of the human voice reveals its rich harmonic content.]]

The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds (vocal cords) are the primary sound source. Generally speaking, the mechanism for generating the human voice can be subdivided into three parts; the lungs, the vocal folds within the larynx, and the articulators. The lung (the pump) must produce adequate airflow and air pressure to vibrate vocal folds (this air pressure is the fuel of the voice). The vocal folds (vocal cords) are a vibrating valve that chops up the airflow from the lungs into audible pulses that form the laryngeal sound source. The muscles of the larynx adjust the length and tension of the vocal folds to ‘fine tune’ pitch and tone. The articulators (the parts of the vocal tract above the larynx consisting of tongue, palate, cheek, lips, etc.) articulate and filter the sound emanating from the larynx and to some degree can interact with the laryngeal airflow to strengthen it or weaken it as a sound source.

The vocal folds, in combination with the articulators, are capable of producing highly intricate arrays of sound. Children can learn to use this action consistently during speech at an early age, as they learn to speak the difference between utterances such as "apa" (having an abductory-adductory gesture for the p) as "aba" (having no abductory-adductory gesture). Surprisingly enough, they can learn to do this well before the age of two by listening only to the voices of adults around them who have voices much different from their own, and even though the laryngeal movements causing these phonetic differentiations are deep in the throat and not visible to them.

If an abductory movement or adductory movement is strong enough, the vibrations of the vocal folds will stop (or not start). If the gesture is abductory and is part of a speech sound, the sound will be called Voiceless. However, voiceless speech sounds are sometimes better identified as containing an abductory gesture, even if the gesture was not strong enough to stop the vocal folds from vibrating. This anomalous feature of voiceless speech sounds is better understood if it is realized that it is the change in the spectral qualities of the voice as abduction proceeds that is the primary acoustic attribute that the listener attends to when identifying a voiceless speech sound, and not simply the presence or absence of voice (periodic energy). for an example illustrating this, obtained by using the inverse filtering of oral airflow.]

Other aspects of the voice, such as variations in the regularity of vibration, are also used for communication, and are important for the trained voice user to master, but are more rarely used in the formal phonetic code of a spoken language.

Physiology and vocal timbre

The sound of each individual's voice is entirely unique not only because of the actual shape and size of an individual's vocal cords but also due to the size and shape of the rest of that person's body, especially the vocal tract, and the manner in which the speech sounds are habitually formed and articulated. (It is this latter aspect of the sound of the voice that can be mimicked by skilled performers.) Humans have vocal folds that can loosen, tighten, or change their thickness, and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of chest and neck, the position of the tongue, and the tightness of otherwise unrelated muscles can be altered. Any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced. Sound also resonates within different parts of the body, and an individual's size and bone structure can affect somewhat the sound produced by an individual.

Singers can also learn to project sound in certain ways so that it resonates better within their vocal tract. This is known as vocal resonation. Another major influence on vocal sound and production is the function of the larynx, which people can manipulate in different ways to produce different sounds. These different kinds of laryngeal function are described as different kinds of vocal registers.:

A particular part of the vocal range such as the upper, middle, or lower registers.

A resonance area such as chest voice or head voice.

A phonatory process

A certain vocal timbre

A region of the voice that is defined or delimited by vocal breaks.

A subset of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.

In linguistics, a register language is a language that combines tone and vowel phonation into a single phonological system.

Within speech pathology the term vocal register has three constituent elements: a certain vibratory pattern of the vocal folds, a certain series of pitches, and a certain type of sound. Speech pathologists identify four vocal registers based on the physiology of laryngeal function: the vocal fry register, the modal register, and the falsetto register, and the whistle register. This view is also adopted by many vocal pedagogists.

Vocal resonation

Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside air. Various terms related to the resonation process include amplification, enrichment, enlargement, improvement, intensification, and prolongation; although in strictly scientific usage acoustic authorities would question most of them. The main point to be drawn from these terms by a singer or speaker is that the end result of resonation is, or should be, to make a better sound.

Celine Dion: According to dramatic soprano Régine Crespin, Celine Dion possesses the same vocal range as Maria Callas.

Farinelli: C3 - C6. Manuel Garcia: G or A2 - D5.

Maria Malibran: G3 - E6.

Freddie Mercury: F2 - E6.

Mado Robin: E4 - D7.

SoHyang: F3 - F6.

Yma Sumac: her range was said to be "well over four octaves" and was sometimes claimed to span even five octaves at her peak.

Joan Sutherland: G3 - F6.

See also

Accent (linguistics)

Acoustic phonetics

Belt (music)

Histology of the Vocal Folds

Intelligibility (communication)

Lombard effect

Manner of articulation

Paralanguage: nonverbal voice cues in communication

Phonation

Phonetics

Voice change in boys

Speaker recognition

Speaker verification

Speech Synthesis

Vocal loading

Vocal rest

Vocal range

Vocal warm up

Vocology

Voice analysis

Voice disorders

Voice frequency

Voice organ

Voice pedagogy

Voice projection

Voice synthesis

Voice types (singing voices)

References

Further reading

Howard, D.M., and Murphy, D.T.M. (2009). Voice science acoustics and recording, San Diego: Plural Press.

Puts, D. A., Gaulin, S. J. C., & Verdolini, K. (2006). Dominance and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in human voice pitch. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27: 283–296.

Titze, I. R. (2008). The human instrument. Sci.Am. 298 (1):94–101. PM 18225701

Thurman, Leon & Welch, ed., Graham (2000), Bodymind & voice: Foundations of voice education (revised ed.), Collegeville, Minnesota: The VoiceCare Network et al., ISBN 0-87414-123-0

External links

University College London">Free Voice analyzer and Biometrics displaying software from University College London

The Head Voice and Other Problems, 1917, by D. A. Clippinger, from Project Gutenberg

The Voice Foundation's official website

The Anatomy of Singing

David Harper, vocal coach: A passion for the voice that never wanes – Opera~Opera article

Irish Voice festival official website

Category:Phonetics Category:Voice registers Category:Vocal music

Name	John Farnham
Img alt	Statue of a male standing with a microphone in left hand at his opened mouth and pointing with right forefinger. Statue is on a block of stone with cursive lettering, John Farnham, in front of feet. Background includes a tiled area, wide footpath, trees and buildings.
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	John Peter Farnham
Siblings	Jean, Jaquiline, Steven
Alias	Johnny Farnham
Born	July 01, 1949Dagenham, England
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
Genre	Pop rock, AOR, adult contemporary, pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1964–current
Label	Columbia, EMI, RCA, Axis, Wheatley, BMG, Gotham
Associated acts	The Mavericks, Strings Unlimited, Little River Band, Brian Cadd
Url	Official website
Notable instruments	Acoustic guitar

John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham (born 1 July 1949), is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. and is the highest-selling album in Australian history. and he is the only Australian artist to have a number one record in five consecutive decades (echoing Sir Cliff Richard in the UK) with singles: "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" in 1967, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" in 1969/1970, and "Age of Reason" in 1988; and albums: Age of Reason, Chain Reaction in 1990, Then Again... in 1993, in 1997, 33⅓ in 2000 and The Last Time in 2002. He starred in his own TV series and specials including It's Magic and Bobby Dazzler and as a guest on numerous other popular shows such as Countdown and Hey Hey It's Saturday.

Early life

John Peter Farnham was born in Dagenham, England, on 1 July 1949, to John Farnham Snr and Rose. Farnham spent his first ten years in England before his family emigrated to Australia in 1959 to live in Melbourne, Victoria. During school holidays Farnham worked with a plumber and soon he began a plumbing apprenticeship and left school, in 1967 he took two years leave from his plumbing job to pursue his music career. In late 1965 he was asked to join Strings Unlimited as a singer and they had a regular booking at a local hotel. In 1966, after making the state finals of the Hoadleys Battle of the Sounds, they recorded a three-track demo tape with Farnham on vocals, Stewart Male on lead guitar, Barry Roy on rhythm guitar, Mike Foenander on keyboards and Peter Foggie on drums. Harrell's boyfriend/manager, Darryl Sambell, was impressed with Farnham's vocals and offered to become his manager. Initially performing in Sambell's home town of Adelaide, Farnham recorded an advertising jingle "Susan Jones" for TAA (Trans Australian Airlines) and was offered a solo record contract with EMI.

1967–1979: Teen pop idol

Farnham's first commercially successful recording was a novelty song entitled "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)", Sambell had disliked it as the lyrics were so persistent. However, EMI's in house producer, David MacKay, insisted and so the single was released in November 1967. The B-side, "In My Room" was written by Farnham. Rofe continued the ploy on TV's Uptight and viewers responded with calls to play the song. It hit #1 on the Australian singles charts in January 1968 and remained there for 6 weeks. Selling 180,000 copies in Australia, "Sadie" was the highest selling single by an Australian artist of the decade. Go-Set ran a pop poll to determine the '' which was first won by Normie Rowe for 1967–1968. Farnham's 1968 singles were "Underneath the Arches" and "I Don't Want to Love You", each peaked at #6. In 1969, Farnham released his album Everybody Oughta Sing a Song which peaked at #12 on the Australian albums charts. His next single was a cover of Harry Nilsson's "One"; Farnham's version peaked at #4. When television guide, TV Week sponsored the 'King of Pop' awards, readers would forward their votes from coupons, Farnham won the most popular male award and was crowned 'King of Pop' five consecutive times from 1969–1973. He recorded a cover of the B J Thomas hit "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" which became his second #1 hit in December 1969 and remained at top spot for seven weeks into January 1970.

Farnham's next album, Looking Through a Tear, was released in July 1970 and peaked at #11. "Comic Conversations", his single from October, peaked at #10. During 1971, Farnham teamed with Allison Durbin, who had been chosen as 'Most Popular Female Performer' at the 'King of Pop' awards for 1969–1971. They released an album Together in September and a single "Baby, Without You" in November, both peaked into the top 30 of their respective charts. As well as his singing career, Farnham performed in stage musicals starting with Dick Whittington and His Cat in 1971 and on television variety shows either as a guest performer or as a host. At 22, Farnham was appointed 'King of Moomba' in 1972 with Melbourne paper, The Sun, describing him as a "likeable English migrant" who is "King of Pop, King of Kids and today Johnny Farnham was King of Moomba." Meldrum announced their wedding plans in Go-Set but Sambell denied the early reports, and, despite being best man at the wedding, was against Billman marrying Farnham. The clean-cut pop star had made several more albums and singles, but by the mid-1970s his recording career had begun to dwindle and he turned more to stage musicals and television. Farnham and 'Queen of Pop' for 1972–1973, Colleen Hewett, combined on the 1973–1974 stage musical, Pippin, He became familiar to viewers of Countdown when hosting its first colour transmission in early 1975 and introducing Skyhooks' performance of "Horror Movie".

Relations with Sambell became strained and in January 1976 they announced their split. Farnham first turned to Kenn Brodziak, producer of Pippin, for his management during 1976–1978 and then to Danny Finley, Hewett's then husband, from 1978. Farnham starred in a situation comedy series Bobby Dazzler as the title character during 1977–1978, and narrated documentaries including Survival with Johnny Farnham. Farnham was in financial trouble with unpaid taxes and the collapse of a restaurant venture with Hewett and Finley. Farnham's singing career was now confined to the cabaret circuit and stage musicals, in 1979 he changed his stage name to John Farnham.

1980–1985: Little River Band era

Farnham had met Glenn Wheatley, who was bass guitarist of 1960s rock group The Masters Apprentices, when both acts were managed by Sambell. Wheatley was now managing Little River Band (LRB) and in 1980 Farnham signed with Wheatley. They decided his comeback single would be a reworking of The Beatles' "Help!", which was produced by LRB's Graeham Goble, it peaked at #8. Farnham was utilising a more adult contemporary pop style and the associated album, Uncovered, also produced by Goble, peaked at #20. The B-side of "Help" was another of Farnham's songwriting efforts "Jillie's Song", co-written with Goble. They became his tour band until Logan and Pellicci returned to their LRB commitments and were replaced by Sam McNally and David Jones respectively. In 1980, Farnham also appeared in a TV series, Farnham and Byrne with former Young Talent Time teen star and 'Queen of Pop' Debra Byrne. Three other solo singles followed in 1981 but none charted into the Top 50.

In February 1982, after Glenn Shorrock had departed Little River Band, Farnham became their lead vocalist with recommendations by Goble and Wheatley. Farnham had initially resisted the idea of joining LRB but Wheatley convinced him that Shorrock approved of the replacement. This continued Farnham's move away from cabaret and into rock music. As Little River Band was a successful band prior to Farnham joining, it was a surprise that they found little initial success.

With Farnham, Little River Band recorded three studio albums, which had modest success – not enough to pay back the advances the record company had provided. The first studio album, The Net, was already written and Farnham had no say in the songs, he just had to record his lead vocals. In the US, charting albums with Farnham's vocals, were Greatest Hits (1982), The Net (1983) and Playing to Win (1984) on Billboard Pop Albums chart/Billboard 200.

During this time, Farnham started supplying vocal tracks for films including, Savage Streets (1984), The Slugger's Wife (1985), and Fletch (1985); he later continued with Rad (1986) and Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1987). "Justice for One" was co-written by Farnham,

Little River Band recorded a concert in Melbourne that aired in the United States on HBO. The concert video was only one hour long, and it highlighted some of the songs from The Net as well as reworked versions of Little River Band classics such as "Cool Change" and "Reminiscing". "Please Don't Ask Me", a song written by Goble, was played during the "Australian Themed" opening of the show. Despite positive Australian and US reviews and responses, this performance has not yet been released on VHS or DVD.

In an interview with Channel Seven, Farnham stated, "I'll be better off leaving, rather than putting myself under pressure that I've created." Through this matter, it became apparent to the band that Farnham was intending on leaving and Playing to Win's lead single "Playing to Win", a song believed by all to be the band's return to success, then started having authorship disputes. According to Farnham:

As a result, Farnham's relationship with the band was further sullied. To date, the royalties for the song are meticulously divided with different shares to each of the song's contributors, including Goble, Farnham, Stephen Housden, David Hirschfelder and Wayne Nelson. In mid-1986, Little River Band released the third studio album, No Reins, but Farnham was already pursuing his solo career.

1986–1997: Peak solo years

"You're the Voice" and Whispering Jack

Farnham had started collecting a songlist for a future solo album while still in Little River Band, he finished his vocals for their album, No Reins, and left in late 1985. Farnham's first solo performances since 1981 were live shows with the John Farnham Band consisting of Brett Garsed on lead guitar, Sam See on guitar and Derek Pellicci, formerly of Little River Band, on drums. In early 1986, sound engineer Ross Fraser suggested to Farnham's manager Glenn Wheatley that it was time to start working on the solo album. Wheatley searched vainly for a producer and record label willing to work with Farnham, Fraser took on the producer role and Wheatley provided financial support after mortgaging his house.

Whilst visiting a jazz club in the US, Farnham was mistakenly introduced as Jack Phantom, and when he subsequently provided a running commentary for a local pool game he named himself Whispering Jack Phantom after the Pot Black commentator 'Whispering' Ted Lowe. Farnham's work for the album, Whispering Jack, included expanding his songlist with Fraser's advice. "A Touch of Paradise" was written by Gulliver Smith and Mondo Rock's Ross Wilson, Another song on offer was "We Built This City" but Farnham knocked it back, it was later recorded by US band Starship.

Initially, public interest in the re-branded former teen-idol was difficult to cultivate, and radio stations refused to play Farnham's album. Things however started to change after Sydney radio station 2Day FM played its first single, "You're the Voice", which was released in September 1986. Henceforth, radio stations began receiving requests for the song. Its television debut was on Hey Hey Its Saturday with Skyhook's Greg Macainsh providing bass guitar. "You're the Voice," peaked at #1 in Sweden as well as being a Top Ten hit in some European countries: #3 in Switzerland, As of 2006, it was 24× platinum indicating sales of over 1.68 million units in Australia alone. and Top 20 in Norway. In August 1988 it returned to the Australian Top Ten. Other charting Australian singles were December's "Pressure Down", which peaked at #4, March 1987's "Touch of Paradise" and October's "Reasons".

After the success of the album, Farnham followed with Jack's Back Tour, an initial itinerary of eleven performances was thought to be enough considering they were up against tours by Michael Jackson and Billy Joel, but after high ticket sales, it was extended by eight more shows and use of larger venues. At that time, Jack's Back Tour was the highest grossing tour by an Australian act. John Farnham Band now consisted of Garsed on lead guitar, David Hirschfelder on keyboards (ex-Little River Band), Macainsh on bass and Angus Burchill on drums. Farnham won six of the inaugural 1987 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards for 'Album of the Year', 'Single of the Year', 'Highest Selling Album', 'Highest Selling Single', 'Best Male Artist' and 'Best Adult Contemporary Album'. On 19 July 1987, TV series Countdown broadcast its last show, the 1986 with Farnham winning the 'Best Album Award' for Whispering Jack.

In 1988, Australia's Bicentennial Year, Farnham was named 1987 Australian of the Year, although he was not yet naturalised – a hastily organised swearing-in occurred before the honour was bestowed. He was chosen due to: "his outstanding contribution to the Australian music industry over 20 years." was written by Johanna Pigott and Dragon members Todd Hunter and his brother Marc Hunter. debuted at #1 in August and stayed on top for eight weeks. and, as of 1997, it was 8× platinum indicating sales of over 0.56 million units. As of December 2008, "Age of Reason" remains Farnham's last #1 Australian single. Other charting singles from this album were, "Two Strong Hearts" which peaked at #6 and "Beyond the Call". Age of Reason had international success peaking at #4 in Sweden, and #9 in Norway.

At the 1988 ARIA Awards, Farnham won 'Best Male Artist', 'Best Adult Contemporary Album' for "Touch of Paradise", and the 'Outstanding Achievement Award'. In March 1989, Farnham was in Moscow, USSR to promote Greenpeace album Rainbow Warriors, as part of an international ensemble including David Byrne (Talking Heads), Peter Gabriel, Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) and The Edge (U2). Farnham found time to record a duet with Dannielle Gaha, a cover of Spandau Ballet's "Communication", which peaked at #13 in August 1989.

Chain Reaction produced by Fraser, was released in October 1990, and also debuted at #1 on the Australian album charts, it provided three Top Ten hit singles, "Chain Reaction" in August, "That's Freedom" in September and "Burn for You" in December. Unlike the previous two albums, where most songs were written by outside writers, Chain Reaction saw Farnham write nine of its twelve tracks with Fraser and keyboardist/musical director David Hirschfelder (ex-Little River Band). The sound was less electronic and more acoustic, it became the biggest selling album in Australia for 1990, and was #1 on the ARIA End of Year album chart.

Full House to Anthology

Farnham's live album, released in November 1991, was Full House, produced by Ross Fraser and Farnham, which peaked at #2 on the ARIA album charts. It contained concert material recorded from May 1987 to October 1990. At #1 on the ARIA album charts was Jimmy Barnes' album, Soul Deep, it included a duet with Farnham, "When Something is Wrong with My Baby", which peaked at #3 on the singles charts.

In August 1992, Farnham joined the Australian production of Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical, Jesus Christ Superstar in the title role of Jesus. The stage soundtrack, Jesus Christ Superstar The Album provided the single, "Everything's Alright" by Ceberano, Farnham and Stevens, which peaked at #6 in September. Farnham released his next studio album, Then Again... in October 1993, produced by Fraser and Farnham, which peaked at #1. Of its four singles only, "Seemed Like a Good Idea (At the Time)" reached the top 20. The album won 'Highest Selling Album' at the ARIA Awards in 1994.

On Australia Day, 26 January 1996, Farnham was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, "In recognition of service to the Australian music industry and to charitable and community organisations, particularly those relating to youth" the associated album, Romeo's Heart, produced by Fraser, was released in June and peaked at #2. It won the 'Best Adult Contemporary Album' at the ARIA Awards in 1996. Farnham collaborated with vocal group Human Nature to record "Every Time You Cry" which peaked at #3 on the singles charts in October 1997. Also in 1997 he released a series of three compilation albums, , and which all peaked in the top 20, with Anthology 1 reaching #1.

1998–current: Later years

The Main Event with Olivia Newton-John & Anthony Warlow

and Anthony Warlow in their concert tour "The Main Event" (CD).]]

For The Main Event Tour during October–December 1998, Farnham performed with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow. The album Highlights from The Main Event peaked at #1 in December, sold 4× platinum, The Main Event concert was broadcast on national TV and released on video.

During April–May 1999, Farnham undertook the I Can't Believe He's 50 Tour, supported by Merril Bainbridge, Kate Ceberano, Human Nature, James Reyne, Ross Wilson, and Nana-Zhami containing his son, Robert Farnham. Live at the Regent, recorded on 1 July 1999 (Farnham's 50th birthday), was released in September and peaked at #7. On 21 December, Farnham performed a set for the Tour Of Duty concert in Dili for the Australian troops serving with InterFET and East Timorese people. The concert also included James Blundell, Dili Allstars, Gina Jeffreys, The Living End, Kylie Minogue, Doc Neeson and the RMC Band. Farnham appeared as himself in the final episode of the Australian television series The Games (2000).

The Last Time to Tom Jones

On 1 January 2001, Farnham was awarded a Centenary Medal, "For outstanding service to Australian music", In conjunction with the tour, The Last Time was released in October 2002, it peaked at #1 and achieved 3× platinum sales. The Last Time Tour was a countrywide concert tour, taking a circus-style tent to smaller towns and filling large entertainment venues in capital cities, it became the biggest grossing tour in Australian history. were subsequently denied by both Queen's Brian May and Farnham. Farnham also won 'Best Adult Contemporary Album' for The Last Time. 2002 Hall of Fame inductee was Olivia Newton-John whilst in 2004 Little River Band was inducted.

Combining with singer Tom Jones, Farnham undertook the Together in Concert series during 2004 with ten shows in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. Duets started with "That Driving Beat" and "Mama Told Me Not to Come", solos from Farnham were "One", "Pressure Down", "That's Freedom", "Heart's on Fire", "Playing to Win", "Every Time You Cry", "Man of the Hour", "Age of Reason" and "Burn for You". The pair did five duets to close the show – Sam and Dave's "Hold On I'm Coming", Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness", Ray Charles' "What'd I Say", Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music" and AC/DC's anthem, "Long Way to the Top".

I Remember When I Was Young

I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from The Great Australian Songbook was released in November 2005 – it contains 13 covers of hits, written and performed by Australian artists – which peaked at #2 on the ARIA albums charts.

In February 2006, Farnham performed four shows at the Sydney Opera House, with the Sydney Symphony, followed by shows at the Victorian Arts Centre's Hamer Hall, Melbourne. in Melbourne starting with his hit "Age of Reason", followed by "I Remember When I Was Young" from his most recent studio album, "Playing to Win" from his Little River Band days, and finished with his anthem song, "You're the Voice".

The twentieth anniversary of Whispering Jack in 2006 was marked by an 'enhanced' commemorative re-release of the CD plus a DVD featuring an edited version of the tour that accompanied the album (the full concert was originally released on VHS in 1987). The original album was the first CD made in Australia and, as of June 2008, remains the highest selling album in Australia by an Australian act. They have two sons, Robert Farnham and James Farnham.

Discography

Sadie (1968)

Everybody Oughta Sing a Song (1968)

Looking Through a Tear (1970)

Christmas Is... Johnny Farnham (1970)

Johnny (1971)

Together (1971)

Johnny Farnham Sings the Shows (1972)

Hits Magic & Rock 'N Roll (1973)

Johnny Farnham Sings Hits from the Movies (1974)

J.P. Farnham Sings (1975)

Uncovered (1980)

Whispering Jack (1986)

Age of Reason (1988)

Chain Reaction (1990)

Then Again... (1993)

Romeo's Heart (1996)

33⅓ (2000)

The Last Time (2002)

I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from the Great Australian Songbook (2005)

Jack (2010)

Charities

Save The Children Fund

CARE Australia

The Prince's Trust

Victorian Association for Deserted Children

Dairy Farmers Association

Gympie Rural Aid Appeal

Starlight Children's Foundation

Make A Wish Foundation

Breast Cancer Foundation

Parkinson's Disease Association

AIDS Trust

Variety Clubs of Australia

Boxing Day Tsunami Appeal (Melbourne)

Awards and nominations

Farnham has won and been nominated for numerous Australian music and entertainment awards. These include 19 ARIA Awards from 49 nominations and induction into the Hall of Fame, ,

References

;General Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality. Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

;Specific

External links

John Farnham at the National Film and Sound Archive

John Farnham in AusStage

Category:Australian people of English descent Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:English male singers Category:English pop singers Category:English television actors Category:Australian culture Category:ARIA Award winners Category:ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Category:Australian male singers Category:Australian of the Year Award winners Category:Australian pop singers Category:Australian television actors Category:Little River Band members Category:Officers of the Order of Australia Category:People from Dagenham Category:People from Essex Category:Cockney Category:Recipients of the Centenary Medal

Name	Ted Williams
Position	Left fielder
Bats	Left
Throws	Right
Birthdate	August 30, 1918
Birthplace	San Diego, California
Deathdate	July 05, 2002
Deathplace	Inverness, Florida
Debutdate	April 20
Debutyear	1939
Debutteam	Boston Red Sox
Finaldate	September 28
Finalyear	1960
Finalteam	Boston Red Sox
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.344
Stat2label	Home runs
Stat2value	521
Stat3label	Hits
Stat3value	2,654
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,839
Teams
Highlights
Hofdate
Hofvote	93.38% (first ballot)

Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002), nicknamed "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", "Teddy Ballgame", and "The Thumper" because of his hitting prowess,

In 1941, he entered the last day of the season with a batting average of .39955. This would have been rounded up to .400, making him the first man to hit .400 since Bill Terry in 1930. Manager Joe Cronin left the decision whether to play up to him. Williams opted to play in both games of the day's doubleheader and risk falling short, explaining that "if I can't hit .400 all the way, I don't deserve it." He singled in his first at-bat, raising his average to .401, and followed it with a home run and two more hits in the first game. Williams went 2 for 3 in the second game, for a total of 6 hits in his last 8 at-bats, for a final average of .406. No player has hit .400 in a season since Williams. (Williams also hit .407 in 1953 (just 37 games), and in a six-game cameo in 1952.)

In his book, Williams acknowledges that "There was some great batting done that year [1941]" and mentions Joe DiMaggio and Cecil Travis, who hit .359. He continued, "I think, surely, to hit .400 you have to be an outstanding hitter having everything go just right, and in my case the hitter was a guy who lived to hit, who worked at it so hard he matured at the bat at a time when he was near his peak physically. The peaks met.".United States Marine Corps |serviceyears= 1942-1946, 1952-53 |rank= Captain |commands= |unit= |battles=World War IIKorean War |awards= |relations= |laterwork= Baseball player }}

World War II

Williams served as a pilot during World War II and the Korean War. He had been classified 3-A by Selective Service prior to the war, a dependency deferment because he was his mother's sole support. When his classification was changed to 1-A following U.S. entry into the war, Williams appealed to his draft board. The board agreed that his status should not have been changed. He made a public statement that once he had built up his mother's trust fund, he intended to enlist. Even so, criticism in the media, including withdrawal of an endorsement contract by Quaker Oats, resulted in his enlistment in the Navy on May 22, 1942.

Williams could have received an easy assignment and played baseball for the Navy. Instead, he joined the V-5 program to become a Naval aviator. Williams was first sent to the Navy's Preliminary Ground School at Amherst College for six months of academic instruction in various subjects including math and navigation, where he achieved a 3.85 grade point average.

Fellow Red Sox player Johnny Pesky, who went into the same training program, said about Ted "He mastered intricate problems in fifteen minutes which took the average cadet an hour, and half of the other cadets there were college grads."

Pesky again described Williams' acumen in the advance training for which Pesky personally did not qualify: “I heard Ted literally tore the `sleeve target' to shreds with his angle dives. He'd shoot from wingovers, zooms, and barrel rolls, and after a few passes the sleeve was ribbons. At any rate, I know he broke the all-time record for hits." Ted went to Jacksonville for a course in air gunnery, the combat pilot's payoff test, and broke all the records in reflexes, coordination, and visual-reaction time. "From what I heard. Ted could make a plane and its six 'pianos' (machine guns) play like a symphony orchestra," Pesky says. "From what they said, his reflexes, coordination, and visual reaction made him a built-in part of the machine."

On February 16, 1953, Williams was part of a 35-plane strike package against a tank and infantry training school just south of Pyongyang, North Korea. During the mission a piece of flak knocked out his hydraulics and electrical systems, causing Williams to have to "limp" his plane back to K-13, an Air Force base close to the front lines. For his actions of this day he was awarded the Air Medal.

Williams stayed on K-13 for several days while his plane was repaired. Because he was so popular, GI's from all around the base came to see him and his plane. After it was repaired, Williams flew his plane back to his Marine station.

Williams eventually flew 39 combat missions before being pulled from flight status in June 1953 after a hospitalization for pneumonia resulted in discovery of an inner ear infection that disqualified him from flight status. John-Henry said that his father was a believer in science and was willing to try cryonics if it held the possibility of reuniting the family. Citing financial difficulties, Ferrell dropped her lawsuit in exchange that a $645,000 trust fund left by Williams would immediately pay the sum out equally to the three children. Inquiries to cryonics organizations increased after the publicity from the case.

In Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero, author Leigh Montville claims that the family cryonics pact was a practice Ted Williams autograph on a plain piece of paper, around which the agreement had later been hand written. The pact document was signed "Ted Williams", the same as his autographs, whereas he would always sign his legal documents "Theodore Williams", according to Montville. However, Claudia testified to the authenticity of the document in a sworn affidavit. Ted's two 24-hour private caregivers who were with him the entire period the note was said to be created also stated in sworn affidavits that John-Henry and Claudia were never present at any time for that note to be produced.

Following John-Henry's unexpected illness and death from acute myelogenous leukemia on March 6, 2004, John-Henry's body was also transported to Alcor, in fulfillment of the family agreement.

According to the book "Frozen", co-authored by Larry Johnson (who is a former executive from Alcor), Williams' head was damaged by a worker when Alcor employees were handling the head. Although Johnson didn't work at Alcor when Ted was initially preserved, he claimed witness of the handling of the frozen head during a transfer to its final container (though numerous other Alcor employees refute this claim).

The Tampa Bay Rays home field, Tropicana Field, has installed the Ted Williams Museum (formerly in Hernando, Florida) behind the right field fence. From the Tampa Bay Rays website: "The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame brings a special element to the Tropicana Field. Fans can view an array of different artifacts and pictures of the 'Greatest hitter that ever lived.' These memorable displays range from Ted Williams' days in the military through his professional playing career. This museum is dedicated to some of the greatest players to ever 'lace 'em up,' including Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris."

Quotations on Ted Williams

"One of my best friends on earth and the greatest hitter I ever faced. And I faced a lot of guys, including Lou Gehrig. He was also a great friend to my wife Anne and me. He was a great American." - Bob Feller

"The way those clubs shift against Ted Williams, I can't understand how he can be so stupid not to accept the challenge to him and hit to left field." - Ty Cobb

"They can talk about Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby and Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial and all the rest, but I'm sure not one of them could hold cards and spades to (Ted) Williams in his sheer knowledge of hitting. He studied hitting the way a broker studies the stock market, and could spot at a glance mistakes that others couldn't see in a week." - Carl Yastrzemski

"Ted Williams was the greatest hitter of our era. He won six batting titles and served his country for five years, so he would have won more. He loved talking about hitting and was a great student of hitting and pitchers." - Stan Musial

"He wanted fame, and wanted it with a pure, hot eagerness that would have been embarrassing in a smaller man. But he could not stand celebrity. This is a bitch of a line to draw in America's dust." - Richard Ben Cramer

"If he'd just tip his cap once, he could be elected Mayor of Boston in five minutes." - Eddie Collins

“Our father was not a religious man. The faith that many people place in god, we place in science and other human endeavors.” — Children of baseball legend Ted Williams, Reuters, July 25, 2002

Quotations by Ted Williams

"No one could throw a fastball past me. God could come down from Heaven and he couldn't throw it past me."

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer."

"Baseball's future? Bigger and bigger, better and better! No question about it, it's the greatest game there is!"

"I hope somebody hits .400 soon. Then people can start pestering that guy with questions about the last guy to hit .400."

"If there was ever a man born to be a hitter it was me."

"Hitting is fifty percent above the shoulders."

"If I was being paid thirty-thousand dollars a year, the very least I could do was hit .400."

"A man has to have goals—for a day, for a lifetime—and that was mine, to have people say, 'There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived."

"They give you a round ball and a round bat and tell you to hit it square." (Pete Rose and Willie Stargell have also been credited with similar versions of this quote.)

"The greatest team I played for was the Marine Corps."

Career batting statistics

See also

Red Sox Hall of Fame

List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records

500 home run club

DHL Hometown Heroes

List of MLB individual streaks

List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBIs

Hitting for the cycle

Triple Crown

List of Major League Baseball RBI champions

List of Major League Baseball batting champions

List of Major League Baseball home run champions

List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions

List of Major League Baseball doubles champions

Major League Baseball titles leaders

Hispanics in the United States Marine Corps

Notes

References

George Bush Presidential Library & Museum

Further reading

Baldasarro, Lawrence (ed.). The Ted Williams Reader. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. ISBN 0-671-73536-5.

Halberstam, David. The Teammates. New York: Hyperion, 2003. ISBN 1-4013-0057-X.

Montville, Leigh. Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero. New York: Doubleday, 2004. ISBN 0-385-50748-8.

Updike, John. Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: John Updike on Ted Williams. New York: Library of America, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59853-071-1

Williams, Ted, and John Underwood. Ted Williams' Fishing the Big Three: Tarpon, Bonefish, Atlantic Salmon. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1982. ISBN 0-671-24400-0.

Williams, Ted, and John Underwood. My Turn at Bat: My Story of My Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1969.

Williams, Ted, and John Underwood. The Science of Hitting. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1970.

Williams, Ted, and David Pietrusza. Ted Williams: My Life in Pictures (also published as Teddy Ballgame). Kingston, N.Y.: Total/Sports Illustrated, 2002. ISBN 1-930844-07-7.

Williams, Ted, and Jim Prime. Ted Williams' Hit List: The Best of the Best Ranks the Best of the Rest. Indianapolis: Masters Press, 1996. ISBN 1-57028-078-9.

Linn, Ed. Hitter: The Life And Turmoils of Ted Williams. Harcourt Brace and Company, 1993 then as a Harvest paperback 1994. ISBN 0-15-600091-1.

Cramer, Richard Ben. "What Do You Think Of Ted Williams Now? - A Remembrance". Simon & Schuster, 2002. ISBN 0-7432-4648-9.

External links

Baseball Library

Ted Williams: A life remembered - article at Boston Globe

Ted Williams Tribute - article at Sports Illustrated

Videos of Ted Williams Cryonics Debate

Ted Williams Museum

Photo of Ted Williams with Joe and Dom DiMaggio

Ted Williams: Hitter - slideshow by Life magazine

Retrieved on 2008-07-11

{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width=100% align="center" |- ! style="background:#ccccff"| Accomplishments |- | |}

Category:500 home run club Category:American League Most Valuable Player Award winners Category:American League All-Stars Category:American League batting champions Category:American League home run champions Category:American League RBI champions Category:American League Triple Crown winners Category:American military personnel of the Korean War Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in Florida Category:Cryonically preserved people Category:Major League Baseball left fielders Category:Baseball players from California Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:American baseball players of Mexican descent Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:People from San Diego, California Category:Recipients of the Air Medal Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:San Diego Padres (minor league) players Category:American sportspeople of Scotch-Irish descent Category:American sportspeople of Russian descent Category:Texas Rangers managers Category:United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:Washington Senators (1961–1971) managers Category:American sportspeople of Welsh descent Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:1918 births Category:2002 deaths Category:American people of Basque descent Category:American people of Spanish descent

Name	Eimear Quinn
Background	solo_singer
Born	Dublin, Ireland
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Celtic
Occupation	Singer
Label	Decca Classics
Associated acts	Anúna
Url	eimearquinn.com

Eimear Quinn (, ; born 1973) is an Irish singer. In 1995 Quinn became a member of the Irish choral group Anúna, touring internationally and recording two albums with them, "Omnis" and "Deep Dead Blue". In December 1995, while performing with the choir, she was seen by songwriter Brendan Graham and asked to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest competition. She went on to win the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with the song "The Voice" with words and music by Graham. As she watched the votes coming in, she performed an impromptu duet of "Norwegian Wood" with a-ha singer Morten Harket, who was co-hosting the contest in Oslo. Quinn returned to Eurovision in 2005 to perform at the 50th anniversary Congratulations event in Copenhagen.

A native of Dublin, Quinn graduated from NUI Maynooth, Ireland, before she became a professional singer. In 2001 she released a record at Decca Classics called Through the Lens of a Tear produced and co-composed by Pól Brennan (ex-Clannad) about Tristan and Iseult.

In 2006, Quinn read the Irish Votes at the Eurovision Song Contest.

She also released a compilation album called Gatherings in 2006.

Discography

1996 The Voice (Single)

1996 Winter, Fire and Snow EP

1997 Ave Maria (Single)

2001 Through the Lens of a Tear

2006 Gatherings

2007 Oh Holy Night

References

External links

Official website

The Voice lyric

Interview

Anúna Official Website

Category:Irish female singers Category:Irish musicians Category:Irish pop singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1996 Category:Irish Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners Category:Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Category:1973 births Category:Living people

Name	Don LaFontaine
Birth name	Donald Leroy LaFontaine
Birth date	August 26, 1940
Birth place	Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Death date	September 01, 2008
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Voice actor
Years active	1962–2008
Spouse	Joan Studva (1967–1988)Nita Whitaker (1989–2008)
Children	Christine LaFontaine (age 40)Skye LaFontaine (age 20)Elyse LaFontaine (age 16)
Website	http://www.donlafontaine.com/

Donald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine

In a 2007 interview, LaFontaine explained the strategy behind his signature catch phrase, "in a world where...":

We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to. That's very easily done by saying, "In a world where... violence rules." "In a world where... men are slaves and women are the conquerors." You very rapidly set the scene. rental chain. In the ad, LaFontaine emerged from under a counter when called on by an employee to deliver a description of a movie in the style of his trailer voiceovers, to a customer hesitant about renting the film.

He is also mentioned in the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Antenna". In the episode, George Lowe bemoans the fact that he cannot get a voiceover job while LaFontaine earns "30,000 dollars a minute." Lowe attempts an impression of LaFontaine, saying, "In a world where towers rule the universe…"

On September 17, 2006, LaFontaine appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, where he was brought in to narrate the demolition video for the Llanes family, because 4 of the family members would not be able to see the demolition, due to visual impairment.

On April 12, 2007, LaFontaine appeared on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with ousted American Idol finalist Haley Scarnato to provide humorous "movie trailer"-esque commentary, as a spoof of his Geico commercial.

On November 20, 2007, he appeared along with Frank Caliendo and Pablo Francisco, who both impersonate LaFontaine's movie trailer voice, on Caliendo's Frank TV sketch comedy show on TBS in a sketch that parodied The Three Tenors.

On February 16, 2008, LaFontaine appeared in the VH1 series Free Radio episode "Lance Gets a Manager" as himself, being interviewed by the radio deejay characters. He briefly touches on his early career, and is tricked into providing free voice work.

In March 2008, Don appeared in a short comedy sketch called “Dream-A-Wish” produced by online comedy group Magic Hugs.

The use of his voice in film trailers also inspired its use on lots of low budget independent film trailers, using recordings of his voice for other trailers and mixing and matching the lines to suit the particular film using sound boards and voice over databases. An example of this can be seen in the trailer for this independent short film for The Face (2010).

Selected filmography

Fillmore! - Narrator

The Terminator -Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

Cast Away - Trailer Voice-over

Fatal Attraction - Trailer Voice-over

''Darkman -Trailer Voice-Over

- Trailer Voice-over

Batman Returns - Trailer Voice-over

Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) - Trailer Voice-over

Daddy Day Care - TV Spot Voice-over

Chicken Run - Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

PowerSlave (video game) - Narrator

Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Commercial Voice-over

Morrow Road - Trailer Voice-over

Resistance 2 - Trailer Voice-over

The World's Greatest Magic - Announcer

The Land Before Time - Promo Voice-over

79th Academy Awards - Co-announcer of the 79th Oscars.

America's Most Wanted - Announcer

- Announcer

Birds-Eye Steam Fresh frozen vegetables - voice-over

Entertainment Tonight and The Insider (2004–2008) - Announcer

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - trailer announcer

Days of our Lives (1990) - Promo announcer during the climax of the Cruise of Deception storyline

iZ3D Promotional Video (2008) - Commercial Voice Over

Tomb Raider Underworld - Commercial Voice-Over

Universal Studios Hollywood - 2001 Commercial Voice-Over

MotorStorm - Opening game intro

The Simpsons Movie - Promo voice-over

(1999) - Trailer Voice-Over

Home Alone - Trailer Voice-Over

Starship Troopers - Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

A Christmas Carol (1997) - Trailer Voice-over

- Trailer Voice-over

Random! Cartoons - Announcer

Bof Productions Trailer (2008) - Trailer Voice-over

Metal Gear Solid 4 - Trailer Voice-over

A Man Called Sarge (1990) - Narrator

References

External links

Official site

2008 Interview on World Talk LIVE with host Brett Cohen

The Age (Australia), November 29, 2003: Trailer talk Article about Don LaFontaine by Alan Gelder.

Don LaFontaine - Obituary

New York Times: Don LaFontaine, Voice of Trailers and TV Spots, Is Dead at 68

Los Angeles Times: Don LaFontaine, 68; voice of movie trailers

Washington Post: In a World Without Don LaFontaine, Film Won't Be as Much Fun

Washington Post: In a World of Don LaFontaine, A Reel-Life Figure of Speech

The Daily Telegraph: Don LaFontaine obituary

Category:1940 births Category:2008 deaths Category:American voice actors Category:Radio and television announcers Category:Actors from Minnesota Category:People from Duluth, Minnesota Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Deaths from pneumothorax Category:America's Most Wanted

Name	The David Crowder Band
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Waco, Texas, United States
Genre	Christian rockElectronic rockWorship
Years active	1996–present
Label	sixstepsrecords
Url	www.DavidCrowderBand.com
Current members	David CrowderJack ParkerMike Dodson aka "Mike D"Jeremy Bush aka "B-wack"Mike Hogan aka "Hogan"Mark Waldrop aka "The Shark"
Past members	Jason SolleyTaylor Johnson
Notable instruments	BanjoTurntableElectric violinKeytarGuitar Hero ControllerThereminUkuleleiPhone (specifically Smule's I Am T-Pain app)Steve 3P0 (drumming robot)

The David Crowder Band (marketed as David Crowder*Band) is a six-piece Christian Modern Worship band from Waco, Texas.

Band history

The band began when David Crowder, from Texarkana, Texas, realized that almost half of the students at Baylor University were not attending church, which he found surprising since it is a Christian university. He and Chris Seay started University Baptist Church (Waco, Texas) in 1995 while he was still a student. Crowder led worship there and continued to do so throughout the year. The church's grew, as did the band's lineup.

Crowder began writing songs to incorporate into the worship times at the church and eventually the church released an independent CD, Pour Over Me, followed by All I Can Say in 1999. These CDs brought the band to a wider audience and invitations to festivals and events followed. The band was signed to sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records and has released six more albums to date (see discography). The band tours the United States continuously, but make it back to their home church in Waco, Texas relatively often. It has been said that Kyle Lake, University Baptist Church's former pastor and also longtime friend of the band, had a strong influence on the band's music in terms of content and inspiration both during his life and after his death.

With their September 2005 release, A Collision, David Crowder Band explored a new realm of musical diversity. The album houses a mix of bluegrass, folk, alternative, and worship, woven together with a touch of electronic ambience. This release landed them the #2 spot on the iTunes Music Store and the #39 spot on Billboard 200 only one day after its release.

On the same day as the release of A Collision, their song "Turkish Delight" was released on the compilation CD. This song, which is a reference to the magical Turkish Delight in C. S. Lewis's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has an old-school disco feel.

On March 19, 2007, the band officially started recording its album titled Remedy; the band also revealed the album's website, http://www.remedyiscoming.com/, which allows fans to follow the band via live webcams, and discover more about the album. Famously controversial rock musician Ted Nugent made a special guest appearance on the album, on the song "We Won't Be Quiet". Remedy was released on September 25, 2007. The day after its release, it reached #4 on the iTunes Music Store.

On July 16, 2008, the band announced via its website that it would be releasing a brand new live album and DVD set on August 19, 2008. The title was announced as being Remedy Club Tour - Live, and the cover art was released along with a trailer for the DVD.

On David Crowder's Xanga entry from January 31, 2009, he mentioned the preproduction of the band's next studio album. On Mike Hogan's MySpace entry from March 4, 2009, he confirmed that actual recording and production had commenced and provided directions for getting to the live webcam feed, which is in a page simply titled "Church Music". This is the name of the new album, released on September 22, 2009. The first single off the album is a cover of John Mark McMillan's song "How He Loves".

The band hosted Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference September 30 through October 2, 2010 at Baylor University in Waco, TX. Other presenters at the conference included Louie Giglio, Rob Bell, Israel Houghton, Hillsong London, Matt Redman, Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Leeland, David Dark, Gungor, Derek Webb and others.

Members

Current members

David Crowder – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, programming, theremin, keytar ("Foreverandever Etc..."), electric guitar ("We Won't Be Quiet", "Can You Feel It")

Jack Parker – electric guitar, vocals, Rhodes piano, mandolin, noise box ("Can You Feel It"), and banjo ("I Saw the Light") (1996 - present)

Mike Dodson – bass guitar, keyboards, cello ("Surely We Can Change"), clarinet

Mike Hogan – violin/strings, turntables (wicky-wack), guitar, keyboard

Jeremy Bush (Bwack) - drums, percussion, bells, programming

Mark Waldrop – electric guitar, thingamagoop ("Can You Feel It")

Former members

Jason Solley – electric guitar, background vocals and mandolin (1996 – 2006)

Taylor Johnson – electric guitar, mandolin (December 2006 – March 2007)

Discography

;Albums # Pour Over Me (1998) # All I Can Say (1999) # Can You Hear Us? (2002) # Illuminate (2003) U.S. #84 # A Collision (2005) U.S. #39 # Remedy (2007) U.S. #22 # Remedy Limited Edition (2008) # Remedy Club Tour - Live (2008) U.S. #88 # Church Music (2009) U.S. #11

;EPs # The Lime CD (2004) # Sunsets & Sushi (2005) # B Collision (2006) U.S. #118 # Summer Happiness (2010)

Collaboration

Thoughts of You - Robbie Seay (2000)

- Passion Worship Band (2000)

Our Love is Loud - Passion Worship Band (live, 2002)

Sacred Revolution - Passion Worship Band (live, 2003)

- Passion Worship Band (2004)

How Great Is Our God - Passion Worship Band (live, 2005)

Live from Austin Music Hall - Chris Tomlin (live, 2005)

Everything Glorious - Passion Worship Band (live, 2006)

Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia (compilation, 2005, Sparrow Records/EMD)

Ultimate Music Makeover: Michael W. Smith (compilation, 2005)

X Worship 2006 (compilation, 2005)

X Worship 2007 (compilation, 2006)

(compilation, Christmas)

Music Inspired By the Motion Picture Amazing Grace (compilation, 2007, Sparrow Records)

Glory Revealed (compilation by Mac Powell, 2007)

- Passion Worship Band (2007)

"Here Is Our King" can be heard on WOW Hits 2006

"Wholly Yours" can be heard on WOW Hits 2007

"Everything Glorious" can be heard on WOW Hits 1 and WOW Hits 2009

God of This City - Passion Worship Band (2008)

"How He Loves" can be heard on WOW Hits 2010

Lay It Down - Jars of Clay (2010)

The band also created the theme music for Dr. James MacDonald's radio program Walk in the Word.

Awards

2011

David Crowder Band is currently nominated for a Grammy Award at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album - Church Music

2010

David Crowder Band received a Dove Award at the 41st Annual Gospel Music Awards:

Praise and Worship Album of the Year - Church Music

2009

David Crowder Band was nominated for three Dove Awards at the 40th Annual Gospel Music Awards:

Group of the Year

Recorded Music Packaging - Remedy Club Tour Edition

Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: God of This City

The band received the award for:

Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: God of This City

2007

David Crowder Band received another Dove Award for their participation in Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: Everything Glorious

2006

David Crowder Band received their first Dove Awards at the 37th Annual Gospel Music Awards:

Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year - A Collision

Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year - "Here is Our King"

Special Event Album of the Year - Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia

Books

David Crowder has authored two books:

David Crowder, Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi, NavPress, 2005.

David Crowder with Mike Hogan, Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die or (The Eschatology of Bluegrass), Relevant Books, 2006.

Name

Previous to the name change announced with the release of the album Church Music, Crowder himself stated that it was improper to refer to the band as "The David Crowder Band". The group preferred to omit the article, as they did not want to make the band appear so definitive and concrete as "The David Crowder Band". The group once stated that they "may revisit this issue if other groups named 'David Crowder Band' begin performing," and may in fact, should that eventuality occur, insert "The Original" in front of the band's present appellation.

The addition of the asterisk (*) to the name (rendering David Crowder*Band) is a common occurrence evoking much mystery; however, the band uses this convention only in some logos. In text on their website and other media, the asterisk is omitted, which only adds to the lore. It is uncertain what the asterisk denotes reference to, or what metaphorical annotation is intended. The asterisk, however, can be seen on the David Crowder*Band music video "Foreverandever Etc...". No opinions on the asterisk's purpose are reliable at this point and time, although theories arise from time to time.

Astute observers concerned with the asterisk have pointed out the similarity of the band's name to Dave Matthews Band, and along with Crowder's Matthews-influenced acoustic guitar riffs, have suggested the asterisk alludes to a long-standing joke about the band's creativity. This is consistent with the band's writings, which have long employed witty, subtle, and self-effacing humor. And while somewhat conjectural, yet the most convincing piece of evidence to surface pointing to the truth in this is the fact that the DCB Band's All I Can Say has thirty-four tracks, with tracks twelve through thirty-three serving as silent filler tracks leading up to an acoustic rendition of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", an often-overlooked mimicry of Dave Matthews Band's album Under the Table and Dreaming, which also has a total of thirty-four tracks, with tracks twelve through thirty-three serving as silent filler tracks leading up to the song known as "#34". Also, the total running time of the record is exactly 68:00, which is 34 doubled. This was completely coincidental."

On a faux-documentary while recording their upcoming album, Church Music, Crowder mentioned that the asterisk meant, "David Crowder [is about to go insane because Jack Parker continually tries to sabotage the work of the rest of the] band."

References

External links

David Crowder Band official website

University Baptist Church

Christian Music Today interview - 11/07

Christian Music Today interview - 04/06

Christian Music Today interview - 10/02

Home.FM Radio Interview with David Crowder by Adam & Ben on Mornings at Home

Gospel Music Channel Interview with David Crowder by Alicia Carson

Category:American Christian musical groups Crowder, David Category:Musical groups from Texas Category:Contemporary worship music

Name	Christina Aguilera
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christina María Aguilera
Alias	Xtina
Born	December 18, 1980Staten Island, New York United States
Origin	Wexford, Pennsylvania United States
Genre	Pop, R&B;, soul, dance-pop, hip hop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress
Instrument	Vocals, piano
Years active	1993–present
Label	RCA
Url

Christina María Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) is an American recording artist and actress. "Reflection" peaked within the top twenty on the Adult Contemporary Singles Chart, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

1999–2001: Christina Aguilera, Mi Reflejo and new management

Under the exclusive representation of Steve Kurtz, Aguilera's self-titled debut album Christina Aguilera was released on August 24, 1999. It reached the top of the Billboard 200 and Canadian album charts, selling eight million copies in the U.S. and over seventeen million copies worldwide. The album peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard 200 and went number one on the Billboard Latin charts for a record 20 weeks. In 2001, it won Aguilera a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. The album went Gold in the U.S. She also won the World Music Award as the best selling Latin artist that year. Aguilera also released a Christmas album on October 24, 2000 called My Kind of Christmas. It peaked at number twenty-eight on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Platinum in the U.S. Kurtz countersued later that month for breach of contract, claiming that the singer violated the same agreement she had sued to void. In the lawsuit, he included others close to Aguilera, alleging their intent to sabotage his business relationship with her. He also singled out Azoff for being in violation of the terms of Kurtz's contract. She denied that this change was a matter of publicity, claiming that the image better reflected her true personality than did the image she cultivated back in 1999. While the video for "Dirrty" became very popular on MTV, it disappointed on the U.S. singles chart. However, the single was a hit worldwide, reaching number one in the UK and Ireland. The second single, "Beautiful" received critical praise. The classically influenced ballad reached number one in several countries and peaked at #2 in the US. "Beautiful" earned Aguilera the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Three more singles ("Fighter", "Can't Hold Us Down" featuring Lil' Kim, "The Voice Within") were released in the following two years and were hits that helped the album stay on the charts for the next two years. Stripped stayed on the U.S. and UK album charts well into 2004, and went on to be certified four-times platinum in the U.S. with over thirteen million copies sold worldwide. Also in 2004, she hosted a Saturday Night Live episode which included a Sex & The City skit where she portrayed Samantha Jones revealing to everyone she was a man the entire time. Dan Martin of the NME wrote, "Perhaps best of all is ‘Monday Morning.' Written with Santigold and The Bravery’s Sam Endicott, it’s a Day-Glo disco jam that sounds like Gwen Stefani doing "Borderline". The album's sales were underwhelming in the US compared to her previous releases selling 110,000 copies in its first week landing at #3.

Describing Aguilera's voice, singing teachers Phyllis Fulford and Michael Mailler said, "The low register is light and tired, the belting register is ample and full, but very scratchy because she screams; and head voice as well as whistle register are light, pure and bright. Her vocal range extends from G below middle C to C one octave above soprano high C (C₃ - C₇). She can belt to F one octave and a third above middle C (F₅). She possesses a good-sized technical arsenal. Her trill is solid, she has a big mastery of melisma, and can sustain very long notes." Fashion has also been a part of Aguilera's music career and image which she has used as a form of expression during performances and music videos. In 2003 she became the muse and inspiration for Donatella Versace's 2003 fall line. Versace also designed pieces her tour the following year. Aguilera is also a fan of Roberto Cavalli, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen whose designs she has worn throughout her career.

Philanthropy

Throughout her career, Aguilera has been involved with several charities. She signed a letter from PETA to the South Korean government asking that the country stop its alleged killing of dogs for food. Since then she has worked with Lifetime Television's 'End violence against women' campaign. Her work there included a public service announcement which aired on the network and during her 2007 tour.1995 || The Mickey Mouse Club || Herself || 3 episodes |- | 1999 || Beverly Hills, 90210 || Herself || "Let's Eat Cake" |- | 2000–2006 || Saturday Night Live || Herself || Host, musical guest, 4 episodes |- | 2009 || Project Runway || Herself || Guest Judge, "Sequins, Feathers and Fur, Oh My!" |- | 2010 || Entourage || Herself || "Lose Yourself" |}

Discography

Christina Aguilera (1999)

Mi Reflejo (2000)

My Kind of Christmas (2000)

Stripped (2002)

Back to Basics (2006)

Bionic (2010)

See also

List of Christina Aguilera tours

List of best-selling music artists

List of awards and nominations received by Christina Aguilera

Honorific nicknames in popular music

References

External links

ChristinaAguilera.com — Christina Aguilera official website

Category:1980 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American music video directors Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Ecuadorian descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Feminist artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hispanic and Latino American people Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:Mouseketeers Category:Musicians from New York City Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:People from Staten Island Category:RCA Records artists Category:Sony BMG artists Category:Spanish-language singers Category:World Music Awards winners

Name	Ane Brun
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Ane Brunvoll
Born	March 10, 1976
Origin	Molde, Norway
Genre	Singer-Songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Label	Balloon Ranger Recordings
	V2 Music Benelux
	Cheap Lullaby (USA)
Url	anebrun.com

Ane Brun (), real name Ane Brunvoll is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist, born in Molde, Norway in 1976. Since 2003 she has recorded six albums, three of which are studio albums, a live DVD and a collection of duets. She has lived in Stockholm, Sweden since 2001, where she writes, records and runs her own label (Balloon Ranger Recordings) when not on tour.

History

After growing up in Molde, she moved from her home town in 1995 and spent the next few years moving between Barcelona, Oslo and Bergen. In Bergen she began writing her own material while at university (jumping between courses in Spanish, law and music) as well as making a living working in record shops and bars.

After playing a few minor shows and recording her first demos in Bergen in 1999, she moved first to Uppsala and then to Stockholm in 2001, where she started to take her musical career seriously.

Ane recorded her debut album Spending Time with Morgan in 2002 in both Stockholm and back in Uppsala, with engineers and producers Katharina Nuttall, Cécile Grudet and Kim Nelson. It was released on the label, DetErMine, which she formed with Ellekari Larsson from Swedish band The Tiny. The debut album came out in 11 European countries in 2003 through a licence/distribution deal with V2 Music.

After releasing the first album Ane toured around Europe but soon took some time out. She had been working intensively for two years and felt somewhat burnt out and in need of a break. After a six month breather she started touring around Europe again and within the next year had her second album ready. A Temporary Dive was again produced by Katharina Nuttall and was released in 2005 throughout Europe, the US, Japan and Australia. This album took the darker themes of Spending Time With Morgan further, through songs like "The Fight Song" and title track "A Temporary Dive", but there was also space for the lighter "Song no 6", a duet with Ron Sexsmith.

A Temporary Dive was well received all over the world, especially by the press, and it picked up many rave reviews in magazines and newspapers from Time Magazine to The Independent. She received award nominations from all over Europe too, and that year took home the Norwegian Grammy for Best Female Artist.

After enjoying the collaboration on the previous few duets she had recorded, Ane was inspired to ask some artists whom she adored to sing with her on a full album called, of course, Duets. This album was released in November 2005 and besides another recording with Ron Sexsmith it also included songs with artists such as Syd Matters and Teitur. It was a collaboration with the band Madrugada on the single "Lift Me" that gained her another Norwegian Grammy for the shelf at home.

Ane spent much of the next couple of years touring the world in many different stage arrangements. She's played with a full band including string section, just herself and string section at times, sometimes just a cello, perhaps with one backing vocalist – or maybe three. Of course it all started with her and the acoustic guitar, so she often ends up coming back to these solo performances too. "There is something about the focus in playing by myself that fascinates me", she says. "There’s nothing to hide behind when I’m alone on stage and it becomes almost meditative for me when I play."

One of her tours was with a string quintet, and it was recorded and released as Live in Scandinavia (2007) and featured Nina Kinert and the guitarist Staffan Johansson. The album includes songs from Ane's first two albums with new string arrangements by Malene Bay-Foged.

The next year she released her third studio album, The Changing of the Seasons which was produced by Icelandic Valgeir Sigurdsson (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Múm, Coco Rosie). It includes string arrangements by American composer Nico Muhly (Antony and the Johnsons, Grizzly Bear, The Reader Soundtrack).

Back on the road, a concert at the Stockholm Concert Hall was filmed and released as a live DVD in 2009. Also in this year came the album Sketches which included acoustic, demo versions of the songs on Changing of the Seasons. The Sketches tour featured a stripped down, sparse sound and now touring with musicians Rebekka Karijord, Jennie Abrahamson and Linnea Olsson, there were memorable gigs in places such as the Union Chapel in London.

Late in 2009, Ane organised the No More Lullabies concert to bring attention to the issues of climate justice. She assembled 24 well-known Swedish artists such as Robyn, Loney Dear, Titiyo and Benny Andersson of ABBA to take part in seven hours of live music and visuals to mark the International Day of Climate Action (October 24, 2009). They succeeded in making some noise on the issue before the upcoming COP15 conference.

She is currently working on a new album with producer Tobias Fröberg.

Ane is also currently touring as a back-up singer on Peter Gabriel's Scratch My Back Tour.

Discography

Artist	Ane Brun
Studio	3
Live	2
Compilation	2
Video	1
Music videos	10
Ep	1
Singles	10

Albums

Spending Time with Morgan (2003) (#19 NO)

A Temporary Dive (2005) (#1 NO) (#12 SWE) - Platinum

Duets (2005) (#2 NO) - 2× Platinum

Live in Scandinavia (2007) (#11 NO) (#12 SWE)

Changing of the Seasons (2008) (#1 NO) (#2 SWE) - Gold

Sketches (2008)

Live at Stockholm Concert Hall (2009) (#2 NO DVD) (#7 SWE)

EPs

My Lover Will Go (2004)

Singles

"Are They Saying Goodbye" (2003)

"Humming One of Your Songs" (2003)

"I Shot My Heart" (2004)

"Song No. 6" (2005)

"Lift Me" - Madrugada feat. Ane Brun (2005) (#1 NO)

"Rubber & Soul" feat. Teitur Lassen (2006)

"Balloon Ranger" (2006)

" Headphone Silence - Henrik Schwarz/DF Remix (2008)

"Big in Japan" (2008) (#3 SWE)

"True Colors" (2008) (#5 SWE)

" To Let Myself Go - Malkyl Remix (2009)

External links

Official web site

Myspace

Facebook

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Norwegian female singers Category:Norwegian singer-songwriters Category:Spellemannprisen winners Category:Norwegian people of Swedish descent Category:People from Molde