Coordinates	24°24′″N95°51′″N
name	Lexington
official name	Lexington-FayetteUrban County
Settlement type	Consolidated city-county
Nickname	"Horse Capital of the World", "Athens of the West"
Website	http://www.lexingtonky.gov/
Map caption	Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	US-KY
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision type2	Counties
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision name1	Kentucky
Subdivision name2	Fayette
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Jim Gray (D)
Area magnitude	1 E8
Area total km2	739.5
Area total sq mi	285.5
Area land km2	736.9
Area land sq mi	284.5
Area water km2	2.6
Area water sq mi	1.0
Area urban km2	180.1
Population as of	2010
Population total	295,803
Population density km2	364.5
Population density sq mi	953
Population urban	260,994
Population metro	472,099
Population blank1 title	Demonym
Population blank1	Lexingtonian
Timezone	EST
Utc offset	−5
Timezone dst	EDT
Utc offset dst	−4
Latns	N
Coordinates	38°01′47″N84°29′41″N
Longew	W
Elevation m	298
Elevation ft	978
Postal code type	ZIP Code
Postal code	40502–40517, 40522–40524, 40526, 40533, 40536, 40544, 40546, 40550, 40555, 40574–40583, 40588, 40591, 40598 40514, 40513, 40503
Area code	859
Footnotes	}}

Lexington (officially Lexington-Fayette Urban County) is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region. In the 2010 Census the city's population was 295,803, anchoring a metropolitan area of 472,099 people and a Combined Statistical Area of 687,173 people.

Lexington ranks tenth among US cities in college education rate, with 39.5% of residents having at least a bachelor's degree. It is home to the headquarters of Lexmark International, the Kentucky Horse Park, Keeneland race course, Red Mile race course, Transylvania University, the University of Kentucky and Bluegrass Community & Technical College.

Lexington was selected as the site of the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.

History

Lexington was founded in June 1775 in what was then Virginia (17 years before Kentucky became a state in 1792). A party of frontiersmen, led by William McConnell, camped on the Middle Fork of Elkhorn Creek (today called Town Branch and rerouted under Vine Street) at the location known today as McConnell Springs. Upon hearing of the colonists' victory in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775, they named their campsite Lexington after Lexington, Massachusetts. Due to the danger of Indian attacks, permanent settlement was delayed for four years. In 1779, Colonel Robert Patterson and 25 companions came from Fort Harrod and erected a blockhouse. Cabins and a stockade were soon built, making the fort, known as Bryan Station, a place of importance. Colonists defended it against a British and American Indian attack in 1782, during the last part of the American Revolution.

The town of Lexington was established on May 6, 1782, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The First African Baptist Church was founded c. 1790 by Peter Durrett, a Baptist preacher and slave held by Rev. Joseph Craig. Durrett helped guide "The Traveling Church", a group migration of several hundred pioneers led by the preacher Lewis Craig and Captain William Ellis from Virginia to Kentucky in 1781. It is the oldest black Baptist congregation in Kentucky and the third oldest in the United States.

By 1820, Lexington was one of the largest and wealthiest towns west of the Allegheny Mountains. So cultured was its lifestyle that the city gained the nickname "Athens of the West". One early prominent citizen, John Wesley Hunt, became the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies. The growing town was devastated by a cholera epidemic in 1833: 500 of 7,000 residents died within two months, including nearly one-third of the congregation of Christ Church Episcopal. London Ferrill, second preacher of First African Baptist, was one of three clergy who stayed in the city to serve the suffering. Additional cholera outbreaks occurred in 1848–49 and the early 1850s. Cholera was spread by people using contaminated water supplies, but its transmission was not understood in those years. Often the wealthier people would flee town for outlying areas to try to avoid the spread of disease.

Planters held slaves for use as field hands, laborers, artisans, and domestic servants. In the city, slaves worked primarily as domestic servants and artisans, although they also worked with merchants, shippers, and in a wide variety of trades. In 1850, one-fifth of the state's population were slaves, and Lexington had the highest concentration of slaves in the state. It also had a population of free blacks. By 1850, First African Baptist Church, led by London Ferrill, a free black, had a congregation of 1820, the largest of any, black or white, in the state.

Many of 19th-century America's most important people spent part of their lives in the city, including U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis (who attended Transylvania University in 1823 and 1824); Confederate general John Hunt Morgan; U.S. Senator and Vice President John C. Breckinridge; and Speaker of the House, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State Henry Clay, who had a plantation nearby. Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln was born and raised in Lexington, and the couple visited the city several times after their marriage in 1842.

In 1935 Lexington founded one of the first drug rehabilitation clinics, known as the "Addiction Research Center". Expanded as the first alcohol and drug rehabilitation hospital in the United States, it was known as "Narco" of Lexington. The hospital was later converted into a federal prison.

Geography

Lexington, which includes all Fayette County, consists of , mostly gently rolling plateau, in the center of the inner Bluegrass Region. The area is noted for its fertile soil, excellent pastureland, and horse and stock farms. ''Poa pratensis'' (bluegrass) thrives on the limestone beneath the soil's surface, playing a major role in the area's scenic beauty and in the development of champion horses. Numerous small creeks rise and flow into the Kentucky River.

The Lexington-Fayette Metro area is home to five counties: Clark, Jessamine, Bourbon, Woodford, and Scott, . This is the second largest metro area in the Ohio Valley and in Kentucky. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.35%) is water.

Climate

Lexington is in the humid subtropical climate, although nearing the humid continental climate. Summers are hot and humid, and winters are cool with mild periods.

The average temperature in Lexington is . Annual precipitation is . Lexington and the Bluegrass have four distinct seasons that include cool plateau breezes, moderate nights in the summer, and no prolonged periods of heat, cold, rain, wind, or snow.

Lexington is recognized as a high allergy area by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The results for the spring of 2008 rank Lexington at first.

Cityscape

Lexington features a diverse cityscape. From its vibrant downtown, which supports infill and historic preservation projects, to its famed horse farms, the city prides itself in featuring an urban growth boundary that includes greenbelts and strict zoning definitions. This has been done not only to protect the Bluegrass landscape from further development but to protect thoroughbred horse farms, the trademark industry of the region.

The city is home to several notable high rises. As of 2009, the Lexington Financial Center is the tallest building, followed by Kincaid Towers, and the World Trade Center complex. It is the location of many other notable structures and too many new urban developments in two major districts. In recent years numerous condominium projects and shopping centers have opened in the old Tobacco Warehouse District just south of Downtown. Due to uncertain financial backing, after demolishing the existing historic buildings, construction was permanently halted on what was to be the state's second tallest building/ The site is now planted with grass and fenced off from public access.

Forbes has named Lexington as one of the world's seventeen cleanest cities.

Planning

Lexington faces a rare challenge among American cities in that it must manage a rapidly growing population while maintaining the character of the surrounding horse farms that give the region its identity. To do so Lexington enacted the nation's first Urban Growth Boundary in 1958, where new development could only occur in the Urban Service Area. It set a strict minimum area requirement, currently , to maintain open space in the Rural Service Area. A historic District Zoning Overlay was adopted as well to protect the historic character of the surrounding neighborhoods. Two years later, a comprehensive Design Plan for the downtown was completed, which called for the removal of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway lines on what is today's Vine Street. In 1967, the Urban Service Area was decreased in area; various zoning regulations were also amended from the original 1958 issue. Several years later, in 1973, the first Lexington Comprehensive Plan was completed.

