A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In each musical style different norms have developed for the sizes and composition of different ensembles, and for the repertoire of songs or musical works that these ensembles perform.

A group of two musicians is called a duo, a group of three is a trio, a group of four a quartet, and a group of five a quintet. A musician who usually performs alone is usually termed a solo musician or solo artist.

In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families (such as piano, strings, and wind instruments) or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles. In jazz ensembles, the instruments typically include wind instruments (one or more saxophones, trumpets, etc.), one or two chordal "comping" instruments (electric guitar, piano, or organ), a bass instrument (electric bass guitar or double bass), and a drummer or percussionist. In rock ensembles, usually called rock bands, there are usually guitars and keyboards (piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, synthesizer, etc.) and a rhythm section made up of a bass guitar and drum kit.

Classical chamber music

In Western Art music, commonly referred to as classical music, smaller ensembles are called chamber music ensembles. The terms duet, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, nonet and dectet are used to describe groups of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten musicians, respectively. A group of eleven musicians, such as found in ''The Carnival of the Animals'', is called either a "hendectet" or an "undectet" (see Latin numerical prefixes). A solo is not an ensemble because it only contains one musician.

Four parts

Strings

A string ''quartet'' usually consists of two violins, a viola and a cello. An upper string quartet features two violins and two violas. A lower string quartet features 1 viola, 2 cellos and a double bass. An American string quartet features two guitars, a banjo and a drum kit.

Wind

A woodwind quartet usually features a clarinet, bassoon, flute and oboe. A brass quartet features 2 trumpets, a trombone and a tuba. A wind quartet features a horn, flute, oboe and bassoon. A lower wind quartet features a tuba, a bassoon, a bass clarinet and a trombone.

Five parts

The string ''quintet'' is a common type of group. It is similar to the string quartet, but with two violas, two cellos, or more rarely, the addition of a double bass. Terms such as "piano quintet" or "clarinet quintet" frequently refer to a string quartet ''plus'' a fifth instrument. Thus, a ''piano quintet'' is usually a string quartet plus a piano. Mozart's Clarinet Quintet is similarly a piece written for an ensemble consisting of 2 violins, a viola, a cello and a clarinet, the last being the exceptional addition to a "normal" string quartet.

Other common groupings in classical music are the woodwind quintet, usually consisting of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn and the brass quintet, consisting of two trumpets, one french horn, a trombone and a tuba.

Six or more instruments

Classical chamber ensembles for more than six musicians are occasionally used, such as septets (seven musicians), octets (eight musicians), or nonets (nine musicians). However, in many cases a larger classical group is referred to as an orchestra of some type. A small orchestra with fifteen to thirty members (violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and several woodwind or brass instruments) is called a chamber orchestra In the American education system, sitting groups are known as wind ensembles or concert bands (to differentiate from marching bands). Music is similar to that of a pops orchestra, orchestrated for woodwinds, brass, and percussion. A sinfonietta usually denotes a somewhat smaller orchestra (though still not a chamber orchestra). Larger orchestras are called symphony orchestras or philharmonic orchestras.

A pops orchestra is an orchestra that mainly performs light classical music (often in abbreviated, simplified arrangements) and orchestral arrangements and medleys of popular jazz, music theater, or pop music songs. A string orchestra has only strings, i.e., violins, violas, cellos and basses.

A symphony orchestra is an ensemble usually comprising at least thirty musicians; the number of players is typically between seventy and ninety-five and may exceed one hundred. A symphony orchestra is divided into families of instruments. In the string family, there are sections of violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and basses. The winds consist of the woodwind family of instruments (flutes and piccolo, oboes and English horn, clarinets [made up of the E clarinet, clarinet, and bass clarinet], and bassoons [often including contrabassoon]) and the brass family (horns, trumpets, trombones, and tuba). The percussion family includes the timpani, bass drum, snare drum, and any other percussion instruments called for in a score (e.g., triangle, glockenspiel, chimes, cymbals, wood blocks).

When orchestras are performing baroque music (from the 17th century and early 18th century), they may also use a harpsichord or pipe organ. When orchestras are performing Romantic-era music (from the 19th century), they may also use harps or unusual instruments such as the wind machine. When orchestras are performing music from the 20th century or the 21st century, occasionally instruments such as electric guitar, theremin, or even an electronic synthesizer may be used.

