'''' (; plural , ) is a German and Dutch word meaning "song"; among English speakers, however, the word is used primarily as a term for European romantic songs, also known as art songs. The term is also commonly used to describe songs composed to a German poem of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf. The poetry forming the basis for '''' often centers upon pastoral themes, or themes of romantic love.

Typically, '''' are arranged for a single singer and piano. Some of the most famous examples of '''' are Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen" ("Death and the Maiden") and "Gretchen am Spinnrade". Sometimes '''' are gathered in a '''' or "song cycle"—a series of songs (generally three or more) tied by a single narrative or theme, such as Schubert's ''Die schöne Müllerin'' and ''Winterreise'', or Schumann's ''Frauenliebe und -leben'' and ''Dichterliebe''. Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann are most closely associated with this genre, mainly developed in the Romantic era.

History

For German speakers, the term '''' has a long history ranging from 12th century troubadour songs ('''') via folk songs ('''') and church hymns ('''') to 20th-century workers songs ('''') or protest songs ('''').

In Germany, the great age of song came in the 19th century. German and Austrian composers had written music for voice with keyboard before this time, but it was with the flowering of German literature in the Classical and Romantic eras that composers found high inspiration in poetry that sparked the genre known as the ''''. The beginnings of this tradition are seen in the songs of Mozart and Beethoven, but it is with Schubert that a new balance is found between words and music, a new absorption into the music of the sense of the words. Schubert wrote over 600 songs, some of them in sequences or song cycles that relate a story—adventure of the soul rather than the body. The tradition was continued by Schumann, Brahms, and Hugo Wolf, and on into the 20th century by Strauss, Mahler and Pfitzner. Austrian partisans of atonal music, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, composed lieder in their own style.

Other national traditions

The '''' tradition is closely linked with the German language. But there are parallels elsewhere, notably in France, with the mélodies of such composers as Berlioz, Fauré, Debussy and Francis Poulenc, and in Russia, with the songs of Mussorgsky and Rachmaninoff in particular. England too had a flowering of song, more closely associated however with folk song than with the 19th-century art song, in the 20th century represented by Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten.

At the end of the 19th and during the 20th century classical lieder produced in the Netherlands were usually composed in several languages; Alphons Diepenbrock and Henk Badings composed Dutch, German, English and French songs and in Latin for choirs; together with a strong influenced from French impressionism and German romanticism which made the Dutch lieder tradition the only strong cosmopolitan one in Europe.

Bibliography

External links

The Lied and Art Song Texts Page

The Lieder Sound Archive

Category:German music history Category:Romantic music Category:Romanticism Category:Song forms Category:German loanwords

ca:Lied da:Lied de:Kunstlied et:Lied es:Lied fr:Lied gl:Lied ko:가곡 it:Lied he:ליד lb:Lied mk:Лид mt:Lied ms:Lied ja:歌曲 no:Lied nn:Lied pt:Lied ro:Lied simple:Lied sl:Samospev fi:Lied sv:Romans (musik) tr:Lied zh:藝術歌曲

Name	Söhne Mannheims
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Germany
Genre	Pop, Soul, Hip pop
Years active	1995-present
Label	Söhne Mannheims (Edel Music)
Website	Official site
Current members	Marlon B.Andreas Bayless Billy DavisRalf GustkeMichael Herberger Bernd HerrmannMichael KlimasKoshoRobbee MarianoHenning Wehland MetaphysicsXavier NaidooTino OacFlorian Sitzmann
Past members	Uwe Banton Claus Eisenmann J-Luv Jah MC Jah Meek Rolf Stahlhofen Pbc Edo Zanki }}

Söhne Mannheims (''Sons of Mannheim'') is a German musical band founded 1995 in Mannheim by Xavier Naidoo and others.

Discography

Albums

''Zion'' (2000)

''Noiz'' (2004)

''Power of the Sound (Live)'' (2005)

''Söhne, Mond und Sterne'' (2007)

''Wettsingen in Schwetzingen - MTV Unplugged'' (2008)

''IZ ON'' (2009)

''Barrikaden von Eden'' (2011)

Singles

Year	Song	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	Album
		align="center" valign="top"
		align="center" valign="top"

DVDs

''Power of the Sound'' (2005)

Awards

ECHO - "Best National Group" (2005).

External links

Official Homepage

Category:Musical groups established in 1995 Category:German musical groups

cs:Söhne Mannheims de:Söhne Mannheims es:Söhne Mannheims fr:Söhne Mannheims it:Söhne Mannheims nl:Söhne Mannheims

Birthname	Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
Order	38th
Office	Governor of California
Lieutenant	Cruz BustamanteMona Pasquil (acting) John GaramendiAbel Maldonado
Term start	November 17, 2003
Term end	January 3, 2011
Predecessor	Gray Davis
Successor	Jerry Brown
Birth date	July 30, 1947
Birth place	Thal, Austria
Citizenship	American, Austrian
Party	Republican Party
Spouse	Maria Shriver (1986–2011)
Children	Katherine (b. 1989)Christina (b. 1991)Patrick (b. 1993)Christopher (b. 1997)Joseph Baena (b. 1997)
Relations	Gustav Schwarzenegger(father, deceased)Aurelia née Jadrny(mother, deceased)
Alma mater	Santa Monica CollegeUniversity of Wisconsin, Superior
Profession	Bodybuilder, actor, director, businessman, investor, and politician
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature	Arnold Schwarzenegger Signature.svg
Website	Personal website
Branch	Austrian Armed Forces
Serviceyears	1965 }}

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, director, businessman, investor, and politician who served as the 38th Governor of California (2003–11).

Schwarzenegger began to weight train at the young age of 15 years old. He was awarded the title of Mr. Universe at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in the sport of bodybuilding and he has written several books and numerous articles on the sport. Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon. He was nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" and the "Styrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, "Arnie" during his acting career and more recently the "Governator" (a portmanteau of "Governor" and "Terminator").

As a Republican, he was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis's term. Schwarzenegger was then re-elected on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election, to serve a full term as governor, defeating Democrat Phil Angelides, who was California State Treasurer at the time. Schwarzenegger was sworn in for his second term on January 5, 2007.

Schwarzenegger had been married to Maria Shriver for over 25 years and the couple had four children together. In 2011, it was revealed that Schwarzenegger had engaged in an adulterous affair and fathered a son with an employee of his, Mildred Baena, 14 years earlier. This subsequently led to Schwarzenegger and Shriver separating and Shriver filing for divorce.

Early life

Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria, a small village bordering the Styrian capital Graz, and was christened Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger. His parents were the local police chief, Gustav Schwarzenegger (1907–72), and Aurelia (née Jadrny; 1922–1998). His father served in World War II, after he voluntarily applied to join the Nazi Party in 1938. He served with the German Army as a Hauptfeldwebel of the Feldgendarmerie and was discharged in 1943 after contracting malaria. They were married on October 20, 1945 – Gustav was 38, and Aurelia was a 23-year-old widow with a son, Meinhard. According to Schwarzenegger, both of his parents were very strict: "Back then in Austria it was a very different world, if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not spared." He grew up in a Roman Catholic family who attended mass every Sunday.

Gustav had a preference for his stepson Meinhard, over his son, Arnold. His favoritism was "strong and blatant," which stemmed from unfounded suspicion that Arnold was not his child. Schwarzenegger has said his father had "no patience for listening or understanding your problems." Schwarzenegger had a good relationship with his mother and kept in touch with her until her death. In later life, Schwarzenegger commissioned the Simon Wiesenthal Center to research his father's wartime record, which came up with no evidence of atrocities despite Gustav's membership in the Nazi Party and SA. Schwarzenneger's father's background received wide press attention during the 2003 California recall campaign. At school, Schwarzenegger was apparently in the middle but stood out for his "cheerful, good-humored and exuberant" character. Money was a problem in their household; Schwarzenegger recalled that one of the highlights of his youth was when the family bought a refrigerator.

As a boy, Schwarzenegger played several sports, heavily influenced by his father. He picked up his first barbell in 1960, when his football coach took his team to a local gym. At the age of 14, he chose bodybuilding over football (soccer) as a career. Schwarzenegger has responded to a question asking if he was 13 when he started weightlifting: "I actually started weight training when I was 15, but I'd been participating in sports, like soccer, for years, so I felt that although I was slim, I was well-developed, at least enough so that I could start going to the gym and start Olympic lifting." However, his official website biography claims: "At 14, he started an intensive training program with Dan Farmer, studied psychology at 15 (to learn more about the power of mind over body) and at 17, officially started his competitive career." During a speech in 2001, he said, ''"My own plan formed when I was 14 years old. My father had wanted me to be a police officer like he was. My mother wanted me to go to trade school."'' Schwarzenegger took to visiting a gym in Graz, where he also frequented the local movie theaters to see bodybuilding idols such as Reg Park, Steve Reeves and Johnny Weissmuller on the big screen. "I was inspired by individuals like Reg Park and Steve Reeves." When Reeves died in 2000, Schwarzenegger fondly remembered him: "As a teenager, I grew up with Steve Reeves. His remarkable accomplishments allowed me a sense of what was possible, when others around me didn't always understand my dreams ... Steve Reeves has been part of everything I've ever been fortunate enough to achieve." In 1961, Schwarzenegger met former Mr. Austria Kurt Marnul, who invited him to train at the gym in Graz. He was so dedicated as a youngster that he broke into the local gym on weekends, when it was usually closed, so that he could train. "It would make me sick to miss a workout ... I knew I couldn't look at myself in the mirror the next morning if I didn't do it." When Schwarzenegger was asked about his first movie experience as a boy, he replied, "I was very young, but I remember my father taking me to the Austrian theaters and seeing some newsreels. The first real movie I saw, that I distinctly remember, was a John Wayne movie."

In 1971, his brother Meinhard died in a car accident. Meinhard had been drinking and was killed instantly. Schwarzenegger did not attend his funeral. Meinhard was due to marry Erika Knapp, and the couple had a three-year-old son, Patrick. Schwarzenegger would pay for Patrick's education and help him to immigrate to the United States. Gustav died the following year from a stroke. In ''Pumping Iron'', Schwarzenegger claimed that he did not attend his father's funeral because he was training for a bodybuilding contest. Later, he and the film's producer said this story was taken from another bodybuilder for the purpose of showing the extremes that some would go to for their sport and to make Schwarzenegger's image more cold and machine-like in order to fan controversy for the film. Barbara Baker, his first serious girlfriend, has said he informed her of his father's death without emotion and that he never spoke of his brother. Over time, he has given at least three versions of why he was absent from his father's funeral.

In an interview with ''Fortune'' in 2004, Schwarzenegger told how he suffered what "would now be called child abuse" at the hands of his father:

Early adulthood

Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian Army in 1965 to fulfill the one year of service required at the time of all 18-year-old Austrian males. During his army service, he won the Junior Mr. Europe contest. He went AWOL during basic training so he could take part in the competition and spent a week in military prison: "Participating in the competition meant so much to me that I didn't carefully think through the consequences." He won another bodybuilding contest in Graz, at Steirer Hof Hotel (where he had placed second). He was voted best built man of Europe, which made him famous.

"The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America – the land of opportunity, where I could become a star and get rich." Schwarzenegger made his first plane trip in 1966, attending the NABBA Mr. Universe competition in London. He would come in second in the Mr. Universe competition, not having the muscle definition of American winner Chester Yorton.