[[Image:DowntownLexUpperJBM.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Cheapside Ave in Downtown, now closed to vehicles]]

In 1980, the Comprehensive Plan was updated and the Urban Service Area was modified to include Urban Activity Centers and Rural Activity Centers. The Urban Activity Centers were commercial and light-industrial districts in urbanized areas, while Rural Activity Centers were retail trade and light-industrial centers clustered around the Interstate 64/Interstate 75 interchanges. In 1996, the Urban Service Area was expanded when of the Rural Service Area was acquired through the Expansion Area Master Plan. This was not without controversy; the first major update to the Comprehensive Plan in over a decade was accompanied by arguments about the future of Lexington and the thoroughbred farms. The Expansion Area Master Plan included impact fees, assessment districts, neighborhood design concepts, design overlays, mandatory greenways, major roadway improvements, stormwater management and open space mitigation for the first time; it also included a draft of the Rural Land Management Plan, which included large-lot zoning and traffic impact controls. A pre-zoning of the entire expansion area was refuted in the Plan. A minimum proposal was also defeated, although discussion of the proposal led to a deluge of subdivisions in the Rural Service Areas.

Three years after the expansion was initiated, the Rural Service Area Land Management Plan was adopted, which increased the minimum lot size in the agricultural rural zones to minimums. In 1998, a moratorium was issued on rural lot creations to curb the development of new rural subdivisions, which were incompatible with the existing agricultural uses. Two years later, the Purchase of Development Rights plan was adopted, which granted the city power to purchase the development rights of existing farms; in 2001, $40 million was allocated to the plan from a $25 million local, $15 million state grant. An Infill and Redevelopment study was also initiated during that time, along with design guidelines for the areas surrounding the new Fayette County courthouses.

Government and politics

Federally, Lexington is part of Kentucky's 6th congressional district, represented by Democrat Ben Chandler, elected in 2004.

The state's senior member of the United States Senate is the Republican Floor Leader, Mitch McConnell, elected in 1984. The state's junior member of the United States Senate is Rand Paul, elected in 2010. The Governor of Kentucky is Democrat Steve Beshear, elected in 2007.

In 1974, the governments of the city of Lexington and Fayette County, Kentucky, combined to create the current ''Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government'', often abbreviated ''LFUCG''. Lexington has an elected mayor and city council-style of government.

Mayor

On November 2, 2010, former vice-mayor Jim Gray was elected mayor, becoming the city's first openly gay mayor. He was sworn into office on January 2, 2011, by Kentucky Supreme Court justice Mary Noble. Gray was preceded by Mayor Jim Newberry, and the two collaborated on developing improved industrial and agricultural opportunity for the City of Lexington and the State of Kentucky.

Urban County Council

The Urban County Council is a 15-member legislative group. Twelve of the members represent specific districts and serve two-year terms; three are elected city-wide as at-large council members and serve four-year terms. The at-large member receiving the highest number of votes in the general election automatically becomes the Vice Mayor who, in the absence of the Mayor, is the presiding officer of the Council. The current council members are:

Linda Gorton: Vice Mayor

Chuck Ellinger II: At-Large

Steve Kay: At-Large

1st District: Chris Ford

2nd District: Tom Blues

3rd District: Diane Lawless

4th District: Julian Beard

5th District: Bill Farmer, Jr.

6th District: Kevin Stinnett

7th District: K. C. Crosbie

8th District: George Myers

9th District: Jay McChord

10th District: Doug Martin

11th District: Peggy Henson

12th District: Ed Lane

The Urban County Council Clerk is Susan Lamb.

Law enforcement

Primary law enforcement duties within Lexington are the responsibility of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Police. The Division of Police resulted from the merger of the Lexington Police Department with the Fayette County Patrol in 1974. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office is responsible for court service, including court security, prisoner transport, process and warrant service, and property tax collection. The University of Kentucky Police Department, the Transylvania University Department of Public Safety, Blue Grass Airport Public Safety, Fayette County Schools Department of Law Enforcement, the Veterans Affairs Police Department and the Kentucky Horse Park Police also have jurisdiction within their geographic areas in Lexington-Fayette County. In addition, the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care & Control exercises law enforcement over animal control issues and the Kentucky State Police, KSP Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources can be seen performing their respective law enforcement duties within the county.

Demographics

The Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, Scott, and Woodford counties. The MSA population in 2006 was estimated at 436,684. The Lexington-Fayette-Frankfort-Richmond, KY Combined Statistical Area had an estimated population of 645,006 in 2006. This includes the metro area and an additional seven counties.

As of the census of 2000, there were 260,512 people, 108,288 households, and 62,915 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 116,167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.04% White, 13.48% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.29% of the population.

There were 108,288 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.

The age distribution was 21.3% under 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,813, and the median income for a family was $53,264. Males had a median income of $36,166 versus $26,964 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,109. About 8.2% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under the age of 18 and 8.6% of those ages 65 and older.

_{Sources: 1790 to 1960 census: 1970 census: 1980 census: 1990 census: 2000 to 2005 census: 2006 census:}

Economy

With its abundance of government and technology jobs, Lexington has one of the nation's most stable economies. Economists have referred to Lexington as having "a fortified economy, strong in manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurial support, benefiting from a diverse, balanced business base". The Lexington Metro Area had a July 2008 unemployment rate of only 5.4%. Lexington was named the 5th best city for "Businesses and Careers" in 2008 by Forbes Magazine, and the 5th best city for Young Professionals in 2008 by Kiplinger.

As such, the city is home to several large corporations. There are three Fortune 500 companies located within the city, Affiliated Computer Services, Lexmark International and Hewlett Packard, employing 1,200, 3,450, and 250 respectively. United Parcel Service, Trane, Tempur-Pedic and Amazon.com, Inc. have a large presence in the city, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky is within the Lexington CSA in adjoining Georgetown. The city is also host to a Jif peanut butter plant that produces more peanut butter than any other factory in the world, and to the Forcht Group of Kentucky, a holding company that employs more than 2,100 people across Kentucky. Forcht Group operates several businesses in Lexington including First Corbin Bancorp, Kentucky National Insurance Company, My Favorite Things, BSC, a bank data services company, and First Lab, among others.

The citys largest employer, the University of Kentucky, employs 10,668, however, it does not include the College of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service which has a staff of over 900. The University is the ninth largest economic company in the state of Kentucky, with an annual budget of $1.4 billion, and the College of Medicine within the University is the 21st-largest company in the state.

Other sizable employers include the Lexington-Fayette County government and other hospital facilities. This includes the Fayette County Public Schools, employing 4,651, and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, employing 3,936. Central Baptist Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, and the Veterans Administration Hospital employ 6,206 total.

Education

According to the United States Census, of Lexington's population over the age of twenty-five, 22.4% hold a bachelor's degree, 11.4% hold a master's degree, and 3.1% hold a professional degree. Just 2.6% hold a doctorate degree. Lexington was ranked 10th in a list of America's most educated cities with a population of more than 250,000, ranked by percentage of bachelor's degrees among residents 25 and older, according to the United States Census Bureau. In a report released by Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, Lexington ranks 13th in the United States in terms of literacy rate. The index was compiled through six indicators of literacy, including Internet sources, newspaper circulation, the number of bookstores, library resources, education and periodical resources.

The city is served by the Fayette County Public Schools. The system consists of 5 high schools, 11 middle schools, and 33 elementary schools, along with six private schools. There are also two traditional colleges: the University of Kentucky, which is the states flagship public university, and Transylvania University, which is the states oldest four year university. Other institutions of higher learning include Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Sullivan University, Spencerian College, MedTech College, Strayer University, Commonwealth Baptist College, and a newly opened distance-learning extension of Indiana Wesleyan University.

Culture

Annual cultural events and fairs

Lexington is home to many thriving arts organizations including a professional orchestra, two ballet companies, professional theatre, several museums including a basketball museum, several choral organizations and a highly respected opera program at the University of Kentucky. In addition, there are several events and fairs that draw people from throughout the Bluegrass.

Mayfest Arts Fair is a free outdoor festival that takes place annually over Mother's Day weekend. Held in Gratz Park between the Carnegie Center and Transylvania University, the festival typically features up to 100 art and craft booths, live entertainment throughout the weekend, food, children's activities, adult activities and literary events, free carriage rides, a traditional Morris and Maypole dance and various demonstrations.

Taking part the first full weekend of June is the Festival of the Bluegrass, Kentucky's oldest bluegrass music festival. It includes three stages for music and a "music camp" that teaches the bluegrass music to school children. Also in June is the popular Broadway review presented by UK Opera Theatre, "It's A Grand Night for Singing!" usually held the 2nd and 3rd weekends.

