Events

46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) in the battle of Thapsus.

402 – Stilicho stymies the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.

1199 – King Richard I of England dies from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder.

1250 – Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur.

1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.

1327 – The poet Petrarch first sees his idealized love, Laura, in the church of Saint Clare in Avignon.

1385 – John, Master of the Order of Aviz, is made king John I of Portugal.

1453 – Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (Istanbul), which falls on May 29.

1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.

1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.

1667 – An earthquake devastates Dubrovnik, then an independent city-state.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy fail in their attempt to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat.

1782 – Rama I of Siam (modern day Thailand) founds the Chakri dynasty.

1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic.

1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America's first millionaire.

1812 – British forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington assault the fortress of Badajoz. This would be the turning point in the Peninsular War against Napoleon-led France.

1814 – Nominal beginning of the Bourbon Restorationanniversary date that Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba. (Rule by the Bourbons is delayed a few weeks, though allies held most key locales of France.)

1830 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. and others at Fayette or Manchester, New York.

1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—later renamed Community of Christ—is organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois

1861 – First performance of Arthur Sullivan's debut success, his suite of incidental music for ''The Tempest'', leading to a career that included the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins – in Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.

1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sayler's Creek – Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fights its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia.

1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956.

1869 – Celluloid is patented.

1888 – Thomas Green Clemson dies, bequeathing his estate to the State of South Carolina to establish Clemson Agricultural College.

1893 – Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated by Wilford Woodruff.

1895 – Oscar Wilde is arrested in the Cadogan Hotel, London after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry.

1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.

1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Israel and the Western world.

1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reach the North Pole.

1911 – During the Battle of Deçiq, Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after George Kastrioti (Skenderbeg).

1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany (see President Woodrow Wilson's address to Congress).

1919 – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi orders a general strike.

1923 – The first Prefects Board in Southeast Asia is formed in Victoria Institution, Malaysia.

1926 – Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).

1929 – Huey P. Long Governor of Louisiana is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives.

1930 – Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." beginning the Salt Satyagraha.

1936 – Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.

1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece).

1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans.

1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement.

1957 – Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.

1962 – Leonard Bernstein causes controversy with his remarks from the podium during a New York Philharmonic concert featuring Glenn Gould performing Brahms' First Piano Concerto.

1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.

1965 – The British Government announces the cancellation of the TSR-2 aircraft project.

1968 – In Richmond, Indiana's downtown district, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.

1970 – Newhall Incident: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed in a shootout.

1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive – American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.

1973 – Launch of ''Pioneer 11'' spacecraft.

1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter.

1974 – ABBA win the 19th annual Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with ''Waterloo''.

1982 – Estonian Communist Party bureau declares "fight against bourgeois TV" — meaning Finnish TV — a top priority of the propagandists of Estonian SSR

1984 – Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.

1994 – The Rwandan Genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.

1998 – Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India.

1998 – Travelers Group announces an agreement to undertake the $76 billion merger between Travelers and Citicorp, and the merger is completed on October 8, of that year, forming Citibank.

2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment.

2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day.

2008 – 2008 Egyptian general strike starts led by Egyptian workers.

2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307.

2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India.

Births

1483 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d. 1520)

1613 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (d. 1683)

1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1649)

1651 – André Dacier, French classical scholar (d. 1722)

1664 – Arvid Horn, Swedish statesman (d. 1742)

1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (d. 1741)

1725 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican patriot and military leader (d. 1807)

1741 – Nicolas Chamfort, French writer (d. 1794)

1766 – Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and printmaker (d. 1853)

1773 – James Mill, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1836)

1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English naturalist (d. 1888)

1812 – Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (d. 1870)

1815 – Robert Volkmann, German composer (d. 1883)

1818 – Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian poet (d. 1870)

1820 – Nadar, French photographer (d. 1910)

1823 – Joseph Medill, journalist and mayor of Chicago (d. 1899)

1826 – Gustave Moreau, French painter (d. 1898)

1841 – Karl Binding, German jurist (d. 1920)

1849 – John William Waterhouse, British painter (d. 1917)

1851 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (d. 1932)

1861 – Stanislas de Guaita, French occultist (d. 1897)

1864 – William Bate Hardy, British biochemist (d. 1934)

1869 – Levon Shant, Armenian playwright, novelist and poet (d. 1951)

1871 – Prince Alexander John of Wales (d. 1871)

1878 – Erich Mühsam, German author (d. 1934)

1884 – Walter Huston, Canadian-born actor (d. 1950)

1886 – Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, The Last Nizam of Hyderabad state (d. 1967)

1886 – Walter Edward Dandy, American neurosurgery pioneer (d. 1946)

1888 – Hans Richter, Swiss painter, film maker, graphic artist and avant-gardist (d. 1976)

1888 – Gerhard Ritter, German historian (d. 1967)

1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch aviation engineering pioneer (d. 1939)

1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American aviation industrialist (d. 1981)

1892 – Lowell Thomas, American travel writer (d. 1981)

1894 – Gertrude Baines, American supercentenarian (d. 2009)

1895 – Dudley Nichols, American screenwriter (d. 1960)

1900 – Leo Robin, American songwriter (d. 1984)

1901 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Catholic (d. 1925)

1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d. 1989)

1902 – Julien Torma, French writer, playwright and poet (d. 1933)

1903 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player (d. 1962)

1903 – Harold Edgerton, American electrical engineer (d. 1990)

1909 – William M. Branham, American evangelist (d. 1965)

1909 – Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)

1911 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1979)

1913 – Shannon Boyd-Bailey McCune, American geographer (d. 1993)

1915 – Tadeusz Kantor, Polish painter, set designer and theater director (d. 1990)

1916 – Vincent Ellis McKelvey, American geologist (d. 1987)

1917 – Leonora Carrington, British-born surrealist painter

1918 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president (d. 1982)

1919 – Georgios Mylonas, Greek politician (d. 1998)

1920 – Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, Nobel laureate

1926 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-born singer and actor (d. 1990)

1926 – Gil Kane, Latvian-born cartoonist (d. 2000)

1926 – Ian Paisley, Northern Irish politician

1927 – Gerry Mulligan, American musician (d. 1996)

1928 – James D. Watson, American geneticist, Nobel laureate

1929 – Willis Hall, English playwright and radio and television writer (d. 2005)

1929 – Joi Lansing, American model and actress (d. 1972)

1929 – André Previn, German-born composer and conductor

1931 – Baba Ram Dass, American Hindu spiritual teacher

1931 – Ivan Dixon, American actor and director (d. 2008)

1932 – Helmut Griem, German actor (d. 2004)

1933 – Roy Goode, British lawyer

1933 – Eduardo Malapit, American politician (d. 2007)

1934 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (d. 1996)

1934 – Anton Geesink, Dutch judoka (d. 2010)

1934 – Guy Peellaert, Belgian visual artist (d. 2008)

1935 – Douglas Hill, Canadian-born science fiction writer (d. 2007)

1936 – Helen Berman, Dutch-Israeli visual artist

1937 – Merle Haggard, American musician

1937 – Peter Maivia, Samoan professional wrestler (d. 1982)

1937 – Billy Dee Williams, American actor

1938 – Paul Daniels, English magician

1938 – Roy Thinnes, American actor

1939 – André Ouellet, French Canadian politician

1940 – Homero Aridjis, Mexican writer and diplomat

1940 – Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mexican actor

1941 – Phil Austin, American comedian

1941 – Hans W. Geissendörfer, German filmmaker

1941 – Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, American drag racer

1941 – Gheorghe Zamfir, Romanian musician

1942 – Barry Levinson, American film producer/director

1944 – Felicity Palmer, English soprano

1945 – Neal Boortz, American radio personality

1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor

1947 – Mike Worboys, British mathematician

1948 – Patrika Darbo, American actress

1949 – Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate

1950 – Cleo Odzer, American writer

1951 – Bert Blyleven, Dutch-born baseball player

1952 – Udo Dirkschneider, German singer

1952 – Marilu Henner, American actress

1952 – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1992)

1953 – Christopher Franke, German musician and composer

1955 – Rob Epstein, American filmmaker and journalist

1955 – Keith Hunter Jesperson, Canadian serial killer

1955 – Cathy Jones, Canadian comedian

1955 – Blind Mississippi Morris, American delta blues musician

1955 – Michael Rooker, American actor

1956 – Sebastian Spreng, Argentinean visual artist

1956 – Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and administrator

1957 – Jaroslava Maxova, Czech opera singer

1957 – Paolo Nespoli, Italian astronaut

1960 – Batem, French comic book artist

1960 – Warren Haynes, American guitarist and song writer

1960 – John Pizzarelli, American jazz guitarist, song writer, singer and bandleader

1961 – Rory Bremner, English comedian and impressionist

1962 – Iris Häussler, German installation artist

1963 – Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador

1964 – Phil Gayle, English news presenter

1965 – Frank Black, American singer/songwriter (Pixies and Frank Black and the Catholics)

1965 – Sterling Sharpe, American football player

1965 – Lieve Slegers, Belgian athlete

1966 – Young Man Kang, South Korean film director

1967 – Jonathan Firth, British actor

1967 – Mika Koivuniemi, Finnish ten-pin bowler

1968 – Affonso Giaffone, Brazilian racing driver

1968 – Vanessa Lann, American composer

1969 – Bret Boone, American baseball player

1969 – Jack Canfora, American playwright

1969 – Bison Dele, American basketball player (disappeared 2002)

1969 – Ari Meyers, Puerto Rican/American actress

1969 – Philipp Peter, Austrian racing driver

1969 – Paul Rudd, American actor

1969 – Louie Spence, English dancer/choreographer and TV personality

1969 – Spencer Wells, American geneticist

1970 – Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer

1970 – Olaf Kölzig, South African/German ice hockey player

1971 – Lou Merloni, American baseball player

1972 – Jason Hervey, American actor

1972 – Ami James, Israeli/American tattoo artist

1972 – Jo Van Daele, Belgian discus thrower

1973 – Donnie Edwards, American football player

1973 – Joe Machine, English artist, poet and writer

1973 – Rie Miyazawa, Japanese actress/singer

1973 – Sun Wen, Chinese footballer

1973 – Gina Yashere, English comedian

1974 – Robert Kovač, Croatian footballer

1975 – Zach Braff, American actor

1975 – Hal Gill, American ice hockey player

1976 – Candace Cameron Bure, American actress

1976 – Georg Hólm, Icelandic musician (Sigur Rós)

1976 – Hirotada Ototake, Japanese sports writer

1977 – Ville Nieminen, Finnish ice hockey player

1977 – Andy Phillips, American baseball player

1978 – Tim Hasselbeck, American football player

1978 – Myleene Klass, British singer

1978 – Martin Mendez, Uruguayan bassist (Opeth)

1978 – Blaine Neal, American baseball player

1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Zambian/Welsh footballer

1981 – Kari Jobe, American singer-songwriter

1982 – Michael Guy Chislett, Australian guitarist (The Academy Is...)