Charles "Wag" Bennett, one of the judges at the 1966 competition, was impressed with Schwarzenegger and he offered to coach him. As Schwarzenegger had little money, Bennett invited him to stay in his crowded family home above one of his two gyms in Forest Gate, London, England. Yorton's leg definition had been judged superior, and Schwarzenegger, under a training program devised by Bennett, concentrated on improving the muscle definition and power in his legs. Staying in the East End of London helped Schwarzenegger improve his rudimentary grasp of the English language. Also in 1966, Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to meet childhood idol Reg Park, who became his friend and mentor. The training paid off and, in 1967, Schwarzenegger won the title for the first time, becoming the youngest ever Mr. Universe at the age of 20. He would go on to win the title a further three times. Schwarzenegger then flew back to Munich, training for four to six hours daily, attending business school and working in a health club (Rolf Putzinger's gym where he worked and trained from 1966–1968), returning in 1968 to London to win his next Mr. Universe title. He frequently told Roger C. Field, a friend in Munich at that time, "I'm going to become the greatest actor!"

Move to the U.S.

Schwarzenegger, who dreamed of moving to the U.S. since the age of 10, and saw bodybuilding as the avenue through which to do so, realized his dream by moving to the United States in September 1968 at the age of 21, speaking little English. "Naturally, when I came to this country, my accent was very bad, and my accent was also very strong, which was an obstacle as I began to pursue acting." There he trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, California, under Joe Weider. From 1970 to 1974, one of Schwarzenegger's weight training partners was Ric Drasin, a professional wrestler who designed the original Gold's Gym logo in 1973. Schwarzenegger also became good friends with professional wrestler "Superstar" Billy Graham. In 1970, at age 23, he captured his first Mr. Olympia title in New York, and would go on to win the title a total of seven times.

Immigration law firm Siskind & Susser have stated that Schwarzenegger may have been an illegal immigrant at some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s because of violations in the terms of his visa. ''LA Weekly'' would later say in 2002 that Schwarzenegger is the most famous immigrant in America, who "overcame a thick Austrian accent and transcended the unlikely background of bodybuilding to become the biggest movie star in the world in the 1990s".

In 1977, Schwarzenegger's autobiography/weight-training guide ''Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder'' was published and became a huge success. After taking English classes at Santa Monica College in California, he earned a BA by correspondence from the University of Wisconsin–Superior, where he graduated Business and International Economics, in 1979.

Bodybuilding career

Name	Arnold Schwarzenegger
Nickname	The Austrian Oak
Birth date	July 30, 1947
Birth place	Thal, Styria, Austria
Height
Weight	250 pounds (113 kg)
Firstproshow	NABBA Mr. Universe
Firstproshowyear	1968
Bestwin	IFBB Mr. Olympia
Bestwinyear	1970–1975, 1980, Seven Times
Predecessor	Sergio Oliva ('69), Frank Zane ('79)
Successor	Franco Columbu ('76, '81)
Yesorretiredyear	Retired 1980 }}

Schwarzenegger is considered among the most important figures in the history of bodybuilding, and his legacy is commemorated in the Arnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent face in the bodybuilding sport long after his retirement, in part because of his ownership of gyms and fitness magazines. He has presided over numerous contests and awards shows.

For many years, he wrote a monthly column for the bodybuilding magazines ''Muscle & Fitness'' and ''Flex''. Shortly after being elected Governor, he was appointed executive editor of both magazines, in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed to donate $250,000 a year to the Governor's various physical fitness initiatives. The magazine ''MuscleMag International'' has a monthly two-page article on him, and refers to him as "The King".

One of the first competitions he won was the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965. He won Mr. Europe the following year, at age 19. He would go on to compete in, and win, many bodybuilding contests, as well as some weightlifting contests, including five Mr. Universe (4 – NABBA [England], 1 – IFBB [USA]) wins, and seven Mr. Olympia wins, a record which would stand until Lee Haney won his eighth consecutive Mr. Olympia title in 1991.

Schwarzenegger continues to work out even today. When asked about his personal training during the 2011 Arnold Classic he said that he was still working out a half an hour with weights every day.

Competition Weight: (top 250 lb [113 kg])

Off Season Weight:

Strongman

In 1967, Schwarzenegger competed in and won the Munich stone-lifting contest, in which a stone weighing 508 German pounds (254 kg/560 lbs.) is lifted between the legs while standing on two foot rests.

Mr. Olympia

Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becoming Mr. Olympia. His first attempt was in 1969, when he lost to three-time champion Sergio Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and won the competition, making him the youngest ever Mr. Olympia at the age of 23, a record he holds to this day.

He continued his winning streak in the 1971–74 competitions. In 1975, Schwarzenegger was once again in top form, and won the title for the sixth consecutive time, beating Franco Columbu. After the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding.

Months before the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, filmmakers George Butler and Robert Fiore persuaded Schwarzenegger to compete, in order to film his training in the bodybuilding documentary called ''Pumping Iron.'' Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition, after losing significant weight to appear in the film ''Stay Hungry'' with Jeff Bridges. Lou Ferrigno proved not to be a threat, and a lighter-than-usual Schwarzenegger convincingly won the 1975 Mr. Olympia.

Schwarzenegger came out of retirement, however, to compete in the 1980 Mr. Olympia. Schwarzenegger was training for his role in ''Conan'', and he got into such good shape because of the running, horseback riding and sword training, that he decided he wanted to win the Mr. Olympia contest one last time. He kept this plan a secret, in the event that a training accident would prevent his entry and cause him to lose face. Schwarzenegger had been hired to provide color commentary for network television, when he announced at the eleventh hour that while he was there: "Why not compete?" Schwarzenegger ended up winning the event with only seven weeks of preparation. After being declared Mr. Olympia for a seventh time, Schwarzenegger then officially retired from competition.

Steroid use

Schwarzenegger has admitted to using performance-enhancing anabolic steroids while they were legal, writing in 1977 that "steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance when cutting up." He has called the drugs "tissue building."

In 1999, Schwarzenegger sued Dr. Willi Heepe, a German doctor who publicly predicted his early death on the basis of a link between his steroid use and his later heart problems. As the doctor had never examined him personally, Schwarzenegger collected a US$10,000 libel judgment against him in a German court. In 1999, Schwarzenegger also sued and settled with ''The Globe'', a U.S. tabloid which had made similar predictions about the bodybuilder's future health.

Height

His official height of 6'2" (1.88 m) has been brought into question by several articles. In his bodybuilding days in the late 1960s, he was measured to be 6'1.5" (1.87 m), a height confirmed by his fellow bodybuilders. However, in 1988 both the ''Daily Mail'' and ''Time Out'' magazine mentioned that Schwarzenegger appeared noticeably shorter. More recently, before running for Governor, Schwarzenegger's height was once again questioned in an article by the ''Chicago Reader''. As Governor, Schwarzenegger engaged in a light-hearted exchange with Assemblyman Herb Wesson over their heights. At one point Wesson made an unsuccessful attempt to, in his own words, ''"[s]ettle this once and for all and find out how tall he is"'' by using a tailor's tape measure on the Governor. Schwarzenegger retaliated by placing a pillow stitched with the words "Need a lift?" on the five-foot-five inch (165 cm) Wesson's chair before a negotiating session in his office. Bob Mulholland also claimed Arnold was 5'10" (1.78 m) and that he wore risers in his boots. The debate on Schwarzenegger's height has spawned a website solely dedicated to the issue, and his page remains one of the most active on CelebHeights.com, a website which discusses the heights of celebrities.

Acting career

Other names	Arnold StrongArnie
Years active	1970–2006, 2009–present (acting)
Occupation	Actor, director, producer }}

Schwarzenegger wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, finally achieving it when he was chosen to play the role of Hercules in 1970's ''Hercules in New York''. Credited under the name "Arnold Strong," his accent in the film was so thick that his lines were dubbed after production. His second film appearance was as a deaf mute hit-man for the mob in director Robert Altman's ''The Long Goodbye'' (1973), which was followed by a much more significant part in the film ''Stay Hungry'' (1976), for which he was awarded a Golden Globe for New Male Star of the Year. Schwarzenegger has discussed his early struggles in developing his acting career. "It was very difficult for me in the beginning – I was told by agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird', that I had a funny accent, and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned, I was told that I had no chance."

Schwarzenegger drew attention and boosted his profile in the bodybuilding film ''Pumping Iron'' (1977), elements of which were dramatized. In 1991, Schwarzenegger purchased the rights to the film, its outtakes, and associated still photography. Schwarzenegger auditioned for the title role of ''The Incredible Hulk'', but did not win the role because of his height. Later, Lou Ferrigno got the part of Dr. David Banner's alter ego. Schwarzenegger appeared with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret in the 1979 comedy ''The Villain''. In 1980 he starred in a biographical film of the 1950s actress Jayne Mansfield as Mansfield's husband, Mickey Hargitay.

Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic ''Conan the Barbarian'' in 1982, which was a box-office hit. This was followed by a sequel, ''Conan the Destroyer'' in 1984, although it was not as successful as its predecessor. In 1983, Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional video "Carnival in Rio".

In 1984, he made the first of three appearances as the eponymous character and what some would say was the signature role in his acting career in director James Cameron's science fiction thriller film ''The Terminator''. Following ''The Terminator'', Schwarzenegger made ''Red Sonja'' in 1985.

During the 1980s, audiences had an appetite for action films, with both Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone becoming international stars. Schwarzenegger's roles reflected his sense of humor, separating his roles from more serious action hero fare. His alternative-universe comedy/thriller ''Last Action Hero'' featured a poster of the movie ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' which, in the fictional alternate universe, had Sylvester Stallone as its star.

He made a number of successful films: ''Commando'' (1985), ''Raw Deal'' (1986), ''The Running Man'' (1987), and ''Red Heat'' (1988). In ''Predator'' (1987), another successful film, Schwarzenegger led a cast which included future Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura (Ventura also appeared in ''The Running Man'' and ''Batman & Robin'' with Schwarzenegger) and future candidate for governor of Kentucky Sonny Landham.

''Twins'' (1988), a comedy with Danny DeVito also proved successful. ''Total Recall'' (1990) netted Schwarzenegger $10 million and 15% of the gross, and was a science fiction script directed by Paul Verhoeven, based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". ''Kindergarten Cop'' (1990) reunited him with director Ivan Reitman, who directed him in ''Twins''.

Schwarzenegger had a brief foray into directing, first with a 1990 episode of the TV series ''Tales from the Crypt'', entitled "The Switch", and then with the 1992 telemovie ''Christmas in Connecticut''. He has not directed since.

Schwarzenegger's commercial peak was his return as the title character in 1991's ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', which was the highest-grossing film of 1991. In 1993, the National Association of Theatre Owners named him the "International Star of the Decade." His next film project, the 1993 self-aware action comedy spoof ''Last Action Hero'' was released opposite ''Jurassic Park'', and did not do well at the box office. His next film, the comedy drama ''True Lies'' (1994) was a popular spy film, and saw Schwarzenegger, reunited with James Cameron, appearing opposite Jamie Lee Curtis.

That same year the comedy ''Junior'' (1994) was released, the last of his three collaborations with Ivan Reitman and again co-starring Danny DeVito and also for the second time featuring Pamela Reed. This film brought Schwarzenegger his second Golden Globe nomination, this time for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy. It was followed by the action thriller ''Eraser'' (1996), the Christmas comedy ''Jingle All The Way'' (1996) with Arnold playing the main character, Howard Langston, and the comic book-based ''Batman & Robin'' (1997), where he played the villain Mr. Freeze. This was his final film before taking time to recuperate from a back injury. Following the critical failure of ''Batman & Robin'', Schwarzenegger's film career and box office prominence went into decline.

He returned with the supernatural thriller ''''End of Days'''' (1999), later followed by the action films ''The 6th Day'' (2000) and ''Collateral Damage'' (2002) all of which failed to do well at the box office. In 2003, he made his third appearance as the title character in ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'', which went on to earn over $150 million domestically.