Later in June, the Gay and Lesbian Service organization hosts the Lexington Pride Festival, currently into the planning phases of its third festival as of 2009, the event is popular among the diverse communities in Lexington.

Lexingtonians gather downtown for the Fourth of July festivities which extend for several days. On July 3, the Gratz Park Historic District is transformed into an outdoor music hall when the Patriotic Music Concert is held on the steps of Morrison Hall at Transylvania University. The Lexington Singers and the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra perform at this event. On the Fourth, annual festivities include a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the Old Courthouse, a waiter's race in Phoenix Park, a parade, a country music concert, and fireworks. Also, throughout the day street vendors sell their wares and food to the downtown visitors. The Fourth of July is considered to be the biggest holiday in Lexington. "Southern Lights: Spectacular Sights on Holiday Nights", taking place from November 18 to December 31, is held at the Kentucky Horse Park. It includes a three-mile (5 km) drive through the park, showcasing numerous displays, many in character with the horse industry and history of Lexington. The "Mini-Train Express", an indoor petting exotic animal petting zoo, the International Museum of the Horse, an exhibit showcasing the Bluegrass Railway Club's model train, and Santa Claus are other major highlights.

The Lexington Christmas Parade: Held usually the day after Thanksgiving, the parade route follows Main Street between Midland and Broadway. Festivities include a Holiday Market with over 25 arts and craft vendors, a stage with entertainment, food, and the annual tree lighting ceremony, which occur in Triangle Park.

Other events and fairs include:

The Artists Market: A small display of arts and craft booths which is set up concurrently with the Farmer's Market each Saturday from the first weekend in June through the last weekend in August. Located in Cheapside Park adjacent to the Lexington Farmer's Market.

Thursday Night Live: An annual summer series of free, public concerts held in Cheapside Park every Thursday evening from 4:30pm – 7:30pm in from May – October.

''A Midsummer Night's Run:'' A 5K race in early August.

The Woodland Art Fair: An annual event of the Lexington Art League, is held annually in August at Woodland Park and features many local and national artists working in a variety of media.

The Roots & Heritage Festival: An event that takes place throughout the month of September and consists of a wide variety of culturally enriching activities including art exhibits, literary readings, film presentations, the Festival Ball and the ever-popular two-day street festival featuring live musical performances from internationally renowned artists.

The Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra presents several annual concerts.

The Kentucky Women Writers Conference which has hosted dozens of the nations foremost women writers.

Festival Latino in September

Gallery Hop: a seasonal event where the city's art galleries are open to the public on the third Friday of February, April, June, September and November.

Beaux Arts Ball: A masquerade ball hosted by the University of Kentucky's College of Design (formerly College of Architecture).

Tournament of Champions: One of three national high school debate championship tournaments featuring policy debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate. The best teams in the nation meet after qualifying during the regular season on the first weekend in May annually, hosted by the University of Kentucky Debate Team.

Lexington Pride Festival: An annual summer event to celebrate pride in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Lexington has one of the highest concentrations of gay and lesbian couples in the United States for a city its size.

Historical structures and museums

Lexington is home to numerous museums and historical structures. One of the most famous is Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate along Richmond Road east of downtown. This two-story museum is a National Historic Landmark and was the former home of statesman Henry Clay.

Lexington Public Library, in the Phoenix Park area near the geographic center of Lexington, houses the world's largest ceiling clock, a five-story Foucault pendulum and a frieze depicting the history of the horse in the Bluegrass. The library and its branches also house art galleries and traveling exhibits.

Another important museum is the Lexington History Center in the old Fayette County Courthouse in the heart of downtown. It offers two museums, one dedicated to the history of the region and the other dedicated to public safety. A third museum, devoted to the history of pharmaceuticals in the Bluegrass, is under construction. It will also be home to the Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum in 2007 as well. Additional historic sites are the following:

Aviation Museum of Kentucky

First African Baptist Church

The Headley-Whitney Museum

Hunt-Morgan House

Kentucky Theatre

Lexington Cemetery

Martin Castle

Mary Todd Lincoln House

Old Morrison, on the Transylvania University campus

Rupp Arena

Waveland State Historic Site

The University of Kentucky Art Museum is the premier art museum for Lexington and the only accredited museum in the region. Its collection of over 4000 objects ranges from Old Masters to Contemporary, and it also hosts ongoing special exhibitions.

The local Woolworth's building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance as a site of civil rights protests against segregation during the 1960s. The building was demolished by its owner in 2004 and the area paved for use as a parking lot until further development.

Media

Lexington's largest daily circulating newspaper is the Lexington Herald-Leader. The region is also served by eight primary television stations, including WLEX, WKYT, WDKY, WTVQ, The CW, WKLE, and MyNetworkTV, and online news agency KyForward.com. The state's public television network, Kentucky Educational Television (KET), is headquartered in Lexington and is one of the nation's largest public networks.

Parks and outdoor attractions

City parks and facilities

Lexington has over 100 parks ranging in size from the Smith Street Park to the Masterson Station Park. There are also six public golf courses at Avon, Kearney Links, Lakeside, Meadowbrook, Tates Creek and Picadome and four dog parks, at Jacobson, Masterson Station, Coldstream, and Wellington. It also has two public 18-hole disc golf courses at Shillito Park and at Veterans Park, and a public skate park at Woodland Park, featuring of "ramps, platforms, bowls, and pipes".

Lexington Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places, not only because of notable people interred there, but because it was founded during the major cholera epidemic of 1848.

Horse racing tracks

Lexington is home to two historic horse racing tracks. Keeneland, sporting live races in April and October since 1936, is steeped in tradition where much has not changed since the track's opening. The Red Mile Harness Track is the oldest horse racing track in the city, and second oldest in the nation. This is where horses pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing, also referred to as harness racing. The Kentucky Horse Park, located along scenic Iron Works Pike, is a relatively late-comer to Lexington, opening in 1978. It is a working horse farm and an educational theme park, along with holding the distinction of being a retirement home for some of the world's greatest competition horses including Cigar and 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. Lexington also played host to the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games in September and October 2010.

Natural areas

The city is home to Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, a nature preserve along the Kentucky River Palisades. There are of back-country hiking trails that range from wheelchair-accessible paved trails to difficult single-track trails. It is common to run across hopeful Appalachian Trail backpackers. The city has recently purchased land adjacent to the park which will make Raven Run the largest park in the city. Raven Run is home to over 56 species of trees, 600 species of plants, 200 species of birds, and other wildlife. Remains of a grist mill, homestead and limekiln remain. The preserve also has a nature center and various educational programs throughout the year. Such programs include seasonal wildflower walks, stargazing during the warmer months, evening insect tours, and historical walks and presentations.

The Arboretum is a preserve adjacent to the University of Kentucky. It features the ''Arboretum Woods'', a small, Bluegrass Woodland patch that is home to eighteen native Kentucky tree species, and more than 50 native Kentucky grasses and herbs. It also has 1,500 varieties of roses in the ''Rose Garden'', a ''Home Demonstration Garden'', and numerous paved paths and trails.

The city also plays host to the historic McConnell Springs, a park within the industrial confines off of Old Frankfort Pike. There are two miles (3 km) of trails that surround the namesake springs, historic dry-laid stone fences, and historical structures.

Sports

College athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats, the athletic program of the University of Kentucky, is by far Lexington's most popular sports entity. The school fields 22 varsity sports teams, most of which compete in the Southeastern Conference. The most famous team by far is the men's basketball team, which has won 7 NCAA championships and is the winningest program in college basketball history, being the first to reach 2000 wins. Lexington's only other collegiate team, the Transylvania University Pioneers, competes in NCAA Division III athletics.