Jazz ensembles

Three parts

In jazz, there are several types of trios. One type of jazz trio is formed with a piano player, a bass player and a drummer. Another type of jazz trio that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s is the organ trio, which is composed of a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and a third instrumentalist (either a saxophone player or an electric jazz guitarist). In organ trios, the Hammond organ player performs the bass line on the organ bass pedals while simultaneously playing chords or lead lines on the keyboard manuals. Other types of trios include the "drummer-less" trio, which consists of a piano player, a double bassist, and a horn (saxophone or trumpet) or guitar player ; and the jazz trio with a horn player (saxophone or trumpet), double bass player, and a drummer. In the latter type of trio, the lack of a chordal instrument means that the horn player and the bassist have to imply the changing harmonies with their improvised lines.

Four parts

Jazz quartets typically add a ''horn'' (the generic jazz name for saxophones, trombones, trumpets, or any other wind instrument commonly associated with jazz) to one of the jazz trios described above. Slightly larger jazz ensembles, such as quintets (five instruments) or sextets (six instruments) typically add other soloing instruments to the basic quartet formation, such as different types of saxophones (e.g., alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, etc.) or an additional chordal instrument.

Larger ensembles

The lineup of larger jazz ensembles can vary considerably, depending on the style of jazz being performed. In a 1920s-style dixieland jazz band, a larger ensemble would be formed by adding a banjo player, woodwind instruments, as with the clarinet, or additional horns (saxophones, trumpets, trombones) to one of the smaller groups. In a 1940s-style Swing big band, a larger ensemble is formed by adding "sections" of like instruments, such as a saxophone section and a trumpet section, which perform arranged "horn lines" to accompany the ensemble. In a 1970s-style jazz fusion ensemble, a larger ensemble is often formed by adding additional percussionists or sometimes a saxophone player would "double" or "triple" meaning that they would also be proficient at the clarinet, flute or both. Also by the addition of soloing instruments.

Rock and pop bands

Two parts

Two-member rock and pop bands are relatively rare, because of the difficulty in providing all of the musical elements which are part of the rock or pop sound (vocals, chords, bass lines, and percussion or drumming) with trios or quartets. Two-member rock and pop bands typically omit one of these musical elements. In many cases, two-member bands will omit a drummer, since guitars, bass guitars, and keyboards can all be used to provide a rhythmic pulse, however one rare west coast metal and rock band In Between, consists of a drummer and a guitarist/singer. Examples of two-member bands are The Everly Brothers, Pet Shop Boys, Hella, Flight of the Conchords, Death from above 1979, Francis Xavier, I Set My Friends On Fire, Middle Class Rut, No Age, The Pity Party, The White Stripes, Big Business, erdbeerseestern, God Head Silo, Two Gallants, Lightning Bolt, The Ting Tings, The Black Box Revelation, Satyricon, The Black Keys, Panic! At the Disco, Stray Kites, Tenacious D, D.A. Dad, Simon and Garfunkel and The Pack A.D..

When electronic sequencers became widely available in the 1980s, this made it easier for two-member bands to add in musical elements that the two band members were not able to perform. Sequencers allowed bands to pre-program some elements of their performance, such as an electronic drum part and a synth-bass line. Two-member pop music bands such as Soft Cell, Blancmange and Yazoo used pre-programmed sequencers. Other pop bands from the 1980s which were ostensibly fronted by two performers, such as Wham! and Tears for Fears, were not actually two-piece ensembles, because other instrumental musicians were used "behind the scenes" to fill out the sound.

Two-piece bands in rock music are quite rare. However, starting in the 2000s, blues-influenced rock bands such as The White Stripes, Lost Dawn and The Black Keys utilized a guitar and drums scheme. However, this is predated by the Flat Duo Jets from the '80's. Death From Above 1979 featured a drummer and bass guitarist. Tenacious D is a two-guitar band; One Day as a Lion and The Dresden Dolls both feature a keyboardist and a drummer. The band Welk consists of a two-man psychedelic flute band, with the occasional synthesizer. Two-person bands have grown in popularity in experimental rock music. W.A.S.P. guitarist Doug Blair is also known for his work in the two-piece progressive rock band signal2noise, where he manages to be the lead guitarist and bassist at the same time, thanks to a special custom instrument he invented (an electric guitar with five regular guitar strings paired with three bass guitar strings). Heisenflei of Los Angeles duo The Pity Party plays drums, keyboards, and sings simultaneously. Providence-based Lightning Bolt is a two-member band. Bassist Brian Gibson augments his playing with delay pedals, pitch shifters, looping devices and other pedals, occasionally creating harmony. Local H, No Age, Blood Red Shoes, PS I Love You, The Redmond Barry's and Warship are other prominent two-person experimental rock bands.

