A love rose consists of a glass tube with a paper or plastic rose inside of it, and a bit of cork or foil on the ends to keep the rose from falling out. While ostensibly intended as romantic gifts, their primary known use is as a crack pipe by users of crack cocaine. They are commonly sold at convenience stores, particularly in inner-city locations.

Crack cocaine users remove the cork or foil from the ends, discard the rose, and put a small piece of steel wool or similar metallic material into the end to act as a "filter". The pipes are not durable, and must be replaced often.

See also

Drug paraphernalia

References

Lincoln Journal Star article

Category:Drug paraphernalia

Name	LeAnn Rimes
Birth name	Margaret LeAnn Rimes
Alias	LeAnn Rimes Cibrian
Birth date	August 28, 1982
Birth place	Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Origin	Dallas, Texas
Genre	Country, pop
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, author
Years active	1994–present
Label	Asylum-Curb
Associated acts	Ronan Keating, Brian McFadden, Marc Broussard,Eddie Cibrian
Website	Official Website }}

LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982) is an American country musician. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame at the age of 13—becoming the youngest country music star since Tanya Tucker in 1972.

Rimes made her breakthrough into country music in 1996. Her debut album, ''Blue'', reached Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and was certified "multi-platinum" in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album's lead single of the same name (originally intended to be recorded by Patsy Cline in the early 1960s) became a Top 10 hit. With immediate success, Rimes attained widespread national acclaim for her similarities to Cline's vocal style. When Rimes released her sophomore studio effort in 1997, ''You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs'', Rimes went more towards country pop material, which would set the trend for a string of albums that would be released into the next decade.

Since her debut, Rimes has won many major industry awards, which include two Grammys, three ACMs, one CMA, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and one American Music award. In addition, Rimes has also released ten studio albums and four compilation albums through her record label of 13 years, Asylum-Curb, and placed over 40 singles on American and international charts since 1996. She has sold over 37 million records worldwide, with 20.3 million album sales in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Early life

Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes (in Pearl, Mississippi), she is the only child of Belinda Butler Rimes and Wilbur Rimes. The family relocated to Garland, Texas when she was six years old. She was singing by the age of two, was enrolled into vocal and dance training, and by the age of five was performing at local talent shows. One of her best friends, Jordan Villarreal, supported her when she sang. Rimes initially began her career in musical theatre, performing in a Dallas, Texas production of ''A Christmas Carol,'' and almost landed the lead part in the Broadway production of ''Annie.'' However, after appearing on the network television competition show, ''Star Search,'' Rimes decided to pursue a career in country music. Following her national television appearance, Rimes made a number of appearances on ''Johnnie High's Country Music Revue'' in Arlington, Texas, which garnered the attention of national talent scouts.

By the age of nine, LeAnn was already an experienced singer. She toured nationally with her father and also regularly performed a cappella renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the opening ceremonies of the Dallas Cowboys football games. In order to bring his daughter more national attention, he began recording her under the independent label Nor Va Jak when she turned eleven. She released three albums under the label between 1992 and 1996.

Rimes was discovered by Dallas disc jockey and record promoter, Bill Mack. Mack was impressed by Rimes' vocal ability, and over the following three years, he also made various attempts to bring Rimes to a mainstream level. The center of Mack's plan to bring her success was his self-penned composition, "Blue," which he had written in the early 1960s. Mack claimed that the song was intended to be recorded and made a hit record by Patsy Cline, but she had been killed in a plane crash before ever recording the composition. By 1995, Mack was able to gain Rimes a contract with Curb Records, after record executives heard Rimes sing "Blue."

Music career

1996: ''Blue''

After signing with Curb, Rimes re-recorded a new version of "Blue" that was to be released on her debut studio album on the label. In 1996, the new version of "Blue" was released as a single, peaking at Number 10 on the Billboard Country Chart. While Curb was releasing "Blue," a claim was also sent out that Mack had been waiting over 30 years to find the perfect artist to record "Blue." However, the story was later found to be an exaggeration, as it was discovered that "Blue" had already been recorded by three different artists. Mack himself and Kenny Roberts both released versions of the song on Starday Records in the 1960s. In 1993, Australian artist Catherine Britt released her own version as a single in her native country. The story, though, was continually spread throughout the national press, adding to the idea that Rimes was the successor to Patsy Cline's legacy. Rimes's album ''Blue'' was also released in 1996, and sold 123,000 copies in its first week, which was the highest figure in SoundScan history up to that point. The album peaked at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums and debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, eventually selling a total of four million copies in the United States and 8 million copies worldwide. Allmusic considered the album to be "delightful" and that it could "help inspire other young teens." Rimes followed up the single with several charting country singles from her 1996 album, starting with "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1996. She also released a duet single with Eddy Arnold from the album, a remake of his 1955 hit "The Cattle Call". The album's other hits included the Top 5 "The Light in Your Eyes" and the minor hit "Hurt Me."

With the album's success, Rimes received many major industry awards. In 1997, she won the Country Music Association's "Horizon Award," becoming the youngest person to ever be nominated and win a Country Music Association award. The following year she was awarded Grammy awards, one for ''Best New Artist'' and another for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' for "Blue."

1997–2001: Pop crossover and Worldwide Success

In 1997, Rimes released a compilation of previously recorded material under the Nor Va Jak label, ''Unchained Melody: The Early Years''. The album mainly consisted of cover versions, ranging from Country to pop covers, including songs originally recorded by The Beatles, Whitney Houston, Bill Monroe, and Dolly Parton. Rimes' version of the title track became a major country hit in early 1997 and helped increase sales for the album. In September 1997, Rimes released her follow-up studio album to ''Blue'' titled ''You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs''. The album covered classic inspirational songs, such as "Clinging to Saving a Hand" and "Amazing Grace". It also featured pop music remakes of songs such as Debby Boone's "You Light up My Life" and Bette Midler's "The Rose". The album was a departure from Rimes' previous releases as it contained more Adult Contemporary-styled music than Country. The album sold over four million copies in the United States, certifying 4× Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album contained the single "How Do I Live", which became a major pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching Number 2. "How Do I Live" set a new record for becoming the longest-running single in Billboard Hot 100 history, spending 69 weeks on the chart. The song was originally recorded for the film ''Con Air'', along with a version also recorded by Trisha Yearwood. Yearwood's manager at the time had told the press that Rimes's version sounded "too pop". Therefore Rimes's version received little country airplay (only reaching Number 43) and was rejected for the film. Yearwood's rendition was released to country radio shortly afterwards, peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1997, becoming the country hit instead of Rimes's version.

Rimes released her third album for Curb in May 1998, ''Sittin' on Top of the World''. The album leaned more progressively towards Adult Contemporary and mid-tempo pop music. It included pop material written by Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster. It also included a remake of Prince's "Purple Rain" and was produced by her father. The album was given mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album two out of five stars. ''Rolling Stone'' said Rimes vocal style "holds her own in the more popular style of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, wherein a spectacular voice upstages a song, grins and goes on about her business." Upon its release, ''Sittin' on Top of the World'' debuted at Number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, and Number 3 on the Billboard 200, and sold over a million copies in the United States, certifying "Platinum" in sales by the RIAA. The album spawned the Number 4 Country hit "Commitment", the Top 20 Pop hit "Looking Through Your Eyes", and the Number 10 country hit "Nothin' New Under the Moon".

Rimes released her fourth studio album for Curb, ''LeAnn Rimes'', in October 1999, a collection of country standards. The album covered songs mainly by Patsy Cline – which included "Crazy", "I Fall to Pieces", and "She's Got You" – that were primarily taken from her ''12 Greatest Hits'' album. The album also covered Marty Robbins's "Don't Worry" and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee". The album included one new song, "Big Deal". The song gained many positive reviews. Allmusic called the song, "a return to her roots" and "a salute to one of her idols, Patsy Cline." The album in general received much praise. Allmusic called the album one of her "better" efforts, since they had disliked her previous releases. ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the album a positive review and said that Rimes's voice, "dares listeners to take note of what is missing in her interpretations -- the gutsiness and gut-wrenching urgency of performers who felt what they sang." The album was a major success like her previous releases, debuting at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, topping the country albums chart for two weeks. In addition, it also peaked at Number 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album also sold over one million copies in the United States, and was certified "Platinum" in sales by the RIAA. The album's new song, "Big Deal", was the lead single off the album, and became a Top 10 country hit that year, peaking at Number 6. Also in 1999, Rimes recorded a duet with Elton John for the stage musical ''Aida'', titled "Written in the Stars". The song became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The album would spawn a second single, a cover of Cline's "Crazy" that was released outside of the United States.

In January 2001, Rimes released her sixth studio album, ''I Need You'', an album aimed at the pop market. The album topped the Top Country Albums chart for one week, and also peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard 200. ''I Need You'' did not garner praise from many critics and was mainly given negative reviews. ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album two and a half out of five stars and called the album, "synthetic-feeling." Despite very little praise from critics, the album was sold well, certifying "Gold" in sales by the RIAA. Rimes would later go on to publicly disown the album, which she stated was compiled together from studio outtakes her father had produced. The album's lead single, "I Need You" – which was characterized by Allmusic as having similarities to that of Adult Contemporary and Pop music — was originally recorded for the TV movie ''Jesus''. The song became a Top 10 country hit and also a major pop hit, reaching Number 11 on the Hot 100. Also included on the album was the song "Can't Fight the Moonlight", released from the soundtrack of the film ''Coyote Ugly''. The song was released as the album's second single in 2001, and by February 2002 the song became a crossover Pop hit, reaching Number 11 in United States and becoming the highest selling single of 2001 in Australia. "Can't Fight the Moonlight" won Rimes a ''Blockbuster Entertainment Award'' for "Favorite Song from a Movie." In mid-October 2001, Curb released a compilation of patriotic and inspirational songs, titled ''God Bless America'', in order to benefit the disaster recovery for the September 11 attacks. It included the title track, as well as inspirational songs such as "The Lord's Prayer" and "The Sands of Time".

2002–2004: ''I Need You'', ''Twisted Angel'', Greatest Hits

In February 2002 Rimes re-released the ''I Need You'' album with 9 of the songs originally released on the album, an extended version of the song You Are, the song Light the Fire Within which she sang at the Olympics the previous year and 4 bonus remixes. Rimes would later that year release her seventh album (sixth studio album) titled ''Twisted Angel,'' which contained more adult material. After battling managerial control over her career the previous year, ''Twisted Angel'' became the first album released by Rimes that was not produced by her father. Instead, Rimes executive produced the album. A month following the album's release, ''Twisted Angel'' was certified "Gold" by the RIAA, her second Gold-certified album. The album received mainly negative reviews by most music critics and magazines. Allmusic stated that the album could possibly "alieniate her from her original fans" and "the songwriting is a little uneven." ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album two out of five stars, stating that the album sounded too "country-pop crossover." The album peaked at Number 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 12 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. Three singles were spawned from the album between 2002 and 2003, however none of the singles were Top 40 hits on the country or pop charts. The lead single, "Life Goes on", reached the Top 40 only on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, peaking at Number 19. The second single, "Tic Toc" was a Top 40 Dance club hit in 2003. The third single, "Suddenly" only peaked at 43 on the US Country charts, 47 on the UK charts and 53 on the Australian charts.

The following year when Rimes turned 21, she released a ''Greatest Hits'' compilation in November. The album recapped Rimes' major hits under Curb records from "Blue" in 1996, to "Life Goes on" in 2002. The album peaked at Number 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 24 on the Billboard 200 in November. Featured on the album was the single, ''We Can'', which was originally released on the soundtrack of ''Legally Blonde 2'' in July 2003. The album would eventually be certified "Platinum" in 2007 The following year in October 2004, Rimes issued her first holiday-themed album titled, ''What a Wonderful World.''

2005–2006: Return to country; ''This Woman''

In January 2005, Rimes released her seventh studio album, ''This Woman,'' her first album of contemporary country music in many years. Although the album received mixed reviews from magazines and critics, it was Rimes's best-selling album in over five years, reaching Number 3 on the Billboard 200 and Number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart in 2005, selling more than 100,000 copies within its first week. Rimes explained to the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' that the album helped mature her as a person, "I have 10 years of experience, so it's tough to get anything past me in this business. I've become a very strong woman because of all I've gone through, good and bad." ''This Woman'' would eventually be certified "Gold" later in 2005, after selling more than 500,000 units nationwide. The album's singles were Rimes's first Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart in five years. The three singles released from the album — "Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense", "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way", and "Something's Gotta Give" — all peaked within the Top 5 on the country charts between 2005 and 2006. From the album, Rimes was nominated for a Grammy award for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' for "Something's Gotta Give". In addition, she was also nominated for an American Music Award for "Favorite Female Country Artist." In 2006, Rimes recorded a cover version of Barbara Mandrell's "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)", for a tribute album to Mandrell's career titled, ''She Was a Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute to Barbara Mandrell.'' Rimes also would record a track for Disneyland's fiftieth anniversary celebration album titled, "Remember When."

