Coordinates	23°22′0.0006″N93°40′0.0012″N
Name	Oasis
Landscape	yes
Background	group_or_band
Genre	Rock, Britpop, alternative rock
Origin	Manchester, England
Years active	1991–2009
Label	Creation, Epic, Columbia, Sony Music, Big Brother, Reprise (U.S.)
Associated acts	The Rain, Beady Eye, Ride, Heavy Stereo, Hurricane #1
Past members	Liam Gallagher(1991-2009)Noel Gallagher(1991-2009)Gem Archer(1999-2009)Andy Bell(1999-2009)Alan White(1995-2004)Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan(1991-1999)Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs(1991-1999)Tony McCarroll(1991-1995)Zak Starkey(2004-2008)*Chris Sharrock(2008-2009)** denotes unofficial touring/recording member
Url

Oasis were an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher (vocals and tambourine), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums, percussion), who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitar and vocals). They have had eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums, and won fifteen NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards and six BRIT Awards, including one in 2007 for outstanding contribution to music and one for the best album of the last 30 years as voted by the BBC Radio 2 listeners; they have been nominated for three Grammy Awards. As of 2009, the band have sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide. Also the band was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for “Longest Top 10 UK Chart Run By A Group” after an unprecedented run of 22 successive Top 10 hits in the UK. The band also holds the Guinness World Record for being the "Most Successful Act of the Last Decade" in the UK between the years 1995 and 2005, spending 765 weeks in the Top 75 singles and albums charts.

Its members were signed to independent record label Creation Records and afterwards released their record-setting debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. The following year, the band recorded (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with their new drummer Alan White in the midst of rivalry with Britpop peers Blur in the charts. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their sibling disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1997, Oasis released their third album, Be Here Now, and although it became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history, the album's popularity tapered off quickly. The band lost members Paul McGuigan and Paul Arthurs as they went on to record and release Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in 2000 and were replaced by Gem Archer and Andy Bell who joined the group for the tour in support of Giants. The band found renewed success and popularity starting with 2005's Don't Believe the Truth.

In August 2009, Noel Gallagher announced his departure from the band after a backstage altercation with Liam before a festival appearance. A band comprising of the remaining members of Oasis, led by Liam Gallagher, decided to continue working together under the name Beady Eye.

History

Formation and first years: 1991–1994

Oasis evolved from an earlier band called The Rain, composed of Paul McGuigan (bass guitar), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (vocals). Unsatisfied with Hutton, Arthurs auditioned acquaintance Liam Gallagher as a replacement. Liam suggested that the band name be changed to Oasis. This change was inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster that hung in the Gallagher brothers' bedroom. One of the venues the poster listed was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon.

Oasis played their first live gig in August 1991 at the Boardwalk club in Manchester. Liam's brother Noel Gallagher, who was a roadie for Inspiral Carpets, went with the band to watch his younger brother's band play. Whilst Noel and his friends did not think Oasis sounded particularly spectacular, he did begin to consider the possibility of using his brother's group as a possible outlet for a series of songs he'd been writing for several years. Noel approached the group about joining with the proviso that he would become the band's sole songwriter and leader, and that they would commit to an earnest pursuit of commercial success. "He had loads of stuff written," Arthurs recalled. "When he walked in, we were a band making a racket with four tunes. All of a sudden, there were loads of ideas." Oasis under Noel Gallagher crafted a musical approach that relied on simplicity, with Arthurs and McGuigan restricted to playing barred chords and root bass notes; McCarroll playing basic rhythms, and the band's amplifiers turned up to create distortion, Oasis created a sound "so devoid of finesse and complexity that it came out sounding pretty much unstoppable."

After over a year of live shows, rehearsals and a recording of a proper demo (known as the Live Demonstration tape), the band's big break came in May 1993 when they were spotted by Creation Records co-owner Alan McGee. Oasis were invited to play a gig at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut club in Glasgow, Scotland, by a band called Sister Lovers, who shared their rehearsal rooms. Oasis, along with a group of friends, found the money to hire a van and make the journey to Glasgow. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club as they were not on that night's set list, which reportedly caused the band to bully their way in (although both the band and McGee have given contradicting statements about how they actually managed to get into the club on that night). They were given the opening slot and impressed McGee, who was there to see 18 Wheeler, one of his own bands, that night. McGee was so impressed by what he saw he signed the band to Creation four days later. Due to problems securing an American contract, Oasis ended up signing a worldwide contract with Sony, which in turn licensed Oasis to Creation in the UK.

Following a limited white label release of the demo of their song "Columbia", their first single, "Supersonic", was released in April 1994, reaching number 31 in the charts. The release was followed by "Shakermaker". This song would become the subject of a plagiarism suit, with Oasis paying $500,000 in damages. Their third single, "Live Forever", was their first to enter the top ten of the UK charts. After troubled recording and mixing sessions, their debut album, Definitely Maybe, was released in September 1994, entering the charts at number one, and at the time becoming the fastest selling debut album in the UK.

The best part of a year of constant live performances and recordings, along with a hedonistic lifestyle, were taking their toll on the band. This behaviour culminated during a gig in Los Angeles in September 1994 where Liam was under the influence of crystal meth, leading to an inept performance during which he made offensive remarks about American audiences and assaulted Noel with a tambourine. The incident upset Noel to such an extent that he temporarily quit the band immediately after and flew to San Francisco (it was from this incident that the song "Talk Tonight" was written). He was tracked down by Creation's Tim Abbot and they made a trip to Las Vegas. Once there, Gallagher was persuaded to continue with the band. He reconciled with his brother and the tour resumed in Minneapolis. The group followed up the fourth single from Definitely Maybe, "Cigarettes & Alcohol", with the Christmas single "Whatever", which entered the British charts at number three. This song would later carry a co-writer's credit for Neil Innes, who sued and also won damages.

Britpop & Knebworth: 1994–1998

Oasis had their first UK number one single in April 1995 with "Some Might Say". At the same time, drummer Tony McCarroll was ousted from the band. McCarroll said, on leaving Oasis, that he was "unlawfully expelled from the partnership" for what he called a "personality clash" with the brothers. The Gallaghers, on the other hand, doubted McCarroll's musical ability, with Noel saying: "I like Tony as a geezer but he wouldn't have been able to drum the new songs". McCarroll was replaced by Alan White, formerly of Starclub and younger brother of renowned studio percussionist Steve White, whom Paul Weller recommended to Noel. White made his debut for the band at a Top of the Pops performance of "Some Might Say". Oasis began recording material for their second album in May of that year in Rockfield Studios near Monmouth. The band, by this point, had recorded the concert that would see release in August as Live by the Sea.

During this period, the British press seized upon a supposed rivalry between Oasis and Britpop band Blur. Previously, Oasis did not associate themselves with the Britpop movement and were not invited to perform on the BBC's "Britpop Now" programme introduced by Blur singer Damon Albarn. On 14 August 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day, setting up "The Battle of Britpop" that dominated the national news. Blur's "Country House" outsold Oasis' "Roll with It" 274,000 copies to 216,000 during the week. Oasis' management came up with several reasons for this, claiming "Country House" sold more because it was less expensive (£1.99 vs £3.99) and because there were two different versions of "Country House" with different B-sides forcing serious fans to buy two copies. An alternative explanation given at the time by Creation was that there were problems associated with the barcode on the "Roll With It" single case, which did not record all sales. Noel Gallagher told The Observer in September that he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur would "catch AIDS and die", which caused a media furore. He subsequently apologised for this in a formal letter to various publications.

Bassist Paul McGuigan briefly left the band in September 1995, citing nervous exhaustion. He was replaced by Scott McLeod, formerly of The Ya-Yas, who featured on some of the tour dates as well as in the "Wonderwall" video before leaving abruptly while on tour in the USA. McLeod later contacted Noel Gallagher claiming he felt he had made the wrong decision. Gallagher curtly replied "I think you have too. Good luck signing on", referring to the Jobseeker's Allowance. To complete the tour, McGuigan was successfully convinced to return to the band.

