Events

45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.

180 – Marcus Aurelius dies leaving Commodus the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.

624 – Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.

1337 – Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.

1776 – American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.

1780 – American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday "as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence".

1805 – The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King.

1842 – The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is formed;

1860 – The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand land wars.

1861 – The Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) is proclaimed.

1891 – collides with in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.

1921 – The Second Republic of Poland adopts the March Constitution.

1939 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and Japan begins,

1941 – In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1942 – Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.

1945 – The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany collapses, ten days after its capture.

1947 – First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.

1948 – Benelux, France, and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.

1950 – Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "Californium".

1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.

1958 – The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.

1959 – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.

1960 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

1966 – Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.

1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

1970 – My Lai Massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.

1973 – The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family.

1979 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.

1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles, California murder spree.

1988 – A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.

1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.

1992 – Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Suicide car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.

1992 – A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.

2000 – More than 800 members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in what is considered to be a mass murder and suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult.

2003 – Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2004 – Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. 35 Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Belgrade and Niš are destroyed.

2008 – Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute. Lieutenant Governor David Paterson becomes New York State governor.

Births

1231 – Emperor Shijō of Japan (d. 1242)

1473 – King James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)

1628 – François Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)

1676 – Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d. 1732)

1725 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (d. 1806)

1747 – Johannes Jährig, German linguist (d. 1795)

1777 – Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1864)

1780 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor, social reformer, author, and scientist (d. 1847)

1781 – Ebenezer Elliott, British poet (d. 1849)

1787 – Edmund Kean, English actor (d. 1833)

1804 – Jim Bridger, American trapper and explorer (d. 1881)

1820 – Jean Ingelow, English poet (d. 1897)

1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and inventor (d. 1900)

1846 – Kate Greenaway, English children's author and illustrator (d. 1901)

1856 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)

1862 – Silvio Gesell, Belgian economist (d. 1930)

1864 – Joseph Baptista, Indian Home Rule Movement founder (d. 1930)

1866 – Pierce Butler, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1939)

1870 – Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (d. 1951)

1872 – Konstantinos Skarlatos, Greek Olympic shooter (d. 1969)

1880 – Sir Patrick Hastings, British barrister (d. 1952)

1880 – Lawrence Oates, English army officer and Antarctic explorer (d. 1912)

1881 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)

1883 – Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)

1884 – Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinetist (d. 1934)

1886 – Princess Patricia of Connaught, British princess (d. 1974)

1888 – Paul Ramadier, French politician (d. 1961)

1892 – Benjamin Drake Van Wissen, Australian Engineer (d. 1984)

1894 – Paul Green, American writer (d. 1981)

1897 – Jozef C. Mazur, American stained glass artist and painter (d. 1970)

1900 – Alfred Newman, American film composer (d. 1970)

1902 – Bobby Jones, American golfer (d. 1971)

1907 – Sonny Werblin, American football franchise owner (d. 1991)

1908 – Brigitte Helm, German actress (d. 1996)

1911 – Vello Kaaristo, Estonian cross-country skier (d. 1965)

1912 – Bayard Rustin, American civil rights activist (d. 1987)

1914 – Sammy Baugh, American football player (d. 2008)

1915 – Henry Bumstead, American art director (d. 2006)

1916 – Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)

1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)

1920 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Founding Leader of Bangladesh (d. 1975)

1921 – Meir Amit, Israeli politician and general (d. 2009)

1925 – Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian film and stage actor

1926 – Siegfried Lenz, German writer

1928 – William John McKeag, Canadian politician (d. 2007)

1930 – James Irwin, American astronaut (d. 1991)

1930 – Paul Horn, American jazz flutist

1931 – David Peakall, British scientist (d. 2001)

1932 – Donald N. Langenberg, American physicist

1933 – Myrlie Evers-Williams, American activist

1936 – Ladislav Kupkovic, Slovakian composer

1936 – Patty Maloney, American actress

1936 – Ken Mattingly, American astronaut

1937 – Rudy Ray Moore, American comedian and actor (d. 2008)

1937 – Adam Wade, American singer and actor

1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)

1938 – Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Northern Irish clergyman

1938 – Zola Taylor, American singer (The Platters) (d. 2007)

1939 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)

1939 – Robin Knox-Johnston, British Yachtsman

1940 – Mark White, American politician

1941 – Paul Kantner, American musician (Jefferson Airplane)

1941 – Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese politician

1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994)

