Group	Mulatto
Population	Official population numbers are unknown.
Popplace	Latin America, Caribbean, United States, South Africa, Angola, Cape Verde, Mascarene Islands
Langs	Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Afrikaans, Creole languages, others
Rels	Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic; large Protestant minority); atheism ; other religions
Related	Europeans (mostly Portuguese, Spanish, English, French and Dutch) and African people }}

Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black ancestry choose to self-identify as mulatto. Some reject the term because of its association with slavery and colonial and racial oppression, preferring terms such as "mixed", "biracial" , and "African-American" (in the United States). Mulattos may also be an admixture of Native American, South American native and African Americans according to Henings Statutes of Virginia 1705, which reads as follows: "And for clearing all manner of doubts which hereafter may happen to arise upon the construction of this act, or any other act, who shall be accounted a mulatto, Be it enacted and declared, and it is hereby enacted and declared, That the child of an Indian and the child, grand child, or great grand child, of a negro shall be deemed, accounted, held and taken to be a mulatto." However, today those who are mixtures of Indigenous peoples of the Americas and Black Africans are called Zambos while those who are mixtures of African American and Native American are called Black Indians and sometimes are solely classified or identify as African American.

Etymology

The etymology of the term is uncertain. It may derive from the Spanish and Portuguese word ''mulato'', which is itself derived from ''mula'' (from old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin ''mūlus''), meaning mule, the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey.

Some dictionaries and scholarly works trace the word's origins to the Arabic term ''muwallad'', which means "a person of mixed ancestry". ''Muwallad'' literally means "born, begotten, produced, generated; brought up," with the implication of being born and raised among Arabs, but not of pure Arab blood. ''Muwallad'' is derived from the root word ''WaLaD'' (Arabic: ولد direct Arabic transliteration: ''waw, lam, dal''), and it should be kept in mind that colloquial Arabic pronunciation can vary greatly. ''Walad'' means, "descendant, offspring, scion; child; son; boy; young animal, young one." ''Muwallad'' referred to the offspring of Arab men and foreign, non-Arab women. The term ''muwalladin'' is still used in Arabic to describe children of Arab fathers and foreign mothers. According to Julio Izquierdo Labrado, the nineteenth-century linguist Leopoldo Eguilaz y Yanguas, as well as some Arabian sources ''muwallad'' is the etymological origin of ''mulato''. These sources specify that ''mulato'' would have been derived directly from ''muwallad'' independently of the related word ''muladí'', a term that was applied to Iberian Christians who had converted to Islam during the Moorish governance of Iberia in the Middle Ages.

However, the Real Academia Española (Spanish Royal Academy) casts doubt on the ''muwallad'' theory. It states, "The term ''mulata'' is documented in our diachronic data bank in 1472 and is used in reference to livestock mules in ''Documentacion medieval de la Corte del Justicia de Ganaderos de Zaragoza'', whereas ''muladí'' (from ''mullawadí'') does not appear until the 18th century, according to [Joan] Corominas".

Africa

In Portuguese-speaking Africa, the term ''mestiço'' is used officially to describe people of mixed European and African ancestry.

Of São Tomé and Príncipe's 193,413 inhabitants, the largest segment is defined as ''mestiço'' and 71% of the population of Cape Verde is also classified as such. The great majority of their current populations descend from the mixing of the Portuguese that initially settled the islands from the 15th century onwards and the black Africans brought from the African mainland to work as slaves.

In Angola and Mozambique, they constitute smaller but still important minorities; 2% in Angola and 0.2% in Mozambique.

In Namibia a current day population of between 20,000 and 30,000 people, known as Rehoboth Basters, descend from liaisons between the Cape Colony Dutch and indigenous African women. The name Baster is derived from the Dutch word for ‘bastard’ (or ‘crossbreed'). While some people consider this term demeaning, the Basters proudly use the term as an indication of their history.

In South Africa the term Coloured (also known as ''Bruinmense'', ''Kleurlinge'' or ''Bruin Afrikaners'' in Afrikaans) used to refer to individuals who possess some degree of sub-Saharan ancestry, but not enough to be considered Black under the Law of South Africa. In addition to European ancestry, they may also possess ancestry from India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, China and Saint Helena. Besides the extensive combining of these diverse heritages in the Western Cape, in other parts of southern Africa, their development has usually been the result of the meeting of two distinct groups. Thus, in KwaZulu-Natal, most coloureds come from British and Zulu heritage, while Zimbabwean coloureds come from Shona or Ndebele mixing with British and the Afrikaner settlers. Griqua, on the other hand, are descendants of Khoisan and Afrikaner trekboers. Despite these major differences, the fact that they draw parentage from more than one "naturalised" racial group means that they are "coloured" in the southern African context. This is not to say that they necessarily identify themselves as such – with a small number preferring to call themselves "black" or "Khoisan" or just "South African." The Coloureds comprise 8.8% (about 4.4 million people) of South Africa's population.

In Swaziland, although a subdued aspect of their history, many ethnic Swazi descend from mulatto offspring born to native women by way of rape during the British colonial rule of the country.

In Mauritius, Réunion and the Seychelles, there are many people of mixed white and black ancestry. In Mauritius, these are called creoles and in Réunion they are called cafres.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Studies carried out by the geneticist Sergio Pena conclude the average white Brazilian is 80% European 10% Amerindian and 10% African/black. Another study carried out by the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research concludes the average white Brazilian is (>70%) European. Mulattoes represent a significant part of the population of various Latin American and Caribbean countries: Dominican Republic (73%) (all mixed race people), Venezuela (30%), Brazil (49.6% mulattoes, mestizos/mamelucos and blacks), Belize (25%), Cuba (24.86%), Colombia (14%), Haiti (up to 5%).

The roughly 200,000 Africans brought to Mexico were for the most part absorbed by the mestizo populations of mixed European and Amerindian descent. The state of Guerrero once had a large population of African slaves. Other Mexican states inhabited by people with some African ancestry, along with other ancestries, include Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Yucatán.

Other sources cite that more than 50% of Cubans are mulatto, about 40 percent of Brazilian people are mulatto/mestizo, and 67% of Venezuelans mestizo with African ancestry.

In one recent genetic study of 800 Puerto Ricans, 61% had mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from an Amerindian female ancestor, 27% inherited mitochondrial DNA from a female African ancestor and 12% had mitochondrial DNA from a female European ancestor. Conversely, patrilineal input as indicated by the Y chromosome showed that 70% of Puerto Rican males in the sample have Y chromosome DNA from a male European ancestor, 20% inherited Y chromosome DNA from a male African ancestor and less than 10% inherited Y chromosome DNA from male Amerindian ancestor. As these tests measure only the DNA along the matrilineal and patrilineal lines of inheritance, they cannot tell with certainty what percentage of European or African ancestry someone has.

According to an autosomal DNA study conducted on a school in the poor periphery of Rio de Janeiro, the "pardos" (including mulattos) there were found to be on average over 80% European. "The results of the tests of genomic ancestry are quite different from the self made estimates of European ancestry", say the researchers. In general, the test results showed that European ancestry is far greater than the students thought it would be. The "pardos", for example, thought of themselves as 1/3 European, 1/3 African and 1/3 Amerindian before the tests. Along the same vein, it turned out that white students had overestimated their ratio of African and Amerindian genetic ancestry.

Brazil

According to the IBGE 2000 census, 38.5% of Brazilians identified themselves as ''pardo'', i.e. of mixed ancestry. This figure not only includes mulatto people but also includes other multiracial people such as people who have European and Amerindian ancestry (called ''caboclos''). A majority of mixed-race Brazilians have all three origins: European, African, and Amerindian ancestry. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics census 2006 even 42.6% of the Brazilians have identified themselves as ''pardo''.