Although a softer sound led to mixed reviews, Oasis' second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was a commercial success, becoming the third largest selling album of all time in the UK with over four million copies sold. The album spawned two further hit singles "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", which also reached numbers two and one respectively. It also contained the non-UK single "Champagne Supernova" — featuring guitar playing and backing vocals by Paul Weller — that received widespread critical acclaim and peaked at number one on the US modern rock chart. The group played their first headline outdoor concerts at Maine Road Football Ground, Manchester on 27 April and 28 April 1996. Highlights from the second night featured on the video ...There and Then, released later the same year. As their career reached its zenith, Oasis performed back-to-back concerts at Knebworth on 10 August and 11 August. The band sold out both shows within minutes. The audience of 250,000 people over two nights (2.5 million people applied for tickets, and 375,000 were actually sold, meaning the possibility of 53 sold out nights), was at the time a record-breaking number for an outdoor concert held in the UK, and to this day the largest demand for a show in British history.

The rest of the month proved to be difficult for the group. Oasis were due to record an episode of MTV Unplugged at the Royal Festival Hall but Liam pulled out, citing a sore throat. He watched the performance from a balcony with cold beer and cigarettes, heckling Noel's singing between songs. Four days later the group left for a tour of American arenas but Liam refused to go; the band decided to continue the tour with Noel on vocals. Liam rejoined the tour on 30 August, but a few weeks later Noel flew home without the band, who followed on another flight. This event prompted media speculation that the group were splitting up. The brothers soon reconciled and decided to complete the tour.

Oasis spent the end of 1996 and the first quarter of 1997 at Abbey Road Studios in London and Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey recording their third album. Quarrels between the Gallagher brothers plagued the recording sessions. Be Here Now was released in August 1997. Preceded by the UK number one single "D'You Know What I Mean?", the album was their most anticipated effort, and as such became the subject of considerable media attention. By the end of the first day of release, Be Here Now sold over 350,000 units and by the end of business on Saturday of that week sales had reached 696,000, making it the fastest-selling album in British history. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard charts in the United States, but its first week sales of 152,000—below expected sales of 400,000 copies—were considered a disappointment. Although early media reviews were positive, once the hype had died down, the album was criticised for being bloated and derivative with most of the critics focused on the extensive length of several songs, the heavier sound, and overproduction.

By this time the Britpop movement was in decline, and the band had failed to meet expectations with their third album. After the conclusion of the Be Here Now Tour in early 1998, amidst much media criticism the group kept a low profile. Later in the year, Oasis released a compilation album of fourteen B-sides, entitled The Masterplan. "The really interesting stuff from around that period is the B-sides. There's a lot more inspired music on the B-sides than there is on Be Here Now itself, I think", related Noel in an interview in 2008.

Transitional period: 1999–2004

In early 1999, the band began work on their fourth studio album. First details were announced in February with Mark "Spike" Stent revealed to be taking a co-producing role. Things were not going well and the shock departure of founding member Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs was announced in August. This departure was reported at the time as amicable, with Noel stating that Arthurs wanted to spend more time with his family. Arthurs' statement clarified his leaving as "to concentrate on other things". However, Noel has since offered a contradicting version: that a series of violations of Noel's "no drink or drugs" policy (imposed by Noel so that Liam could sing properly) for the album's sessions resulted in a confrontation between the two. Two weeks later the departure of bassist Paul McGuigan was announced. The Gallagher brothers held a press conference shortly thereafter where they assured reporters that "the future of Oasis is secure. The story and the glory will go on."

The now three-piece Oasis chose to continue recording the album, with Noel Gallagher re-recording most of Arthurs' guitar and McGuigan's bass parts. After the completion of the recording sessions, the band began searching for replacement members. The first new member to be announced was new lead/rhythm guitarist Colin "Gem" Archer, formerly of Heavy Stereo, who later claimed to have been approached by Noel Gallagher only a couple of days after Arthurs' departure was publicly announced. The band were rehearsing with David Potts, but he quickly resigned, and they brought in Andy Bell, former guitarist/songwriter of Ride and Hurricane #1 as their new bassist. Bell had never played bass before and had to learn to play it, along with a handful of songs from Oasis' back catalogue, in preparation for a scheduled tour of America in December 1999. With the folding of Creation Records, Oasis formed their own label, Big Brother, which released all of Oasis' subsequent records in the UK and Ireland. Oasis' fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, was released in February 2000 to good first-week sales. It peaked at number one on the British charts and number 24 on the Billboard charts. Three singles were released from the album: "Go Let It Out", "Who Feels Love?" and "Sunday Morning Call", all of which were top five UK singles. With the departure of the founding members, the band made several small changes to their image and sound. The cover featured a new "Oasis" logo, designed by Gem Archer, and the album was also the first Oasis release to include a song written by Liam Gallagher, entitled "Little James". The songs also had more experimental, psychedelic influences. The album received only lukewarm reviews Noel eventually returned for the Irish and British legs of the tour, which included two major shows at Wembley Stadium. A live album of the first show, called Familiar to Millions, was released in late 2000 to mixed reviews.

Throughout 2001, Oasis split time between sessions for their fifth studio album and live shows around the world. Some gigs included the month-long Tour of Brotherly Love with The Black Crowes and Spacehog and a show in Paris supporting Neil Young. The album, Heathen Chemistry, Oasis' first album with new members Andy Bell and Gem Archer, was released in July 2002. The album reached number 1 in the UK and number 23 in US, although critics gave it mixed reviews. There were four singles released from the album: "The Hindu Times", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out", "Little by Little/She Is Love", and the Liam-penned "Songbird", Oasis' first single not written by Noel. The record blended the band's sonic experiments from their last albums, but also went for a more basic rock sound. Liam lost two front teeth and kicked a police officer in the ribs, while Alan suffered minor head injuries after getting hit with an ashtray. Two years later Liam was fined around £40,000. The band finished their tour in April 2003 after returning to those postponed dates. Liam Gallagher said Oasis began recording a sixth album in late December 2003 with producers Death in Vegas at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall. The album was originally planned for a September 2004 release to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the release of Definitely Maybe. However, long-time drummer Alan White, who at this time had played on nearly all of the band's material, left the band in early January 2004. At the time, his brother Steve White stated on his own website that "the spirit of being in a band was kicked out of him" and he wanted to be with his current girlfriend. White was replaced by Zak Starkey, drummer of The Who and the son of The Beatles' Ringo Starr. Though Starkey performed on studio recordings and toured with the band, he was not officially a member and the band were a four-piece for the first time in their career. Starkey played publicly for the first time at Poole Lighthouse.

A few days later, Oasis, with Starkey, headlined the Glastonbury Festival for the second time in their career and performed a greatest hits set, which included two new songs — Gem Archer's "A Bell Will Ring" and Liam Gallagher's "The Meaning of Soul". The performance received negative reviews, with NME calling it a "disaster." The BBC's Tom Bishop called Oasis' set "lacklustre and uneventful ... prompting a mixed reception from fans", mainly because of Liam's uninspired singing and Starkey's lack of experience with the band's material.

Resurgence in popularity: 2005–2007

After much turbulence, the band's sixth album was finally recorded in Los Angeles-based Capitol Studios from October to December the same year. Producer Dave Sardy took over the lead producing role from Noel, who decided to step back from these duties after a decade of producing leadership over the band. In May 2005, after three years and as many scrapped recording sessions, the band released their sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth, fulfilling their contract with Sony BMG. It followed the path of Heathen Chemistry as being a collaborative project again, rather than a Noel-written album. The album was the first in a decade not to feature drumming by Alan White, marking the recording debut of Zak Starkey. The record was generally hailed as the band's best effort since Morning Glory by fans and critics alike, spawning two UK number one singles: "Lyla" and "The Importance of Being Idle", whilst "Let There Be Love" entered at number 2. Oasis picked up two awards at the Q Awards: one a special People's Choice Award and the second for Don't Believe the Truth as Best Album. Following in the footsteps of Oasis' previous five albums, Don't Believe the Truth also entered the UK album charts at number one. in September 2005.]]

