name	Simple Minds
landscape	Yes
background	group_or_band
origin	Glasgow, Scotland
genre	New Wave, pop rock, post-punk, alternative rock
years active	1978–present
label	Virgin, Zoom, Chrysalis
website	Simple Minds Official site
current members	Jim KerrCharlie BurchillMel GaynorAndy GillespieGed Grimes
past members	Mick MacNeilDerek ForbesBrian McGeeKenny HyslopMike OgletreeJohn GiblinEddy DuffySimon Bateman
notable instruments	}}

Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You (Forget About Me)", from the soundtrack of the John Hughes movie ''The Breakfast Club'', #3 US hit single "Alive and Kicking" and #1 UK hit single "Belfast Child". The band has sold more than 40 million albums since 1979.

The core of the band is the two remaining founder members - Jim Kerr (vocals, songwriting) and Charlie Burchill (guitars, keyboards, other instruments, songwriting) - and drummer Mel Gaynor (who first joined the band in 1982). The other current band members are Andy Gillespie (keyboards) and Ged Grimes (bass guitar). Significant former members include bass guitarist Derek Forbes and keyboard player Michael MacNeil (the latter credited as a significant band composer during the band's rise in the 1980s).

History

Roots and early years

1977: Johnny & The Self-Abusers

The roots of Simple Minds are in the short-lived punk band Johnny & The Self-Abusers, founded on the South Side of Glasgow in 1977. The band was "dreamed up" by would-be Glasgow scenemaker Alan Cairnduff, although he left the job of actually organising the band to his friend John Milarky. At Cairnduff’s suggestion, Milarky teamed up with two musicians he’d never worked with before - budding singer and lyricist Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill. Kerr and Burchill, who had known each other since the age of eight, were longstanding allies. After joining Johnny & The Self-Abusers, they brought in two of their school friends, Brian McGee on drums and Tony Donald on bass (all four had previously played together in the schoolboy band Biba-Rom!). With Milarky established as singer, guitarist and saxophonist, the lineup was completed by Milarky’s friend Alan McNeil as third guitarist. To expand the band's potential sound, Kerr and Burchill also doubled on keyboards and violin respectively. In common with the early punk bands, various members took on stage names - Milarky became "Johnnie Plague", Kerr became "Pripton Weird", MacNeil chose "Sid Syphilis" and Burchill chose "Charlie Argue".

Johnny & The Self-Abusers played its first gig on Easter Monday, 1977 at the Dourne Castle pub in Glasgow. The band played support to rising punk stars Generation X in Edinburgh a scant two weeks later. The band went on to play a summer of concerts in Glasgow. Development was rapid, but at the expense of unity. The band soon split into two factions, with Milarky and McNeil on one side and Kerr, Donald, Burchill and McGee on the other: at the same time, Milarky’s compositions were being edged out in favour of those of Kerr and Burchill. In November 1977, Johnny & The Self-Abusers released its only single, "Saints And Sinners", on Chiswick Records (which was dismissed as being "rank and file" in a ''Melody Maker'' review.) The band split on the same day that the single was released, with Milarky and McNeil going on to form The Cuban Heels. Ditching the stage names and the overt punkiness, the remaining members continued together as Simple Minds (naming themselves after an David Bowie lyric from his song "Jean Genie").

"Original" Simple Minds (late 1977-1981)

Late 1977 to late 1978: the lineup settles

In January 1978 Simple Minds recruited Duncan Barnwell as a second guitarist (allowing for an optional two-guitar lineup while also enabling Burchill to play violin if he wanted to). Meanwhile, Kerr had abandoned keyboards to concentrate entirely on vocals. In March, Kerr, Burchill, Donald, Barnwell and McGee were joined by the Barra-born keyboard player Michael MacNeil. The band rapidly established a reputation as an exciting live act (usually performing in full makeup) and gained a management deal with Bruce Findlay, owner of the Bruce’s Records chain of record shops. Findlay also owned Zoom Records (a subsidiary of the Arista Records label), and used his position to get Simple Minds signed to Arista. (By early 1980, Findlay would become the band’s full-time manager via his Schoolhouse Management company).

The band’s lineup did not settle until the end of 1978. Tony Donald quit in April, before the first Simple Minds demo tape was recorded (he would later become Burchill’s guitar technician). He was replaced by Duncan Barnwell’s friend Derek Forbes (formerly the bass player with The Subs). In November, Barnwell himself was judged surplus to musical requirements (as well as being at odds with the band’s image), and was asked to leave. The remaining quintet of Kerr, Burchill, MacNeil, Forbes and McGee - generally considered as the first serious lineup of Simple Minds - began rehearsing the set of Kerr/Burchill-written songs which would appear on their debut album.

1979: Finding a voice (''Life in a Day'' & ''Real to Reel Cacophony'')

The first Simple Minds album, ''Life in a Day'', was produced by John Leckie and released by Arista in April 1979. The album took a cue from fellow post-punk forebears Magazine, and was somewhat self-consciously derivative of the late-70s punk boom. Possessing a similar AOR crossover potential to that of Simple Minds' contemporaries The Cars, it also revealed influences included David Bowie, Genesis and Roxy Music. The album's title track was released as Simple Minds' first single and reached #62 in the UK Gallop charts, with the album itself putting in a more respectable performance at #30 in the LP charts. However, the next single ("Chelsea Girl") failed to chart at all. While Arista were disappointed with this failure, the band themselves had rapidly become dissatisfied with the album, which they considered too derivative. While preparing ideas for the next record, they enjoyed a well-received support slot for Magazine, following which they went straight back into the studio with Leckie to work on new material.

Simple Minds' second release, ''Real to Real Cacophony'' was a significant departure from the pop tunes of ''Life in a Day''. The album had a darker and far more experimental atmosphere, announcing some of the New Wave experimentation that would become the band’s trademark sound over the next two albums. Much of the album was written in the studio, although Simple Minds had been playing early versions of several tracks during the recent tour dates. Innovations which the band displayed on ''Real to Real Cacophony'' included minimalist structures based around the rhythm section of Forbes and McGee, plus the occasional use of unconventional time signatures. The band also experimented with elements of dub, and included the wordless and atmospheric "Veldt" in which they attempted to create an impression of an African landscape using electronic buzzes and drones, Burchill's improvised saxophone lines and Kerr's chants and cries. The album also generated an acclaimed (but again, non-charting) single - "Changeling".

1980-1981: Eurotrance and art-rock (''Empires and Dance'', ''Sons and Fascination'', ''Sister Feelings Call'')

The next album, ''Empires and Dance'', was another stylistic departure, and signalled the influence of Kraftwerk, Neu! and similar European artists on the band. During this period of their career Simple Minds promoted themselves as being a European band, rather than Scottish or British. Many of the tracks on ''Empires and Dance'' were extremely minimal and featured a significant use of sequencing. McNeil's keyboards and Forbes' bass became the main melodic elements in the band's sound, with Burchill's heavily-processed guitar becoming more of a textural element. With this album, Kerr began to experiment with non-narrative lyrics based on observations he'd made as the band travelled across Europe on tour. While not consciously so, ''Empires and Dance'' was essentially industrial in its aesthetic, and preceded by a couple of years the industrial-pop crossover of Cabaret Voltaire's album ''The Crackdown''. The band's label, however, demonstrated little enthusiasm for such experimentation, and in 1981 Simple Minds switched from Arista to Virgin. The following year, Arista put out a compilation album, ''Celebration'', featuring tracks from the three previous records.

Simple Minds' first release on Virgin was actually two albums: the Steve Hillage-produced ''Sons and Fascination'' and ''Sister Feelings Call''. The latter album was initially included as a bonus disc with the first 10,000 vinyl copies of ''Sons and Fascination'', but it was later re-issued as an album in its own right. (For the CD release, it was paired on a single disc with ''Sons and Fascination'' — at first with two tracks deleted, but on later issues, in full.) ''Sons and Fascination'' perfected the formula that began with ''Empires and Dance'', and showcased the band’s musicianship during their most prolific period. The band’s comparative musical virtuosity aligned them with the more streamlined end of progressive rock rather than the flippancy of many other New Wave musicians. One significant progressive rock musician - Peter Gabriel - selected Simple Minds as the opening act on several dates of his European tour. Further increasing the band's visibility, the single "Love Song" was an international hit (reaching the Top 20 in Canada and Australia) and the instrumental "Theme for Great Cities" proved so enduring a composition that it was later re-recorded in 1991 as a B-side to the single "See the Lights". These minimalist, dance-oriented compositions, like those of Neu! before them, were examples of man-made trance well before trance itself.