Example line-up

Lead vocals, Bass, Guitar

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Keyboard, Guitar

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Bass, Drum machine

Lead guitar, Backing vocals Drum machine

Three parts

The smallest ensemble that is commonly used in rock music is the trio format. In a hard rock or blues-rock band, or heavy metal rock group, a "power trio" format is often used, which consists of an electric guitar player, an electric bass guitar player and a drummer, and typically one or more of these musicians also sing (sometimes all three members will sing, e.g. Bee Gees or Alkaline Trio). Some well-known power trios with the guitarist on lead vocals are The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Nirvana, Green Day, Violent Femmes, Gov't Mule, The Minutemen, Triumph, Shellac, Sublime, Chevelle, Muse, Short Stack, ZZ Top, and the original lineup of Wolfmother. A handful of others with the bassist on vocals include Primus, Motörhead, The Police, The Melvins, Blue Cheer, Dinosaur Junior, Rush, The Presidents of the United States of America, Venom, and Cream. Some power trios feature two lead vocalists, both of which play their respective instruments. For example, in the band blink-182 vocals are split between bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge.

An alternative to the power trio are organ trios formed with an electric guitarist, a drummer and a keyboardist. Although organ trios are most commonly associated with 1950s and 1960s jazz organ trio groups such as those led by organist Jimmy Smith, there are also organ trios in rock-oriented styles, such as jazz-rock fusion and Grateful Dead-influenced jam bands such as Medeski Martin & Wood. In organ trios, the keyboard player typically plays a Hammond organ or similar instrument, which permits the keyboard player to perform bass lines, chords, and lead lines. A variant of the organ trio are trios formed with an electric bassist, a drummer and an electronic keyboardist (playing synthesizers) such as the progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Atomic Rooster. Another variation is to have a vocalist, a guitarist and a drummer, an example being Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Another variation is two guitars, a bassist, and a drum machine, examples including Magic Wands and Big Black.

A power trio with the guitarist on lead vocals is popular record company lineup, as the guitarist and singer will usually be the songwriter. Therefore you only have to present one face to the public, the backing band is easy to house, and the songs will likely stay simple and accessible as the frontman will have to sing and play guitar at the same time.

Example line-up

Lead vocals, Lead guitar

Bass guitar, Keyboards

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals, Bass guitar

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

Backing vocals, Bass guitar

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion, Lead vocals

or

Lead vocals, Lead guitar

Bass guitar, Backing vocals, Harmonica

Drums, Percussion

Four parts

The four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. Before the development of the electronic keyboard, the configuration was typically two guitarists (one lead guitarist and one rhythm guitarist, with the latter on vocals), a bassist (typically the electric bass guitar) and a drummer (e.g.KISS, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Metallica, The Clash, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Kinks, The Fray, Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Against Me! and the new lineup of Wolfmother). This is popular with bands for its versatility. However, it has been noted the main complaint is that it takes too much effort to keep so many instruments in tune when they are played by every member of the band.

Another common formation was a vocalist, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and a drummer (e.g.The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Tokio Hotel, Sex Pistols, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, R.E.M., Blur, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, Stone Roses, Creed, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, The Stooges, Joy Division, U2 and Coldplay). Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios. This format is popular with new bands, as there are only two instruments that need tuning, the line-and-counterpoint formula prevalent with their material is easy to learn, four members are commonplace to work with, the roles are clearly defined and generally are: melody line, rhythm section with counterpoint melody, and vocals on top.

In some early rock bands, keyboardists were used, performing on piano (e.g. The Seeds and The Doors) with a guitarist, singer, drummer and keyboardist. Some bands will have a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboard player (for example, Small Faces, King Crimson, The Guess Who, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, The Killers, The Monkees and Blind Faith).

Some bands will have the bassist on lead vocals, such as Thin Lizzy, Chameleons, Pink Floyd, NOFX, +44, Slayer, The All-American Rejects or even the lead guitarist, such as Dire Straits and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Some bands, such as The Beatles, have a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist and a bassist that all sing lead and backing vocals, that also play keyboards regularly, as well as a drummer. Others, such as The Four Seasons, have a lead vocalist, a lead guitarist, a keyboard player, and a bassist, with the drummer not being a member of the band.