In May 2005, the band's new line-up embarked on a large scale world tour. Beginning on 10 May 2005 at the London Astoria, and finishing on 31 March 2006 in front of a sold out gig in Mexico City, Oasis played more live shows than at any time since the Definitely Maybe tour, visiting 26 countries and headlining 110 shows. The tour passed without any major incidents and was the band's most successful in more than a decade. The tour included sold out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden and LA's Hollywood Bowl. A rockumentary film made during the tour, entitled Lord Don't Slow Me Down was released in October 2007. A second DVD included live footage from an Oasis gig in Manchester from 2 July 2005.

Oasis released a compilation double album entitled Stop the Clocks in 2006, featuring what the band considers to be their "definitive" songs. During November 2006, Noel and Gem, backed by drummer Terry Kirkbride, began a short tour to promote Stop the Clocks. They played around a dozen shows in various countries around the world.

The band received the BRIT Award for outstanding contribution to music in February 2007, playing several of their most famous songs afterwards. Oasis released their first ever digital-only release, "Lord Don't Slow Me Down", in October 2007. The song debuted at number ten in the UK singles chart.

The band's resurgence in popularity since the success of Don't Believe The Truth was highlighted in February 2008 when, in a poll to find the fifty greatest British albums of the last fifty years conducted by Q magazine and HMV, two Oasis albums were voted first and second (Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory? respectively). Two other albums by the band appeared in the list - Don't Believe The Truth came in at number fourteen, and the album that has previously been heavily criticised by some of the media, Be Here Now, made the list at No.22.

Dig Out Your Soul and departure of Noel Gallagher: 2008–2009

In May 2008, Zak Starkey left the band after recording Dig Out Your Soul, the band's seventh studio album. He was replaced by former Icicle Works drummer Chris Sharrock on their tour and like Zak, Chris was not an official member of the band and Oasis remained as a four-piece.

In June 2008, the band re-signed with Sony BMG for a three-album deal. Oasis recorded for a couple of months in 2007 between July and September—completing work on two new songs and demoing the rest. They took a two-month break, because of the birth of Noel's son. The band re-entered the studio on 5 November 2007 and finished recording around March 2008 with producer Dave Sardy. The first single from the record was "The Shock of the Lightning" written by Noel Gallagher, and it was pre-released on 29 September 2008. Dig Out Your Soul, the band's seventh studio album, was released on 6 October and went to number one in the UK and number five on the Billboard 200. The band's again-new lineup started touring for a projected 18-month long tour, with support from Kasabian, The Enemy and Twisted Wheel. Noel Gallagher gave conflicting information about what he planned for the group's future following the tour. In one interview, he stated that he wanted the band members "to go off and do [their] own projects", and added "it would be interesting to see what comes out. See how the four parts make up the whole." Yet three weeks after Dig Out Your Soul was released Noel stated that he had already written and demoed Dig Out Your Soul's follow-up album. Comparing the new material to "mid-era Kinks," Noel stated that the material was vastly different than Dig Out Your Soul. Noel suffered three broken and dislodged ribs as a result from the attack, and the group had to cancel several shows while he recovered. as well as best blog for Noel's 'Tales from the Middle of Nowhere'.

On 4 June 2009, Oasis played the first of three concerts at Manchester's Heaton Park and after having to leave the stage twice due to a generator failure, came on the third time to declare the gig was now a free concert; it delighted the 70,000 ticket holders, 20,000 of whom claimed the refund. The band's two following gigs at the venue, on 6 and 7 June, proved a great success, with fans turning out in their thousands despite the changeable weather and first night sound issues. Speculation had been rife that Noel Gallagher intended to go solo; however on 12 July 2009, it was announced through the Oasis publicist that this was not true.

On 28 August 2009, following a fight between the Gallaghers in a backstage area, which reportedly resulted in Liam breaking Noel's guitar, the group's manager announced the cancellation of their concert at the Rock en Seine festival near Paris just minutes before it was about to begin, along with the cancellation of the European tour and a statement that the group "does not exist anymore".

Two hours later a statement from Noel appeared on the band's website writing that "with some sadness and great relief...I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer". On 5 September 2009, it was reported in News of the World that Liam Gallagher was planning to continue with Oasis despite Noel's absence.

Post-breakup: Time Flies and Beady Eye (2009-)

On 16 February 2010, Oasis won the award for Best Brit Album of the Last 30 Years at 2010 BRIT Awards. Liam Gallagher collected the award alone, before presenting his speech. His speech thanked Bonehead, McGuigan and Alan White but not his brother, Noel. Liam threw his microphone and the band's award into the crowd. On 15 March 2010, Liam defended his actions at the awards ceremony, saying "I'm sick of it all being about me and Noel, the last couple of months has pretty much been all about me and him so I thought it was only right to mention the other lads who played on the album and the best fans in the world." and "I thought it was a nice gesture to give this to the fans, obviously it was misinterpreted as per usual." about throwing the award.

Noel Gallagher performed solo concerts on 25 & 26 March, as part of a series of Teenage Cancer Trust shows, alongside acts such as Depeche Mode, Them Crooked Vultures, Suede, Arctic Monkeys, and The Who. Noel continued to play Oasis songs live, as he had in the past, including songs originally sung by Liam. British newspaper The Sun gave Noel a five out of five score for his concert.

Also that month, Liam Gallagher showed a sign of peace towards his brother when he was asked in an interview who the "ultimate frontman" is, and he replied: "Noel Gallagher. What makes a good frontman? Behaving yourself, and not jumping around like a bastard." Liam was voted rock's best frontman by Q magazine.

Time Flies... 1994–2009, a compilation album containing singles by the group, was released on 14 June 2010. The decision to make the compilation a singles collection, and the track order, were decided by Noel Gallagher, who released a number of videos to the Oasis YouTube account relating to the collection. Certain editions also featured a new Oasis live album, taken from the band's final tour.

Beady Eye

The remaining members of Oasis, following the departure of Noel, decided to stick together and form a new band. On 19 November 2009, Liam announced that he would be recording new material with Gem Archer, Andy Bell (now on guitar), Chris Sharrock and an as-yet unnamed new bassist around Christmas time, with a possible album release in July 2010. Gallagher also stated that live keyboardist Jay Darlington would also be joining the group. The band spent some time deliberating over if they would use the Oasis name or use another one, and as late as December 2009 were still considering this. With regards to the use of the name, Liam Gallagher commented "if we don't come up with something else by the time we're ready to release the album it'll be Oasis". Eventually, the band decided on the moniker Beady Eye.

Musical style

Oasis were most heavily influenced by The Beatles, an influence which was frequently labelled as an "obsession" by the British media. In addition members of Oasis have cited The Stone Roses, T. Rex, and The Smiths, as an influence or inspiration.

There are several, well-documented, cases of plagiarism in the music of Oasis. An example of Oasis music that led to legal action was: Neil Innes (ex of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and The Rutles) who sued after the song "Whatever" borrowed from his "How Sweet To Be An Idiot". He was awarded royalties and a co-writer credit. Noel Gallagher claimed in 2010 that the plagiarism was unintentional and he was unaware of the similarities until informed of Innes' legal case. Oasis were also sued by Coca Cola and forced to change lyrics after it was alleged that the song "Shakermaker" lifted words and melody from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". When promotional copies of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? were originally distributed, they contained a song called "Step Out". The promotional CD was quickly withdrawn and replaced with a version that omitted the controversial song, which was allegedly similar to the Stevie Wonder song "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". The song later appeared as the B-side to "Don't Look Back in Anger", albeit now listing "Wonder, et. al" as cowriters. The initial promotional CD of the album featuring "Step Out" is now a collectors item.

Legacy and influence

Many bands and artists have cited Oasis as an influence or inspiration, including The Killers, The Coral, Ryan Adams, The Rifles, The Pigeon Detectives, and Kasabian.

No Way Sis were a cover band from Glasgow who had a top 40 hit in the UK with "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" a cover of the New Seekers song sung in the manner of Oasis. The Japanese band Little by Little derived their name from the Oasis song of the same name.

Discography

1994: Definitely Maybe

1995: (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

1997: Be Here Now

1998: The Masterplan

2000: Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

2002: Heathen Chemistry

2005: Don't Believe the Truth

2008: Dig Out Your Soul

Awards

References

Harris, John. Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Da Capo Press, 2004. ISBN 0-306-81367-X

Notes

External links

Official Music Videos

Category:Musical groups established in 1991 Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Category:Musical groups from Manchester Category:Musical quintets Category:English rock music groups Category:British alternative rock groups Category:Britpop musical groups Category:Creation Records artists Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners

Coordinates	23°22′0.0006″N93°40′0.0012″N
Name	Tarja Turunen
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen
Born	August 17, 1977Kitee, Finland
Instrument	Vocals, piano, drums, tranverse flute
Genre	Symphonic rock, symphonic metal, classical, classical crossover
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1995–present
Label	Universal, Spinefarm, Nuclear Blast, Roadrunner, NEMS Enterprises, Century Media, Drakkar Entertainment
Associated acts	Nightwish, Beto Vázquez Infinity, Adrián Barilari, Noche Escandinava
Url	tarjaturunen.com

Tarja Turunen () (born 17 August 1977), full name Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli, is a Finnish singer-songwriter and composer, an operatic, full lyric soprano. Her work includes three solo albums, and an 11 song EP. She is best known as an original member and the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, founded by herself, Tuomas Holopainen and Erno Vuorinen in 1996. She was dismissed from the band on October 21, 2005.

In 2006, Turunen released her first independent album, a Christmas project called Henkäys Ikuisuudesta, with a support classical tour between November 25 and December 26 in Finland and Russia. In 2007, Turunen released My Winter Storm, an album with various styles, including alternative rock and symphonic metal;, the Storm World Tour, between 2007 and 2009. Turunen's third album, What Lies Beneath, was released on September 1, 2010, and between June and August Turunen performed several concerts in Europe, playing in famous metal festivals including the Graspop Metal Meeting and the Wacken Open Air, with more dates expected to be confirmed in the near future. She now Collected over 50 platinum and gold certificacion (with her solo career and Nightwish) and sold more than 5.2 million copies worldwide.

Personal life

Born in Kitee, Finland, Turunen grew up with an older and a younger brother. She began playing the piano when she was six. At the comprehensive school, Turunen was notorious for performing as a singer in every project. Her teacher Plamen Dimov later explained that he had to give Turunen just one note, she immediately got it, while with other – nevertheless talented – pupils he would have had to practice a couple of times. At the school she had a tough time, for some girls bullied her because they envied her voice. To solve that problem, Dimov organized a lot of projects outside the school. At the age of fifteen Turunen had her first bigger appearance as a soloist on a church concert in front of a thousand listeners. Thus Turunen as a founding member was at the same time influential on the musical style of Nightwish.

In April 1997 Nightwish recorded a second demo with "more bombastic, dramatic" songs, with which Holopainen could finally convince the Finnish label Spinefarm Records to publish the debut album Angels Fall First. The success of the first album came as a surprise to everyone. As the album hit the top 40 of the Finnish charts, Nightwish started a first tour (The First Tour of the Angels). Due to her commitment in the band Turunen soon was not able to concentrate sufficiently on her academic activities anymore and finally interrupted her academic studies.

In the year 1998 Nightwish published their second album Oceanborn. This album lacked the earlier elements of folk music and ambience, instead focusing on Turunen's dramatic voice and including fast, melodious keyboard and guitar lines. Secondary to the Oceanborn Europe Tour Turunen sang solo in Waltari's rock-themed 1999 ballet Evankeliumi (also known as Evangelicum) in several sold-out performances at the Finnish National Opera. In 2000 and 2001 Nightwish recorded Wishmaster and Over the Hills and Far Away and toured Europe and South America (Wishmaster World Tour). Turunen met her husband and manager, Marcelo Cabuli, during a tour in Buenos Aires in 2000.

After that she enrolled in the German Music University Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe to gain a professional qualification as a soloist with further specialization in Art song. The reasons to go to Karlsruhe, were on the one hand the good reputation of the university, on the other, her increased awareness level in Finland and the fact that in the Finnish university some people did not take her seriously as a classical singer due to her commitment in a metal band. At Karlsruhe in contrast, she was accepted as a classical singer who sings in a metal band too. In particular, her professors did not think of it as a flaw. While there, she recorded vocals for Nightwish's 2002 album Century Child and for Beto Vázquez Infinity. As with the other albums before Holopainen wrote the pieces and then sent Turunen the lyrics and a demo recording of the prerecorded instrumental tracks by mail. With the help of the demo recording, Turunen designed her vocal lines and the choral passages to the melody. and started the supporting Once Upon a Tour throughout 2004 and 2005.

For Christmas 2004, Turunen released the (solo) single "Yhden Enkelin Unelma" (One Angel's Dream), which sold gold in her native country, Finland. At Christmas 2005, it made a reentry at position one in the Finnish Charts. For the spring of 2005, she prepared a collaboration with Martin Kesici, the duet "Leaving You for Me", accompanied by a video.

Breakup

, Finland, on June 25, 2005.]]

The first change in the line up of Nightwish was in September 2001, when Sami Vänskä was asked to leave the band because his long-time friend Tuomas Holopainen was no longer able to continue working with him.

Another change was on the way, when in the following years the relationship between Tuomas Holopainen and Turunen's husband and manager Marcelo Cabuli deteriorated and affected the relationship between Holopainen and Turunen too. On December 2004 Turunen announced to the bandmembers that she wanted to leave the band after one more album (planned for 2006/2007) and the subsequent tour. According to her husband, Turunen had agreed to release her first solo album after the new studio album from Nightwish. After the last concert of the Once Upon a Tour on October 21, 2005 (End of an Era) Holopainen gave her a letter that was signed by the other band members too. With that letter, she was informed that the band did not want to work with her anymore. This letter was at the same time published on the website of the band. In this letter Turunen was criticized for too often having skipped the rehearsals and to have behaved like a diva. Her husband was considered responsible for her behavior too. Turunen responded through an open letter, which was posted on her website and some interviews in which she explained her view. She was especially concerned about the fact that after nine years of working together Holopainen had not found another way than to announce the separation by an open letter. She explained that she could not find herself in the allegations, and asked to keep her husband out of the debate. Because of the continuing media interest Marcelo Cabuli posted a message to her website in February 2006, addressing the situation, and asked for anyone who had questions to email him. Cabuli then posted a lengthy reply to many of the questions he had received in June 2006.

Despite the circumstances of the separation, the artistic appreciation remained. Holopainen explained that he did not search for a similarly trained singer as a successor for Turunen because in her way of singing she is extraordinarily good and therefore not replaceable. He also said that one day he would like to reestablish the friendship. In October 2007, Turunen said in an interview that she is very proud of her career with Nightwish, that she considers the remaining band members as extremely talented and that she wishes all the best for Nightwish.

Independent career

In December 2005, Turunen performed several Christmas concerts in Finland, Germany, Spain and Romania. Since Turunen expected to participate in another Nightwish album, there were just several Christmas concerts and the release of her Christmas album Henkäys Ikuisuudesta (Finnish for "breath of eternity") scheduled for 2006. She made an appearance as soloist at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. In November she performed the charity concert “Tomorrow's Child” with the Tapiola Choir, in favor of the UNICEF Children's Fund. She was nominated for the Finnish Emma Award as Best Soloist of 2006. She recorded vocals for her brother Timo Turunen's debut album.

On September 17, Turunen's solo dates were announced across Europe in Berlin, London, Moscow, Budapest, Athens, Cologne, Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich.

In October 2007 a street team endorsed by Universal Music and Spinefarm UK was launched for Turunen through UK-based company Worst Decision. The team's aim is to help promote Turunen's upcoming single, album and tour with the help of dedicated fans, the most dedicated of which will be eligible to receive free gifts for their work. While aimed mainly at the UK market, it was hoped that members from all over the world would join to help spread the word about Turunen throughout the UK, Europe and around the world.

Turunen's first independent album, My Winter Storm, was released in November 2007 and achieved gold status in Finland on its day of release. The album took the number 1 spot on the Finnish charts, went platinum in Finland and Russia. My Winter Storm has achieved gold in Hungary and in the Czech Republic. Turunen sings on the track "In The Picture" on Nuclear Blast Allstars' album Into The Light, 2007.

In late 2007 Turunen was nominated for two awards, an Echo as best newcomer and an Emma for best Finnish artist. She was confirmed to headline day one of the 2008 Metal Female Voices Fest in Wieze, Belgium. On May 9, 2008, Turunen embarked on a long European tour to promote My Winter Storm, Storm Tour. She chose to open the tour by performing at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. Turunen has told fans via her My Winter Storm blog that she is relocating to Antigua to work with the same producer as before, and that she has many ideas for her third album, currently in progress.

In July 2008, she announced two tracks in the My Winter Storm blog: "The Crying Moon" for the new album, and "Enough", for one special edition of My Winter Storm. In August 2008 she played "Enough" in her Storm Tour, in South America 2008. On September 10, 2008, a Spinefarm UK representative announced that they would be releasing an EP for Turunen on December 1 which would include new material. In December 2008, the EP The Seer was released in the U.K. and the new extended edition of My Winter Storm released on January 2, 2009.

On November 18, the Finnish charity Christmas album Maailman kauneimmat joululaulut (Finnish for "The World's Most Beautiful Christmas Songs") was released, containing three songs featuring Turunen's vocals. In December 2009 she recorded her part of the duet with Klaus Meine which is part of the final Scorpions album Sting in the Tail. The song is called "The Good Die Young".

Turunen recorded her third album, What Lies Beneath, between 2009 and 2010 and it was released on September 1, 2010. The first single, "Falling Awake", was released on July 19. The second single, "I Feel Immortal", was released on August 27, 2010, and a music video for it has already been uploaded to YouTube. Another single, "Until My Last Breath", was released on August 30 with an accompanying video released on September 24, 2010.

Singing style

Parallel to visiting the music school in Savonlinna, Tarja Turunen began her classical vocal training at the age of 15. Her singing teacher trained her in the vocal range soprano. After school, she began studying music (with specialization in singing and piano) at the Sibelius Academy. Due to her commitment with Nightwish she had to interrupt her academic studies.

From 2001 to 2003 she studied at the Music Academy Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe where she was trained as a soloist with further specialization in Lied. Turunen originally applied for a choir singer training, however at the audition she aroused the attention of professor Mitsuko Shirai. Shirai immediately realized that Turunen put much feeling in the vocals, therefore she encouraged Turunen to apply for a soloist training.

As a classical singer Turunen always sings with classical technique. She explained that in the beginning of Nightwish it was difficult, to combine classical vocal technique with metal sound in a way that on the one hand she had liberty of action and on the other hand her vocal chords did not get damaged. The classical technique helped her to play with her voice therfore she decided not to take extra training in rock/pop singing.

Towards the turn of the millennium the combination of hard and fast guitar riffs with classical female lead vocals attracted a great deal of attention in the metal scene. The new music style of Nightwish quickly aroused enthusiasm by critics and audience. This symphonic metal style soon was being labeled as Opera Metal. The term "Opera Metal" is misleading in respect to the fact that Turunen does not see herself as an opera singer. She already sang excerpts from operas at the Savonlinna Opera Festival but she stresses that singing opera can not be performed as a side project and that she would have to train her voice to perfectly sing an entire opera without a microphone. Sometimes it is stated that her voice is too trained or operatic for metal music, but even critics who do not like classical voices admit that her voice suits the kind of metal songs she sings unusually well.

Until the end of the cooperation Turunen was the trademark of Nightwish, while band leader Holopainen was the soul, Turunen was seen as a key to Nightwish's success. She is respected and is hugely influential to other metal bands and singers in the genre. For instance, Simone Simons names her as her inspiration to study classical music and apply that style vocally to a metal band.

The media closely covered the very public separation from Nightwish, and Turunen's character became a subject of many media discussions. The band members stated that she had become greedy.

Marcelo Cabuli answered fans questions related to this topic, stating that the band had agreed on the distribution of earnings in a contract at the formation of Nightwish. Based on that contract, other members got a higher share of royalties, which Turunen has never aggrieved.

Turunen receives most of her media attention in her homeland of Finland. In December 2003 she was invited by Finnish president Tarja Halonen to celebrate the Finnish Independence Day in the presidential palace together with other local celebrities. The event was televised for 2 million Finnish viewers by the Finnish television station Yle. In December 2007 she performed different versions of the Finnish national anthem Maamme (Finnish: "Our country") accompanied by the Tapiola Sinfonietta to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of Finnish independence. The concert was televised live by the Finnish television station Yle.

In Europe her popularity is mainly limited to the hard rock and metal scene. She had a broader exposure on 30 November 2007, when she was invited to open the farewell fight of Regina Halmich with her performance of "I Walk Alone" televised live by the German television station ZDF for 8.8 million viewers.

Live performances

at August 6, 2010.]] Tarja performed live for the first time at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Savonlinna, Finland, in 1996, singing songs from Richard Wagner e Verdi. Since 1997 she toured the World beside Nightwish playing in all the continents, except Africa. With Nightwish, Turunen played in some of the most important heavy metal festivals, like Wacken Open Air, Lowlands Festival, Download Festival and Tuska Open Air. In her solo career she mainly performs at metal festivals like Metal Female Voices Fest, Gods of Metal or Wacken Open Air.

Turunen is famous as a metal singer, but she still has her classical career; every year Turunen plays a Christmas tour in Finland, occasionally with dates in Russia, but in 2005 Turunen hosted some classical concerts in some European countries. In 2006, she played a successful tour in Finland, singing several songs from Finnish culture, and singing songs like "Walking in the Air", "Ave Maria" and "You Would Have Loved This". On December 6, 2006, Turunen performed a big concert at the Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland; it was live broadcasted by the Finnish channel YLE TV2 for 450,000 viewers.

In July 2006, Turunen played again at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, at that time as the main act; Turunen sung beside the Finnish tenor Raimo Sirkiä and was supported by the Kuopio Symphonic Orchestra. Turunen performed classical arias like "O mio babbino caro" by Puccini, and some songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, e.g. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "Phantom of the Opera", among other songs.

Discography

Henkäys Ikuisuudesta (2006)

My Winter Storm (2007)

What Lies Beneath (2010)

References

External links

Official homepage

Tarja Turunen microsite at Universal Music Group

Category:1977 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:People from Kitee Category:Female metal singers Category:Finnish female singers Category:Finnish heavy metal singers Category:Finnish singer-songwriters Category:Finnish sopranos Category:Nightwish members

Coordinates	23°22′0.0006″N93°40′0.0012″N
Name	Paul Anka
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Paul Albert Anka
Born	July 30, 1941
Origin	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar
Genre	Pop, jazz, soft rock, doo-wop
Occupation	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1955–present
Label	EMI Columbia, RCA, Columbia
Url	Official Facebook

Paul Albert Anka, OC (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian/American singer, songwriter, and actor.

Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder". He went on to write such well-known music as the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and one of Tom Jones's biggest hits, "She's a Lady", and the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way".

In 1983, he co-wrote with Michael Jackson the song "I Never Heard", which was retitled and released in 2009 under the name "This Is It". An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1983 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", has since been discovered, and will be released in the near future. The song was also released by Johnny Mathis in 1984.

Anka became a naturalized US citizen in 1990.

Early life

Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada to Andy and Camelia Anka, immigrants from Lebanon who owned a restaurant called The Locanda there. He sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He also studied piano with Winnifred Rees.

Career

Early success

, Stockholm 1959.]] Anka recorded his first single "I Confess" at age 14. In 1957 he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church who he hardly knew. The song, "Diana", brought Anka instant stardom as it rocketed to number one on the Canadian and U.S. music charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which made #4 and "(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached #15, making him, at 17, one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and then, with Buddy Holly, he toured Australia. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" a song written for Buddy Holly which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward - NME - June 1959

His talent went beyond the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet" which had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959 as "It's Really Love") since Anka composed Tom Jones' biggest hit record "She's a Lady" and wrote the English lyrics to "My Way", Frank Sinatra's signature song sung by many well known artists.

In the 1960s Anka began acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit movie The Longest Day, in which he made a cameo appearance as a US Army Ranger. From his movie work, he wrote and recorded one of his greatest hits, "Lonely Boy" and also "My Home Town", which was a #8 pop hit for him the same year. He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos. Anka returns to Canada several times a year, regularly playing to sold out crowds at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario in Canada. In 1960, he appeared twice as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven, starring Skip Homeier and set on the Sunset Strip of West Hollywood.

Comeback

.]] In 1960 Anka signed with RCA Records, but like most North American recording artists saw his career stalled by the British Invasion. By the late 1960s, Anka's career centered around adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. In the early 1970s he signed with Buddah Records. After more than ten years without a hit record he signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with Odia Coates to record the number one hit, (You're) Having My Baby. They would record two more duets that made it into the Top 10, I Don't Like to Sleep Alone (#8) and One Man Woman/One Woman Man (#7). In 1975 he recorded a jingle for Kodak written by Bill Lane (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (melody) called Times of Your Life. It became so popular Anka recorded it as a full song, which peaked at #7 in the U.S. pop charts in 1976. His final Top-40 hit in the U.S. to date was Hold Me Til The Mornin' Comes that debuted in the summer of 1983, which included backing vocals from then-Chicago frontman Peter Cetera.

His 1998 album A Body of Work was his first new U.S. studio release since Walk a Fine Line in 1983; vocals and performers include Celine Dion, Kenny G, Patti LaBelle and Skyler Jett. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 2005, his album of big-band arrangements of contemporary standards, Rock Swings, provided a mainstream comeback of sorts that saw Anka awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

On October 12, 2009, Anka stated that Michael Jackson's new release titled "This Is It" was a collaborative effort between the two musicians, and that it was co-written by Anka in 1983. According to Anka, after recording the song, Michael Jackson decided not to use it and the tune was then recorded and released by singer Sa-Fire. After he threatened to sue for credit and a share of royalties the administrators of Jackson's estate granted Anka fifty percent of the copyright. An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1983 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", was discovered shortly thereafter and will be released in the near future. opening a promising foreign career. Anka then underwent an intense collaboration with Italian musicians of the time, including composer/director Ennio Morricone, singer/songwriter Lucio Battisti and lyricist Mogol. His official discography reports nine 45rpm records released by RCA Italy, but the Italian charts list at least six other songs he interpreted or recorded in Italian language. His top hit has been "Ogni giorno" which scored #1 in 1962, followed by "Piangerò per te" and "Ogni volta", that reached both #2 in 1963 and 1964 respectively. "Ogni volta" ("Every Time") was sung by Anka during the Festival di San Remo of 1964 and then sold over one million copies in Italy alone; it was also awarded a gold disc. Anka went to San Remo again in 1968, this time with the song "La farfalla impazzita" by Battisti-Mogol. In that occasion, the same title was interpreted by Italian crooner Johnny Dorelli; however, the pair of singers was eliminated before the final stage of the competition. Anka, maybe only coincidentally, left the Italian scene shortly thereafter.

In 2003, Anka came back with an exclusive concert in Bologna, organized by Italian company Mapei during the CERSAIE exhibition. He also recorded a version of "My Way" with alternate lyrics dedicated to the sponsor of the evening.

In 2006, Anka recorded in duet with 1960's Italian hitmaker Adriano Celentano a new cover of "Diana", with Italian lyrics by Celentano-Mogol and with singer/songwriter Alex Britti on the guitar. The song immediately reached #3 on the charts.

Other countries

With less success than in Italy, Anka tried the French market as well. At least two songs by Anka with French lyrics are known: one reported by the Italian charts (Faibles femmes, 1959 and is the stepfather of Anna Anka's daughter Elli, born 2002. Anka and Anna Åberg (she reverted to her maiden name after the divorce) were married in Sardinia during the summer of 2008. She is thirty years his junior. Paul and Anna divorced in 2010 and share custody of son, Ethan.

Anna was featured in the Swedish TV3 show Svenska Hollywoodfruar (Swedish Hollywood wives).

In 1981, Ottawa City Council named 26 August 'Paul Anka Day' to celebrate his 25th anniversary in show business. A street in Ottawa was named 'Paul Anka Drive' in 1975 in his honor. He attended Fisher Park High School as well as Lisgar Collegiate Institute.

The woman that inspired 'Diana' lives with her family in Ottawa. After receiving a negative review for a 1981 performance in Ottawa, he swore off performing there and did not play there again for almost twenty years, until an April 2002 fundraiser gala at the Ottawa Congress Centre.

In 1991, he signed an investment agreement with the new Ottawa Senators NHL franchise. The agreement ended up being dissolved in an out-of-court settlement in 1993.

Acting career

Anka played a yacht broker in the 1992 film Captain Ron.

In October 1995, he appeared in "Treehouse of Horror VI" on The Simpsons.

He also made a guest appearance as himself in episode 'Red's Last Day' in the sitcom That '70s Show. The scene is like an episode of Playboy After Dark, but in Kelso's old van.

He made several appearances on the NBC TV series Las Vegas.

On The CW show Gilmore Girls, Lorelai named her new dog Paul Anka. He made a guest appearance as himself in the episode 'The Real Paul Anka', which aired April 11, 2006.

Paul also played a part in the film 3000 Miles To Graceland as the Pit Manager.

Other film and television appearances

Anka was the subject of the 1962 National Film Board of Canada documentary Lonely Boy, considered a classic work of cinema verite.

Anka wrote and performed songs in a 1985 Canadian children's Christmas cartoon, George and the Christmas Star.

In American Idol's Seasons 2 and 3, he made a special appearance and sang an adapted version of "My Way" that mocked the format of the show, as well as participants, participants of past seasons, judges and the host. The performance was praised as "One of the Best Moments in American Idol" by several members of the cast.

Soundtrack appearances

In the popular video game , in the Abbatoir party mission, in the room where the player finds a girl hanging upside down and severely mutilated, 'Put Your Head On My Shoulder' is playing from a music player on repeat on the desk.

Anka's song "(You're) Having My Baby" was featured on the first season of the TV show Glee, namely in Episode 10, "Ballad", in which the character Finn sings the song to his pregnant girlfriend, Quinn.

References in popular culture

Sometime in the mid-1980s, Anka was secretly recorded while launching a tirade against his crew and band members, berating them for unprofessional behavior in the show they had just played. (Asked about it on the interview program Fresh Air, Anka referred to the person who did the recording as a "snake we later fired"). The recording became widely known after being uploaded to the internet, and a number of quotes from it have since become famous, including "The guys get shirts", "Don't make a maniac out of me", and "Slice like a fucking hammer". Some of the quotes were reproduced verbatim by Al Pacino's character in the 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen.

Singles discography

|- *with IV & Nash **with Odia Coates

Music videos

See also

Canadian rock

Music of Canada

References

External links

Official site

Category:1941 births Category:1950s singers Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:ABC Records artists Category:American crooners Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American songwriters Category:American people of Arab descent Category:Canadian people of Arab descent Category:Arab Christians Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian immigrants to the United States Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian songwriters Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian people of Lebanese descent Category:American people of Lebanese descent Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:Musicians from Ottawa Category:RPM Records artists Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Canada

Coordinates	23°22′0.0006″N93°40′0.0012″N
Name	Liam Gallagher
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	William John Paul Gallagher
Born	September 21, 1972 Burnage, Manchester, England
Genre	Rock, britpop, alternative rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, fashion producer
Years active	1991–present
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, tambourine, piano
Label	Creation, Big Brother, Epic
Associated acts	Oasis, Beady Eye, The Rain,
Url	http://www.liamgallagher.com

William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English musician and songwriter and lead singer of English rock band Beady Eye. One of the figureheads of the 1990s Britpop movement as lead singer and frontman of Oasis, Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press. He remains one of the most recognisable figures in modern British music.

Although his elder brother Noel Gallagher wrote the majority of Oasis's songs, Liam has penned the singles "Songbird" and "I'm Outta Time", along with a number of album tracks and B-sides.

Since Noel's departure from Oasis in August 2009, Liam has said he will continue making music with ex-Oasis members Gem Archer, Andy Bell, drummer Chris Sharrock and keyboard player Jay Darlington, recording under the bandname Beady Eye. Jeff Wootton, guitarist for the Phase III Gorillaz House Band, will also be a member.

History

Childhood and early years (1972–1990)

Gallagher was born in Burnage, Manchester, and is the third and final child of Irish parents Thomas and Peggy Gallagher. Thomas was often violently abusive to his family. Although his older brothers Noel and Paul took the most abuse, Liam has said that the abuse affected him deeply and inspired him to become an artist. When Liam was 10, Peggy took the boys and moved away from Tommy. Although Liam maintained sporadic contact with his father throughout his teens, he says that today their issues remain unresolved.

Paul and Noel often contend that even from a young age, Liam went out of his way to antagonise people, especially Noel, with whom he shared a room. The Gallagher brothers were troubled, especially in their teens. Liam was expelled from school at age 15 for fighting, and would often steal bicycles from local shops.

Noel Gallagher has said that Liam showed little interest in music until his late teens.

Beginning of career (1991–1999)

When school friend Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, invited Gallagher to join his band, The Rain, as a vocalist, he agreed. Liam was the band's co-song writer, along with guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs. Noel Gallagher has since openly mocked this writing partnership, describing them as being "just awful"; even Liam admits that "We were shit". Also in 1995, drummer Tony McCarroll was asked to leave Oasis after an alleged fight with Liam.

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? was even more successful, becoming the third-best selling album in British history. Around this time, Oasis became embroiled in a well documented media-fuelled feud with fellow Britpop band Blur. The differing styles of the bands now leading the Britpop movement — Oasis a working class, northern band and Blur a middle class, southern band — made them natural rivals. On 14 August 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day. Blur's "Country House" outsold Morning Glory's second single, "Roll with It", 274,000 copies to 216,000 during the week. When the band mimed the single on Top of the Pops, Liam pretended to play Noel's guitar and Noel pretended to sing.

After a record breaking two night stand at Knebworth, tension mounted between the Gallaghers when Liam backed out on Oasis' MTV Unplugged set minutes before it was due to start. Noel was forced to fill in at the last minute. Liam claimed to have been struck down with a "sore throat" and that he doesn't like performing acoustically, though Noel claims he was hung-over; Noel was further angered when Liam proceeded to heckle him from the balcony while the band performed. Four days later, Noel was again forced to fill in for Liam on the first gig of their American tour when Liam refused to travel to America with the rest of the band, claiming he needed time to buy a house. He was back on stage with Oasis for their next show three days later, but tension between Noel and the rest of Oasis mounted and on 11 September Noel left the tour, causing several media outlets to question the future of the band.

Gallagher married Patsy Kensit on 7 April 1997. However, the marriage got off to a bumpy start due to various incidents reported in the tabloids. Gallagher made headlines after an incident of road rage. He allegedly leaned out of his car window, grabbed a cyclist and threw him off his bike. The cyclist was not injured and Gallagher was given a caution. In January 1998, Lisa Moorish bore Gallagher a daughter, Molly, who was conceived during an affair in Los Angeles only a week after he and Kensit were married. After an incident of air rage (apparently over a scone) on a flight to Australia, Gallagher was banned for life from Cathay Pacific airlines; Gallagher claimed he would "rather walk". During the tour of Australia, Gallagher was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly head-butting a 19-year-old fan, who claimed he was only asking him for a photo. Criminal charges were later dropped although a civil case was pursued leading to Gallagher reportedly settling out of court. Liam later admitted the assault, claiming he was being heckled by the fan.

Oasis' much anticipated third album, Be Here Now, was released on 21 August 1997 and set a new record as the fastest selling album in UK Chart history. The album was dismissed by Noel in later years.,

Patsy Kensit bore Gallagher a son named Lennon Francis in September 1999. The couple divorced a year later.

Final years of Oasis (2000–2009)

Oasis returned in 2000 with Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. Founding members Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and "Guigsy" McGuigan left during the recording, leaving Liam Gallagher as the only member remaining from The Rain. The album featured their first song written by Liam rather than Noel, "Little James", a childlike melody written for Kensit's son James Kerr. The album, along with the song, received mixed reviews from critics.

While on tour in Barcelona in May 2000, Oasis were forced to cancel a gig when drummer Alan White's arm seized up, and the band spent the night drinking instead. During the night, Liam made a derogatory comment about Noel's then wife, Meg Mathews (apparently questioning the legitimacy of Noel's daughter), leading to a fight. Following this, a press release was put out, declaring that Noel had decided to quit overseas touring with Oasis, and the rest of the band (with guitarist Matt Deighton replacing Noel) played for the remaining Oasis dates.

Liam Gallagher's second son, Gene, was born to Nicole Appleton on 2 July 2001. Liam tried to drag a photographer into a fight outside the hospital. Oasis' next album, Heathen Chemistry (2002), featured three more songs written by him. "Songbird" was an acoustic ballad about his love for Appleton. The song was the fourth single from the album, reaching #3 in the UK charts. On 7 August 2002, Noel, Andy Bell and keyboardist Jay Darlington were injured in a car crash while riding in a taxi in Indianapolis, Indiana. The three members of the band were treated for shock, cuts, and bruises. Noel was riding in the front seat and suffered severe facial bruising and seat belt cuts, and Darlington had his hand cut and bandaged. Liam was not with his bandmates at the time of the accident as he was out drinking with friends. Subsequent tour dates in Boston and New York City were cancelled and never re-scheduled. Later that year, on 1 December, Gallagher broke several of his teeth and sustained injuries to his face after a fight broke out in a Munich bar. He and Alan White were arrested, but were released without charge. Oasis had to pull out of the shows in Munich and Düsseldorf due to Liam's injuries.

In 2004, Gallagher made headlines when it was revealed that he regularly paid £2000 in child support for his son Lennon Francis and daughter Molly. Furthermore, he criticised the father of Lisa Moorish's other child — the Libertines and Babyshambles frontman, Pete Doherty — for his alleged lack of child support. The relationship between the two was put under further strain, because of Doherty's heavy heroin habit and his visits to Moorish under the influence of the drug. The following year saw the release of Oasis' sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth, featuring a further three compositions by Gallagher: "Love Like a Bomb" (co-written with rhythm guitarist Gem Archer), "The Meaning of Soul" and "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel".

Gallagher joined the rest of Oasis to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the BRIT Awards 2007. As the band picked up the award, he commented on stage, "Seeing as we don't get nominated for this shit no more this'll have to do." Around the same time, it was announced that he was in negotiations with the makers of Channel 4 afternoon quiz Countdown to appear as the weekly celebrity guest in "Dictionary Corner". Co-presenter Carol Vorderman, interviewed by The Daily Sport, said, "Liam loves it and yes, we're in talks about him coming on. I told him I think it will do his cred no end of good."

In April 2007, it was reported that Gallagher had purchased a property in Henley-on-Thames. Gallagher and Appleton were married on 14 February 2008 at Westminster Register Office, the same venue where he married his first wife, actress Patsy Kensit. Also present were Appleton's sister Natalie and her husband, The Prodigy's Liam Howlett. Noel Gallagher and band mates Gem Archer and Andy Bell were not notified until after the ceremony took place. In a recent interview, Liam stated he does not speak much with brother Noel. He also states they "don't really have a relationship". The only time they ever speak is on-stage.

On mid-2009, after the release of their final album Dig Out Your Soul and at the end of the tour of the same name, Oasis went on indefinite hiatus.

Beady Eye (2010–present)

In November 2009, Gallagher announced that he and former Oasis band members had written new material as part of a new project, and could be gigging as early as a couple of months, and stated that "Oasis are done, this is something new". On 19 November 2009, Liam announced that he would be recording an album with Gem Archer, Andy Bell, Chris Sharrock around Christmas time, with a possible release date in July 2010. It is unknown whether guitarist Jeff Wootton recorded for the album as well.

He told MTV: "We've been demo-ing some songs that we've had for a bit. Just doing that, on the quiet, not making a big fuss about it. After Christmas we might go in the studio and record them and hopefully have an album out in July." He later said that the band would "do it in a different kind of way now. I'll try and reconnect with a new band, new songs, and I'm feeling confident about the songs." He was reported to be "feeling a million per cent confident that they could be better than Oasis."

On 16 March 2010, Liam announced that his new band would be releasing their first single in October with an album to follow the next year. On the 9th November 2010 Beady Eye released their first single Bring the Light as a free download The next single from the album, "The Roller", was released in January 2011.

As far as his relationship with brother Noel, Liam has shown a sign of conciliation as he said, when asked who is the best frontman ever, "Noel Gallagher. What makes a good frontman? Behaving yourself, and not jumping around like a bastard." Liam himself was named "The Greatest Frontman of All Time" by Q Magazine in March 2010.

In January 2011, Liam accused Noel of lifting his new album from Oasis sessions they had worked on together.

Public persona

Oasis appeared on the music scene in 1994 and quickly made a public image for themselves. In 2006, it was alleged that Gallagher had a drunken fight with Paul Gascoigne at the Groucho Club which ended with Gallagher setting off a fire extinguisher in Gascoigne's face. Gallagher has made known his distaste for many non-Brits' tastes and conventions (particularly those of Australians and Americans). On an early U.S. tour, Gallagher regularly made derisive remarks about Americans, as well as his brother Noel, which led to an ultimatum from the guitarist who briefly left the band in 1994. When addressing their muted reception in the States (especially by comparison to the UK), Gallagher stated "Americans want grungy people, stabbing themselves in the head on stage. They get a bright bunch like us, with deodorant on, they don't get it."

Gallagher has briefly touched on the topic of religious belief with the statement "I live for now, not for what happens after I die. If I die and there's something afterwards, I'm going to hell, not heaven. I mean, the devil's got all the good gear. What's God got? The Inspiral Carpets and nuns. Fuck that.". However Liam has confessed to going to church, but he claims to not "be looking for guidance". He also claims "some days I don't believe and some days I do believe". Also Liam claims to have had "a conversation with God one night".

On receiving an award at the 2010 BRIT Awards for the best album of the past thirty years, Gallagher swore while he thanked all the former members of Oasis except for his brother. He then threw the award into the audience. The camera cut to presenter, Peter Kay, commenting, "what a knobhead!" When interviewed backstage, Liam was obviously slurring as he rambled on about a woman painted silver to resemble the awards, whom he allegedly pushed over. As they cut back to the show's host, Liam was clearly heard saying, "Now can we all take loads of Class A drugs..." The following day, Gallagher responded to Peter Kay's comment by posting a message on his Twitter page reading "Listen up fat fuck as a real northerner I was brought up to say shit to people's faces not behind their back. Live forever LG.".

Musical style

Liam's voice has been compared to a blend of John Lennon and John Lydon while Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine dubbed him "the best singer in rock". In 2006, Q magazine voted Gallagher the 11th best singer of all time, citing songs such as "Live Forever", "Lyla", "Don't Go Away", "Slide Away" and "Champagne Supernova" as examples of his best work. His "singing pose" is instantly recognisable, and entails him standing with a bent knee, body bent towards one side, hands either clasped behind his back, down by his side or in rarer occasions in his front pockets, with his neck craning up towards a mic that is set high and angled downwards. Gallagher also ensures that the microphone comes in the closest contact with him between his upper lip and nose, rather than directly in front of the mouth as is the case with most singers. On the Definitely Maybe DVD, Gallagher revealed that the reason he sings with his arms behind his back is because it allows him to project more power through his voice. In very early Oasis shows until about 1994, Gallagher can be seen touching the microphone with one hand, but still employing his usual singing posture with the rest of his body.

Songwriting

Liam's first known dabbles into songwriting came in the early days of Oasis, before Noel Gallagher joined. Liam and Bonehead co-wrote a handful of songs, Liam writing the words and Bonehead writing the music, including "Take Me", with only the former worthy for inclusion, according to Noel, though Liam refused. Liam co-wrote the song "Love Me and Leave Me" with former Stone Roses guitarist and songwriter John Squire for The Seahorses' debut album Do It Yourself (1997).

The first Liam-written song to appear on an Oasis record was "Little James" on Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000). Liam wrote three songs on Heathen Chemistry (2002) — "Born on a Different Cloud", "Better Man" and "Songbird", the first Liam-penned Oasis single as well as being the only song by Liam to be included on the Oasis compilation album, Stop the Clocks. Don't Believe the Truth (2005) features a further three of Liam's songs — "The Meaning of Soul", "Love Like a Bomb" (co-written with Gem Archer, Oasis' rhythm guitarist) and "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel". Another Liam song is the acoustic ballad "Won't Let You Down", which appeared on the single "Lyla". Liam also wrote "Pass Me Down The Wine", the b-side of the single "The Importance of Being Idle".

Liam contributed 5 songs to Oasis' 2008 release, Dig Out Your Soul, three of which, "I'm Outta Time", "Ain't Got Nothin'" and "Soldier On" are included on the album. Two others - "Boy with The Blues" and "I Believe In All" - were included as extra tracks on the deluxe box set version of the album. Four of his songs were included on the band's setlist for their Dig Out Your Soul 2008/2009 World Tour ("I'm Outta Time", "Ain't Got Nothin", "Songbird" and "The Meaning of Soul").

Other projects

On 7 May 2010, it was confirmed that Liam's production company, In 1 Productions, are developing and producing a feature film about The Beatles' Apple Corps, adapted from the book by Richard DiLello, The Longest Cocktail Party.Liam is also the owner of the clothing range Pretty Green, named after a song by The Jam.

References

Category:1972 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:English male singers Category:English rock singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:Oasis (band) members Category:People from Burnage Category:English people of Irish descent Category:Musicians from Manchester