1982 – Herculez Gomez, American soccer player

1982 – Ilan Hall, American chef

1982 – Bret Harrison, American actor

1982 – Travis Moen, Canadian ice hockey player

1983 – Diora Baird, American actress and model

1983 – Jerome Kaino, New Zealand rugby player

1983 – Mitsuru Nagata, Japanese footballer

1983 – Jade Seah, Singaporean model, host and actress

1983 – Dash Shaw, American comic book writer and artist

1983 – Bobbi Starr, American pornographic actress

1983 – James Wade, English darts player

1984 – Max Bemis, American musician and songwriter

1985 – Clarke MacArthur, Canadian ice hockey player

1985 – Frank Ongfiang, Italian footballer

1986 – Nikolas Asprogenis, Cypriot footballer

1986 – Aaron Curry, American football player

1986 – Ryota Moriwaki, Japanese footballer

1987 – Levi Porter, English footballer

1987 – Hilary Rhoda, American model

1988 – Leigh Adams, Australian footballer

1988 – Mike Bailey, English actor

1988 – Daniele Gasparetto, Italian footballer

1988 – Carlton Mitchell, American football player

1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Congolese/English footballer

1988 – Jucilei da Silva, Brazilian footballer

1995 – Ryutaro Morimoto, Japanese actor and singer

Deaths

885 – Saint Methodius (b. c. 815)

1147 – Frederick II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1090)

1199 – King Richard I of England (b. 1157)

1199 – Pierre Basile, French soldier

1362 – James I, Count of La Marche, French soldier (b. 1319)

1490 – Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, King of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1443)

1520 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483)

1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German artist (b. 1471)

1551 – Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist (b. 1484)

1571 – John Hamilton, Scottish prelate and politician

1590 – Francis Walsingham, English spymaster

1605 – John Stow, English historian

1655 – David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1591)

1686 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English royalist statesman (b. 1614)

1707 – Willem van de Velde, the younger, Dutch painter (b. 1633)

1755 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and antiquarian (b. 1690)

1825 – Vladimir Borovikovsky, Russian painter (b. 1757)

1829 – Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (b. 1802)

1833 – Adamantios Korais, Greek humanist scholar (b. 1748)

1838 – José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva, Brazilian statesman and geologist (b. 1763)

1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (b. 1803)

1883 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American politician (b. 1801)

1899 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (b. 1809)

1906 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (b. 1849)

1933 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, wife of George Armstrong Custer (b. 1842)

1935 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (b. 1869)

1947 – Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (b. 1896)

1953 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet (b. 1905)

1959 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Israeli professor and scholar of Islamic art (b. 1895)

1961 – Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1870)

1963 – Otto Struve, Russian-born astronomer (b. 1897)

1970 – Sam Sheppard, American accused murderer (b. 1923)

1970 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (b. 1933)

1971 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)

1974 – Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b. 1884)

1974 – Sir Hudson Fysh, Australian aviator and businessman (b. 1895)

1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)

1992 – Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (b. 1920)

1994 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician (b. 1937)

1994 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician (b. 1956)

1995 – Ioannis Alevras, Greek politician (b. 1912)

1996 – Greer Garson, Irish actress (b. 1904)

1998 – Norbert Schmitz, German footballer (b. 1958)

1998 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer (Plasmatics) (b. 1949)

1998 – Tammy Wynette, American singer (b. 1942)

1999 – Red Norvo, American jazz vibraphonist (b. 1908)

2000 – Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician (b. 1903)

2001 – Charles Pettigrew, American singer (b. 1963)

2003 – David Bloom, American reporter (b. 1963)

2003 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer (b. 1927)

2003 – Gerald Emmett Carter, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)

2004 – Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (b. 1929)

2004 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets) (b. 1937)

2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923)

2006 – Maggie Dixon, American college basketball coach (b. 1977)

2006 – Francis L. Kellogg, U.S. diplomat and prominent socialite (b. 1917)

2006 – Stefanos Stratigos, Greek actor (b. 1926)

2007 – Luigi Comencini, Italian film director (b. 1916)

2009 – Shawn Mackay, Australian rugby player (b. 1982)

2010 – Wilma Mankiller, Native-American activist, chief of the Cherokee Nation (b. 1945)

2010 – Corin Redgrave, British actor and political activist (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances

Chakri Day, commemorating the reign of the Chakri Dynasty. (Thailand)

Christian Feast Day:

*Brychan

*Eutychius of Constantinople (Byzantine Church)

*Marcellinus of Carthage

*Pope Celestine I (Roman Catholic Church)

*Pope Sixtus I

*April 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

New Beer's Eve (United States)

Tartan Day (United States & Canada)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

----

Category:Days of the year Category:April

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Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Russell Howard
birth name	Russell Joseph Howard
birth date	March 23, 1980
birth place	Bath, England
medium	Stand up, Television, Radio
nationality	English
active	2004–present
genre	Social satire, Observational comedy, Absurdist humour
subject	Everyday life, politics, Current events, family
notable work	The Milk Run, Mock the Week, Russell Howard's Good News
website
footnotes	}}

Russell Joseph Howard (born 23 March 1980) is an English comedian, best known for his shows ''Russell Howard's Good News'', and was a permanent panelist on ''Mock The Week''. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an if.comedy award for his 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, ''Wandering''.

Career

TV and radio work

In 2004 he was commissioned by BBC Radio 1 to write, sing and perform on the comedy series, ''The Milk Run'' and he has also appeared on the shows ''Banter'', hosted by Andrew Collins, and ''Political Animal'' for BBC Radio 4.

He was a regular on British topical panel show ''Mock the Week''. He has also made appearances on ''8 Out Of 10 Cats'', ''Would I Lie To You?'', ''Live At The Apollo'', ''The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008'', ''Law of the Playground'' and ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (Series 18, Episode 2 and Series 20, Episode 4).

He was one of several comedians picked as the best comedy talent from the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe that recorded 10–15-minute spots for the 'Edinburgh and Beyond show' which was aired on Paramount Comedy 1 in the autumn of 2006. The show was filmed at The Bloomsbury Theatre. From 2009 he took over as compère of this show from Al Murray.

From November 2006 to July 2008, Russell co-hosted ''The Russell Howard Show'' on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian Jon Richardson in a Sunday morning slot previously hosted by Russell Brand. The show continued to air, without Howard, until March 2010. He has since explained that his main reason for leaving the show was that he finds radio "really restrictive" and "I feed off the audience as a performer, but you can't gauge a reaction on the radio."

Russell was commissioned to make a comedy show called ''Russell Howard's Good News'', aimed at under-25s, for BBC Three. The first episode aired on 22 October 2009 and the show ran for seven episodes as well as a "Best Of" show and a Christmas Special. It went on to become BBC Three's highest ever rating entertainment series. In the show, he gave his take on the week's major news stories, as well as giving attention to some of the more light-hearted stories of the week. Two more series of the show were commissioned, with the second series starting on March 25, 2010. A fourth series began on 24 March 2011 on BBC Three.

He made his United States television debut on the August 3, 2011 episode of ''Conan''.

Charity work

He appeared at Friends of the Earth's LIVEstock 1993 comedy and music event at the Hammersmith Apollo in support of the green campaign group's Food Chain Campaign for planet-friendly farming, in 12 November 2009.

For Sport Relief 2010 he took part in the BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride, with David Walliams, Jimmy Carr, Fearne Cotton, Miranda Hart, Patrick Kielty, and Davina McCall. They cycled from John O'Groats in Scotland to Land's End in 4 days trying to raise 1 million pounds.

In April 2010, Howard ran the Virgin London Marathon for the first time with both his brother and sister, to raise money for the National Society for Epilepsy – a condition from which his brother suffers. He completed the 26 mile course in 4 hours and 15 minutes, beating his target time of 5 hours. Sponsorship has raised over £7,000 to date.

Live comedy

A show from his 2007 ''Adventures'' tour was released on DVD on 17 November 2008, under the title "Russell Howard Live". The show on the DVD was recorded at The Bloomsbury Theatre.

Howard started touring his show ''Dingledodies'' in September 2008 and played various dates through to December. Due to overwhelming demand he further extended the tour twice into 2009. It sold in excess of 125,000 tickets, including three sell-out shows at the Hammersmith Apollo as well as several large arenas such as Wembley Arena and Manchester's MEN Arena. The DVD of this tour was released on 9 November 2009 and features a recording of the show from the Brighton Dome.

He was named "Best Theatre Show" at the 2009 Chortle Comedy Awards.

Howard performed 10 UK dates between 11 and 20 December 2009 for his "Big Rooms and Belly Laughs" tour.

In 2011 the far right English Defence League threatened to picket one of his live gigs in retaliation at material poking fun at them in one of his TV performances.

He is currently performing his new arena tour for 2011, titled ''Right Here Right Now''. The tour sold out in days and was extended twice, with new dates in December 2011 announced on 3 May 2011.

Personal life

Russell Joseph Howard, was born on 23 March 1980 in Bath, Somerset

Russell grew up in [[Bristol. He now lives in Leamington Spa.

Russell was educated at Flitwick Lower School, Bedford Modern School which he attended for a year at the age of 8, Perins School and Alton College in Hampshire, then at the University of the West of England in Bristol, where he studied economics in the end attaining a 2:1.

