''Songwriter'' is a 1984 film, directed by Alan Rudolph.

The film concerns Doc Jenkins, (Willie Nelson), a country and western composer and the devious tricks he employs to extricate himself from his legal entanglement with a Nashville gangster entrepreneur who takes all the profits from his songs. Fed up with life touring, and making no money from recordings of his music, Doc has turned to managing the career of his old singing partner Blackie Buck, (Kris Kristofferson). Doc takes a further client - a woman singer, Gilda, (Lesley Ann Warren). He wants to get back with his ex-wife Honey (Melinda Dillon). He wants solid ground beneath his feet again.

The film is a satirical comedy about an artist seeking his freedom. The material is loosely based on Willie Nelson's own life, and legend, and finances. His song "Night Life", for example, which he sold in 1961 for $150, went on to be recorded by over 70 artists and sold more than 30 million copies.

The film is reviewed, favourably, by the critic Pauline Kael in her collection of movie reviews, ''Hooked''. "Playing a vain, laid-back sensualist, the silver bearded Kristofferson has a smiling glow; he has never been more at ease; Rip Torn is the pictures insurance against gentility. Everything he says sounds mean and dirty, and even when you can't understand his snarled out words he makes you laugh. Rhonda Dotson has something of Teri Garr's manic alertness and dippiness, too, but in a softer form. She's a romantic comedienne with awesome poise. Richard C. Sarafian has a whomping comic menace. Lesley Ann Warren's Gilda is spectacular. When we first see Gilda, she's a singer with no belief in herself and no class; she's an incredibly beautiful girl in a red dress [but] when Doc grooms her to go out as the opening act for Blackie, she begins to learn something about taste and musicianship, and her voice flowers. Besides being one of the great beauties of the screen, Warren can sing."

References

External links

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088153/

Category:1984 films Category:Films directed by Alan Rudolph Category:TriStar Pictures films

it:Songwriter - Successo alle stelle

name	Willie Nelson
alias	Red Headed Stranger Dr. Booger
alt	A red Headed man with white beard smiling. He wears a red bandanna, a black shirt and a red, white and blue guitar strap.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Willie Hugh Nelson
born	April 30, 1933Abbott, TexasUnited States
instrument	Vocals, guitar
genre	Country, country rock, outlaw country, alternative country
occupation	MusicianSongwriterProducerActorActivist
years active	1956–present
label	Liberty, RCA, Atlantic, Columbia, Island, Justice Records, Lost Highway
associated acts	Waylon Jennings, The Highwaymen, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson
website	www.willienelson.com
notable instruments	"Trigger" (Martin N-20) 200px|altA signature penned in black inkSignature of Willie Nelson }}

Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed at the end of the 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression, and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the ''Bohemian Fiddlers'' as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. In 1960, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1962, he recorded his first album, ''And Then I Wrote''. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits during the end of 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, and the failure to succeed in music, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The rise of the popularity of Hippie music in Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as ''Shotgun Willie'' and ''Phases and Stages''. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album, ''Red Headed Stranger''. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, ''Wanted! The Outlaws'', which he recorded with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid 1980s, while creating hit albums like ''Honeysuckle Rose'' and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho & Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. During 1990 Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, that claimed that he owed US $32,000,000. It was later discovered that his accountants, Price Waterhouse did not pay Nelson's taxes for years. The impossibility of Nelson to pay his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments made by him during the 1980s. Nelson released in 1991 ''The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'', the profits of the double album, destined to the IRS and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt by 1993. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. Nelson explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk. Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by other appearances in movies and on television.

Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the Advisory Board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.

Early life

Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas during the Great Depression on April 30, 1933 to Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson. The Nelson family had moved from Arkansas in 1929, looking for work. Nelson's grandfather, William, worked as a blacksmith, while his father worked as a mechanic. His mother left soon after he was born, and his father remarried and moved away, leaving the grandparents, who both studied music at night via a mail-order course, to bring up Nelson and his sister Bobbie. Nelson's grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few chords; and with his sister Bobbie he sang gospel songs in the local church. He wrote his first song when he was seven, and played the guitar for the local band ''Bohemian Polka'' at age nine. During the summer, like most of Abbott's inhabitants, the family picked cotton. As Nelson didn't like picking cotton, starting at age thirteen and continuing through high school, he earned money by singing in local dance halls, taverns, and honky tonks. Nelson was influenced musically during his childhood by Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb, Django Reinhardt, Ray Price and Hank Snow.

Nelson attended Abbott High School where, as well as raising pigs for the Future Farmers of America organization, he was a halfback in the school football team, and also played basketball as a guard, and as a shortstop in baseball. While still at school he sang and played guitar in ''The Texans'', a band formed by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher. After leaving school in 1950 he joined the United States Air Force for eight to nine months, then worked as a disc jockey at local radio stations. He had short stints with KHBR in Hillsboro, Texas and later with KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas. In 1952, he married Martha Matthews, and from 1954 to 1956 studied agriculture at Baylor University, where he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, but dropped out to pursue success in music.

Music career

Beginnings (1956–1972)

In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington to begin his formal musical career. His first record, "No Place For Me" included Leon Payne's "Lumberjack" on the b-side, but was not successful. Nelson continued working as a radio announcer and singing in Vancouver clubs. He sold the song "Family Bible" for US$50 to a guitar instructor, and the song turned into a hit for Claude Gray in 1960. Nelson moved to Nashville in 1960, but no label signed him. Although most of his demos were rejected, thanks to his songwriting and Hank Cochran's help, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music. After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life", Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bass player. While playing with Price and the ''Cherokee Cowboys'', Nelson's songs became hits for other artists, including "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison), and, most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), Unfortunately, further hit singles eluded him. Nelson's tenure at Liberty yielded his first album entitled ''And Then I Wrote'', released in September 1962. Fred Foster of Monument Records signed Nelson in early 1964, but only one single saw the light of day – the excellent but non-charting "I Never Cared For You." After Nelson became a megastar, he aided Foster and his old label by participating in ''The Winning Hand'' in 1982, a double album largely consisting of unreleased tracks (although many were overdubbed with new vocals and instrumentation) with Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Brenda Lee. In fact, "Everything's Beautiful (In Its Own Way)," a duet with Parton, became a Top Ten hit.