1944 – Pattie Boyd, British photographer and model

1944 – Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager

1944 – John Sebastian, American singer and songwriter

1945 – Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)

1945 – Michael Hayden, American Air Force General, CIA director

1947 – Jan Andersson, Swedish politician

1947 – Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born composer and producer

1947 – James Morrow, American author

1948 – William Gibson, American writer

1948 – Alex MacDonald, Scottish footballer and football manager

1949 – Patrick Duffy, American actor

1949 – Daniel Lavoie, Canadian singer and songwriter

1949 – Pat Rice, Northern Irish footballer and football manager

1950 – Patrick Adams, American record producer and songwriter

1951 – Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer

1951 – Scott Gorham, American musician (Thin Lizzy)

1951 – Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player

1951 – Kurt Russell, American actor

1952 – Nikos Xydakis, Greek musician and composer

1952 – Barry Horne, Animal rights activist (d. 2001)

1953 – , Filipino communist revolutionary (d. 2001)

1953 – Chuck Muncie, American football running back

1954 – Lesley-Anne Down, English actress

1955 – Cynthia McKinney, American politician, Presidential candidate

1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor

1956 – Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist

1957 – Mal Donaghy, Northern Irish footballer

1957 – Michael Kelly, American journalist (d. 2003)

1958 – Pat Bolland, Canadian Broadcaster

1959 – Danny Ainge, American basketball player and coach

1959 – Paul Black, American rock singer

1959 – Christian Clemenson, American actor

1960 – Arye Gross, American actor

1960 – Vicki Lewis, American actress

1961 – Sam Bowie, American basketball player

1961 – Andrew Paul, English actor

1961 – Dana Reeve, American actress and activist (d. 2006)

1961 – Casey Siemaszko, American actor

1961 – Alexander Bard, Swedish artist, singer (Army Of Lovers), music producer, and philosopher

1962 – Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, Dutch politician

1962 – Clare Grogan, Scottish actress-singer

1963 – Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Chinese actor

1963 – Nick Peros, Canadian composer

1964 – Lee Dixon, English footballer

1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor

1964 – Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian footballer

1966 – Jeremy Sheffield, English actor

1967 – Billy Corgan, American musician (Smashing Pumpkins)

1967 – Barry Minkow, American criminal and fraudster

1969 – Alexander McQueen, British fashion designer (d. 2010)

1969 – Mathew St. Patrick, American actor

1969 – Patricia Ford, American model

1970 – Gene Ween, American musician (Ween)

1970 – Yanic Truesdale, Canadian actor

1971 – Bill Mueller, American baseball player

1972 – Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian musician

1972 – Marc Gunn, poet, podcaster, and musician (Brobdingnagian Bards)

1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player

1973 – Rico Blanco, Filipino singer (Rivermaya)

1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician

1973 – Vance Wilson, American baseball player

1973 – Jerome Woods, American football player

1974 – Marisa Coughlan, American actress

1974 – Mark Dolan, British TV show host

1974 – Oliver Palotai, German keyboard player (Doro)

1975 – Puneet Rajkumar, Indian (Kannada) actor, singer and director

1975 – Justin Hawkins, British singer (The Darkness)

1975 – Mason Jennings, American folksinger

1975 – Andrew "Test" Martin, Canadian wrestler (d. 2009)

1975 – Natalie Zea, American actress

1975 – Gina Holden, Canadian actress

1976 – Brittany Daniel, American actress

1976 – Cynthia Daniel, American actress and photographer

1976 – Scott Downs, American baseball player

1976 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer, musician, and actor (Boyzone) (d. 2009)

1976 – Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer

1978 – Adam Jennings, British actor, producer and director

1979 – Nicole "Coco" Austin, American glamor model

1979 – Stormy Daniels, American pornographic actress

1979 – Andrew Ference, Canadian ice hockey player

1979 – Samoa Joe, Samoan wrestler

1979 – Sharman Joshi, Indian actor

1979 – Stephen Kramer Glickman, American actor and comedian

1980 – Danny Califf, American soccer player

1980 – Katie Morgan, American pornographic actress

1981 – Aaron Baddeley, Australian golfer

1981 – Servet Çetin, Turkish football player

1981 – Kyle Korver, American basketball player

1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer

1983 – Raul Meireles, Portuguese footballer

1985 – Vassiliki Arvaniti, Greek beach volleyball player

1986 – Olesya Rulin, Russian actress

1986 – Miles Kane, British musician

1986 – Edin Džeko, Bosnian footballer

1987 – Krisnan Inu, New Zealand rugby player

1987 – Ryan Parent, Canadian hockey player

1987 – Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player

1987 – Rob Kardashian, American model and singer

1990 – Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton player

Deaths

45 BC – Titus Labienus, Roman leader

180 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)