Example line-ups

Lead vocals

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Keyboards, Backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals, Bass guitar

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Keyboards

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals, piano, Rhythm guitar

Lead guitar, backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Lead guitar

Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocal, Bass guitar

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Lead guitar

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Keyboards

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals, Keyboards/Piano

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion

or *Lead vocals *Lead guitar , Backing vocals *Keyboards ,Backing vocals *Drums ,Percussion

Five parts

Five-piece bands have existed in rock music since early times. The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Oasis, Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses, Radiohead, The Strokes, Styx, The Yardbirds, 311 are examples of the common vocalist, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums lineup. An alternative to the five-member lineup replaces the rhythm guitarist with a keyboard–synthesizer player (examples being the bands Journey, Nightwish, Maroon 5, Dream Theater, Genesis, Jethro Tull, The Zombies, Bon Jovi, Yes, Snow Patrol, Fleetwood Mac, Marilyn Manson and Deep Purple, all of which consist of a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and a drummer) or with a turntablist such as Incubus or Limp Bizkit. Alternatives include a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer, bassist, and saxophonist, such as The Sonics and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Another alternative is three guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, such as Radiohead and The Byrds. Some five-person bands feature two guitarists, a keyboardist, a bassist and a drummer, with one or more of these musicians (typically one of the guitarists) handling lead vocals on top of their instrument (examples being Children of Bodom, Sturm und Drang and Ensiferum). In some cases, typically in cover bands, one musician plays either rhythm guitar or keyboards, depending on the song (one notable band being Firewind, with Bob Katsionis handling this particular role).

Other times, the vocalist will provide another musical voice to the table, most commonly a harmonica; Mick Jagger, for example, played harmonica and percussion instruments like maracas and tambourine. Ozzy Osbourne was also known to play the harmonica on some occasions (i.e. "The Wizard" by Black Sabbath).

Line-up

Lead vocals

Lead guitar, backing vocals

Rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Bass guitar, backing vocals

Drums, percussion

or

Lead vocals, keyboards, piano

Lead guitar, backing vocals

Bass guitar, backing vocals

Rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Lead guitar, backing vocals

Bass guitar, backing vocals

Keyboards, synthesizers

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals

Lead guitar, backing vocals

Keyboards, backing vocals

Bass guitar, backing vocals

Drums, percussion, backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Piano

Lead guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Keyboards, Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Keyboards

Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals

Lead guitar, Backing vocals

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Percussion, Keyboards

Lead guitar, Piano, Electronics, Bass, Percussion

Lead guitar, Backing vocals, Synths, Drums, Percussion

Bass guitar, Synths

Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

Larger rock ensembles

Larger bands have long been a part of rock and pop music, in part due to the influence of the "singer accompanied with orchestra" model inherited from popular big-band jazz and swing and popularized by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.To create larger ensembles, rock bands often add an additional guitarist, an additional keyboardist, additional percussionists or second drummer, an entire horn section, and even a flutist. An example of a six-member rock band is Linkin Park with a lead vocalist, rap vocalist/keyboardist, lead guitarist, bassist, turntablist, and drummer. The American heavy metal band Slipknot is composed of eight members, with a vocalist, two guitarists, a drummer, two custom percussionists, a turntablist, and a sampler.

In larger groups (such as The Band), instrumentalists could play multiple instruments, which enabled the ensemble to create a wider variety of instrument combinations. More rarely, rock or pop groups will be accompanied in concerts by a full or partial symphony orchestra, where lush string-orchestra arrangements are used to flesh out the sound of slow ballads.

Example line-up

Lead vocals, screaming vocals

rapping vocals, pianist

lead guitar, backing vocals

bass guitar, backing vocals

turntables, programming, samples, backing vocals

drums, backing vocals

or

Lead vocals

Lead guitar

Rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Bass guitar, backing vocals

Drums, percussion

Keyboards

or

Lead vocals, Guitar

Lead guitarist, Backing vocals

Rhythm guitarist

Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Horns (anything from saxophone to a horn section)

Keyboards, Piano

Drums

or

Lead vocals

Lead guitar, backing vocals

Bass guitar, screaming vocals

Drums, percussion

Keyboards, piano

Rhythm guitar, backing vocals

DJ, emcee, drum machine, Sampler, synthesizers

Percussion

or even

Lead vocalist

Lead vocalist

Lead guitar

Lead guitar

Rhythm guitar

Bass guitar

Drums, Percussion

or

Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar

Backing Guitar, Backing Vocals

Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals

Drums, Percussion

Keyboards, Piano, Backing Vocals

Pedal Steel Guitar, Backing Vocals

Violin Backing Vocals

The above line-up was used by Bon Jovi during the Lost Highway tour.

Musical drama

Sung dramas such as operas and musicals usually have numbers where several of the principals are singing together, either on their own or with the chorus. Such numbers (''duets'', ''trios'', etc.) are also referred to as 'ensembles'.

Other western musical ensembles

In the 20th century, the Wind Symphony or Wind Ensemble became popular, especially in academic circles. A wind ensemble consists entirely of wind instruments and percussion instruments, but may also include a double bass. Schools from elementary level onward often have a school band program which is usually centered around its wind ensemble, often known as a concert band.