By the fall of 1964, Nelson had moved to RCA Victor Records at the behest of Chet Atkins, signing a contract for US $10,000 per year. ''Country Willie – His Own Songs'' became Nelson's first RCA album, recorded in April 1965. That same year he joined the Grand Ole Opry. During his first few years on RCA, Nelson had no significant hits, but from November 1966 through March 1969, his singles reached the Top 25 in a consistent manner. "One In a Row" (#19, 1966), "The Party's Over" (#24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise's "Bring Me Sunshine" (#13, March 1969) were Nelson's best-selling records during his time with RCA. After recording his final RCA single – "Mountain Dew" (backed with "Phases, Stages, Circles, Cycles and Scenes") in late April 1972, RCA requested that Nelson renew his contract ahead of schedule, with the implication that RCA would not release his latest recordings if he did not. He signed Neil Rashen as his manager to negotiate with the label, who got RCA to agree to end Nelson's contract upon repayment of US$14,000. During those proceedings, Nelson decided to move to Austin, Texas and take a short break. Austin's burgeoning hippie music scene (see Armadillo World Headquarters) rejuvenated the singer. His popularity in Austin soared as he played his own brand of country music marked by country, folk and jazz influences. Rashen eventually signed Nelson to Atlantic Records for US$25,000 per year, becoming the label's first country artist. By February 1973, Nelson was recording his acclaimed ''Shotgun Willie'' at Atlantic Studios in New York City.

Outlaw country and success (1973–1989)

''Shotgun Willie'', released in May 1973, earned excellent reviews but did not sell well. The album led Nelson to a new style, later stating that ''Shotgun Willie'' had "cleared his throat". His next album, ''Phases and Stages'', released in 1974, was a concept album about a couple's divorce, inspired by his own experience. Side one of the record is from the viewpoint of the man, while the other side is from the viewpoint of the woman. The album included the hit single "Bloody Mary Morning" and a duet of "After the Fire is Gone" with Tracy Nelson. Nelson then moved to Columbia Records, where he signed a contract that gave him complete creative control, made possible by the critical and commercial success of his previous albums. The result was the critically acclaimed, and massively popular 1975 concept album ''Red Headed Stranger''. Although Columbia was reluctant to release an album with primarily a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson and Waylon Jennings insisted. The album included a cover of Fred Rose's 1945 song "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", that had been released as a single previous to the album, and became Nelson's first number one hit as a singer.

As Jennings was also achieving success in country music in the early 1970s, the pair were combined into a genre called outlaw country, since it did not conform to Nashville standards. The album ''Wanted! The Outlaws'' in 1976 with Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser cemented the pair's outlaw image and became country music's first platinum album. Later that year Nelson released ''The Sound in Your Mind'' (certified gold in 1978 and platinum in 2001) and his first gospel album ''Troublemaker'' (certified gold in 1986). In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums, ''Waylon & Willie'', a collaboration with Jennings that included "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", a hit single written and performed by Ed Bruce. His next album, ''Stardust'', an album of standards from the American songbook, was produced by Booker T. Jones. Though observers predicted that ''Stardust'' would ruin his career, it went platinum the same year. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including "Good Hearted Woman", "Remember Me", "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" and "Uncloudy Day".

During the 1980s Nelson recorded a series of hit singles including "Midnight Rider", a 1980 cover of the Allman Brothers song which Nelson recorded for ''The Electric Horseman'', the soundtrack "On the Road Again" from the movie ''Honeysuckle Rose'', and a duet with Julio Iglesias titled "To All the Girls I've Loved Before". ''Pancho & Lefty'', a duet album with Merle Haggard, and ''WWII'', with Jennings, came out in 1982, while ''Take it to the Limit'' was released in 1983, also with Jennings.

In the mid-1980s, Nelson, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed The Highwaymen, who achieved platinum record sales and toured the world. Meanwhile, he became more involved with charity work, such as singing on ''We are the World'' in 1984. In 1985, Nelson had another success with ''Half Nelson'', a compilation album of duets with a range of artists such as Ray Charles and Neil Young. In 1980, Nelson performed on the south lawn of the White House. The September 13 concert featured First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Nelson in a duet of Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother". Nelson frequently visited the White House according to his biography, ''Willie Nelson: An Epic Life'', where he smoked marijuana on the White House roof.

IRS and later career (1990–present)

In 1990, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized most of Nelson's assets, claiming that he owed US$32,000,000. It was later discovered that his accountants, Price Waterhouse, had not been paying Nelson's taxes for years. In addition to the unpaid taxes, Nelson's situation was worsened by the weak investments he had made during the early 1980s. Nelson's attorney negotiated a settlement with the IRS in which he paid US$6,000,000, although Nelson did not comply with the agreement. Nelson released ''The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' as a double album, with all profits destined for the IRS. Many of his assets were auctioned and purchased by friends, who donated or rented his possessions to him for a nominal fee. He sued Price Waterhouse, contending that they put him in illegal tax shelters. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount and Nelson cleared his debts by 1993.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson toured continuously, recording several albums including 1998's critically acclaimed ''Teatro'', and performed and recorded with other acts including Phish, Johnny Cash, and Toby Keith. His duet with Keith, "Beer for My Horses", was released as a single and topped the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts for six consecutive weeks in 2003, while the accompanying video won an award for "Best Video" at the 2004 Academy of Country Music Awards. A USA Network television special celebrated Nelson's 70th birthday, and Nelson released ''The Essential Willie Nelson'' as part of the celebration.

