad, Sweden), better known by the pseudonym Basshunter, is a Swedish musician and DJ. Basshunter describes his own music as Eurodance, while others may also interpret it as eurotrance, club, and other electronic music genres. Basshunter is managed by former ‘Warner Music’ A&R agent Henrik Uhlman, and is represented in the United States by Mayar Zokaei.
He has become famous for his songs "Boten Anna" and "Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DotA", in part owing to their references to geek culture. Altberg has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.
Jonas Erik Altberg was born on 22 December 1984 in Halmstad, Sweden. He lived with his parents and younger brother near Tylösand, a famous Swedish beach. He started to produce music under the stage name "Basshunter" in 1999 with the computer program ‘Fruity Loops’ (Now: ‘FL Studio’), and released his first album, The Bassmachine, through his own home page in 2004. His interest in music became greater as he progressed. After several demo songs spread over the Internet, he started to get phone calls from dance clubs that wanted to hire him as a DJ. In April 2006, he signed his first contract with ‘Warner Music’, releasing his first single, "Boten Anna". In Scandinavia, the song became a hit instantly and was the first ever Swedish language song to reach number one on the Dutch Top 40 Chart. His major label debut album, “LOL <(^^,)>” would chart all over Europe and launch him into the forefront of dance music. When Basshunter reached 50,000 friends on MySpace, he celebrated by releasing "Beer in the Bar - Myspace Edit" and chatting via webcam with fans]. In 2007, Altberg released a re-recording of "Boten Anna", titled "Now You're Gone", featuring entirely rewritten lyrics to appeal to a foreign market. The song subsequently charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, and stayed there for 5 weeks.
Throughout 2007, Basshunter has been working on a new album, titled “Now You're Gone: The Album”, after the leading single, set to be released on 14 July 2008. He has so released a small clip of "Camilla", while the song "I Can Walk On Water, I Can Fly" leaked unintentionally. After a planned release, "Please Don't Go", another single, was cancelled in an email to subscribers of the ‘Hard2Beat’ newsletter. The single release was instead switched to "All I Ever Wanted", an English re-recording of "Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DotA", in the vein of "Now You're Gone". Within the single newsletter, it was also revealed that the next album was indeed "on its way", along with the single, and that the album would be English reworkings of classic Basshunter songs.The third single to be released in the UK will be "Angel in the Night" and not "Please Don't Go", which many fans speculated would be released instead.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-23T15:07:00.005+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Willie Nelson -