In tribute to Schwarzenegger in 2002, Forum Stadtpark, a local cultural association, proposed plans to build a 25-meter (82 ft) tall ''Terminator'' statue in a park in central Graz. Schwarzenegger reportedly said he was flattered, but thought the money would be better spent on social projects and the Special Olympics.

His film appearances after becoming Governor of California include a 3-second cameo appearance in ''The Rundown'' (a.k.a., ''Welcome to the Jungle'') with The Rock, and the 2004 remake of ''Around the World in 80 Days'', where he appeared onscreen with action star Jackie Chan for the first time. In 2005 he appeared as himself in the film ''The Kid & I''. Schwarzenegger voiced Baron von Steuben in Episode 24 ("Valley Forge") of ''Liberty's Kids''.

Schwarzenegger had been rumored to be appearing in ''Terminator Salvation'' as the original T-800 model, alongside Roland Kickinger. Schwarzenegger denied his involvement, but it was later revealed that although he would appear briefly he would not be shooting new footage, and his image would be inserted into the movie from stock footage of the first Terminator movie. Schwarzenegger's most recent appearance was in Sylvester Stallone's ''The Expendables'', where he made a cameo appearance alongside Stallone and Bruce Willis.

Return to acting

In January 2011, just weeks after leaving office in California, Schwarzenegger announced that he was reading several new scripts for future films, one of them being the World War II action drama ''With Wings as Eagles'', written by Randall Wallace, based on a true story.

On March 6, 2011, at the Arnold Seminar of the Arnold Classic, Schwarzenegger revealed that he was being courted for several films, including sequels to ''The Terminator'' and remakes of ''Predator'' and ''The Running Man'', and that he was "packaging" a comic book character. The character was later revealed to be the Governator, star of the comic book and animated series of the same name. Schwarzenegger inspired the character and co-developed it with Stan Lee, who would have produced the series. Schwarzenegger would have voiced the Governator.

On May 20, 2011, Schwarzenegger's entertainment counsel announced that all movie projects currently in development were being halted. "Governor Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines." However, the ''Daily Star'' reported on May 29 that Schwarzenegger had been offered $40 million to star in two ''Terminator'' films.

On July 11, 2011 it was announced that Schwarzenegger is considering a comeback film despite his continuing legal problems. He has reportedly signed to star in "Last Stand" as a dishonored Los Angeles cop.

Political career

Early politics

Schwarzenegger has been a registered Republican for many years. As an actor, his political views were always well known as they contrasted with those of many other prominent Hollywood stars, who are generally considered to be a liberal and Democratic-leaning community. At the 2004 Republican National Convention, Schwarzenegger gave a speech and explained why he was a Republican:

In 1985, Schwarzenegger appeared in ''Stop the Madness'', an anti-drug music video sponsored by the Reagan administration. He first came to wide public notice as a Republican during the 1988 Presidential election, accompanying then-Vice President George H.W. Bush at a campaign rally.

Schwarzenegger's first political appointment was as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, on which he served from 1990 to 1993. He was nominated by George H. W. Bush, who dubbed him "Conan the Republican". He later served as Chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson. Yet, political analysts have identified Schwarzenegger as a liberal, as he has become more left-leaning since his election.

Between 1993 and 1994, Schwarzenegger was a Red Cross ambassador (a ceremonial role fulfilled by celebrities), recording several television/radio public service announcements to donate blood. A small amount of interest was garnered by his wearing of a white t-shirt with the Red Cross on it, while posing with a flexed arm; the image made it into several celebrity magazines.

In an interview with ''Talk'' magazine in late 1999, Schwarzenegger was asked if he thought of running for office. He replied, "I think about it many times. The possibility is there, because I feel it inside." ''The Hollywood Reporter'' claimed shortly after that Schwarzenegger sought to end speculation that he might run for governor of California. Following his initial comments, Schwarzenegger said, "I'm in show business – I am in the middle of my career. Why would I go away from that and jump into something else?"

Governor of California

Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy in the 2003 California recall election for Governor of California on the August 6, 2003 episode of ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. As a candidate in the recall election, Schwarzenegger had the most name recognition in a crowded field of candidates, but he had never held public office and his political views were unknown to most Californians. His candidacy immediately became national and international news, with media outlets dubbing him the "Governator" (referring to ''The Terminator'' movies, see above) and "The Running Man" (the name of another one of his films), and calling the recall election "Total Recall" (yet another Schwarzenegger starrer). Schwarzenegger declined to participate in several debates with other recall replacement candidates, and appeared in only one debate on September 24, 2003.

On October 7, 2003, the recall election resulted in Governor Gray Davis being removed from office with 55.4% of the ''Yes'' vote in favor of a recall. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote to choose a successor to Davis. Schwarzenegger defeated Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock, and others. His nearest rival, Bustamante, received 31% of the vote. In total, Schwarzenegger won the election by about 1.3 million votes. Under the regulations of the California Constitution, no runoff election was required. Schwarzenegger was the first foreign-born governor of California since Irish-born Governor John G. Downey in 1862.

As soon as Schwarzenegger was elected governor, Willie Brown said he would start a drive to recall the governor. Schwarzenegger was equally entrenched in what he considered to be his mandate in cleaning up gridlock. Building on a catchphrase from the sketch "Hans and Franz" from ''Saturday Night Live'' (which partly parodied his bodybuilding career), Schwarzenegger called the Democratic State politicians "girlie men".

Schwarzenegger's early victories included repealing an unpopular increase in the vehicle registration fee as well as preventing driver's licenses being given out to illegal immigrants, but later he began to feel the backlash when powerful state unions began to oppose his various initiatives. Key among his reckoning with political realities was a special election he called in November 2005, in which four ballot measures he sponsored were defeated. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for the defeats and vowed to continue to seek consensus for the people of California. He would later comment that "no one could win if the opposition raised 160 million dollars to defeat you".

Schwarzenegger then went against the advice of fellow Republican strategists and appointed a Democrat, Susan Kennedy, as his Chief of Staff. Schwarzenegger gradually moved towards a more politically moderate position, determined to build a winning legacy with only a short time to go until the next gubernatorial election.

Schwarzenegger ran for re-election against Democrat Phil Angelides, the California State Treasurer, in the 2006 elections, held on November 7, 2006. Despite a poor year nationally for the Republican party, Schwarzenegger won re-election with 56.0% of the vote compared with 38.9% for Angelides, a margin of well over one million votes. In recent years, many commentators have seen Schwarzenegger as moving away from the right and towards the center of the political spectrum. After hearing a speech by Schwarzenegger at the 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom said that, "[H]e's becoming a Democrat [... H]e's running back, not even to the center. I would say center-left".

It was rumored that Schwarzenegger might run for the United States Senate in 2010, as his governorship would be term-limited by that time. This turned out to be false. Wendy Leigh, who wrote an unofficial biography on Schwarzenegger, claims he plotted his political rise from an early age using the movie business and bodybuilding as building blocks to escape a depressing home. Leigh portrays Schwarzenegger as obsessed with power and quotes him as saying, "I wanted to be part of the small percentage of people who were leaders, not the large mass of followers. I think it is because I saw leaders use 100% of their potential –I was always fascinated by people in control of other people." Schwarzenegger has said that it was never his intention to enter politics, but he says, "I married into a political family. You get together with them and you hear about policy, about reaching out to help people. I was exposed to the idea of being a public servant and Eunice and Sargent Shriver became my heroes." Eunice Kennedy Shriver was sister of John F. Kennedy, and mother-in-law to Schwarzenegger; Sargent Shriver is husband to Eunice and father-in-law to Schwarzenegger. He cannot run for president as he is not a natural born citizen of the United States. In ''The Simpsons Movie'' (2007), he is portrayed as the President, and in the Sylvester Stallone movie, ''Demolition Man'' (1993, ten years before his first run for political office), it is revealed that a constitutional amendment passed which allowed Schwarzenegger to run for President.

Schwarzenegger is a dual Austria/United States citizen. He holds Austrian citizenship by birth and has held U.S. citizenship since becoming naturalized in 1983. Being Austrian and thus European, he was able to win the 2007 European Voice campaigner of the year award for taking action against climate change with the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and plans to introduce an emissions trading scheme with other US states and possibly with the EU. Still, Schwarzenegger has always identified with his American citizenship, and has shown great affinity for the state of California beyond his foreign birth.

Because of his personal wealth from his acting career, Schwarzenegger did not accept his governor's salary of $175,000 per year. He stated after he left office that being governor cost him as much as $200 million in potential movie deals, but that "it was more than worth it."

Schwarzenegger's endorsement in the Republican primary of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election was highly sought; despite being good friends with candidates Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain, Schwarzenegger remained neutral throughout 2007 and early 2008. Giuliani dropped out of the Presidential race on January 30, 2008, largely because of a poor showing in Florida, and endorsed McCain. Later that night, Schwarzenegger was in the audience at a Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The following day, he endorsed McCain, joking, "It's Rudy's fault!" (in reference to his friendships with both candidates and that he could not make up his mind). Schwarzenegger's endorsement was thought to be a boost for Senator McCain's campaign; both spoke about their concerns for the environment and economy.

In its April 2010 report, Progressive ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Schwarzenegger one of 11 "worst governors" in the United States because of various ethics issues throughout Schwarzenegger's term as governor.

Governor Schwarzenegger played a significant role in opposing Proposition 66, a proposed amendment of the Californian Three Strikes Law, in November 2004. This amendment would have required the third felony to be either violent or serious to mandate a 25-years-to-life sentence. In the last week before the ballot, Schwarzenegger launched an intensive campaign against Proposition 66. He stated that "it would release 26,000 dangerous criminals and rapists".

Allegations of sexual and personal misconduct

During his initial campaign for governor, allegations of sexual and personal misconduct were raised against Schwarzenegger, dubbed "Gropegate". Within the last five days before the election, news reports appeared in the ''Los Angeles Times'' recounting allegations of sexual misconduct from several individual women, six of whom eventually came forward with their personal stories.

Three of the women claimed he had grabbed their breasts, a fourth said he placed his hand under her skirt on her buttock. A fifth woman claimed Schwarzenegger tried to take off her bathing suit in a hotel elevator, and the last said he pulled her onto his lap and asked her about a sex act.

Schwarzenegger admitted that he has "behaved badly sometimes" and apologized, but also stated that "a lot of [what] you see in the stories is not true". This came after an interview in adult magazine ''Oui'' from 1977 surfaced, in which Schwarzenegger discussed attending sexual orgies and using substances such as marijuana. Schwarzenegger is shown smoking a marijuana joint after winning Mr. Olympia in the 1975 documentary film ''Pumping Iron.'' In an interview with ''GQ'' magazine in October 2007, Schwarzenegger said, "[Marijuana] is not a drug. It's a leaf. My drug was pumping iron, trust me." His spokesperson later said the comment was meant to be a joke.

British television personality Anna Richardson settled a libel lawsuit in August 2006 against Schwarzenegger, his top aide, Sean Walsh, and his publicist, Sheryl Main. A joint statement read: "The parties are content to put this matter behind them and are pleased that this legal dispute has now been settled." Richardson claimed they tried to tarnish her reputation by dismissing her allegations that Schwarzenegger touched her breast during a press event for ''The 6th Day'' in London. She claimed Walsh and Main libeled her in a ''Los Angeles Times'' article when they contended she encouraged his behavior.

Citizenship

In 2005, Peter Pilz, from the Austrian Green Party, demanded that parliament revoke Schwarzenegger's Austrian citizenship. This demand was based on Article 33 of the Austrian Citizenship Act that states: ''A citizen, who is in the public service of a foreign country, shall be deprived of his citizenship, if he heavily damages the reputation or the interests of the Austrian Republic''. Pilz claimed that Schwarzenegger's actions in support of the death penalty (prohibited in Austria under Protocol 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights) had indeed done damage to Austria's reputation. Schwarzenegger explained his actions by referring to the fact that his only duty as Governor of California was to prevent an error in the judicial system.