He has a dog named Archie, who he refers to in his show, Russell Howard's Good News.

It was reported in The Independent and News Of The World that he earned £4 million in 2009 alone, but he categorises these reports as false.

Television

*''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' BBC 2 (2006)

*''Mock The Week'' BBC 2 (2006–2010)

*''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' BBC 2 (2007)

*''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive'' BBC Three (2007)

Would I Lie To You? (TV series)>Would I Lie To You?'' BBC 1 (2007)

Live at the Apollo (TV series)>Live at the Apollo'' BBC 1 (2007)

*''Law of the Playground'' Channel 4 (2008)

*''The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008'' Channel 4 (2008)

*''8 out of 10 Cats'' Channel 4 (2008)

Live at the Apollo (TV series)>Live at the Apollo'' BBC 1 (2009)

*''Russell Howard's Good News'' BBC Three (2009–)

Conan (TV series)>Conan'' (2011)

Radio

*''The Milk Run'' BBC Radio 1 (2004)

*''Political Animal'' BBC Radio 4 (2004)

Banter (radio show)>Banter'' BBC Radio 4 (2005)

*''The Russell Howard Show'' BBC 6 Music (2006–2008)

Writing

*''The Milk Run'' BBC Radio 1 (2004)

Stand-Up DVDs

!Title	!Release Date	!Notes
''Live''	17 November 2008	Live at London's Bloomsbury Theatre
''Live 2 – Dingledodies''	9 November 2009
''Right Here Right Now''	14 November 2011	Live at London's Hammersmith Apollo

References

External links

Russell Howard Official Website

Category:Alumni of the University of the West of England Category:British radio DJs Category:English comedians Category:English satirists Category:English stand-up comedians Category:English television writers Category:People from Bristol Category:1980 births Category:Living people

nl:Russell Howard sv:Russell Howard

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Bee Gees
origin
background	group_or_band
genre	Pop, soft rock, blue-eyed soul, disco
years active	1958–2003, 2009–present
label	Polydor, RSO, Warner Bros.
associated acts	Andy Gibb
website
current members	Barry GibbRobin Gibb
past members	Maurice GibbColin PetersenVince MelouneyGeoff Bridgford }}

The Bee Gees are a musical group that was originally made up of three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a foremost act of the disco music era in the late 1970s. The group sang three-part tight harmonies that were instantly recognisable; Robin's clear vibrato lead was a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B; falsetto became their signature sound during the late 1970s and 1980s. The brothers co-wrote all of their own hits, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists.

Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived their first few years in Chorlton, Manchester, England, then moved in the late 1950s to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, where they began their musical careers. After achieving their first chart success in Australia with "Spicks and Specks" (their 12th single), they returned to the United Kingdom in January 1967 where producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience. It has been estimated that the Bee Gees' career record sales total more than 220 million, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997; the presenter of the award to "Britain's first family of harmony" was Brian Wilson, historical leader of the Beach Boys, a "family act" also featuring three harmonising brothers. The Bee Gees' Hall of Fame citation says "Only Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees".

Following Maurice's sudden death in January 2003, Barry and Robin Gibb ended the group after 45 years of activity. In 2009, however, Robin announced that he and Barry had agreed that the Bee Gees would reform and perform again.

History

Early years

Barry Gibb (born 1946) and twin brothers Robin (born 1949) and Maurice Gibb (1949–2003) were born on the Isle of Man, but the family returned to father Hugh Gibb's home town of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England where they went to Oswald Road Primary School, in the early 1950s where the boys began to sing in harmony. The story is told that they were going to lip sync to a record in the local Gaumont cinema (as other children had done on previous weeks) and as they were running to the theatre, the heavy 78-RPM record broke. The brothers had to sing live and received such a positive response from the audience that they decided to pursue a singing career.

In 1958, the Gibb family, including infant brother Andy (1958–1988), emigrated to Redcliffe in Queensland, Australia. The young brothers began performing where they could to raise pocket money. First called ''the Rattlesnakes'', later ''Wee Johnny Hayes & the Bluecats'', they were introduced to radio DJ Bill Gates by racetrack promoter Bill Goode (who saw them perform at Brisbane's Speedway Circuit). Gates renamed them the "Bee Gees" after his and Goode's initials – thus the name was not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb", despite popular belief.

By 1960, the Bee Gees were featured on television shows, and in the next few years began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast. Barry drew the attention of Australian star Col Joye for his songwriting, and Joye helped the boys get a record deal with Festival Records subsidiary Leedon Records in 1963 under the name "Bee Gees." The three released two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists.

A minor hit in 1965, "Wine and Women", led to the group's first LP ''The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs''. However, by 1966 Festival was on the verge of dropping them from the Leedon roster because of their perceived lack of commercial success. It was at this time that they met American-born songwriter, producer and entrepreneur Nat Kipner, who had just been appointed A&R; manager of a new independent label, Spin Records. Kipner briefly took over as the group's manager and successfully negotiated their transfer to Spin in exchange for Festival being granted the Australian distribution rights to the group's recordings.

Through Kipner, the Bee Gees met engineer-producer Ossie Byrne. He produced (or co-produced with Kipner) many of the earlier Spin recordings, most of which were cut at his own small self-built St Clair Studio, in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville. Byrne gave the Gibb brothers virtually unlimited access to St Clair Studio over a period of several months in mid-1966 and the group later acknowledged that this enabled them to greatly improve their skills as recording artists. During this productive time they recorded a large batch of original material—including the song that would become their first major hit, "Spicks and Specks" (on which Byrne played the trumpet coda) – as well as cover versions of current hits by overseas acts such as The Beatles. They regularly collaborated with other local musicians, including members of beat band Steve & The Board, led by Steve Kipner, Nat's teenage son.

Frustrated by their lack of success, the Gibbs decided to return to England in late 1966. Ossie Byrne travelled with them, and Colin Petersen, who eventually became the group's drummer, followed soon after. While at sea in January 1967, they learned that "Spicks and Specks", a No. 1 hit in October 1966 had been awarded Best Single of the Year by ''Go-Set'', Australia's most popular and influential music newspaper.

Late 1960s – first international fame

Before their departure from Australia to England, Hugh Gibb sent demos to Brian Epstein who managed The Beatles and was director of NEMS, a British music store and promoter. Brian Epstein had passed the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood, who had recently joined NEMS. After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967, the Bee Gees were signed to a five-year contract whereby Polydor Records would be the Bee Gees' record label in the United Kingdom, and ATCO Records would be the United States distributor. Work quickly began on the group's first international album, and Robert Stigwood launched a promotional campaign to coincide with its release.

Stigwood proclaimed that the Bee Gees were "The Most Significant New Talent Of 1967" and thus began the immediate comparison to The Beatles. Their second British single (their first UK 45 rpm issued was "Spicks and Specks"), "New York Mining Disaster 1941", was issued to radio stations with a blank white label listing only the song title. Some DJs immediately assumed this was a new Beatles' single and started playing the song in heavy rotation. This helped the song climb into the Top 20 in both the United Kingdom and the United States. No such chicanery was needed to boost the Bee Gees' second single, "To Love Somebody", into the US Top 20. Originally written for Otis Redding, "To Love Somebody" was a soulful ballad sung by Barry, which has since become a pop standard covered by hundreds of artists including Gram Parsons, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Tyler, Janis Joplin, The Animals, Nina Simone, and Michael Bolton. Another single, "Holiday" was released in the United States, peaking at No. 16. The parent album, the erroneously titled ''Bee Gees 1st'', peaked at No. 7 in the United States and No. 8 in the United Kingdom.

Following the success of ''Bee Gees 1st'', the band (which now consisted of Barry on rhythm guitar, Maurice on bass, Vince Melouney on lead guitar and Colin Petersen on drums),. began work on the act's second album. Released in late 1967, ''Horizontal'' repeated the success of their first album, featuring the No. 1 UK single "Massachusetts" (a No. 11 US hit), and the No. 7 UK single "World". The sound of the album ''Horizontal'' had a more "rock" sound than their previous release, though ballads like "And The Sun Will Shine" and "Really And Sincerely" were also prominent. The ''Horizontal'' album reached No. 12 in the US, and No. 16 in the UK promoting the record, the Bee Gees made their first appearances in America, playing live concerts and television shows such as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''Laugh In''.

Two more singles followed in early 1968, the ballad "Words" (No. 15 US, No. 8 UK) and the double A-sided single "Jumbo" b/w "The Singer Sang His Song". "Jumbo" was the Bee Gees' least successful single to date only reaching No. 57 in the US, and No. 25 in the UK. The Bee Gees felt that "The Singer Sang His Song" was the stronger of the two sides, an opinion shared by listeners in the Netherlands, who made it a No. 3 hit. Further Bee Gees chart singles followed: "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" (No. 8 US, No. 1 UK) and "I Started A Joke" (No. 6 US), both culled from the band's third album ''Idea''. ''Idea'' was another Top 20 album in the US (No. 17) and the UK (No. 4). Following the tour and TV special to promote the album, Vince Melouney left the group, feeling that he wanted to play more of a blues style music than the Gibbs were writing. Melouney did achieve one feat while with the Bee Gees—his composition "Such A Shame" (from ''Idea'') is the only song on any Bee Gees album not written by a Gibb brother.

By 1969, the cracks began to show within the group. Robin began to feel that Stigwood had been favouring Barry as the frontman. Their next album, which was to have been a concept album called ''Masterpeace'', evolved into the double-album ''Odessa''. Most rock critics felt this was the best Bee Gees album of the 60s, with its progressive rock feel on the title track, the country-flavoured "Marley Purt Drive" and "Give Your Best", and signature ballads such as "Melody Fair" and "First Of May"; the last of which became the only single from the album, and was a minor hit. Feeling that the flipside, "Lamplight" should have been the A-side, Robin quit the group in mid-1969 and launched a solo career. Robin Gibb saw brief success in Europe with the No. 2 hit "Saved By The Bell" and the album ''Robin's Reign''. Barry and Maurice continued as the Bee Gees, even recruiting their sister Lesley to appear with them on stage.