In summer 2006, Rimes released the studio album ''Whatever We Wanna,'' which was released exclusively outside of the United States and Canada. It was originally planned on being released in North America, however due to the success of ''This Woman,'' it was never released. The album spawned minor hits in the United Kingdom, including "And it Feels Like" and a duet with Brian McFadden titled, "Everybody's Someone". The album leaned more towards Pop Rock and R&B; music instead of country.

Rimes would release one final single in the US from her album ''This Woman'' in August 2006 called "Some People" which would peak at 34 on the US country charts.

2007–2009: ''Family''

Rimes took a two year break, and then released her next studio album in October 2007, ''Family''. The album was a mix of country, pop, and rock music, and included a duet with Bon Jovi, "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore". ''Family'' was the first album released by Rimes in which every track was co-written by Rimes herself. ''Rolling Stone'' said the songs on the album are "uneven" and rated it three and half out of five stars. Allmusic gave ''Family'' four out of five stars and said that the album, "illustrates her range as a singer along with some true strength as a writer." The album helped nominate Rimes for the Academy of Country Music's "Top Female Vocalist" award in 2008. The album's lead single, "Nothin' Better to Do" was released in mid 2007, and peaked at Number 14 on the Billboard Country Chart before the end of the year. The album has released two singles to date; "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" and "What I Cannot Change."

In 2008, Rimes toured with Kenny Chesney where she opened every show on his 2008 ''Poets and Pirates Tour'', along with other artists on select dates such as Brooks & Dunn, Keith Urban, Sammy Hagar, Gary Allan, Big & Rich, and Luke Bryan. In late 2008, Rimes was nominated for a Grammy award for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' for "What I Cannot Change", the third single from the album. In 2008, she recorded ''For Good'' with Delta Goodrem for the ''Wicked 5th Anniversary'' album. LeAnn teamed up with Joss Stone for a CMT ''Crossroads'' special aired in fall 2007.

2010–present: ''Lady And Gentlemen''

Despite singing new material at several live shows earlier in the year, it was announced, on May 24, 2010 by Rimes via her Twitter account, that her new studio album would be a cover album of country songs, titled ''Lady and Gentlemen''. The first single from the album is a cover of John Anderson's 1983 single, "Swingin'. LeAnn first debuted the song at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The single was released on June 8, 2010. According to LeAnn Rimes' official website, she is planning on re-recording her hit, "Blue" for the new album. She stated that she wants "the album to be perfect." Since she is doing this, the album would take a longer waiting time to come out. On November 8, 2010, LeAnn released her second single titled "Crazy Women" to radio. "Crazy Women," "Blue" and "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down" were announced, in the same post, as the three extra tracks that LeAnn went back in the studio to add to the album. A third single, "Give", (penned by Rimes) debuted at #60 in July 2011, released as the third single. Rimes announced via her Twitter account on July 17, 2011 that the new release date for her ''Lady and Gentlemen'' album would be September 27, 2011.

Musicianship

Vocal ability and musical stylings

Since her debut in 1996, Rimes' voice and vocal style have often been compared to and identified with Patsy Cline. Cline showed distinctive emotional expression in most of her material. Rimes has also used distinctive emotional expression in many of her songs, most notably her first single, "Blue", which was sung in the style of Cline. Rimes' vocal similarities to Cline had brought wide interest to the idea that Rimes was the successor to Cline's legacy, and brought her novelty appeal. Many music critics have argued that Rimes' vocals were only a reproduction of Cline's original sound, while others have disagreed. Allmusic has called Rimes' vocals "rich and powerful." Her vocal ability has also brought Rimes to comparisons to past teenage country stars, including 50s country star Brenda Lee and 70s country star Tanya Tucker. Rimes was also known for choosing mature material that was beyond her age range. In her first album, Rimes recorded such material as Deborah Allen's "My Baby", whose lyrics provocatively say, "my baby is a full-time lover, my baby is a full-grown man." Other material such as Diane Warren's "How Do I Live" had also been considered too mature for Rimes' age and was the main reason why her version of the song was not chosen to be used in the soundtrack for the film ''Con Air''.

Influences

Rimes has given credit to artists from various music genres, mainly from the genres of country and pop. She has stated that Barbra Streisand, Wynonna Judd, and Reba McEntire have been primary influences on her career. Rimes has stated the main influence on her career is Patsy Cline. She has covered many of Cline's hit songs since the beginning of her career. Her 1999 self-titled album is primarily a tribute to Cline, as Rimes recorded five out of ten songs for the album that had been hits for Cline years before.

Film and television

After beginning to date actor Andrew Keegan in 1998, Rimes said to the press that she had some ideas about possibly getting involved in an acting career. Rimes later moved to Los Angeles, California later in the year with her mother to pursue an acting career. That year Rimes played a role in the Made for television movie, ''Holiday in Your Heart,'' which is based on a book she had helped write. For participating in the film, Rimes was awarded the "Rising Star" award from the ''Lone Star Film & Television Awards.'' She made her official film debut in 2001 for ''Coyote Ugly'', providing the singing voice for Piper Perabo's character Violet Sanford and making a cameo appearance towards the end of the film. In addition, she also recorded four songs for the film's soundtrack, including the Top 20 Pop hit, "Can't Fight the Moonlight." In 2005 Rimes hosted the country music television competition, ''Nashville Star'' on the USA television network. However she only held the position for one season after deciding to depart from the show's cast.

In early June 2007, she was chosen at the last minute to record the leading song for the soundtrack of ''Evan Almighty'' called "Ready For A Miracle" (previously recorded by Patti LaBelle). The song can be heard in the movie, during the end credits, and in the trailers of ''Evan Almighty.'' Rimes played in the movie ''Good Intentions'' with her friend Elaine Hendricks which is filming near Atlanta, Georgia. Rimes plays Meg Galligan in the made for TV movie, ''Northern Lights'', based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same name. The film aired on the Lifetime network on March 12, 2009.

In 2007 Rimes began hosting The Colgate Country Showdown, a nation wide televised country music talent competition, similar to that of ''American Idol'' or ''Nashville Star''. In 2011 Rimes hosted the show for her 5th consecutive year, when the show switched sponsorship, to Texaco.

Personal life

Lawsuits

On May 21, 2000, Rimes filed a lawsuit against her father, Wilbur Rimes, and her former manager, Lyle Walker in Dallas, Texas. Rimes claimed that her father and former manager took over seven million dollars from her in the preceding five years. Rimes also alleged that both men made unreasonable fees and took advantage of Rimes's label, Asylum-Curb, in order to acquire financial gain. Rimes sought unspecified damages because her attorney was not sure of how much money had been lost in the preceding five years. According to Rimes's lawyer, her mother hired two accountants to investigate how much was taken from Rimes's fortune, and it was estimated that the men acquired around eight million dollars in royalties. In 2002, Rimes's lawsuit with her father was "settled on undisclosed terms." Rimes reconciled with her father for her wedding.

In November 2000, Rimes filed a second lawsuit against her label, Asylum-Curb. Rimes wanted permission to be released from the contract that was signed by her parents on Rimes's behalf when she originally signed with the label in 1995. She also wanted her label to turn over the rights of her music, video work, and publishing interests, and omit all of her recordings that were currently being distributed at the time of the lawsuit. Part of Rimes's legal battles ended in December 2001, when Asylum-Curb started a new contract with Rimes.

Marriage, divorce, and re-marriage

Amid the legal battles, Rimes fell in love with backup dancer Dean Sheremet. The two had met when he was chosen to dance during Rimes's hosting of the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. After her first date with Sheremet, Rimes told ''InStyle Magazine'': "This is the guy I want to marry." The couple married the next year, in 2002. In July 2009, the couple separated and in September 2009, Rimes announced their plans to divorce. The divorce was finalized on June 19, 2010, exactly six months after Sheremet filed divorce documents for dissolution of marriage.

Rimes is currently married to ''Northern Lights'' co-star Eddie Cibrian, with whom she had a well-publicized extramarital affair prior to the split from Sheremet. Cibrian, the father of two children, left his wife for Rimes and filed for divorce in August 2009, after eight years of marriage. In June 2010, Rimes spoke for the first time about the end of her first marriage, stating that, while she was sorry that people were hurt, she had no regrets about the outcome of the affair. On December 27, 2010, it was announced via ''Billboard'' that Rimes and Cibrian were engaged. The couple wed on April 22, 2011 at a private home in California.

Philanthropy

In 2008, she opened up about her lifelong struggle with the autoimmune disease psoriasis. She participated in a PSA to raise awareness about the disease.

Rimes lent her voice to the 2008 song "Just Stand Up." The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer. As a result of SU2C fundraising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research, was able to award $73.6 million towards cancer research.

On December 19, 2010, she performed "The Rose," joined by The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles in remembrance of the many gay teenagers who committed suicide in 2010. On her weblog she wrote on June 18, 2011: "I believe in equality for everyone. I believe everyone should have the right to love and commit to whomever they want. [...] All I know is that in God's eyes we are all the same. I just wish we could see through the eyes of God more often."

Wealth

According to "Celebrity Net Worth", Rimes has a current estimated net worth of just under $38 million as of 2011, and is one of the richest female country singers in America.

Discography

;Studio albums

1994: ''All That''

1996: ''Blue''

1997: ''Unchained Melody: The Early Years''

1997: ''You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs''

1998: ''Sittin' on Top of the World''

1999: ''LeAnn Rimes''

2001: ''I Need You''

2002: ''Twisted Angel''

2004: ''What a Wonderful World''

2005: ''This Woman''

2006: ''Whatever We Wanna''

2007: ''Family''

2011: ''Lady and Gentlemen''

;Compilation albums

2001: ''God Bless America''

2003: ''Greatest Hits''

2004: ''The Best of LeAnn Rimes''

Filmography

! Year	! Name	! Role	! Other notes
	''Holiday in Your Heart''	Herself	Main Role
"Moesha"	Herself
1998	''Days of Our Lives''	Madison	Episode 1
2000		Herself	cameo appearance/singing voice:Piper Perabo
2003	''American Dreams''	Connie Francis	Season 3 episode; "Where the Boys Are"
2004	''Extreme Makeover Home Edition''	Herself	Cox Family; guest star
2006	''Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes''	Kelly Deegan	TV film
2008		Pam	Released on DVD March 9, 2010
		Meg Galligan	TV film Released on DVD October 6, 2009
''I Get That a Lot''	Waitress	Television special (1 episode)
2010	''Extreme Makeover Home Edition Nashville''	Herself
2011		Holly Whitman	TV film

Awards

Country Music Association awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
1997	Horizon Award

Academy of Country Music awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
	Top New Female Vocalist
Song of the Year for "Blue"	Award given to "Blue"'s songwriter, Bill Mack.
2009	Humanitarian Award

Grammy awards

! Year	! Award	! For
	''Best New Artist''	Herself
''Best Female Country Vocal Performance''	"Blue"

American music awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
1997	Favorite New Artist	Only American music award

CMT music awards

! Year	! Award	! Video
2008	Collaborative Video of the Year	"'Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore" (w/ Bon Jovi)

References

External links

Official International Website

Official Northern Lights movie site starring LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian at myLifetime.com

Category:1982 births Category:American country singers Category:American female singers Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American pop singers Category:Curb Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Actors from Texas Category:People from Garland, Texas Category:People from Rankin County, Mississippi Category:Musicians from Mississippi Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:Living people

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name	Johnny Cash
background	solo_singer
birth name	J. R. Cash
birth date	February 20, 1932
birth place	Kingsland, Arkansas, United States
death date	September 12, 2003
death place	Nashville, Tennessee, United States
instrument	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin
genre	Country, rock and roll, folk, gospel, blues, rockabilly
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
years active	1955–2003
label	Sun, Columbia, Mercury, American, House of Cash, Legacy Recordings
associated acts	The Tennessee Three, The Highwaymen, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers, The Carter Family, The Oak Ridge Boys, Area Code 615, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins
website
notable instruments	Martin Acoustic Guitars }}

John R. "Johnny" Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003), A.K.A. "The Man In Black", was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Although he is primarily remembered as a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll—especially early in his career—as well as blues, folk, and gospel. This crossover appeal led to Cash being inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Late in his career, Cash covered songs by several rock artists.