The term mulatto (''mulato'' in Portuguese) does not carry a racist connotation and is used along with other terms like ''moreno'', light-''moreno'' and dark-''moreno''. These focus more on the skin color than on the ethnicity, although they can refer to hair color alone - e.g. "light-moreno" would be "caucasian brunette". Such terms are also used for other multiracial people in Brazil, and they are the popular terms for the ''pardo'' skin color used on the 2000 official census.

United States of America

Colonial Era

During the European colonization of the Americas, the rape of African slave women was not held to be a crime under Colonial Law. Under chattel slavery white slave masters often compromised their female subjects, producing varying degrees of mulatto offspring. Depending on the offspring's phenotype, they would continue living as slaves (as their mothers), specifically in the Southern United States, mulattoes inherited slave status if their mothers were slaves. Some offspring were afforded the life of passing for white. This practice continued throughout the course of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, involving many generations, producing posterity with varying degrees of sub-Saharan and European genetic ancestry and a very broad range of phenotypes. For example, present day descendants of these offspring can appear solely sub-Saharan in lineage, including having extremely afro-textured hair, or possess purely Nordic physical traits. This type of legacy has produced the debatable sub-Saharan/Caucasian admixture that exists among Americans today, as well as in populations in other parts of the world. As for free mulattoes, in Spanish- and French-influenced areas of the South prior to the Civil War (particularly New Orleans, Louisiana), a number of mulattoes were free and slave-owning. Furthermore, some white slave owners, who continued the legacy of slave rape, were also of mixed ancestry. This posterity, enduring changing social and political climates in American history, often interbred and intermarried among other populations, such as Native Americans; and some resulting from miscegenation, such as Black Indians (''see Melungeon''). These circumstances further contributed to the modern day genetic melting pot in America.

Contemporary Era

Mulatto existed as an official census category until 1930. Although it is sometimes used to describe individuals of mixed European and African descent, it originally referred to anyone with mixed ethnicities; in fact, in the United States, "mulatto" was also used as a term for those who were African American and Native American ancestry during the early census years. Mulatto was also used interchangeably with terms like "turk", leading to further ambiguity when referring to many North Africans and Middle Easterners. In the 2000 United States Census 6,171 Americans self-identified with mulatto ancestry.

In addition, the term "mulatto" was also used to refer to the offspring of whites who intermarried with South Asian indentured servants brought over to the British American colonies by the East India Company. For example, a Eurasian daughter born to an South Asian father and Irish mother in Maryland in 1680 was classified as a "mulatto" and sold into slavery. Although still in use by many including mulattoes themselves, in the last half century the term mulatto has fallen out of favor among some people and may be considered offensive by some in the United States. Today among a number of people the preferred terms are generally biracial, multiracial, mixed-race, and multiethnic.

See also

Afro Argentine: Colonial racial categories

Afro-American peoples of the Americas

Afro-Hispanic people

Afro-Latin American

Cafres

Casta

Chindian

Cholo

Melungeon

Multiracial

Tragic mulatto

Latin Americans

Rhineland Bastard

Colonial references

Fernandinos

Quadroon, Octoroon, Quintroon, and Hexadecaroon

Métis

Mestizo

Zambo

Afro-European clans

Sherbro Hubbards

Sherbro Tuckers

Sherbro Caulkers

Sherbro Rogerses

Sherbro Clevelands

References

Further reading

Ho, Engseng, an anthropologist, discusses the role of the ''muwallad'' in the region The term ''muwallad'', used primarily in reference to those of 'mixed blood,' is analyzed through ethnographic and textual information.

External links

An article on the mulatto depictions in fiction

At Race Relations, in depth research on Mulattos

Encarta's breakdown of Mulatto people (Archived 2009-11-01)

Category:African American history Category:Ethnic groups in Latin America Category:History of the United States Category:Latin American caste system Category:Native American history Category:Portuguese loanwords Category:Multiracial affairs

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name	Dr. John
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr.
alias	Dr. John CreauxMac Rebennack
birth date	November 21, 1940
origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar
genre	Blues, rock, New Orleans R&B;
occupation	Vocalist, musician
years active	1950s–present
label	Atco, Blue Note
associated acts	John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
website	http://www.nitetripper.com/
notable instruments	}}

Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. (born November 21, 1940), better known by the stage name Dr. John (also Dr. John Creaux), is an American singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.

Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider prominence in the early 1970s with a wildly theatrical stage show inspired by medicine shows, Mardi Gras costumes and voodoo ceremonies. Rebennack has recorded over 20 albums and in 1973 scored a top-20 hit with the jaunty funk-flavored "Right Place, Wrong Time," still perhaps his best-known song.

The winner of five Grammy awards, Rebennack was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by singer John Legend on Monday, March 14, 2011.

Early life and career

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, his professional musical career began there in the 1950s. He originally concentrated on guitar and he gigged with local bands including Mac Rebennack and the Skyliners, (Paul Staele/Dennis "Bootsie" Cuquet, drums; Earl Stanley, bass; Charlie Miller, trumpet; Charlie Maduell, sax; Roland "Stone" LeBlanc, vocals), Frankie Ford and the Thunderbirds, and Jerry Byrne and the Loafers. He had a regional hit with a Bo Diddley-influenced instrumental called "Storm Warning" on Rex Records in 1959. During these days he was an A&R; man producing, with Charlie Miller, monophonic singles on 45s for Johnny Vincent and Joe Corona for such local labels as ACE, RON, RIC and others. For these sessions he oversaw A&R; and the rhythm section while Miller wrote the horn arrangements and headed up the horns. It was a productive team until Miller decided to move to New York and to study music formally.

Rebennack's career as a guitarist came to an end when his left ring finger was injured by a gunshot while he was defending singer/keyboardist Ronnie Barron, his bandmate, Jesuit High School classmate, and longtime friend. After the injury, Rebennack concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument; pianist Professor Longhair was an important influence on Rebennack's piano stylings.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1963 where he became a "first call" session musician on the booming Los Angeles studio scene in the 1960s and 1970s, providing backing for Sonny & Cher (and some of the incidental music for Cher's first film, ''Chastity''), and for Canned Heat on their albums ''Living the Blues'' (1968) and ''Future Blues'' (1970), and many other acts.

1968-1971: Dr. John, the Night Tripper

Beginning in the late 1960s, Rebennack gained fame as a solo artist after adopting the persona of "Dr. John, The Night Tripper". Dr. John's act combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues with psychedelic rock and elaborate stage shows that bordered on voodoo religious ceremonies, including elaborate costumes and headdress (reflecting and presumably inspired by Screamin' Jay Hawkins's stage act). The name "Dr. John" came from a legendary Louisiana voodoo practitioner of the early 19th century. On the earliest Dr. John records, the artist billing was "Dr. John, The Night Tripper", while the songwriting credits billed him as "Dr. John Creaux". Within a few years the "Night Tripper" subtitle was dropped, and Rebennack resumed using his real name for writing and producing/arranging credits.

''Gris-Gris'', his 1968 debut album combining voodoo rhythms and chants with the New Orleans music tradition, was ranked 143rd on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Three more albums, 1969's ''Babylon'', 1970's ''Remedies'', and 1971's ''The Sun, Moon, And Herbs'' were released in the same vein of ''Gris-Gris'', but none of them have enjoyed the popularity of his first album.