460 – Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland (b. 387)

659 – Gertrude of Nivelles, Belgian abbess (b. 626)

1040 – Harold Harefoot, King of England

1058 – King Lulach I of Scotland (b. 1030)

1199 – Jocelin, bishop of Glasgow

1272 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b. 1220)

1425 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (b. 1407)

1516 – Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b. 1478)

1565 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian (b. 1500)

1640 – Philip Massinger, English dramatist (b. 1583)

1649 – Gabriel Lallemant, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1610)

1680 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French writer (b. 1613)

1704 – Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (b. 1641)

1713 – Juraj Jánošík, famous Slovak outlaw (b. 1688)

1715 – Gilbert Burnet, Scottish Bishop of Salisbury (b. 1643)

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

1764 – George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer

1782 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-born mathematician (b. 1700)

1830 – Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal (b. 1764)

1846 – Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1784)

1849 – William II of the Netherlands (b. 1792)

1853 – Christian Doppler, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1803)

1871 – Robert Chambers, Scottish naturalist (b. 1802)

1875 – Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist (b. 1832)

1893 – Jules Ferry, French statesman (b. 1832)

1917 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)

1926 – Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (b. 1853)

1937 – Austen Chamberlain, English statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1863)

1941 – Marguerite Nichols, American actress (b. 1895)

1946 – Dai Li, Chinese spymaster (b. 1897)

1949 – Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (b. 1882)

1956 – Fred Allen, American actor and comedian (b. 1894)

1956 – Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1897)

1957 – Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)

1961 – Susanna M. Salter, American politician (b. 1860)

1962 – Pat Clayton, British surveyor and explorer (b. 1896)

1965 – Amos Alonzo Stagg, American football coach (b. 1862)

1974 – Louis Kahn, American architect

1976 – Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b. 1906)

1981 – Paul Dean, American baseball player (b. 1913)

1983 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)

1987 – Santo Trafficante, Jr., American gangster (b. 1914)

1988 – Nikolas Asimos, Greek counter-culture composer and singer (b. 1949)

1989 – Merritt Butrick, American actor (b. 1959)

1990 – Capucine, French actress (b. 1931)

1990 – Ric Grech, British bass player (Blind Faith – Traffic) (b. 1946)

1992 – Grace Stafford, American actress (b. 1903)

1993 – Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)

1994 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (b. 1925)

1995 – Ronald "Ronnie" Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)

1995 – Rick Aviles, American actor (b. 1952)

1996 – René Clément, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1913)

1996 – Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)

1997 – Jermaine Stewart, American singer (b. 1957)

1999 – Ernest Gold, Austrian composer (b. 1921)

1999 – Rod Hull, British comedian (b. 1936)

2002 – Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (b. 1911)

2002 – Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b. 1908)

2003 – Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and educator (b. 1902)

2004 – J.J. Jackson, American television personality (b. 1941)

2004 – Rachel Hudson, British murder victim (b. 1984)

2005 – George F. Kennan, American Cold War strategist and historian (b. 1904)

2005 – Andre Norton, American writer (b. 1912)

2006 – Bob Blue, American singer/songwriter (b. 1948)

2006 – Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)

2006 – Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (b. 1913)

2006 – Bob Papenbrook, American voice actor (b. 1955)

2007 – John Backus, American computer scientist (b. 1924)

2007 – Roger Bennett, American gospel performer (b. 1959)

2007 – Jim Cronin, British animal welfare activist (b. 1951)

2008 – Roland Arnall, United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (b. 1939)

2009 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and TV host (b. 1937)

2010 – Alex Chilton, American musician (b. 1950)

2010 – Charlie Gillett, British musicologist and radio presenter (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

*Alexius of Rome (Eastern Church)

*Gertrude of Nivelles

*Joseph of Arimathea (Western Church)

*Patrick

Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)

Liberalia, in honor of Liber Pater. Considered by some to be part of Agonalia. (Ancient Rome)

National Muay Thai Day

Saint Patrick's Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated elsewhere in North America and worldwide.