Cash was known for his deep, distinctive bass-baritone voice; for the "boom-chicka-boom" sound of his Tennessee Three backing band; for his rebelliousness, coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor; for providing free concerts inside prison walls; and for his dark performance clothing, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black". He traditionally started his concerts by saying, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." and usually following it up with his standard "Folsom Prison Blues."

Much of Cash's music, especially that of his later career, echoed themes of sorrow, moral tribulation and redemption. His signature songs include "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm" and "Man in Black". He also recorded humorous numbers, including "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue"; a duet with his future wife, June Carter, called "Jackson"; as well as railroad songs including "Hey, Porter" and "Rock Island Line".

Cash, a troubled but devout Christian, has been characterized as a "lens through which to view American contradictions and challenges." A Biblical scholar, he penned a Christian novel titled ''Man in White'', and he made a spoken word recording of the entire New King James Version of the New Testament. Even so, Cash declared that he was "the biggest sinner of them all", and viewed himself overall as a complicated and contradictory man. Accordingly, Cash is said to have "contained multitudes", and has been deemed "the philosopher-prince of American country music".

Personal life

Early life

Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, the fourth of seven children to Ray Cash (May 13, 1897, Kingsland, Arkansas – December 23, 1985, Hendersonville, Tennessee) and Carrie Cloveree Rivers (March 13, 1904, Rison, Arkansas – March 11, 1991, Hendersonville, Tennessee). Cash was named J. R. Cash because his parents couldn't think of a name, but the initials "J. R." When Cash enlisted in the Air Force, they wouldn't let him use initials as his name, so he started to use his legal name of John R. Cash. In 1955, when signing with Sun Records, he took Johnny Cash as his stage name.

The Cash children were, in order: Roy, Margaret Louise, Jack, J. R., Reba, Joanne and Tommy. His younger brother, Tommy Cash, also became a successful country artist.

In March 1935, when Cash was three years old, the family settled in Dyess, Arkansas. J.R. was working in cotton fields beginning at age five, singing along with his family simultaneously while working. The family farm was flooded on at least two occasions, which later inspired him to write the song "Five Feet High and Rising". His family's economic and personal struggles during the Great Depression inspired many of his songs, especially those about other people facing similar difficulties.

Cash was very close to his older brother, Jack. In May 1944, Jack was pulled into a whirling head saw in the mill where he worked and was almost cut in two. He suffered for over a week before he died on May 20, 1944, at age 15. Cash often spoke of the horrible guilt he felt over this incident. According to ''Cash: The Autobiography'', his father was away that morning, but he and his mother, and Jack himself, all had premonitions or a sense of foreboding about that day, causing his mother to urge Jack to skip work and go fishing with his brother. Jack insisted on working, as the family needed the money. On his deathbed, Jack said he had visions of heaven and angels. Decades later, Cash spoke of looking forward to meeting his brother in heaven.

Cash's early memories were dominated by gospel music and radio. Taught by his mother and a childhood friend, Cash began playing guitar and writing songs as a young boy. In high school he sang on a local radio station; decades later he released an album of traditional gospel songs, called ''My Mother's Hymn Book''. He was also significantly influenced by traditional Irish music that he heard performed weekly by Dennis Day on the Jack Benny radio program.

Cash enlisted in the United States Air Force on July 7, 1950. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Brooks Air Force Base, both in San Antonio, Texas, Cash was assigned to a U.S. Air Force Security Service unit, assigned as a Morse Code Intercept Operator for Soviet Army transmissions at Landsberg, Germany "where he created his first band named The Landsberg Barbarians." He was the first radio operator to pick up the news of the death of Joseph Stalin. After he was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant on July 3, 1954, he returned to Texas. On August 7, 1954, one month after his discharge, he married his first wife, Vivian Liberto, in San Antonio.

Marriages and family

On July 18, 1951, while in Air Force training, Cash met 17-year-old Vivian Liberto at a roller skating rink in her native San Antonio. They dated for three weeks, until Cash was deployed to Germany for a three year tour. During that time, the couple exchanged hundreds of pages of love letters. On August 7, 1954, one month after his discharge, they were married at St. Anne's Catholic church in San Antonio. The ceremony was performed by her uncle, Father Vincent Liberto. They had four daughters: Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy and Tara. Cash's drug and alcohol abuse, constant touring, and affairs with other women, and his close relationship with future wife June Carter, led Liberto to file for divorce in 1966.

In 1968, 13 years after they first met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Cash proposed to June Carter, an established country singer, during a live performance in London, Ontario, marrying on March 1, 1968 in Franklin, Kentucky. They had one child together, John Carter Cash (born March 3, 1970). They continued to work together and tour for 35 years, until June Carter died in 2003. Cash died just four months later. Carter co-wrote one of Cash's biggest hits, "Ring of Fire," with singer Merle Kilgore. She and Cash won two Grammy awards for their duets.

Vivian Liberto claims a different version of the origins of "Ring of Fire" in ''I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny'', stating that Cash gave Carter the credit for monetary reasons.

Heritage

Cash found out that his heritage was a British Isles mix. For example, he learned upon researching his heritage that he was of Scottish royal descent on his father's side, traced back to Malcolm I of Scotland. After meeting with now-dead laird Major Michael Crichton-Stuart of Falkland, Fife, Scotland, Johnny traced the Cash family tree to eleventh-century Fife; Cash Loch and other locations in Fife bear the name of his family.

Cash found that he also had English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. Though he learned that he did not have Native American Indian ancestry, his empathy and compassion for Native American Indians were unabated; these feelings were expressed in several of his songs, including "Apache Tears" and "The Ballad of Ira Hayes", and on his album, ''Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian''. Through his maternal grandmother, Rosanna Lee (Hurst) Rivers, Cash is distantly related to millionaire William Randolph Hearst and socialite Patty Hearst.

Friends

Cash was a long time friend of Woody Hayes (ex Ohio State Buckeyes football coach). The lyrics "I braided Twigs of Willows Made a String of Buckeye Beads" from the song Flesh and Blood was for Woody.

Career

Early career

In 1954, Cash and Vivian moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he sold appliances while studying to be a radio announcer. At night he played with guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant. Perkins and Grant were known as the Tennessee Two. Cash worked up the courage to visit the Sun Records studio, hoping to get a recording contract. After auditioning for Sam Phillips, singing mostly gospel songs, Phillips told him that he didn't record gospel music any longer. It was once rumored that Phillips told Cash to "go home and sin, then come back with a song I can sell," though in a 2002 interview Cash denied that Phillips made any such comment. Cash eventually won over the producer with new songs delivered in his early rock'a'billy style. In 1955 Cash made his first recordings at Sun, "Hey Porter" and "Cry! Cry! Cry!", which were released in late June and met with reasonable success on the country hit parade.

On December 4, 1956, Elvis Presley dropped in on studio owner Sam Phillips to pay a social visit while Carl Perkins was in the studio cutting new tracks, with Jerry Lee Lewis backing him on piano. Cash was also in the studio and the four started an impromptu jam session. Phillips left the tapes running and the recordings, almost half of which were gospel songs, survived and have since been released under the title ''Million Dollar Quartet''.

Cash's next record, "Folsom Prison Blues", made the country Top 5, and "I Walk the Line" became No. 1 on the country charts and entered the pop charts Top 20. "Home of the Blues" followed, recorded in July 1957. That same year Cash became the first Sun artist to release a long-playing album. Although he was Sun's most consistently selling and prolific artist at that time, Cash felt constrained by his contract with the small label partly due to the fact that Phillips wasn't keen on Johnny recording gospel, and he was only getting a 3% royalty as opposed to the standard rate of 5%. Presley had already left Sun, and Phillips was focusing most of his attention and promotion on Lewis. The following year Cash left the label to sign a lucrative offer with Columbia Records, where his single "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" became one of his biggest hits.

In the early 1960s, Cash toured with the Carter Family, which by this time regularly included Mother Maybelle's daughters, Anita, June and Helen. June, whom Cash would eventually marry, later recalled admiring him from afar during these tours. In the 1960s he appeared on Pete Seeger's short lived ''Rainbow Quest.''

He also acted in a 1961 film entitled ''Five Minutes to Live'', later re-released as ''Door-to-door Maniac''. He also wrote and sang the opening theme.

Outlaw image

As his career was taking off in the late 1950s, Cash started drinking heavily and became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates. For a brief time, he shared an apartment in Nashville with Waylon Jennings, who was heavily addicted to amphetamines. Cash used the uppers to stay awake during tours. Friends joked about his "nervousness" and erratic behavior, many ignoring the warning signs of his worsening drug addiction. In a behind-the-scenes look at ''The Johnny Cash Show'', Cash claims to have "tried every drug there was to try."

Although in many ways spiraling out of control, Cash's frenetic creativity was still delivering hits. His rendition of "Ring of Fire" was a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts and entering the Top 20 on the pop charts. The song was written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore. The song was originally performed by June's sister, but the signature mariachi-style horn arrangement was provided by Cash, who said that it had come to him in a dream.

In June 1965, his truck caught fire due to an overheated wheel bearing, triggering a forest fire that burned several hundred acres in Los Padres National Forest in California. When the judge asked Cash why he did it, Cash said, "I didn't do it, my truck did, and it's dead, so you can't question it." The fire destroyed , burning the foliage off three mountains and killing 49 of the refuge's 53 endangered condors. Cash was unrepentant: "I don't care about your damn yellow buzzards." The federal government sued him and was awarded $125,172 ($}} today). Cash eventually settled the case and paid $82,001. He said he was the only person ever sued by the government for starting a forest fire.

Although Cash carefully cultivated a romantic outlaw image, he never served a prison sentence. Despite landing in jail seven times for misdemeanors, each stay lasted only a single night. His most infamous run-in with the law occurred while on tour in 1965, when he was arrested October 4 by a narcotics squad in El Paso, Texas. The officers suspected that he was smuggling heroin from Mexico, but it was 688 Dexedrine capsules and 475 Equanil tablets that the singer had hidden inside his guitar case. Because they were prescription drugs rather than illegal narcotics, he received a suspended sentence. Cash was later arrested on May 11, 1965, in Starkville, Mississippi, for trespassing late at night onto private property to pick flowers. (This incident gave the spark for the song "Starkville City Jail", which he spoke about on his live ''At San Quentin'' prison album.)

In the mid 1960s, Cash released a number of concept albums, including ''Ballads Of the True West'' (1965), an experimental double record mixing authentic frontier songs with Cash's spoken narration, and ''Bitter Tears'' (1964), with songs highlighting the plight of the Native Americans. His drug addiction was at its worst at this point, and his destructive behavior led to a divorce from his first wife and canceled performances.

In 1967, Cash's duet with June Carter, "Jackson", won a Grammy Award.

Johnny Cash's final arrest was in Walker County, Georgia where he was taken in after being involved in a car accident while carrying a bag of prescription pills. Cash attempted to bribe a local deputy, who turned the money down, and then spent the night in a LaFayette, Georgia jail. The singer was released after a long talk with Sheriff Ralph Jones, who warned him of his dangerous behavior and wasted potential. Johnny credited that experience for saving his life, and he later came back to LaFayette to play a benefit concert that attracted 12,000 people (the city population was less than 9,000 at the time) and raised $75,000 for the high school.

Cash curtailed his use of drugs for several years in 1968, after a spiritual epiphany in the Nickajack Cave, when he attempted to commit suicide while under the heavy influence of drugs. He descended deeper into the cave, trying to lose himself and "just die", when he passed out on the floor. He reported to be exhausted and feeling at the end of his rope when he felt God's presence in his heart and managed to struggle out of the cave (despite the exhaustion) by following a faint light and slight breeze. To him, it was his own rebirth. June, Maybelle, and Ezra Carter moved into Cash's mansion for a month to help him conquer his addiction. Cash proposed onstage to June at a concert at the London Gardens in London, Ontario, Canada on February 22, 1968; the couple married a week later (on March 1) in Franklin, Kentucky. June had agreed to marry Cash after he had "cleaned up". He rediscovered his Christian faith, taking an "altar call" in Evangel Temple, a small church in the Nashville area, pastored by Rev. Jimmie Rodgers Snow, son of country music legend Hank Snow.