Birth name: Willie Hugh Nelson
Born: April 30, 1933 (1933-04-30) (age 75)
Location: Abbott, Texas, U.S.
Genre(s): Country, Country rock, Outlaw Country, Alternative country, Folk, Reggae, Blues
Occupation(s): Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Producer, Session Musician, Actor, Activist
Nelson was born and raised in Abbott, Texas, the son of Myrtle and Ira D. Nelson, who was a mechanic and pool hall owner. His grandparents William Alfred Nelson and Nancy Elizabeth Smothers gave him mail-order music lessons starting at age six. He wrote his first song when he was seven and was playing in a local band at age nine. Willie played the guitar, while his sister Bobbie played the piano. He met Bud Fletcher, a fiddler, and two siblings joined his band, Bohemian Fiddlers, while Nelson was in high school. While he was in high school he took part in the ‘National FFA Organization’ (formerly known as the ‘Future Farmers of America’).
Beginning in high school Nelson worked as a disc jockey for local radio stations. Nelson had short DJ stints with ‘KHBR’ in Hillsboro, Texas, and later with ‘KBOP’ in Pleasanton, Texas, while singing locally in honky tonk bars.
Nelson graduated from Abbott High School in 1951. He joined the Air Force the same year but was discharged after nine months due to back problems. He then studied agriculture at Baylor University for one year in 1954.
In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, to begin a musical career, recording "Lumberjack", which was written by Leon Payne. The single sold fairly well, but did not establish a career. Nelson continued to work as a radio announcer in Vancouver and sing in clubs. He sold a song called "Family Bible" for $50; the song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, has been covered widely and is often considered a gospel music classic.
Nelson moved to Nashville in 1960, but was unable to land a record label contract. He did, however, receive a publishing contract at ‘Pamper Music’. After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life" (reputedly the most covered country song of all time; a version "Night Life" was even recorded by convicted killer and former cult leader Charles Manson), Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bass player. While playing with Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys, many of Nelson's songs became hits for some of country and pop music's biggest stars of the time. These songs include "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison) and most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy Cline). Nelson signed with ‘Liberty’ Records in 1961 and released several singles, including "Willingly" (sung with his wife, Shirley Collie) and "Touch Me".
He was unable to keep his momentum going, however, and Nelson's career ground to a halt. Demo recordings from his years as a songwriter for ‘Pamper Music’ were later discovered and released as “Crazy: The Demo Sessions” (2003).
In 1965, Nelson moved to ‘RCA Victor’ Records and joined the ‘Grand Ole Opry’. He followed this with a series of minor hits and then retired and moved to Austin, Texas. While in Austin, with its burgeoning "hippie" music scene (see ‘Armadillo World Headquarters’), Nelson decided to return to music. His popularity in Austin soared, as he played his own brand of country music marked by rock and roll, jazz, western swing, and folk influences. A lifelong passion for running and a new commitment to his own health also began during this period.
In the mid 1970's, Nelson purchased property near Lake Travis in Austin and built ‘Pedernales’ Studio. The studio underwent state of the art renovations in the mid 1990's, and many top recording artists adorn its client list. Its amenities include a 9-hole golf course, tennis courts and an Olympic size swimming pool.
Nelson signed with ‘Atlantic’ Records and released “Shotgun Willie” (1973), which won excellent reviews but did not sell well. “Phases and Stages” (1974), a concept album inspired by his divorce, included the hit single "Bloody Mary Morning". Nelson then moved to ‘Columbia’ Records, where he was given complete creative control over his work. The result was the critically acclaimed, massively popular concept album, “Red Headed Stranger” (1975). Although ‘Columbia’ was reluctant to release an album with primarily a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson insisted (with the assistance of Waylon Jennings) and the album was a huge hit, partially because it included a popular cover of "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (written by Fred Rose in 1945). "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" became Nelson's first number one hit as a singer.
Along with Nelson, Waylon Jennings was also achieving success in country music in the early 1970s, and the pair were soon combined into a genre called outlaw country ("outlaw" because it did not conform to Nashville standards). Nelson's outlaw image was cemented with the release of the album “Wanted ! The Outlaws” (1976, with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser), country music's first platinum album. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including "Good Hearted Woman" (a duet with Jennings), "Remember Me", "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time", "Uncloudy Day", "I Love You a Thousand Ways", and "Something to Brag About" (a duet with Mary Kay Place).
In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums, “Waylon and Willie” (a collaboration with Jennings that included "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", which was written and originally recorded as a hit single by Ed Bruce a couple of years earlier), and “Stardust”, an unusual, string-based album of popular standards. It was produced by Booker T. Jones. Though most observers predicted that “Stardust” would ruin his career, it ended up being one of his most successful recordings.
Little is known about Willie's life in Minnesota, however he did live there for quite some time. While living in Minnesota Willie had three children, Brian, Jessica, and Jacob Nelson.
Nelson began acting, appearing in “The Electric Horseman” (1979), “Honeysuckle Rose” (1980), “Thief” (1981), and “Barbarosa” (1982). Also in 1982 he played "Red Loon", in “Coming Out of the Ice” with John Savage. In 1984 he starred in the movie “Songwriter” with Kris Kristoferson guest starring. He then had the lead role in “Red Headed Stranger” (1986, with Morgan Fairchild), “Wag the Dog” (1997), “Gone Fishin” (1997) as Billy 'Catch' Pooler, the 1986 TV movie “Stagecoach” (with Johnny Cash), and “Dukes of Hazard” (2006) with Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, whom along with Cash would form a band with Nelson called “The Highwaymen”).
He has continued acting since his early successes, but usually in smaller roles and cameos, some of which involve his status as a cannabis activist and icon. One of his more popular recent cameos was a performance in “Half Baked” as an elderly "Historian Smoker" who, while smoking marijuana, would reminisce about how things used to be in his younger years. Nelson also appeared as himself in the 2006 movie “Beerfest”, looking for teammates to join him in a mythical world-championship cannabis-smoking contest held in Amsterdam. That same week Willie Nelson recorded, "I'll never Smoke Weed With Willie Again" with Toby Keith.
He has made guest appearances on “Miami Vice”, “Delta, Nash Bridges”, “The Simpsons”, “Monk”, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”, “King of the Hill”, and “The Colbert Report”. He played ‘Uncle Jesse’ in “The Dukes of Hazzard”, the 2005 cinematic treatment of the television series, and was the only member of the big screen cast to reprise the role in the TV/DVD movie prequel “The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning” (2007) (V). He also briefly appeared in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”.
The Eighties saw a series of hit singles: "On the Road Again" from the movie “Honeysuckle Rose” and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (a rather incongruous duet with Julio Iglesias). There were also more popular albums, including “Pancho & Lefty” (1982, with Merle Haggard), “WWII” (1982, with Waylon Jennings) and “Take it to the Limit” (1983, with Waylon Jennings).
In the mid-1980s, Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed a group called ‘The Highwaymen’. They achieved unexpectedly massive success, including platinum record sales and worldwide touring. Meanwhile, he became more and more involved in charity work, such as establishing the ‘Farm Aid’ concerts in 1985.
In 1990, the ‘Internal Revenue Service’ (IRS) handed Nelson a bill for $16.7 million in back taxes and seized most of his assets to help pay the charges. He released “The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories ?” as a double album, with all profits going straight to the IRS. Many of his assets were auctioned and purchased by friends, who gave his possessions back to him or rented them at a nominal fee. He sued accounting firm ‘Price Waterhouse’, contending that they put him into tax shelters that were later disallowed. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount. His debts were paid by 1993.
In 1996, Willie Nelson was featured on the Beach Boys' now out-of-print album “Stars and Stripes Vol. 1” singing a cover of their 1964 song "The Warmth of the Sun" with the Beach Boys themselves providing the harmonies and backing vocals. He also starred in “Baywatch” as an old man in boxer shorts.
He released “Across the Borderline” in 1993, with guests Bob Dylan, Sinéad O'Connor, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson and Paul Simon.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson has toured continuously and released albums that generally received mixed reviews, with the exception of 1998's critically acclaimed ‘Teatro’ (which was produced by Daniel Lanois — more commonly known for his work with U2 — and featured supporting vocals by Emmylou Harris). Later that year, he joined rock band ‘Phish’ onstage for several songs as part of the annual ‘Farm Aid’ festival. He also performed a duet concert with fellow ‘Highwayman’ Johnny Cash, recorded for the ‘VH1’ “Storytellers” series.
Nelson received ‘Kennedy Center Honors’ in 1998. A star-studded television special celebrating his 70th birthday aired in 2003. In 2004, he released “Outlaws & Angels”, featuring guests Toby Keith, Joe Walsh, Merle Haggard, Kid Rock, Al Green, Shelby Lynne, Carole King, Toots Hibbert, Ben Harper, Lee Ann Womack, The Holmes Brothers, Los Lonely Boys, Lucinda Williams, Keith Richards, Jerry Lee Lewis and Rickie Lee Jones. ‘Willie Nelson: An Epic Life’ by Joe Nick Patoski will be released in April, 2008. Mr. Patoski did over 100 interviews with Willie, his family, his band, the people he grew up with in Abbott, and many others. This is part biography, part memoir, part history, from the depression to Willie as he celebrates his 75th birthday.
Willie Nelson has been married four times and fathered eight children.
1. Martha Matthews from 1952-1962. Children are Lana, Susie, and Billy (who died in 1991).
2. Shirley Collie from 1963-1971.
3. Connie Koepke from 1971-1988. Children are Paula Carlene and Amy Lee.
4. Annie D'Angelo from 1991-present. Children are Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah.
Nelson can trace his genealogy back to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.Nelson is a member of ‘Tau Kappa Epsilon’ international fraternity.