A choir is a group of voices. By analogy, sometimes a group of similar instruments in a symphony orchestra are referred to as a choir. For example, the woodwind instruments of a symphony orchestra could be called the woodwind choir.

A group that plays popular music or military music is usually called a band. A group that plays while marching on a football field, without being a marching band, is called a drum and bugle corps. These bands perform a wide range of music, ranging from arrangements of jazz orchestral, or popular music to military-style marches. Drum corps perform on brass and percussion instruments only. Some corps perform on bugles in the key of G, while others perform on brass instruments in multiple keys, depending on the group. Drum and Bugle Corps incorporate costumes, hats, and pageantry in their performances.

Other band types include:

Jug bands

Mexican Mariachi groups typically consist of at least two violins, two trumpets, one Spanish guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar), and one Guitarrón (a Mexican acoustic bass that is roughly guitar-shaped), and one or more singers.

See also

List of musical ensemble formats

Music

Alexandrov ensemble

References

External links

Music, Historical images. From New York Public Library Digital Gallery

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name	Lisa Lopes
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Lisa Nicole Lopes
alias	Left Eye, N.I.N.A
born	May 27, 1971Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaUnited States
died	April 25, 2002La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras
genre	Hip hop, rap, R&B;
occupation	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, musician
years active	1991–2002
label	Arista, LaFace, Tha Row
associated acts	TLC, T-Boz, Missy Elliott, Blaque, Melanie C, Lil' Kim, 2Pac, Angie Martinez, Rozanda 'Chili' Thomas, Toni Braxton, Shawntae Harris
website	LeftEye.com - Shut down in 2009 }}

Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002) better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, and songwriter. She is best known as a member of the R&B; girl group TLC.

Lopes contributed her self-written raps to many of TLC's hit singles, including "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", "What About Your Friends", "Hat 2 da Back", "No Scrubs", "Waterfalls", and "Girl Talk".

TLC

TLC started off as a female trio called Second Nature. The group was renamed TLC — derived from the first initials of its then three members — Tionne, Lisa and Crystal. Things did not work out with Crystal Jones, and TLC's manager Perri "Pebbles" Reid brought in Damian Dame backup dancer Rozonda Thomas as a third member of the group. To keep the "initial" theme of the band's name, Rozonda needed a name starting with C, and so became Chilli, which was coined by Lopes. Band mate Tionne Watkins became T-Boz, while Lopes was renamed Left Eye. Lopes celebrated her nickname by wearing a black mark; often a wrapped condom, in keeping with the group's promotion of safe sex–later evolving to a black stripe under the eye, and then an eyebrow ring in her left eyebrow.

The group arrived on the scene in 1992 with the album ''Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip''. With four singles, it sold six million copies worldwide and TLC became a household name. 1994 saw the release of ''CrazySexyCool'', which sold over fifteen million copies worldwide and cemented TLC as one of the biggest female groups of all time. TLC's third album, ''FanMail'', was released in 1999 and sold over ten million copies worldwide. Its title was a tribute to TLC's loyal fans and the sleeve contained the names of hundreds of them as a "thank you" to supporters.

During the recording of ''FanMail'', a public conflict began amongst the members of the group. Lopes sent a message to ''Vibe'' magazine saying, "I've graduated from this era. I cannot stand 100 percent behind this TLC project and the music that is supposed to represent me." In response to Lopes' comments, Watkins and Thomas stated to ''Entertainment Weekly'' that Lopes "doesn't respect the whole group" and "Left Eye is only concerned with Left Eye". In turn, Lopes sent a reply through ''Entertainment Weekly'' issuing a "challenge" to Watkins and Thomas to release solo albums and let the public decide who was the "greatest" member of TLC:

}}

T-Boz and Chilli declined to take up the "Challenge," though Lopes always maintained it was a great idea. Things were heated between the ladies for some time, with Thomas speaking out against Lopes, calling her antics "selfish", "evil", and "heartless." TLC then addressed these fights by saying that they are very much like sisters that have their disagreements every now and then as Lisa stated, "It's deeper than a working relationship. We have feelings for each other, which is why we get so mad at each other. I usually say that you cannot hate someone unless you love them. So, we love each other. That's the problem."

Solo career

After ''Fanmail'', Lopes began to expand her solo career. She became a featured rapper on several singles, including former Spice Girl Melanie C's "Never Be the Same Again", which went to #1 in 35 countries, including the UK. She was also featured on the first single from Donell Jones' second album, "U Know What's Up", and she sang "Space Cowboy" with *NSYNC on their 2000 album, ''No Strings Attached''. Lopes also collaborated on "Gimme Some" by Toni Braxton from her 2000 release ''The Heat''. In 2001 she appeared in two commercials for The Gap, one solo and the other with India.Arie, Liz Phair, and Sheryl Crow, where she was featured singing, rather than rapping.