It was also during this period that the ground-breaking visual aesthetic of Simple Minds' product was established, masterminded by Malcolm Garrett's graphic design company Assorted iMaGes. Characterised at first by hard, bold typography and photo-collage, Garrett's designs for the band would later incorporate pop-religious iconography in clean, integrated package designs that befitted the band's idealised image as neo-romantic purveyors of European anthemic pop.

However, this period would also see the end of the first "classic" Simple Minds lineup when drummer Brian McGee left the band at the end of the ''Sons and Fascination'' sessions, citing exhaustion at Simple Minds' constant touring schedule and a desire for more time at home with family. He would later join Propaganda.

Transition: rising to fame 1982-1983

1982: different drummers

McGee’s initial replacement as Simple Minds' drummer was Kenny Hyslop (ex-Skids, Zones), who joined the band in October 1981 in time to play the first leg of the Sons & Fascination tour. His interest in New York music (including funk, hip-hop and dance) played an immediate part in the band's musical development. He stayed long enough to drum on the band’s next single, the disco-friendly ‘Promised You A Miracle’ (based on a funk riff cadged from one of the cassettes he would play on the band’s tour bus) which hit the UK Top 20 and the Australian Top 10. Unfortunately, Hyslop "didn’t fit in" with the band or their management (a situation further strained by his apparent suspicion of record companies) and in February 1982 he left the band after a mere five months. Hyslop was replaced by the Kilmarnock-born percussionist Mike Ogletree (the former drummer for Café Jacques). Ogletree joined Simple Minds for rehearsals in a large converted barn in Perthshire, Scotland, where he wrote and played the drum parts for the songs that were to become what is considered the band's watershed album, ''New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)''. Ogletree also performed with the band on TV and to close out the second leg of the 'Sons and Fascination Tour'.

Although his playing and writing style contributed the R&B;, funk and soul elements that gave the band the commercial edge they sought, Ogletree apparently found the transition from rehearsal to recording and live playing difficult. The band moved to Townhouse Studios for recording sessions with producer Peter Walsh, who introduced them to a London-born drummer called Mel Gaynor, a 22-year old session musician with plenty of experience (including a stint drumming for The Nolans). Gaynor proved to have the combination of broad skills plus force of playing which the band wanted. Working closely with Ogletree in order to capture and maintain the beats and grooves from the Perthshire sessions, he played drums on the majority of the record (although Ogletree would play drums on three tracks and be credited for percussion across the entire album).

1983: ''New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)''

''New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)'' was released in September 1982, combining the results of the Walsh sessions along with 'Promised You A Miracle'. The album proved to be a significant turning point for the band, becoming a commercial breakthrough and generating a handful of charting singles including 'Glittering Prize"' (which reached the UK Top 20 and Australian Top 10). With a slick, sophisticated sound - thanks to Walsh's production - and similarly sumptuous design by Malcolm Garrett, Simple Minds were soon categorised as part of the New Romantic outgrowth of New Wave (along with Duran Duran and others). Despite the success of the album, some fans of the band's earlier work criticised Simple Minds' new and more commercial orientation. While some tracks ("Promised You A Miracle", "Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel") continued the formula perfected on ''Sons and Fascination'', other tracks ("Someone Somewhere in Summertime", "Glittering Prize") were undisguised pop. In addition, jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock performed a synth solo on the track "Hunter and the Hunted".

Mike Ogletree played on the first leg of the New Gold Dream tour, but left the band immediately afterwards in November 1982 to join Fiction Factory. Mel Gaynor was recruited (as a full member of the band) for the remaining dates. Simple Minds’ first non-Scottish member, Gaynor would go on to become the band's longest-standing drummer (despite twice leaving and returning in the following decades).

Stadium rock years: 1984-1989

1984: (''Sparkle in the Rain'')

The formula that had defined Simple Minds' New Wave period had run its course, and the next record, ''Sparkle in the Rain'', was a complete departure. Produced by Steve Lillywhite and released in February 1984, the album contained a rock-oriented set of songs.

The eventual result of this shift in musical direction gave rise to hugely successful singles like "Waterfront" (which hit #1 in a few European countries and remains one of the band's signature songs to this day) as well as "Speed Your Love To Me" and "Up On The Catwalk". The public also appreciated Simple Mind's upfront sound, ensuring that ''Sparkle in the Rain'' topped the charts in the UK and hit the Top 20 in several other countries (including Canada, where it reached #13).

In 1984, Jim Kerr married Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders (who temporarily renamed herself Christine Kerr). Simple Minds did an American tour in support of the Pretenders while Hynde was pregnant with Kerr's daughter. (The marriage would last until 1990).

1985: Hit and change ("Don't You (Forget About Me)" & departure of bassist Derek Forbes)

Despite the band's new-found popularity in the UK and Europe, Simple Minds remained essentially unknown in the U.S. The band's UK releases on Arista were not picked up by Arista USA who had 'right of first refusal' for their releases. At this point New York club DJ and Independent Music Consultant, Neil Kempfer-Stocker, told Bruce Findlay to forget the Polydor Inc./USA offer to release the band's records in North America and steered the band to A&M;'s Hernando Courtright, West Coast A&R.; The movie ''The Breakfast Club'' changed all that. Simple Minds were offered the song 'Don't You (Forget About me) only after it was turned down by Bryan Ferry. Released in early 1985, this Brat Pack drama from writer/director John Hughes was a box-office smash and made household names of Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy and Emilio Estevez. It also broke Simple Minds into the US market almost overnight, when the band achieved their only #1 U.S. pop hit in April 1985 with the film's opening track, "Don't You (Forget About Me)". Ironically, the song was not even written by the band, but by Keith Forsey, who offered the song to Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry before Simple Minds agreed to record it. The song soon became a chart-topper in many other countries around the world.

At around this point, the camaraderie that had fuelled Simple Minds began to unravel, and over the next ten years the band's lineup would undergo frequent changes. Jim Kerr subsequently recalled "We were knackered. We were desensitised. The band started to fracture. We were lads who had grown up together, we were meant to grow together, politically, spiritually and artistically. But we were getting tired with each other. There was an element of the chore creeping in. We were coasting and this whole other thing was a challenge."

The first casualty of the band's collective change of attitude was bassist Derek Forbes, who had always been one of the strongest personalities within Simple Minds, and was now beginning to squabble with Kerr. Forbes later confessed "I was completely bonkers most of the time. I was the oldest and seemed to have the gift of the gab. I'm a bit of a natural comedian. I was always sent out to bring the girls back - chatting up the ladies came naturally. But it got to the stage where I got too involved with the women, so they started to come before the band. I would have this totally separate life from the rest of the band and that caused pressures and tension."

Forbes began failing to turn up for rehearsals, and was duly dismissed. Although he had expected this outcome, he would later describe the split as "a bereavement." Despite his disappointment, Forbes remained in touch with the band (and would soon reunite with another former Simple Minds bandmate, drummer Brian McGee, in Propaganda). In 2008 – in what appeared to be an oblique reference to Forbes - Kerr reflected “Looking back, there was a sacking of one guy that was harsh. Probably something stupid like he had a better-looking girlfriend than everyone else. I feel bad about that."

Forbes was replaced by former Brand X bass player John Giblin (who also happened to own the band’s rehearsal space and was himself a renowned sessions musician who’d worked with Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush among others). Giblin made his debut with Simple Minds at Live Aid in Philadelphia, where the band performed "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and a new track called "Ghostdancing".

1985-1987: Worldwide success - ''Once Upon A Time'' & ''Live in the City of Light''

During 1985, Simple Minds were in the studio with former Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks producer Jimmy Iovine. Taking advantage of their new-found popularity, Simple Minds recorded what has been considered to be their most unashamedly commercial album. On its release in November, ''Once Upon a Time'' appeared to be tailored specifically to appeal to the stadium rock sensibilities of American audiences This overlooked the fact that it was not only a continuation of the stylistic changes introduced on ''Sparkle in the Rain'', but was heavily influenced by the celebratory aspects of soul, disco and gospel music. This was reinforced by the strong contributions of former Chic singer Robin Clark, who performed call-and-response vocals with Kerr throughout the album (effectively becoming a second lead singer), and was heavily featured in Simple Minds music videos of the time.