During early-to-mid-1969, Dr. John toured extensively, backed by supporting musicians Richard "Didymus" Washington (congas), Richard Crooks (drums), David Leonard Johnson (bass), Gary Carino (guitar), and singers Eleanor Barooshian, Jeanette Jacobs from the Cake, and Sherry Graddie. A second lineup formed later in the year for an extensive tour of the East Coast with Crooks and Johnson joined by Doug Hastings (guitar) and Don MacAllister (mandolin). Also in 1969, Dr. John contributed to the ''Music From Free Creek'' "supersession" project, playing on three tracks with Eric Clapton. Washington and Crooks also contributed to the project.

By the time ''The Sun, Moon, and Herbs'' was released, he had gained a notable cult following, including artists such as Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger, who both took part in the sessions for that album. This album would serve as a transition from his Night Tripper voodoo, psychedelic persona to one more closely associated with traditional New Orleans R&B; and funk. His next album, ''Dr. John's Gumbo'', proved to be a landmark recording which is one of his most popular to this day; with drummer Fred Staehle serving as the band's backbone.

1972-1974: ''Gumbo'', ''In the Right Place'', and ''Desitively Bonnaroo''

Along with ''Gris-Gris'', Dr. John is perhaps best known for his recordings during 1972-1974. 1972's ''Dr. John's Gumbo'', an album covering several New Orleans R&B; standards with only one original, is considered a cornerstone in New Orleans music. In his 1994 autobiography, ''Under a Hoodoo Moon'', Dr. John writes, "In 1972, I recorded ''Gumbo'', an album that was both a tribute to and my interpretation of the music I had grown up with in New Orleans in the 1940s and 1950s. I tried to keep a lot of the little changes that were characteristic of New Orleans, while working my own funknology on piano and guitar." The lead single from the album, "Iko Iko", broke into the Billboard top 40 singles chart. In 2003, ''Dr. John's Gumbo'' was ranked number 402 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It also earned a place on ''Offbeat'' magazine's 1999 listing of the Top 100 Louisiana CDs.

With ''Gumbo'', Dr. John expanded his career beyond the psychedelic voodoo music and theatrics that had driven his career since he took on the Dr. John persona, although it has always remained an integral part of his music and identity. It wasn't until 1998's ''Anutha Zone'' that he would again concentrate on this aspect of his music wholly for a full album. "After we cut the new record," he writes, "I decided I'd had enough of the mighty-coo-de-fiyo hoodoo show, so I dumped the Gris-Gris routine we had been touring with since 1967 and worked up a new act—a Mardi Gras revue featuring the New Orleans standards we had covered in ''Gumbo''."

In early 1973 Thomas Jefferson Kaye produced an album featuring a collaboration with Dr John, Mike Bloomfield and John Paul Hammond. This album, ''Triumvirate'', was recorded in Columbia Studios, San Francisco, and Village Recorders, Los Angeles.

In 1973, with Allen Toussaint producing and The Meters backing, Dr. John released the seminal New Orleans funk album, ''In the Right Place''. In the same way that ''Gris-Gris'' introduced the world to the voodoo-influenced side of his music, and in the manner that ''Dr. John's Gumbo'' began his career-long reputation as an esteemed interpreter of New Orleans standards, ''In the Right Place'' established Dr. John as one of the main ambassadors of New Orleans funk. In describing the album, Dr. John states, "The album had more of a straight-ahead dance feel than ones I had done in the past, although it was still anchored solid in R&B.;" It rose to #24 on the Billboard album charts, while the single "Right Place Wrong Time" landed at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. A second single, "Such a Night," peaked at #42. Still in heavy rotation on most classic rock stations, "Right Place Wrong Time" remains his single most recognized song. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, and Doug Sahm contributed single lines to the lyrics, which lists several instances of ironic bad luck and failure.

Dr. John attempted to capitalize on ''In the Right Place'''s successful formula, again collaborating with Allen Toussaint and The Meters for his next album, ''Desitively Bonnaroo'', released in 1974. Although similar in feel to ''In the Right Place'', it failed to catch hold in the mainstream like its predecessor. It would be his last pure funk album until 1994 with ''Television'', although like his voodoo and traditional New Orleans R&B; influences, funk has continued to heavily influence most of his work to the present day, especially in his concerts. While Dr. John stated in an interview during 1990s that he'd like to work with Toussaint again for a full album, this has yet to come to fruition.

In the mid-1970s Dr. John began an almost twenty-year-long collaboration with the R&R; Hall of Fame/Songwriters Hall of Fame writer Doc Pomus to create songs for Dr. John's releases ''City Lights'' and ''Tango Palace'' and for B. B. King's Stuart Levine-produced ''There Must Be a Better World Somewhere'', which won a Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording in 1982. Dr. John also recorded "I'm On a Roll," the last song written with Pomus prior to Pomus' death in 1991, for the now out-of-print Rhino/Forward Records 1995 tribute to Pomus titled ''Til the Night Is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus'' that also included covers of Pomus-penned songs by Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, Brian Wilson, the Band, Los Lobos, Dion, Rosanne Cash, Solomon Burke and Lou Reed. According to Doc Pomus' daughter, Dr. John and her father were very close friends as well as writing partners; Dr. John delivered one of a number of eulogies and performed with singer Jimmy Scott at Pomus' funeral on March 17, 1991, in New York City.

On Thanksgiving Day 1976 he performed at the farewell concert for the Band, which was filmed and released as ''The Last Waltz''. In 1979, he collaborated with the legendary Professor Longhair on Fess's (another nickname for Henry Byrd) last recording "Crawfish Fiesta" as a guitarist and co-producer. The album was awarded the first W.C. Handy Blues Album of the Year in 1980, and was released shortly after Longhair's death in January, 1980.

Later work

By the mid-1970s, Rebennack began focusing on a blend of music that touched on blues, New Orleans R&B;, Tin Pan Alley standards and more.

In 1975 Dr. John's manager, Richard Flanzer, hired legendary producer Bob Ezrin. "Hollywood Be Thy Name" was recorded live at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California. The studio was transformed into a New Orleans nightclub for the sessions.

In 1981 and 1983 Dr. John recorded two solo piano albums for the Baltimore-based Clean Cuts label. In these two classic recordings Dr. John plays many of his own compositions and demonstrates that he can play boogie woogie masterfully.

He has also been a prominent session musician throughout his career, playing piano on the Rolling Stones' 1972 song "Let It Loose", as well as backing Carly Simon and James Taylor in their duet of "Mockingbird" in 1974 and Neil Diamond on 1976's ''Beautiful Noise''. He also contributed the song "More and More" to Simon's ''Playing Possum'' album. He played on three songs on Maria Muldaur's 1973 solo debut album, including his composition "Three Dollar Bill". He sang on four songs and played piano on two on Maria's 1992 "Louisiana Love Call". He was co-producer on Van Morrison's 1977 album ''A Period of Transition'' and also played keyboards and guitar. He performed on the March 19, 1977 episode of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. He played keyboards on the highly successful 1979 solo debut album by Rickie Lee Jones and has toured with Willy DeVille and contributed to his ''Return to Magenta'' (1978), ''Victory Mixture (''1990), ''Backstreets of Desire'' (1992), and ''Big Easy Fantasy'' (1995) albums. His music has been featured in many films including "Such a Night" in ''Colors'' in 1988. In 1992 Dr. John released the album "Goin' Back to New Orleans" which included many classic songs from New Orleans and many great New Orleans based musicians like Aaron Neville, the Neville brothers, Al Hirt and Pete Fountain backed up Dr. John on this album. He performed as the first American artist ever, at the Franco Follies festival '92 located in La Rochelle,France, also including a friend of the Dr. Laramy Smith.