by romig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-22T14:22:00.004+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Heart -

Heart got their start in 1963 in Seattle, Washington formed by bassist Steve Fossen and brothers Roger Fisher (guitar/mandolin) and Mike Fisher (producer and sound engineer). The group went by the name ‘The Army and White Heart’, before settling on just Heart in the early 1970s. Ann Wilson joined the group in 1970. Romance sprang up between her and Mike, and she came along when they moved to Vancouver to avoid the Vietnam draft some years later.
Soon after the move, Nancy joined the group. Mirroring her sister she became romantically involved with Roger. The band gained a following in Canada and was signed to the small Canadian label ‘Mushroom’, which issued their debut album, “Dreamboat Annie”, in 1976. “Dreamboat Annie” was recorded with new members guitarist/keyboardist Howard Leese and drummer Michael Derosier. The album brought forth Heart’s first U.S. chart entry, “Crazy on you” peaking at #35 on the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100. Two years later, the single was re-released by ‘Mushroom’ — this time reaching #62 in the U.S.
In 1977, Heart moved to ‘CBS’ affiliate ‘Portrait’. This didn’t go well with ‘Mushroom’ owner Shelly Siegel, and a legal battle ensued. After the smoke cleared, Heart’s second album “Little Queen” was released on ‘Portait’ in 1977. It was a substantial hit, but wasn’t the enormous hit their debut album was. Only one single, “Barracuda”, from the album made the Top 40 this time around. Curiously, the single, “Heartless”, from the unfinished LP “Magazine” released by ‘Mushroom’ charted higher than Little Queen’s other two singles.
Heart’s third official album, “Dog and Butterfly”, came out the next year. It only managed to reach #17 on the ‘Billboard’ 200, and showed that Heart’s success was declining (at least for the time being). The Fisher/Wilson romances came to an end following the album, and Roger left the group.
In 1980, “Bebe Le Strange” was released. In 1982, after releasing their 6th album “Private Audition”, Fossen and Derosier left the group, and were replaced by ex-‘Spirit and Firefall’ bassist Mark Andes and former ‘Gamma’ drummer Denny Carmassi.
After releasing “Passionworks” in 1983 and switching to ‘Capitol’ Records, Heart broke in to the pop scene with a self-titled album in 1985 that would be their biggest, resulting in four Top Ten singles, “What About Love ?”, “Never”, “These Dreams”, and “Nothin’ at All”. This album marked a significant turning point for the band as this was the first album the band employed outside songwriters for (only 3 of the songs, and none of the hits, were written by band members) and they went for a much more synthesizer-heavy commercial radio friendly sound. As well as establishing their mainstream success, the album also established the style that would take Heart through the ’80s and into the early 90’s, a mix of power ballads and pop rock. Further albums in this vein followed in the form of “Bad Animals” (which netted the band three more Top Ten singles including their second number one record “Alone”) and “Brigade”.
Following “Brigade” the band went on hiatus, as Ann and Nancy formed an acoustic group dubbed the ‘Lovemongers’, with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox. Returning with 1993’s “Desire Walks On”, the band continued touring through the mid-90s, and released two live albums, “The Road Home”, which features acoustic renderings of some of their biggest hits, and “Alive in Seattle”. Heart went on hiatus again in 1997, when the Wilson sisters worked on their acoustic group again. In 1999 Nancy released a solo album “Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop”, and she has written scores or individual songs for several of her husband’s (Cameron Crowe) films - including “Vanilla Sky”, “ElizabethTown” and “Almost Famous”. In 2004, the band released “Jupiter’s Darling”, their first studio album in 11 years, which enjoyed only limited success, perhaps because of the shift away from the power pop sound they became known for at the height of their fame. Anne’s first solo album “Hope & Glory” is scheduled for release on 9/11/2007.