''Once Upon a Time'' was reviled by some long-time fans, but was embraced by millions of new listeners and was critically well-received. The record reached #1 in the UK and #10 in the US, despite the fact that their major-league breakthrough single "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was not included. The band had made it clear in interviews prior to the album's release that they would not include the song, believing that it would devalue the rest of the album, which they felt could stand on its own merits. ''Once Upon a Time'' would go on to generate four worldwide hit singles: "Alive & Kicking", "Sanctify Yourself", "Ghostdancing" and "All the Things She Said", the latter of which featured a cutting-edge music video directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński that used techniques developed in music videos for bands such as Pet Shop Boys and Art of Noise. The band also toured, with both Robin Clark and percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos added to the live lineup.

Because of Simple Minds' powerful stage presence and lyrics that trafficked in Christian symbolism, the band was criticised by some in the music press as a lesser version of U2, despite the fact that both bands were now heading in different musical directions. However, the two groups were well-acquainted with one another, and Bono joined Simple Minds on-stage at the Barrowlands in Glasgow in 1985 for a live version of "New Gold Dream". To document their successful worldwide ''Once Upon a Time Tour'', Simple Minds released the double-live set ''Live in the City of Light'' in 1987, which was recorded primarily over two nights in Paris in 1986.

1988: Rock activism - Amnesty International, Freedomfest & Mandela Day

By 1988, the band had built their own recording premises - the Bonnie Wee Studio - in Scotland. Following the lengthy period of touring to support ''Once Upon a Time'', Simple Minds began new writing sessions. Initially the band began work on an instrumental project called ''Aurora Borealis'' (mostly written by Burchill and MacNeil). This project was then supplanted by an increase in the band's political activism, something which they had begun to stress in recent years (notably by giving all of the income from the "Ghostdancing" single to Amnesty International, and playing cover versions of Little Steven's "(Ain't' Gonna Play) Sun City" on tour). Inspired by Peter Gabriel (with whom they had toured in the early 1980s), Simple Minds headlined the series of Freedomfest concerts throughout the US and Europe in 1988 (with numerous other politically-minded artists, including Gabriel). The tours were intended to highlight the injustices of apartheid in South Africa, and this in turn would inspire the band's next step.

Simple Minds was the first band to sign up for Mandela Day, a concert held at Wembley Stadium, London, UK, as an expression of solidarity with the then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela. Bands involved were asked to produce a song especially for the event - Simple Minds was the only act which actually produced one. This was "Mandela Day", which the band played live on the day (alongside cover versions of "Sun City" and a cover version of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" on which Gabriel himself took on lead vocals). "Mandela Day" was released on the ''Ballad Of The Streets'' EP, which reached #1 in the British singles charts (the only time the band would do so). Another EP track, "Belfast Child", was a rewrite of the Celtic folk song "She Moved Through the Fair" (which had been introduced to Kerr by John Giblin) with new lyrics written about the ongoing war in Northern Ireland). The single was also an expression by Simple Minds of their support for the campaign for the release of Beirut-held hostage Brian Keenan, kidnapped by the Islamic Jihad. Both "Belfast Child" and "Mandela Day" would set the direction for Simple Minds' next album, another song-based affair which would supplant the planned instrumental project.

1989: Inwards and outwards (''Street Fighting Years'', band fractures and other changes)

The next album ''Street Fighting Years'' (produced by Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson) maintained the band's growing sense of scale but moved away from the American soul and gospel influences of ''Once Upon a Time'' in favour of soundtrack atmospherics and a new incorporation of acoustic and folk music-related ingredients. The lyrics were also more directly political, moving away from the impressionistic or spiritual concerns of earlier 1980s Simple Minds songs and covering topics including the Poll Tax, the Soweto townships, the Berlin Wall and the stationing of nuclear submarines on the Scottish coast.

The band underwent further lineup changes during the recording of ''Street Fighting Years''. Mel Gaynor and John Giblin both contributed to the recording (and, in Giblin's case, to some of the writing) but both men had left the band by the time of the album's release, by which time the band was credited as a trio of Kerr, Burchill and MacNeil. In a new development for the band, various bass guitar and drum tracks were performed by high-profile session musicians. Gaynor's departure from the band was brief (he was rehired for the following tour) but the balance of power within the band had clearly become centralised around the remaining founder members and would continue in that way.

Released in 1989, the album rose to #1 in the UK charts and received glowing praise, including a rare five-star review from ''Q'' magazine. However, it received a less positive review in ''Rolling Stone'' which criticised the band for what the reviewer considered to be political vacuity. "This Is Your Land" was chosen as the lead single for the U.S., and even with guest vocals from the band's idol Lou Reed, the single failed to make a mark on the pop charts. The album performed relatively poorly in the United States, possibly due to its shift in musical inspirations and lyrical content.

Reunited with Mel Gaynor, Simple Minds hired Malcolm Foster (ex-Pretenders) as the new bass player and expanded the live band again by recruiting three additional touring members - backing singer Annie McCaig, percussionist Andy Duncan and violinist Lisa Germano). Touring began in May 1989, and included the first and only time that the group headlined Wembley Stadium, where they were supported by fellow Scottish bands The Silencers, Texas and Gun.

At the end of the Street Fighting Years tour, Simple Minds laid plans to go to Amsterdam to begin recording a new album. Just before the end of the tour, keyboardist Michael MacNeil announced to the band that he would not be joining them as he needed a break. Kerr and Burchill apparently saw his actions as a betrayal, and MacNeil played his last concert with Simple Minds in Brisbane a week later. Although he hadn’t originally intended to leave the band in the long term, the breakdown of MacNeil's relationship with Kerr and Burchill ensured that his break with the band was permanent. At the time, MacNeil's departure was put down to health concerns, but he had in fact had been gradually suffering disillusionment with the band's high-life lifestyle and touring schedule (as well as what Kerr has referred to as "a number of animated quarrels").

MacNeil has subsequently commented that his parting with Simple Minds was painful and acrimonious (although he has since reconciled with his former bandmates) and that this was the period in which everything began to change within the band. At around the same time, long-term manager Bruce Findlay was fired and over the next few years the band would gradually alter to the point where it was a shifting set of musicians around the only remaining core members, Kerr and Burchill. MacNeil has commented “After I left, everything kind of went, and Bruce fell into that bracket of upheaval. I don't think he deserved it and I have a lot of sympathy for him after the way he was treated."

In December 2009, Kerr retrospectively defended the changes in an online diary entry. Although he admitted that MacNeil's departure had been a "colossal fracture" he also asserted that "if ever there was a time to regroup, rethink and re- strategise, it was there and then. The last thing needed was for people within the group to be quitting, for things to be fragmenting, creative engines dropping off the machine etc." However, he also paid tribute to his former bandmate and admitted that MacNeil had been irreplaceable.

The 1990s: commercial decline

1990-1995: Three to two (''Real Life'', ''Glittering Prize'' & ''Good News From The Next World'')

Despite opting not to replace MacNeil, Simple Minds continued to record, hiring keyboard players as and where required. The first of these was session keyboard player Peter-John Vettese who played live with the band at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert and on a short German tour. He was subsequently replaced in the live band by Mark Taylor.

In 1991, Simple Minds returned with a much more radio-friendly collection of their political concerns, ''Real Life''. The album's cover showed a trio of Kerr, Burchill and Gaynor and the writing credits for all songs was Kerr/Burchill. The album reached #2 in the UK, where it also spawned four Top 40 singles. In the US, however, "See the Lights" was the band's last Top 40 pop single. The band toured to support the release, playing as a basic five-piece (Kerr, Burchill, Gaynor, Foster and Taylor) and cutting down on the extended arrangements of the last few large tours. Mel Gaynor left the band in 1992 to pursue session work and other projects, and for the next two years Simple Minds were on hiatus, releasing the compilation album ''Glittering Prize'' in 1992 to mark time.

Simple Minds returned to active duty later in 1994. By now the band was officially a duo of Kerr and Burchill (with the latter taking on keyboards in the studio, as well as guitar). Hiring Keith Forsey (the writer of "Don't You (Forget About Me)") as producer, they began to put together an album which returned to the uplifting arena rock feel of their ''Once Upon a Time'' days. With Gaynor now out of the picture, the remaining instrumentation was covered by session musicians (although Malcolm Foster was included among the bass players used for recording). ''Good News from the Next World'' was released in 1995 to positive reviews, but weak sales in the U.S. In the UK and Europe, however, the response was much more positive, with the album reaching #2 in the UK and producing the two Top 20 hits "She's a River" and "Hypnotised". The band toured to promote ''Good News from the Next World'', with Malcolm Foster and Mark Taylor as touring bass and keyboard players and Mark Schulman (who'd played on the album) on drums. This would be Foster's last work with the band, and Shulman would return to session work at the end of the tour.