Dr. John has also done vocals for Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits' "Luv dat chicken..." jingle, as well as the theme song ("My Opinionation") for the early-1990s television sitcom ''Blossom''. A version of "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" with Harry Connick, Jr. was released on Connick's album ''20'' and VHS ''Singin' & Swingin''' in 1990.

His movie credits include Martin Scorsese's documentary ''The Last Waltz'' (in which he joins the Band for a performance of his song "Such a Night"), the 1978 Beatles-inspired musical "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", and ''Blues Brothers 2000'' (in which he joins the fictional band the Louisiana Gator Boys to perform the songs "How Blue Can You Get" and "New Orleans"). His version of the Donovan song "Season of the Witch" was also featured in this movie and on the soundtrack.

He also wrote and performed the score for the film version of John Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" released in 1982. In 1993, his hit song "Right Place Wrong Time" was used extensively in the movie ''Dazed and Confused''.

Dr. John has also been featured in several video and audio blues and New Orleans piano lessons published by Homespun Tapes. In addition to the instructional value, there is historical context about many other blues artists. Other documentary film scores include the New Orleans dialect film ''Yeah You Rite!'' (1985) and ''American Tongues'' in 1987.

Between July and September 1989 the "Doctor" toured in the first Ringo Starr and His All-Starr band alongside Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Nils Lofgren, Jim Keltner, Joe Walsh, Billy Preston and Clarence Clemons. The tour produced the 1990 live album ''Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band''. In 1997, he appeared on the charity single version of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day". In the same year, he played piano on the Spiritualized song "Cop Shoot Cop...", from their critically acclaimed album ''Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space''.

He recorded the live album ''Trippin' Live'' with drummer Herman Ernest, David Barard, bass, Tommy Moran, guitar, trumpeter Charlie Miller, tenor Red Tyler, and baritone sax Ronnie Cuber.

In September 2005 he performed Fats Domino's "Walkin' to New Orleans," to close the ''Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast'' telethon. This was for the relief of Hurricane Katrina victims; following the devastation of his hometown of New Orleans.

In November 2005, he released a four-song EP, ''Sippiana Hericane'', to benefit New Orleans Musicians Clinic, Salvation Army, and the Jazz Foundation of America. On February 5, 2006, he joined fellow New Orleans native Aaron Neville, Detroit resident Aretha Franklin and a 150-member choir for the national anthem at Super Bowl XL as part of a pre-game tribute to New Orleans. On February 8, 2006, he joined Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, The Edge, and Irma Thomas to perform "We Can Can" as the closing performance at the Grammy Awards.

On May 12, 2006, Dr. John recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for ''Live from Abbey Road''. His performance was aired alongside those of LeAnn Rimes and Massive Attack on the Sundance Channel in the USA and Channel 4 in the UK.

On July 30, 2006, Dr. John performed a solo piano benefit for New Orleans composer and arranger Wardell Quezergue (King Floyd's "Groove Me") at a New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund benefit at the Black Orchid Theatre in Chicago. Special guest Mike Mills of R.E.M. was in attendance, along with an all-star funk band.

Dr. John performed the theme music to the Fox drama ''K-Ville''. He also performed and co-produced the theme song for the PBS children's show ''Curious George.''

In 2007, Dr. John accepted an invitation to contribute to ''Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino''. He contributed his version of Domino's "Don't Leave Me This Way".

In January 2008, Mac Rebennack, Dr. John, was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Later, in February, he performed at All-Star Saturday Night, part of the NBA All-Star Weekend hosted by New Orleans.

In the 2009 Disney film ''The Princess and the Frog'', Dr. John sings the opening tune, "Down in New Orleans".

He reigned as King of the Krewe du Vieux for the 2010 New Orleans Mardi Gras season.

Dr. John played keyboards and had a major role in shaping Gregg Allman's 2011 album ''Low Country Blues'' which was produced by T Bone Burnett.

In 2011 he collaborated with Hugh Laurie on the song 'After You've Gone' on his album Let Them Talk

In 2011 Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and The Meters performed the classic album, Desitively Bonnaroo at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee as part of the festival's tenth year celebration. The name of the festival was inspired by the album.

Cover versions

Dr. John's song "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" was covered in 1969 by Marsha Hunt and produced by Tony Visconti; and in July 1970 by Johnny Jenkins, whose supporting musicians included slide guitarist Duane Allman and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny Johanson; Allman also performed on ''Ton Ton Macoute'', the album that contained it. Allman Brothers bass guitarist Berry Oakley also appeared on other tracks on the album). "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" was also covered in the 1970s by Humble Pie on their album ''Performance Rockin' the Fillmore'', and is track 3 on Paul Weller's 1995 album ''Stanley Road''. Widespread Panic and The Allman Brothers Band also perform this song regularly.

Discography

As leader

''Gris-Gris'' (1968) (Atco, SD 33-234)

''Babylon'' (1969)

''Remedies'' (1970) (Atco, SD 33-316)

''The Sun, Moon & Herbs'' (1971) (Atco, SD 33-362)

''Gumbo'' (1972)

''In the Right Place'' (1973) (Atco, SD 7018)

''Desitively Bonnaroo'' (1974) (Atco, SD 7043)

''Hollywood Be Thy Name (1975) (UA-LA552G)

''City Lights'' (1978)

''Tango Palace'' (1979) (Horizon, SP-740)

''Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack Vol. 1'' (1981)

''Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack Vol. 2 (The Brightest Smile in Town)'' (1983)

''In a Sentimental Mood'' (1989)

''ZuZu Man'' (1989) (Trip Records TLP-9518)

''Goin' Back to New Orleans'' (1992)

''Television'' (1994)

''Afterglow'' (1995)

''Trippin Live''

''Anutha Zone'' (1998)

''Duke Elegant'' (2000)

''Creole Moon'' (2001)

''N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda'' (2004)

''Sippiana Hericane'' (2005)

''Mercernary'' (2006) (Blue Note 54541)

''The City That Care Forgot'' (2008)

''Tribal'' (2010)

With Bluesiana Triangle

''Bluesiana Triangle'' (Windham Hill, 1990)

''Bluesiana Triangle II'' (Windham Hill, 1991)

Other contributions

''Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band'', Ringo Starr (EMI, 1990), Rykodisc RALP-10190 (CD: Rykodisc RCD-10190)

''Boogie to Heaven'' Gayle Wynters, featuring Dr. John and Roger Kellaway (VWC Records, 1995)

''Perfect Day'' BBC corporate film and charity release in 1997 - featuring, amongst others, Dr John Perfect Day (Lou Reed song)

''Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'' (Vanguard, 2007) ''Let Them Talk'' (Warner Bros. Records, 2011)

Recognition

Grammy Awards

1989 Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group - Makin' Whoopee

1992 Best Traditional Blues Album - Goin' Back To New Orleans

1996 Best Rock Instrumental Performance - SRV Shuffle

2000 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals - Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't (My Baby)

2008 Best Contemporary Blues Album - City that Care Forgot

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2011 Performer

References

Further reading

''Under a Hoodoo Moon: the Life of Dr. John the Night Tripper'' by Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) and Jack Rummel, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994. ISBN 0-312-10567-3

External links

Official website

Animated commercials sung by Dr. John

[ Allmusic]

2008 Concert Review

Category:1940 births Category:American blues singers Category:American male singers Category:American blues pianists Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:New Orleans R&B; musicians Category:Jesuit High School alumni Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Boogie-woogie pianists Category:Musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:American session musicians Category:The Wrecking Crew members Category:Blues Hall of Fame inductees Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Contemporary blues musicians Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Louisiana Voodoo

cs:Dr. John de:Dr. John es:Dr. John fr:Dr. John nl:Dr. John ja:ドクター・ジョン pt:Dr. John ru:Доктор Джон simple:Doctor John fi:Dr. John sv:Dr. John

John Henrik Clarke (January 1, 1915 — July 16, 1998), born John Henry Clark, was a Pan-Africanist American writer, historian, professor, and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.