Environmental record

On September 27, 2006 Schwarzenegger signed a bill creating the nation's first cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The law set new regulations on the amount of emissions utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants are allowed to release into the atmosphere. Schwarzenegger also signed a second global warming bill that prohibits large utilities and corporations in California from making long-term contracts with suppliers who do not meet the state's greenhouse gas emission standards. The two bills are part of a plan to reduce California's emissions by 25 percent to 1990s levels by 2020. In 2005, Schwarzenegger issued an executive order calling to reduce greenhouse gases to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Schwarzenegger signed another executive order on October 17, 2006 allowing California to work with the Northeast's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. They plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by issuing a limited amount of carbon credits to each power plant in participating states. Any power plants that exceed emissions for the amount of carbon credits will have to purchase more credits to cover the difference. The plan is set to be in effect in 2009. In addition to using his political power to fight global warming, the governor has taken steps at his home to reduce his personal carbon footprint. Schwarzenegger has adapted one of his Hummers to run on hydrogen and another to run on biofuels. He has also installed solar panels to heat his home.

In respect of his contribution to the direction of the US motor industry, Schwarzenegger was invited to open the 2009 SAE World Congress in Detroit, on April 20, 2009.

Electoral history

Business career

Schwarzenegger has also had a highly successful business career. Following his move to the United States, Schwarzenegger became a "prolific goal setter" and would write his objectives at the start of the year on index cards, like starting a mail order business or buying a new car – and succeed in doing so. By the age of 30, Schwarzenegger was a millionaire, well before his career in Hollywood. His financial independence came from a series of successful business ventures and investments.

Bricklaying business

In 1968, Schwarzenegger and fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu started a bricklaying business. The business flourished thanks to the pair's marketing savvy and an increased demand following the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. Schwarzenegger and Columbu used profits from their bricklaying venture to start a mail order business, selling bodybuilding and fitness-related equipment and instructional tapes.

Real estate investing

Schwarzenegger rolled profits from the mail order business and his bodybuilding competition winnings into his first real estate investment venture: an apartment building he purchased for $10,000. He would go on to invest in a number of real estate holding companies.

Restaurant

In 1992, Schwarzenegger and his wife opened a restaurant in Santa Monica called ''Schatzi On Main''. ''Schatzi'' literally means "little treasure," colloquial for "honey" or "darling" in German. In 1998, he sold his restaurant.

Planet Hollywood investment

Schwarzenegger was a founding celebrity investor in the Planet Hollywood chain of international theme restaurants (modeled after the Hard Rock Cafe) along with Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Demi Moore. Schwarzenegger severed his financial ties with the business in early 2000. Schwarzenegger said the company had not had the success he had hoped for, claiming he wanted to focus his attention on "new US global business ventures" and his movie career.

Other ventures and investments

He also invested in a shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio. He has talked about some of those who have helped him over the years in business: "I couldn't have learned about business without a parade of teachers guiding me... from Milton Friedman to Donald Trump... and now, Les Wexner and Warren Buffett. I even learned a thing or two from Planet Hollywood, such as when to get out! And I did!" He has significant ownership in Dimensional Fund Advisors, an investment firm.

Personal life

Early love life

In 1969, Schwarzenegger met Barbara Outland (later Barbara Outland Baker), an English teacher he lived with until 1974. Schwarzenegger talked about Barbara in his memoir in 1977: "Basically it came down to this: she was a well-balanced woman who wanted an ordinary, solid life, and I was not a well-balanced man, and hated the very idea of ordinary life." Baker has described Schwarzenegger as "[a] joyful personality, totally charismatic, adventurous, and athletic" but claims towards the end of the relationship he became "insufferable – classically conceited – the world revolved around him". Baker published her memoir in 2006, entitled ''Arnold and Me: In the Shadow of the Austrian Oak''. Although Baker, at times, painted an unflattering portrait of her former lover, Schwarzenegger actually contributed to the tell-all book with a foreword, and also met with Baker for three hours. Baker claims, for example, that she only learned of his being unfaithful after they split, and talks of a turbulent and passionate love life. Schwarzenegger has made it clear that their respective recollection of events can differ. The couple first met six to eight months after his arrival in the U.S. – their first date was watching the first Apollo Moon landing on television. They shared an apartment in Santa Monica for three and a half years, and having little money, would visit the beach all day, or have barbecues in the back yard. Although Baker claims that when she first met him, he had "little understanding of polite society" and she found him a turn-off, she says, "He's as much a self-made man as it's possible to be –he never got encouragement from his parents, his family, his brother. He just had this huge determination to prove himself, and that was very attractive ... I'll go to my grave knowing Arnold loved me."

Schwarzenegger met his next paramour, Sue Moray, a Beverly Hills hairdresser's assistant, on Venice Beach in July 1977. According to Moray, the couple led an open relationship: "We were faithful when we were both in LA ... but when he was out of town, we were free to do whatever we wanted." Schwarzenegger met Maria Shriver at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament in August 1977, and went on to have a relationship with both women until August 1978, when Moray (who knew of his relationship with Shriver) issued an ultimatum.

After the news of Schwarzenegger's infidelity scandal was revealed, actress Brigitte Nielsen came forward and confessed that she too had an affair with Schwarzenegger while he was in a relationship with Shriver, saying, "Maybe I wouldn't have got into it if he said 'I'm going to marry Maria' and this is dead serious, but he didn't, and our affair carried on."

Marriage and family

On April 26, 1986, Schwarzenegger married television journalist Maria Shriver, niece of President John F. Kennedy, in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The Rev. John Baptist Riordan performed the ceremony at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. They have four children: Katherine Eunice Shriver Schwarzenegger (born December 13, 1989 in Los Angeles); Christina Maria Aurelia Schwarzenegger (born July 23, 1991 in Los Angeles); Patrick Schwarzenegger (born September 18, 1993 in Los Angeles); and Christopher Sargent Shriver Schwarzenegger (born September 27, 1997 in Los Angeles). Schwarzenegger lives in a home in Brentwood. The divorcing couple currently own vacation homes in Sun Valley, Idaho and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. They attended St. Monica's Catholic Church.

Son in serious accident

Schwarzenegger's 13-year-old son Christopher Schwarzenegger was seriously injured in a boogie-boarding accident in Malibu, on July 17, 2011. In a joint statement, Schwarzenegger and estranged wife Shriver described it as "scary," and that "he is expected to make a full recovery." Christopher had been in intensive care after suffering a collapsed lung and broken bones in the accident.

Infidelity and divorce

On May 9, 2011, Shriver and Schwarzenegger separated after 25 years of marriage, with Shriver moving out of the couple's Brentwood mansion. On May 16, 2011, the ''Los Angeles Times'' revealed that Schwarzenegger had fathered a son more than fourteen years earlier with an employee in their household, Mildred Patricia 'Patty' Baena. "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger said in a statement issued to ''The Times''. In the statement, Schwarzenegger did not mention that he had confessed to his wife only after Shriver had confronted him with the information, which she had done after confirming with the housekeeper what she had suspected about the child.

Fifty-year-old Baena, of Guatemalan origin, was employed by the family for 20 years and retired in January. The pregnant Baena was working in the home while Shriver was pregnant with the youngest of the couple’s four children. Baena's son with Schwarzenegger, Joseph, was born on October 2, 1997; Shriver gave birth to Christopher only a few days earlier on September 27, 1997. Schwarzenegger found ways to spend time with this child: in one instance, in 1998, Shriver and Schwarzenegger's children unexpectedly accompanied Schwarzenegger to the lovechild's baptism; and he was photographed teaching the boy how to play golf and swinging him playfully above his head. Despite Schwarzenegger's interactions with the child, the boy was never told that Schwarzenegger was his father, and he was unaware of the fact until it was revealed by the press. Schwarzenegger has taken financial responsibility for the child "from the start and continued to provide support." KNX 1070 radio reported that he bought a new, four-bedroom house, with a pool, in Bakersfield, about north of Los Angeles, in 2010 for Baena and their son. Baena separated from her husband, Rogelio, in 1997, a few months after Joseph's birth. She divorced Rogelio in 2008. Baena's ex-husband, Rogelio Baena, says that the child's birth certificate was falsified and that he plans to sue Schwarzenegger and his ex-wife for engaging in conspiracy to falsify a public document, a serious crime in California.

Schwarzenegger has consulted an attorney, Bob Kaufman. Kaufman has earlier handled divorce cases for celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Schwarzenegger will keep the Brentwood home as part of their divorce settlement and Shriver has purchased a new home nearby so that the children may travel easily between their parents' homes. They will share custody of the two minor children. Schwarzenegger came under fire after the initial petition did not include spousal support and a reimbursement of attorney's fees. However, he claims this was not intentional and that he signed the initial documents without having properly read them. Schwarzenegger has filed amended divorce papers remedying this.

In the aftermath of Schwarzenegger's infidelity scandal, actress Brigitte Nielsen came forward and stated that she too had an affair with Schwarzenegger while he was in a relationship with Shriver, saying, "Maybe I wouldn't have got into it if he said 'I'm going to marry Maria' and this is dead serious, but he didn't, and our affair carried on."

Accidents and injuries

Schwarzenegger was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, an aortic valve with only two leaflets (a normal aortic valve has three leaflets). Schwarzenegger opted in 1997 for a replacement heart valve made of his own transplanted tissue; medical experts predicted he would require heart valve replacement surgery in the following two to eight years as his valve would progressively degrade. Schwarzenegger apparently opted against a mechanical valve, the only permanent solution available at the time of his surgery, because it would have sharply limited his physical activity and capacity to exercise.

On December 9, 2001, he broke six ribs and was hospitalized for four days after a motorcycle crash in Los Angeles.

Schwarzenegger saved a drowning man's life in 2004 while on vacation in Hawaii by swimming out and bringing him back to shore.

On January 8, 2006, while Schwarzenegger was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Los Angeles, with his son Patrick in the sidecar, another driver backed into the street he was riding on, causing him and his son to collide with the car at a low speed. While his son and the other driver were unharmed, the governor sustained a minor injury to his lip, requiring 15 stitches. "No citations were issued", said Officer Jason Lee, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman. Schwarzenegger did not obtain his motorcycle license until July 3, 2006.

Schwarzenegger tripped over his ski pole and broke his right femur while skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, with his family on December 23, 2006. On December 26, 2006, he underwent a 90-minute operation in which cables and screws were used to wire the broken bone back together. He was released from the St. John's Health Center on December 30, 2006. He appeared in crutches at his inauguration.

Schwarzenegger's private jet made an emergency landing at Van Nuys Airport on June 19, 2009, after the pilot reported smoke coming from the cockpit, according to a statement released by the governor's press secretary. No one was harmed in the incident.

Net worth

Schwarzenegger's net worth has been conservatively estimated at $100–$200 million. Over the years, he invested his bodybuilding and movie earnings in an array of stocks, bonds, privately controlled companies and real estate holdings worldwide, so a more accurate estimation of his net worth is difficult to calculate, particularly in light of declining real estate values owing to economic recessions in the USA and Europe. In June 1997, Schwarzenegger spent $38 million of his own money on a private Gulfstream Jet. Schwarzenegger once said of his fortune, "Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million." He has also stated, "I've made many millions as a businessman many times over."

Activism

He bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992, a model so large, and wide, that it is classified as a large truck and U.S. fuel economy regulations do not apply to it. During the Gubernatorial Recall campaign he announced that he would convert one of his Hummers to burn hydrogen. The conversion was reported to have cost about US$21,000. After the election, he signed an executive order to jump-start the building of hydrogen refueling plants called the California Hydrogen Highway Network, and gained a U.S. Department of Energy grant to help pay for its projected US$91,000,000 cost. California took delivery of the first H2H (Hydrogen Hummer) in October 2004.