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

----

Category:Days of the year Category:March

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Name	Alicia Keys
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Alicia Augello Cook
Alias	Lellow
Born	January 25, 1981
Origin	New York City, New York, United States
Instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards, cello, synthesizer, vocoder, guitar, bass guitar
Genre	R&B;, soul, pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, record producer, actress, music video director, author, poet
Years active	1997–present
Label	Columbia, Arista, J
Url

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American recording artist, musician and actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began to play classical music on the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. She later attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B; artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.

Keys made guest appearances on several television series in the following years, beginning with Charmed. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B; artist of the 2000–2009 decade, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Life and career

1981–96: Early life

Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City, New York. She is the only child of Teresa Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Keys' mother is of Italian , Scottish,and Irish descent, and her father is African American; Keys has expressed that she was comfortable with her biracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures". Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four, where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in the episode "Slumber Party". Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother. She began playing the piano when she was seven and learned classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin. She graduated in three years as valedictorian at the age of 16.

In 1994 Keys met long-term manager Jeff Robinson after she enrolled in his brother's after-school program. The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R; at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: "I had never met a young R&B; artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that." Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after.

1997–2000: Career beginnings

Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label's Christmas album performing "The Little Drummer Girl". She also co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black. Following Davis to his newly formed J Records label, she recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", which were featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), respectively.

2001–2002: Songs in A Minor era

Keys released her first studio album, Songs in A Minor, in June 2001. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 236,000 copies in its first week. The album sold over 6.2 million copies in the United States, where it was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide, establishing Keys' popularity both inside and outside the United States, where she became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B; artist of 2001. The album's lead single, "Fallin'", spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "A Woman's Worth", peaked at number three on the same chart. The following year, the album was reissued as Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, which included eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of the songs from the original. , Germany, 2002]]

Songs in A Minor led Keys to win five awards at the 2002 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance, and Best R&B; Song for "Fallin'", Best New Artist, and Best R&B; Album; "Fallin'" was also nominated for Record of the Year. Keys became the second female solo artist to win five Grammy Awards in a single night, following Lauryn Hill at the 41st Grammy Awards. That same year, she collaborated with Christina Aguilera for the latter's upcoming album Stripped on a song entitled "Impossible", which Keys wrote, co-produced, and provided with background vocals. During the early 2000s, Keys also made small cameos in television series Charmed and American Dreams. It sold 4.4 million copies in the United States and was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA. It sold eight million copies worldwide, becoming the sixth biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second biggest-selling album by a female R&B; artist. The singles "You Don't Know My Name" and "If I Ain't Got You" both reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the third single, "Diary", entered the top ten. The fourth single, "Karma", was less successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 20. "If I Ain't Got You" became the first single by a female artist to remain on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart for over a year.

Keys won Best R&B; Video for "If I Ain't Got You" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards; she performed the song and "Higher Ground" with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder. Later that year, Keys released her novel Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, a collection of unreleased poems from her journals and lyrics. The title derived from one of her poems, "Love and Chains" from the line: "I don't mind drinking my tears for water." She said the title is the foundation of her writing because "everything I have ever written has stemmed from my tears of joy, of pain, of sorrow, of depression, even of question". The book sold over US$500,000 and Keys made The New York Times bestseller list in 2005. The following year, she won a second consecutive award for Best R&B; Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for the video "Karma". Keys performed "If I Ain't Got You" and then joined Jamie Foxx and Quincy Jones in a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", the Hoagy Carmichael song made famous by Ray Charles in 1960 at the 2005 Grammy Awards. That evening, she won four Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance for "If I Ain't Got You", Best R&B; Song for "You Don't Know My Name", Best R&B; Album for The Diary of Alicia Keys, and Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "My Boo" with Usher.

Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged series in July 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. During this session, Keys added new arrangements to her original songs and performed a few choice covers. The session was released on CD and DVD in October 2005. Simply titled Unplugged, the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 196,000 units sold in its first week of release. The album sold one million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and two million copies worldwide. The debut of Keys' Unplugged was the highest for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one. It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B; Airplay for 11 weeks.

Keys opened a recording studio in Long Island, New York, called The Oven Studios, which she co-owns with her production and songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers. The studio was designed by renowned studio architect John Storyk of WSDG, designer of Jimi Hendrix' Electric Lady Studios. Keys and Brothers are the co-founders of KrucialKeys Enterprises, a production and songwriting team who assisted Keys in creating her albums as well as create music for other artists.