He was Professor of African World History and in 1969 founding chairman of the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. He also was the Carter G. Woodson Distinguished Visiting Professor of African History at Cornell University’s Africana Studies and Research Center. In 1968 along with the Black Caucus of the African Studies Association, Clarke founded the African Heritage Studies Association.

An autodidact, Clarke documented the histories and contributions of African peoples in Africa and the diaspora using an Afrocentric perspective.

Early life and education

Born as the eldest child 1 January 1915 in Union Springs, Alabama to sharecroppers John (Doctor) and Willie Ella (Mays) Clark. He renamed himself John Henrik (after rebel playwright Henrik Ibsen) and adding an "e" to his surname Clarke, as a symbol. Counter to his father's wishes for him to be a farmer, Clarke left Alabama in 1933 by freight train and went to Harlem, New York, where he pursued scholarship and activism.

Career

In 1933 Harlem had drawn, through the Great Migration, a concentration of African Americans, many of whom figured in the Harlem Renaissance. Clarke developed as a writer and lecturer during the Great Depression years. He joined study circles like the Harlem History Club and the Harlem Writers' Workshop. He studied history and world literature at New York University, at Columbia University and at the League for Professional Writers. He was an autodidact whose mentors included the scholar Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. At the age of 78 Clarke obtained a doctorate from the then non-accredited Pacific Western University (now California Miramar University) in Los Angeles. The New York Times noted that Clarke's ascension to professor emeritus at Hunters College was "unusual...without benefit of a high school diploma." The Times also acknowledged that "nobody said Professor Clarke wasn't an academic original", but nonetheless referred to him using the honorific prefix "Mr." rather than "Dr.".

Prominent during the Black Power movement, Clarke advocated for studies on the African-American experience and the place of Africans in world history. He challenged academic historians and helped shift the way African history was studied and taught. Clarke was "a scholar devoted to redressing what he saw as a systematic and racist suppression and distortion of African history by traditional scholars." When some of the scholarship he championed was dismissed by many historians, Clarke imparted to them the biases of Eurocentric views.

He was memorialized for devoting "himself to placing people of African ancestry 'on the map of human geography'." Clarke said "History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are, but more importantly, what they must be."

Besides teaching at Hunter College and Cornell University, Clarke was active in creating professional associations to support the study of black culture. He was a founder and first president of the African Heritage Studies Association, which supported scholars in areas of history, culture, literature and the arts. He was a founding member of other organizations to recognize and support work in black culture: the Black Academy of Arts and Letters and the African-American Scholars' Council.

His writing included six scholarly books and many scholarly articles. He edited anthologies of black writing, as well as his own short stories, and more general interest articles. He was co-founder of the ''Harlem Quarterly'' (1949–51), book review editor of the ''Negro History Bulletin'' (1948–52), associate editor of the magazine ''Freedomways'', and a feature writer for the ''Pittsburgh Courier'' and the ''Ghana Evening News''.

Marriage and family

Clarke had three children with his first wife, Eugenia Evans Clarke. At his death he was survived by his second wife, Sybille Williams Clarke, and his two children Nzingha Marie and Sonni Kojo. A third child (Lillie) preceded him in death.

He is buried in Green Acres Cemetery, Columbus, Georgia.

Legacy and honors

1985 - Faculty of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University named the John Henrik Clarke Library after him.

1995 - Carter G. Woodson Medallion, Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History

2002 - Molefi Kete Asante listed Dr. John Henrik Clarke on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

Citations

External links

"The John Henrik Clarke Virtual Museum", National Black United Front Web Site

"In Memory of John Henrik Clarke", Hunter College, City University of New York

John Henrik Clarke bibliographies from Cornell University

IMDB.com entry on the film ''John Henrik Clarke: A Great & Mighty Walk''

Additional reading

"John Henrik Clarke: His People’s Historian", ''Black Collegian''

"From SBA to SIA: A Great And Mighty Walk", AfricaWithin.com

See also

Ivan van Sertima

Category:1915 births Category:1998 deaths Category:New York University alumni Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Hunter College faculty Category:African American academics Category:African American writers Category:American historians Category:Historians of Africa Category:Pan-Africanism Category:People from Columbus, Georgia Category:People from Union Springs, Alabama Category:Religious skeptics

fr:John Henrik Clarke

name	Tyra Banks
birth name	Tyra Lynne Banks
birth date	December 04, 1973
birth place
occupation	Model ActressTalk show host
height
haircolor	Dark Brown
eyecolor	Brown
measurements	34D-24-35½
years active	1991–present
website	Tyra Banks web site
agency	IMG Models
salary	$23 million (2008) }}

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American supermodel, media personality, actress, occasional singer, and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the UPN/The CW reality television show ''America's Next Top Model'', co-creator of ''True Beauty'', and host of her own talk show, ''The Tyra Banks Show.''

Early life

Tyra Banks was born in Inglewood, California, the daughter of Carolyn (née London), a medical photographer, and Donald Banks, a computer consultant. The couple divorced in 1980, when Banks was 6 years old. However, the relationship between her parents, and between her and her brother Devin Banks (born 1968), stayed friendly. Later, Carolyn married Clifford Johnson; she now goes by Carolyn London-Johnson. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She was accepted by USC and UCLA but declined to attend, instead pursuing a career in modeling.

Career

Modeling

Banks began modeling in the 11th grade. She later went to Paris, France to do some runway modeling. Within Banks' first week in Paris, she was booked for twenty-five shows. She has done extensive print and/or runway work for fashion/advertising giants, such as Anna Sui, CoverGirl, Bill Blass, Chanel, Victoria's Secret, and Yves Saint Laurent. She has appeared on the covers of high-fashion magazines such as ''Vogue'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Cosmopolitan'', and ''Elle''.

Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of ''GQ'' and the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue''. In 1997, she received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the Year. That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog.

In 1998, Banks authored a book entitled ''Tyra's Beauty, Inside and Out''. The book was advertised as a resource for helping women to make the most out of their natural beauty.

Banks retired from modeling in May 2005 to concentrate on her television career. She walked the runway for the final time at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

In 2010, Banks re-signed with her former modeling agency IMG Models.

Move into television and film

Banks's television career began on the fourth season of ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', in which she played lead character Will Smith's old friend Jackie Ames. She made seven appearances in the series. Other TV credits include ''Felicity'', ''MADtv'', ''Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out'' (in which she was featured as a special guest host and team captain) and ''The Price Is Right'' (guest-starring as a "Barker's Beauty"). She also appeared as a guest in the animated talk show ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' in an episode entitled "Chinatown."

Tyra Banks started her own production company ''Bankable Productions'', which produced ''The Tyra Banks Show'', ''America's Next Top Model'', and the 2008 movie ''The Clique''.

Currently, Banks can be seen on television as the hostess, judge and executive producer of The CW Television Network show ''America's Next Top Model''. In addition, she hosted ''The Tyra Banks Show'', a daytime talk show aimed at younger women, which premiered on September 12, 2005, and ran until May 28, 2010.

In 2008, Banks won the Daytime Emmy Award for her work and production on ''The Tyra Banks Show''. In late-January 2008, Banks got the go-ahead from The CW Television Network to start work on a new reality television series based on fashion magazines called ''Stylista''. The show premiered on October 22, 2008.

In 2009, she was honored by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Excellence in Media Award.

Banks's first big screen role came in 1994, when she co-starred in the drama ''Higher Learning''. She then co-starred with Lindsay Lohan in the Disney film ''Life-Size'', playing a doll named Eve who comes to life and has to learn how to live in the real world. Other notable roles include ''Love Stinks'' (1999), ''Love & Basketball'' (2000), ''Coyote Ugly'' (2000) and ''Halloween: Resurrection'' (2002). She and Miley Cyrus poke fun at the excesses of the Hollywood lifestyle with a battle over a pair of shoes in ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' (2009).

Banks appeared in the fourth episode of the third season of ''Gossip Girl'' playing Ursula Nyquist, a larger-than-life actress who works with Serena.

Music

Banks has appeared in several music videos, including Michael Jackson's "Black or White", Tina Turner's "Love Thing", Mobb Deep's "Trife Life", George Michael's "Too Funky" (with fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista) and Lionel Richie's "Don't Wanna Lose You". In 2004, she recorded her first single, "Shake Ya Body," which had a music video featuring the final six contestants on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2''. The video was world-premiered on UPN, but the single turned out to be a failure. On ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2'' Banks said, "Singing has been a passion of mine for a long, long time...six years on the down low - been ducking in and out of studios cutting tracks." Later, on her talk show, she said, "I can't believe I wasted six years of doing something that I didn't finish...I was almost able to release my album ''T.Y.R.A.'', but since my music career hit rock bottom, I quit."

Banks released a single with NBA player Kobe Bryant, entitled "K.O.B.E.," which was performed on NBA TV. She also has a single on the soundtrack to Disney Channel's Original Movie ''Life-Size'' called "Be A Star."

Books

Banks announced in May 2010 that she would be writing a novel, called ''Modelland'', loosely based on her own modelling experience. Scheduled to be released in September 2011, it is the first of a planned three-part series. On an interview with ''Good Morning America'', Banks stated that ''Modelland'' is the story of four girls who are accepted into an "exclusive" modelling school in the world of Modelland.

''Love Stinks ''Love & Basketball'' ''Halloween: Resurrection'' ''Mr. Woodcock'' ''Tropic Thunder'' ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' ''MADtv'' ''America's Next Top Model'' ''American Dreams'' ''The Tyra Banks Show'' ''Gossip Girl (TV series)

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
		! Film	! Role	! Notes
1995	''Higher Learning''	Deja
1999	|	Holly Garnett
rowspan=3	2000	|	Kyra Kessler
''Life-Size''	Eve Doll
''Coyote Ugly (film)	Coyote Ugly''	Zoë
rowspan=2	2002	|	Nora Winston
''Eight Crazy Nights''	Victoria's Secret Gown
2007	|	Herself	Cameo
2008	|	Herself	Cameo
2009	|	Herself in Women's Shoe Department	Cameo
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;">Television
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1993	''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air''	Jackie Ames	*Where There's a Will, There's a Way: Part 1	*All Guts, No Glory	*Father of the Year	*Blood Is Thicker Than Mud	*Fresh Prince After Dark	*Take My Cousin... Please	*You've Got to Be a Football Hero
rowspan=2	1999		Jane Scott	*A Good Egg	*Kissing Mr. Covington	*One Ball, Two Strikes
''Just Shoot Me!''	Herself	*Nina Sees Red: Part 1	*Nina Sees Red: Part 2
2000	|	Katisha Latisha Parisha Farisha Johnson	TV series	*Episode #5.17	*Episode #5.25
2003–present	|	Host	Reality TV series created, judged and hosted by Banks
rowspan=2	2004	|	Carolyn Gill	TV series	*Chasing the Past
''All of Us''	Roni	*O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2005–2010	|	Host	Talk show
2009	Gossip Girl''||	Ursula Nyquist	TV series,season 3	*Dan de Fleurette

Further education

In 2011, Banks enrolled in the Owner/President Management Program (OPM) at the Harvard Business School.

Philanthropy

In 1999, Tyra Banks established the TZONE program, which aimed at leadership and life skills development. The program was created for the primarily disadvantaged teen girls in the greater Los Angeles area, and involves sending teens to a week-long overnight camp outside of LA, where Tyra personally lived among and bonded with the campers.

In 2005, TZONE transformed from a camp into a public charity, the Tyra Banks TZONE Foundation, with a mission which honors TZONE's camp origins, and seeks to create a larger “sisterhood” among girls and young women. It makes grants to grassroot organizations, and supports organizations that serve women and girls ages 13–35.

References

External links

''The Tyra Banks Show'' website

''The New York Times'' Profile/Interview

Category:1973 births Category:African American film actors Category:African American models Category:African American female models Category:African American female singers Category:African American television personalities Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American female models Category:American game show hosts Category:American television producers Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Models from California Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:GLAAD Media Awards winners

ar:تايرا بانكس be:Тайра Бэнкс be-x-old:Тайра Бэнкс ca:Tyra Banks cs:Tyra Banks da:Tyra Banks de:Tyra Banks et:Tyra Banks es:Tyra Banks eu:Tyra Banks fa:تایرا بنکس fr:Tyra Banks id:Tyra Banks is:Tyra Banks it:Tyra Banks he:טיירה בנקס ka:ტაირა ბენქსი sw:Tyra Banks lt:Tyra Banks hu:Tyra Banks mk:Тајра Бенкс ms:Tyra Banks nl:Tyra Banks ja:タイラ・バンクス no:Tyra Banks pl:Tyra Banks pt:Tyra Banks ro:Tyra Banks ru:Бэнкс, Тайра simple:Tyra Banks sr:Тајра Бенкс sh:Tyra Banks fi:Tyra Banks sv:Tyra Banks th:ไทรา แบงส์ tr:Tyra Banks uk:Тайра Бенкс vi:Tyra Banks zh:泰雅·賓絲

name	Amy Grant
background	solo_singer
birth name	Amy Lee Grant
birth date	November 25, 1960
birth place	Augusta, Georgia,
origin	Nashville, Tennessee
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, author, actress
genre	Contemporary Christian, pop rock, soft rock
years active	1976–present
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano/keyboard
label	Myrrh, Word, Sparrow
website
associated acts	Vince Gill, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Peter Cetera }}

Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop". As of 2009, Grant remains the best-selling contemporary Christian music singer ever, having sold over 30 million units worldwide.

Grant made her debut as a teenager, and gained fame in Christian music during the 1980s with such hits as "Father's Eyes," "El Shaddai", and "Angels". In 1986, she scored her first number one charting Billboard Hot 100 hit song in a duet with Peter Cetera The Next Time I Fall. During the 1980s and 1990s, she became one of the first gospel artists to cross over into mainstream pop on the heels of her successful albums ''Unguarded'' and ''Heart in Motion'', the latter of which included the number-one single "Baby Baby."

Grant has won six Grammy Awards, 25 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album ever to go Platinum. ''Heart in Motion'' is her highest selling album, with over five million copies sold in the United States alone. She was honored with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 for her contributions to the entertainment industry.

Biography

Early years

Grant (born in Augusta, Georgia) is the youngest of four sisters. She and her family settled in Nashville, Tennessee in 1967.