On February 12, 2010, Schwarzenegger was the 18th runner on the 106th day of the Vancouver Olympic Torch relay. His leg was along the Stanley Park Seawall, and he exchanged a "torch kiss" with the next runner, Sebastian Coe.

Honors

Schwarzenegger's home town of Graz had its soccer stadium named ''The Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium'' in his honor. It is the home of both Grazer AK and Sturm Graz. After the Stanley Williams execution and street protests in Schwarzenegger's hometown, several local politicians began a campaign to remove his name from the stadium. In response, Schwarzenegger said "to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenau Stadium", and set a deadline of two days to remove his name. Graz officials removed Schwarzenegger's name from the stadium in December 2005. It is now officially titled UPC-Arena.

The Sun Valley Resort has a short ski trail called ''Arnold's Run'', named after Schwarzenegger in 2001. The trail is categorized as a black diamond, or most difficult, for its terrain.

People in Thal, Austria, celebrated Schwarzenegger's 60th birthday by throwing a party. Officials proclaimed "A Day for Arnold" on July 30, 2007. The mayor sent Schwarzenegger the enameled sign, Thal 145, the number of the house where Schwarzenegger was born, declaring "This belongs to him. No one here will ever be assigned that number again".

Bibliography

 –  –  –  –

Interviews

Interview in ''Oui'' magazine, August 1977 at thesmokinggun.com

Excerpts from ''Time Out'' (London) interview, 1977 at time.com

Schwarzenegger Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

Film

Footage of Arnold Schwarzenegger winning Mr Universe, 1969

"Arnold Schwarzenegger – Hollywood Hero" DVD ~ Todd Baker

"Pumping Iron" (25th Anniversary Special Edition) DVD ~ George Butler

References

External links

Arnold Schwarzenegger ''official website''

Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ''official California government site''

Arnold Schwarzenegger ''official constituency site''

Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum ''official museum site''

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Wild Years – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Complete text, audio, video of Governor Schwarzenegger's 2004 Republican National Convention Address AmericanRhetoric.com

Complete text and audio of Governor Schwarzenegger's Speech to the United Nations on Global Climate Change AmericanRhetoric.com, September 24, 2007

Archive of Correspondence pertaining to Governor Schwarzenegger and same-sex marriage AB 43 Project

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Category:Living people Category:1947 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American actor-politicians Category:American athlete-politicians Category:American bodybuilders Category:American investors Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American businesspeople Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American health activists Category:American people of Austrian descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American video game actors Category:Austrian bodybuilders Category:Austrian film actors Category:Austrian emigrants to the United States Category:Austrian soldiers Category:California Republicans Category:Disability rights activists Category:Governors of California Category:Kennedy family Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Graz Category:Professional bodybuilders Category:Republican Party state governors of the United States Category:Shriver family Category:Sportspeople from California Category:Stock traders Category:University of California regents Category:University of Wisconsin–Superior alumni Category:Writers from California

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Name	Meat Loaf
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Marvin Lee Aday
Birth date	September 27, 1947
birth place	Dallas, Texas
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, saxophone
Genre	Rock, hard rock, rock and roll, rock opera
Occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
Years active	1967–present
Label	Rare Earth, Cleveland International, Epic, RCA, Arista, MCA, Polydor, Sanctuary, Mercury, Virgin, Loud & Proud
Associated acts	Jim Steinman, Neverland Express, Floating Circus, Stoney & Meatloaf
Website	}}

Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947), better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American rock musician and actor. He is noted for the ''Bat Out of Hell'' album trilogy consisting of ''Bat Out of Hell,'' ''Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell'' and ''Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.'' ''Bat Out of Hell'' has sold more than 43 million copies. After more than 30 years, it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually and stayed on the charts for over nine years, making it one of the best selling albums of all time.

Although he enjoyed success with ''Bat Out of Hell'' and ''Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'' and earned a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo for a track on the latter album, Meat Loaf experienced some initial difficulty establishing a steady career within his native US. However, he has retained iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the UK, where he ranks 23rd for the number of weeks overall spent on the charts. He ranked 96th on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock."

Meat Loaf has also appeared in over 50 movies or television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. His most notable roles include Eddie in the American premiere of ''The Rocky Horror Show'' and ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' and Robert "Bob" Paulson in ''Fight Club.''

Early life

Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday in Houston, Texas. He was the first child of Wilma Artie (''née'' Hukel), a school teacher and a member of the Vo-di-o-do Girls gospel quartet, and Orvis Wesley Aday, a police officer. His father was an alcoholic who would go on drinking binges for days at a time. Marvin and his mother would drive around to all the bars in Dallas, looking for Orvis to take him home. Because of this, Marvin often stayed with his grandmother, Charlsee Norrod.

Meat Loaf relates a story in his autobiography, ''To Hell and Back'', about how he, a friend, and his friend's father drove out to Love Field to watch John F. Kennedy land. After watching him leave the airport, they went to Market Hall, which was on Kennedy's parade route. On the way they heard that Kennedy had been shot, so they headed to Parkland Hospital, where they saw Jackie Kennedy get out of the car and Governor John Connally get pulled out, although they never saw the president taken out.

In 1965, Marvin graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, having already started his acting career via school productions such as ''Where's Charley?'' and ''The Music Man.'' After attending college at Lubbock Christian College, he transferred to North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas in Denton).

After Marvin received his inheritance from his mother's death, he rented an apartment in Dallas and isolated himself for three and a half months. Eventually a friend found him. Marvin bought a car and drove to California

Music career

In Los Angeles, Marvin formed his first band, "Meat Loaf Soul". During the recording of their first song, he hit a note so high that he managed to blow a fuse on the recording monitor. He was immediately offered three recording contracts, which he turned down. Meat Loaf Soul's first gig was in Huntington Beach at the Cave, opening for Them, Van Morrison's band. While performing their cover of the Howlin' Wolf song "Smokestack Lightning," the smoke machine they used made too much smoke and the club had to be cleared out. Later, the band was the opening act at Cal State Northridge for Renaissance, Taj Mahal and Janis Joplin. The band then underwent several changes of lead guitar, changing the name of the band each time. The new names included Popcorn Blizzard and Floating Circus. As Floating Circus, they opened for The Who, The Fugs, The Stooges, MC5, Grateful Dead, and The Grease Band. Their regional success led them to release a single, "Once Upon a Time," backed with "Hello." Meat Loaf joined the Los Angeles production of ''Hair.'' During an interview with New Zealand radio station ZM, Meat Loaf stated that the biggest life struggle he had to overcome was not being taken seriously in the music industry. He compared his treatment to that of a "circus clown."

''Stoney & Meatloaf''

With the publicity generated from ''Hair,'' Meat Loaf was invited to record with Motown. They suggested he do a duet with Shaun "Stoney" Murphy, who had performed with him in ''Hair,'' to which he agreed. The Motown production team in charge of the album wrote and selected the songs while Meat Loaf and Stoney came in only to lay down their vocals. The album, titled ''Stoney & Meatloaf'' (Meatloaf being shown as one word), was completed in the summer of 1971 and released in September of that year. A single released in advance of the album, ''What You See Is What You Get,'' reached number thirty six on the R&B; charts and seventy-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. To support their album, Meat Loaf and Stoney toured with Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers, opening up for Richie Havens, The Who, The Stooges, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper and Rare Earth. Meat Loaf left soon after Motown replaced his and Stoney's vocals from the one song he liked, "Who Is the Leader of the People?" with new vocals by Edwin Starr. The album has been re-released after Meat Loaf's success, with Stoney's vocals removed. Meat Loaf's version of "Who Is the Leader of the People?" was released, but the album failed.

''More Than You Deserve''

After the tour, Meat Loaf rejoined the cast of ''Hair,'' this time on Broadway. After he hired an agent, he auditioned for the Public Theater's production of ''More Than You Deserve.'' It was during the audition that Meat Loaf first met his future collaborator Jim Steinman. He sang a former Stoney and Meatloaf favorite of his, "(I'd Love to Be) As Heavy as Jesus" (On VH1 Storytellers, Meat Loaf shares his first introduction with Jim Steinman. Meat would revive Steinman's reaction to his intimate audience, "Well, I think you're heavy as two Jesuses to be a matter of fact!"), and with that, got the part of Rabbit, a maniac that blows up his fellow soldiers so they can "go home." Also in the show were Ron Silver and Fred Gwynne. After it closed, he appeared in ''As You Like It'' with Raúl Juliá and Mary Beth Hurt.

He recorded a single of "More Than You Deserve" and had a cover of "In the Presence of the Lord" as its B-side. He was only able to save three copies of it because the record company would not allow its press release. With those three copies he released many rare CDs featuring the two songs, which can occasionally be spotted at CD outlets. He later recorded it again (1981) in a slightly rougher voice.

''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''

During the winter of 1973, after returning from a short production of ''Rainbow in New York'' in Washington, D.C., Meat Loaf received a call asking him to be in ''The Rocky Horror Show'' asking him to play the parts of Eddie and Dr. Everett Scott. The success of the play led to the filming of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' where Meat Loaf played only Eddie, a decision he has said he felt was "a huge mistake." About the same time, Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman started work on ''Bat out of Hell.'' Meat Loaf convinced Epic Records to shoot videos for four songs, "Bat Out Of Hell," "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "You Took the Words Right out of My Mouth" and "Two out of Three Ain't Bad." He then convinced Lou Adler, the producer of ''Rocky Horror,'' to run the "Paradise" video as a trailer to the movie. Meat Loaf's final show in New York was Gower Champion's ''Rockabye Hamlet,'' a Hamlet musical. It closed two weeks into its initial run. Meat would later return occasionally to perform ''Hot Patootie'' for a special Rocky Horror reunion or convention and rarely at his own live shows (one performance of which was released in the 1996 ''Live Around the World'' CD set).

During his recording of the soundtrack for Rocky Horror, Meat Loaf recorded two more songs: "Stand By Me" (a Ben E. King cover), and "Clap Your Hands." They remained unreleased until 1984, when they appeared as B-sides to the "Nowhere Fast" single.

In 1976, Meat Loaf recorded lead vocals for Ted Nugent's ''Free-for-All'' album when regular Nugent lead vocalist Derek St. Holmes quit the band. Meat Loaf sang lead on five of the album's nine tracks.

Major success

''Bat Out of Hell''

Meat Loaf and friend/songwriter Jim Steinman started ''Bat Out of Hell'' in 1972, but did not get serious about it until the end of 1974. Meat Loaf decided to leave theatre, and concentrate exclusively on music. Then, the ''National Lampoon Show'' opened on Broadway, and it needed an understudy for John Belushi, a close friend of Meat Loaf since 1972. It was at the Lampoon Show that Meat Loaf met Ellen Foley, the co-star who sang "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" with him on the album ''Bat Out of Hell.''

After the ''Lampoon'' show ended, Meat Loaf and Steinman spent time seeking a record deal. Their approaches were rejected by each record company, because their songs did not fit any specific recognized music industry style. Finally, they performed the songs for Todd Rundgren, who decided to produce the album, as well as play lead guitar on it (other members of Todd's band Utopia also lent their musical talents). They then shopped the record around, but still had no takers until Cleveland International Records decided to take a chance. On October 21, 1977, ''Bat Out of Hell'' was released.