by mig007

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-21T05:38:00.004+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- Chris Rea -

Born: Mar 4, 1951 in Middlesbrough, EnglandBritish singer and guitarist Chris Rea has enjoyed a run of popularity in Europe during the late '80s and early '90s after almost a decade of previous recording. Rea started out performing with a local group called ‘Magdalene’, taking David Coverdale's place; the band won a national talent contest in 1975 as the Beautiful Losers, but still failed to get a record contract. Rea left the band and recorded the album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini ?, which alluded to a discarded stage name, which went gold on the strength of the U.S. Top 20 hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)". Rea was not heard from again in the U.S. for some time, concentrating his efforts on his main fan base of Europe. A compilation of tracks from Rea's '80s albums, “New Light Through Old Windows”, was released in 1988 and sold well in the U.K. and Europe and charted in the U.S. Rea followed it up with the critically acclaimed “The Road to Hell”, which many regarded as his best album. It and its follow-up, “Auberge”, went to the top of the U.K. album charts, but did not prove as successful in the U.S., where he has failed to chart with his subsequent releases. He released his most ambitious project in 2005, an eleven-album, 130-track box set of all new material inspired by the blues and his own paintings called “Blue Guitars”. The fun “The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes” appeared in 2008.

by Steve Huey, ‘All Music Guide’

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

2008-08-20T09:20:00.006+03:00

The Immortals: The Greatest Artists of All Time

- B.Z.N. -

BZN (short for Band zonder Naam or "Band Without a Name") was a Dutch band.
BZN started out as a pop-rock band in their native Volendam in 1966, playing early-Bee Gees-like harmony pop. The initial line-up consisted of Jan Veerman (vocals), Cees Tol (guitar), Evert Woestenburg (guitar) Jan Tuyp (bass guitar) and Gerrit Woestenburg (drums).
In the early Seventies, the band switched to hard rock and had its first successes, including a brace of Top 40 hits. After original singer Veerman left and drummer Keizer took his place behind the microphone, the band made a musical U-turn and opted for commercial radio pop, adding female co-vocalist Annie Schilder and laying the foundation for their status as the most popular Dutch band ever (in terms of hit singles and albums). BZN has had over 50 hits in the Dutch hit parade to date.
BZN's claim to fame started with the song "Mon Amour" (1976), which held the #1 hit parade ranking for over 5 weeks. Outside of the Netherlands the band has had some success as well, amongst which several hits in South Africa (such as "Yeppa" in 1990) and minor successes with their French-language songs in Canada.
Through the years there have been many lineup changes, the most important of which have been the departure of Schilder in 1984 (replaced by Carola Smit) and in 1988 of the brothers Cees and Thomas Tol (keyboards), who until then had been responsible for most of the music and lyrics. The band remained nevertheless successful, making their last major change in strategy when they decided to write in Dutch instead of English as of 2003.
BZN are also responsible for the initial success of singer Jan Smit, who was discovered by BZN at the age of 10 and went on to have pop and schlager successes in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.On February 15, 2006, BZN announced they would do one final tour and then call it quits. This goodbye tour ended 16 June 2007.

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia