Name	Tom Waits
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Thomas Alan Waits
Born	December 07, 1949Pomona, California, United States
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, guitar
Genre	Rock, experimental music
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor, composer
Years active	1972–present
Label	Asylum Records, Island Records, ANTI-
Url	http://www.tomwaits.com/

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car." His father was of Scots-Irish descent and his mother was Norwegian American. After Waits' parents divorced in 1960, he lived with his mother in Whittier, and then moved to National City, in San Diego County, near the Mexico–United States border. Waits was playing in an R&B;/soul band called The System and had begun his first job at Napoleone Pizza House in National City (about which he would later sing on "I Can't Wait to Get Off Work (And See My Baby on Montgomery Avenue)" from Small Change and "The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone's Pizza House)" on The Heart of Saturday Night). He later admitted that he was not a fan of the 1960s music scene, stating, "I wasn't thrilled by Blue Cheer, so I found an alternative, even if it was Bing Crosby." A fan of Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Lord Buckley, Jack Kerouac, Louis Armstrong, Howlin' Wolf, Hoagy Carmichael, Marty Robbins, Raymond Chandler, and Stephen Foster, Waits began developing his own idiosyncratic musical style, combining song and monologue.

After serving with the United States Coast Guard,

He began touring and opening for such artists as Charlie Rich, Martha and the Vandellas, and Frank Zappa. Waits received increasing critical acclaim and gathered a loyal cult following with his subsequent albums. The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), featuring the song "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night," revealed Waits's roots as a nightclub performer, with half-spoken and half-crooned ballads often accompanied by a jazz backup band. including a performance of "The Piano Has Been Drinking" on cult BBC2 television music show the Old Grey Whistle Test in May 1976.

Waits's first album on his new label, Mule Variations, was issued in 1999. Billboard described the album as musically melding "backwoods blues, skewed gospel, and unruly art stomp into a sublime piece of junkyard sound sculpture." The same year, Waits appeared in the comedy Mystery Men.

2000s

John Hammond's Wicked Grin, a collection of Waits cover songs, was released in 2001. Waits appears on most songs, playing guitar, piano, and/or offering backing vocals. The album also includes the traditional hymn "I Know I've Been Changed", performed as a duet by Hammond and Waits.

Tori Amos included a cover of the song "Time," from Rain Dogs on her 2001 album Strange Little Girls. In 2002, Waits simultaneously released two albums, Alice and Blood Money. Both collections had been written almost 10 years previously and were based on theatrical collaborations with Robert Wilson; the former a musical play about Lewis Carroll, and the latter an interpretation of Georg Büchner's play fragment Woyzeck. Both albums revisit the tango, Tin Pan Alley, and spoken-word influences of Swordfishtrombones, while the lyrics are both profoundly cynical and melancholic, exemplified by "Misery is the River of the World" and "Everything Goes to Hell." "Diamond in Your Mind," which Waits wrote for Wilson's Woyzeck, did not appear on Blood Money; however, it did emerge on Solomon Burke's album Don't Give Up on Me of the same year. While Waits has played the song live a number of times, by The Ramones to the compilation album We're a Happy Family - A Tribute to Ramones, which was released in 2003 on Columbia Records. That same year, Waits was also a judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. to the tribute album , released on Gammon Records.

At this time, Waits made a return to acting after a five-year break, marked at first by the re-release of his 1993 Jim Jarmusch-directed short , costarring Iggy Pop, compiled in Coffee and Cigarettes. In 2005, Waits appeared in the Tony Scott film Domino as a soothsayer. In the same year, Waits appeared as himself in Roberto Benigni's romantic comedy La Tigre e la Neve, set in occupied Baghdad during the Iraq War. In the movie, Waits appears in a dream scene as himself, singing the ballad "You Can Never Hold Back Spring" and accompanying himself at the piano.

A 54-song three-disc box set of rarities, unreleased tracks, and brand-new compositions called was released in November 2006. The three discs are subdivided relating to their content: "Brawlers" features Waits's more upbeat rock and blues songs; "Bawlers," his ballads and love songs; and "Bastards", songs that fit in neither category, including a number of spoken-word tracks. A video for the song "Lie to Me" was produced as a promotion for the collection. Orphans also continues Waits's newfound interest in politics with "Road to Peace", a song about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The album is also notable for containing a number of covers of songs by other artists, including The Ramones ("The Return of Jackie and Judy" and "Danny Says"), Daniel Johnston ("King Kong"), Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht ("What Keeps Mankind Alive"), and Leadbelly ("Ain't Goin' Down to the Well" and "Goodnight Irene"), as well as renditions of works by poets and authors admired by Waits, such as Charles Bukowski and Jack Kerouac and a previously released duet with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse entitled "Dog Door". Waits' albums Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards and Alice are both included in metacritic.com's list of the "Top 200: Best-Reviewed Albums" since 2000 at #10 and #20, respectively (as of November 2009). The same years, Waits appeared on Sparklehorse's album Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, playing piano on the track "Morning Hollow."

Five different versions of Waits's song "Way Down in the Hole" have been used as the opening theme songs for the HBO television show The Wire. Waits's own version, from Franks Wild Years, was used for season two. The other versions used for the series were performed by, in season order, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Neville Brothers, "DoMaJe" and Steve Earle.

Recently, Waits has made a number of high-profile television and concert appearances. In November 2006, Waits appeared on The Daily Show and performed "The Day After Tomorrow." This was significant for his having been only the third performing guest on the show, the first being Tenacious D and the second The White Stripes. On May 4, 2007, Waits performed "Lucinda" and "Ain't Goin' Down to the Well" from Orphans on the last show of a week Late Night with Conan O'Brien spent in San Francisco. There was a short interview after the last performance. Waits also played in the Bridge School Benefit on October 27–28, 2007 with Kronos Quartet.

On July 10, 2007, Waits released the download-only digital single "Diamond In Your Mind". The version of the song was recorded with Kronos Quartet, with Greg Cohen, Philip Glass, and The Dalai Lama at the benefit concert "Healing The Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation" at Avery Fisher Hall, recorded on September 21, 2003.

Waits's song "Trampled Rose" (from Real Gone) appeared on the critically acclaimed album Raising Sand, a collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Waits also provided guest vocals on the song "Pray" by fellow ANTI- artists The Book of Knots on their album Traineater.

He played the role of Kneller in the film , which opened in November 2007.

On January 22, 2008, Waits made a rare live appearance in Los Angeles, performing at a benefit for Bet Tzedek Legal Services—The House of Justice, a nonprofit poverty law center.

On May 7, 2008, Waits announced the Glitter and Doom Tour starting in June 2008, touring cities in the southern United States and subsequently announced a series of dates in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. Waits was awarded the key to the city of El Paso, Texas during a concert on June 20, 2008. In his generally positive review of the opening show of the tour, The Wall Street Journal critic Jim Fusilli described Waits' music thus: }}

On May 20, 2008 Scarlett Johansson's debut album, entitled Anywhere I Lay My Head, featured covers of ten Tom Waits songs. Waits made an appearance on the album The Spirit of Apollo by alternative hip hop project N.A.S.A., on the track "Spacious Thoughts."

Waits wrote the following introduction for the Tompkins Square compilation People Take Warning – Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs, 1913–1938:

In late 2009, Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was released, with Waits in the role of Mr. Nick. Production began in December 2007 in London. Star Heath Ledger's death in January 2008 cast doubt on the film's future, but the production was salvaged with the addition of new actors playing his character in scenes he did not complete.

Waits played the role of "The Engineer" in the film The Book of Eli, opposite Denzel Washington, which opened in January 2010.

He is currently working on a new stage musical with director (and long-time collaborator) Robert Wilson and playwright Martin McDonagh.

Record companies

Waits has often switched to smaller independent record companies over the years; he signed to Asylum Records before they were bought out by Elektra Records and Warner Bros. During his time with Island Records, that label expanded from a small company to a music industry giant. He then signed to Anti Records, a division of Epitaph Records.

Lawsuits

Waits has steadfastly refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials and has joked about other artists who do. ("If Michael Jackson wants to work for Pepsi, why doesn't he just get himself a suit and an office in their headquarters and be done with it?") He has filed several lawsuits against advertisers who used his material without permission. He has been quoted as saying, "Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad — ideally, naked and purring on the hood of a new car," he said in a statement, referring to the Mercury Cougar. "I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor."

Waits filed his first lawsuit in 1988 against Frito-Lay. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an award of $2.375-million in his favor (Waits v. Frito-Lay, 978 F. 2d 1093 (9th Cir. 1992)). Frito-Lay had approached Waits to use one of his songs in an advertisement. Waits declined the offer, and Frito-Lay hired a Waits soundalike to sing a jingle similar to Small Change's "Step Right Up," which is, ironically, a song Waits has called "an indictment of advertising". Waits won the lawsuit, becoming one of the first artists to successfully sue a company for using an impersonator without permission.

In 1993, Levi's used Screamin' Jay Hawkins' version of Waits' "Heartattack and Vine" in a commercial. Waits sued, and Levi's agreed to cease all use of the song and offered a full page apology in Billboard. Waits found himself in a situation similar to his earlier one with Frito Lay in 2000 when Audi approached him, asking to use "Innocent When You Dream" (from Franks Wild Years) for a commercial broadcast in Spain. Waits declined, but the commercial ultimately featured music very similar to that song. Waits undertook legal action, and a Spanish court recognized that there had been a violation of Waits's moral rights in addition to the infringement of copyright. The production company, Tandem Campany Guasch, was ordered to pay compensation to Waits through his Spanish publisher. Waits was later quoted as jokingly saying the company got the name of the song wrong, thinking it was called "Innocent When You Scheme".

In 2005, Waits sued Adam Opel AG, claiming that, after having failed to sign him to sing in their Scandinavian commercials, they had hired a sound-alike singer. In 2007, the suit was settled, and Waits gave the sum to charity.

Waits has also filed a lawsuit unrelated to his music. He was arrested in 1977 outside Duke's Tropicana Coffee Shop in Los Angeles. Waits and a friend were trying to stop some men from bullying other patrons. The men were plainclothes police, and Waits and his friend were taken into custody and charged with disturbing the peace. The jury found Waits not guilty; he took the police department to court and was awarded $7,500 compensation.

Discography and filmography

Tours

1973: Closing Time touring

1974–1975: The Heart of Saturday Night touring

1975–1976: Small Change touring

1977: Foreign Affairs touring

1978–1979: Blue Valentine touring

1980–1982: Heartattack and Vine touring

1985: Rain Dogs touring

1987: Big Time touring

1999: Get Behind the Mule Tour

2004: Real Gone Tour

2006: The Orphans Tour

2008: Glitter and Doom Tour

Further reading

References

External links

Discography at the Tom Waits Library

Interview with Amanda Petrusich, Pitchfork Media, November 27, 2006

Interview with Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, November 28, 2006

Tom Waits at NPR Music, contains interviews

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:American actors of Norwegian descent Category:American composers Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American musicians of Norwegian descent Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Eels (band) members Category:English-language singers Category:Epitaph Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Chula Vista, California Category:People from Pomona, California Category:People from the San Fernando Valley Category:People from Sonoma County, California Category:Singers from California Category:Songwriters from California Category:Writers from California Category:Sebastopol, California Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Name	Ruth Bell Graham
Caption	Ruth and Billy Graham aboard the Queen Mary in 1966
Birth name	Ruth McCue Bell
Birth date	June 10, 1920
Birth place	Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China
Death date	June 14, 2007
Death place	Montreat, North Carolina, USA
Occupation	Philanthropist, Poet, Author, Painter
Spouse	Billy Graham (m. 1943-2007)
Children	Franklin, Nelson, Virginia, Anne and Ruth

Ruth Bell Graham (June 10, 1920 – June 14, 2007), wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, was born at Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China as Ruth McCue Bell, the second of five children. Her parents, Dr. and Mrs. L. Nelson Bell, were medical missionaries at the Presbyterian Hospital 300 miles north of Shanghai. At the age of 13 she was enrolled in high school in Pyongyang, Korea, where she studied for three years. Ruth completed her high school education at Montreat, North Carolina, while her parents were there on furlough. She graduated from Wheaton College (Illinois) in Wheaton, Illinois.

The Grahams met at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois and were married in the summer of 1943, shortly after their graduation. Ruth became a minister's wife for a brief period in Western Springs, Illinois. They lived out the rest of her life in Montreat, North Carolina. The Grahams have five children: Virginia (Gigi), Anne, Ruth, Franklin and Nelson Edman (Ned), nineteen grandchildren, and numerous great grandchildren. Grandson Tullian Tchividjian is senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Mrs. Graham wrote “Our Christmas Story,” “Sitting by My Laughing Fire,” “It's My Turn,” “The Legacy of a Pack Rat,” “Prodigals and Those Who Love Them,” “Clouds Are the Dust of His Feet,” “One Wintry Night,” “Coffee and Conversation with Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Graham Tchividjian,” “Collected Poems,” “Mothers Together,” and “Prayers From A Mother’s Heart.” Mrs. Graham’s most recent books published in 2001 are, “Never Let It End: Poems of a Lifelong Love“ published by Baker Books, “Footprints of a Pilgrim: The Life and Loves of Ruth Bell Graham,” published by Word Publishing and “A Quiet Knowing,” published by W Publishing Group.