According to longtime friend Marshall Grant, Cash's 1968 rebirth experience did not result in his completely stopping use of amphetamines. However, in 1970, Cash ended all drug use for a period of seven years. Grant claims that the birth of Cash's son, John Carter Cash, inspired Cash to end his dependence. Cash began using amphetamines again in 1977. By 1983, he was once again addicted, and entered the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, California for rehabilitation. Cash managed to stay off drugs for several years, but by 1989, he was dependent again and entered Nashville's Cumberland Heights Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center. In 1992, he entered the Loma Linda Behavioural Medicine Centre in Loma Linda, California for his final rehabilitation (several months later, his son followed him into this facility for treatment).

Folsom Prison Blues

Cash felt great compassion for prisoners. He began performing concerts at various prisons starting in the late 1950s. His first ever prison concert was held on January 1, 1958 at San Quentin State Prison. These performances led to a pair of highly successful live albums, ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison'' (1968) and ''Johnny Cash at San Quentin'' (1969).

The Folsom Prison record was introduced by a rendition of his classic "Folsom Prison Blues", while the San Quentin record included the crossover hit single "A Boy Named Sue", a Shel Silverstein-penned novelty song that reached No. 1 on the country charts and No. 2 on the U.S. Top Ten pop charts. The AM versions of the latter contained a couple of profanities which were edited out. The modern CD versions are unedited and uncensored and thus also longer than the original vinyl albums, though they still retain the audience reaction overdubs of the originals.

In addition to his performances at U.S. prisons, Cash also performed at the Österåker Prison in Sweden in 1972. The live album ''På Österåker'' ("At Österåker") was released in 1973. Between the songs, Cash can be heard speaking Swedish, which was greatly appreciated by the inmates.

"The Man in Black"

From 1969 to 1971, Cash starred in his own television show, ''The Johnny Cash Show'', on the ABC network. The Statler Brothers opened up for him in every episode; the Carter Family and rockabilly legend Carl Perkins were also part of the regular show entourage. However, Cash also enjoyed booking more contemporary performers as guests; such notables included Neil Young, Louis Armstrong, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition (who appeared a record four times on his show), James Taylor, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton (then leading Derek and the Dominos), and Bob Dylan. During the same period, he contributed the title song and other songs to the film ''Little Fauss and Big Halsey'', which starred Robert Redford, Michael J. Pollard, and Lauren Hutton. The title song, ''The Ballad of Little Fauss and Big Halsey'', was nominated for a Golden Globe award.

Cash had met with Dylan in the mid 1960s and became closer friends when they were neighbors in the late 1960s in Woodstock, New York. Cash was enthusiastic about reintroducing the reclusive Dylan to his audience. Cash sang a duet with Dylan on Dylan's country album ''Nashville Skyline'' and also wrote the album's Grammy-winning liner notes.

Another artist who received a major career boost from ''The Johnny Cash Show'' was songwriter Kris Kristofferson, who was beginning to make a name for himself as a singer/songwriter. During a live performance of Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", Cash refused to change the lyrics to suit network executives, singing the song with its references to marijuana intact: "On a Sunday morning sidewalk / I'm wishin', Lord, that I was stoned."

By the early 1970s, he had crystallized his public image as "The Man in Black". He regularly performed dressed all in black, wearing a long black knee-length coat. This outfit stood in contrast to the costumes worn by most of the major country acts in his day: rhinestone suit and cowboy boots. In 1971, Cash wrote the song "Man in Black", to help explain his dress code: "We're doing mighty fine I do suppose / In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes / But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back / Up front there ought to be a man in black."

He wore black on behalf of the poor and hungry, on behalf of "the prisoner who has long paid for his crime", and on behalf of those who have been betrayed by age or drugs. "And," Cash added, "with the Vietnam War as painful in my mind as it was in most other Americans', I wore it 'in mournin' for the lives that could have been.' ... Apart from the Vietnam War being over, I don't see much reason to change my position ... The old are still neglected, the poor are still poor, the young are still dying before their time, and we're not making many moves to make things right. There's still plenty of darkness to carry off."

He and his band had initially worn black shirts because that was the only matching color they had among their various outfits. He wore other colors on stage early in his career, but he claimed to like wearing black both on and off stage. He stated that, political reasons aside, he simply liked black as his on-stage color. To this day, the US Navy's winter blue uniform is referred to by sailors as "Johnny Cashes", as the uniform's shirt, tie, and trousers are solid black.

In the mid 1970s, Cash's popularity and number of hit songs began to decline. He made commercials for Amoco, an unpopular enterprise in an era in which oil companies made high profits while consumers suffered through high gasoline prices and shortages. However, his autobiography (the first of two), titled ''Man in Black'', was published in 1975 and sold 1.3 million copies. A second, ''Cash: The Autobiography'', appeared in 1997. His friendship with Billy Graham led to the production of a film about the life of Jesus, ''The Gospel Road'', which Cash co-wrote and narrated.

He also continued to appear on television, hosting an annual Christmas special on CBS throughout the 1970s. Later television appearances included a role in an episode of ''Columbo'' (Swan Song). He also appeared with his wife on an episode of ''Little House on the Prairie'' entitled "The Collection" and gave a performance as John Brown in the 1985 American Civil War television mini-series ''North and South''.

He was friendly with every US President starting with Richard Nixon. He was closest to Jimmy Carter, with whom he became close friends. He stated that he found all of them personally charming, noting that this was probably essential to getting oneself elected.

When invited to perform at the White House for the first time in 1970, Richard Nixon's office requested that he play "Okie from Muskogee" (a satirical Merle Haggard song about people who despised youthful drug users and war protesters) and "Welfare Cadillac" (a Guy Drake song which denies the integrity of welfare recipients). Cash declined to play either and instead selected other songs, including "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (about a brave Native American World War II veteran who was mistreated upon his return to Arizona), and his own compositions, "What is Truth" and "Man in Black". Cash wrote that the reasons for denying Nixon's song choices were not knowing them and having fairly short notice to rehearse them, rather than any political reason. However, Cash added, even if Nixon's office had given Cash enough time to learn and rehearse the songs, their choice of pieces that conveyed "antihippie and antiblack" sentiments might have backfired.

Highwaymen

thumb|200px|From left to right Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, who formed the country music [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup, The Highwaymen]] In 1980, Cash became the Country Music Hall of Fame's youngest living inductee at age forty-eight, but during the 1980s his records failed to make a major impact on the country charts, although he continued to tour successfully. In the mid 1980s, he recorded and toured with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson as The Highwaymen, making three hit albums which were released beginning with the originally titled "Highwaymen" in 1985, followed by "Highwaymen 2" in 1990, and concluding with "Highwaymen - The Road Goes on forever" in 1995.

During that period, Cash appeared in a number of television films. In 1981, he starred in ''The Pride of Jesse Hallam'', winning fine reviews for a film that called attention to adult illiteracy. In the same year, Cash appeared as a "very special guest star" in an episode of the ''Muppet Show''. In 1983, he appeared as a heroic sheriff in ''Murder in Coweta County'', based on a real-life Georgia murder case, which co-starred Andy Griffith as his nemesis. Cash had tried for years to make the film, for which he won acclaim.

Cash relapsed into addiction after being administered painkillers for a serious abdominal injury in 1983 caused by an unusual incident in which he was kicked and wounded by an ostrich he kept on his farm.

At a hospital visit in 1988, this time to watch over Waylon Jennings (who was recovering from a heart attack), Jennings suggested that Cash have himself checked into the hospital for his own heart condition. Doctors recommended preventive heart surgery, and Cash underwent double bypass surgery in the same hospital. Both recovered, although Cash refused to use any prescription painkillers, fearing a relapse into dependency. Cash later claimed that during his operation, he had what is called a "near death experience". He said he had visions of Heaven that were so beautiful that he was angry when he woke up alive.

Cash's recording career and his general relationship with the Nashville establishment were at an all-time low in the 1980s. He realized that his record label of nearly 30 years, Columbia, was growing indifferent to him and was not properly marketing him (he was "invisible" during that time, as he said in his autobiography). Cash recorded an intentionally awful song to protest, a self-parody. "Chicken in Black" was about Cash's brain being transplanted into a chicken. Ironically, the song turned out to be a larger commercial success than any of his other recent material. Nevertheless, he was hoping to kill the relationship with the label before they did, and it was not long after "Chicken in Black" that Columbia and Cash parted ways.

In 1986, Cash returned to Sun Studios in Memphis to team up with Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins to create the album ''Class of '55''. Also in 1986, Cash published his only novel, ''Man in White'', a book about Saul and his conversion to become the Apostle Paul. He also recorded ''Johnny Cash Reads The Complete New Testament'' in 1990.

American Recordings

After Columbia Records dropped Cash from his recording contract, he had a short and unsuccessful stint with Mercury Records from 1987 to 1991 (see Johnny Cash discography).

His career was rejuvenated in the 1990s, leading to popularity with an audience not traditionally interested in country music. In 1991, he sang a version of "Man in Black" for the Christian punk band One Bad Pig's album ''I Scream Sunday''. In 1993, he sang "The Wanderer" on U2's album ''Zooropa''. Although no longer sought after by major labels, he was offered a contract with producer Rick Rubin's American Recordings label, better known for rap and hard rock.

Under Rubin's supervision, he recorded ''American Recordings'' (1994) in his living room, accompanied only by his Martin dreadnought guitar – one of many Cash played throughout his career. The album featured covers of contemporary artists selected by Rubin and had much critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Cash wrote that his reception at the 1994 Glastonbury Festival was one of the highlights of his career. This was the beginning of a decade of music industry accolades and commercial success. Cash teamed up with Brooks & Dunn to contribute "Folsom Prison Blues" to the AIDS benefit album ''Red Hot + Country'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. On the same album, he performed the Bob Dylan favorite "Forever Young".

Cash and his wife appeared on a number of episodes of the television series ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' starring Jane Seymour. The actress thought so highly of Cash that she later named one of her twin sons after him. He lent his voice for a cameo role in ''The Simpsons'' episode "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)," as the "Space Coyote" that guides Homer Simpson on a spiritual quest. In 1996, Cash enlisted the accompaniment of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and released ''Unchained'', which won the Best Country Album Grammy. Believing he did not explain enough of himself in his 1975 autobiography ''Man in Black'', he wrote ''Cash: The Autobiography'' in 1997.

Last years and death

In 1997, Cash was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease Shy-Drager syndrome, a form of multiple system atrophy. The diagnosis was later altered to autonomic neuropathy associated with diabetes. This illness forced Cash to curtail his touring. He was hospitalized in 1998 with severe pneumonia, which damaged his lungs. The albums ''American III: Solitary Man'' (2000) and ''American IV: The Man Comes Around'' (2002) contained Cash's response to his illness in the form of songs of a slightly more somber tone than the first two American albums. The video that was released for "Hurt", a cover of the song by Nine Inch Nails, fits Cash's view of his past and feelings of regret. The video for the song, from ''American IV'', is now generally recognized as "his epitaph," and received particular critical and popular acclaim. June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003, at the age of 73. June had told Cash to keep working, so he continued to record, completing 60 more songs in the last four months of his life, and even performed a couple of surprise shows at the Carter Family Fold outside Bristol, Virginia. At the July 5, 2003 concert (his last public performance), before singing "Ring of Fire", Cash read a statement about his late wife that he had written shortly before taking the stage:

Cash died of complications from diabetes at approximately 2:00 a.m. CT on September 12, 2003 while hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Nashville - less than four months after his wife. It was suggested that Johnny's health worsened due to a broken heart over June's death. He was buried next to his wife in Hendersonville Memory Gardens near his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

His stepdaughter, Rosie Nix Adams and another passenger were found dead on a bus in Montgomery County, Tennessee, on October 24, 2003. It was speculated that the deaths may have been caused by carbon monoxide from the lanterns in the bus. Adams was 45 when she died. She was buried in the Hendersonville Memory Gardens, near her mother and stepfather.

On May 24, 2005, Vivian Liberto, Cash's first wife and the mother of Rosanne Cash and three other daughters, died from surgery to remove lung cancer at the age of 71. It was her daughter Rosanne's 50th birthday.

In June 2005, his lakeside home on Caudill Drive in Hendersonville was put up for sale by his estate. In January 2006, the house was sold to Bee Gees vocalist Barry Gibb and wife Linda and titled in their Florida limited liability company for $2.3 million. The listing agent was Cash's younger brother, Tommy Cash. The home was destroyed by fire on April 10, 2007.

One of Cash's final collaborations with producer Rick Rubin, entitled ''American V: A Hundred Highways'', was released posthumously on July 4, 2006. The album debuted in the No.1 position on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 album chart for the week ending July 22, 2006.