1996-1998: Reimagining (''Neapolis'' and reunions with former members)

Having being released from their contract with Virgin Records, Simple Minds decided to musically reinvent themselves once again, this time reaching back to their Kraftwerk-inspired, early electronic pop days. During the lengthy writing and demoing sessons for the next album, Kerr and Burchill made use of the skills of their original rhythm section, Derek Forbes and Brian McGee (returning after respective eleven- and fourteen-year absences). Although McGee was not involved beyond the rehearsal stage, Forbes formally rejoined Simple Minds in July 1996. The band then reunited with Mel Gaynor for studio session in spring 1997. Gaynor was reinstated as a full-time member for the European tour (which once again featured Mark Taylor on keyboards).

After the tour, album recording sessions were interrupted by Kerr and Burchill’s decision to play live (without Forbes, Taylor or Gaynor) as part of the Proms tour (a series of orchestral concerts featuring a mixture of light classical and pop music). The duo played versions of "Alive And Kicking", "Belfast Child" and "Don't You (Forget About Me)" backed by a full orchestra and were billed as Simple Minds - something which emphasised the degree to which the band remained a Kerr/Burchill project with backing musicians.

When finally released, the new album, ''Neapolis'' - turned out to be less of a "band" album than expected. Although Forbes played bass guitar on all album tracks, Gaynor only played on one song, "War Babies". Other drum tracks were recorded by session players Michael Niggs and Jim McDermott, with additional percussion programming by Transglobal Underground/Furniture drummer Hamilton Lee. The album ultimately charted poorly and received mixed reviews. However, it is notable for being the only Simple Minds album released by Chrysalis Records, who refused to release the album in the U.S., citing lack of interest.

As a further nod to Simple Minds' European musical heritage, the music video for "Glitterball", the album's lead single, was the first production of any kind to film at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. A European tour followed between March and July 1998, undermined by problems with ill-health and contractual fiascos (including a pull-out from the Fleadh Festival to be replaced by James).

1999-2000: Reorganisation and frustration (''Our Secrets Are The Same'' & hiatus)

As Simple Minds' main writing team, Kerr and Burchill had continued to demo and originate material by themselves. For the latest sessions, they had shared studio space with a band called Sly Silver Sly (who featured Kerr’s brother Mark as drummer and who themselves were working with American songwriter Kevin Hunter). The two writing and recording projects merged to become the sessions for the next Simple Minds album, ''Our Secrets Are the Same''.

The other result from the sessions was the supplanting of the Simple Minds rhythm section. Once again, Forbes and Gaynor found themselves out of the band while Mark Kerr (formerly the drummer with the Glasgow rock band, Gun after the departure of Scott Shields) became the new drummer and Sly Silver Sly’s Eddie Duffy joined on bass guitar. The new-look Simple Minds made their debut with a short set of greatest hits at the Scotland Rocks For Kosovo festival, with Mark Taylor returning on keyboards. (The displaced Forbes and Gaynor, having apparently been told that the band wasn't appearing at the festival, formed a new band of their own to play the same concert. This became '''Forbes/Gaynor And Friends'' and went on to play several gigs in Italy at the end of the year - some of which were illicitly billed as being Simple Minds concerts).

Having delivered ''Our Secrets Are the Same'' to Chrysalis, Simple Minds then found themselves caught up in record company politics while Chrysalis, EMI and other companies attempted to merge with each other. Originally slated for release in late 1999, the album remained unreleased after the band emmired themselves in lawsuits with Chrysalis. In 2000, the situation became even more complicated when ''Our Secrets Are the Same'' was leaked on the internet. Discouraged with their label's failure to resolve the problems, and with both momentum and potential album sales lost, the band once again went on hiatus. Eddie Duffy, Mark Taylor and Mark Kerr all moved on to other projects. Jim Kerr moved to Sicily and took up a part-time career as a hotelier, although both he and Burchill would continue working together on various business interests and would keep the idea of the band alive.

The 2000s-2010s: revival

2001-2005: ''Neon Lights'', ''Cry'', ''Silver Box'' & ''Our Secrets Are the Same''

In 2001, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill began working with multi-instrumentalist Gordon Goudie (ex-Primevals) on a brand new Simple Minds album to be called ''Cry''. Mark Kerr would also contribute to the project (this time as an acoustic guitarist and Burchill's co-writer on a number of songs) while Jim Kerr brought in various Italian musicians as collaborators, including Planet Funk and Phunk Investigation. In parallel to ''Cry'', Simple Minds also recorded an album of covers called ''Neon Lights'', featuring Simple Minds reinventions of songs from artists including Patti Smith, Roxy Music and Kraftwerk. Of these projects, ''Neon Lights'' was the first to be completed and released (later in 2001) to help to build awareness of the returning band. In the video for the ''Neon Lights'' single "Dancing Barefoot", the band consisted of Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Gordon Goudie and Mark Kerr. A 2-CD compilation, ''The Best of Simple Minds'', was released soon afterwards to continue to build commercial momentum.

''Cry'' itself was eventually released in 2002. Although the album did not sell in great numbers in the U.S., Simple Minds felt confident enough to mount a North American leg of their ''Floating World Tour'' (named after the instrumental track which closes ''Cry''), their first in seven years. With Goudie opting to remain studio bound (and Mark Kerr leaving the band lineup again), Simple Minds once again mended their relationship with Mel Gaynor, recruiting him as tour drummer. The live band was completed by the returning Eddie Duffy on bass guitar and by new keyboard player/programmer Andy Gillespie (of SoundControl).

In 2004, Simple Minds released a five-CD compilation entitled ''Silver Box''. This mostly comprised previously-unreleased demos, radio & TV sessions and various live recordings from 1979 to 1995, but also included the long-delayed ''Our Secrets Are the Same''. The album was hailed as containing "some of the Simple Minds' best music in twenty years" by ''The Guardian'' newspaper..

In 2005, the band embarked on the "Intimate Tour" (a series of low-key gigs at smaller venues). Andy Gillespie was unable to appear at all the gigs, and Mark Taylor returned to cover for him on several occasions. From this point onwards, the two would alternate as Simple Mind’s live keyboard player, depending on Gillespie’s schedule with his other projects.

2005-2007: ''Black & White 050505''

In 2005, Simple Minds released their fourteenth studio album, ''Black & White 050505'', which generated some of the most positive reviews for a Simple Minds record in many years. The album's first single, "Home", received airplay on alternative rock radio stations in the US. However, it did not make a significant chart impact on either side of the Atlantic, only reaching #37 in the UK and not being officially released in North America. Despite the response from some website sources and a few UK tabloid papers the album failed to reignite the chart success of old and the mainstream media generally ignored the album or gave it a number of poor or indifferent reviews. Nonetheless, the band spent 2006 touring throughout Europe, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand on the Black And White Tour (with Mark Taylor on keyboards).

2007 saw the band's 30th anniversary, and a brief tour of Australia & New Zealand as guests of INXS. Burchill, Kerr, Duffy and Gillespie (with Jim McDermott deputising on drums for an absent Mel Gaynor) also performed a brief set at the 40th anniversary tribute to Glasgow Celtic's famous Lisbon Lions European Cup winning team. The band continued to release a number of audio video Download "bundles" through their official website, featuring live music and several short documentary style videos recorded during their 2006 tour in Edinburgh and Brussels (including the complete show on 16 February 2006 at the Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium as "Live Bundles" #1 to #5 and (only) 6 tracks from the show on 28 August 2006 at the "T On The Fringe" music festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK as "Live Bundles" #6 & #7).

2008: ''30 Years Live'' tour (& brief reunion of original line-up)

Simple Minds played the 90th birthday tribute to Nelson Mandela on 27 June 2008 in London's Hyde Park. The band then undertook a short tour throughout the UK to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill also played a number of unrelated shows across Europe with Night of the Proms prior to those UK dates. During these concerts, the band performed the entire ''New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)'' album and showcased songs from their other albums in a two-part concert performance.

The original members of Simple Minds worked together for the first time in 27 years when they entered a recording studio in the middle of June 2008. Nothing came of the short-lived reunion; one member later commented that it lasted "30 minutes".