Early life

Ruth Graham was born at Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China, as Ruth McCue Bell. Her parents, Dr. L. Nelson Bell and Virginia McCue Bell, were American medical missionaries at the Presbyterian Hospital 300 miles north of Shanghai.

Married life

Ruth returned to the U.S. at the age of 17 in the fall of 1937, and enrolled at Wheaton College, outside Chicago, Illinois, where she met Graham. They married on August 13, 1943. In 1945, after a brief stint as a suburban pastor, her husband became an evangelist for Youth for Christ. The Grahams moved to Montreat near her parents where the Grahams continued to live for the rest of their married life. Despite Billy Graham being one of the world's most famous Baptists, his wife remained a Presbyterian and often taught Sunday School.

Between 1945 and 1958, Mrs. Graham gave birth to five children, whom she raised — sometimes single-handedly — while her husband was away on extended national and international evangelistic crusades. The three daughters and two sons who survive her are all actively involved in ministry, including eldest son Franklin, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) founded by his father.

Ministry

In 1959, Mrs. Graham published her first book, Our Christmas Story, an illustrated volume for children. She went on to write or co-write 13 other books, many of them works of poetry she wrote as an emotional release while her husband was so often on the road through the years.

Mrs. Graham’s significant role in Billy Graham's ministry was recognized in 1996, when they were jointly awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in a special ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C..

Ruth Graham was always a vital part of Billy Graham’s evangelistic career, and he turned to her for advice and input about many ministry decisions. One of the early uses of media by the BGEA was the “Hour of Decision” radio program begun in 1950, which she named. After her upbringing in China and high school experience in Korea, she continued to have compassion for the people of Asia. She encouraged her husband to visit and later accompanied him during his historic visits to the People's Republic of China.

Philanthropy

In 1966, she founded the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center in Asheville, North Carolina, with which she was actively involved until her death.

Declining health and death

Ruth Graham had been in frail health since suffering spinal meningitis in 1995. This was exacerbated by a degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck that began with a fall while testing a swing she made for her grandchildren in 1974 that resulted in chronic back pain for many years. During the final months of her life, Graham was bedridden and had contracted pneumonia.

The day before Ruth's death, Billy Graham released a statement through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association stating, "Ruth is my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side. I am more and more in love with her today than when we first met over 65 years ago as students at Wheaton College."

On Monday, June 11, at Ruth's request and subsequent to consultation with her family, she was removed from life support. On June 13, 2007, following her decline into a semi-coma, Billy Graham announced that he and his wife had decided to be buried beside each other at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. She died at 5:05 p.m. EDT June 14, 2007, at her home, Little Piney Cove, in Montreat, North Carolina, with her husband and five children at her bedside, just 4 days after her 87th birthday. A private ceremony followed by burial on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library was held on Sunday, June 17, 2007.

In a statement released from Wheaton College, Dr. Duane Litfin, president of the school, remarked, “Strong, steady, and dauntless, Ruth Bell Graham was the glue that held the many of the parts of their lives together.” Understanding the importance of his calling, Ruth joined Reverend Graham willingly in his ministry, though she preferred her role to be behind the scenes.

Bibliography

Ruth Graham was a poet and writer, authoring or co-authoring 14 books, as well as a regular contributor for newspapers and magazines.

Our Christmas Story, 1959

Sitting by My Laughing Fire, 1977 (revised 2006)

It's My Turn, 1982

Legacy of a Pack Rat, 1989

Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, 1991

Clouds are the Dust of His Feet, 1992

One Wintry Night, 1994

Collected Poems, 1997

Prayers from a Mother's Heart, 1999

Footprints of a Pilgrim: The Life and Loves of Ruth Bell Graham, 2001

Never Let It End: Poems of a Lifelong Love, 2001

With Gigi Graham:

Coffee and Conversation With Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Graham Tchividjian, 1997

Mothers Together, 1998

A Quiet Knowing, 2001

Her biography, A Time for Remembering (later reissued as ), was an early work of novelist Patricia Cornwell.

References

External links

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Memorial at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Obituary in The Times

Category:1920 births Category:2007 deaths Category:People from Huai'an Category:American Presbyterians Category:American expatriates in China Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients Category:Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Category:Graham family Category:People from Buncombe County, North Carolina Category:Americans reared abroad by missionary parents Category:Writers from North Carolina

Caption	Atkinson at the premiere for Mr. Bean's Holiday in March 2007
Birth name	Rowan Sebastian Atkinson
Birth date	January 06, 1955
Birth place	Consett, County Durham, England, United Kingdom
Current location	Danville, California
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Genre	Physical comedy, satire
Influences	Peter Sellers, Charlie Chaplin, Jacques Tati Blackadder Mr. Bean The Thin Blue Line
Spouse
Child	Ben Atkinson, Lily Atkinson, Gemma Atkinson
Baftaawards	Best Light Entertainment Performance 1981 Not the Nine O'Clock News 1990 Blackadder Goes Forth
Olivierawards	Best Comedy Performance 1981 Rowan Atkinson in Revue

}}

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is most famous for his work in the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Thin Blue Line. He has been listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy, His two older brothers are Rodney, a Eurosceptic economist who narrowly lost the United Kingdom Independence Party leadership election in 2000, and Rupert. While at Oxford, he also acted and performed early sketches for the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS), the Oxford Revue and the Experimental Theatre Club (ETC), meeting writer Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall, with whom he would continue to collaborate during his career.

Radio

Atkinson starred in a series of comedy shows for BBC Radio 3 in 1978 called "Atkinson People". It consisted of a series of satirical interviews with fictional great men, who were played by Atkinson himself. The series was written by Atkinson and Richard Curtis, and produced by Griff Rhys Jones. sets Atkinson apart as most modern television and film comedies rely heavily on dialogue, and stand-up comedy is mostly based on monologues. This talent for visual comedy has led to Atkinson being called "the man with the rubber face": comedic reference was made to this in an episode of Blackadder the Third, in which Baldrick (Tony Robinson) refers to his master, Mr. E. Blackadder, as a "lazy, big nosed, rubber-faced bastard".

Personal life

Marriage and children

Atkinson first met Sunetra Sastry in the 1980s, who was working as a make-up artist with the BBC. BAFTA Best Light Entertainment Performance – 1989

Whatsonstage Award for Oliver! – 2010

Nomination for Laurence Olivier Award for Oliver! – 2010

References

External links

Rowan Atkinson biography at BFI Screenonline

Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Newcastle University Category:Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Car collectors Category:English Anglicans Category:English comedians Category:English comedy writers Category:English film actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:Mr. Bean Category:Old St. Beghians Category:People from Consett

Name	Kanye West
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kanye Omari West
Born	June 08, 1977Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, sampler, percussion, synthesizer
Occupation	Producer, rapper, musician, singer
Years active	1996–present
Label	GOOD Music, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Associated acts	Go Getters, Child Rebel Soldier, Jay-Z, Common, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Mr Hudson, Pusha T, Big Sean
Url

Kanye Omari West (; born June 8, 1977) and critical acclaim. His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B; artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also "ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa". His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release.

After meeting great commercial success and critical acclaim for his productions on The Blueprint, West became a sought after producer in the hip-hop industry, even before he became known as a rapper and solo artist. In the years 2002-2003 he would produce for artists such as Nas, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, T.I., Ludacris, DMX, and Monica. He also continued producing for Roc-a-Fella Records artists and contribued four tracks to Jay-Z's follow up album to The Blueprint, .

After great successes as a producer, West now looked to pursue a career as a rapper and solo artist, but struggled to find a way to get a record deal. Chris Anokute, then A&R; at Def Jam, said that when West regularly dropped by the office to pick up his producer checks he would play demos of solo material to Anokute in his cubicle and bemoan the fact that no one was taking him seriously as a rapper. Beginning his career as a rapper, Kanye West rapped a verse on Jay-Z's , an album he produced for, from the same label he was signed to as a rapper.

The College Dropout (2004)

On October 23, 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car crash while driving home from the recording studio. The crash provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire". The album was eventually certified triple platinum. Guest appearances included Jay-Z, Ludacris, GLC, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and Syleena Johnson. The album also featured the singles, "All Falls Down" and "The New Workout Plan", as well as Twista's number one single, "Slow Jamz".

Late Registration (2005)

performing "Gold Digger" at the Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado]] Taking a more eclectic route, West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion to construct his second album, Late Registration, which was released on August 30, 2005. Aboolian referred her to another internist. Donda never met with the doctor recommended by Aboolian and had the procedures performed by a third doctor, Jan Adams.

Adams sent condolences to Donda West's family but declined to publicly discuss the procedure because of confidentiality.

West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style, After hearing his work on The Blueprint, RZA claimed that a torch-passing had occurred between him and West, saying, "The shoes gotta be filled. If you ain't gonna do it, somebody else is gonna do it. That's how I feel about rap today."

West has stated on several occasions that outside of work, he favors listening to rock music over hip-hop. He cites Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers as some of his favorite musical groups. Additionally, on Graduation, West drew inspiration from arena rock bands such as U2, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin for melody and chord progression. West was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, After Swift appeared on The View two days after the outburst, partly to discuss the matter, West called her to apologize personally. Swift said she accepted his apology. In September 2010, West wrote a series of apologetic tweets addressed to Swift including "Beyonce didn't need that. MTV didn't need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn't want or need that" and concluding with "I'm sorry Taylor." West also revealed he had written a song for Swift and if she didn't accept the song, he would perform it himself.

Legal issues

In December 2006, Robert "Evel" Knievel sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for "Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "sexually-charged video" in which West takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and attempts flying a rocket over a canyon. The suit filed in federal court claims infringement on his trademarked name and likeness. Knievel also claims the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damage his reputation. The suit seeks damages and to stop distribution of the video. West's attorneys argued that the music video amounted to satire and therefore was covered under the First Amendment. Just days before his death in November 2007, Knievel amicably settled the suit after being paid a visit from West, saying, "I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman."

On September 11, 2008, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don Crowley were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers' cameras. West was later released from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division station in Culver City on $20,000 bail bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it would not file felony counts against West over the incident. Instead the case file was forwarded to the city attorney's office, which charged West with one count of misdemeanor vandalism, one count of grand theft and one count of battery and his manager with three counts of each on March 18, 2009. West's and Crowley's arraignment was delayed from an original date of April 14, 2009. West was arrested again on November 14, 2008 at a hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle involving a photographer outside a nightclub in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according to a police spokesperson.

Discography

; Studio albums

The College Dropout (2004)

Late Registration (2005)

Graduation (2007)

808s & Heartbreak (2008)

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

; Live albums

''Late Orchestration (2006)

(2010)

; Collaboration albums Watch The Throne (2011) (with Jay-Z)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Kanye West at Beatbuggy

Category:1977 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:African American rappers Category:African American singers Category:American bloggers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American music video directors Category:American pop musicians Category:American record producers Category:Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Chicago State University alumni Category:Electro-hop musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Living people Category:Mercury Records artists Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Rappers from Chicago, Illinois Category:Roc-A-Fella Records artists Category:World Music Awards winners

Name	Jeremy Camp
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jeremy Thomas Camp
Born	January 12, 1978
Origin	Lafayette, Indiana
Genre	Contemporary Christian musicChristian rock
Occupation	Musician, minister
Years active	2000–present
Label	BEC Recordings
Url	http://www.jeremycamp.com/

Jeremy Thomas Camp Camp was also ASCAP 2005 Songwriter of the Year and won the Dove Award for the Male Vocalist of the Year for the second consecutive year. In 2005 he recorded the song "Open Up Your Eyes" for the compilation release , a September 2005 album which contained original songs written by various Christian artists for the 2005 film . Camp closed the year with both Stay and Carried Me: the Worship Project being RIAA-certified as Gold.

2008–2009

His song "No Matter What" was the 4th most-played song on R&R; magazine's Christian CHR chart for 2008. Some of his early songs reflect the emotional ordeal of her illness. "I Still Believe" was the first song he wrote after her death. "Walk By Faith" was written during their honeymoon.(sales threshold) |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="40"| US ! width="40"| USRock ! width="40"| USChrist ! width="40"| USHeat ! width="40"| USCatalog ! width="40"| USDigital |- | 2002 | align="left"| Stay

Released: September 24, 2002

Label: BEC Recordings

| — | — | 10 | 13 | 2 | — | align="left"|

US: Gold

|- | rowspan="2"| 2004 | align="left"| Carried Me: The Worship Project

Released: February 10, 2004

Label: BEC Recordings

| 102 | — | 2 | — | — | — | align="left"|

US: Gold

|- | align="left"| Restored

Released: November 16, 2004

Label: BEC Recordings

| 45 | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | align="left"|

US: Gold

|- |2006 | align="left"| Beyond Measure

Released: October 31, 2006

Label: BEC Recordings

| 29 | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | align="left"|

US: Gold

|- |2008 | align="left"| Speaking Louder Than Before

Released: November 25, 2008

Label: BEC Recordings

| 38 | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | align="left"|

US: 320,700

|- |2010 | align="left"| We Cry Out: The Worship Project

Released: August 24, 2010

Label: BEC Recordings

| 15 | — | 1 | — | — | 15 | align="left"| |- | align="center" colspan="9"| "—" denotes the album didn't chart. |}