Nelson headlined the 2005 Tsunami Relief Austin to Asia concert to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which raised an estimated US$75,000 for UNICEF. Nelson's 2007 performance with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center, was released as the live album ''Two Men with the Blues'' in 2008; reaching number one in ''Billboard's'' Top Jazz Albums and number twenty on the ''Billboard 200''. In 2009 Nelson and Marsalis joined with Norah Jones in a tribute concert to Ray Charles, which resulted in the ''Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles'' album, released in 2011. In 2010, Nelson released ''Country Music'', a compilation of standards produced by T-Bone Burnett. The album peaked number four in ''Billboard's'' Top Country Albums, and twenty on the ''Billboard 200''. It was nominated for ''Best Americana Album'' in the 2011 Grammy Awards. In 2011 Nelson participated in the concert ''Kokua For Japan'', a fundraising event for the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan which raised US$1.6 million.

Music style

Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music – a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar", and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the '80s and '90s".

Guitars

In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and a three-cord pickup electric guitar, that Nelson played with such intensity he broke it. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 nylon-string acoustic and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for US$750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.

Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent got there, and bring it to him on Maui. Nelson then hid the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid in 1993.

Activism

Nelson is active in a number of issues. Along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, he set up Farm Aid in 1985 to assist and increase awareness of the importance of family farms, after Bob Dylan's comments during the Live Aid concert that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers in danger of losing their farms through mortgage debt. The first concert included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Neil Young among many others, and raised over $9 million for America's family farmers. Besides organizing and performing in the annual concerts, Nelson is the president of the board of Farm Aid.

Nelson is a co-chair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advisory board. He has worked with NORML for years, fighting for marijuana legalization. In 2005 Nelson and his family hosted the first annual "Willie Nelson & NORML Benefit Golf Tournament", leading to a cover appearance and inside interview in the January 2008 issue of ''High Times'' magazine. After his arrest for possession in 2010, Nelson created the Tea Pot party under the motto "Tax it, regulate it and legalize it!".

Nelson supported Dennis Kucinich's campaign in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. He raised money, appeared at events, and composed the song "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?", criticizing the war in Iraq. He recorded a radio advertisement asking for support to put musician/author Kinky Friedman on the ballot as an independent candidate for the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election. Friedman promised Nelson a job in Austin as the head of a new Texas Energy Commission due to his support of bio-fuels. In January 2008, Nelson filed a suit against the Texas Democratic Party, alleging that the party violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution by refusing to allow co-plaintiff Kucinich to appear on the primary ballot because he had scratched out part of the loyalty oath on his application.

In 2004, he and his wife Annie became partners with Bob and Kelly King in the building of two Pacific Bio-diesel plants, one in Salem, Oregon and the other at Carl's Corner, Texas (the Texas plant was founded by Carl Cornelius, a longtime Nelson friend and the namesake for Carl's Corner). In 2005, Nelson and several other business partners formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel ("Bio-Willie"), a company that is marketing bio-diesel bio-fuel to truck stops. The fuel is made from vegetable oil (mainly soybean oil), and can be burned without modification in diesel engines.

Nelson is an advocate for better treatment for horses and has been campaigning for the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311) alongside the Animal Welfare Institute. He is on its Board of Directors and has adopted a number of horses from ''Habitat for Horses''. In 2008, Nelson signed on to warn consumers about the cruel-and illegal-living conditions for calves raised to produce milk for dairy products. He wrote letters to Land O'Lakes and Challenge Dairy, two of the major corporations that use milk from calves raised at California's Mendes Calf Ranch, which employs an intensive confinement practice that was the subject of a lawsuit and campaign brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Personal life

Willie Nelson has married four times and fathered seven children. His first marriage was to Martha Matthews; it lasted from 1952 to 1962, and produced three children: Lana, Susie, and Billy. The last committed suicide in 1991. The marriage was marked by violence, with Matthews assaulting Nelson several times. Nelson's next marriage was to Shirley Collie in 1963. The couple divorced in 1971, after Collie found a bill of the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged to Nelson and Connie Koepke for the birth of Paula Carlene Nelson. Koepke and Nelson married the same year and had two daughters, Paula Carlene and Amy Lee. Following a divorce in 1988, he married his current wife, Annie D'Angelo, in 1991. He had two sons, Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah, with her. Nelson traces his genealogy to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.

While swimming in Hawaii in 1981, Nelson's lung collapsed. All of his scheduled concerts were canceled and he was taken to the Maui Memorial Hospital. Nelson temporarily stopped smoking cigarettes each time his lungs became congested, and resumed when the congestion ended. In 2008 he started to smoke with a carbon-free system to avoid the effects of smoke in his lungs. In 2004 Nelson underwent surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as he had damaged his wrists by continuously playing the guitar. By the recommendation of his doctor, he canceled his scheduled concerts and only wrote songs during his recovery.