The first of many Bee Gees compilations, ''Best of Bee Gees'' was released, featuring the non-LP single "Words" plus the Australian hit "Spicks and Specks" The CD release replaces "Spicks and Specks" with another non-LP single "Tomorrow Tomorrow", because Polydor could no longer secure the rights to the Australian track. "Tomorrow Tomorrow" was a moderate hit in the UK reaching No. 23, but stalled at No. 54 in the US. The compilation reached the Top Ten in both the US and the UK.

While Robin was off on his own, Barry, Maurice, and Colin continued on as the Bee Gees, recording their next album, ''Cucumber Castle''. There was also a TV special filmed to accompany the album, which aired on the BBC in 1971. Colin Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album, but was fired from the group after filming began and his parts were edited out of the final cut of the film. After Colin was fired, Australian drummer Geoff Bridgford was recruited to complete the recording of songs for Cucumber Castle. The leadoff single, "Don't Forget to Remember" was a big hit in the UK reaching No. 2, but a disappointment in the US, only reaching No. 73. The next 2 singles, "I.O.I.O." and "If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else" barely scraped the charts, and following the release of the album, Barry and Maurice parted ways. It seemed that the Bee Gees were finished. Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release, though "I'll Kiss Your Memory" was released as a single, without much interest. Meanwhile, Maurice released the single "Railroad", and starred in the West End musical ''Sing A Rude Song''.

Early 1970s

The three brothers reunited in the later part of 1970 penning a series of songs about heartache and loneliness. During this period they became a four piece band joined again by Australian drummer Geoff Bridgford who after playing on the 2 Years On album and Trafalgar album became the last non-Gibb brother to be a member of the Bee Gees. Although they had lost traction on the British charts, the Bee Gees hit No. 3 in America with "Lonely Days" (from the reunion LP ''2 Years On'') and had their first US No. 1 with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (from ''Trafalgar''). The trio's talents were included in the soundtrack for the 1971 film ''Melody'' as they performed several songs for the title. In 1972, they hit No. 16 in America with the single "My World" and "Run To Me" from the LP ''To Whom It May Concern''; the latter also returned them to the British top ten for the first time in three years.

By 1973, however, the Bee Gees were in a rut. The album, ''Life in a Tin Can'', released on RSO Records and its lead-off single, "Saw a New Morning," sold poorly with the single peaking at No. 94. This was followed by an unreleased album (known as ''A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants''). A second compilation album, ''Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2'' was released in 1973, though it did not repeat the success of Volume 1.

On the advice of Ahmet Ertegün, head of their US label Atlantic Records, Stigwood arranged for the group to record with famed soul music producer Arif Mardin. The resulting LP, ''Mr. Natural'', included fewer ballads and foreshadowed the R&B; direction of the rest of their career. But when it too failed to attract much interest, Mardin encouraged them to work with the soul music style.

The brothers attempted to assemble a live stage band that could replicate their studio sound. Lead guitarist Alan Kendall had come on board in 1971, but did not have much to do until ''Mr. Natural''. For that album, they added drummer Dennis Bryon, and they later added ex-Strawbs keyboard player Blue Weaver, completing the late 1970s "Bee Gees band". Maurice, who had previously performed on piano, guitar, organ, mellotron, and bass guitar, as well as exotica like mandolin and Moog synthesiser, now confined himself to bass onstage.

At Eric Clapton's suggestion, the brothers relocated to Miami, Florida, early in 1975 to record. After starting off with ballads, they eventually heeded the urging of Mardin and Stigwood and crafted more rhythmic disco songs, including their second US No. 1, "Jive Talkin'", along with US No. 7 "Nights on Broadway." The latter featured Barry Gibb's first attempts at singing falsetto based on Arif Mardin's suggestion, in the backing vocals toward the end. Robin also began singing some passages in a falsetto pitch. The band liked the resulting new sound, and this time the public agreed, sending the LP ''Main Course'' up the charts. This was their second album to have two US top-10 singles since 1968's ''Idea''. ''Main Course'' also became their first charting R&B; album. Mardin was unable to work with the group afterwards, but the Bee Gees enlisted Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson who had worked with Mardin during the ''Main Course'' sessions. This production team would carry the Bee Gees through the rest of the 1970s.

The next album, ''Children of the World,'' was drenched in Barry's newfound falsetto and Weaver's synthesiser disco licks. Led off by the single "You Should Be Dancing," it pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had not previously achieved in the US, though their new R&B;/disco sound was not as popular with some die hard fans from the 1960s. The Bee Gees' band was now closer to a rock act, with rhythm guitar and real drums behind the falsetto.

Late 1970s: ''Saturday Night Fever''

Following a successful live album, ''Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live'', the Bee Gees agreed with Stigwood to participate in the creation of the ''Saturday Night Fever soundtrack''. It would be the turning point of their career. The cultural impact of both the film and the soundtrack was seismic, not only in the United States but in the rest of the world, bringing the nascent disco scene mainstream.

The band's involvement in the film did not begin until post-production. As John Travolta asserted, "The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning ... I was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs." Producer Robert Stigwood commissioned the Bee Gees to create the songs for the film. The brothers wrote the songs "virtually in a single weekend" at France's Château d'Hérouville studio. Barry Gibb remembered the reaction when Stigwood and music supervisor Bill Oakes arrived and listened to the demos:

Bill Oakes, who supervised the soundtrack, asserts that ''Saturday Night Fever'' did not begin the disco craze; rather, it prolonged it: "Disco had run its course. These days, ''Fever'' is credited with kicking off the whole disco thing–-it really didn't. Truth is, it breathed new life into a genre that was actually dying."

Three Bee Gees singles ("How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", and "Night Fever") reached No. 1 in the United States and most countries around the world, launching the most popular period of the disco era. They also penned the song "If I Can't Have You" which became a No. 1 hit for Yvonne Elliman, while the Bee Gees' own version was the B-Side of "Stayin' Alive." Such was the popularity of ''Saturday Night Fever'' that two different versions of the song "More Than a Woman" received airplay, one by the Bee Gees, which was relegated to album track, and another by Tavares, which was the hit. The Gibb sound was inescapable. During an eight-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977, the brothers wrote six songs that held the No. 1 position on the US charts for 25 of 32 consecutive weeks—three under their own name, two for brother Andy Gibb, and the Yvonne Elliman single.

Fueled by the movie's success, the soundtrack broke multiple industry records, becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that point. With more than 40 million copies sold, ''Saturday Night Fever'' is among music's top five best selling soundtrack albums. It is currently calculated as the 9th highest-selling album worldwide.

During this era, Barry and Robin also wrote "Emotion" for an old friend, Australian vocalist Samantha Sang, who made it a Top Ten hit (the Bee Gees sang back-up vocals). Barry also wrote the title song to the movie version of the Broadway musical ''Grease'' for Frankie Valli to perform, which went to No. 1. During this period, the Bee Gees' younger brother Andy followed his older siblings into a music career, and enjoyed considerable success. Produced by Barry, Andy Gibb's first three singles all topped the US charts. In March 1978, The Bee Gees held the top 2 positions on the US Charts with "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive", the first time this had happened since the Beatles. On the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 25 March 1978, five songs written by the Gibbs were in the US top ten at the same time: "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive", "If I Can't Have You", "Emotion" and "Love is Thicker Than Water". Such chart dominance hadn't been seen since April 1964, when the Beatles had all five of the top five American singles. Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four consecutive number one hits in the US breaking the John Lennon and Paul McCartney 1964 record. These songs were "Stayin' Alive", "Love Is Thicker Than Water", "Night Fever", "If I Can't Have You".

The Bee Gees also co-starred with Peter Frampton in the movie ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1978) loosely inspired by the classic 1967 Beatles album. The film had been heavily promoted prior to release, and was expected to enjoy great commercial success. However, the disjointed film was savaged by the movie critics, and ignored by the public. Though some of its tracks charted, the soundtrack too was a high-profile flop. The single "Oh! Darling", credited to Robin Gibb, reached No. 15 in the US. Previously, the Bee Gees had recorded three Beatles covers—"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Sun King" – for the transitory musical documentary ''All This and World War II''.

The Bee Gees' follow-up to ''Saturday Night Fever'' was the ''Spirits Having Flown'' album. It yielded three more No. 1 hits: "Too Much Heaven", "Tragedy", and "Love You Inside Out." This gave the act six consecutive No. No. 1 singles in America within a year and a half (a record surpassed only by Whitney Houston). "Too Much Heaven" ended up as the Bee Gees' musical contribution to the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in January 1979, a benefit organised by the Bee Gees, Robert Stigwood, and David Frost for UNICEF that was broadcast worldwide. The brothers donated the royalties from the song to the charity. Up to 2007, this song has earned over $11 million for UNICEF. During the summer of 1979, The Bee Gees embarked on their largest concert tour covering the US and Canada. The Spirits Having Flown tour capitalised on Bee Gees fever that was sweeping the nation, with sold out concerts in 38 cities. The Bee Gees produced a video for the title track of "Too Much Heaven" directed by Miami-based film-maker, Martin Pitts and produced by Charles Allen. With this video, Pitts and Allen began a long association with the brothers.

The Bee Gees even had a country hit in 1979 with "Rest Your Love On Me", the flip side of their pop hit "Too Much Heaven", which made Top 40 on the country charts. In 1981, Conway Twitty's version of "Rest Your Love On Me" topped the country charts.

The Bee Gees' overwhelming success rose and fell with the disco bubble. By the end of 1979, disco was rapidly declining in popularity, and the backlash against disco put the Bee Gees' American career in a tailspin. Radio stations around America began promoting "Bee Gee Free Weekends". Following their remarkable run from 1975 to 1979, the act would have only one more top ten single in the US, and that would not come until 1989. The Bee Gees' international popularity sustained somewhat less damage. Barry Gibb considered the success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack both a blessing and a curse:

1980s

Robin and Barry Gibb released various solo albums in the 1980s but only with sporadic and moderate chart success. However, the brothers had continuing success behind the scenes, writing and producing for several artists. In 1980, Barry Gibb worked with Barbra Streisand on her album ''Guilty''. He co-produced and wrote or co-wrote all nine of the album's tracks (four of them written with Robin and the title track with both Robin and Maurice). Barry also appeared on the album's cover with Streisand, and duetted with her on two tracks. The album reached No.1 in both the US and the UK, as did the single "Woman in Love" (written by Barry and Robin), becoming Streisand's most successful single and album to date.