On February 23, 2010, three days before what would have been Cash's 78th birthday, the Cash Family, Rick Rubin, and Lost Highway Records released his second posthumous record, titled ''American VI: Ain't No Grave''.

Legacy

From his early days as a pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll in the 1950s, to his decades as an international representative of country music, to his resurgence to fame in the 1990s as a living legend and an alternative country icon, Cash influenced countless artists and left a large body of work. Upon his death, Cash was revered by the greatest popular musicians of his time. His rebellious image and often anti-authoritarian stance influenced punk rock.

Among Cash's children, his daughter Rosanne Cash (by first wife Vivian Liberto) and his son John Carter Cash (by June Carter Cash) are notable country-music musicians in their own right.

Cash nurtured and defended artists on the fringes of what was acceptable in country music even while serving as the country music establishment's most visible symbol. At an all-star concert which aired in 1999 on TNT, a diverse group of artists paid him tribute, including Bob Dylan, Chris Isaak, Wyclef Jean, Norah Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dom DeLuise and U2. Cash himself appeared at the end and performed for the first time in more than a year. Two tribute albums were released shortly before his death; ''Kindred Spirits'' contains works from established artists, while ''Dressed in Black'' contains works from many lesser-known artists.

In total, he wrote over 1,000 songs and released dozens of albums. A box set titled ''Unearthed'' was issued posthumously. It included four CDs of unreleased material recorded with Rubin as well as a ''Best of Cash on American'' retrospective CD.

In recognition of his lifelong support of SOS Children's Villages, his family invited friends and fans to donate to that charity in his memory. He had a personal link with the SOS village in Diessen, at the Ammersee Lake in Southern Germany, near where he was stationed as a GI, and also with the SOS village in Barrett Town, by Montego Bay, near his holiday home in Jamaica. The Johnny Cash Memorial Fund was founded.

In 1999, Cash received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone Magazine'' ranked Cash No.31 on their list of the ''100 Greatest Artists of All Time''.

In a tribute to Cash after his death, country music singer Gary Allan included the song "Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash's Redemption)" on his 2005 album entitled ''Tough All Over''. The song chronicles Cash hitting rock bottom and subsequently resurrecting his life and career.

The main street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Highway 31E, is known as "Johnny Cash Parkway"; the Johnny Cash Museum is located in the town.

On November 2–4, 2007, the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival was held in Starkville, Mississippi. Starkville, where Cash was arrested over 40 years earlier and held overnight at the city jail on May 11, 1965, inspired Cash to write the song "Starkville City Jail". The festival, where he was offered a symbolic posthumous pardon, honored Cash's life and music, and was expected to become an annual event.

JC Unit One, Johnny Cash's private tour bus from 1980 until 2003, was put on exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in 2007. The Cleveland, Ohio museum offers public tours of the bus on a seasonal basis (it is stored during the winter months and not exhibited during those times).

WWE Superstar The Undertaker has been using Cash's song "Aint No Grave" (from ''American VI: Ain't No Grave'') as his entrance theme since February 21, 2011. Independent circuit wrestlers Tyson Dux and Brodie Lee also use "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (from ''American V: A Hundred Highways'') as entrance music. Other professional wrestlers who have used Cash's songs as entrance music include Austin Aries, who used his cover of the Depeche Mode's song "Personal Jesus" (from ''American IV: The Man Comes Around''), and Necro Butcher, who used both "The Man Comes Around" and "Hurt". WWE also used "Hurt" in a special video package that was aired on Monday Night RAW in November 2005 as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero, a popular WWE Superstar who had died of heart failure while he was still contracted with the company. It is also noted that current WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase, Jr. is a huge fan of Cash, as is former WWE Diva and current TNA Knockout Mickie James.

Along with the television show "The Deadliest Catch" is using the song "Ain't No Grave" as the theme song in many of their commercials.

Portrayals

The Canada Trust company used his name and images for their Johnny Cash automatic bank machines during the late 80s and early 90s.

In 1998, country singer Mark Collie was the first to portray Cash, in the short film, ''I Still Miss Someone.''

In November of 2005, ''Walk the Line'', an Academy Award-winning biopic about Cash's life starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny (for which he was nominated for the 2005 Best Actor Oscar) and Reese Witherspoon as June (for which she won the 2005 Best Actress Oscar), was released in the United States on to considerable commercial success and critical acclaim. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon have won various other awards for their roles, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, respectively. They both performed their own vocals in the film, and Phoenix learned to play guitar for his role as Cash. Phoenix received the Grammy Award for his contributions to the soundtrack. John Carter Cash, the first child of Johnny and June, served as an executive producer on the film.

On March 12, 2006 ''Ring of Fire'', a jukebox musical of the Cash oeuvre, debuted on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, but closed due to harsh reviews and disappointing sales on April 30, 2006.

On April 11, 2010, ''Million Dollar Quartet'', a musical portraying the early Sun recording sessions involving Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, debuted on Broadway. Actor Lance Guest portrayed Cash. The musical was nominated for three awards at the 2010 Tony Awards, and won one.

Discography

: ''See Johnny Cash discography, and Johnny Cash Sun Records discography.''

Awards and honors

: ''For detailed lists of music awards, see List of Johnny Cash awards.''

Cash received multiple Country Music Association Awards, Grammys, and other awards, in categories ranging from vocal and spoken performances to album notes and videos.

In a career that spanned almost five decades, Cash was the personification of country music to many people around the world. Cash was a musician who was not tied to a single genre. He recorded songs that could be considered rock and roll, blues, rockabilly, folk, and gospel, and exerted an influence on each of those genres. Moreover, he had the unique distinction among country artists of having "crossed over" late in his career to become popular with an unexpected audience, young indie and alternative rock fans. His diversity was evidenced by his presence in three major music halls of fame: the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1980), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1992). Only thirteen performers are in both of the last two, and only Hank Williams Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, and Bill Monroe share the honor with Cash of being in all three. However, only Cash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the regular manner, unlike the other country members, who were inducted as "early influences." His pioneering contribution to the genre has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. Cash stated that his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 1980, was his greatest professional achievement. In 2001, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. He was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography for "Hurt" and was supposed to appear, but died during the night.

In 2007, Cash was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Further reading

Graeme Thomson ''The Resurrection of Johnny Cash: Hurt, Redemption, and American Recordings'' Jawbone Press ISBN 978-1906002367

Sources

Notes

References

D'Ambrosio, Antonino (2009). ''A Heartbeat and A Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears''. With Original Art by Shepard Fairey and Photos by Jim Marshall. Perseus Books/Nation Books ISBN 9781568584072

Millier, Bill. (retrieved September 7, 2004). Johnny Cash Awards. JohnnyCash.com.

Streissguth, Michael. ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece'', Da Capo Press (2004). ISBN 0-306-81338-6.

Urbanski, Dave. ''The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash''. New York: Relevant Books. ISBN 0-9729276-7-0.

Turner, Steve. ''The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love, and Faith of an American Legend''. Nashville, W Publishing Group, 2004. (The Authorized Biography).

Published works

Cash, Johnny. ''Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words''. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975. ISBN 99924-31-58-X.

Cash, Johnny, with Patrick Carr. ''Cash: The Autobiography''. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. ISBN 0-06-101357-9.

Cash, Johnny, with June Carter Cash. ''Love'' liner notes. New York: Sony, 2000.

Cash, Johnny, ''The Man in White'', 1986.

External links

Johnny Cash Official Label Website

Johnny Cash Radio Webcast

Johnny Cash World - buy songs, albums, movies, books with Johnny Cash

Official Johnny Cash Lost Highway Artist Page

at the Country Music Hall of Fame

at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame

at the Hit Parade Hall of Fame

Larry King's November 26, 2002 interview With Johnny Cash on CNN

Johnny Cash: Best Photos – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

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Name	Shania Twain
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Eilleen Regina Edwards
Alias	Eilleen Twain (1967–1992)
Birth date	August 28, 1965
Birth place	Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Genre	Country, country Pop
Years active	1993–present
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, television personality
Label	Mercury Nashville
Website	www.shaniatwain.com }}

Shania Twain, OC (; born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album ''The Woman in Me'' (1995), brought her fame and her 1997 album ''Come On Over'', became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and is the 9th best-selling album in the U.S. Her 4th album, titled ''Up!'' was released late 2002. To date it has sold 20 million copies worldwide.

Twain has won five Grammy Awards and 27 BMI Songwriter awards. She has had three albums certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and is the second best-selling artist in Canada, behind fellow Canadian Céline Dion, with three of her studio albums certified double diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. Sometimes referred to as "The First Lady of Country Music", Twain has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and is ranked 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. She was also ranked 72nd on ''Billboard's'' "Artists of the decade" (2000–10). Most recently, Twain has her own TV series, ''Why Not? with Shania Twain'', that premiered on the OWN on May 8, 2011. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 2, 2011.

Early years

Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, daughter of Sharon (née Morrison) and Clarence Edwards. Her parents divorced when she was two and her mother then moved to Timmins, Ontario with Eilleen and her sisters Jill and Carrie Ann. Sharon married Jerry Twain, an Ojibwa, and they had a son together, Mark. Jerry adopted the girls, legally changing their last name to Twain. When Mark was still in diapers, the Twains adopted Jerry's baby nephew, Darryl, after Darryl's mother passed away. Because of her connection to her stepfather, in the past, people had presumed Twain's ancestry was Ojibwa, but she stated in an interview that her biological father was part Cree. Through her maternal grandfather, she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier. Her maternal grandmother, Eileen Pearce, emigrated from Newbridge, Kildare, Ireland.

Eilleen Twain had a hard childhood in Timmins. Her parents earned little and there was often a shortage of food in the household. Eilleen did not confide her situation to school authorities, fearing they might break up the family. In the remote, rugged community, she learned to hunt and to chop wood. Sharon and Jerry's marriage was at times stormy, and from a young age, Eilleen witnessed violent fights between them. Sharon struggled with bouts of depression. In the summer of 1979, while Jerry was at work, at Eilleen's insistence, her mother drove the rest of the family south to a Toronto homeless shelter for assistance. Sharon returned to Jerry with the children in 1981. In Timmins, Twain started singing at bars at the age of eight to try to make ends meet, often earning twenty dollars between midnight and one in the morning performing for remaining customers after the bar had finished serving. Although she expressed a dislike for singing in those bars, Twain believes that this was her own kind of performing arts school on the road. She has said of the ordeal, "My deepest passion was music and it helped. There were moments when I thought 'I hate this'. I hated going into bars and being with drunks. But I loved the music and so I survived". Twain wrote her first songs at the age of ten, ''Is Love a Rose'' and ''Just Like the Storybooks'' which were fairy tales in rhyme. She states that the art of creating, of actually writing songs, "was very different from performing them and became progressively important".

In the early 1980s, Twain spent some time working with her father's reforestation business in northern Ontario, a business that employed some 75 Ojibwe and Cree workers. Although the work was demanding and the pay low, Twain said "I loved the feeling of being stranded. I'm not afraid of being in my own environment, being physical, working hard. I was very strong, I walked miles and miles every day and carried heavy loads of trees. You can't shampoo, use soap or deodorant, or makeup, nothing with any scent; you have to bathe and rinse your clothes in the lake. It was a very rugged existence, but I was very creative and I would sit alone in the forest with my dog and a guitar and would just write songs".

Music career

Career as Eilleen Twain

At 13, Eilleen was invited to perform on CBC television's the ''Tommy Hunter Show''. While attending Timmins High and Vocational School in Timmins, she was also the singer for a local band called "Longshot" which covered Top 40 music.

After graduating from Timmins High in June 1983, Twain was eager to expand her musical horizons. After the demise of the band Longshot, Twain was approached by a cover band led by Diane Chase called "Flirt" and they toured all over Ontario. Twain also began taking singing lessons from Toronto-based coach Ian Garrett and would often clean his house in payment for her lessons. In the autumn of 1984, Twain's talents were noticed by Toronto DJ Stan Campbell who wrote about her in a ''Country Music News'' article: "Eilleen possesses a powerful voice with an impressive range. She has the necessary drive, ambition and positive attitude to achieve her goals". Campbell happened to be making an album by Canadian musician (and present-day CKTB radio personality) Tim Denis at the time and Twain was featured on the backing vocals of the song ''Heavy on the Sunshine''. Campbell later took Twain to Nashville to record some demos, which Twain found particularly difficult to finance. She became acquainted with regional country singer Mary Bailey who had had some country chart success in 1976. Bailey had seen Twain perform in Sudbury, Ontario, saying "I saw this little girl up on stage with a guitar and it absolutely blew me away. She performed Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". Her voice reminded me of Tanya Tucker, it had strength and character, a lot of feeling. She's a star, she deserves an opportunity". Bailey later said "She sang a few songs that she had written, and I thought to myself, this kid is like nineteen years old, where does she get this? This is from a person who's lived sixty years". thumb|right|Lake Kenogami where Twain spent much time practicing in 1985. Bailey acquired the contract from Stan Campbell and Twain moved into Bailey's home on Lake Kenogami where she practiced her music every day for hours. In the fall of 1985, Bailey took Twain down to Nashville to stay with a friend, record producer Tony Migliore, who at the time was producing an album for fellow Canadian singer Kelita Haverland and Twain was featured on the backing vocals to the song ''Too Hot to Handle''. She also demo-ed songs with Cyril Rawson but the demos were without success, partly due to Twain's wish to become a rock singer, not a country artist. After five months she returned to Canada and moved in with Bailey in a flat in downtown Kirkland Lake. There she met rock keyboardist Eric Lambier and drummer Randy Yurko and formed a new band, moving three months later to Bowmanville, near Toronto. In late summer 1986 Mary Bailey arranged for Twain to meet John Kim Bell, a half Mohawk, half American conductor who had close contacts with the directors of the Canadian Country Music Association. Bell recognized Twain's ability as well as her looks and the two began secretly dating. In the fall of 1986 Twain continued to express her desire to be a pop or rock singer rather than country, which led to her falling out with Mary Bailey for two years. Twain's first break finally came on February 8, 1987, when Bell staged a fundraiser for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto where Twain performed with Broadway star Bernadette Peters, jazz guitarist Don Ross, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Her performance received little acclaim, but it convinced Bell, who hated pop music, that Twain should stay well away from it and concentrate on country music.

On November 1, 1987, Twain's mother and stepfather died in a car accident approximately 50 kilometres north of Wawa, Ontario. As a result Twain moved back to Timmins to take care of her younger siblings and then took them all to Huntsville, Ontario. There, she supported them by earning money performing at the nearby Deerhurst Resort.

1993–1994: ''Shania Twain''

A couple of years passed and Twain's siblings got older and moved out on their own. Twain assembled a demo tape of her songs and her Huntsville manager set up a showcase for Twain to present her material to record executives. She caught the attention of a few labels, including Mercury Nashville Records, who signed her within a few months. During this time, she changed her name to Shania, an Ojibwa word which means "on my way".

Twain's self-titled debut album was released in 1993 in North America and garnered her audiences outside of Canada. The album only reached No.67 on the US Country Albums Chart, but it gained positive reviews from critics. The album failed to sell significant copies initially, although Twain's future success generated enough interest for the album to be certified platinum six years later by the RIAA, denoting sales of over a million. The album yielded two minor hit singles in the United States with "What Made You Say That" and "Dance with the One That Brought You". The album was more successful in Europe, where Twain won Country Music Television Europe's "Rising Video Star of the Year" award.

1995–1996: ''The Woman in Me'' and her breakthrough

When rock producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange heard Twain's original songs and singing from her debut album, he offered to produce and write songs with her. After many telephone conversations, they met at Nashville's Fan Fair in June 1993. Twain and Lange became very close within just weeks. Lange and Twain either wrote or co-wrote the songs that would form her second studio album, ''The Woman in Me''. Ironically all the songs selected for ''The Woman in Me'' were rejected by Mercury Records for her first album. Record executives were stunned when they listened to the album. It was unlike anything else in country music.

''The Woman in Me'' was released in the spring of 1995. The album's first single, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" went to No.11 on the ''Billboard'' Country Chart. This was followed by her first Top 10 and No.1 hit single, "Any Man of Mine". Twain had further hits from the album, including the title track which peaked at No.14 and three additional No.1 hits: "(If You're Not in it for Love) I'm Outta Here!", "You Win My Love", and "No One Needs to Know". As of 2007, it had sold more than 12 million copies. The album was a quick breakthrough. Twain performed selected international venues and television shows with Nashville guitarist Randy Thomas (co-writer of the song "Butterfly Kisses") and Stanley T., formerly with the Beach Boys. Mercury Record's promotion of the album was based largely upon a series of sexy music videos.

''The Woman in Me'' won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album as well as the Academy of Country Music award for Album of the Year; the latter group also awarded Twain as Best New Female Vocalist.

Worldwide success

1997–2001: ''Come On Over''

In 1997, Twain released her follow-up album, ''Come On Over''. This was the album that would establish her as a successful crossover singer. Slowly, the album started racking up sales. It never hit the top spot, but with the multi-chart hit single "You're Still the One", sales skyrocketed. Other songs like "Don't Be Stupid", "You've Got A Way", "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!", "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "From This Moment On" joined the 12 songs that eventually saw release as singles. "From This Moment On" is a duet with singer Bryan White and there was even a pop version as well.

The album stayed on the charts for the next two years, going on to sell 40 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest-selling album of all time by a female musician. It is also the eighth biggest-selling album by any type of artist in the US and the top selling country album in history. Songs from the album won four Grammy Awards during this time, including Best Country Song and Best Female Country Performance (for "You're Still the One" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!") for Twain. Lange won Grammys for "You're Still the One" and "Come on Over".

Despite the album's record sales it wasn't able to top the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at #2. In 1999, the ''Come on Over'' album was remixed for the European market as a pop album with less country instrumentation and actually gave her the big breakthrough in Europe she and her producer husband (Robert John "Mutt" Lange) were looking for. ''Come on Over'' went to number 1 on the UK album charts for 11 weeks. It became the biggest selling album of the year in Great Britain and a bestseller in other big European markets as well, selling more than one million copies in Germany and nearly 4 million in the UK alone. The songs that had finally drawn European attention to the album were the pop remixed singles "That Don't Impress Me Much", a No.3 in the UK and Top 10 hit in Germany in the summer of 1999, and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" which peaked at No.3 in both the UK and France in autumn of that year. Additionally, the album set the record for the longest ever stay in the Top 20 of the ''Billboard'' 200, remaining in the Top 20 for 99 weeks.

Twain's mainstream pop acceptance was further helped by her appearance in the 1998 first edition of the ''VH1 Divas'' concert where she sang alongside Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan and Aretha Franklin, and also by VH1's 1999 heavily aired ''Behind the Music'', which concentrated on the tragic aspects of her early life as well as her physical attractiveness and Nashville's early resistance to her bare-midriff music videos.

In 1998, Twain launched her first major concert tour, aided by her manager Jon Landau, a veteran of many large-scale tours with Bruce Springsteen. The Come on Over Tour shows were enthusiastically received by audiences around the globe and answered critics who previously speculated that she could not perform live.

In 2000, Twain was initially scheduled to release a Christmas album, but plans to release one were cancelled later in the year.

Following the success of ''Come On Over'', independent label Limelight Records released ''The Complete Limelight Sessions'' in October 2001. The album includes 16 tracks recorded in the late 1980s before Twain signed her record deal with Mercury.

2002–2004: ''Up!''

After a change in management – QPrime replaced Landau — and a two year break, Twain and Lange returned to the studio. ''Up!'' was released on November 19, 2002. About a year later, Twain kicked off the Up! Tour in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on September 25, 2003.

''Up!'' was released with three different discs – country/acoustic (green CD), pop/rock (red CD), and world/dance (blue CD). ''Up!'' was given four out of five stars by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, and debuted at No.1 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart, selling 874,000 in the first week alone. It remained at the top of the charts for five weeks. ''Up!'' reached No.1 in Germany, No.2 in Australia and the Top Five in the UK and France. In Germany, ''Up!'' was certified 4x platinum and stayed in the Top 100 for one and a half years.

The international music disc was remixed with Indian-style orchestral and percussion parts recorded in Mumbai, India. The new versions were produced by Simon and Diamond Duggal, brothers from Birmingham, England. They were originally invited to contribute parts to the pop version of "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" which retained the Indian influence.

Twain's popularity in UK was reflected by numerous appearances on the long-running music show ''Top of the Pops'', performing singles from ''Come on Over'' from 1999. In 2002 an entire special show was dedicated to her on sister show TOTP2, in which Twain herself introduced some past performances of her greatest hits and new singles from ''Up!''

The first single from the album, "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" became a top 10 country hit in the US, after debuting at an impressive No.24 after only five days of airplay; but only made the Top 40 on the pop charts. It was a much bigger hit on the other side of the Atlantic, released in a pop version, the single hit No.4 in the UK. In Australia, Germany and France the song reached the Top 15 in each case. The follow-up single "Up!" reached the Top 15 in the US country charts but failed to reach the pop Top 40.

The second European single became the mid-tempo song "Ka-Ching!" (which was never released as a single in North America) with lyrics where Twain was criticizing unchecked consumerism. The song eventually became another smash hit in the important European markets, reaching No.1 in Germany and Austria and other European countries, the UK Top 10 and the Top 15 in France. The third single from the album would be the most successful in the US. The romantic ballad "Forever and For Always" was released as a single in April 2003 and peaked at No.4 on the country chart and No.1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and made as well the ''Billboard'' Top 20. Again success was even bigger on the other side of the Atlantic with "Forever and For Always" again reaching the Top 10 in both, the UK and Germany. Further singles were "She's Not Just a Pretty Face" a country Top 10 hit, while the last US single, "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing", made the Top 20 on both Country and AC.

Due to the enormous European success of ''Up!'' and its first three singles, two more singles were released in the second half of 2003 with up-tempo "Thank You Baby" (#11 in the UK, Top 20 in Germany) and just before Christmas the romantic, acoustic ballad "When You Kiss Me", at least a minor hit in both territories. The title track "Up!" also saw a single release in a limited edition of European countries, such as Germany, in early 2004. In January 2008, ''Up!'' had sold 5.5 million copies in the U.S. and was certified by the RIAA as 11x platinum (the organization counts double albums as two units).

In 2003, Twain participated in the Dolly Parton tribute album ''Just Because I'm a Woman'', covering Parton's classic "Coat of Many Colors", with backing vocals by Alison Krauss. The cover peaked at No.57 on the Hot Country Songs charts as an album cut. During the Super Bowl XXXVII halftime show Twain performed two songs, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "Up!"

2004–2005: ''Greatest Hits''

In 2004, she released the ''Greatest Hits'' album, with three new tracks. As of 2008, it has sold over four million copies in the U.S. The first single, the multi-format duet "Party for Two", made the country top ten with Billy Currington, while the pop version with Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath made top ten in the United Kingdom and Germany. The follow-up singles, "Don't!" and "I Ain't No Quitter" did not fare as well. The former made Top 20 on Adult Contemporary, while the latter did not gain enough airplay to crack the Country Top 40.

In August 2005, she released the single "Shoes" from the ''Desperate Housewives'' soundtrack.

2006- present

At the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 16, 2007, Twain said she was currently writing songs for a new album, and was doing a "lot of soul searching" and "indulging in the writing."

Twain joined Canadian singer Anne Murray on the song "You Needed Me" on Murray's ''Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends'' album released November 13, 2007 in Canada, and on January 15, 2008 in the U.S. On November 12, 2008 Twain made her first television appearance since her split from ex-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange, where she appeared as a surprise presenter at the 42nd CMA Awards.

In early January 2009, Internet forums were reporting that Twain was planning to make an announcement regarding her new album on January 26, 2009 but on the 22nd a spokesperson from Mercury Nashville told ''Country Weekly'' that no new album would be coming "anytime soon".

In June 2009, Twain released a letter to her fans explaining the delays in the release of her next album. In August 2009, at a conference in Timmins, Ontario, a spokesman for Twain's label said a new record from the singer is still "nowhere in sight". On August 17, 2009, EW announced that Twain would be a guest judge on ''American Idol'' in Chicago, for the show's August 30 and 31 episodes. On January 1, 2010, Twain carried the Olympic Torch through her hometown as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay.

''Why Not? with Shania Twain''; new album

In April 2010, Twain announced plans for her own TV show, entitled ''Why Not? with Shania Twain''. The show debuted on May 8, 2011 on OWN. Twain returned to ''American Idol'' as a guest mentor for a week where the top 6 contestants showcased her songs. After the conclusion of the ninth season Twain was very close to becoming a judge but ultimately it was Jennifer Lopez who got the job.

More recently, in September 2010, it was confirmed that Twain was to release her first biography, ''From This Moment On'', on May 3, 2011, and the cover work for the book was released on March 2, 2011.

On March 27, 2011, Twain was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Following her appearance, she revealed that she is writing music and that new music will be heard soon.