Meat Loaf and Steinman formed the band The Neverland Express to tour in support of ''Bat Out of Hell.'' Their first gig was opening for Cheap Trick in Chicago. He gained national exposure as musical guest on ''Saturday Night Live'' on March 25, 1978. Guest host Christopher Lee introduced him by saying, "And now ladies and gentlemen I would like you to meet Loaf. (pauses, looks dumbfounded) I beg your pardon, what? (he listens to the director's aside) Oh! Why...why I'm sorry, yes, of course...ah... Ladies and gentlemen, Meat Loaf!" The huge success of the album caused a rift to open up between Meat Loaf and Steinman: the group, named after Meat Loaf for ease of labeling, seemed to Steinman to sideline his work as creator, and Steinman started to resent the attention that his partner was getting.

During a show in Ottawa, Meat Loaf fell off the stage and broke his leg. He toured with the broken leg, performing from a wheel chair. During this time, Meat Loaf began heavy use of cocaine, had a nervous breakdown and threatened to commit suicide by jumping off the ledge of a building in New York. In the middle of recording his second album, ''Bad for Good'', Meat Loaf lost the ability to sing; it is unclear as to the exact cause - the tour was a punishing one, and the vocals are energy intense. However, his doctors said that physically he was fine and that his problem was psychological. Nevertheless, Steinman decided to keep recording ''Bad for Good'' without Meat Loaf.

Bat Out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies worldwide, making it one of the highest selling albums of all time. In the UK alone, its 2.1 million sales put it in 38th place. Despite peaking at #9 and spending only two weeks in the top ten in 1981, it has now clocked up 474 weeks on the UK album chart, a figure bettered only by ''Rumours'' by Fleetwood Mac - 478 weeks. In Australia, it knocked the Bee Gees off the number #1 spot and went on to become the biggest-selling Australian album of all time (by a non-Australian). ''Bat Out of Hell'' is also one of only two albums that has never exited the Top 200 in the UK charts; this makes it the longest stay in any music chart in the world, although the ''published'' chart contains just 75 positions.

Life after ''Bat Out of Hell''

In 1976, Meat Loaf appeared in the short-lived Broadway production of the rock musical ''Rockabye Hamlet.'' In 1980, he started working on ''Dead Ringer.'' Steinman wrote all of the songs, but had little else to do with the album. The tour they planned, to support the album, was cancelled after one show, because they ran out of the money that the studio advanced them. Sonnenberg also convinced CBS to advance more money for the making of the movie ''Dead Ringer,'' which was shown at the Toronto Film Festival and won some favorable reviews, but was poorly considered after Sonnenberg re-edited the movie.

On December 5, 1981, Meat Loaf and the Neverland Express were the musical guests for ''Saturday Night Live'' where he was reunited with fellow ''Rocky Horror Picture Show'' alum Tim Curry. Curry and Meat Loaf teamed up in a skit depicting a One-Stop Rocky Horror Shop. Later, Tim Curry performed "The Zucchini Song" and Meat Loaf & The Neverland Express performed "Bat Out of Hell" and "Promised Land." In 1983, he released the self written ''Midnight at the Lost and Found.'' Meat Loaf, a poor songwriter by his own admission, did not care for the songs he wrote for the album.

In 1984, Meat Loaf went to England, to record the album ''Bad Attitude,'' which included a duet with Roger Daltrey and two songs written by Jim Steinman; the recording of the album was rushed. During the tour to support the album, Leslie (Meat Loaf's girlfriend) had a nervous breakdown and had to check into the Silver Hill Hospital rehab facility in Connecticut. Things finally looked like they were going to turn around in 1986, when Meat Loaf found a new writer, John Parr, and started recording a new album, ''Blind Before I Stop.'' Unfortunately, the producer put a dance beat underneath every song, which resulted in critical failure and Meat Loaf going bankrupt, eventually losing everything. His relationships with lifelong friend Jim Steinman and Leslie also deteriorated. In 1985, Meat Loaf did some comedy sketches in England with Hugh Laurie. At some point, Meat Loaf tried stand-up comedy, appearing several times in Connecticut.

Meat Loaf performed "Thrashin" for the soundtrack of the 1986 skateboarding cult classic film ''Thrashin''' (directed by David Winters and starring Josh Brolin).

To try to get his career back off the ground, Meat Loaf started touring small venues, such as pubs and clubs. Slowly, he developed a faithful following which grew to the point where they were unable to fit into the venues that Meat Loaf was playing, and then they too began to grow. This carried on until the late '80s, where he began to sell out arenas and stadiums again, including over 10,000 tickets at Ohio State University. Leslie studied to be a travel agent, so they could save on travel expenses, and they toured all over the United States, Germany, England, Scandinavia, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Bahrain. With the help of his New York collection of musicians — John Golden, Richard Raskin and Paul Jacobs — his European tours enjoyed immense popularity in the 1980s. Because of the success of the touring, Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman began to work on ''Bat Out Of Hell II'' which was finally released in 1993, sixteen years after ''Bat Out Of Hell''. The album was a huge success and is considered one of the greatest comebacks in music history.

''Dead Ringer''

Songwriter Jim Steinman started to work on ''Bad for Good'', the album that was supposed to be the follow-up to 1977's ''Bat out of Hell'', in 1979. During that time, a combination of touring, drugs and exhaustion had caused Meat Loaf to lose his voice. Without a singer, and pressured by the record company, Steinman decided that he should sing on ''Bad for Good'' himself, and write a new album for Meat Loaf; the result was ''Dead Ringer'', which was later released in 1981, after the release of Steinman's ''Bad for Good''.

After playing the role of Travis Redfish in the movie ''Roadie'', Meat Loaf's singing voice returned, and he started to work on his new album in 1980. Steinman had written five new songs which, in addition to the track "More Than You Deserve" (sung by Meat Loaf in the stage musical of the same name) and a reworked monologue, formed the album ''Dead Ringer'', which was produced by Meat Loaf and Stephan Galfas, with backing tracks produced by Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Iovine, and Jim Steinman. (In 1976, Meat Loaf appeared on the track "Keeper Keep Us", from the Intergalactic Touring Band's self-titled album, produced by Galfas.) The song "Dead Ringer for Love" was the pinnacle of the album, and launched Meat Loaf to even greater success after it reached #5 in the UK and stayed in the charts for a surprising 19 weeks. Cher provided the lead female vocals in the song, which contributed to the success of the single.

The album reached #1 in the UK, and three singles were released from the album: "Dead Ringer for Love" (with Cher), "I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us," and "Read 'Em and Weep".

Struggle

''Midnight at the Lost and Found''

Following a dispute with his former songwriter Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf was contractually obliged to release a new album. Struggling for time, and with no resolution to his arguments with Steinman seemingly on the horizon (eventually, Steinman would sue Meat Loaf, who subsequently sued Steinman as well), he was forced to find songwriters wherever he could. The resulting album was ''Midnight at the Lost and Found''.

According to Meat Loaf, Steinman had given the songs "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Making Love (Out of Nothing At All)" to Meat Loaf for this album. However, Meat Loaf's record company refused to pay for Steinman. This was hard luck for Meat Loaf, as Bonnie Tyler's version of "Eclipse" and Air Supply's version of "Making Love" would top the charts together, holding #1 and #2 for a period during 1983.

Meat Loaf is credited with being involved in the writing of numerous tracks on the album, including the title track, "Midnight at the Lost and Found". However, when the album was released in 1983, it was regarded by many as being poor. Fans were disappointed to see that the iconic pictures on the covers of ''Bat out of Hell'' and ''Dead Ringer'' were replaced by a black-and-white photograph of Meat Loaf (on some later re-releases, a color image of a screaming Meat Loaf was used as the cover image).

The title track still regularly forms part of Meat Loaf concerts, and was one of very few 1980s songs to feature on the 1998 hit album ''The Very Best of Meat Loaf''. This was the last album that Meat Loaf did with the record label Epic until the 'best of' album.

''Bad Attitude''

''Bad Attitude'', released 1984, features two songs by Jim Steinman, both previously recorded, and was mainly an attempt to keep Meat Loaf from going bankrupt during this period of lawsuits. It concentrated more on the hard rock side of Meat Loaf, was a minor success around the globe and released a few hit singles, the most successful being "Modern Girl". It also holds some of Meat Loaf's favorite songs that include "Jumpin' the Gun" and "Piece of the Action". It was recorded in England. The US release on RCA Records was on April 1985 and features a slightly different track list, as well as alternate mixes for some songs.

"Modern Girl" was taken from this album and was the biggest hit. "Piece of the Action", "Sailor to a Siren" is the b side and "Nowhere Fast" were also released singles with extended mixes and exclusive songs: "Take a Number", "Stand by Me" (a Ben E. King cover) and "Clap Your Hands". The latter two songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.

''Blind Before I Stop''

''Blind Before I Stop'' was released in 1986. It features production, mixing, and general influence by Frank Farian. Meat Loaf gave songwriting another shot with this album and wrote three of the songs on the album. Released as a single (in the UK) was "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries," which was a duet with rock singer John Parr. another single released on the UK was, 'Special Girl'.

According to Meat Loaf's 1998 autobiography, the album sold poorly because of the production of the album. Meat Loaf would have preferred to cancel the project and wait to work with more Steinman material. The album, however, has gained a cult following over the years, citing the songs "Execution Day" and "Standing on the Outside" as standout tracks on the record. "Standing on the Outside" was also featured during the third season of the 1980s TV show ''Miami Vice''; it was used several times during the episode titled "Forgive Us Our Debts" (first aired December 12, 1986).

The song "Masculine" was the only song off the record to be a Live Show mainstay from 1987 to 1992. This then was omitted in favor of "Life is a Lemon And I Want My Money Back" with the success of ''Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell''.

Return to popularity

''Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell''

Because of the success of Meat Loaf's touring in the eighties, he and Steinman began work during the Christmas of 1990 on the sequel to ''Bat out of Hell''. After two years, ''Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell'' was finished. The artist's then manager, Tommy Manzi, later told HitQuarters that music industry insiders were wholly unenthusiastic about the idea of a comeback, and considered the project "a joke". The immediate success of "Bat out of Hell II" quickly proved any doubters wrong, with the album going on to sell over 15 million copies, and the single "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" reaching number one in 28 countries. Meat Loaf won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo in 1994 for "I'd Do Anything for Love." This song stayed at #1 in the UK charts for seven consecutive weeks. The single features a female vocalist who was credited only as "Mrs. Loud." Mrs. Loud was later identified as Lorraine Crosby, a performer from North East England. Meat Loaf promoted the song with American vocalist Patti Russo who performed lead female vocals on tour with him. In Germany, Meat Loaf became notably popular following the release of ''Bat out of Hell II'' but has enjoyed most of his success among pop/rock fans.

Also in 1994, he was honored by singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, something he says was one of the two biggest highlights of his career. Meat Loaf attempted to follow the success of "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by releasing "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" as a follow-up; this song reached #13 in the US.

''Welcome to the Neighborhood''

In 1995, Meat Loaf released his seventh studio album, ''Welcome to the Neighborhood''. The album went platinum in the United States and the UK. It released three singles which all hit the top 40, including "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" (which reached #13 in the US and #2 in the UK charts) and "Not a Dry Eye in the House" (which reached #7 in the UK charts). "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" was a duet with Patti Russo (who had been touring with Meat Loaf and singing on his albums since 1993).

Of the twelve songs on the album, two are written by Jim Steinman. Both are covers, the "Original Sin" from Pandora's Box's Original Sin album (it was also heard in the movie The Shadow, where it was performed by Taylor Dayne) and "Left in the Dark" first appeared on Steinman's own Bad for Good. The video, which had a bigger budget than any of his previous videos, helped the single in its success. Other big hits, namely "I'd Lie for You" and "Not a Dry Eye in the House", were written by Diane Warren.