Nelson has been arrested several times for marijuana possession. The first occasion was in 1974, in Dallas, Texas. Twenty years later, in 1994, highway patrolmen found a marijuana cigarette in his car near Waco, Texas; the resulting court appearance causing him to cancel his appearance at the Grammy awards. While traveling to Ann W. Richards' funeral in 2006, Nelson, along with his manager and his sister, Bobbi, were arrested in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana and charged with possession of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Nelson received six months probation. On November 26, 2010, Nelson was arrested for possession of six ounces of marijuana found in his tour bus while traveling from Los Angeles to Texas. He was released after paying bail of US$2,500. Prosecutor Kit Bramblett supported not sentencing Nelson to jail due to the possession of a small amount, Bramblett sentenced him to pay a US$100 fine and told Nelson that he would have him sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Judge Becky Dean-Walker stated that Nelson only had to pay the amount of the fine, but did not require him to perform the song, explaining that the prosecutor was joking. Nelson's lawyer Joe Turner reached an agreement with the prosecutor. Nelson was set to pay a US$500 fine to avoid a two-year jail sentence with a 30-day review period, which in case of another incident would end the agreement. The judge later rejected the agreement, claiming that Nelson was receiving preferential treatment for his celebrity status.

Steakhouses

In 2002, Nelson became the official spokesman of the Texas Roadhouse, a chain of steakhouses. Nelson heavily promoted the chain and appeared on a special on Food Network. The chain installed ''Willie's Corner'', a section dedicated to him and decked out with Willie memorabilia, at several locations. In 2008, Nelson reopened Willie's place, a truckstop in Hillsboro, Texas. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court allowed Nelson to invest in it. The establishment currently has about 80 employees and is used as a concert hall with a bar and a dance floor.

Legacy

Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund risers to benefit farmers.

In 2003 Governor Perry signed bill #2582, introduced by State Representative Elizabeth Ames Jones and Senator Jeff Wentworth, which funded the ''Texas Music Project'', the state's official music charity. Nelson was named Honorary Chairman of the Advisory Board of the project. In 2005, Democratic Texas Senator Gonzalo Barrientos introduced a bill to name of the Travis County section of State Highway 130 after Nelson, and at one point 23 of the 31 state Senators were co-sponsors of the bill. The legislation was dropped after two Republican senators, Florence Shapiro and Wentworth, objected, citing Nelson's lack of connection to the highway, his fundraisers for Democrats, his drinking, and his marijuana advocacy.

An important collection of Willie Nelson materials (1975–1994) became part of the Wittliff collections of Southwestern Writers, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas. The collection contains lyrics, screenplays, letters, concert programs, tour itineraries, posters, articles, clippings, personal effects, promotional items, souvenirs, and documents. It documents Nelson's IRS troubles and how Farm Aid contributions were used. Most of the material was collected by Nelson's friend Bill Wittliff, who wrote or co-wrote ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Barbarosa'' and ''Red Headed Stranger''.

In April 2010, Nelson received the "Feed the Peace" award from The Nobelity Project for his extensive work with Farm Aid and overall contributions to world peace. On June 23, 2010 he was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Nelson is an honorary trustee of the Dayton International Peace Museum. In 2010, Austin, Texas renamed Second Street to Willie Nelson Boulevard. The city also planned to honor him with a life-size statue, to be placed at the entrance of ''Austin City Limits''' new studio. The non-profit organization Capital Area Statues commissioned sculptor Clete Shields to execute the project.

For many years, Nelson's image was marked by his red hair, often divided into two long braids partially concealed under a bandanna. In the April 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine Nelson was interviewed about his long locks. "I started braiding my hair when it started getting too long, and that was, I don't know, probably in the 70's." On May 26, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Nelson had cut his hair, and Nashville music journalist Jimmy Carter published a photograph of the pigtail-free Nelson on his website. Reportedly, he wanted a more maintainable hairstyle, as well helping him stay cool more easily at his Maui home.

Nelson's touring and recording group, the ''Family'', is full of longstanding members, including his sister Bobbie Nelson, drummer Paul English, harmonicist Mickey Raphael, Bee Spears, Billy English (Paul's younger brother), and Jody Payne. ''Willie & Family'' tours North America in the bio-diesel bus ''Honeysuckle Rose IV'', which is fueled by Bio-Willie.

Works

As well as recording sixty seven studio albums, Nelson has appeared in over thirty films and TV shows. His acting debut was in the 1979 movie, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by appearances in ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Thief'', and ''Barbarosa''.

In 1988 his first book, ''Willie: An Autobiography'', was published. ''The Facts of Life: and Other Dirty Jokes'', a personal recollection of tour and musical stories from his career, combined with song lyrics, followed in 2002. In 2005 he co-authored ''Farm Aid: A Song for America'', a commemorative book about the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of Farm Aid. His third book, ''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart'', was published in 2006. In 2007 a book advocating the use of bio-diesel and the reduction of gas emissions, ''On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm'', was published. His next book, ''A Tale Out of Luck'', published in 2008 and co-authored by Mike Blakely, was Nelson's first fictional book.