2009-2010: ''Graffiti Soul'' & Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr

A new record label, W14/Universal label, purchased the Sanctuary label in early 2009. Former Sanctuary Records A&R; head John Williams (who'd signed the band to Sanctuary) kept his position with the new label, and exercised the option to pick up the remaining Simple Minds albums owed as part of the previous deal.

Reverting to the Burchill/Kerr/Gaynor/Duffy line-up, Simple Minds recorded a new studio album, ''Graffiti Soul'', which was released on 25 May 2009. According to Dream Giver Redux, Jim Kerr suggested that Simple Minds had enough material from the ''Graffiti Soul'' recording sessions for two albums, one to be released at the start of 2009 and the second following within the space of a year. The album's first single, "Rockets", was made available on the Internet in early April 2009. On Sunday, 31 May 2009, the album entered the UK Album chart at #10, becoming Simple Minds first album in 14 years to enter the UK Top 10. The album also entered European Top 100 Album chart at #9. In support of the album, Simple Minds embarked on a new (European) tour called Graffiti Soul Tour on 3 November 2009 in Vienna, Austria. The tour visited many western, eastern and northern European countries (including a leg in the UK & Ireland in December 2009) and ended on 18 December 2009 in Wolfsburg, Germany.

After an early spring 2010 mini-tour in Australia & New Zealand, Simple Minds embarked on a late spring 2010 European tour (Germany, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, France).

Interspersed with Simple Minds activity, Jim Kerr recorded and released his first solo album Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr on 17 May 2010 under the name "Lostboy! AKA". Explaining the project name and ethos, he commented "I didn’t want to start a new band. I like my band ''(laughs)''...and I didn’t want a point blank Jim Kerr solo album either."

A Lostboy! AKA 10-date European tour followed from 18 to 31 May 2010. In August 2010 Lostboy! AKA embarked on a 12-date "Electroset Radio" tour for various European/UK radio stations but the band played only 4 dates in Germany & Spain. A new Lostboy AKA! 25-date "Electroset" (European) tour (the third one) (featuring Simon Hayward and Sarah Brown) was scheduled from 18 October to 3 December 2010 but the band played only 9 shows till the rest of the tour was cancelled after the performance on 13 November 2010 in Dublin, Ireland because of Jim's mother Irene who had become ill with a recurrence of cancer.

In August, Simple Minds played four dates in Brazil, scheduling a further concert for 11 September 2010 at La Fête de l'Humanité, La Courneuve, Paris, France. On 9 September, Jim Kerr made a cryptic blog comment on the Simple Minds website - "Heading to Paris for the last gig of this tour but being honest - with SM there is no "last gig" as such. It just means the last gig before a break that inevitably leads to the next move forward and onwards into the future. Changes are always happening though and that will be apparent when we walk on stage in Paris." This referred to a further personnel change, revealed as a change in bass player with Eddie Duffy being replaced by Ged Grimes (originally the bass player with Danny Wilson and later a Deacon Blue member who had also played on the Lostboy! AKA project).

The band was expected to play a handful of gigs between October and December 2010 but gave only two shows: a mini-concert on 2 October 2010 at the Cash For Kids Ball organised by Radio Clyde at the Hilton in Glasgow, UK and a full-length concert on 10 December 2010 at the Festhalle in Bern, Switzerland.

2011-2012: Greatest Hits Forest Tour 2011 + European (Summer) Tour 2011 + Future plans

In early October 2010 Simple Minds completed four weeks in London's Sphere Recording studios during which four songs were recorded and mixed. The sessions (which featured the new band line-up of Burchill, Kerr, Gaynor, Gillespie and Grimes) were produced by Andy Wright and engineered & mixed by Gavin Goldberg. Songs recorded were an 8-minute long version of 'In Every Heaven' (originally recorded in 1982 during the "New Gold Dream" sessions) and three entirely new compositions - 'Stagefright' and 'On The Rooftop' (both written by Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr) and 'Broken Glass Park' (written by Jim Kerr and Owen Parker). According to Simple Minds' official web site, two of the tracks might feature in an extensive Greatest Hits compilation to be released in early 2011. The two others might be the first tracks for what will eventually become the Simple Minds 16th studio album of original compositions due to be released in 2012.

Simple Minds played a single night on 2 April 2011 at the Night Of The Proms 2011 in Frederikshavn, Denmark.

The new song 'Stagefright' (written by Kerr & Burchill & originally recorded by Simple Minds for their upcoming Greatest Hits album) was made available on the 3 June 2011 as an exclusive free download for members at Simpleminds.com and fans of the Official Simple Minds Facebook Page.

From 10 June to 3 July 2011, Simple Minds embarked on a 'Greatest Hits UK Forest Tour', playing a series of seven dates in woodland locations of England as part of Forestry Commission Live Music.

A European tour is scheduled from 16 June to 28 August 2011 to visit the UK, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Gibraltar & Serbia mainly at summer festival venues. On 4 July 2011, Simple Minds played a free concert in Florence, Italy for the opening of Florence's Hard Rock Cafe. The show in Belgrade on 18 August 2011 was a free concert as well.

On 22 October 2011, Simple Minds will be taking part in the 600 Sounds Festival in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Discography

''Life in a Day'' (1979) 1st studio album

''Real to Real Cacophony'' (1979) 2nd studio album

''Empires and Dance'' (1980) 3rd studio album

''Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call'' (1981) (2-LP/1-CD) 4th studio album

''New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)'' (1982) 5th studio album

''Sparkle in the Rain'' (1984) 6th studio album

''The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (1985) one song: Don't You (Forget About Me)

''Once Upon A Time'' (1985) 7th studio album

''Live in the City of Light'' (1987) (2-LP/2-CD) live album

''Street Fighting Years'' (1989) 8th studio album

''Real Life'' (1991) 9th studio album

''Good News from the Next World'' (1995) 10th studio album

''Neapolis'' (1998) 11th studio album

''Our Secrets are the Same'' (originally 2000) 12th studio album (finally issued as CD#5 from ''Silver Box'' (2004))

''Neon Lights'' (2001) (covers album)

''Cry'' (2002) 13th studio album

''Black & White 050505'' (2005) 14th studio album

''Sunday Express - Live (Volumes 1 & 2)'' (2007) (2-CD live album) (promotional exclusive ''Sunday Express'' free release)

''Graffiti Soul'' (2009) 15th studio album (The 2-CD Deluxe Edition includes a second album made of cover songs entitled ''Searching for the Lost Boys''))

''TBA'' (2012) 16th studio album

Personnel

Current line-up

Jim Kerr - Lead vocals (1978–present)

Charlie Burchill - Guitar, keyboards (1978–present)

Mel Gaynor - Drums, percussion (1982–1991; 1997–1998; 2002–present)

Andy Gillespie - Keyboards (2002–2005; 2007–present)

Ged Grimes - Bass guitar (2010–present)

Former members

Mick MacNeil - Composer, Keyboards (1978–1990)

Derek Forbes - Bass Guitar (1978–1985; 1997–1998)

Brian McGee - Drums (1978–1981)

Kenny Hyslop - Drums (1981–1982)

Mike Ogletree - Drums (1982)

John Giblin - Bass Guitar (1985–1989)

Eddy Duffy - Bass Guitar (1999–2010)

Former live & session musicians

Paul Wishart - Saxophone - Empires and Dance Tour (1980)

Robin Clark - Vocals - Once Upon a Time Tour (1985–1986)

Sue Hadjopoulos - Percussion - Once Upon a Time Tour (1985–1986)

Lisa Germano - Violin - Street Fighting Years Tour (1989)

Annie McCraig - Vocals - Street Fighting Years Tour (1989)

Andy Duncan - Percussion - Street Fighting Years Tour (1989)

Malcolm Foster - Bass Guitar (1989–1995)

Peter-John Vettese - Keyboards (1990)

Mark Taylor - Keyboards (1991–1999; 2005–07)

Mark Schulman - Drums - Good News From The Next World Tour (1994–1995)

Mark Kerr - Drums (1999), Guitar (2002)

Sarah Brown - Vocals - Graffiti Soul Tour (2009)

References

External links

Simple Minds Official Web Site

W14music homepage

Category:Musical groups established in 1978 Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:British post-punk music groups Category:Musical groups from Glasgow Category:Scottish rock music groups

bg:Симпъл Майндс ca:Simple Minds cs:Simple Minds da:Simple Minds de:Simple Minds es:Simple Minds eu:Simple Minds fa:سیمپل مایندز fr:Simple Minds hr:Simple Minds it:Simple Minds nl:Simple Minds ja:シンプル・マインズ no:Simple Minds pms:Simple Minds pl:Simple Minds pt:Simple Minds ru:Simple Minds sk:Simple Minds sr:Simpl majnds sh:Simple Minds fi:Simple Minds sv:Simple Minds

name	Katy Perry
background	solo_singer
birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
alias	Katy Hudson
birth date	October 25, 1984
birth place	Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
genre	Pop, rock, gospel
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
years active	2001–present
label	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol
website	}}

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents. Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, the later of which was never released. Perry is the first female artist to get five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.

Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.

2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.

''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".

On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.

On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made ​​headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.

Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.

Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."

Public image

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.

She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone'''s global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.

Personal life

Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.

Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.

In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

Discography

''Katy Hudson'' (2001)

''One of the Boys'' (2008)

''Teenage Dream'' (2010)

Tours

Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Hello Katy Tour (2009)

California Dreams Tour (2011)

Filmography

Television

!Year	!Title	!Role	Notes
	''''	Herself	Episode 8914
	Herself
	''American Idol''	Guest judge
	Guest judge
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
''The Simpsons''	Herself	1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011	''How I Met Your Mother''	Honey	1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011	''America's Got Talent''	Guest Judge	July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)

Films

!Year	!Title	!Role	class="unsortable"	Notes
	''Get Him to the Greek''	Herself	Deleted sceneUncredited
''Out in the Desert''	Herself	Post-production
	2011		Smurfette	Voice

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges

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name	Kid Cudi
background	solo_singer
birth name	Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi
birth date	January 30, 1984
birth place	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
genre	Hip hop, Alternative Hip Hop alternative rock, neo-psychedelia
occupation	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
years active	2006–present
label	GOOD Music, Universal Motown, Wicked Awesome
Associated acts	2 Be Continuum, Dot da Genius, Kanye West, Chip tha Ripper, Ratatat
website	kidcudi.com }}

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), better known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape ''A Kid Named Cudi''. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs charts. "Day 'n' Nite" is part of Cudi's debut album ''Man on the Moon: The End of Day''. Kid Cudi has sold over 4.6 million digital singles and has worked with Kanye West, Common, David Guetta and other artists signed to the GOOD Music label.

Early life

Kid Cudi was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Shaker Heights and Solon. His father, a house painter, substitute teacher and World War II Air Force veteran was Mexican-Native American, while his mother, a middle-school choir teacher at Roxboro Middle School, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is African-American. When he was eleven years old, Mescudi's father died of cancer; his passing would have a significant effect on Mescudi's personality and subsequently his music. Mescudi attended Shaker Heights High School for two years, then transferred to Solon High School, and later earned his GED. Eventually, Mescudi studied film at the University of Toledo then dropped out after a year.

Music career

It was towards the end of high school that Mescudi first began rapping, inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest. He moved to Brooklyn in New York City to pursue a music career. In July 2008, Kid Cudi released his first mixtape, ''A Kid Named Cudi'', in collaboration with New York street-wear brand 10.Deep as a free download. The mixtape quickly caught the attention of Kanye West, which in turn spawned his signing to GOOD Music later that year.

Kid Cudi was featured on Kanye West's 2008 album, ''808s & Heartbreak'', singing with West on the track "Welcome to Heartbreak", and helping with songwriting on "Heartless" and "Paranoid". "Welcome to Heartbreak" peaked at #87 on the Pop 100, and music videos for both songs have been released. Cudi was then tipped as an artist to watch for in medias such as ''Rolling Stone'', ''Vibe'', ''The Source'', ''XXL'' and BBC News's Sound of 2009 poll of up-and-coming acts. MTV News also reported on Cudi on a series of reports ''MCs To Watch In 2009''.

His first television appearance was at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, alongside Travis Barker and DJ AM. On February 17, 2009, he appeared on Snoop Dogg's MTV talk show ''Dogg After Dark'' performing "Day 'n' Nite" at the end of the show. Two days later on February 19, 2009, Cudi appeared on BET's ''106 & Park'' with Kanye West to debut the video of "Day 'n' Nite". On March 16, 2009 Kid Cudi performed on mtvU's Spring Break special, and the next day he performed three songs on NBC's ''Last Call with Carson Daly''. He has also appeared as a musical guest on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' and ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''.

Kid Cudi also made a cameo appearance next to Solange in the video for the song "T.O.N.Y." in February 2009, and later in The Black Eyed Peas' video for "I Gotta Feeling", with David Guetta. He has also been on two magazine covers, ''Complex'' (August/September 2009) and ''URB'' (August 2009). Bape awarded Cudi his own t-shirt in September 2009, in reward for his music and past employment there when living in New York City.

2009–present: ''Man on the Moon'' series

Cudi's debut album ''Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' was released on Universal Motown Records on September 15, 2009 and sold 104,419 copies in the first week and charted at #4. The album's first single was Day 'N' Nite, and is Kid Cudi's greatest commercial success thus far, the song charting well both in the U.S. and in Europe. The next single was "Make Her Say" (originally titled "I Poke Her Face"), which features a sample from Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" and performances by Kanye West and Common.

On February 25, 2009, Cudi self-leaked a "teaser trailer" for the upcoming ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' film using his song "Sky Might Fall" in the background, later he posted that he made the trailer himself and now was in talks to possibly make it official.

With Emile Haynie, Cudi produced an exclusive single called "Switchin Lanes" for the video game ''Midnight Club: Los Angeles'', part of its "South Central Premium Upgrade" downloadable content (DLC) which came out March 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and March 27, 2009 for the Xbox 360.

He revealed information about his future plans via his blog, saying that a possible collaboration with Chip Tha Ripper could be followed with a collaboration project with electrorock duo Ratatat. During the summer of 2009, Cudi joined rapper Asher Roth for the Great Hangover concert tour. Kid Cudi featured on the highly anticipated Jay-Z album ''The Blueprint 3'', on the song "Already Home". In a recent interview, Cudi announced that the follow-up to his debut album will be a collaboration album called ''Cudder and the Revolution of Evolution''. He stated he has already recorded songs with Snoop Dogg, Travis Barker, Clipse, Cage and Pharrell and would also like to work with Drake, Green Day, Kings of Leon, Robin Thicke, The Killers and The Postal Service on the album. Also it's rumored that "Man On The Moon: The End Of Day" will be followed up by a sequel titled "Man On The Moon: The Ghost in the Machine" and that the ''Man on the Moon'' will be a trilogy, but has not been confirmed. Kid Cudi was nominated for three 2010 Grammy Awards for his singles, "Day 'n' Nite" and "Make Her Say". Kid Cudi was recently featured on Snoop Dogg's ''More Malice'' deluxe album, in the song "That Tree". Kid Cudi also teamed up with Johnny Polygon to remix Johnny's "Riot Song" which appears on Johnny's album, ''Rebel Without Applause'' On April 20, 2010, Kid Cudi announced that the name of his second album has been changed from ''Cudder and the Revolution of Evolution'' to ''Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager''. On June 11, 2010, Kid Cudi was arrested in the Chelsea neighborhood of the Manhattan borough New York City and charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance. Despite his arrest, he was released and made it to Manchester, Tennessee in time to play at Bonnaroo.

On June 30, "Erase me" featuring Kanye West was released through the radio. The song was produced by Jim Jonsin.

In October 2010, Cudi announced that he would be forming a rock band with Dot da Genius called Wizard. However, in early 2011, he announced that he would be making a new mixtape followed by a rock album.

In March 2011, Cudi announced that a music video for "Marijuana" will be released in the spring, followed by a music video of "Mr. Rager" in the summer of 2011. Also, the short film for "Maniac" directed by Shia LaBeouf will be released in October 2011.

In April 2011, while performing at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom Kid Cudi announced the new name for his label. The new label, which he will be releasing his third studio album on is called “Wicked Awesome Records”. He also announced the name of his new band, “2 Be Continuum” renaming it from the original Wizard. Kid Cudi explained the reason he changed the name of the band saying, “I needed something more original, something different, but it’s still wizardry at its finest”.

On August 12, 2011, Kid Cudi released the music video for "No One Believes Me", directed by Fright Night director Craig Gillespie. Although the song was recorded as a 2 Be Continuum song, the single was released under Kid Cudi's name. On August 21, Cudi announced that he is no longer releasing the mixtape ''A Man Named Scott'' so that he can focus on the 2 Be Continuum project ''Wizard'' and his third solo album ''Man on the Moon III''.