''The Very Best of Meat Loaf''

In 1998, Meat Loaf released ''The Very Best of Meat Loaf''. Although not reaching the top ten in the UK, it recently went platinum, and was already platinum around the rest of the world just after its release. The album featured all of Meat Loaf's best-known songs, a few from his less popular albums from the 1980s, and three new songs. The music on the two Steinman songs was written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The single from the album was "Is Nothing Sacred", written by Jim Steinman with lyrics by Don Black. The single version of this song is a duet with Patti Russo, whereas the album version is a solo song by Meat Loaf. The album did not feature any songs from his 1986 album Blind Before I Stop.

''Couldn't Have Said It Better''

In 2003, Meat Loaf released his album ''Couldn't Have Said It Better''. Only for the third time in his career, Meat Loaf released an album without any songs written by Jim Steinman (not counting live bonus tracks on special edition releases). Although Meat Loaf claimed that Couldn't Have Said It Better was "the most perfect album [he] did since ''Bat out of Hell''", it was not quite as successful. However, the album was a minor success worldwide and reached #4 in the UK charts, accompanied by a sellout world tour which was used to promote the album and some of Meat Loaf's biggest hits. One such performance on his world tour was at Sydney's 2003 NRL grand final. There were many writers for the album including Diane Warren and James Michael, who were both asked to contribute his 2006 album ''Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''. Diane Warren has written for Meat Loaf in the past and had some very big hits. James Michael had never written for Meat Loaf before and it was only his songs that were released as singles from the album. The album featured duets with Patti Russo and Meat Loaf's daughter Pearl Aday.

Hair of the Dog and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

On February 20–22, 2004, during Meat Loaf's Australian tour, Meat Loaf did his classics with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, titled ''Bat out of Hell: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra''. He went as far as to bring in the Australian Boy's Choir to do back-up on a ''Couldn't Have Said It Better'' track, "Testify". The show went on to spawn a DVD and a CD "Meat Loaf and The Neverland Express featuring Patti Russo Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra". The CD had few songs from the concert placed on it and were edited.

Meat Loaf sold out over 160 concerts during his 2005 tour, "Hair of the Dog". On November 17, 2003, during a performance at London's Wembley Arena, on his ''Couldn't Have Said It Better'' tour, he collapsed of what was later diagnosed as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The following week, he underwent a surgical procedure intended to correct the problem. As a result, Meat Loaf's insurance agency did not allow him to perform for any longer than one hour and 45 minutes.

As well as singing all the classics, he sang a cover version of the hit single "Black Betty". During this tour Meat Loaf also sang "Only When I Feel", a song meant to appear on his then-upcoming album ''Bat out of Hell III''. The song subsequently turned into "If It Ain't Broke (Break It)".

''Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''

Meat Loaf and Steinman had begun to work on the third installment of ''Bat out of Hell'' when Steinman suffered some health setbacks, including a heart attack. According to Meat Loaf, Steinman was too ill to work on such an intense project while Steinman's manager said health was not an issue. Steinman had registered the phrase "Bat Out Of Hell" as a trademark in 1995. In May 2006, Meat Loaf sued Steinman and his manager in federal District Court in Los Angeles, seeking $50 million and an injunction against Steinman's use of the phrase. Steinman and his representatives attempted to block the album's release. An agreement was reached in July 2006. According to Virgin, "the two came to an amicable agreement that ensured that Jim Steinman's music would be a continuing part of the 'Bat Out Of Hell' legacy."

The album was released on October 31, 2006, and was produced by Desmond Child. The first single from the album, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (featuring Marion Raven) was released on October 16, 2006. It entered the UK singles chart at #6, giving Meat Loaf his highest UK chart position in nearly 11 years. The album debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 and sold 81,000 copies in its opening week, but after that did not sell well in the U.S. and yielded no hit singles, although it was certified gold. The album also featured duets with Patti Russo and Jennifer Hudson.

In the weeks following the release of ''Bat III'', Meat Loaf and the NLE (The Neverland Express) did a brief tour of America and Europe, known as the Bases Loaded Tour. In 2007, a newer, bigger worldwide tour began, the Seize the Night tour, with Marion Raven, serving as a supporting act, throughout the European and US tour. Portions of the tour in February 2007 were featured in the documentary ''Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise'', directed by Bruce David Klein. The film was an official selection of the Montreal World Film Festival in 2007. It opened in theaters in March 2008 and was released on DVD in May 2008.

During a performance at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK on October 31, 2007, at the opening of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" he suggested that the crowd of thousands should enjoy the performance as it was the last of his career. He attempted to sing the first line of the song, but instead said "Ladies and gentlemen, I love you, thank you for coming, but I can no longer continue." Removing the jacket he was wearing, he thanked the audience for 30 years, said "goodbye forever" and left the stage. His tour promoter, Andrew Miller, denied that this was the end for Meat Loaf and said he would continue touring after suitable rest. The next two gigs in the tour, at the NEC and Manchester Evening News Arena were cancelled because of "acute laryngitis" and were rescheduled for late November. The concert scheduled for November 6, 2007 at London's Wembley Arena was also cancelled. Meat Loaf cancelled his entire European tour for 2007 after being diagnosed with a cyst on his vocal cords. After releasing a statement he said "It really breaks my heart not to be able to perform these shows" adding "I will be back".

On June 27, 2008, Meat Loaf returned to the stage in Plymouth, England for the first show of his ''Casa de Carne Tour'' alongside his longtime duet partner Patti Russo, who debuted one of her own original songs during his show. The tour continued through July and August with twenty dates throughout England, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Six U.S. showdates were also added for October and December 2008.

''Hang Cool Teddy Bear''

In May 2009, Meat Loaf began work on the album ''Hang Cool Teddy Bear'' in the studio with Green Day's ''American Idiot'' album producer Rob Cavallo, working with such writers as Justin Hawkins, Rick Brantley, Tommy Henriksen and Jon Bon Jovi. Though not much was revealed officially to begin with, Meat Loaf gave away some information through videos he posted on Twitter and Youtube. The album is based on the story of a fictional soldier, whose "story" furnishes the theme. During his March 19, 2011 concert held outside of Vancouver, BC, Canada, Meat explained that he had wanted an inset put with the album to explain what the premise of the album was, but he said there were too many "bleeping" record label politics and it did not get done. He went on to tell the audience that the story was of a soldier who being wounded, had his life flash forward before his eyes, and the songs were telling the story of his life.

The album is based on a short story by L.A.-based screenwriter and director Kilian Kerwin, a long-time friend of the singer. Hugh Laurie and Jack Black both perform on the album, Laurie plays piano on the song "If I Can't Have You", while Black sings a duet with Meat Loaf on "Like A Rose". Patti Russo and Kara DioGuardi also duet on the album. Meat Loaf himself describes the album as the "most important of his career", not as good as ''Bat out of Hell'' but in the same ball park. The guests, he says were not planned but he says the idea of using his friends came only when he saw them fit in a song and not as a commercial gimmick. Queen's Brian May features on guitar along with Steve Vai. It received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. The first single from the album, "Los Angeloser", was released for download on April 5 with the album charting at number 4 in the official UK album chart on April 25, 2010.

The Hang Cool Tour followed in the US, UK and Canada with rave reviews from fans and critics. Patti Russo accompanied him on the tour, continuing through the summer of 2011.

''Hell in a Handbasket''

In May 2011, Meat Loaf confirmed in a video on his YouTube account, that he was in the process of recording a new album called ''Hell In A Handbasket''. According to Meat, the album is being recorded and produced by Paul Crook; Dough McKean will mix with input from Rob Cavallo. The album will feature songs called "All of Me", "Blue Sky", "The Giving Tree", and a duet with Patti Russo called "Our Love And Our Souls". On July 6, the album had to be finished for the record company. It is scheduled for release in October 2011 for Australia/New Zealand, and February 2012 for the rest of the world.

''Future Albums''

Meat Loaf has eight songs for an album after ''Hell in a Handbasket'' and he is coming up with a Christmas album in 2012, called "Hot Holidays". It will feature guest vocals by Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, plus a few other famous names, including “different rock people and some actors,” he tells Billboard.. He recently said he is going to work with Jim Steinman again, but that Steinman "doesn't know it yet".

Other work

In 2000, he appeared as the viral meningitis addled Confederate Colonel Angus Devine in the sixth season episode "Gettysburg" of ''The Outer Limits'' who is accidentally transported forward in time 150 years in a failed attempt to prevent the assassination of the President in 2013.

He also appeared in the ''South Park'' episode "Chef Aid". In a flashback, Meat Loaf claims that he started out as an unsuccessful artist named Cous-cous. After being booed off stage and almost deciding to quit, Chef tells him that his name might be the problem, and then hands him a plate of meatloaf to cheer him up.

Meat Loaf appears (uncredited) as Jack Black's father in the 2006 film ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'', providing vocals on the film's opening song ''Kickapoo''. In the special features and commentary of the film's DVD release, it is noted that this is the first time Meat Loaf has sung for a movie soundtrack since ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''.

Along with his daughter Pearl Aday, and longtime duet partner Patti Russo, he taped an episode of the FOX game show ''Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' which aired on May 22, 2009. In mid-2009, Meat Loaf appeared in TV commercials for A1 Steak Sauce, in conjunction with the product's new slogan "A1 – Makes beef sing". In his commercial for the product, the slogan is "Makes Meat Loaf sing". On October 26, 2010, Meat Loaf appeared (credited as "Meat Loaf Aday") on the Fox show ''Glee'', in "The Rocky Horror Glee Show," their tribute episode to ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''.

Meat Loaf recorded a song, Stand in the Storm, with country singer John Rich, rapper Lil Jon, and rocker Mark McGrath with whom he appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. The song is being sold on iTunes, with proceeds going to charity.

Personal life

In 1984 Meat Loaf changed his first name to Michael.

Meat Loaf is a registered Republican.

Family

In December 1978, he went to Woodstock to work with Steinman. It was at the Bearsville studio that Meat Loaf met his future wife, Leslie G. Edmonds; they were married within a month. Leslie had a daughter from a previous marriage, Pearl, who has since followed in her stepfather's footsteps to become a singer.

Aday and his family moved to Stamford, Connecticut in 1979. In 1981, Leslie gave birth to Amanda Aday, now a television actress. For a brief time after Amanda's birth, they moved to nearby Westport. According to Meat Loaf, Pearl, then in the fifth grade, came home crying "because she had the wrong type of jeans and I said, 'That's it. We're gone.'" The family then moved to Redding, Connecticut, "which is much more of a blue-collar, working-class kind of town, and it really didn't make any difference what kind of jeans you were wearing. I really liked it there." Meat Loaf coached children's baseball or softball in each of the Connecticut towns he lived in. In 1998, Meat Loaf relocated to California. Meat and Leslie divorced in 2000 and he has since remarried.

Meat Loaf's daughter, Pearl, is married to Scott Ian, rhythm guitar & songwriter for thrash metal band Anthrax. Their first child, Revel Young Ian, was born on June 19, 2011.

Near-death experiences

Meat Loaf is said to have cheated death on numerous occasions, crashing in a car which rolled over, being struck on the head with a shot during a shot put event, jumping off of a stage during a concert and breaking both of his legs, and being afflicted with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. In October 2006, his private jet had to make an emergency landing at London's Stansted Airport after his plane's forward landing gear failed.

Activism

Meat Loaf is a baseball fan and supporter of the New York Yankees. He is an avid fantasy baseball player and participates in multiple leagues every season.

Meat Loaf is a supporter of the northern English football team Hartlepool United and, in 2003, the BBC reported he was seeking a residence in the nearby area. Meat Loaf currently resides just outside of Calabasas, California, near Saddle Peak and Calabasas Peak.

He also does a considerable amount of charity work, and in June 2008, he took part in a football penalty shootout competition on behalf of two cancer charities in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. He auctioned shots to the 100 highest bidders and then took his place between the goal posts. He also participates in celebrity golf tournaments.