In 1982, Dionne Warwick enjoyed a UK No.2 and US Adult Contemporary No. 1 with her comeback single, "Heartbreaker", taken from her album of the same name written largely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry Gibb. The album reached No.3 in the UK and the Top 30 in the US where it was certified Gold.

A year later, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded the Bee Gees-penned track "Islands in the Stream", which became a US No. 1 hit and Top 10 in the UK. Rogers' 1983 album, ''Eyes That See In The Dark'', was written entirely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry. The album was a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified Double Platinum.

In 1985, Diana Ross released the album ''Eaten Alive'', written by the Bee Gees, with the title track co-written with Michael Jackson (who also performed on the track). The album was again co-produced by Barry Gibb and the single "Chain Reaction" gave Ross a UK and Australian No.1 hit.

In 1981, the Bee Gees released the album ''Living Eyes'', their last release on RSO. This album was the first CD ever played in public, when it was played to viewers of the BBC show ''Tomorrow's World''. With the disco backlash still running strong, the album failed to make the UK or US Top 40. Two singles from the album fared little better - "He's a Liar" reached No. 30 in the US and "Living Eyes" reached No. 45, breaking the Bee Gees' Top 40 streak which started in 1975 with "Jive Talkin'". In 1983, the Bee Gees had greater success with the soundtrack to ''Staying Alive'', the sequel to ''Saturday Night Fever''. The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US, and included their Top 30 hit "The Woman in You".

In 1983, the band was sued by Chicago songwriter Ronald Selle, who claimed that the brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End", and used it in "How Deep Is Your Love". At first, the Bee Gees lost the case; one juror said that a factor in the jury's decision was the Gibbs' failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff's expert testimony that it was "impossible" for the two songs to have been written independently. However, the verdict was overturned a few months later.

The Bee Gees released the album ''E.S.P.'' in 1987, which sold over 3 million copies. It was their first album in six years, and their first for Warner Bros. Records. The single "You Win Again" went to No. 1 in numerous countries, including Britain, but was a disappointment in the US, charting at No. 75. The Bee Gees voiced their frustration over American radio stations not playing their new European hit single, an omission which the group felt led to poor sales of their current album in the States.

On 10 March 1988, younger brother Andy died at the age 30 as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle due to a recent viral infection. His brothers acknowledge that Andy's past drug and alcohol use probably made his heart more susceptible to the ailment. Just before Andy's death, it was decided by the group that Andy would join them, which would have made the group a four piece. This did not come to pass, however. The Bee Gees' following album, ''One'' (1989), featured a song dedicated to Andy, "Wish You Were Here". The album also contained their first US top ten hit (No. 7) in a decade, "One". After the album's release, they embarked on their first world tour in ten years.

1990s

In 1990, Polydor Records issued the box set ''Tales from the Brothers Gibb: A History in Song'', which contained all of the group's singles (except 1981's "Living Eyes"), rare B-sides, unreleased tracks, solo material, and live performances. Many songs received new stereo mixes by Bill Inglot with some songs making their CD debut. At the time of its release, ''Tales'' was one of the first box sets issued in the music business and it was considered an honour for a group to have one. In the UK, Polydor issued a single disc hits collection from ''Tales'' called ''The Very Best of the Bee Gees'', which contained their biggest UK hits. The album became one of their best selling albums in that country, eventually being certified Triple Platinum.

Following their next album, ''High Civilization'' (1991), which contained the UK top five hit "Secret Love", the Bee Gees went on a European tour. After the tour, Barry Gibb began to battle a serious back problem, which required surgery. In addition, he also suffered from arthritis, and at one point, it was so severe that it was doubtful that he would be able to play guitar for much longer. Also in the early 1990s, Maurice Gibb finally sought treatment for his alcoholism, which he had battled for many years, with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1993, the group returned to the Polydor label, and released the album ''Size Isn't Everything'', which contained the UK top five hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Success still eluded them in the US, however, as the first single released, "Paying the Price of Love" only managed to reach No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the parent album stalled at No. 153.

In 1997, they released the album ''Still Waters'', which sold over four million copies, and reached No.2 in the UK (their highest album chart position there since 1979) and No.11 in the US. The album's first single, "Alone", gave them another UK Top 5 hit and a top 30 hit in the US. ''Still Waters'' would be the band's most successful US release of their post-RSO era.

On 14 November 1997, the Bee Gees performed a live concert in Las Vegas called ''One Night Only''. The show included a performance of "Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)" synchronised with a vocal by their deceased brother Andy and a cameo appearance by Celine Dion singing "Immortality". The CD of the performance sold over 5 million copies. The "One Night Only" name grew out of the band's declaration that, due to Barry's health issues, the Las Vegas show was to be the final live performance of their career. After the immensely positive audience response to the Vegas concert, Barry decided to continue despite the pain, and the concert expanded into their last full-blown world tour of "One Night Only" concerts. The tour included playing to 56,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium on 5 September 1998 and concluded in the newly built Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 27 March 1999 to an audience exceeding 105,000.

In 1998, the group's soundtrack for ''Saturday Night Fever'' was incorporated into a stage production produced first in the West End and then on Broadway. They wrote three new songs for the adaptation. Also in 1998 the brothers recorded ''Ellan Vannin'' for Isle of Man charities. Known as the unofficial national anthem of the Isle of Man, the brothers performed the song during their world tour to reflect their pride in the place of their birth.

The Bee Gees closed the decade with what turned out to be their last full-sized concert, known as ''BG2K'', on 31 December 1999.

2000s

In 2001, the group released what turned out to be their final album of new material as a group, ''This Is Where I Came In''. The album was another success, reaching the Top 10 in the UK (being certified Gold), and the Top 20 in the US. The title track was also a UK Top 20 hit single. The album gave each each member of the group a chance to write in his own way, as well as composing songs together. For example, Maurice's compositions and leads are the "Man in the Middle" and "Walking on Air," while Robin contributed "Déjà Vu," "Promise the Earth," and "Embrace," and Barry contributed "Loose Talk Costs Lives," "Technicolour Dreams", and "Voice in the Wilderness". The other songs are collaborative in writing and vocals. They performed many tracks from ''This Is Where I Came In'', plus many of their biggest hits, on the live televised concert series ''Live by Request'', shown on the A&E; Network. The last concert of the Bee Gees as a trio was at the ''Love and Hope Ball'' in 2002.

Maurice, who had been the musical director of the Bee Gees during their final years as a group, died unexpectedly on 12 January 2003 at the age of 53 from a heart attack, while awaiting emergency surgery to repair a strangulated intestine. Initially, his surviving brothers announced that they intended to carry on the name "Bee Gees" in his memory. But as time passed they decided to retire the group name, leaving it to represent the three brothers together.

The same week that Maurice died, Robin's solo album ''Magnet'' was released. On 23 February 2003, the Bee Gees received the Grammy Legend Award. Barry and Robin accepted as well as Maurice's son, Adam, in a tearful ceremony.

Although there was talk of a memorial concert featuring both surviving brothers and invited guests, nothing materialised. Barry and Robin continued to work independently, and both released recordings with other artists, occasionally coming together to perform at special events.

After the Bee Gees

In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia. During January 2005, Barry, Robin and several legendary rock artists recorded "Grief Never Grows Old," the official tsunami relief record for the Disasters Emergency Committee. Later that year, Barry reunited with Barbra Streisand for her top-selling album ''Guilty Pleasures'', released as ''Guilty Too'' in the UK as a sequel album to the previous ''Guilty''. Robin continued touring in Europe. Also in 2004, Barry recorded his song "I Cannot Give You My Love" with Cliff Richard, which became a UK top 20 hit single.

In February 2006, Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute. It was their first public performance together since the death of brother Maurice. Barry and Robin also played at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on 20 May 2006.

In October 2008, Robin performed a couple of songs in London as part of the BBC Electric Proms ''Saturday Night Fever'' performance. This involved various other performers and the BBC Concert Orchestra and was screened on the BBC and BBC interactive services.

Return to performing

On 1 September 2009, Barry Gibb, in an interview with Easy Mix radio host Tim Roxborough, mentioned on the subject of future tours that "they will be back"; but in an agreement with Warner/Rhino they would not make an announcement at that time. On 7 September 2009, Robin Gibb disclosed to Jonathan Agnew that he had been in touch with Barry Gibb and that they had agreed that the Bee Gees would re-form and "perform again".

Barry and Robin performed on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' on 31 October 2009 and appeared on ABC-TV's ''Dancing with the Stars'' on 17 November 2009.

On 15 March 2010, Barry and Robin inducted the Swedish group ABBA into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On 26 May 2010, the two made a surprise appearance on the ninth season finale of ''American Idol''.

In October 2010, Robin Gibb was interviewed by the ''Daily Mail'', and confirmed that the story of the Bee Gees is to be made into a Hollywood movie by Steven Spielberg. The Oscar-winning director believes the group’s journey from unknowns in Manchester to worldwide fame will prove box-office gold. Robin told the ''Daily Mail'': "The movie is going to be done by some very important people. It will be our life story. Barry and I will be involved in the technical side". One of the challenges for Spielberg will be replicating the brothers’ distinctive three-part harmonies and Barry’s falsetto voice. Robin said: "I’d like our original recordings to be used because it’s very hard to emulate them."

Songwriting success

The Bee Gees have sold in excess of 220 million records worldwide. At one point in 1978, the Gibb brothers were responsible for writing and/or performing 9 of the songs in the Billboard Hot 100. In all, the Gibbs placed 13 singles onto the Hot 100 in 1978, with 12 making the Top 40.