;Recordings

;Films

;Books

''Willie: An Autobiography'', Simon & Schuster, 1988, with Bud Shrake

''The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes'', Random House, 2002

''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart'', Gotham, 2006, with Turk Pipkin

''A Tale Out of Luck'' (a novel), Center Street, 2008, with Mike Blakely

''On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm'', Fulcrum Publishing, 2007

''Farm Aid: A Song for America'', 2005, Rodale Books, foreword by Willie Nelson

See also

Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

List of country musicians

Music of Austin

List of best-selling music artists

References

;Books

Cartwright, Gary (2000), ''Turn out the lights: chronicles of Texas in the 80's and 90's'', University of Texas Press

Dicair, David (2007), ''The First Generation of Country Music Stars'', McFarland

Erlewine, Michael (1997), ''All music guide to country: the experts' guide to the best recordings in country music'', Miller Freeman

Hartman, Gary (2008), ''The History of Texas Music'', Texas A&M; University Press

Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny (1996), ''Waylon: an Autobiography'', Warner Brooks

Kienzle, Richard; ''Southwest shuffle: pioneers of honky-tonk, Western swing, and country jazz'' (2003), Routledge

Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake (2000), ''Willie: an Autobiography'', Cooper Square Press

Patoski, Joe Nick (2008), ''Willie Nelson: an Epic Life'', Hachette Digital

Patoski, Joe Nick (2008), ''The Gospel According to Willie", Texas Co-op Power

Reid, Jan (2004), ''The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock: New Edition'', University of Texas Press

Richmond, Clint (2000), ''Willie Nelson: Behind the Music'', Simon & Schuster

Reid Jan; Sahm Shawn (2010), ''Texas Tornado: The Times and Music of Doug Sahm'', University of Texas Press

Scobey, Lola (1982), ''Willie Nelson: Country Outlaw'', Kensington Pub Corp

Wolff, Kurt; Duane, Orla (2000), ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'', Rough Guides

;Journals

;Further reading

''The Encyclopedia of Country Music'' ed. Paul Kingsbury, pp. 374–76 "Willie Nelson", Bob Allen, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998

External links

[ Willie Nelson] at Allmusic

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name	Chaka Khan
background	solo_singer
birth name	Yvette Marie Stevens
alias	Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi Khan, Queen of Funk
born	March 23, 1953Chicago, Illinois, United States
instrument	Vocals
occupation	Musician, songwriter
genre	R&B;, jazz, funk, soul, disco, adult contemporary
years active	1964–present
label	ABC (1972–1978) Warner Bros. (1978–1998)MCA (1979–1982)NPG (1998–2001) Burgundy (2005–present)
associated acts	Rufus, Prince
website	}}

Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens; March 23, 1953) is an American singer and composer who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits, both with Rufus and as a solo performer, include "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire".

Biography

Early life: 1953-1972

Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in Chicago's rough Southside projects, Khan was the eldest of five children to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister Yvonne Stevens later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother Mark Stevens, who formed the funk group Aurra, also became a successful musician. She has two other sisters, Kathleen Burrell and Tammy McCrary, who is her current manager. Unlike many of her musical contemporaries, Khan was raised as Roman Catholic. Khan attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz music as a child. Khan became a fan of R&B; music as a preteen and at eleven formed her first all-female singing group the Crystalettes, which also included her sister Taka. In the late 1960s, Khan and her sister formed the vocal group Shades of Black and joined the Black Panther Party after befriending fellow member, activist and Chicago native Fred Hampton in 1967. While a member, she was given a name change to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by an African shaman. In 1969, she left the Panthers, dropped out of high school, having attended Calumet High School, and married Indian bassist Hassan Khan in 1970; Khan later said she married Hassan to sign a recording contract. After this marriage ended, Khan kept her ex-husband's surname as a stage name. Khan briefly sung lead for her ex's band Lyfe, before she replaced the late Baby Huey as a member of the rock-soul group, the Babysitters, before the group disbanded in 1971. Khan then was contacted by friend Paulette McWilliams to replace her in the rock/soul ensemble Ask Rufus, a group formed by The American Breed members Kevin Murphy and Al Ciner. Alongside Andre Fischer, whom she met while performing in Chicago, and Ron Stockert, they would join the group in 1972 and the band shortened its name to simply Rufus. The band relocated to Los Angeles and soon got a deal with ABC. Khan was nineteen at the time of the band's signing to the label.

Early career and success: 1973-1978

In 1973, Rufus released their self-titled debut album. Despite their fiery rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Maybe Your Baby" from Wonder's acclaimed ''Talking Book'' and the modest success of the Khan-led ballad "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)", the album failed to garner attention. That changed when Wonder himself collaborated with the group on a song he had written for Khan. That song, "Tell Me Something Good", became the group's breakthrough hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 later winning the group their first Grammy Award. The single's success and the subsequent follow-up, "You Got the Love", which peaked at number-eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 helped their second parent album, ''Rags to Rufus'', go platinum selling over a million copies. Between 1974 and 1979, Rufus would release six platinum-selling albums including ''Rufusized'', ''Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan'', ''Ask Rufus'', ''Street Player'' and ''Masterjam''. Hits the group would score during this time included "Once You Get Started", "Sweet Thing", "Hollywood", "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" and "Do You Love What You Feel".

The band gained a reputation as a live performing act with Khan becoming the star attraction, thanks to her powerful vocals and stage attire, which sometimes included Native American garb and showing her midriff. Most of the band's material was written and produced by the band itself with few exceptions. Khan has also been noted for being an instrumentalist playing drums and bass, she also provided percussion during her tenure with Rufus. Most of Khan's compositions were often collaborations with guitarist Tony Maiden. Relations between Khan and the group, particularly between Khan and group member Andre Fischer, became stormy. Several group members left with nearly every release. While Khan remained a member of the group, she signed a solo contract with Warner Bros in 1978. While Khan was busy at work on solo material, Rufus released three albums without Khan's participation including 1979's ''Numbers'', 1980's ''Party 'Til You're Broke'' and 1983's ''Seal in Red''.

Early solo career and final years with Rufus: 1978-1983

In 1978, Warner Bros. Records released Khan's solo debut album, which featured the crossover disco hit, "I'm Every Woman", written for her by songwriters Ashford & Simpson. The success of the single helped the album go platinum, selling over a million copies. Khan also was a featured performer on Quincy Jones' hit, "Stuff Like That", also released in 1978.