Live albums

Other releases

Live Session EP was released by iTunes and is only available through iTunes

Compilation appearances

Singles

Awards

References

External links

Official website

Jeremy Camp on PureVolume

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:Performers of Christian music Category:Musicians from Indiana

Name	Fernando Ortega
Birth place	Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Nationality	American
Known for	Christian singer/songwriter
Education	Music at the University of New Mexico
Religion	Anglican
Spouse	Margee Ann
Children	Ruby Aveline
Parents	Ambrosio, Eva
Relatives	Armando Ortega
Website	http://www.fernandoortega.com/

Fernando Ortega is an adult contemporary singer-songwriter in contemporary Christian music. He is noted for his interpretations of traditional hymns and songs, such as "Give Me Jesus", "Be Thou My Vision", and many others, but also for writing clear and accessible songs, such as "This Good Day".

Biography

Ortega was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico near the banks of the Rio Grande. He started learning piano at eight years of age. Through his father's work with the United States Department of State, he also spent time in Ecuador and Barbados. His family lived in Chimayo, NM for eight generations, which has been cited as an influence on his music. It is from his heritage and classical training at The University of New Mexico where Ortega derives his unique sound, embracing country, classical, Celtic, Latin American, world, modern folk and rustic hymnody. Ortega's father Ambrosio was once vice president of Central New Mexico Community College, his brother Armando is frontman for the Latin-flavored, world music band Wagogo.

Discography

In a Welcome Field (1991/2000)

Meditations of the Heart (1992)

Meditations of the Heart Encore (1993)

Hymns and Mediations (1994)

Night of Your Return (1996)

This Bright Hour (1997)

The Breaking of the Dawn (1998)

Give Me Jesus - EP (1999)

Home (2000)

Camino Largo (2001)

Storm (2002)

Hymns of Worship (2003)

Fernando Ortega (2004)

Live In St. Paul - DVD (2004)

The Shadow of Your Wings: Hymns and Sacred Songs (2006)

Christmas Songs (2008)

Other Appearances include:

*Calvary Chapel Music Praise, Vol. 1 ("How I Love You Lord" and "Teach Me Your Ways")

*Calvary Chapel Worship Alive, Vol. 1 ("I Will Delight" and "Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying")

*Next Door Savior ("How Deep the Father's Love For Us")

*The Odes Project ("Sing Allelu" and "I Stretched Out My Hands")

*Unknown Albums: "I Will Sing the Wondrous Story" and "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

Charts

Storm reached #197 on the Billboard 200 in 2002.

Awards

Dove Awards

1998

*Bluegrass Song: "Children of the Living God"

2000

*Inspirational Album: Home

2002

*Special Event Album of the Year: City on a Hill (various artists)

Gallery

References

External links

Official Site

Official MySpace Profile

Christian Music Central wiki page

Category:American gospel singers Category:Christian songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American Christians Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people

Name	Chris Tomlin
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christopher Dwayne Tomlin
Born	May 04, 1972
Origin	Grand Saline, Texas U.S.
Instrument	Piano Guitar
Genre	CCMContemporary worship music
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist worship leader
Years active	1998–present
Label	sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records
Url	www.christomlin.com

Christopher Dwayne "Chris" Tomlin (born May 4, 1972) is an American Christian Contemporary Music artist, worship leader, and songwriter from Grand Saline, Texas, United States. He is a former staff member at Austin Stone Community Church and is signed to EMI's sixstepsrecords. Tomlin also leads worship at many Passion events. Some of his most well-known songs are "How Great Is Our God", "Jesus Messiah", "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)", and the recent song "Our God" which he co-wrote with Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves and Jonas Myrin. He is currently a lead worshipper at Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia with Louie Giglio and Christy Nockels.

He was awarded Male Vocalist at the 2006, 2007, and 2008 GMA Dove Awards. He was also named Artist of the Year in 2007. Tomlin released his seventh studio album, And If Our God Is For Us..., on November 16, 2010. He is one of the members of Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith (and Smith's wife, Anna) of the band Delirious?.

Early life

Tomlin was born in Grand Saline, Texas in 1972 to Connie and Donna Tomlin. He has two younger brothers, Ryan and Cory. Tomlin received his first guitar from his father at the age of eleven after contracting a case of mono. Arriving was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2008. A year after Arriving, Tomlin released his first solo live album, titled Live From Austin Music Hall, and in 2006, his fourth studio album, See the Morning, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards, In 2008, Tomlin toured with Passion Conferences on its world tour. In early 2009, he headlined the Hello Love tour with Israel Houghton and New Breed. In summer of 2010, he co-headlined the "Hello Tonight" tour with TobyMac.