During 1976, Grant wrote her first song ("Mountain Man"), performed in public for the first time—at Harpeth Hall School—the all-girls school she attended, recorded a demo tape for her parents with church youth-leader Brown Bannister, then later when Bannister was dubbing a copy of the tape, Chris Christian, the owner of the recording studio, heard the demo and called Word Records. He played it over the phone, and she was offered a recording contract, five weeks before her 16th birthday. In 1977, she recorded her first album titled ''Amy Grant'', produced by Brown Bannister (who would also produce her next 11 albums). It was released in the Spring of 1978, one month before her high school graduation. That fall she performed her first ticketed concert—in Fort Worth, Texas—after beginning her freshman year at Furman University. In May 1979, while at the album release party for her second album, ''My Father's Eyes'', Grant met Gary Chapman, writer of the title track (and future husband). Grant & Chapman toured together the summer of 1979. In the fall of 1980, she transferred to Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music—''Never Alone'', followed by a pair of live albums in 1981 (''In Concert'' and ''In Concert Volume Two''), both backed by an augmented edition of the DeGarmo & Key band. It was during these early shows that Grant also established one of her concert trademarks: performing barefoot. To date, Grant continues to take off her shoes midway through performances, as she has said "it is just more comfortable."

1982 saw the release of her breakthrough album ''Age to Age''. The album contains the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In a Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. ''Age to Age'' became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified platinum (1985).

In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums. During the 1980s, Grant was also a backup singer for Bill Gaither.

Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums - albums that later would be the basis for her trademark holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented Christian hit, ''Straight Ahead,'' earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show in 1985. The head of NBC took notice of Grant's performance and called her manager to book her for her own Christmas special.

Widening audience

Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer. ''Unguarded'' (1985) surprised some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way", from ''Unguarded'', became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list, also reaching #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard Number One hit in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with former Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer Randy Stonehill for his ''Love Beyond Reason'' album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded ''The Animals' Christmas'' with Art Garfunkel.

''Lead Me On'' (1988) contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record. Years later, ''Lead Me On'' would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by ''CCM Magazine''. The mainstream song "Saved by Love" was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio stations featuring the newly emerging Adult Contemporary format. The album's title song received some pop radio airplay and crossed over to #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1974 (We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs. In 1989 she appeared in a Target ad campaign, performing songs off the album.

In the mainstream

When ''Heart in Motion'' was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Grant's desire to widen her audience was frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of ministry at the time. The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six-week-old face was my inspiration,") became a pop hit (hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. "Baby Baby" received Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Record and Song of the Year (although it failed to win in any of those categories). Four other hits from the album made the Pop top 20: "Every Heartbeat" (#2), "That's What Love Is For" (#7), "Good For Me" (#8), and "I Will Remember You" (#20). On the Adult Contemporary chart, all five songs were top 10 hits, with two of the five ("Baby Baby" and "That's What Love Is For") reaching #1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, putting the album atop Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. ''Heart in Motion'' is Grant's best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies according to the RIAA. Grant followed the album with her second Christmas album, ''Home For Christmas'' in 1992, which included the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", written by Chris Eaton and Grant, and would later be covered by many artists, including Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson (who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), Vince Gill, Sara Groves, Point of Grace, and Broadway star Barbara Cook.

''House of Love'' in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the pop hit "Lucky One" (#18 pop and #2 AC; #1 on Radio & Records) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill) (#37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's frequently covered "Big Yellow Taxi" (#67 pop) (in which she changed the line "And they charged the people ''a dollar and a half'' just to see em" to "And then they charged the people ''25 bucks'' just to see em").

Grant participated in Lifetime's 1st Annual "Girls & Guitars" benefit, singing numerous songs, including a duet with Melissa Etheridge on "You Can Sleep While I Drive".

After she covered the 10cc song "The Things We Do For Love" for the ''Mr. Wrong'' soundtrack, ''Behind the Eyes'' was released in September 1997. The album struck a much darker note, leaning more towards downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs, with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics. She called it her "razor blades and Prozac" album. Although "Takes A Little Time" was a moderate hit single, the album failed to sell like the previous two albums, which had both gone multi-platinum. ''Behind The Eyes'' was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA. The video for "Takes A Little Time" was a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Grant was re-cast as an adult light rocker. She followed up "Behind The Eyes" with ''A Christmas To Remember'', her third Christmas album, in 1999. The album was certified Gold in 2000.

Return to gospel

Grant returned to her gospel music roots with the 2002 release of ''Legacy... Hymns and Faith''. The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the pop release ''Simple Things'' in 2003. The album did not have the success of her previous pop or gospel efforts. However, soon after ''Simple Things'', Grant and Interscope/A&M; parted ways. The same year, Grant was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association, an industry trade organization of which she is a longstanding member, in her first year of eligibility. Grant released a sequel to her hymns collection in 2005 titled ''Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith''.

Looking ahead

Although neither of her latest hymn releases have captured the popularity of her previous gospel career, Grant still remains a popular concert draw and enjoys popularity amongst both fan bases. For years in the 1990s and early 2000s, she toured in November and December for her Christmas and holiday tours. Often her husband and many special guests performed along with her on stage.

Grant joined the reality television phenomenon by hosting ''Three Wishes'', a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents. The show debuted on NBC in the fall of 2005 and was canceled at the end of its first season because of high production costs. After ''Three Wishes'' was canceled, Grant won her 6th Grammy Award for ''Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith''. In a February 2006 webchat, Amy stated she believes her "best music is still ahead".

In April 2006, a live CD/DVD entitled ''Time Again...Amy Grant Live'' was recorded in Fort Worth, Texas, at Bass Performance Hall. (Grant's first paid public performance was at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, TX.) The concert was released on September 26, 2006. In addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, media appearances included write-ups in ''CCM Magazine'', and a performance on The View.

In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Amy discussed a book she was working on entitled ''Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far'': "It's not an autobiography, but more a collection of memories, song lyrics, poetry and a few pictures." The book was released on October 16, 2007. In November, it debuted at #35 on the New York Times Best Seller list. In the same web chat, Amy noted that she is "anxious to get back in the studio after the book is finished, and reinvent myself as an almost-50 performing woman."

2007 was Grant's 30th year in music. She left Word/Warner, and contracted with EMI CMG who re-released her regular studio albums as remastered versions on August 14, 2007. Marking the start of Grant's new contract is a career-spanning greatest hits album, with all the songs digitally remastered. The album was released as both a single-disc CD edition, and a 2-Disc CD/DVD Special Edition, the DVD featuring music videos and interviews.

Grant appeared with Gill on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' for a holiday special in December 2007. Grant has plans to appear on CMT, a Food Network special, the Gospel Music Channel, and The Hour of Power.

In February 2008, Grant joined the writing team from Compassionart as a guest vocalist at the Abbey Road studios, London, to record a song called "Highly Favoured", which was included on the album ''CompassionArt''.

On June 24, 2008, Grant re-released her 1988 album, ''Lead Me On'', in honor of its 20th anniversary. The two-disc release includes the original album and a second disc with new acoustic recordings, live performances from 1989, and interviews with Amy. Grant recreated the ''Lead Me On'' tour in the fall of 2008.

On June 27, 2008, Grant surprised everyone at the Creation Northeast Festival by being the special guest. She performed "Lead Me On" and a few other songs backed with the Hawk Nelson band. At the end of the concert, Grant returned to the stage and sang "Thy Word". She appeared on the 2008 album ''Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends'' singing "Could I Have This Dance".

In May 2009 for Mother's Day, Amy released an EP on iTunes containing two new songs, "She Colors My Day," and "Unafraid," as well as the older songs "Baby Baby" and "Oh How The Years Go By."