In 1979, Khan reunited with Rufus to collaborate on the Jones-produced ''Masterjam'', which featured their hit, "Do You Love What You Feel", which Khan sung with Tony Maiden. Despite her sometimes-acrimonious relationship with some of the group's band mates, Khan and Maiden have maintained a friendship over the years. In 1979 she also duetted with Ry Cooder on his album ''Bop Till You Drop''. In 1980, while Rufus released their second non-Khan release, ''Party 'Til You're Broke'', Khan released her second solo album, ''Naughty'', which featured Khan on the cover with her six-year-old daughter Milini. The album yielded the minor disco hit "Clouds" and went gold. Khan released two albums in 1981, the Rufus release, ''Camouflage'' and the solo album, ''What Cha' Gonna Do for Me''. The same year, Khan appeared on three tracks on Rick Wakeman's concept album ''1984''. In 1982, Khan issued two more solo albums, the jazz-oriented ''Echoes of an Era'' and a more funk/pop-oriented self-titled album. The latter album's track, the jazz-inflected "Bebop Medley", won Khan a Grammy and earned praise from Betty Carter who loved Khan's vocal scatting in the song.

In 1983, following the release of Rufus' final studio album, ''Seal in Red'', which did not feature Khan, the singer returned with Rufus on a live album, ''Stompin' at the Savoy - Live'', which featured the studio single, "Ain't Nobody", which became the group's final charting success reaching number twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the Hot R&B; chart, while also reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom. Following this release, Rufus separated for good.

Solo success: 1984-1996

In 1984, Khan released her sixth studio album, ''I Feel for You'', which featured the title track. The title track, originally written and recorded by Prince for his eponymous follow-up to his debut album in 1979, had been previously recorded by The Pointer Sisters and Mary Wells. Khan's version, which featured Stevie Wonder and rapper Melle Mel, reached number-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one in the United Kingdom. Other singles from the album included "This is my Night" and "Through the Fire" and all three singles helped the album to go platinum. Khan followed that success with albums such as 1986's ''Destiny'' and 1988's ''CK''. Khan was the featured performer on Steve Winwood's number-one hit, "Higher Love", in 1986. Khan found more success in the UK in the late 1980s as a remix album, ''Life is a Dance - The Remix Project'', reached the top ten on the UK albums chart. Khan reacted to the success by performing in the United Kingdom, where she maintained a strong fan base.

In 1990, she was a featured performer on another major hit when she collaborated with Ray Charles and Quincy Jones on a new jack swing cover of The Brothers Johnson's "I'll Be Good to You", which was featured on Jones' ''Back on the Block''. The song reached number-eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the Hot R&B; chart, later winning Charles and Khan a Grammy for Best R&B; Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group. Khan returned with her first studio album in four years in 1992 with the release of ''The Woman I Am'', which went gold thanks to the R&B; success of the songs "Love You All My Lifetime" and "You Can Make the Story Right". Khan also contributed to soundtracks and worked on a follow-up to ''The Woman I Am'' which she titled ''Dare You to Love Me'', which was eventually shelved. In 1995, she and rapper Guru had a hit with the duet "Watch What You Say", in the UK. That same year, she provided a contemporary R&B; cover of the classic standard, "My Funny Valentine", for the ''Waiting to Exhale'' soundtrack. In 1996, following the release of her greatest-hits album, ''Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1'', Khan abruptly left Warner Bros. after stating the label had neglected her and failed to release ''Dare You to Love Me''.

Later career and current work: 1998-present

In 1998, Khan signed a contract with Prince's NPG Records label and issued ''Come 2 My House'', followed by the single "Don't Talk 2 Strangers", a cover of a 1996 Prince song. Khan later went on a tour with Prince as a co-headlining act. In 2000, Khan departed from NPG and in 2004 released her first jazz covers album in twenty-two years with 2004's ''ClassiKhan''. Three years later, after signing with Burgundy Records, Khan released what many critics called a "comeback album" with ''Funk This'', produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

The album featured the hit, "Angel", and the Mary J. Blige duet, "Disrespectful". The latter track went to number one on the U.S. dance singles chart, winning the singers a Grammy Award, while ''Funk This'' also won a Grammy for Best R&B; Album. The album was notable for Khan's covers of Dee Dee Warwick's "Foolish Fool" and Prince's "Sign o' the Times". In 2008, Khan participated in the Broadway adaptation of ''The Color Purple'' playing Ms. Sofia to Fantasia Barrino's Celie.

In 2009, Khan hit the road with singers Anastacia and Lulu for Here Come the Girls. In 2010, Khan contributed to vocals for Beverley Knight's "Soul Survivor", collaborated with Clay Aiken on a song for the kids show ''Phineas and Ferb'', and performed two songs with Japanese singer Ai on Ai's latest album "The Last Ai". Khan continues to perform to packed audiences both in her native United States and overseas.

On May 19, 2011, Khan was given the 2,440th Hollywood Walk of Fame star plaque on a section of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Her family was on hand to see the singer accept the honor, as was Stevie Wonder, who wrote her breakout hit "Tell Me Something Good".

Personal life

Khan has been married three times and has two children. Khan married her first husband, Hassan Khan, in 1970. They divorced in 1971. The birth of Khan's daughter Milini was the result of a relationship between Khan and a man named Rahsaan Morris. In 1976, Khan married Richard Holland. Their marriage produced a son, Damien, who was born three years later. In 1980, the couple divorced. In 2001, Khan married a third time to Doug Rasheed,although having an on and off relationship with Donny Maxwell the owner of the now defunct production company the Review Productions, which ended in divorce three years later. Khan is also the grandmother of two. In 2006 Khan's son Damien Holland was accused of murder after 17-year-old Christopher Bailey was shot to death. Khan testified on her son's behalf defending her son's innocence. Holland claimed the shooting was an accident and was found not guilty.