At least 2,500 artists have recorded their songs. Their most popular composition is "How Deep Is Your Love", with 400 versions by other artists in existence. Among the artists who have covered their songs are Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Al Green, Eric Clapton, Lulu, Elton John, Tom Jones, Nina Simone, John Frusciante (who has covered "How Deep Is Your Love" during Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts), Feist, Billy Corgan, Michael Bolton, Robert Smith, Ardijah, Jinusean, Faith No More, The Flaming Lips and Destiny's Child. The band's music has also been sampled by dozens of hip hop artists.

Songs written by the Gibbs, but largely better known through versions by other artists, include:

"Immortality" by Celine Dion

"If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman

"Chain Reaction" by Diana Ross

"Spicks and Specks" by Status Quo

"Emotion" by Samantha Sang and by Destiny's Child

"Come On Over" by Olivia Newton-John

"Warm Ride" by Graham Bonnet and by Rare Earth

"Guilty" and "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand

"Heartbreaker" & "All The Love In The World" by Dionne Warwick

"Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

"Grease" by Frankie Valli

"Hold On To My Love" by Jimmy Ruffin

"Only One Woman" by The Marbles

"Morning of My Life" by Abi and Esther Ofarim

"Rest Your Love on Me" by Conway Twitty

"Buried Treasure" by Kenny Rogers (backing vocals The Gatlin Brothers)

"Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You" by Teri DeSario

"I Will Be There" by Tina Turner

Awards and recognition

Inductions

1979 Hollywood Walk of Fame

1994 Songwriters Hall of Fame

1995 Florida's Artists Hall of Fame

1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

1997 ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Hall of Fame

2001 Vocal Group Hall of Fame

2004 Dance Music Hall of Fame

2005 London's Walk of Fame

Grammy Awards

1978 Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Group – "How Deep Is Your Love"

1979 Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group – "Saturday Night Fever"

1979 Best Arrangement Of Voices – "Stayin' Alive"

1979 Album Of The Year – "Saturday Night Fever"

1979 Producer Of The Year – "Saturday Night Fever"

1981 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal – "Guilty" (Barry Gibb with Barbra Streisand)

2000 Lifetime Achievement Award

2003 Legend Award

2004 Hall Of Fame Award – "Saturday Night Fever"

World Music Awards

1997 Legend Award

American Music Awards

1979 Favorite Pop / Rock Band, Duo Or Group

1979 Favorite Soul / R&B; Album – "Saturday Night Fever"

1980 Favorite Pop / Rock Band, Duo Or Group

1980 Favorite Pop / Rock Album – "Spirits Having Flown"

1997 International Artist Award

BRIT Awards

1997 Outstanding Contribution To Music

BMI Awards

On 15 May 2007, The Bee Gees were named BMI Icons at the 55th annual BMI Pop Awards. Collectively, Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb have earned 109 BMI Pop, Country and Latin Awards.

Commemorative stamps

In October 1999 the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of 6 stamps honouring their native sons' music. The official launch took place at the London Palladium where the stage show of ''Saturday Night Fever'' was playing. A similar launch was held in New York shortly after to coincide with the show opening across the Atlantic. The songs depicted on the stamps are "Massachusetts", "Words", "I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive" and "Immortality".

Civic honours

In 1978, following the success of ''Saturday Night Fever'', and the single "Night Fever" in particular, Reubin Askew, the Governor of the US state of Florida, named the Bee Gees honorary citizens of the state, since they resided in Miami at the time.

All three brothers (including Maurice, posthumously) were appointed Commanders in the Order of the British Empire, one level underneath knighthood, in December 2001 with the ceremony taking place on 27 May 2004.

On 10 July 2009, the Isle of Man's capital bestowed the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas honour on Barry and Robin, as well as posthumously on Maurice, thereby conveying the award of the town of their birth to all three brothers. On 20 November 2009, Douglas Borough Council released a limited edition commemorative DVD to mark their naming as Freemen of the Borough.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |- ! Year ! Title ! US Chart ! UK Chart |- | 1965 | style="text-align:left;"|''The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs'' | — | — |- | 1966 | style="text-align:left;"|''Spicks and Specks'' | — | — |- | 1967 | style="text-align:left;"|''Bee Gees 1st'' | 7 | 8 |- | 1968 | style="text-align:left;"|''Horizontal'' | 12 | 16 |- | 1968 | style="text-align:left;"|''Idea'' | 17 | 4 |- | 1969 | style="text-align:left;"|''Odessa'' | 20 | 10 |- | 1970 | style="text-align:left;"|''Cucumber Castle'' | 94 | 57 |- | 1970 | style="text-align:left;"|''2 Years On'' | 32 | — |- | 1971 | style="text-align:left;"|''Trafalgar'' | 34 | — |- | 1972 | style="text-align:left;"|''To Whom It May Concern'' | 35 | — |- | 1973 | style="text-align:left;"|''Life in a Tin Can'' | 68 | — |- | 1974 | style="text-align:left;"|''Mr. Natural'' | 178 | — |- | 1975 | style="text-align:left;"|''Main Course'' | 14 | — |- | 1976 | style="text-align:left;"|''Children of the World'' | 8 | — |- | 1979 | style="text-align:left;"|''Spirits Having Flown'' | 1 | 1 |- | 1981 | style="text-align:left;"|''Living Eyes'' | 41 | 73 |- | 1987 | style="text-align:left;"|''E.S.P.'' | 96 | 5 |- | 1989 | style="text-align:left;"|''One'' | 68 | 29 |- | 1991 | style="text-align:left;"|''High Civilization'' | — | 24 |- | 1993 | style="text-align:left;"|''Size Isn't Everything'' | 153 | 23 |- | 1997 | style="text-align:left;"|''Still Waters'' | 11 | 2 |- | 2001 | style="text-align:left;"|''This Is Where I Came In'' | 16 | 6 |}

Live albums

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |- ! Year ! Title ! US Chart ! UK Chart |- | 1977 | style="text-align:left;"|''Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live'' | 8 | — |- | 1998 | style="text-align:left;"|''One Night Only'' | 72 | 4 |}

Soundtrack releases

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |- ! Year ! Title ! US Chart ! UK Chart |- | 1977 | style="text-align:left;"|''Saturday Night Fever'' | 1 | 1 |- | 1978 | style="text-align:left;"|''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' | 5 | 38 |- | 1983 | style="text-align:left;"|''Staying Alive'' | 6 | 14 |}

Catalogue reissue

The Gibbs recently gained ownership rights to their back catalogue, and set up a new distribution arrangement with Warner/Rhino/Reprise Records where they have since reissued digitally remastered versions of ''Saturday Night Fever'', their later ''Bee Gees Greatest'' album, and a new boxed set: ''The Studio Albums: 1967–1968''.

Additionally, more recent titles such as ''Still Waters'' and ''This Is Where I Came In'' were among the first batch of re-releases. The band's three Warner Bros. releases, ''E. S. P.,'' ''One'' and ''High Civilisation'' were also made available on iTunes for the first time since the albums went out of print in North America in the mid-90s.

According to Robin Gibb's website, three more reissues were planned for the 2008 holiday season: ''Best of Bee Gees'', ''Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2'' and ''Love Songs''. The double album ''Odessa'' was released on 13 January 2009 in a special 3-disc deluxe edition complete with the original red velvet cover with remastered stereo and mono versions of the album as well as alternate versions and unreleased tracks.

Limited edition

was recorded in 1997 as a 1,000 quantity limited edition single for Isle of Man charities. The song was featured in the Bee Gees World Tour and on ITV's "An Evening With ..." but to date has not been released generally. The single was subsequently also available as part of the 1999 Bee Gees Stamp issue.

50th anniversary collections

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of The Bee Gees (when they started calling themselves 'Bee Gees' in 1959), Rhino Records is releasing two new collections. ''Mythology'' is a four-disc collection highlighting each brother, including Andy, with tracks personally selected by Barry, Robin, Maurice's wife Yvonne (with his children Adam and Samantha), and Andy's daughter Peta. Maurice's disc contains two unreleased tracks called "Angel Of Mercy" and "The Bridge". Andy's disc contains the unreleased track "Arrow Through The Heart". ''Mythology'' also features a scrapbook of family photos, many never-before published, along with tributes from artists such as George Martin, Brian Wilson, Elton John, Graham Nash and the band's longtime manager Robert Stigwood.

The second collection, ''The Ultimate Bee Gees'' is a more modest two-disc, 40-track collection highlighting their biggest hits which will include a bonus DVD of unreleased videos, previously unreleased television appearances, live performances, and promo videos. Each disc is themed with the first disc being the more upbeat songs called 'A Night Out' and the second disc being more ballad focused called 'A Night In'.

Band instrumentalists

Barry Gibb played rhythm guitar.

During the early 1970s, Robin Gibb played piano and violin occasionally, but most of the time he only sang. Although he keeps on playing strings and keyboards privately, he has not played any instrument on stage since mid-'70s.

Maurice Gibb played bass guitar, rhythm and lead guitar, piano, organ, harpsichord, electric piano, mellotron, and electronic keyboards, synthesisers and drum tracks. From 1966 to 1972 he played multiple instruments on many records. During the late 1970s he played mainly bass guitar. From about 1986 onward he usually played keyboards and guitars. Maurice was credited by the brothers as being the most technologically savvy member of the band, and had built his own home studio. The bootleg CD ''ESP Demos'' allegedly includes rough versions of tracks from the album of the same name that were recorded at that studio.