2006–2008: Film debut and As I Am era

In 2006, Keys won three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for "Unbreakable". She also received the Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In October 2006, she played the voice of Mommy Martian in the "Mission to Mars" episode of the children's television series The Backyardigans, in which she sang an original song, "Almost Everything Is Boinga Here". That same year, Keys nearly suffered a mental breakdown. Her grandmother had died and her family was heavily dependent on her. She felt she needed to "escape" and went to Egypt for three weeks. She explained: "That trip was definitely the most crucial thing I've ever done for myself in my life to date. It was a very difficult time that I was dealing with, and it just came to the point where I really needed to—basically, I just needed to run away, honestly. And I needed to get as far away as possible."

Keys made her film debut in early 2007 in the crime film Smokin' Aces, co-starring as an assassin named Georgia Sykes opposite Ben Affleck and Andy García. Keys received much praise from her co-stars in the film; Reynolds said that Keys was "so natural" and that she would "blow everybody away". In the same year, Keys earned further praise for her second film, The Nanny Diaries, based on the 2002 novel of the same name, where she co-starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. She also guest starred as herself in the "One Man Is an Island" episode of the drama series Cane.

Keys released her third studio album, As I Am, in November 2007; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week. It gained Keys her largest first week sales of her career and became her fourth consecutive number one album, tying her with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 by a female artist. The week became the second largest sales week of 2007 and the largest sales week for a female solo artist since singer Norah Jones' album Feels like Home in 2004. The album has sold nearly four million copies in the United States and has been certified three times Platinum by the RIAA. It has sold nearly six million copies worldwide. Keys received five nominations for As I Am at the 2008 American Music Award and ultimately won two. The album's lead single, "No One", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Keys' third and fifth number-one single on each chart, respectively. The album's second single, "Like You'll Never See Me Again", was released in late 2007 and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's third single, "Teenage Love Affair", peaked at number three on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

in Tokyo, Japan]]

"No One" earned Keys the awards for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and Best R&B; Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Keys opened the ceremony singing Frank Sinatra's 1950s song "Learnin' the Blues" as a "duet" with archival footage of Sinatra in video and "No One" with John Mayer later in the show. Keys also won Best Female R&B; Artist during the show. She starred in "Fresh Takes", a commercial micro-series created by Dove Go Fresh, which premiered during The Hills on MTV from March to April 2008. The premiere celebrated the launch of new Dove Go Fresh. She also signed a deal as spokesperson with Glacéau's VitaminWater to endorse the product, and was in an American Express commercial for the "Are you a Cardmember?" campaign. Keys, along with The White Stripes' guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, recorded the theme song to Quantum of Solace, the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. In 2008, Keys was ranked in at number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists. She also starred in The Secret Life of Bees, a film adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's acclaimed 2003 bestseller novel of the same name alongside Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah, released in October 2008 via Fox Searchlight. Her role earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards. She also received three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance for "Superwoman".

In an interview with Blender magazine, Keys allegedly said "'Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other, 'gangsta rap' didn't exist" and went on to say that it was created by "the government". The magazine also claimed she said that Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were "essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing". Later that year, Keys was criticized by anti-smoking campaigners after billboard posters for her forthcoming concerts in Indonesia featured a logo for the A Mild cigarette brand sponsored by tobacco firm Philip Morris. She apologized after discovering that the concert was sponsored by the firm and asked for "corrective actions". In response, the company withdrew its sponsorship.

2009–present: The Element of Freedom, marriage and motherhood era

.]] Keys and manager Jeff Robinson signed a film production deal to develop live-action and animated projects with Disney. Their first film will be a remake of the 1958 comedy Bell, Book and Candle and will star Keys as a witch who casts a love spell to lure a rival's fiancé. Keys and Robinson also formed a television production company called Big Pita. Keys and Robinson will develop live-action and animated projects from their company, Big Pita and Little Pita, with Keys as producer, thespian, banner spearheading soundtrack and music supervision.

Keys collaborated with record producer Swizz Beatz to write and produce "Million Dollar Bill" for Whitney Houston's seventh studio album, I Look to You. Keys had approached Clive Davis for permission to submit a song for the album. Keys also collaborated with recording artist Jay-Z on the song "Empire State of Mind" from his 2009 album, The Blueprint 3. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became her fourth number-one single on that chart.