Khan has struggled with drug abuse, alcoholism and weight over the years. She had addictions to heroin and cocaine, which she kicked in the early nineties. After an on-again and off-again bouts with alcoholism, in 2005, Khan declared herself sober. Though she sang at both the 2000 Democrat and Republican conventions, Khan says that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person". In 1990, Khan emigrated to the United Kingdom where she had a steady relationship. She splits her time between Los Angeles, Germany and London but has been living mainly in London since 2006.

In a 2008 interview Khan said that she, unlike other artists, feels very optimistic about the current changes in the recording industry, including music downloading. "I'm glad things are shifting and artists – not labels – are having more control over their art. My previous big record company (Warner Music) has vaults of my recordings that haven't seen the light of day that people need to hear. This includes Robert Palmer's original recording of "Addicted to Love" – which they took my vocals off of! We are working on getting it (and other tracks) all back now."

Awards

Grammy Awards

To date, Chaka Khan has won 10 Grammy Awards, including two as a member of Rufus. She has received 22 Grammy Award nominations, including three as a member of Rufus.

Year	! Award category	! Nominated artist(s)	! Nominated work	! Track from	! Result
rowspan="2"	2008		Chaka Khan
	Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige	"Disrespectful"	''Funk This''
	2007		Chaka Khan, Gerald Levert, Yolanda Adams, Carl Thomas	"Everyday (Family Reunion)"
	2003	Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance	Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance	Chaka Khan, The Funk Brothers
	1998	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Chaka Khan
		Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan
	Chaka Khan, Meshell Ndegeocello	"Never Miss The Water"
	Luke Cresswell, Fiona Wilkes, Carl Smith, Fraser Morrison, Everett Bradley, Mr. X, Melle Mel, Coolio, Yo-Yo, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Shaquille O'Neal, Luniz		''Q's Jook Joint'' (Quincy Jones)
	1996	Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media	Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television	Bruce Hornsby, Chaka Khan	"Love Me Still"
	1993	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best R&B; Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan
	1991	Grammy Award for Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals	Best R&B; Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal	Ray Charles, Chaka Khan
	1987	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best R&B; Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan	colspan="2"
	1986	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best R&B; Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan	colspan="2"
	1985	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best R&B; Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan
		Chaka Khan	colspan="2"
	Arif Mardin, Chaka Khan	"Be Bop Medley"
	Rufus	"Ain't Nobody"
	1983	Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female	Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan	colspan="2"
	1982	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best R&B; Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan	colspan="2"
	1979	Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance	Best R&B; Vocal Performance, Female	Chaka Khan	"I'm Every Woman"
	1978	Grammy Award for Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals	Best R&B; Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus	Rufus
	1975		Rufus	"Tell Me Something Good"

BET Awards

2006 BET Lifetime Achievement Award (Recipient)

2008 BET Awards: BET Awards (nominated)nominated

Soul Train Awards

1998 Lena Horne Award (Career Achievement) (Recipient)

2009 Legends Award (Career Achievement) (Recipient)

United Negro College Fund Award

2011 UNCF: Award of Excellence (Recipient)

American Music Award nominations

To date, she has had four American Music Award nominations. Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Tina Turner) Favorite Female Video Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Tina Turner) Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Stephanie Mills) Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Diana Ross) References:

Discography

References

External links

Chaka Khan official website

Chaka Khan Foundation

Chaka Khan at Wenig-Lamonica Associates

Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:African American female singers Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:African American singers Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:American expatriates in Germany Category:Black Panther Party members Category:British people of Native American descent Category:English people of African-American descent Category:American female singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American funk singers Category:American jazz singers Category:Women in jazz Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Lake County, Illinois Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois Category:Illinois Democrats Category:Rufus (band) members

da:Chaka Khan de:Chaka Khan et:Chaka Khan es:Chaka Khan fr:Chaka Khan gl:Chaka Khan id:Chaka Khan it:Chaka Khan lv:Čaka Hāna nl:Chaka Khan ja:チャカ・カーン no:Chaka Khan pl:Chaka Khan pt:Chaka Khan ru:Хан, Чака fi:Chaka Khan sv:Chaka Khan th:ชากา คาน tr:Chaka Khan uk:Чака Хан yo:Chaka Khan

"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise. Also, " The Man is coming" is a term used to frighten small children who are misbehaving.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.

History

The term "the Man" in the American sense dates back to the late 19th Century. In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel ''Naked Lunch'', and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in ''U.S. News and World Report'', had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine ''Easyriders'' which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema.

Use as praise

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." One example of this usage dates to 1879 when Otto von Bismarck commented, referring to Benjamin Disraeli's pre-eminent position at the Congress of Berlin, "The old Jew, he is the man."

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

See also

Absentee landlord

Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four'')

New World Order (conspiracy theory)

Ruling class

The Establishment

Power elite

Corrections officer

YTMND

Notes

References

Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). ''Random House Dictionary of American Slang''. New York: Random House.

Category:Slang expressions Category:Stock characters Category:English idioms Category:Pejorative terms for people Category:Military-industrial complex

Name	Nik Kershaw
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Nicholas David Kershaw
Born	March 01, 1958Bristol, England
Origin	Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, guitar, drums
Genre	Synthpop, Pop rock, New Wave
Occupation	Musician, vocalist, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1983–present
Label	MCA, Koch, Shorthouse
Website	www.nikkershaw.co.uk
Notable instruments	}}

Nik Kershaw (born Nicholas David Kershaw; 1 March 1958) is an English singer-songwriter. The one time jazz-funk guitarist was a mid-1980s teen idol. His 50 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 beat all other soloists.