Lopes was also the host of the MTV series, ''The Cut'', a series on which a handful of would-be pop stars, rappers, and rock bands competed against each other and were judged. The show's winner, which ended up being a male-female rap duo, was promised a record deal and funding to produce a music video, which would then enter MTV's heavy rotation. A then-unknown Anastacia finished in third place, but so impressed Lopes and the show's three judges, that she too scored a record deal. About nine months before her death, Lopes appeared on the singers' edition of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' along with Joey McIntyre, Tyrese, Nick Lachey, and Lee Ann Womack. She dropped from a $125,000 question and won $32,000 for charity. A year later, in 2002, the episode of her drop was shown and was dedicated to her.

Lopes created "Left Eye Productions" to discover new talent. She helped the R&B; trio Blaque to secure a record deal with Columbia Records. Their self-titled debut album was executive-produced by Lopes, who also made a cameo appearance on the album and in their music video "I Do". Lopes was also developing another new band called Egypt. They worked on her second album under her new nickname, N.I.N.A, meaning New Identity Not Applicable.

''Supernova''

Lopes spent much of her free time after the conclusion of TLC's first headlining tour supporting ''Fanmail'' recording her debut solo album, ''Supernova''. It includes a song titled "A New Star is Born", which is dedicated to her late father. She told MTV News:

Other tracks covered personal issues, including her relationship with NFL football player Andre Rison. In 1994, Lopes famously burned down Rison's Atlanta mansion, resulting in the loss of all his possessions. Among the album's twelve tracks was also a posthumous duet with Tupac Shakur that was assembled from the large cache of unreleased recordings done prior to his murder in 1996. The unreleased song, "Left Pimpin", was sampled for the song "Quickie", which is featured on TLC's fourth album, ''3D''. Initially scheduled for release on a date to coincide with the tenth anniversary of her father's death, Arista Records decided to delay, then cancel the American release. The album was eventually released between 2001 and 2003 in various foreign territories.

N.I.N.A.

After numerous talks with Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, Lopes severed her solo deal with Arista–remained contracted with the label as a member of TLC–and signed with Knight's Tha Row Records, intending to record a second solo album under the pseudonym N.I.N.A. (New Identity Not Applicable). She was recording with David Bowie for the project, who she was also trying to get involved with the fourth TLC album. The project was also to include several songs recorded by and with Ray J. The album was cancelled after Lopes's death in April 2002.

''Eye Legacy''

In 2008 Lopes' family decided to work with producers at Surefire Music Group to create a posthumous album in her honor. Originally set to be released October 28, 2008, the release date was pushed back to November 11, then to January 27, 2009. The song "Crank It", which features Lopes's sister Reigndrop, was released as a promotional single. The first official single from the album, "Let's Just Do It", was released on January 13, 2009 and features Missy Elliott and TLC. The second official single, "Block Party", features Lil Mama and Clyde McKnight.

The album largely consisted of reworked versions of tracks from the ''Supernova'' album.

Personal life

Lopes was often vocal about her personal life and difficult past. She readily admitted that she had come from an abusive, alcoholic background and struggled with alcohol problems herself. These problems became headline news in 1994, when she set fire to Andre Rison's tennis shoes in a bathtub, which ultimately spread to the mansion they shared, destroying it. Lopes claimed that Rison had beaten her after a night out, and she set fire to his shoes to get back at him. The media quickly turned this incident into the worst as they pointed out that Lopes must be a crazy alcoholic and for no reason, burned her boyfriend's house down. Lopes then revealed that she did not have a lot of freedom within the relationship and was abused mentally and physically, having released all her frustrations on the night of the fire.

Lopes, who was sentenced to five years probation and therapy at a halfway house, was never able to shake the incident from her reputation. Her relationship with Rison continued to make headlines, with rumors of an imminent wedding, later debunked by ''People'' magazine. Lopes revealed on the ''Last Days of Left Eye'' documentary that her meeting with a struggling mother in rehab left a big impression on her.

Lopes had several large tattoos. Most prominent was a large eagle on her left arm, which she said represented freedom. Later, she added the number "80" around the eagle, which was Rison's NFL number while in Atlanta. She also had a tattoo of a moon with a face on her foot in reference to Rison's nickname, Bad Moon, which was not seen often because Andre did not like Lisa revealing the tattoo to other people. On her upper right arm was a large tattoo of the name Parron, for her late stepbrother that died in a boating accident, arching over a large tattoo of a pierced heart. Her smallest tattoo was on her left ear and consisted of an arrow pointing to her left over the symbol of an eye, a reference to her nickname.