In May 2011, Twain confirmed in an interview with Perez Hilton that she will release her first new single in six years, "Today Is Your Day", after the finale of ''Why Not? with Shania Twain''. Twain previewed the song in the first episode of the series. Twain worked with music producers David Foster and Nathan Chapman on the new song. In the next few months, Twain plans to return to the studio to finish her fifth studio album. "Today Is Your Day" was officially released to iTunes and country radio on June 12, 2011.

On June 8, 2011, at a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Twain announced that she will headline Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for two years. Her show, titled ''Still the One'', will begin on December 1, 2012.

In July 2011, fellow Canadian superstar Michael Bublé confirmed in a live video chat with fans that he recorded a duet of 'White Christmas' with Twain for his 2011 Christmas album.

Endorsements and other ventures

Twain's commercial ventures outside the music industry included a series of cosmetic ads in 1999 based on "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" for Revlon. She also starred in ads for Candie's shoes and Gitano jeans, who also sponsored her 1998–1999 Come On Over Tour.

In January 2005, Twain joined Scentstories by Febreze to create a limited edition scent disc with the proceeds going to America's Second Harvest.

Late in 2005, Twain partnered COTY to produce her namesake fragrance "Shania" by Stetson. A second fragrance was released in September 2007, called "Shania Starlight".

Personal life

Twain married music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange on December 28, 1993, and they have a son, Eja (pronounced "Asia") D'Angelo who was born on August 12, 2001. On May 15, 2008, a spokesperson for Mercury Nashville announced that Twain and Lange were separating after Lange had an affair with Twain's best friend, Marie-Anne Thiebaud. Their divorce was finalized on June 9, 2010. On December 20, 2010, Twain's manager confirmed that Twain was engaged to Swiss business executive Frederic Thiebaud, the ex-husband of Marie-Anne Thiebaud. They married on January 1, 2011 in Rincón, Puerto Rico.

Twain practices Sant Mat, which calls for daily meditation and vegetarianism.

Awards and honours

In addition to her various awards for her singles and albums, Twain has received a number of personal honours:

She was named the 1999 Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association; Twain was the first non-US citizen to win the CMA award.

Twain was ranked No.7 in Country Music Television's ''40 Greatest Women of Country Music'' in 2002. In 2003, Twain was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. The city of Timmins (located in Ontario, Canada) renamed a street for her, gave her the key to the city, and built the Shania Twain Centre in her honour. On November 18, 2005, Twain was invested as an Officer in the Order of Canada. Twain was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards on March 27, 2011. On June 2, 2011, Twain received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star is the 2,442nd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Category of Recording.

Discography

;Albums

1993: ''Shania Twain''

1995: ''The Woman in Me''

1997: ''Come On Over''

2002: ''Up!''

;Compilations

2001: ''The Complete Limelight Sessions''

2004: ''Greatest Hits''

See also

Music of Canada

List of best-selling music artists

References

Further reading

External links

Shania Twain official website

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ace:Shania Twain ar:شنايا توين bn:শ্যানিয়া টোয়াইন bs:Shania Twain bg:Шаная Туейн ca:Shania Twain cs:Shania Twain da:Shania Twain pdc:Shania Twain de:Shania Twain et:Shania Twain el:Σανάια Τουέιν es:Shania Twain eu:Shania Twain fa:شنایا تواین fr:Shania Twain fy:Shania Twain ga:Shania Twain ko:샤니아 트웨인 hi:शानिया ट्वाइन hr:Shania Twain io:Shania Twain id:Shania Twain it:Shania Twain he:שאניה טוויין kl:Shania Twain kk:Твейн, Шэнайя lv:Šenija Tveina lt:Shania Twain hu:Shania Twain nl:Shania Twain ja:シャナイア・トゥエイン no:Shania Twain oc:Shania Twain pl:Shania Twain pt:Shania Twain ro:Shania Twain ru:Шанайя Твейн simple:Shania Twain sk:Shania Twain sr:Шанаја Твејн fi:Shania Twain sv:Shania Twain ta:ஷானியா ட்வைன் th:ชาเนีย ทเวน tr:Shania Twain uk:Шанайя Твейн vi:Shania Twain zh:仙妮亞·唐恩

name	Nana Mouskouri
background	solo_singer
birth name	Ιωάννα Μούσχουρη (Ioánna Moúschouri)
birth date	October 13, 1934
origin	Chania, Crete, Greece
genre	Jazz, Pop, folk, Greek folk, world music, Classical
occupation	Singer
years active	1958–2008
label	Fontana, Polydor, Mercury, Verve, Philips, PolyGram, Universal Music France
website	Universal Music France
notable instruments	}}

Nana Mouskouri (), born Ioánna Moúschouri () on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold nearly 400 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and family as a child. (Note that in Greek her surname is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable - MOOS-hoo-ree - rather than the second.) She has recorded songs in many languages, including Greek, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrew, Welsh, Mandarin Chinese and Maori.

The early years

Nana Mouskouri's family lived in Chania, Crete, where her father, Constantine, worked as a film projectionist in a local cinema. Her mother, Alice also worked in the same local cinema as an usherette. When Mouskouri was three, her family moved to Athens.

Mouskouri's family sent her and her elder sister, Eugenia or "Jenny", to the Athens Conservatoire. Mouskouri had displayed exceptional musical talent from the age of six. Jenny initially appeared to be the more gifted of the two sisters. Financially unable to support both girls' studies, the parents asked their tutor which one should continue. The tutor conceded that Jenny had the better voice, but Nana was the one with the true inner need to sing. Mouskouri has said that a medical examination revealed a difference in her two vocal cords and this could well account for her remarkable singing voice (in her younger years ranging from a husky, dark alto, which she later dropped, to a ringing coloratura mezzo), as opposed to her breathy, raspy speaking voice.

Mouskouri's childhood was marked by the German Nazi occupation of Greece. Her father became part of the anti-Nazi resistance movement in Athens. Mouskouri began singing lessons at age 12. As a child, she listened to radio broadcasts of singers such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Édith Piaf.

In 1950, she was accepted at the Conservatoire. She studied classical music with an emphasis on singing opera. After eight years at the Conservatoire, Mouskouri was encouraged by her friends to experiment with jazz music. She began singing with her friends' jazz group at night. However, when Mouskouri's Conservatory professor found out about Mouskouri's involvement with a genre of music that was not in keeping with her classical studies, he prevented her from sitting for her end-of-year exams. Mouskouri left the Conservatoire and began performing at the Zaki club in Athens.

She began singing jazz in nightclubs with a bias towards Ella Fitzgerald repertoire. In 1957, she recorded her first song, ''Fascination'', in both Greek and English for Odeon/EMI Greece. By 1958 while still performing at the Zaki, she met Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis. Hadjidakis was impressed by Nana’s voice and offered to write songs for her. In 1959 Mouskouri performed Hadjidakis' ''Kapou Iparchi I Agapi Mou'' (co-written with poet Nikos Gatsos) at the inaugural Greek Song Festival. The song won first prize, and Mouskouri began to be noticed.

At the 1960 Greek Song Festival, she performed two more Hadjidakis compositions, ''Timoria'' and ''Kiparissaki''. Both these songs tied for first prize. Mouskouri performed Kostas Yannidis' composition, ''Xypna Agapi Mou'', at the Mediterranean Song Festival, held in Barcelona that year. The song won first prize, and she went on to sign a recording contract with Paris-based Philips-Fontana.

In 1961, Mouskouri performed the soundtrack of a German documentary about Greece. This resulted in the German-language single ''Weiße Rosen aus Athen'' ("White Roses from Athens"). The song was originally adapted from a folk melody by Hadjidakis. It became a success, selling over a million copies in Germany. The song was later translated into several languages and it went on to become one of Mouskouri's signature tunes.

Family life

Mouskouri has been married twice. When she was 25, she married her first husband, a guitarist in her backing band and the first man she'd kissed. They had two children (Nicolas Petsilas and Lenou Petsilas (singer)) but divorced when Mouskouri was 39. Not long after that, she met her second husband, André Chapelle, then her sound technician, but they did not marry then because she 'didn't want to bring another father into the family' and divorce was against her traditional Greek upbringing. They eventually married on 13 January 2003 and live primarily in Switzerland.

Life outside Greece

In 1962, she met Quincy Jones, who persuaded her to travel to New York City to record an album of American jazz titled ''The Girl From Greece Sings''. Following that she scored another hit in the United Kingdom with ''My Colouring Book''.

In 1963 she left Greece to live in Paris. Mouskouri performed Luxembourg's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963 that year, ''À Force de Prier''. The song achieved success, and helped win her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque in France. Mouskouri soon attracted the attention of French composer Michel Legrand, who composed for her two major French hits ''Les Parapluies de Cherbourg'' (1964) and an arrangement of Katherine K. Davis' ''Carol of the Drum'', ''L'Enfant au Tambour'' (1965).

In 1965 she recorded her second English-language album to be released in the United States, entitled ''Nana Sings''. American calypso musician Harry Belafonte heard and liked the album. Belafonte brought Mouskouri on tour with him through 1966. They teamed for a live duo album entitled ''An Evening With Belafonte/Mouskouri''. During this tour, Belafonte suggested that Mouskouri remove her signature black-rimmed glasses when on stage. She was so unhappy with the request that she wanted to quit the show after only two days. Finally, Belafonte relented and respected her wishes to perform while wearing glasses.

Mouskouri's 1967 French album ''Le Jour Où la Colombe'' raised her to super-stardom in France. This album featured many of her French songs, ''Au Cœur de Septembre'', ''Adieu Angélina'', ''Robe Bleue, Robe Blanche'' and the French pop classic ''Le Temps des Cerises''. Mouskouri made her first appearance at Paris' legendary Olympia concert theatre the same year, singing French pop, Greek folk, and Hadjidakis numbers.

In 1968, Mouskouri was invited to host a BBC TV series called ''Presenting Nana Mouskouri''. The next year she released a full-length British LP, ''Over and Over''. The LP spent almost two years in the UK charts. She expanded her concert tour to Australia (where she met Frank Hardy, who followed her to the south of France in 1976), New Zealand and Japan. She recorded several Japanese songs for the Japanese market.

In France, she released a series of top-selling albums that included ''Comme un Soleil'', ''Une Voix Qui Vient du Cœur'', ''Vieilles Chansons de France'', and ''Quand Tu Chantes!''.

Middle years

In 1979, Mouskouri released another English-language album named ''Roses and Sunshine''. This album consisting largely of folk and country material, and included work from sources as Neil Young, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan and John Denver. It was well received in Canada, and one of the album's tracks, "Even Now" (not the same song as the 1978 Barry Manilow hit), became a staple on beautiful music radio stations in the United States. She scored a worldwide hit in 1981 with ''Je Chante Avec Toi, Liberté'', which was translated into several languages after its success in France. The momentum from this album also helped boost her following German album, ''Meine Lieder sind mein Leben''. In 1984, Mouskouri returned to Greece for her first live performance in her homeland since 1962.

In 1985, Mouskouri recorded ''Only Love'', the theme song to the BBC TV series ''Mistral's Daughter'' — based upon the novel by Judith Krantz — that reached #2 in the UK charts. The song was also a hit in its foreign language versions: ''L'Amour en Héritage'' (French), ''Come un'eredità'' (Italian), ''La dicha del amor'' (Spanish), and ''Aber die Liebe bleibt'' (German). The German version was also recorded with an alternate set of lyrics under the title ''Der wilde Wein'' but was withdrawn in favour of ''Aber die Liebe bleibt''.

That same year, Mouskouri made a play for the Spanish-language market with the hit single ''Con Todo el Alma''. The song was a major success in Spain, Argentina and Chile.

She released five albums in different languages in 1987, and the following year returned to her classical conservatory roots with the double LP ''The Classical Nana'' (aka ''Nana Classique''), which featured adaptations of classical songs and excerpts from opera. By the end of 1987, she had performed a series of concerts in Asia, including South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.

Autobiography

A French language autobiography appeared in 1989 titled ''"Chanter ma vie"'' (Singing my life), which is also the title of her French version of ABBA's "I Have a Dream".

In 2006, Greek publisher A.A. Livanis published a biography in Greek titled "To onoma mou ine Nana" (My name is Nana). In autumn 2007, the French and English versions of this biography appeared under the titles "Nana Mouskouri — Memoires — La fille de la Chauve-souris" (XO publishers) and "Nana Mouskouri — Memoirs" (Orion Publishing Group).