Lexington produced a number a major collegiate and professional athletes. The more well known include World Athletics Championships multiple gold medal-winning sprinter Tyson Gay; former Tates Creek High School and Louisville Cardinals kicker David Akers, who is the all-time scoring leader for the Philadelphia Eagles; former Louisville Cardinals football player and Cleveland Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield; New York Yankees outfielder Austin Kearns; former Kentucky and Pittsburgh Steelers center Dermontti Dawson; former Tates Creek High School basketball player Darrin Horn, now head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team; and NBC Sports announcer Tom Hammond.

Professional sports

Lexington is home to the Lexington Legends, a Class A minor league affiliate of the Houston Astros. Since its inception in 2001, Lexington has produced numerous major leaguers including: 2009 National League All-Star Hunter Pence (Outfielder) of the Philadelphia Phillies, John Buck (Catcher) of the Florida Marlins, Mike Gallo (Pitcher), who is currently a free agent, and Josh Anderson, (Right fielder) who is currently a Free Agent. The Legends belong to the South Atlantic League, have one league title (2001) and four playoff appearances since 2001. Roger Clemens pitched in one game for the Legends in 2006 as part of his preparation to return to the Houston Astros.

Lexington was at one time home to the Lexington Horsemen, an arena football team in the arenafootball2 league.

Lexington was at one time home to the Kentucky Thoroughblades, a minor league (AHL) hockey team that played between 1996 and 2001. For one season (2002–2003) the ECHL Men O' War played minor league hockey in Lexington.

The University of Kentucky Hockey team which competes at club level in the American Collegiate Hockey Association

For a time the city was home to the Lexington Bluegrass Bandits who competed in the USL Premier Development League

In fall 2009, Lexington's first professional basketball team, the American Basketball Association's Bluegrass Stallions, tipped off at Kentucky Horse Park.

Horse racing and equestrian events

Lexington has been known as a major center for Thoroughbred breeding since the late 18th century due to the high calcium content in the soils of the Inner Bluegrass Region, which leads to stronger bones and greater durability in horses. The city is home to two horse racing tracks, Keeneland and the The Red Mile harness track.

The Kentucky Horse Park in Northern Fayette County hosts the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, one of the top 3 annual equestrian eventing competitions in the world. The city hosted the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games from September 25 to October 10, 2010.

Transportation

Highways

Lexington is serviced by both Interstate 64 and Interstate 75, though neither they nor any other freeway run through the city proper. New Circle Road (KY 4) acts as an inner-beltway around the city, Man o' War Boulevard is a semi outer-beltway south of New Circle Road, and numerous U.S. routes and arterial highways radiate out from downtown to provide access to the numerous bedroom communities ringing the metropolitan area. Citation Boulevard is planned to provide some relief to northern New Circle between Leestown Road and Russell Cave Road. Lexington suffers considerable traffic congestion for a city of its size due to the lack of out- or inbound freeways, the proximity of the University of Kentucky to downtown, and the substantial number of commuters from outlying towns.

Air

The Blue Grass Airport is Lexington's primary commercial airport. It provides approximately 65 direct and nonstop flights daily from its two runways. Seven major airlines operate connection service at Blue Grass, including Airtran Airways, Allegiant Air, American Eagle Airlines, Continental Express, Delta Air Lines, United Express, and US Airways Express.

The airport is located four miles (six km) west of the city center, at the intersection of US 60 (Versailles Road) and Man o' War Boulevard.

In addition to commercial airline service, the airport is also home to several private {general aviation} operators. TACAIR is located on Bluegrass Field, along with a brand new general aviation runway 9-27 dedicated August 4, 2010. In addition to private charter services, there is a student pilot training center and the Aviation Museum of Kentucky.

Public transportation

Lexington is served by LexTran, a public transit bus agency operated by LFUCG and has been in existence since 1972.

Transportation planning

The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is responsible for transportation planning for Fayette and Jessamine Counties. This includes activities such as carpool matching, administering a commuter vanpool program, air quality forecasting, bicycle and pedestrian planning, congestion management, and developing transportation plans and documents.

Sister cities

Deauville, France since 1957 County Kildare, Ireland since 1984 Newmarket, United Kingdom since 2003 Shinhidaka, Japan since 2006

* Shinhidaka was formed by a 2006 local government merger. One of the entities involved in the merger was Shizunai, which established a sister city relationship with Lexington in 1988.

All four are, like Lexington, major centers of the Thoroughbred breeding industry in their respective countries.

See also

Lexington in the American Civil War

Notable residents of Lexington, Kentucky

References

External links

Official website of Lexington, Kentucky

Official website of Downtown Lexington Corporation

Lexington Kentucky: The Athens of the West, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary

Downloadable PDF and Plain text versions of George Washington Ranck's 1872 book, ''History of Lexington, Kentucky''

Category:Cities in Kentucky Category:Consolidated city–counties in the United States Category:County seats in Kentucky Category:Populated places established in 1775

ar:ليكسينغتون، كنتاكي an:Lexington (Kentucky) ast:Lexington zh-min-nan:Lexington, Kentucky be-x-old:Лексынгтан (Кентукі) br:Lexington (Kentucky) bg:Лексингтън ca:Lexington (Kentucky) da:Lexington (Kentucky) de:Lexington (Kentucky) es:Lexington (Kentucky) eo:Leksingtono (Kentukio) fa:لکزینگتون fr:Lexington (Kentucky) ko:렉싱턴 (켄터키 주) io:Lexington, Kentucky id:Lexington, Kentucky ia:Lexington, Kentucky it:Lexington (Kentucky) he:לקסינגטון ht:Lexington, Kentucky la:Lexintonia hu:Lexington (Kentucky) ml:ലെക്സിങ്ടൺ, കെന്റക്കി nl:Lexington (Kentucky) ja:レキシントン (ケンタッキー州) no:Lexington (Kentucky) pl:Lexington (Kentucky) pt:Lexington (Kentucky) ro:Lexington, Kentucky ru:Лексингтон (Кентукки) simple:Lexington, Kentucky sr:Лексингтон sh:Lexington (Kentucky) fi:Lexington (Kentucky) sv:Lexington, Kentucky tl:Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky uk:Лексингтон vi:Lexington, Kentucky vo:Lexington (Kentucky) war:Lexington, Kentucky zh:列克星敦 (肯塔基州)

Coordinates	24°24′″N95°51′″N
name	Tommy Tuberville
sport	Football
current title	Head coach
current team	Texas Tech
current conference	Big 12
current record	8–5 ()
contract	$2 million per year
birth date	September 18, 1954
birth place	Camden, Arkansas
player years	1972–1975
player teams	Southern Arkansas
player positions	Safety
coach years	1980–19841986–199319941995–19981999–20082010–present
coach teams	Arkansas State (DE/LB)Miami (FL) (assistant)Texas A&M; (DC)Ole MissAuburnTexas Tech
overall record	118–65 ()
bowl record	7–3
cfbdwid	2363
championships	1 SEC Championship (2004)5 SEC Western Division Titles (2000-2002, 2004-2005)
awards	AFCA Coach of the Year (2004)Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2004)Sporting News College Football COY (2004)Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2004)2x SEC Coach of the Year (1997, 2004)
cbasehof year	}}

Thomas Hawley Tuberville (born September 18, 1954) is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season. Tuberville served as the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 1995 to 1998 and at Auburn University from 1999 until December 3, 2008, when he resigned from the position after completing his tenth season.

Tuberville was the 2004 recipient of the Walter Camp and Paul Bryant Coach of the Year awards after Auburn's 13–0 season, in which his team won the Southeastern Conference title and the Sugar Bowl, but was left out of the BCS National Championship Game. Tuberville earned his 100th career win on October 6, 2007 in a 35–7 victory over Vanderbilt. He is the only coach in Auburn football history to beat in-state rival Alabama six consecutive times.

In 2011, Tuberville was elected second vice president of the American Football Coaches Association. According to AFCA tradition, he will move up to first vice president in 2012 and president in 2013.

Early years

Tuberville was born and raised in Camden, Arkansas. He graduated from Harmony Grove High School in Camden in 1972. He received a B.S. degree in physical education from Southern Arkansas University in 1976.