In July 1985, Kershaw was among the performers at Live Aid, held at Wembley Stadium. His stardom began to wane soon afterwards and he enjoyed only one more UK Top 40 hit. He continued to record and release records, and collaborated with others. Also in 1985, Elton John asked Kershaw to play guitar on John's hit "Nikita".

A cover of "Wouldn't it be Good" by the Danny Hutton Hitters appeared on the soundtrack of the 1986 teen romantic comedy-drama ''Pretty in Pink''. Later the same year, his third album, ''Radio Musicola'', was released to critical acclaim but to little commercial success. It seemed that he had outgrown his original audience with increasingly mature releases; ''The Works'' was released in 1989 to little success.

1990s

His prowess as a songwriter served him well in 1991, when his song "The One and Only" appeared on the soundtrack to the British film ''Buddy's Song'', and in the American movie ''Doc Hollywood''. "The One and Only" proved to be a UK Number 1 for the star of ''Buddy's Song'', Chesney Hawkes. In 1993, The Hollies had a minor hit with another of Kershaw's songs, "The Woman I Love". During the mid 1990s he also wrote and produced material for the boy band Let Loose, with two of the tracks ("Seventeen" and "Everybody Say Everybody Do") achieving reasonable success.

1999 saw the release of ''15 Minutes''. Kershaw revealed that he decided to record the tracks himself, when he could not envisage them being recorded by other artists. The album spawned two singles, including "What Do You Think Of It So Far?", a song described as "an elegant and soaring ode to the transience of time, infused with both self-doubt and an acceptance of life that can only come with maturity".

2000s

The follow-up album, ''To Be Frank'', was released in 2001. Over the years, Kershaw has collaborated on albums with artists such as Elton John, Bonnie Tyler, Tony Banks, Les Rythmes Digitales, Michael W. Smith and Imogen Heap.

In 2005, Kershaw released ''Then And Now'', a collection of earlier material with four new tracks. In 2006, he completed another solo album, ''You've Got to Laugh'', available only through his website or digitally through iTunes. This album contained twelve tracks and was released on the musician's own label, Shorthouse Records. Neither ''Then And Now'' nor ''You've Got To Laugh'' was promoted by a tour. The year also saw the digital re-release of his 1980s back catalogue including ''The Riddle'', ''Radio Musicola'' and ''The Works''.

Kershaw performed at Fairports Cropredy Convention on the 15 August 2009 and the Rewind Festival on 23 August 2009, on Temple Island Meadows at Henley-on-Thames. Kershaw also performed at The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich on 15 November 2009.

2010s

On 13 May 2010 Kershaw appeared on stage and hosted 'Our Friends Acoustic' in aid of Mencap. He performed "The Riddle", "Wouldn't It Be Good", "Dancing Girls" and "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Other 1980s performers joined him and performed their own songs, including Andy Bell, Carol Decker, Howard Jones, Jimmy Somerville, China Crisis and Steve Strange at The O2 in London.

Personal life

In June 1983 Kershaw married Sheri and they have three children. Nik and Sheri Kershaw separated in November 2003. Nik married Sarah, his girlfriend of four years, in June 2009 and is stepfather to Renee. On June 10, 2010, Kershaw revealed his wife had given birth to a son by posting the message ''"Theodore Douglas Kershaw, born 9/6/2010 at 9:01am. Mum and baby doing just fine."'' on his official Twitter. They now divide their time between their homes near Little Dunmow, Essex and West Cork, Ireland.

Discography

Collaborations

1985 ''Nikita'' by Elton John - Kershaw on electric guitar.

1991 ''Still'' by Tony Banks - Kershaw on lead vocals on "Red Day on Blue Street", "I Wanna Change the Score" and "The Final Curtain". "Red Day on Blue Street" and "I Wanna Change the Score" co-written by Banks and Kershaw.

1993 ''Duets'' by Elton John - "Old Friend" written by Kershaw. All instruments by Kershaw. Vocals by Kershaw and John.

1996 "Walls of Sound" (single) from ''Strictly Inc'' - B-side "Back to You" was co-written by Banks and Kershaw.

1998 ''Live the Life'' by Michael W. Smith - "Let Me Show You The Way" co-written by Kershaw, Smith and producer Stephen Lipson. Also features Smith and Kershaw on guitar.

1999 ''Darkdancer'' by Les Rythmes Digitales - "Sometimes" co-written by Jacques Lu Cont and Kershaw. Lead vocals by Kershaw.

1999 ''This Is Your Time'' by Michael W. Smith - "Hey You It's Me" - co-written by Kershaw and Smith. Backing vocals by Kershaw.

1999 ''The Riddle'' by Gigi D'Agostino - dance music version.

2001 "Island" by Orinoko - co-written by Kershaw.

2010 "Come Out and Play" by Kim Wilde - duet with Kim on the track "Love Conquers All".

See also

List of New Wave bands and artists

List of singer-songwriters

List of synthpop artists

List of performers on Top of the Pops

References

External links

Official Nik Kershaw website

Italian based fansite

Nikography - Nik Kershaw discography & collectors fansite

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:People from Bristol Category:English male singers Category:English New Wave musicians Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English songwriters

da:Nik Kershaw de:Nik Kershaw es:Nik Kershaw fr:Nik Kershaw it:Nik Kershaw he:ניק קרשו nl:Nik Kershaw ja:ニック・カーショウ no:Nik Kershaw pl:Nik Kershaw pt:Nik Kershaw ru:Кершоу, Ник fi:Nik Kershaw sv:Nik Kershaw