The later years

Mouskouri's 1991 English album, ''Only Love: The Best of Nana Mouskouri'' became her best-selling release in the United States. She spent much of the 1990s touring the globe. Among her early 1990s albums were spiritual music, ''Gospel'' (1990), the Spanish-language ''Nuestras Canciones'', the multilingual, Mediterranean-themed ''Côté Sud, Côté Coeur'' (1992), ''Dix Mille Ans Encore'', ''Falling in Love Again: Great Songs From the Movies''. ''Falling in Love'' featured two duets with Harry Belafonte.

She recorded several more albums over 1996 and 1997, including the Spanish ''Nana Latina'' (which featured duets with Julio Iglesias and Mercedes Sosa), the English-language ''Return to Love'', and the French pop classics, ''Hommages''. In 1997, she staged a high-profile ''Concert for Peace'' at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. This concert was later released as an album, and aired as a TV special on PBS in the U.S.

In 1993, Mouskouri recorded the album, ''Hollywood''. Produced by Michel Legrand it was a collection of famous songs from films, and served not only as a tribute to the world of cinema, but also as a personal reference to childhood memories of sitting with her father in his projection room in Crete.

UNICEF/Politics

Mouskouri was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in October 1993. She took over from the previous ambassador, the recently deceased actress Audrey Hepburn. Mouskouri's first U.N. mission took her to Bosnia to draw attention to the plight of children affected by Bosnian war. She went on to give a series of fund-raising concerts in Sweden and Belgium.

She was elected a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 until 1999, when she resigned from her position as an MEP. Several reasons have been given for this, one being her pacifism, and another being that she felt ill-equipped for the day-to-day work of a politician.

21st century and retirement

Mouskouri lives in Switzerland with Chapelle, and, until her final performance in 2008, performed hundreds of concerts every year throughout her career. In 2004, her French record company released a 34-CD box set of more than 600 of Mouskouri's mostly-French songs. In 2006 she made a guest appearance at that year's Eurovision Song Contest which was held, for the first time ever, in her native Greece.

In the same year, she announced her plans to retire. From 2005 until 2008, she conducted a farewell concert tour of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South America, the United States, and Canada. On July 23 and 24, 2008, Mouskouri gave her two final 'Farewell Concert' performances at the ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre, in Athens, Greece, before a packed stadium, including Greece's Prime Minister and Athens mayor, plus the mayors of Berlin, Paris and Luxembourg, along with fans from around the world and thousands of her Athenian admirers.

In 2010, in response to the financial situation in Greece caused by excessive deficit, Mouskouri announced that she would forgo her pension to contribute to the country's recovery. She commented: "Everywhere I see stories about my country going bankrupt. And people are aggressive about it. It's frightening. And it's painful for me. Nobody wants their country to be treated badly. It's frustrating and very sad."

Record sales

Universal Music Group, which has over the decades come to acquire virtually all the labels under which Mouskouri recorded, claims that Nana Mouskouri has sold nearly 400 million discs worldwide, recording about 1,500 songs in 15 languages on 450 albums. She has more than 230 gold and platinum albums worldwide, making her a candidate for the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

Impersonators

The British comedian Benny Hill impersonated Mouskouri on The Benny Hill Show. He wore long dresses and long black hair, that he stroked back, and talked and sang with a slow and quiet voice. He described the songs with long and verbose introductions before singing them.

Partial discography

''Epitaphios'' (1960)

''Nana Mouskouri Canta canciones populares griegas'' (1960)

''I megales epitichies tis Nana Mouskouri'' (1961)

''Ta prota mas tragoudia'' (1961)

''The White Rose of Athens'' (1961)

''Greece, Land of Dreams'' (1962)

''The Girl From Greece Sings'' (1962)

''Roses Blanches de Corfu'' (1962)

''Ce Soir A Luna Park'' (1962)

''Crois-Moi ça durera'' (1962)

''Un homme est venu'' (1963)

''Sings Greek Songs-Never On Sunday'' (1963)

''Celui Que j'aime'' (1964)

''The Voice of Greece'' (1964)

''Chante en Grec'' (1965)

''Nana Mouskouri et Michael Legrand'' (1965)

''Griechische Gitarren mit Nana Mouskouri'' (1965)

''Nana Mouskouri in Italia'' (1965)

''Nana's Choice'' (1965)

''Nana Sings'' (1965)

''An Evening with Belafonte/Mouskouri'' (1966)

''Le Cœur trop tendre'' (1966)

''Strasse der hunderttausend Lichter'' (1966)

''Nana Mouskouri in Paris'' (1966)

''Moje Najlepse grčke pesme -Yugoslavia-'' (1966)

''Pesme Moje zemlje -Yugoslavia-'' (1966)

''Un Canadien Errant'' (1967)

''Un souvenir du congres'' (1967)

''Nana Mouskouri à'lOlympia'' (1967)

''Showboat'' (1967)

''Chants de mon pays'' (1967)

''Singt Ihre Grossen Erfolge'' (1967)

''Le Jour où la Colombe'' (1967)

''Nana'' (1968)

''What now my love'' (1968)

''Une soirée avec Nana Mouskouri'' (1969)

''Dans le soleil et dans le vent'' (1969)

''Over and Over'' (1969)

''The exquisite Nana Mouskouri'' (1969)

''Mouskouri International'' (1969)

''Grand Gala'' (1969)

''Verzoekprogramma'' (1969)

''Le Tournesol'' (1970)

''Nana Recital 70'' (1970)

''Sings Hadjidakis'' (1970)

''Turn On the sun'' (1970)

''Bridge Over troubled water'' (1970)

''My favorite Greek songs'' (1970)*

''After Midnight'' (1971)

''A Touch of French'' (1971)

''Love story'' (1971)

''Pour les enfants'' (1971)

''Comme un soleil'' (1971)

''A place in my heart'' (1971)

''Chante la Grèce'' (1972)

''Lieder meiner Heimat'' (1972)

''Xypna Agapi mou'' (1972)

''Christmas with Nana Mouskouri'' (1972)

''British concert'' (1972)

''Une voix... qui vivent du coeur'' (1972)

''Spiti mou spitaki mou'' (1972)

''Presenting...Songs from her TV series'' (1973)

''Vieilles Chansons de France'' (1973)

''Chante Noël'' (1973)

''Day is Done'' (1973)

''An American album'' (1973)

''Spotlight on Nana Mouskouri'' (1973)

''Nana Mouskouri au théatre des champs-Elysées'' (1974)

''Que je sois un ange...'' (1974)

''Nana's Book of Songs'' (1974)

''The most beautiful songs'' (1974)

''Adieu mes amis'' (1974)

''Le temps des cerises'' (1974)

''If You Love me'' (1974)

''The magic of Nana Mouskouri'' (1974)

''Sieben Schwarze Rosen'' (1975)

''Toi qui t'en vas'' (1975)

''Träume sind Sterne'' (1975)

''At The Albert Hall'' (1975)

''Quand tu chantes'' (1976)

''Die Welt ist voll Licht'' (1976)

''Lieder die mann nie vergisst'' (1976)

''Nana in Holland'' (1976)

''Songs of the British isles'' (1976)

''Love goes on'' (1976)

''Quand Tu Chantes''(1976)

''An Evening with Nana Mouskouri'' (1976)

''Ein Portrait'' (1976)

''La récréation'' (1976)

''Passport'' (1976)

''Une voix'' (1976)

''Alleluia'' (1977)

''Glück ist wie ein Schmetterling'' (1977)

''Star für Millionen'' (1977)

''Geliebt und bewundert'' (1977)

''Lieder, die die Liebe schreibt'' (1978)*

''Nouvelles chansons de la Vieille France'' (1978)

''Les enfants du Pirée'' (1978)

''A Paris'' (1979)

''Roses and Sunshine'' (1979)

''Vivre au Soleil'' (1979)

''Sing dein Lied'' (1979)

''Kinderlieder'' (1979)

''Come with me'' (1980)

''Vivre avec toi'' (1980)

''Die stimme in concert'' (1980)

''Wenn ich träum'' (1980)

''Alles Liebe'' (1981)

''Je Chante Avec Toi, Liberté'' (1981)

''Ballades'' (1982)

''Song for liberty'' (1982)

''Farben'' (1983)

''Quand on revient'' (1983)

''When I Dream'' (1983)

''La dame de cœur'' (1984)

''Athina'' (1984)

''Nana'' (1984)

''I endekati entoli'' (1985)

''Ma vérité'' (1985)

''Alone'' (1985)

''Libertad'' (1986)

''Kleine Wahrheiten'' (1986)

''Tu m'oublies'' (1986)

''Why Worry?'' (1986)

''Only Love'' (1986)

''Love Me Tender'' (1987)

''Tierra Viva'' (1987)

''Du und Ich'' (1987)

''Par amour'' (1987)

''Classique'' (1988)

''A voice from the heart'' (1988)

''The magic of Nana Mouskouri'' (1988)

''Concierto en Aranjuez'' (1989)

''Tout Simplement 1&2'' (1989)

''Weinachts Lieder'' (1989)

''Taxidotis'' (1990)

''Gospel'' (1990)

''Only Love: The Best of Nana Mouskouri'' (1991)

''Nuestras canciones 1 & 2'' (1991)

''Am Ziel meiner Reise'' (1991)

''Côté Sud - Côté Cœur'' (1992)

''Hollywood'' (1993)

''Falling in Love again'' (1993)

''Dix mille ans encore'' (1994)

''Agapi in'i zoi'' (1994)

''Nur ein Lied'' (1995)

''Nana Latina'' (1996)

''Hommages'' (1997)

''Return to Love'' (1997)

''The Romance of Nana Mouskouri'' (1997)

''Concert for peace'' (1998)

''Chanter la vie'' (1998)

''As time goes by'' (1999)

''The Christmas Album'' (2000)

''At Her Very Best'' (2001)

''Erinnerungen'' (2001)

''Songs the whole world loves'' (2001)

''Fille du soleil'' (2002)

''Un bolero Por Favor'' (2002)

''Ode to Joy'' (2002)

''Nana Swings'' (2003)

''Ich hab'gelacht, ich hab'geweint'' (2004)

''L'Integrale'' Collection (34 CD Box Set) (2004)

''A Canadian Tribute'' (2004)

''I'll Remember You'' (2005)

''Complete English Works'' Collection (17 CD Box Set) (2005)

''Moni Perpato'' (2006)

''Nana Mouskouri (Gold)'' (2 CD) (2006)

''Le Ciel est Noir - les 50 plus belles chansons'' (3 CD) (2007)

''The Ultimate Collection'' (2007)

''Les 100 plus belles chansons'' (5 CD) (2007)

''50 Hronia Tragoudia (50 Years Of Songs)'' (2007)

''Alma Latina Todas sus grabaciones en español'' (5CD) (2008)

''The Best Of (Green Series)'' (2008)

''The Very Best Of'' (Readers Digest 4 CD-Box) (2008)

''The Ultimate Collection'' (Taiwan) (2CD) (2008)

''The Greatest Hits: Korea Tour Edition'' (2 CD-Box) (2008)

''The Singer'' (2008)

''Nana Mouskouri - Best Selection'' (2009)

''Nana sings'' (reissue) (2009)

''Nana Mouskouri: Les hits'' (2009)

''Meine Schönsten Welterfolge vol. 2'' (2CD) (2009)

''Les n°1 de Nana Mouskouri (Edition Limitée)'' (2CD) (2009)

''La mas completa coleccion'' (2009)

''Nana Mouskouri I'' (2009)

''Nana Mouskouri: Highlights 娜娜穆斯库莉:精选'' (2010)

''As time goes by (Nana Mouskouri sings the Great Movie Themes)'' (reissue) (2010)

''The Danish Collection'' (reissue) (2010)

''Nana Jazz'' (2010)

''My 60's Favourites'' (2010)

''Mes chansons de France'' (2010)

''Nana around the world'' (2010)

''Ballads and Love songs'' (2010)

''Nana Country'' (2010)

See also

Best selling music artists

References

Site québécois de Nana Mouskouri Biography, discography by language, list of 1 800 recordings, covers magazines, TV in Quebec, drawings, memories et topicalities.

External links

YouTube video of Mouskouri in 1960 (without her glasses) singing a song by Hadjidakis

Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:People from Chania Prefecture Category:Luxembourgian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Greek female singers Category:Greek entehno singers Category:Greek women in politics Category:People from Athens Category:French-language singers Category:German-language singers Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Latin-language singers Category:Hebrew-language singers Category:Italian-language singers Category:Japanese-language singers Category:Modern Greek-language singers Category:Greek pacifists Category:Thessaloniki Song Festival entrants Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1963 Category:MEPs for Greece 1994–1999 Category:UNICEF people Category:Singers from Crete

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