Coaching career

Early career

Tuberville coached at Hermitage High School in Arkansas to begin his career. Tuberville was an assistant coach at Arkansas State University. He then went through the ranks at the University of Miami, beginning as graduate assistant and ending as defensive coordinator in 1993 and winning the national championship three times during his tenure there (1986–1994). In 1994, Tuberville replaced Bob Davie as defensive coordinator under R. C. Slocum at Texas A&M; University. The Aggies went 10–0–1 that season.

Ole Miss

Tuberville got his first collegiate head coaching job at the University of Mississippi. He took over a Rebel team under severe NCAA scholarship sanctions and was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 1997 by the AP. During his tenure, he acquired the nickname "The Riverboat Gambler" for his aggressive play calling, particularly on 4th down. While at Ole Miss, Tuberville made the statement, "They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box," in reference to not leaving to coach at another school. Two days after he made that statement, it was announced that he was departing for Auburn.

Auburn

He left Ole Miss following the 1998 regular season to take the head coaching job at Auburn University. During his tenure at Auburn, Tuberville guided the Tigers to the top of the SEC standings, leading the Tigers to an SEC Championship and the Western Division title in 2004. Under his direction, the Tigers made eight consecutive bowl appearances including five New Year's Day bowl berths.

The Auburn Tigers were a perfect 13–0 in 2004 including the SEC title and a win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Tuberville received Coach of the Year awards from the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

In 2005, despite losing the entire starting backfield from the unbeaten 2004 team to the first round of the NFL Draft, Tuberville led Auburn to a 9–3 record, finishing the regular season with victories over rivals Georgia and Alabama.

Under Tuberville, Auburn had a winning record against its biggest rival, Alabama (7–3), and was tied with its next two most significant rivals, Georgia (5–5) and LSU (5–5). He led Auburn to 6 straight victories over in-state rival Alabama, the longest win streak in this rivalry since 1982, which was the year Auburn broke Alabama's 9-year winning streak.

Tuberville also established himself as one of the best big game coaches in college football, winning 9 of their last 15 games against Top 10 opponents (since the start of the 2004 season). In 2006, his Tigers recorded victories over two Top 5 teams who later played in BCS bowls, including eventual BCS Champion Florida. Tuberville had a 5–2 career record versus Top 5 teams, including three wins versus Florida. However, Tuberville developed a reputation for losing games where he clearly had the better team. Examples include a humbling 24-point loss to a then 4–5 Alabama team in 2001, and a loss to Vanderbilt—the first time Auburn lost to the Commodores in over five decades—and Arkansas in 2008. In fact, after dropping three straight SEC games in 2003, Auburn booster Bobby Lowder, along with Auburn's President Walker and Athletic Director Housel, contacted then Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino to gauge his interest in taking the Auburn job, if Tuberville was fired. The press found out about the meeting, which occurred just prior to the 2003 Alabama game, and the episode has since been referred to as 'JetGate'.

Tuberville coached 19 players who were selected in the NFL draft, including four first round picks in 2004, with several others signing as free agents. He coached 8 All-Americans and a Thorpe Award winner (Carlos Rogers). Thirty-four players under Tuberville were named to All-SEC (First Team). Eighteen players were named All-SEC freshman. His players were named SEC player of the week 46 times. He also had 2 SEC players of the year and one SEC Championship game MVP.

Tuberville fired Tony Franklin as the offensive coordinator of Auburn on October 8, 2008. After the 2008 season, with a 5–7 record highlighted by losses to Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and a final 36–0 loss to Alabama, he resigned from Auburn. Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs claimed that Tuberville voluntarily resigned. Jacobs added: "To say the least, I was a little shocked. But after three times of asking him would he change his mind, he convinced me that the best thing for him and his family and for this football program was for him to possibly take a year off and take a step back." With his departure, Tuberville will be paid a pro-rated buyout of $5.1 million. The payments include $3 million within 30 days of his resignation date and the remaining amount within a year later.

Following his departure from Auburn, during the 2009 football season, Tuberville worked as an analyst for Buster Sports and ESPN, discussing the SEC and the Top 25 on various television shows and podcasts. He also appears with a cameo in ''The Blind Side''.

Texas Tech

On December 31, 2009, Tuberville expressed interest in becoming the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. The position was left open after the university fired Mike Leach. On January 9, 2010, Tuberville was named head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. He was introduced at a press conference on Sunday, January 10, 2010. On January 1, 2011, Tuberville became the second head coach in Texas Tech football history to win a bowl game in his first season—an accomplishment unmatched since DeWitt Weaver's first season in 1951/52.

On January 18, 2011, Texas Tech announced that Tuberville received a one-year contract extension and a $500,000 per year raise in salary. The extension and raise gave Tuberville a $2 million per-year salary through the 2015 season. At the beginning of Tuberville's first year at Texas Tech, season ticket sales increased from the previous record of 30,092 to 46,546. Additionally, Tuberville is responsible for the highest-rated recruiting class in Texas Tech history, securing the nationally 18th-ranked recruiting class in 2011 according to Rivals.com and the 14th best in the country according to Scout.com. He has been repeatedly quoted as saying he has the singular goal of winning a championship while at Texas Tech. On April 26, 2011, Tuberville was an invited guest on the popular conservative show Hannity. On the show Tuberville raised doubts about Barack Obama actually being an American. The next day President Obama released his official birth certificate.

Coaching tree

Assistant coaches under Tommy Tuberville who became NCAA head coaches:

Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks (2008–present)

Paul Rhoads, Iowa State Cyclones (2008–present)

Gene Chizik, Auburn Tigers (2009–present)

Will Muschamp, Florida Gators (2011–present)

Personal life and community involvement

Tuberville is married to Suzanne (née Fette) of Guilford, Indiana. They are the parents of two sons—Tucker and Troy. In a January 2010 interview in which Tuberville discussed various aspects of his personal outlook and his life beyond coaching, he described how he and Suzanne, both teetotalers, chanced to meet in Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The year was 1989 when Tommy was coaching defense for the University of Miami Hurricanes and Suzanne—based in Boise, Idaho, and employed by Newhouse Newspapers—was in New Orleans to work on a convention. They talked between tables for an hour, and he gave her his business card, finding her especially interesting because, although she, being from a small town in Indiana, was a fan of Bobby Knight and knew a lot about basketball, she "had no clue" about football. The Hurricanes were to play in the 1989 Sugar Bowl in the Louisiana Superdome, and Suzanne did not know what the Sugar Bowl was; thus he found her attractive.

During his time at Auburn, Tuberville participated actively in the Auburn Church of Christ and contributed time and resources to other organizations within the Auburn community including Storybook Farm, an equestrian-based program offering free therapeutic care to children with debilitating illnesses and those suffering from bereavement. Additionally, he hosts charity golf tournaments for Camp ASCAA, the Girls and Boys Club of Montgomery, the Auburn University Marching Band, and the Alabama Sheriff's Youth Ranch.

Tommy Tuberville has indicated his other interests as "NASCAR, golf, football, hunting and fishing, . . . [and] America's military"; he is a director for Morale Entertainment, which provides National Collegiate Athletic Association for tours among deployed U.S. servicemembers.

Despite 15 years of coaching at a prominent level, Tuberville, according to an article by Jennifer Ritz in ''Texas Techsan'', claimed in 2010 that the most high profile activity he had ever done was in 2009 between his stints at Auburn and Texas Tech, when he appeared in the Oscar-winning film ''The Blind Side''.