During Disney's D23 Expo in September 2009, Imagineer Steven Davison announced Amy Grant as the "signature voice" for the ''World of Color'' hydrotechnic show at Disney's California Adventure theme park.

In 2010, Grant released ''Somewhere Down the Road'', featuring the hit single "Better Than a Hallelujah", which peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Christian Songs chart. When asked about the new album during an interview with CBN.com, Grant says, "...my hope is just for those songs to provide companionship, remind myself and whoever else is listening what’s important. I feel like songs have the ability to connect us to ourselves and to each other, and to our faith, to the love of Jesus, in a way that conversation doesn’t do. Songs kind of slip in and move you before you realize it."

Personal life

Grant married fellow Christian musician Gary Chapman on June 19, 1982. Their marriage produced three children: Matthew Garrison Chapman (born 1987), Gloria Mills Chapman (called "Millie", born 1989), and Sarah Cannon Chapman (born 1992), who was named after country legend Minnie Pearl, a family friend. (Pearl's real name was Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon.) Citing "irreconcilable differences", Grant filed for divorce from Chapman in March 1999, and the divorce was final in June 1999.

On March 10, 2000, Grant married Vince Gill, who had been previously married to country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Grant and Gill have a daughter together, Corinna Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.

In the December 1999 ''Baptist Standard'', Grant explained why she left Chapman and married Gill:

"I didn't get a divorce because I had a great marriage and then along came Vince Gill. Gary and I had a rocky road from day one. I think what was so hard—and this is (what) one of our counselors said—sometimes an innocent party can come into a situation, and they're like a big spotlight. What they do is reveal, by comparison, the painful dynamics that are already in existence."

Public views and perception

Among praise for her contributions to the Contemporary Christian genre, Amy Grant has also generated controversy within the Christian community, from "complaints that she was too worldly and too sexy" to a "barrage of condemnation" following her divorce and remarriage.

In an interview early in her career, Grant stated "I have a healthy sense of right and wrong, but sometimes, for example, using foul, exclamation-point words among friends can be good for a laugh." Within the same article, Grant expressed an opinion that those most opposed to premarital sex and rock music often base their views in part on having experienced emotional distress. "'It seems to me,' she says as an after-thought, 'that people who are most adamantly against premarital sex have experienced some kind of pain in their own lives. Like the people who say absolutely no to rock 'n' roll. Chances are it has something to do with a past sadness.'"

Discography

Studio Albums

1977 ''Amy Grant''

1979 ''My Father's Eyes''

1980 ''Never Alone''

1982 ''Age to Age''

1984 ''Straight Ahead''

1985 ''Unguarded''

1988 ''Lead Me On''

1991 ''Heart in Motion''

1994 ''House of Love''

1997 ''Behind the Eyes''

2002 ''Legacy...Hymns and Faith''

2003 ''Simple Things''

2005 ''Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith''

2010 ''Somewhere Down The Road''

Live Albums

1981 ''In Concert''

1981 ''In Concert Volume Two''

2006 ''Time Again...Amy Grant Live'' (CD/DVD)

Holiday Albums

1983 ''A Christmas Album''

1992 ''Home for Christmas''

1999 ''A Christmas to Remember''

Bibliography

Grant is the author of several books, including a memoir, ''Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far'', and a book based on the popular Christmas song ''Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song).''

Popular culture

The cover for the comic book ''Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #15'' (March 1990) featured an unauthorized image of Grant, leading to a lawsuit against publisher Marvel Comics.

In 2001, Grant sang God Bless America in front of a sellout crowd at the Owen County Fair Grounds in Spencer, Indiana. She dedicated her performance to the victims of 9/11, and officially started the Demolition Derby.

Following the 9/11 attacks, Grant's "I Will Remember You" saw a resurgence in popularity as many radio DJs mixed a special tribute version of the song.

In 2001, Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

Propagandhi's song "Back To The Motor League" refers to Grant in its lyrics, saying, "Take back your Amy Grant mosh crews, your fair weather politics."

Awards and achievements

Grammy Awards

Wins

1982 – Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational ''Age to Age''

1983 – Best Gospel Performance, Female "Ageless Medley"

1984 – Best Gospel Performance, Female "Angels"

1985 – Best Gospel Performance, Female ''Unguarded''

1988 – Best Gospel Performance, Female ''Lead Me On''

2006 – Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album '' Rock of Ages…Hymns & Faith''

Nominations

1992 – Album of the Year ''Heart in Motion'' (lost to ''Unforgettable... with Love'' by Natalie Cole) 1992 – Song of the Year "Baby Baby" 1992 – Record of the Year "Baby Baby" (both lost to "Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole) 1992 – Pop Performance Female "Baby Baby" (lost to "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt) 1994 – Children Spoken Word ''Lion & the Lamb'' 2011 – Best Gospel Song ''Better Than A Hallelujah''

GMA Dove Awards

*Inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003

1983 Artist of the Year

1983 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year ''Age to Age''

1983 Recorded Music Packaging ''Age to Age''

1984 Recorded Music Packaging ''A Christmas Album''

1985 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year ''Straight Ahead''

1986 Artist of the Year

1986 Recorded Music Packaging ''Unguarded''

1988 Short Form Music Video of the Year "Stay For a While"

1989 Artist of the Year

1989 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year ''Lead Me On''

1989 Short Form Music Video of the Year "Lead Me On"

1990 Country Song of the Year "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"

1992 Song of the Year "Place in This World"

1992 Artist of the Year

1994 Praise and Worship Album of the Year ''Songs from the Loft''

1996 Special Event Album of the Year ''My Utmost for His Highest''

1998 Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year ''Behind the Eyes''

2000 Special Event Album of the Year ''Streams''

2003 Inspirational Album of the Year ''Legacy...Hymns & Faith''

2003 Song of the Year "The River's Gonna Keep On Rolling"

2006 Inspirational Album of the Year ''Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith''

2007 Long Form Music Video of the Year ''Time Again...Amy Grant Live''

Special awards and recognitions

1992 ''Young Tennessean of the Year'' — Junior Chamber of Commerce

1994 ''Pax Christi Award'' — St. John University

1994 ''Harmony Award'' – Nashville Symphony

1996 ''Sarah Cannon Humanitarian Award'' – TNN Awards

1996 ''Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award'' – Columbia Hospital

1996 ''Voice of America Award'' – ASCAP

1996 ''Golden Plate Award'' – Academy of Achievement

1999 '' “An Evening with the Arts” Honor'' — The Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Symphony and Tennessee Performing Arts Center

1999 ''The Amy Grant Room for Music and Entertainment'' — The Target House at St. Jude's Children's Hospital

2001 ''Nashvillian of the Year'' — Easter Seals

2003 ''Summit Award'' — Seminar in the Rockies

2005 Inducted in the Hollywood walk of fame

2006 ''Amy Grant Performance Platform'' — Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Center

2007 ''Charter member of Tiffany Circle'' — Red Cross

2007 Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame

References

External links

Official Amy Grant website

Amy Grant Media Gallery

Amy Grant Partners with Compassion International

German/English Amy Grant archive website

Billboard's '6 Questions with Amy Grant'

Amy Grant, "Somewhere Down the Road" by Billboard

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Christian religion-related songwriters Category:American members of the Churches of Christ Category:American female singers Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:American pop singers Category:People from Augusta, Georgia Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:American Christians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee Category:Contemporary Christian music Category:Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Furman University alumni Category:American child singers Category:American performers of Christian music Category:A&M; Records artists

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