Charity

Lopes started the Lisa Lopes Foundation, Inc. The charitable group is dedicated to providing neglected and abandoned youth with the resources necessary to increase their quality of life. Her spiritual motto is the one that she used for her foundation: "Energy never dies...It just transforms." Her foundation went into various underdeveloped villages and gave away brand new clothes to needy children and their families in June 2004.

Death

On April 25, 2002, while driving a Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Lisa Lopes allegedly tried to swerve around a truck, but there was another vehicle heading towards them in the opposite direction. To avoid a head-on collision, Lopes swerved all the way off the road. The vehicle rolled several times after hitting two trees, throwing Lopes and three others out of the windows. She died of neck injuries and severe head trauma. The passenger in the front passenger seat was videotaping at the time, so the last seconds leading up to the swerve that resulted in the fatal accident were recorded on video. Lopes's mother Wanda later sued Mitsubishi Motors, as the Montero was prone to rollovers according to a 2001 ''Consumer Reports'' review.

Her funeral was held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia. Engraved upon her casket were the lyrics to her portion of "Waterfalls": "Dreams are hopeless aspirations, in hopes of coming true, believe in yourself, the rest is up to me and you." Lopes was buried at Hillandale Memorial Gardens, in Lithonia, Georgia, USA.

In a statement to MTV, producer Jermaine Dupri remembered Lopes:

"She was determined to be something in life. She was a true Hip-Hop star. She cared about some press. She was the star out of the group. She was the one who would curse on TV. She had the tattoos. You could not expect the expected. When you see Lisa, you could expect something from her. That is the gift she carried."

Controversy over leaked autopsy photos led to a protest by NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt painted a stripe next to the left headlight decal on his #8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway to protest the display of her autopsy photos. A similar controversy befell Earnhardt after the death of his father, a year earlier.

A documentary on the final twenty-six days of Lopes's life, entitled ''The Last Days of Left Eye'', premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival in April 2007, for an audience that included many of Lopes's contemporaries, including Monica, Ronnie DeVoe, 112, Big Boi, India.Arie, and Cee-Lo. VH1 and VH1 Soul broadcast the documentary on May 19, 2007. Much of the footage was shot with a hand-held camera, often in the form of diary entries filmed by Lopes while on a 30-day spiritual retreat in Honduras with family and members of the R&B; group Egypt. In these entries she reflected on her personal life and career. A calmer side of her personality was on display, showing interests in numerology and yoga. She was in the process of setting up an educational center for Honduran children on of land she owned.

The film also captured a car accident in which Lopes was a passenger and her assistant was the driver: "It was dark when the car driven by Lopes's assistant left the village. It is commonplace for people to walk the roads that wind through Honduras, and it's often difficult to see pedestrians." "Ten-year-old Bayron Isaul Fuentes Lopez walked into the path of the van driven by Lopes' personal assistant. The child had been trailing after his sisters and brothers and stepped off the median strip at the last minute." The boy was hit. "Lopes' party stopped and found the boy critically injured. They loaded him into the car, and Lisa cradled the dying boy's bleeding head in her arms. Someone gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as they rushed him to a nearby hospital." Lopez died the next day and Lopes paid for his medical expenses and funeral. Lopes is shown in a local funeral home choosing a casket for the child. Earlier in the documentary, Lopes mentioned that she felt the presence of a "spirit" following her, and was struck by the fact that the child killed in the accident shared her last name, even thinking that the spirit may have made a mistake by taking his life instead of hers." While her assistant was never charged with any wrongdoing, Lopes later compensated the family for their loss." The program also showed the last minutes of Lopes's life, including her swerving off the road.

Lopes's UNI Studios

In 1998, Lopes created the UNI Studios for the purpose of recording solo projects. Lopes's family opened the studio to the public. So far her brother Ronald Lopes is the general manager of the studio. Lisa had a dream of letting new artists being able to record music at a low price in a high-end studio at her house. Lisa's family continues to operate it and fill it with new equipment.