These musicians were considered members of the band:

Colin Petersen – drums 1967–69

Vince Melouney – lead guitar 1967–68

Geoff Bridgford – drums 1969–72

Alan Kendall – lead guitar 1971–80, 87–01

Dennis Bryon – drums 1974–80

Blue Weaver – keyboards 1975–80

Here are some other musicians who backed up the Bee Gees live and in the studio:

Carlos Alomar – guitar

Ray Barretto – bongos

Reb Beach – guitar

David Foster – keyboards

Steve Gibb – guitar

Scott Glasel – Synthesizer and Drum Programming

Steve Jordan – drums

Manu Katché – drums

Jim Keltner – drums 1973

Rhett Lawrence – Synthesizer Programming

Marcus Miller – bass guitar

Pino Palladino – bass guitar

Greg Phillinganes – keyboards Jeff Porcaro – drums

Russ Powell—bass guitar

Steve Rucker – drums

Raphael Saadiq – bass guitar, guitar, drum programming, vocals

Stephen Stills – percussion

Peter-John Vettese – keyboards

Waddy Wachtel – guitar

Joe Walsh – guitar

Filmography

1969: ''Cucumber Castle''

1978: ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''

1979: ''The Bee Gees Special''

1990: ''One For All Tour''

1997: ''Keppel Road''

1998: ''One Night Only''

2001: ''This Is Where I Came In''

2002: ''Live By Request''

2010: ''In Our Own Time''

In pop culture

Australian music quiz show ''Spicks and Specks'' takes its name from the Bee Gees song of the same name, and features the song in its opening titles

A TV sketch by Kenny Everett in which he played all three Gibbs as well as an interviewer, had the Bee Gees answering all of his questions with song quotes

They were parodied by Philip Pope, Angus Deayton, and Michael Fenton Stevens recording as The Hee Bee Gee Bees, singing "Meaningless Songs (in Very High Voices)"

In an episode of ''The Simpsons'' while at a yard sale Homer and Disco Stu perform the "Staying Alive" parody "Table Five"

In 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2011 Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake parodied Barry and Robin Gibb on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the show's ''Barry Gibb Talk Show'' sketches.

The pop punk band Blink 182 parodied the Bee Gees in their "First Date" video

A ''MADtv'' parody shows Barry Gibb, portrayed by Michael McDonald, making an American soundtrack with Randy Newman and other celebrities like Chaka Khan (Aries Spears) and Destiny's Child (Debra Wilson)

In 1998, the British television comedy sketch show ''Big Train'' featured a sketch starring Simon Pegg, Mark Heap and Kevin Eldon as the Bee Gees depicted as outlaws being killed by lawman Chaka Khan in a Western-style shoot-out

In ''The Mighty Boosh'' episode "The Legend of Old Gregg", The Bee Gees are one of the bands who wanted a piece of The Funk

In ''The Goodies'' episode "Saturday Night Grease", Tim imitated the high-pitched voices of the Bee Gees used in the soundtrack ''Staying Alive''

In ''The Fairly OddParents'', Cosmo refers to the untrue history of the Bee Gees, and mentions that "there's too much Bee Gees".

References

External links

Bee Gees – official website

Barry Gibb – official website

Robin Gibb – official website

Bee Gees at ''Rolling Stone''

Bee Gees' Vocal Group Hall of Fame webpage

Bee Gees at bmi.com

* Category:Musical groups established in 1958 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Category:ARIA Award winners Category:ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Category:Australian rock music groups Category:Disco groups Category:English dance music groups Category:English rock music groups Category:Family musical groups Category:Grammy Award winners Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Musical groups from Manchester Category:Manx musical groups Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Queensland musical groups Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Sibling musical trios Category:UNICEF people

ar:بي جيز bg:Би Джийс ca:Bee Gees cs:Bee Gees da:Bee Gees de:Bee Gees et:Bee Gees es:Bee Gees eo:Bee Gees fa:بی جیز fr:The Bee Gees gl:Bee Gees ko:비 지스 hr:The Bee Gees id:Bee Gees is:Bee Gees it:Bee Gees he:בי ג'יז ka:ბი ჯიზი lv:Bee Gees lt:Bee Gees hu:The Bee Gees mk:Bee Gees arz:بى جييز ms:Kumpulan Bee Gees nah:Bee Gees nl:Bee Gees ja:ビージーズ no:Bee Gees pl:Bee Gees pt:Bee Gees qu:Bee Gees ru:Bee Gees sq:Bee Gees scn:The Bee Gees simple:Bee Gees sk:Bee Gees sh:The Bee Gees fi:Bee Gees sv:Bee Gees th:บีจีส์ tr:Bee Gees uk:Bee Gees vi:Bee Gees zh:比吉斯

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Gheorghe Zamfir
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Gheorghe Zamfir (flute artist)
alias	Pan Flute Master
birth date	April 06, 1941
birth place	Găeşti, Romania
instrument	Pan flute
genre	Romanian popular musicInstrumental PopEasy listening
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Music teacher
years active	1960 - present
label	SonArt Records
website	http://www.gheorghe-zamfir.com }}

Gheorghe Zamfir (; born April 6, 1941) is a Romanian pan flute musician.

Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of the traditional Romanian-style pan flute (nai) of 20 pipes to 22, 25, 28 and 30 pipes to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight overtones (additionally to the fundamental tone) from each pipe by changing the embouchure.

He is known as "The Master of the Pan Flute", although he is considered to be in category of artists whose success relies more on good marketing, than on musical skills.

Career

Zamfir came to the public eye when he was "discovered" by Swiss ethnomusicologist Marcel Cellier who extensively researched Romanian folk music in the 1960s. Brought for the first time with his pan flute to western European countries in 1972 by the composer Vladimir Cosma as soloist in Cosma's original music for the movie ''Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire'' and made a big success, since then, he has been used as soloist in movie soundtracks by composers Francis Lai, Ennio Morricone and many others. Largely through television commercials where he was billed as "Zamfir, Master of the pan Flute", he introduced the folk instrument to a modern audience and revived it from obscurity. In the United States his commercials were widely seen on CNN in the 1980s.

Zamfir's big break in the English-speaking world came when the BBC religious television programme "The Light of Experience" adopted his recording of "Doina De Jale", a traditional Romanian funeral song, as its theme. Popular demand forced Epic Records to release the tune as a single in 1976, and it climbed to number four on the UK charts. It would prove to be his only hit single, but it helped pave the way for a consistent stream of album sales in Britain.

After nearly a decade-long absence, Romanian pan flute virtuoso Gheorghe Zamfir returns to Canada in January 2006 for a seven-city tour with TRAFFIC STRINGS quintet . In the program was include a world premiere: Vivaldi's Four Seasons for PanFlute and string quintet arranged by Lucian Moraru, jazz standards, and well-known favourites.

Most recently, Zamfir has been sampled by Animal Collective in the song "Graze" on their EP Fall Be Kind.

Soundtracks

One of his most notable contributions was to the soundtrack for the classic Australian film ''Picnic at Hanging Rock''. His first appearance in 1972 as soloist interpreter in a movie soundtrack was in Vladimir Cosma's "''Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire''" with a very famous and successful melody known all over the world. His music has also been heard on the soundtracks of many Hollywood movies. He was asked by Ennio Morricone to perform the pieces "Childhood Memories" and "Cockeye's Song" for the soundtrack of Sergio Leone's 1984 gangster film ''Once Upon A Time In America''. His music is heard throughout the 1984 film ''The Karate Kid'', and his piece "The Lonely Shepherd", recorded with the James Last Orchestra, is featured in Quentin Tarantino's film ''Kill Bill Vol. 1''. The melody "The lonely shepherd" was written by James Last and first released on his album "Memories from Russia", released 1977 (Polydor Germany 2371 856). The panflute was played by Gheorghe Zamfir, who had a contract with the Philips record company. An agreement was made that Philips could release "The lonely shepherd" as a single (45 rpm) on the Philips label.

Criticism

Although Zamfir is considered the most important person to popularize the pan flute worldwide, he has also received significant criticism, mostly for his propinquity with easy listening and kitsch. His personality often put him in disputes with other pan flute players such as Dalila Cernătescu, Simion Stanciu or Damian Draghici. Zamfir has been mocked by critics in comparison with Draghici on several occasions.

Another line of criticism came from his promotion of ''Romanian popular music'' as opposed to the genuine ''traditional music''.

Comparing Zamfir with his master, Fănică Luca, jazz-man Johnny Răducanu said that a single fart of Luca would equal the entire music of Gheorghe Zamfir.

Personal life

Zamfir was born in Găeşti, Romania on April 6, 1941. Although initially interested in becoming an accordionist, at the age of 14 he began his pan flute studies with Fănică Luca at the Special Musical School no. 1 in Bucharest. Later he attended the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory. He currently resides and teaches pan flute in Bucharest. He has a son, Emmanuel Teodor who resides in Montreal, Canada also a drummer/musician.

Cultural references

Zamfir is mentioned in the television show ''King of the Hill'' in the episode "Propane Boom (Part 1)". Hank claims that Zamfir has sold more records worldwide than The Beatles.

He is also mentioned in the show ''NCIS'' in the episode "Family Secret".

He is also mentioned in the television show "Sports Night" during a an episode.

He is referenced by Bill Engvall in Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road

Bibliography

Zamfir has written an instructional book, ''Traitė Du Naï Roumain: méthode de flûte de pan'', Paris: Chappell S.A., 1975, ISBN 88-8291-286-8, and an autobiography ''Binecuvântare şi blestem'' ("Blessing and Curse"), Arad: Mirador, 2000, ISBN 973-9284-56-6.

References

External links

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:Folk flautists Category:Panpipes Category:People from Dâmboviţa County Category:Romanian musicians Category:Romanian flautists

ar:جورج زامفير bg:Георге Замфир de:Gheorghe Zamfir es:Gheorghe Zamfir fa:گئورگ زامفیر fr:Gheorghe Zamfir it:Gheorghe Zamfir he:גאורגה זמפיר la:Georgius Zamfir lt:Gheorghe Zamfir hu:Gheorghe Zamfir arz:جورج زامفير nl:Gheorghe Zamfir no:Gheorghe Zamfir pl:Gheorghe Zamfir pt:Gheorghe Zamfir ro:Gheorghe Zamfir ru:Замфир, Георге sv:Gheorghe Zamfir tr:Gheorghe Zamfir

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
Name	Busta Rhymes
Religion	Islam
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr.
Alias
Birth date	May 20, 1972
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Occupation	Rapper, Actor
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1989–present
Label	Conglomerate Records
Associated acts	Leaders of the New School, Flipmode Squad, Spliff Star, Def Squad, Wu-Tang Clan, DMX, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Mary J.Blige, J Dilla, Missy Elliott, Rampage The Last Boy Scout, Mariah Carey, Dr. Dre, Game, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne
Website	Official Website }}

Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes (born May 20, 1972), is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. Early in his career, he was known for his wild style and fashion, and today is best known for his highly skilled rapping technique, which involves rapping at a much faster rate, and to date has received nine Grammy nominations for his musical work.