The following month, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored Keys with the Golden Note Award, an award given to artists "who have achieved extraordinary career milestones". She collaborated with Spanish recording artist Alejandro Sanz for "Looking for Paradise", which topped the Hot Latin Songs chart. Keys released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. As part of the promotional drive for the album, she performed at the Cayman Island Jazz Festival on December 5, the final night of the three day festival which will be broadcast on Black Entertainment Television (BET). The album's lead single, "Doesn't Mean Anything", has peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, The Element of Freedom became Keys' first album to top the UK Albums Chart.

In May 2009, Swizz Beatz announced that he and Keys were romantically involved, and in May 2010, a representative for Keys and Swizz Beatz confirmed that they were engaged and expecting a child together. During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of South Africa. Keys and Swizz Beatz were married on the French island of Corsica on July 31, 2010. On October 14, 2010, Keys gave birth to a son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, in New York City.

Most recently Alicia Keys was announced as one of the performers at BET Awards 2011.

Musical style

An accomplished pianist, Keys incorporates piano into a majority of her songs and often writes about love, heartbreak and female empowerment. Keys' style is rooted in gospel and vintage soul music, supplemented by bass and programmed drumbeats. She heavily incorporates classical piano with R&B;, soul and jazz into her music. She began experimenting with other genres, including pop and rock, in her third studio album, As I Am, transitioning from neo soul to a 1980s and 1990s R&B; sound with her fourth album, The Element of Freedom. Patrick Huguenin of the New York Daily News stated that her incorporation of classical piano riffs contributed to her breakout success. The Independent described her style as consisting of "crawling blues coupled with a hip-hop backbeat", noting that her lyrics "rarely stray from matters of the heart". Blender magazine referred to her as "the first new pop artist of the millennium who was capable of changing music."

Keys has a vocal range of a contralto, which spans three octaves. Often referred to as the "Princess of Soul", others feel that her voice is "emotionally manufactured" at times and that she pushes her voice out of its natural range. Hunkin characterized Keys' opening performance as a "headbanging, hip-gyrating performance" and her energy as "high-octane energy most bands save for their closing finale". At the end of her two-hour performance, fans "screamed, stomped and begged for a second encore". Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and is listed on the Recording Industry Association of America's best-selling artists in the United States, with 15 million certified albums. She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has established herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

Philanthropy

concert]] Keys is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa. Keys and U2 lead singer Bono recorded a cover version of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's "Don't Give Up", in recognition of World AIDS Day 2005. Keys and Bono's version of the song was retitled "Don't Give Up (Africa)" to reflect the nature of the charity it was benefiting. She visited African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to promote care for children affected by AIDS. Her work in Africa was documented in the documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland and was available in April 2008.

Keys has also donated to Frum tha Ground Up, a non-profit organization that aids children and teenagers with scholarships. She performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the worldwide Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa and to pressure the G8 leaders to take action. In 2005, Keys performed on and , two benefit programs that raised money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. In July 2007, Keys and Keith Urban performed The Rolling Stones' 1969 song "Gimme Shelter" at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the American leg of the Live Earth concerts.

Keys performed Donny Hathaway's 1973 song "Someday We'll All Be Free" at the televised benefit concert following the September 11 attacks. She participated in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert which took place at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2007, along with other various artists. She recorded a theme song for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. She joined Joss Stone and Jay-Z on the effort, which served as a theme song for Obama's campaign. For her work, Keys was honored at the 2009 BET Awards with the Humanitarian Award. Keys performed the song "Prelude to a Kiss", retitled "Send Me an Angel", from her 2007 album As I Am for the "" telethon in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Discography

Songs in A Minor (2001)

The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003)

As I Am (2007)

The Element of Freedom (2009)

;Lives albums

Unplugged (2005)

Tours

Songs in A Minor Tour (2001–2002)

Verizon Ladies First Tour (2004)

The Diary Tour (2005)

As I Am Tour (2008)

The Freedom Tour (2010)

Filmography

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See also

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of awards and nominations received by Alicia Keys

List of honorific titles in popular music

References

Further reading

External links

Alicia Keys at Billboard.com

Category:1981 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American female singers Category:African American singer-songwriters

Category:American composers Category:American contraltos Category:American film actors Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American music arrangers Category:American music video directors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American musicians of Scottish descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American pianists Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues keyboardists Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul keyboardists Category:American soul singers Category:American television actors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:J Records artists Category:Living people

Category:Neo soul singers Category:People from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Category:Rhythm and blues pianists Category:Singers from New York City Category:World Music Awards winners Category:American pop singer-songwriters