Tomlin has also been featured at many conferences and music festivals. Among these, he has played at Grand Saline's annual Salt Festival. which Tomlin described as "a place to serve God and his people in worship." In 2007, he partnered with Larry Tardy to create a new site under a similar name, Frequency Worship. The original site featured chord charts for some of Chris' songs, some instructional videos for those songs, and a message board meant for worship leaders. Since the updated launch in August 2008, Frequency has included chord charts for many popular worship songs, instructional videos, planning software for worship leaders, articles written by other artists, and more, branching out into all of worship music.

On June 14, 2007, Tomlin's version of the song "Indescribable" was used as the official wake-up call for Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester on Space Shuttle mission STS-117.

In May 2008, it was announced that Tomlin and his band would move from The Austin Stone Community Church, the church he helped plant with senior pastor Matt Carter in Austin, Texas to start a new church with Louie Giglio in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 2009, Tomlin released a Christmas album, . It includes three original Christmas songs and features duets with Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, and Audrey Assad. The album peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 list and at #1 for Holiday albums.

In March 2010, Tomlin and his band announced through their Twitter accounts the recording of a new studio album slated for a November 2010 release. On August 30, Tomlin announced on his twitter that the title would be And If Our God Is For Us... The first single "I Will Follow" was released to radio on August 23.

Personal life

On November 10, 2010, Tomlin's friends announced that the singer had married his longtime girlfriend Lauren Bricken on November 9.

Discography

1995: Inside Your Love

1998: Authentic

1998: Too Much Free Time with Ross King.

2001: The Noise We Make

2002: Not to Us

2004: Arriving

2006: See the Morning

2008: Hello Love

2009:

2010: And If Our God Is For Us...

Passion event albums

Live Worship From The 268 Generation (1998)

(1999)

(2000)

(2000)

Our Love is Loud (2002)

Sacred Revolution: Songs From OneDay 03 (2003)

(2004)

How Great Is Our God (2005)

Everything Glorious (2006)

The Best of Passion (So Far) (2006)

Live From Passion 07 Pts. 1 & 3 (2007)

God of This City (2008)

(2010)

Other songs (not included in an album)

"Whisper My Name" [Forefront] - Eterne: Never Be the Same (2000)

"Salvation" - Pour Over Me - Worship Together Live 2001 (2001)

"Give Us Clean Hands" - Pour Over Me - Worship Together Live 2001 (2001)

"Satisfied" [Forefront] - Secrets Of The Vine: Music... A Worship Experience (2002)

"Lord, I'm Gonna Love You" [Sparrow] - Your Love Broke Through (2002)

"Expressions of Your Love" (duet w/ Rebecca St. James) [Sparrow] - It Takes Two: 15 Collaborations & Duets (2003)

"Where the Streets Have No Name" [Sparrow/EMI CMG] - (2004)

"You're The One" [Disney/EMI CMG] - (2005)

"Angels We Have Heard On High" [Word] - (2005)

"Mighty to Save" [Integrity] - Bonus disc included with Fruitcake and Ice Cream DVD (2008)

Charts

Albums - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

¹ Currently active on the charts

Music videos

"Expressions of Your Love" (With Rebecca St. James) (2004)

"Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)" (2007)

Awards

;Dove Award wins

2005: Praise and Worship Album of the Year – Arriving

2006: Song of the Year – "How Great Is Our God"

2006: Male Vocalist of the Year

2006: Artist of the Year

2006: Special Event Album of the Year –

2006: Worship Song of the Year – "How Great Is Our God"

2007: Artist of the Year

2007: Male Vocalist of the Year

2007: Worship Song of the Year – "Holy Is the Lord"

2007: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – See the Morning

2007: Special Event Album of the Year – Passion: Everything Glorious

2007: Praise & Worship Album of the Year – See the Morning

2008: Male Vocalist of the Year

2008: Worship Song of the Year – "How Great is our God"

2009: Worship Album of the Year - Hello Love

2009: Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: God of This City

Nominated for 2009 Visionary Award Male Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year for Jesus Messiah

Bibliography

Chris Tomlin, The Way I Was Made: Words and Music for an Unusual Life, Multnomah, 2004. ISBN 978-1590523278

References

External links

Official site

Austin Stone Community Church

Article in Time Magazine

One Million Can

Category:Living people Category:1972 births Category:American male singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American Christians Category:Christian hymnwriters Category:Christian songwriters Category:People from Austin, Texas Category:Texas A&M; University alumni Category:Performers of Christian music Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Contemporary worship music Category:Tyler Junior College alumni