Head coaching record

* Bowl Game coached by David Cutcliffe

References

External links

Texas Tech profile

Official Auburn profile

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:American football safeties Category:Arkansas State Red Wolves football coaches Category:Auburn Tigers football coaches Category:Miami Hurricanes football coaches Category:Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Category:Southern Arkansas Muleriders football players Category:Texas A&M; Aggies football coaches Category:Texas Tech Red Raiders football coaches Category:University of Miami alumni Category:People from Ouachita County, Arkansas Category:Players of American football from Arkansas Category:American members of the Churches of Christ

Coordinates	24°24′″N95°51′″N
name	Ryuichi Sakamoto坂本龍一
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born	January 17, 1952Tokyo, Japan
instrument	Keyboard, piano
genre	Classical, Electronic (dance, electro, electronica, house, progressive, techno), Experimental (avant‑garde, rock), J‑pop, New Wave, Soundtrack, Synthpop, World
occupation	Musician, composer, record producer, actor
years active	1977–present
label	Columbia Music Entertainment (1978–1979)Alfa Records (1979–1983)MIDI (1984–1986)Sony Music Entertainment Japan (1986–1987)EMI (1989–1991,1993)For Life Records (1994–1997)Warner Music (1998–2006)commmons (2006–present)A&M; RecordsRestless Records
associated acts	Yellow Magic Orchestra, Akiko Yano, Chris Mosdell, Sandii, Japan, David Sylvian, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Michael Jackson, Mari Iijima, David Bowie, Youssou N'Dour, Madonna, Talvin Singh, Sketch Show }}

is a Japanese musician, composer, record producer, writer, singer, and actor, based in Tokyo and New York. He began his career in 1978 as a member of the pioneering electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), where he played the keyboards and occasionally sang the vocals. The band was an international success, with worldwide hits such as "Computer Game / Firecracker" (1978) and "Behind the Mask" (1978), the latter written and sung by Sakamoto. At around the same time, he began pursuing a solo career in pop music, debuting with an experimental electronic fusion album ''The Thousand Knives of Ryūichi Sakamoto'' (1978), and later released the pioneering electro music album ''B-2 Unit'' (1980), which included the electro classic "Riot in Lagos". After YMO disbanded in 1983, he produced more hit solo records, including collaborations with various international artists, through to the 1990s.

He began acting and film composing with ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence'' (1983), which he starred in and composed the score for; the song "Forbidden Colours" which he composed for it became a worldwide hit and he won a BAFTA Award for the film's score. He later won an Academy Award and Grammy Award for scoring ''The Last Emperor'' (1987), and has also won two Golden Globe Awards for his work as a film composer. In addition, he also composed music for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony. In the early 1990s, he briefly reunited with YMO, playing an instrumental role in the techno and acid house movements of the era, before parting ways again shortly afterwards. His 1999 musical composition "Energy Flow", also known as the alternative title of the single disc ''Ura BTTB'', was the first number-one instrumental single in Japan's Oricon charts history. He has also occasionally worked on anime and video games, as a composer as well as a scenario writer. In the late 2000s, he reunited once again with YMO, while continuing to compose film music. In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture for his musical contributions.

Biography

Early years and Yellow Magic Orchestra

Sakamoto entered the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1970, earning a B.A. in music composition and an M.A. with special emphasis on both electronic and ethnic music. He studied ethnomusicology there with the intention of becoming a researcher in the field, due to his interest in various world music traditions, particularly the Japanese (especially Okinawan), Indian and African musical traditions. He was also trained in classical music and began experimenting with the electronic music equipment available at the university, including synthesizers such as the Buchla, Moog, and ARP. One of Sakamoto's classical influences was Claude Debussy, who he described as his "hero" and stated that “Asian music heavily influenced Debussy, and Debussy heavily influenced me. So, the music goes around the world and comes full circle.”

After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as electropop/technopop, synthpop, cyberpunk music, ambient house, and electronica. The group's work has had a lasting influence across genres ranging from hip hop and techno to acid house and general melodic music.

Sakamoto was the songwriter and composer for a number of the band's hit songs, including "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" (1978), "Technopolis" (1979), "Nice Age" (1980), "Ongaku" (1983), and "You've Got to Help Yourself" (1983), while playing the keyboards for many of their other songs, including international hits such as "Computer Game / Firecracker" (1978) and "Rydeen" (1979), and singing in several songs such as "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" (1983). He also wrote "Technopolis" (1979), which contributed to the development of techno, and the international hit "Behind the Mask" (1978), a synthpop song for which he sang the vocals through a vocoder and which would later be covered by a number of international artists, including Michael Jackson and Eric Clapton.

Solo career

Sakamoto released his first solo album in mid-1978, ''Thousand Knives of Ryūichi Sakamoto'', with the help of Hideki Matsutake, who would later be the "fourth member" of Yellow Magic Orchestra, and with the band's founding member Haruomi Hosono also contributing to the song "Thousand Knives". The album experimented with different styles, such as "Thousand Knives" and "The End of Asia" fusing electronic music with traditional Japanese music, while "Grasshoppers" was a more minimalistic piano song. The album was recorded from April to July in 1978 using a variety of electronic equipment, including various synthesizers such as the KORG PS-3100 polyphonic synthesizer, Oberheim Eight-Voice, Moog III-C, Polymoog, Minimoog, and Micromoog, as well as the Korg VC-10 vocoder, KORG SQ-10 analog sequencer, and Syn-Drums electronic drum kit. It was also the earliest known record to utilize the microprocessor-based Roland MC-8 Microcomposer music sequencer, which was programmed by Matsutake. Sakamoto would later remix his song "Thousand Knives" using the Roland TR-808 drum machine as "1000 Knives" for his band's album ''BGM'' (1981). His song "Grasshoppers" would also later be sampled in Ghostface Killah's "Baby" (2009).

In 1980, he released the solo album ''B-2 Unit'', which is considered to be his "edgiest" record. It is known for the electronic classic "Riot in Lagos", which is considered an early example of electro music (electro-funk), for having anticipated the beats and sounds of electro. Ryuichi Sakamoto, particularly his song "Riot in Lagos", had an influence on early electo and hip hop artists such as Afrika Bambaata, and was cited by Kurtis Mantronik as a major influence on his electro hip hop group Mantronix. The song was later included in Playgroup's compilation album ''Kings of Electro'' (2007), alongside later electro classics such as Hashim's "Al-Nafyish" (1983). According to ''Dusted Magazine'', Sakamoto's use of squelching bounce sounds and mechanical beats was later incorporated in early electro and hip hop music productions such as “Message II (Survival)” (1982) by Melle Mel and Duke Bootee, “Magic’s Wand” (1982) by Whodini and Thomas Dolby, Twilight 22’s “Electric Kingdom” (1983), and Kurt Mantronik's ''Mantronix: The Album'' (1985). The 1980 release of "Riot in Lagos" was listed by ''The Guardian'' in 2011 as one of the 50 key events in the history of dance music.

Also in 1980, Sakamoto released the single "War Head / Lexington Queen", an experimental synthpop and electro record. That same year, Sakamoto began a long-standing collaboration with David Sylvian when he co-wrote and performed on the Japan track "Taking Islands In Africa". In 1982, Sakamoto worked on another collaboration with Sylvian, a single entitled "Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music". That same year, his collaboration with Kiyoshiro Imawano, "Ikenai Rouge Magic", topped the Oricon singles chart. In 1983, he produced Mari Iijima's debut album ''Rose''.

Following the disbanding of Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1983, Sakamoto released a number of solo albums during the 1980s. While primarily focused on the piano and synthesizer, this series of albums boasted a roster of collaborators that included David Sylvian, David Byrne, Thomas Dolby, Nam June Paik, and Iggy Pop, among others. Sakamoto would alternate between exploring a variety of musical styles, ideas, and genres – captured most notably in his groundbreaking 1983 album ''Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia'' – and focusing on a specific subject or theme, such as the Italian Futurism movement in ''Futurista'' (1986). At times, Sakamoto would also present varying interpretations of technology's intersection with music: He would present some pieces, such as "Replica", with Kraftwerkian rigidity and order, while he would infuse humanity and humor into others – "Broadway Boogie Woogie", for example, liberally lifts samples from Ridley Scott's film ''Blade Runner'' and pairs them with a raucous, sax-driven techno-pop backdrop.