Early life

Busta was born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, to Jamaican parents Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith in 1972. Smith attended George Westinghouse Information and Technology High School, alongside with Jay-Z, DMX and The Notorious B.I.G. He went to Uniondale High School on Long Island, graduating in 1990.

Music career

Hip-hop crew Leaders of the New School began recording in 1989 and released their debut album ''A Future Without a Past'' in 1991 on Elektra Records. In early 1992 the group appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's posse cut "Scenario," in which Busta's climactic verse propelled him into the cultural consciousness. In 1993, they released ''T.I.M.E. (The Inner Mind's Eye)''. Soon after, however, internal problems arose because of Busta's increasing popularity, and the group broke up on the set of ''Yo! MTV Raps''.

The Coming & When Disaster Strikes (1996-1997)

Busta broke out with a 1996 solo hit single, "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" from his platinum record album ''The Coming''. His second album, ''When Disaster Strikes'', released in 1997, produced the hit singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Fire It Up".

Extinction Level Event (Final World Front) (1998-1999)

In 1998, Busta recorded ''Extinction Level Event (Final World Front)''. Its lead single, "Gimme Some More" — which sampled Bernard Herrmann's theme from ''Psycho'' — reached number 6 in the UK singles chart in January 1999. Busta enjoyed further transatlantic success in April when the single "What's It Gonna Be?!", featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 11. The album received prominent notice for featuring the fastest rapping Busta has ever performed, particularly on a song called "Iz They Wildin Wit Us?", featuring a guest appearance by Mystikal.

J/Arista/BMG

Anarchy & Genesis (2000-2001)

After Busta signed to J Records, a label started by the then recently ousted Arista Records chief and founder Clive Davis, he released a greatest hits collection alongside a new album of original work. Continuing the Biblical theme of his previous albums, he titled his record ''Genesis''. The album featured collaborations with Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy, Kelis, and others. Genesis was powered by the hit single with Kelis, "What It Is," and his solo single released in November 2001, "Break Ya Neck." The final single was the summer smash "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II", which featured Pharrell and P. Diddy. Despite the success of the two singles, this album did not sell as well as previous releases.

It Aint Safe No More (2002-2004)

In 2002, Busta released his sixth studio album ''It Ain't Safe No More''. The album was moderately successful, with a hit song featuring Mariah Carey and the Flipmode Squad called "I Know What You Want". Another hit song was "Make It Clap", featuring Spliff Starr. The remix of "Make It Clap" featured Sean Paul. After its release, he left J Records. In 2004, he signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.

Aftermath/Interscope

The Big Bang (2006)

His seventh studio album, ''The Big Bang'', became the first #1 album of his career. The CD sold over 209,000 copies in its first week to earn the top spot on The Billboard Top 200. The album also became his highest charting album in the UK, peaking at #19. Some of the album was leaked on the Internet, and as a result several songs were left off the album and new ones added. ''The Big Bang'' featured more production by Dr. Dre than Busta's previous releases, as well as appearances by Raekwon and Nas. The singles that have been released from the album are, "Touch It", "I Love My Chick", featuring Kelis and Will.I.Am, "New York Shit",featuring Swizz Beatz and "In The Ghetto". Busta also had a stint opening for Mariah Carey's The Adventures of Mimi Tour. Also, Busta performed with Eminem on "Touch It Remix Part 5" and performed a verse on the aforementioned rapper's song, "I'll Hurt You". On July 17, 2008, Busta left Interscope/Aftermath due to a creative clash with Interscope head Jimmy Iovine.

Universal Motown

Back on My B.S. (2007-2009)

He also made a song featuring Linkin Park called "We Made It". It was later revealed that Busta inked a deal with Universal Motown, who released his eighth studio album, ''Back on My B.S.'', on May 19, 2009. He also appeared on Asher Roth's debut album, ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle''. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 56,000 copies, and was his first album to not receive an RIAA certification, selling 122,000 copies to date. The singles that have been released from the album are, "Arab Money", featuring Ron Browz, "Hustler's Anthem '09", featuring T-Pain and "Respect My Conglomerate". The song "World Go Round", featuring British singer Estelle, was released in France on April 6, 2009 due to the heavy rotation of a leaked version. The single was released in the UK on July 13, 2009. Due to controversial content, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned the album. ''Back on My B.S.'' was released internationally, but because of one song, "Arab Money", it is not available to buy as a CD there (however, the album can still be purchased via iTunes). According to the National Media Council, the lyrics were considered to be offensive to Arabs and to Islam, and permission for distribution was therefore denied. Some DJs, artists and fans have lambasted the track, saying it portrayed Arabs in a stereotypical way. The first part out of three of the remix by Rhymes contains verses from the Quran. In November, when "Arab Money" was released as a single, DJ Dany Neville and the Iraqi rapper The Narcicyst responded by recorded a reply. Busta later apologized. DJs in the country said they had not received an order banning the record from being spun in nightclubs, and they had mixed feelings on whether the record was offensive or not. DJ Saif of Dubai said: The Emirati DJ Bliss, who has his own show on Radio 1 in Dubai, also says he no longer plays "Arab Money". He added:

Conglomerate Records & E.L.E. 2 (2010-present)

Busta announced that he was working on his ninth studio album, alongside Canadian producer Boi-1da, entitled ''The Chemo''. He says that his next project is 80 percent finished. Busta has reportedly changed the title of his forthcoming Chemo album to Extinction.Level.Event.2 (E.L.E. 2). Some new songs are being considered for the album, including "C'mon (Catch 'Em By Surprise) by Tiësto and Diplo and "Look at Me Now" alongside Chris Brown and Lil Wayne. The trend of album sequels continues with Busta adding another chapter to his 1998 opus E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. Busta's manager Chris Lighty sent out the message via Twitter. He said; "Extinction.Level.Event 2 ......prepare yourself." Like the first, E.L.E. 2 is inspired by movies of impending destruction on planet Earth, Lighty said; "From the Intro of the new Busta Album you're going to know you're in trouble and you just turned on 2012 the movie on warp speed,".

DJ Premier, in an August 6, 2010 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio said Busta Rhymes has received over eight beats which he didn't want to use but Premier hoped his next beat would be chosen for inclusion on the album. On DJ Premier's Live From Headqcourterz radio show Premier confirmed that one of his beats were to be included in ''E.L.E. 2''. In 2010, Busta Rhymes formed his new label Conglomerate Records (With later on having rosters such as N.O.R.E., and Spliff Star). He was featured on C'mon (Catch 'Em By Surprise) by Tiësto and Diplo.

Also in, 2011 Rhymes has recorded a song with Chris Brown.

In 2011, Rhymes recorded "Look at Me Now" with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne on Brown's F.A.M.E. album

On May 1, 2011 Rhymes appeared on the launch show for MNET's Big Brother Africa 6: Amplified and performed some of his songs.

In 2011, Busta Rhymes performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Personal life

Religion

Busta Rhymes is Muslim and talked about it in an interview in Hollywood TV.

Busta had been a member of The Nation of Gods and Earths since the age of 15.

Legal issues

On August 20, 2006, he was arraigned for charges of third-degree assault after attacking a man who reportedly spat on his car in New York City on August 12 after the AmsterJam Music Festival on Randall's Island.

On October 24, 2006, he appeared at Manhattan Criminal Court as the district attorney's office attempted to amend previous charges against him to include weapons possession for a machete found in his car. The judge, ShawnDya Simpson, refused to add the charge and adjourned the case.

On February 20, 2007, Busta refused a plea deal offered by the prosecutors office for the assault of his former driver, Edward Hatchett. The deal would have entailed six months in jail and pleading guilty to two assaults, the attack on Hatchett, and the attack on the former fan. The dispute with Hatchett is believed to have originated over back pay Hatchett felt he was owed. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Becki Rowe offered Busta another option, pleading guilty to third-degree assault. The conditions of the proposed sentence would include five days of community service, two weeks of youth lectures and six months of anger management classes, as well as three years of probation. On March 18, 2008 a judge in New York City sentenced Busta to three years' probation, 10 days' community service, $1250 in fines (plus court costs), and to enroll in a drunken driving program.

On September 25, 2008, he was temporarily refused entry to the United Kingdom due to "unresolved convictions".

On October 14, 2009, a Brooklyn judge ordered Busta to pay a concert goer $75,000 in compensation for an assault which occurred in 2003.

Discography

''The Coming'' (1996)

''When Disaster Strikes'' (1997)

''E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front'' (1998)

''Anarchy'' (2000)

''Genesis'' (2001)

''It Ain't Safe No More'' (2002)

''The Big Bang'' (2006)

''Back on My B.S.'' (2009)

''TBA '' (2011)

Awards and Nominations

Busta Rhymes has been nominated for 9 Grammy Awards during his 15 year solo career, but has yet to win one.

Grammy Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Dangerous"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Gimme Some More"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"What's It Gonna Be?"	Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
align=center	''E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front''	Best Rap Album
align=center	"Fire"	Best Music Video, Short Form
align=center	"Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2"	Best Performance By a Duo or Group
align=center	"Touch It"	Best Rap Solo Performance

Busta Rhymes has been nominated for 10 MTV Video Music Awards during his 15 year solo career, but has yet to win one.

MTV Video Music Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check"	Best Breakthrough Video
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Rap Video
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Male Video
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Breakthrough Video
align=center	"What's It Gonna Be?"	Best Hip-Hop Video
align=center	"Gimme Some More"	Best Breakthrough Video
align=center	"Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2"	Best Hip-Hop Video
align=center	"I Know What You Want"	Best Hip-Hop Video
align=center	"Touch It"	Best Rap Video
align=center	"Touch It"	Best Male Video

See also

List of number-one U.S. dance hits

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

External links

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:African American Muslims Category:African American rappers Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American people convicted of assault Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Rappers from Long Island Category:Rappers from New York City

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