Discography

Studio Albums

2001: ''Supernova''

2002: ''N.I.N.A.'' Cancelled

Compilations

2009: ''Eye Legacy''

References

External links

Lisa Lopes Foundation

LeftEyeLegacy

Official MySpace

Category:African American singers Category:American arsonists Category:African American rappers Category:American female singers Category:Female rappers Category:Death Row Records artists Category:Filmed deaths of entertainers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American soul musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Rappers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Road accident deaths in Honduras Category:TLC (band) members Category:1971 births Category:2002 deaths

da:Lisa Lopes de:Left Eye es:Lisa Lopes fr:Lisa Lopes ko:레프트 아이 hr:Lisa Lopes it:Lisa Lopes hu:Lisa Lopes nl:Lisa Lopes ja:レフト・アイ pl:Lisa Lopes pt:Lisa Lopes fi:Lisa Lopes sv:Lisa Lopes tr:Lisa Lopes

name	Dallas Austin
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born	December 29, 1970Columbus, Georgia, United States
instrument	Guitar, keyboards, drums, Harmonica
genre	Pop, R&B;, hip hop, pop rock
occupation	Songwriter, Record Producer, Guitarist, and Keyboardist
years active	1989–present
label	Rowdy Records
associated acts	Monica, TLC, Sugababes, McFLY
notable instruments	}}

Dallas Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim Zolciak from the Real Housewives of Atlanta and McFly.

Career

Austin was a member of Highland Place Mobsters on the influential hip hop label LaFace in the early 1990s before embarking on a career as a full-time producer. Highland Place Mobsters, a derivative of MCA Records 80's group "Glasswurk", contributed to the soundtracks for the movies ''White Men Can't Jump'' and ''Boomerang''.

As a producer and songwriter, Austin was first noticed in the mid 80's when his childhood manager, producer/drummer William "Vybe Chyle" Burke introduced him to Joyce Irby ('80s all-girl band Klymaxx) who signed him to Diva One Music. Since then Austin has crafted hits for LaFace and TLC (with which he won two Grammys for co-producing ''CrazySexyCool'' and ''FanMail''), including the hit singles "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", "What About Your Friends", "Creep", "Silly Ho" and "Unpretty". As a teenager, Irby took Austin to Sylvia Rhone, Motown head Jheryl Busby, L.A. Reid, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, asking them to give him a shot as a producer. Other credits of Austin's include the number-two single "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" recorded by Blu Cantrell, "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Just Like a Pill" by Pink, and the hit "Secret" by Madonna. In more recent times, Austin's work has returned him to the charts, writing and producing the successful "Trick Me" for Kelis as well as "Left Outside Alone" and "Sick and Tired" for Anastacia.

Austin has tried his hand at remixing for other artists, most notably "They Don't Care About Us" for Michael Jackson and "The Power of Good-Bye" for Madonna. In addition to American artists, Austin has produced songs for international artists. In 1999 Austin and Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro began a professional relationship in which he produced many of her songs until present.

Austin is also known for socially conscious productions such as TLC's "Unpretty" and "Damaged" and more recently "Ugly" for UK act Sugababes. For the Sugababes, Austin produced several other tracks on their number-one album ''Taller in More Ways'', including the single "Push the Button", which spent three weeks at the top of the UK charts. He also produced the Girls Aloud' Comic Relief collaboration with Sugababes on "Walk This Way". He is also responsible for producing Gwen Stefani's single "Cool" from her ''Love.Angel. Music.Baby.'' album.

In 1992, Austin formed Rowdy Records with fellow producer L.A. Reid, though Reid left the following year. Austin branched out into cinema as well, becoming the executive producer of ''Drumline'' (2002) for 20th Century Fox. He also served as the film's musical director. Austin is currently working with Warner Bros. studios on another music-driven film set in Atlanta.

''Drumline'' cast member Orlando Jones also chose Austin to be the music director, alongside DJ Rukus, for his short-lived ''The Orlando Jones Show'', a live talk show that aired on F/X.

United Arab Emirates incident

In July, 2006, Austin was arrested and held in a United Arab Emirates prison on drug charges. After fellow songwriter U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch interceded on Austin's behalf, the UAE consulate in Washington D.C. placed calls to Lionel Richie for a character reference.

Richie recounts for the New York Times:

''It was, 'Tell me what kind of guy is Dallas Austin.' I said, 'Listen, this is a great guy. He's done a great job for the community. A gangster, a hoodlum, a thug, he's not.'''

Austin pleaded guilty in court, apologized for his actions, and was subsequently granted a royal pardon by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Discography

..

References

External links

Dallas Austin on music.com

Dallas Austin's myspace

Dallas Austin's beatbuggy

Dallas Austin biography on VH1.com

Rowdy.tv is a social networking site for Rowdy Records

EMI biography of Dallas Austin.

Category:American record producers Category:Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:African American musicians Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:People from Columbus, Georgia Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Grammy Award winners

de:Dallas Austin es:Dallas Austin fr:Dallas Austin it:Dallas Austin pl:Dallas Austin pt:Dallas Austin fi:Dallas Austin sv:Dallas Austin tr:Dallas Austin