Acting career

Kid Cudi is currently starring in the new HBO comedy series ''How to Make it in America'', produced by Mark Wahlberg.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' (2009)

''Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager'' (2010)

''Man on the Moon III'' (Fall 2012)

;Collaboration albums ''WiZaRd'' (2011) – with 2 Be Continuum

;Mixtapes

''A Kid Named Cudi'' (2008)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:African American singers Category:American rappers of Mexican descent Category:Electro-hop musicians Category:American people of Native American descent Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Shaker Heights, Ohio Category:People from Solon, Ohio Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Rappers from Ohio Category:University of Toledo alumni Category:Wonky Pop acts Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio

cs:Kid Cudi da:Kid Cudi de:Kid Cudi es:Kid Cudi fa:کید کادی fr:Kid Cudi gl:Kid Cudi ko:키드 커디 hr:Kid Cudi it:Kid Cudi he:קיד קאדי lv:Kid Cudi hu:Kid Cudi nl:Kid Cudi ja:キッド・カディ pl:Kid Cudi pt:Kid Cudi ro:Kid Cudi ru:Кид Кади simple:Kid Cudi fi:Kid Cudi sv:Kid Cudi th:คิด คัดดี้ tr:Kid Cudi

name	Leslie David Baker
birth date	February 19, 1958
birth place	Chicago, Illinois
occupation	Film, television actor }}

Leslie David Baker (born February 19, 1958) is an American film and television actor who plays Stanley Hudson on ''The Office''. He also had several small roles in ''Scrubs'' and appeared on ''That '70s Show'' as a janitor after a Ted Nugent concert and played an office worker in several of OfficeMax's "Rubberband Man" series of advertisements. He holds a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and a M.S. Human Services Administration from Spertus College of Judaica in Chicago. He taught special education, grades K-8, while working on his masters. He was reluctant to move to Hollywood, as he thought it important to first attain financial security. He once played a police officer in ''Malcolm in the Middle'' and a security guard in ''Action''. His favorite episodes of ''The Office'' to date are Did I Stutter and Basketball.

Partial filmography

''Kevin's Loan'' (TV series) (2008) as Stanley Hudson (1 episode)

''My Name is Earl'' (TV series) (2007) as Police Officer (1 episode)

''The Office: The Accountants'' (TV series) (2006) as Stanley Hudson (1 episode)

''The Office'' (TV series) (2005-) as Stanley Hudson (134 episodes)

''Elizabethtown'' (2005) as Airport Security #2

''Line of Fire'' (2004) (TV series) as Large Man (1 episode)

''Scrubs'' (TV series) (2003) as Surgery Patient (1 episode)

''Just Shoot Me!'' (2002) (TV series) as Man (1 episode)

''The Guardian'' (2001–2003) (TV series) as Teddy Desica (3 episodes)

''That '70s Show'' (2001) (TV series) as Janitor (Season 3, Ep. 24 - Backstage Pass)

''Road to Redemption'' (2001) as Tow Truck Driver

''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2003) (TV series) as Cop / Customer (2 episodes)

''Action'' (TV series) as Guard (1 episode)

External links

Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Actors from Illinois Category:Loyola University Chicago alumni Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:Spertus College alumni Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:1958 births Category:Living people

fr:Leslie David Baker ko:레슬리 데이비드 베이커 pt:Leslie David Baker

name	Natasha Bedingfield
background	solo_singer
birth name	Natasha Anne Bedingfield
born	November 26, 1981Sussex, England, UK
genre	Dance pop, R&B;, Pop rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	2004–present
label	Phonogenic, Epic (US)
website	www.natashabedingfield.com }}

Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British pop singer and songwriter.

Based in Book St., London, Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group ''The DNA Algorithm'' with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield recorded rock and gospel songs for the Hillsong London Church, while Daniel went on to enjoy success with hits "Gotta Get Thru This" and "If You're Not the One".

Bedingfield released her first album, ''Unwritten'', in 2004. The album contained primarily uptempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B; music; it enjoyed international success with over 2.3 million copies sold worldwide and she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the title track "Unwritten". Bedingfield's second album, ''N.B.'' (2007), was less successful but yielded the UK top 10 singles "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Soulmate". ''N.B.'' was not released in North America, but six tracks from it were included with seven new ones and released in 2008 as ''Pocketful of Sunshine'', with the singles "Love Like This" and "Pocketful of Sunshine" earning success on the charts. In December 2010, Bedingfield released her third album in North America named ''Strip Me''. Bedingfield has also made a guest appearence in ''Degrassi: The Next Generation''.

Early life

Bedingfield was born in Sussex (later moving to the Lewisham district of London) to New Zealand-born Molly and John Bedingfield who worked in the international charity sector focused on inner-city projects in education, reconciliation, addiction rehab, and long term community development, alongside local government initiatives and faith based communities in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Natasha has three siblings: brothers Daniel, Joshua and a younger sister Nikola. Her interest in music was encouraged by her parents and she took guitar and piano lessons when she was younger. When Bedingfield was a teenager, she and her siblings, Daniel and Nikola, formed the dance/electronic group, The DNA Algorithm. The group provided Bedingfield with the opportunity to explore different musical genres and expand her songwriting abilities. She provided vocals for the group which primarily performed dance-pop music about independence and empowerment, themes that would later be found in her own solo compositions. At age 14, Natasha sang vocals on Origins ''Refined Intricacy'' (Steelyard Records).

Bedingfield attended a year at the University of Greenwich, where she studied psychology, then left to concentrate on singing and songwriting. At first she recorded demos in the garages of friends who had recording studios, which she presented to record companies. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield composed and recorded songs for the Hillsong London Church. In 2004, her recordings appeared on the church's live album ''Shout God's Fame'' and the children's album ''Jesus Is My Superhero'' by Hillsong Music Australia.

Music career

2003–06: Signing to Phonogenic and ''Unwritten''

thumb|upright|Bedingfield performing in 2006 Bedingfield was introduced to Phonogenic founder and A&R; Paul Lisberg by the artist's manager Gary Wilson. Lisberg was not convinced by the demo songs presented, which had so far failed to attract any label interest, later telling HitQuarters: "[They] were good but weren’t right for us ... They were a bit like Holly Valance and Shakira, which we felt was too lightweight. She would probably have had hits with them, but I don’t know if she ever would have established herself as a true artist." Instead, it was when, at a meeting together, Lisberg heard her singing ability and creative vocal ad-libbing first-hand that he became excited by Bedingfield's potential. Label interest was later confirmed when a trial studio session together with writers Steve Kipner and Andrew Frampton produced songs that were in keeping with Lisberg's vision for Phonogenic. Bedingfield signed a recording contract with BMG UK & Ireland, through its imprint Phonogenic Records, in July 2003.

Her first album ''Unwritten'' was released in September 2004 and features collaborations with Steve Kipner, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lachey, James Reilly, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins, Kara DioGuardi, Guy Chambers, Patrick Leonard and the rapper Bizarre. The album contained uptempo pop rock songs and influences from R&B; music. Bedingfield's lyrics focused on independence, opportunism and female empowerment. Reviews of the album were generally positive and it was described as a "well-made pop album for the new millennium" by Allmusic. The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one and reached the top thirty in the United States. It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom and Gold status in the US The first single released from the album was "Single", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. The song's lyrics, and its accompanying music video, depict Bedingfield's single lifestyle. "These Words" was released as the album's second single. The song became Bedingfield's first UK number one and U.S. top twenty single. "Unwritten" was released as the album's third single in 2004, the song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and it also became the most played song on U.S. radio in 2006. "I Bruise Easily" was released as the album's fourth single, it did not perform as well as its predecessors but was still a moderate success, reaching number twelve on the UK Singles Chart.

At the 2005 Brit Awards, Bedingfield was nominated for four awards, though did not win any of her nominated categories. She was also nominated for an award at the 2006 Brit Awards, and in 2007 she was nominated for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" at the 2007 Grammy Awards, though was again unsuccessful in winning in any of her nominated categories. Her Song Unwritten is the theme tune of MTV's the hills

2007–08: ''N.B.'' and ''Pocketful of Sunshine''

Bedingfield's second album ''N.B.'' was released in Europe in April 2007. In North America (the U.S. and Canada), the album was released under the title "Pocketful of Sunshine" in January 2008. The album received mixed reviews by critics and peaked at number nine in the UK. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the album's lead single, was about finding the right man to father her children and was criticised by fans and critics alike. The song was moderately successful, reaching number seven in the UK, number eight in Ireland and the top fifty in various other markets. "Soulmate" was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2007 and also peaked at number seven in the UK. To promote ''N.B.'', Bedingfield embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour in May 2007, supporting Justin Timberlake.