As his solo career began to extend outside Japan in the late 1980s, Sakamoto's explorations, influences, and collaborators followed suit. ''Beauty'' (1989) boasted a tracklist that combined pop and traditional Japanese and Okinawan songs, yet featured guest appearances by Jill Jones, Brian Wilson, and Robbie Robertson. ''Heartbeat'' (1991) and ''Sweet Revenge'' (1994), meanwhile, looked to international horizons and worked with a global range of artists such as Roddy Frame, Dee Dee Brave, Marco Prince, Arto Lindsay, Youssou N'Dour, David Sylvian, and Ingrid Chavez. 1996 saw the appearance of two notable albums: ''Smoochy'', which fused pop and electronica with bossa nova and other South American forms, and ''1996'', which featured a number of previously released pieces arranged for solo piano, accompanied with violin and cello.

Following ''1996'', Sakamoto simultaneously delved into the classical and "post-techno" genres with ''Discord'' (1998), an hour-long orchestral work in four parts. Here he evoked the melodic qualities of his film score work, imbued with the influence of 20th century classical composers and spoken word. The Sony Classical release also featured an interactive CD-ROM component and website that complemented the work. Shortly thereafter, the Ninja Tune record label released a series of remixes of various sections, produced by a number of prominent electronica artists, including Amon Tobin, Talvin Singh and DJ Spooky.

The next album, ''BTTB'' (1998) – an acronym for "Back to the Basics" – was a fairly opaque reaction to the prior year's multilayered, lushly orchestrated ''Discord''. The album comprised a series of original pieces on solo piano, including "Energy Flow" (a major hit in Japan) and a frenetic, four-hand arrangement of the Yellow Magic Orchestra classic "Tong Poo." On the ''BTTB'' U.S. tour, he opened the show performing a brief avant-garde DJ set under the stage name DJ Lovegroove.

1999 saw the long-awaited release of Sakamoto's "opera" ''LIFE''. It premiered with seven sold-out performances in Tokyo and Osaka. This ambitious multi-genre multi-media project featured contributions by over 100 performers, including Pina Bausch, Bernardo Bertolucci, Josep Carreras, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Salman Rushdie.

Sakamoto later teamed with cellist Jaques Morelenbaum (a member of his ''1996'' trio), and Morelenbaum's wife, Paula, on a pair of albums celebrating the work of bossa nova pioneer Antonio Carlos Jobim. They recorded their first album, ''Casa'' (2001), mostly in Jobim's home studio in Rio de Janeiro, with Sakamoto performing on the late Jobim's grand piano. The album was well received, having been included in the list of New York Times's top albums of 2002.

Sakamoto collaborated with Alva Noto (an alias of Carsten Nicolai) to release ''Vrioon'', an album of Sakamoto's piano clusters treated by Nicolai's unique style of digital manipulation, involving the creation of "micro-loops" and minimal percussion. The two produced this work by passing the pieces back and forth until both were satisfied with the result. This debut, released on German label Raster-Noton, was voted record of the year 2004 in the electronica category by British magazine The Wire. They later released ''Insen'' (2005) – while produced in a similar manner to Vrioon, this album is somewhat more restrained and minimalist.

Meanwhile, Sakamoto continues to craft music to suit any context: In 2005, Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia hired Sakamoto to compose ring and alert tones for their high-end phone, the Nokia 8800. A recent reunion with YMO pals Hosono and Takahashi also caused a stir in the Japanese press. They released a single "Rescue" in 2007 and a DVD "HAS/YMO" in 2008. Sakamoto's latest album, ''Out Of Noise'', was released on March 4, 2009 in Japan. In July 2009 Sakamoto was honored as Officier of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the French Embassy in Tokyo.

Film composer and actor

Moviegoers may recognize Sakamoto primarily through his score work on two films: Nagisa Oshima's ''Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'' (1983), including the title theme and the duet "Forbidden Colours" with David Sylvian, and Bernardo Bertolucci's ''The Last Emperor'' (1987), the latter of which earned him the Academy Award with fellow composers David Byrne and Cong Su. In that same year he composed the score to the cult-classic anime film ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise''.

Frequent collaborator David Sylvian contributed lead vocals to "Forbidden Colours" – the main theme to ''Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'' – which became a minor hit. Sixteen years later, the piece resurfaced as a popular dance track called "Heart of Asia" (by the group Watergate).

Other films scored by Sakamoto include Pedro Almodóvar's ''Tacones lejanos (High Heels)'' (1991), Bertolucci's ''The Little Buddha'' (1993), Oliver Stone's ''Wild Palms'' (1993), John Maybury's ''Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon'' (1998), Brian De Palma's ''Snake Eyes'' (1998) and ''Femme Fatale'' (2002), Oshima's ''Gohatto'' (1999), and Kiran Rao's ''Dhobi Ghat'' (2011). He also composed the score of the opening ceremony for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, telecast live to an audience of over a billion viewers.

Several tracks from Sakamoto's earlier solo albums have also appeared in film soundtracks. In particular, variations of "Chinsagu No Hana" (from ''Beauty'') and "Bibo No Aozora" (from ''1996'') provide the poignant closing pieces for Sue Brooks's ''Japanese Story'' (2003) and Alejandro González Iñárritu's ''Babel'' (2006), respectively.

Sakamoto has also acted in several films: perhaps his most notable performance was as the conflicted Captain Yonoi in ''Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'', alongside Takeshi Kitano and British rock singer David Bowie. He also played roles in ''The Last Emperor'' ( as Masahiko Amakasu) and Madonna's "Rain" music video.

Personal life

Sakamoto has been married twice. His first marriage took place in 1972 but ended in divorce two years later. Sakamoto has a daughter from this relationship. Sakamoto then married popular Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano in 1982, having collaborated with her on some of her recordings. Yano was also a regular touring member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. They finally divorced in August 2006, 14 years after a mutual decision to live separately. They had one daughter, J-pop singer Miu Sakamoto.

In 1998, Italian ethnomusicologist Massimo Milano published ''Ryuichi Sakamoto. Conversazioni'', a collection of essays and conversations.

He is also known as a critic of copyright law, arguing that it is antiquated in the information age. He argued that in "the last 100 years, only a few organisations have dominated the music world and ripped off both fans and creators" and that "with the internet we are going back to having tribal attitudes towards music." He is a member of anti-nuclear organization Stop Rokkasho and demand the abolition of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant.

Awards

Ryuichi Sakamoto has won a number of awards for his work as a film composer, beginning with his score for ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence'' (1983) winning him the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. His greatest award success was for scoring ''The Last Emperor'' (1987), which won him the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, as well as a BAFTA nomination.

His score for ''The Sheltering Sky'' (1990) later won him his second Golden Globe Award, and his score for ''Little Buddha'' (1993) received another Grammy Award nomination. In 1997, his collaboration with Toshio Iwai, ''Music Plays Images X Images Play Music'', was awarded the Golden Nica, the grand prize of the Prix Ars Electronica competition. He also contributed to the Academy Award winning soundtrack for ''Babel'' (2006) with several pieces of music, including the "Bibo no Aozora" closing theme. In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture for his musical contributions.

The music video for "Risky", written and directed by Meiert Avis, also won the first ever MTV "Breakthrough Video Award". The ground breaking video explores transhumanist philosopher FM-2030's (Persian: فریدون اسفندیاری) ideas of "Nostalgia for the Future", in the form of an imagined love affair between a robot and one of Man Ray's models in Paris in the late 1930s. Additional inspiration was drawn from Jean Baudrillard, Edvard Munch's 1894 painting "Puberty", and Roland Barthes "Death of the Author". The surrealist black and white video uses stop motion, light painting, and other retro in-camera effects techniques. Meiert Avis shot Sakamoto while at work on the score for "The Last Emperor" in London. Sakamoto also appears in the video painting words and messages to an open shutter camera. Iggy Pop, who performs the vocals on "Risky", chose not to appear in the video, allowing his performance space to be occupied by the surrealist era robot.

Selected discography

Original studio albums

Several albums exist in 2 versions, the original Japanese version and the international version, each having differences in tracklistings.