Tours

Bat Out Of Hell Tour 1977-1979

Dead Ringer Tour 1981

Meat Loaf & The NLE Euro Tour '82

Meat Loaf World Tour 1983

Bad Attitude Tour 1984-1985

20/20 Tour 1987-1988

Lost Boys & Golden Girls 1988-1989

1990 Tour

1991-1992 Tour

Everything Louder Tour 1993-1995

Born To Rock Tour 1996

The Very Best Of Tour 1999

Storytellers Tour 1999-2000

Night Of The Proms Tour 2001

Just Having Fun Tour 2002

Couldn't Have Said It Better 2003-2004

The Hair Of The Dog Tour 2005

The Three Bats Tour 2006-2007

The Casa de Carne Tour 2008

The Hang Cool Tour 2010-2011

The Guilty Pleasure Tour 2011-?

Discography

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" width="40%"| |- !Title !Release Year !Character |- |''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' |1975 |Eddie "An ex-delivery boy" |- |''Americathon'' |1979 |Oklahoma Devil, Roy Budnitz |- |''Scavenger Hunt'' |1979 |Scum |- |''Roadie'' |1980 |Travis W. Redfish |- |''Dead Ringer'' |1981 |Meat Loaf, Marvin |- |''Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams'' |1981 |Cameo |- |''Out of Bounds'' |1986 |Gil |- |''The Squeeze'' |1987 |Titus |- |''Motorama'' |1991 | |- |''Wayne's World'' |1992 |Tiny |- |''Leap of Faith'' |1992 |Hoover |- |''To Catch a Yeti'' |1993 |Big Jake Grizzly |- |''Angels in the Outfield'' |1993 |Angel |- |''Bean'' |1997 |Cameo |- |''Spiceworld: The Movie'' |1997 |Dennis |- |''Black Dog'' |1998 |Red |- |''The Mighty'' |1998 |Iggy Lee |- |''Crazy in Alabama'' |1999 |Sheriff John Doggett |- |''Fight Club'' |1999 |Robert 'Bob' Paulson |- |''Blacktop'' |2000 |Jack |- |''The Ballad of Lucy Whipple'' |2001 |Amos "Rattlesnake Jake" Frogge |- |''Face to Face'' |2001 |Driver |- |''Rustin'' |2001 |Coach Trellingsby |- |''Focus'' |2001 |Fred |- |''The 51st State'' |2002 |The Lizard |- |''Wishcraft'' |2002 |Detective Sparky Shaw (as Michael Aday) |- |''The Salton Sea'' |2002 |Bo |- |''A Hole in One'' |2004 |Billy |- |''BloodRayne'' |2005 |Leonid |- |''The Pleasure Drivers'' |2005 |Dale (as Meat Loaf Aday) |- |''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'' |2006 |JB's father |- |''Pelts Masters of Horror'' |2006 |Jake Feldman |- |''History Rocks'' |2007 |Himself |- |''Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise'' |2008 |Himself |- |''Tiger Force Forever: Unleashed'' |2009 | |- |''Burning Bright'' |2010 |Howie |- |''Beautiful Boy'' |2010 | |}

Television

{|class="wikitable" width="40%"| |- !Title !Episode Title !Release Year !Character |- |''Strike Force'' |"MIA" |1985 |Adams Family 1971 |- |''The Equalizer'' |"Bump and Run" |1985 | |- |''Tales from the Crypt'' |"What's Cookin'?" |1992 | |- |''The Dead Man's Gun'' |"The Mail Order Bride" |1997 | |- |''Nash Bridges'' |"Wild Card" |1997 | |- |''South Park'' |"Chef Aid" |1998 |Cameo |- |''The Outer Limits'' |"Gettysburg" |2000 | |- |''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' | |2007 | |- |''Private Sessions'' | |2007 | |- |Go-Phone Commercial | |2007 |Singing Father |- |''The F Word'' | |2008 |Himself |- |''Hannity'' | |2009 |Member of Panel |- |''Tiger Force Forever: Unleashed'' | |2009 | |- |''Masters of Horror'' |"Pelts" |2009 |Jake |- |''House, M.D.'' |"Simple Explanation" |2009 |Patient |- |''Don't Forget the Lyrics'' | |2009 | |- |''Ghost Hunters'' |"Bat Out of Hell" |2009 |Himself |- |''Monk'' |"Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse" |2009 |Reverend Hadley Jorgensen |- |''Citizen Jane'' | |2009 |Detective Jack Morris |- |''Popstar to Operastar'' | |2010 |Judge |- |''WWE Raw'' | |2010 |Himself |- |''Glee'' |"The Rocky Horror Glee Show" |2010 |Barry Jeffries (Credited as: Meat Loaf Aday) |- |''Ghost Hunters'' |"Sloss Furnaces" |2010 | |- |''This Week'' | |2010 |Himself |- |''The Celebrity Apprentice'' | |2011 |Himself |}

References

Books

External links

Meat Loaf talks about meeting John Lennon, new album 'Hang Cool Teddy Bear' and more on The Rock radio station

Behind The Music: Meat Loaf on VH1classic.com

Meat Loaf's YouTube channel

MeatLoaf on Twitter

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Name	Ricky Van Shelton
Background	solo_singer
Born	January 12, 1952
Origin	Danville, Virginia, USA
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar
Genre	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1986–2006
Label	Columbia, Vanguard, Audium, RVS
Associated acts	Charlie Major, Jack Greene, Ned Miller, Dolly Parton, Steve Buckingham
Website	Ricky Van Shelton Official site }}

Ricky Van Shelton (born January 12, 1952) is a currently retired American country music artist. Active between 1986 and 2006, he has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes ten Number One hits: "Somebody Lied", "Life Turned Her That Way", 'Don't We All Have the Right", "I'll Leave This World Loving You", "From a Jack to a King" (a cover of the Ned Miller hit), "Living Proof", "I've Cried My Last Tear for You", "Rockin' Years" (a duet with Dolly Parton), "I Am a Simple Man", and "Keep It Between the Lines". Besides these, seven more of his singles have landed in the Top Ten on the same chart. He has also released nine studio albums, of which his first four have all been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Biography

He was born at Danville Regional Medical Center in Danville, Virginia to Jenks and Eloise Shelton in 1952, but was raised in Grit, Virginia and went to High school in Gretna, Virginia. Shelton's father sang Gospel music while he was still a child, and from this Shelton also sang Gospel, but he also liked Pop music. He was soon in church, singing Gospel music. When he was a teenager, however, Shelton discovered Country music. He soon started singing in his brother's band, singing Country music, and performed at any local gathering he could. After he graduated high school, Shelton started performing in area clubs and also worked a series of jobs. In 1984, Bettye Witt, his girlfriend at the time (and, since August 4, 1986, wife) found a job in Nashville, Tennessee (the Country music capital), and Shelton went along with her.

In Nashville, Shelton tried to land a deal with a recording contract, and worked in area nightclubs. In 1986, Jerry Thompson, a newspaper columnist, heard one of Shelton's demos, and arranged an audition with Columbia Records. Soon thereafter, Shelton was offered a recording contract with CBS, with Jerry Thompson serving as his manager. In that same year, he recorded his first album, ''Wild-Eyed Dream''. The title track was released as a single, and reached #24 on the Country charts.

Country music success in the late 1980s & early 1990s

By 1987, Shelton released his debut album, ''Wild-Eyed Dream''. The album ended up being very successful for Shelton and his record label. The next song from the album, "Crime of Passion" gained him an even bigger hit on the Country charts, when it reached the Top 10 early that year. The follow-up was an even bigger success. This next song was called "Somebody Lied", and in December 1987 it became his first No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Nine other songs would make it to No. 1 on the Country charts during his career. He had a pair of other No. 1 singles from his debut album: "Life Turned Her That Way" and "Don't We All Have the Right". His album reached the No. 1 spot on the Top Country Albums chart in 1987, was one of the biggest-selling Country albums of the year, and it made Shelton one of the most successful male vocalists of that year.

He achieved equal success the next year with a new album and a new single. The album was entitled ''Loving Proof'', and it too was a No. 1 Billboard Country album. The album spawned three No. 1 hits for Shelton. These songs were, "I'll Leave This World Loving You" (for two weeks in November 1988), "From a Jack to a King" (in March 1989), and "Living Proof" (in October 1989). "From a Jack to a King" was a remake of the original by Ned Miller. By this time in Country music, Neo-Traditionalism was in its peak, and because of this, so was Shelton's career, just like so many of his counterparts, like Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few.

His albums continued to win him praise and keep him high on the charts. His third album was no different. Titled ''RVS III'', this album spawned only one No. 1 single, called "I've Cried My Last Tear For You". Although this was his only No. 1 from the album, two singles came close, "Statue of a Fool" and "I Meant Every Word He Said", both of which reached #2 on the Country charts.

By now in his career, Shelton was one of Country music's most successful male vocalists, playing the game along with the other big male names in the business. All his albums around this time had been certified by the RIAA as Platinum, and were also all No. 1 albums on the "Top Country Albums" chart. In 1990, he recording a Christmas album entitled ''Ricky Van Shelton Sings Christmas''.

Around the same time, Shelton wrote a series of Children's books. The first two titles of his books were, ''Tales From a Duck Named Quacker'' and ''Quacker Meets Mrs. Moo''. The series also contains "Quacker meets canadian goose" and were all illustrated by Shan Williams Burklow.

Shelton continued his success as the decade began to progress. The next year, 1991, proved another successful year for Shelton. He duetted on the song, "Rockin' Years" with Dolly Parton (which also went to No. 1), as well as a new album, entitled, ''Backroads''. The album featured his last No. 1 hits, along with a #13 hit called "After the Lights Go Out". His hit streak continued up until this year, and his album was just as successful as his songs.

By 1992, Shelton's success on the Country charts was tapering off, and fast. He enjoyed one last Top 10 hit (which actually reached #5) entitled "Wild Man", which was put on his newest album, called ''Greatest Hits Plus'', which had all his biggest hits since he first jumped into the Country spotlight in 1987. Another single, "Just As I Am," was featured on his ''Greatest Hits'' album, but it only made the Top 30 that year. He also released a Gospel music album of all his Gospel material entitled ''Don't Overlook Salvation'', which sold quite well.

However, in 1992, Shelton was also battling another problem. He admitted to the public he was an alcoholic, and led to some serious problems in his personal life. However, he decided to get help, and soon enough, Shelton was sober.

By 1993, it was clear that Shelton was winding farther and farther away from the Top 10 on the Country charts. In 1994, he had his last Top 20 hit with "Where Was I". After 1994's ''Love and Honor'' album, Shelton decided to leave Columbia Records, saying he was fed up with the label.

New horizons in the 1990s & into the new millennium

After being under Columbia Records, Shelton was absent from the Country charts for a long period of time. However, Columbia continued to release Greatest Hits collections to the public. Shelton continued to work on other projects during this time, which didn't mean giving up performing.

In 1997, Shelton formed his own label entitled, RVS Records (which stands for his initials). That same year, he released his first album in three years entitled ''Making Plans''. Shelton financed the project himself however, and worked out to release his album only to Wal-Mart stores.

In 2000, Shelton signed with the Audium label, where he made another album called ''Fried Green Tomatoes'', which spawned his first single in over five years called "The Decision", but it failed to make a substantial impact on the Country charts.

In May 2006, Ricky announced that he would be retiring from touring to spend more time with his family.

Discography

Industry Awards

Academy of Country Music

1987 Top New Male Vocalist

Country Music Association

1988 Horizon Award

1989 Male Vocalist of the Year

External links

Official site

References

Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:American country singers Category:American male singers Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:People from Danville, Virginia Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Musicians from Virginia

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