The North American version of her second album featured six songs from ''N.B.''. The album was released on 22 January 2008, after the lead single, "Love like This", was released in September 2007 and charted at #11 on the Billboard hot 100. The title track was released as the second single in February 2008. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard hot 100. On 18 January 2008, Bedingfield's UK tour was cancelled for the second time, one month before it was supposed to start, so she could spend more time promoting her album in the U.S. In August 2008, Bedingfield and other singers including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, and Mariah Carey recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On 5 September, the singers performed it live on TV.

2009–present: ''Strip Me'' and ''Strip Me Away''

Bedingfield stated on her blog that she would start work on her new album in early 2009. She was confirmed to be writing for the new album while on holiday in New Zealand; she said "I'm here for a couple of weeks to do a bit of writing. It is such an inspiring place to write music. I love coming here as often as I can, usually once a year to fuel up on ideas for my next album". She also confirmed she was working with Brian Kennedy, who produced/co wrote Rihanna's hit single "Disturbia" and was writing songs with him while on tour with a view to having the album released by the end of 2009. Bedingfield also stated that Wyclef Jean, Sam Sparro and Mike Elizondo would be working on the record.

Bedingfield confirmed that the album would be ready for fall 2010. In an interview with IN:DEMAND Producer, Ryan Tedder said "I'm gonna try and bring Natasha Bedingfield back here in the UK with some quirky, kinda weird stuff". On 18 March Natasha stated on her official site that she was in L.A. and she was putting the finishing touches on her album. "Touch", the lead single from the album, was made available as a digital download 18 May 2010. Bedingfield performed the song on the ''The Ellen Degeneres Show'' on 24 May 2010. "Touch" was officially sent to U.S. radio stations on 29 June 2010. On 15 July Bedingfield announced via Twitter that the title of her new album would be ''Strip Me''. The album was originally scheduled for release on 9 November 2010, but was released on 7 December. The second single, also titled "Strip Me", was sent to U.S. radio on 30 August 2010 and it became available as a digital download on 21 September 2010. It was written by Bedingfield, Ryan Tedder and Wayne Wilkins. Bedingfield appeared on rapper Nicki Minaj's debut album ''Pink Friday'' on a track called "Last Chance", and on Rascal Flatts' new album ''Nothing Like This'' on a track called "Easy", released as the album's third single. On 31 December 2010 / 1 January 2011, Natasha appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

In 2010, Natasha joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices, Avon’s first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women.

On 6 April 2011, Natasha visited Radio Hamburg and confirmed that the song "Pocketful of Sunshine" (originally the second single from her US album "Pocketful of Sunshine") will be the first European single from the forthcoming European release of ''Strip Me''. The European version of ''Strip Me'' will be called ''Strip Me Away''. The lead single "Pocketful of Sunshine" was released on 13 May in Germany. The album "Strip Me Away" will be released in June.

Bedingfield was featured on Simple Plan's new single from their new album ''Get Your Heart On!'', released on 21 June 2011. The song, "Jet Lag" was released on 26 April 2011 as the band's first single off their fourth album.

On 5 July, Bedingfield performed her song "Weightless" from her "Strip Me" album on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. Filipina singer Charice confirmed that Bedingfield had written a song for her entitled "Lighthouse" which was included on her upcoming second studio album ''Infinity''.

Non-musical projects

Bedingfield is a philanthropist who has donated time and money to organisations such as the Global Angels, an international children's charity founded by her mother, Molly Bedingfield. She became associated with the organisation in 2006 because of her celebrity status, which she could use to help "people around the world, particularly children, who live in conditions that would horrify us".

Bedingfield is now an ambassador for Global Angels and in November 2006 she visited India for three weeks in support of the charity. She visited an orphanage in Kolkata and a refugee camp for former child prostitutes in Mumbai to learn more about the situation and the conditions in these areas. Bedingfield later expressed her shock at what she had witnessed. Video diaries filmed during her trip were posted on her official website in early 2007. She is also an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition which works to end human trafficking and a member of the (RED) campaign. In a 2008 rockumentary, Call+Response, headed by Justin Dillon, Bedingfield performed acoustic versions of "Unwritten" and "Soulmate" in support of the film's cause: a movement against current slavery and human trafficking.

In 2004, Bedingfield showed interest in acting and made her debut in the James Bond video game ''From Russia with Love'' in November 2005. She lent her voice to the character Elizabeth Stark, the British Prime Minister's daughter who is kidnapped in the opening sequence. Bedingfield commented that she would like to do more acting, but only if the film "was good enough, and it was a role that [would] fit me." Bedingfield is not set to appear in any forthcoming films in the near future.

She has made an appearance in the seventh season finale of the hit Canadian television series ''Degrassi: The Next Generation''. Bedingfield also guest starred on Nickelodeon's mockumentary series ''The Naked Brothers Band'''s ''Christmas Special,'' alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Leon Thomas III. She has made guest appearances on the NBC series ''Lipstick Jungle''. More recently, she guest starred on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP in November 2009. She sang the song "These Words".

Personal life

In 2006, the media incorrectly reported that Bedingfield was dating Nick Lachey and Maroon 5 lead singer, Adam Levine. Referring to the media reports, Bedingfield commented that "Adam is lovely but I didn't date him or Nick. As soon as you talk to a famous guy, you're immediately linked with him." Bedingfield is married to Matt Robinson, a businessman from California. The couple wed in Malibu on 21 March 2009.

She lists Audrey Hepburn, Debbie Harry and Brigitte Bardot as her "celebrity style icons".

Discography

''Unwritten'' (2004)

''N.B.'' (2007)

''Pocketful of Sunshine'' (2008)

''Strip Me'' (2010)

''Strip Me Away'' (2011)

Awards and nominations

awards	5
nominations	11
britn	4
award1	BT Digital Music Awards
award1w	1
award1n	1
award2	Capital FM Awards
award2w	2
award2n	2
award3	Glamour Awards
award3w	1
award3n	1
grammyn	1
mtveuropen	1
tmfw	1
tmfn	1 }}

Bedingfield's debut album ''Unwritten'' contains primarily uptempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B; music. It enjoyed international success with over three million copies sold worldwide. In 2007, she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the song "Unwritten", the third single from the album of the same name. Bedingfield's second album ''N.B.'' yielded the singles "Soulmate"; "Say It Again"; and "I Wanna Have Your Babies", written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Wayne Wilkins, Andrew Frampton, and Steve Kipner. Bedingfield has received four nominations from the BRIT Awards but has won none. As of July 2008, she has won five awards from eleven nominations.

BRIT Awards

The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. Bedingfield has received four nominations.

|- |rowspan="4"| ||rowspan="3"| Natasha Bedingfield || Best British Female Solo Artist || |- | British Breakthrough Artist || |- | Best Pop Act || |- | "These Words" || Best British Single ||

BT Digital Music Awards

The BT Digital Music Awards honour music distributed digitally by methods such as mobile devices, online downloads, and blogging. Bedingfield has won one award.

|- | 2007 || Natasha Bedingfield || Best Pop Artist ||

Capital FM Awards

The Capital FM Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Capital 95.8, a London radio station owned by GCap Media. Bedingfield has won two awards from two nominations.

|- |rowspan="2"| 2005 || "These Words" || Best Single || |- | Natasha Bedingfield || Best Newcomer ||

Glamour Awards

The Glamour Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by ''Glamour'', a women's magazine. Bedingfield has won one award.

|- | 2005 || Natasha Bedingfield || UK Solo Artist of the Year ||

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bedingfield has received one nomination.

|- | || "Unwritten" || Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ||

MTV Europe Music Awards

The MTV Europe Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1994 by MTV Europe. Bedingfield has received one nomination.

|- | 2004 || Natasha Bedingfield || Best UK and Ireland act ||

TMF Awards

The TMF Awards is an annual television awards show broadcast live on The Music Factory. Bedingfield has received one award.

|- | 2005 || Natasha Bedingfield || Best International New Artist ||

References

External links

NatashaBedingfield.com – Natasha Bedingfield official website

Category:1981 births Category:Alumni of the University of Greenwich Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:British people of New Zealand descent Category:British rhythm and blues singers Category:British dance musicians Category:British female singers Category:British pop singers Category:British songwriters Category:British singer-songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:English Pentecostals Category:English Christians Category:Hillsong musicians Category:Living people Category:People from Surrey

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