''Thousand Knives'' (1978)

''Tokyo Joe'' (1978, with Kazumi Watanabe, more a compilation than a proper album, featuring an odd mix of tracks from ''Thousand Knives'' and from the eponymous album by Watanabe's short lived Kylyn band)

''Summer Nerves'' (1979, with The Kakutogi Session)

''B2-Unit'' (1980)

''Left-Handed Dream'' (1981) (Tracklistings differ between Japanese and international issues)

''The Arrangement'' (1981, with Robin Scott) (originally released as an EP, later expended into a full album containing the complete sessions)

''The End of Asia'' (1982, with Danceries)

''Ongakuzukan'' (1984) with the single ''Replica'' (the international release from 1986 is titled ''Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia'', and has a different tracklisting)

''Esperanto'' (1985)

''Futurista'' (1986)

''Coda'' (1986)

''Neo Geo'' (1987)

''Playing the Orchestra'' (1989)

''Undo #1'' (1989)

''Beauty'' (1989)

''Heartbeat'' (1991)

''Benedict Beauty'' (1992)

''Soundbytes'' (1994, compilation of tracks recorded 1981–1986)

''Sweet Revenge'' (1994)

''Smoochy'' (1995)

''1996'' (1996)

''Discord'' (1997)

''BTTB'' (1999)

''Cinemage'' (1999)

''Intimate'' (1999, with Keizo Inoue)

''L I F E'' (2000)

''In The Lobby''

''Comica'' (2002)

''Elephantism'' (2002)

''Moto.tronic'' (2003, Compilation of tracks recorded between 1983 & 2003)

''Love'' (2003)

''Chasm'' (2004)

''/04'' (2004)

''/05'' (2005)

''Cantus omnibus unus; for mixed or equal choir'' (2005)

''Bricolages'' (2006)

''Out of Noise'' (2009)

''Playing the Piano'' (2009)

Original soundtracks and event scores

''Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'' (1983)

''Works I – CM'' (released in 2002, featuring commissioned works from 1981–1984)

''Koneko Monogatari (A Kitten's Story)'' (1986)

''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise'' (''Ôritsu uchûgun Oneamisu no tsubasa'') (1987)

''The Last Emperor'' (1987) (Won Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA)

''Fantasy of Light and Life'' (1989)

''Black Rain'' (1989) – featuring his song "Laserman"

''Tengai Makyo Ziria'' (1989) – video game

''The Sheltering Sky'' (1990)

''The Handmaid's Tale (1990)

''Peachboy (Momotaro)''

''High Heels'' (1992)

''Wuthering Heights'' (1992)

"El Mar Mediterrani" (composition for Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony) (1992)

''Topazu / Tokyo Decadence'' (1992)

''Wild Palms'' (1993)

''Little Buddha'' (1993)

''Music for Yohji Yamamoto Collection 1995''

''Stalker'' (1997)

''Snake Eyes'' (1998)

''Love is the devil'' (1998)

DreamCast (1998) – start-up sound for video game console

''Gohatto'' (1999)

''Poppoya ''(Main theme) (1999)''

''L.O.L.: Lack of Love'' – Dreamcast video game (2000), for which he was also the scenario writer

''Zero Landmine'' (2001)

''Minha Vida Como Un Filme'' (2002)

''Femme Fatale'' (2002)

''Century Of Reform'' (2002)

''Derrida'' (2002)

''Japanese Story'' (2003) – featuring "Chinsagu No Hana" (from ''Beauty'')

''Seven Samurai 20XX'' – PlayStation 2 video game (2004)

''Shining Boy & Little Randy'' (2005)

''Tony Takitani'' (2005)

''Babel'' (2006) – featuring "Bibo No Aozora" (from ''1996'')

''Dawn of Mana'' (2006) – PlayStation 2 video game

''Silk'' (2007)

''Indigo'' (Short-Film) (2008)

''Dhobi Ghat'' (India) (2011)

With Morelenbaum² (Paula Morelenbaum and Jaques Morelenbaum)

''Casa'' (2001)

''A Day in New York'' (2003)

With Carsten Nicolai, as alva noto + ryuichi sakamoto

''Vrioon'' (CD, 2002)

''Insen'' (CD, 2005)

''Revep'' (CD EP, 2006)

''Insen Live'' (DVD, 2006)

''Utp_'' (CD+DVD, 2008, with Ensemble Modern)

''Summvs'' (CD, 2011)

With Fennesz

''Sala Santa Cecilia'' (2005, live EP)

''Cendre'' (2007)

Other collaborations

Geisha Girls

Japan: ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'' (1980, features Ryuichi Sakamoto as co-writer of the track ''Taking Islands In Africa'')

Mari Iijima: ''Rose'' (1983, produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto)

David Sylvian: ''Brilliant Trees'' (1984, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano/synthesizers on 3 tracks)

David Sylvian: ''Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities'' (1985, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano and strings on 1 track)

Thomas Dolby: ''Fieldwork'' (1985, written by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Thomas Dolby, featuring Thomas Dolby on vocals)

David Sylvian: ''Secrets of the Beehive'' (1987, featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto on all 10 tracks)

David van Tieghem: ''Safety in Numbers'' (1989, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on keyboards on 2 tracks)

Hector Zazou: ''Sahara Blue'' (1992, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano on 4 tracks)

Hector Zazou: ''Strong Currents'' (2003, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano)

Aztec Camera: ''Dreamland'' (1993, produced with Roddy Frame)

Holly Johnson: ''Love And Hate'' (1994), features Johnson on vocals

Arto Lindsay: ''O Corpo Sutil'' (1996, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on 4 tracks)

Red Hot + Rio, produced by the Red Hot Organization: ''É Preciso Perdoar'' (1996, Ryuichi Sakamoto performs keyboards for the duet sang by Cesária Évora and Caetano Veloso)

David Sylvian: ''Dead Bees on a Cake'' (1999, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on 7 tracks)

David Sylvian: ''Everything and Nothing'' (2000, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on 9 tracks)

Senor Coconut: ''Yellow Fever!'' (2006, features Ryuichi Sakamoto on 1 track)

Willits + Sakamoto: ''Ocean Fire'' (2007, with Christopher Willits)

Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses: ''Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses'' (features Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano and backing vocals)

Rodrigo Leão: "Cinema" (features Ryuichi Sakamoto on 1 track)

Commmons

In 2006, Sakamoto, with avex Group's help, founded , a record label promising change in the way music should be. For him, Commmons is not his label, but is a platform for all aspiring artists to join as equal collaborators and share for benefits of the music industry. The word Commmons has three M's because the 3rd M stands for music.

See also

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Stop Rokkasho

This Is The One

Avex Group

*Commmons

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

References

External links

The official Ryūichi Sakamoto web site

Commmons – Sakamoto's record label

Raster-Noton site

Fan Website

Ustream – Live Channel for RYUICHI SAKAMOTO NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2010

Classical Archives Interview

Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:People from Tokyo Category:Japanese composers Category:Japanese film score composers Category:Japanese dance musicians Category:Japanese electronic musicians Category:Japanese record producers Category:Japanese anti–nuclear power activists Category:Anime composers Category:Electro musicians Category:House musicians Category:Techno musicians Category:Video game musicians Category:Intellectual property activism Category:20th-century classical composers Category:21st-century classical composers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Tokyo University of the Arts alumni Category:Japanese keyboardists Category:Avex Group

ca:Ryūichi Sakamoto da:Ryuichi Sakamoto de:Ryūichi Sakamoto es:Ryūichi Sakamoto fr:Ryūichi Sakamoto ko:사카모토 류이치 io:Ryuichi Sakamoto it:Ryuichi Sakamoto nl:Ryuichi Sakamoto ja:坂本龍一 no:Ryuichi Sakamoto pl:Ryūichi Sakamoto pt:Ryuichi Sakamoto ru:Сакамото, Рюити sk:Rjúiči Sakamoto fi:Ryūichi Sakamoto zh:坂本龍一