Coordinates

28°36′36″N77°13′48″N

{{infobox u.s. state |name

Alabama |Fullname State of Alabama |Flag Flag of Alabama.svg |Flaglink Flag |Seal Seal of Alabama.svg |Seallink Seal |Coat of arms Alabama-COA.png |Coatlink Coat of arms |Map Map of USA AL.svg |Nickname Yellowhammer State; Heart of Dixie; Cotton State |Demonym Alabamian |Motto Audemus jura nostra defendere (Latin) |MottoEnglish We dare defend our rights |Former Alabama Territory |Capital Montgomery |OfficialLang English |Languages English (96.17%)Spanish (2.12%) |LargestMetro Greater Birmingham Area |LargestCity Birmingham212,237 (2010 census) |Governor Robert J. Bentley (R) |Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey (R) |Legislature Alabama Legislature |Upperhouse Senate |Lowerhouse House of Representatives |Senators Richard Shelby (R)Jeff Sessions (R) |Representative 6 Republicans, 1 Democrat |TradAbbreviation Ala. |PostalAbbreviation AL |AreaRank 30th |TotalArea 135,765 |TotalAreaUS 52,419 |LandArea 131,426 |LandAreaUS 50,744 |WaterArea 4,338 |WaterAreaUS 1,675 |PCWater 3.20 |PopRank 23rd |2000Pop 4,779,736 (2010) 4,447,100 (2000) |DensityRank 27th |2000Density 33.84 |2000DensityUS 84.83 |AdmittanceOrder 22nd |AdmittanceDate December 14, 1819 |TimeZone Central: UTC-6/DST-5 |Latitude 30° 11′ N to 35° N |Longitude 84° 53′ W to 88° 28′ W |Width 305 |WidthUS 190 |Length 531 |LengthUS 330 |LargestCounty Baldwin County |HighestPoint Mount Cheaha |HighestElev 735 |HighestElevUS 2,413 |MeanElev 152 |MeanElevUS 499 |LowestPoint Gulf of Mexico |LowestElev 0 |LowestElevUS 0 |ISOCode US-AL |Website www.alabama.gov }}

{{infobox u.s. state symbols |boxwidth

25em |Flag Flag of Alabama.svg |Flagsize 125px |Name Alabama |Amphibian Red Hills salamander |Bird Yellowhammer, Wild Turkey |Butterfly Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |Fish Largemouth bass, Fighting tarpon |Flower Camellia, Oak-leaf Hydrangea |Insect Monarch Butterfly |Mammal American Black Bear, Racking horse |Reptile Alabama red-bellied turtle |Tree Longleaf Pine |Beverage Conecuh Ridge Whiskey |Colors Red, White |Dance Square Dance |Food Pecan, Blackberry, Peach |Fossil Basilosaurus |Gemstone Star Blue Quartz |Mineral Hematite |StateRock Marble |Shell Johnstone's Junonia |Slogan ''Share The Wonder'',''Alabama the beautiful'',''Where America finds its voice'',''Sweet Home Alabama'' |Soil Bama |Song ''Alabama (song)'' |Route Marker Alabama 67.svg |Quarter 2003 AL Proof.png |QuarterReleaseDate 2003 }}

Alabama () is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland waterways. The state ranks 23rd in population with 4.7 million residents in 2009.

From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many Southern states, suffered economic hardship, in part because of continued dependence on agriculture. Despite the growth of major industries and urban centers, white rural interests dominated the state legislature until the 1960s, while urban interests and African Americans were under-represented. Following World War II, Alabama experienced growth as the economy of the state transitioned from agriculture to diversified interests in heavy manufacturing, mineral extraction, education, and technology. In addition, the establishment or expansion of multiple military installations, primarily those of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, added to state jobs.

Alabama is unofficially nicknamed the ''Yellowhammer State'', after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie". The state tree is the Longleaf Pine, the state flower is the Camellia. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery. The largest city by population is Birmingham. The largest city by total land area is Huntsville. The oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists.

History

Etymology

The Alabama (people), a Muskogean-speaking tribe whose members lived just below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers on the upper reaches of the Alabama River, served as the etymological source of the names of the river and state. In the Alabama language, the word for an Alabama person is ''Albaamo'' (or variously ''Albaama'' or ''Albàamo'' in different dialects; the plural form "Alabama persons" is ''Albaamaha''). The word ''Alabama'' is believed to have originated from the Choctaw language and was later adopted by the Alabama tribe as their name. The spelling of the word varies significantly between sources. The first usage appears in three accounts of the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1540 with Garcilasso de la Vega using ''Alibamo'', while the Knight of Elvas and Rodrigo Ranjel wrote ''Alibamu'' and ''Limamu'', respectively. As early as 1702, the tribe was known to the French as ''Alibamon'' with French maps identifying the river as ''Rivière des Alibamons''. Other spellings of the appellation have included ''Alibamu'', ''Alabamo'', ''Albama'', ''Alebamon'', ''Alibama'', ''Alibamou'', ''Alabamu'', and ''Allibamou''.

Although the origin of ''Alabama'' could be discerned, sources disagree on its meaning. An 1842 article in the ''Jacksonville Republican'' originated the idea that the meaning was "Here We Rest." This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek. Experts in the Muskogean languages have been unable to find any evidence to support such a translation. Scholars believe the word comes from the Choctaw ''alba'' (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and ''amo'' (meaning "to cut", "to trim", or "to gather"). The meaning may have been "clearers of the thicket" or "herb gatherers" which may refer to clearing of land for cultivation or to collecting medicinal plants.

Indigenous peoples, early history

Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before European colonization. Trade with the Northeast via the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period (1000 BC–AD 700) and continued until European contact. The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of the state from AD 1000 to 1600, with one of its major centers being at the Moundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama. Analysis of artifacts recovered from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars' formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC). Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no direct links to Mesoamerican culture, but developed independently. The Ceremonial Complex represents a major component of the religion of the Mississippian peoples; it is one of the primary means by which their religion is understood.

Among the historical tribes of Native American people living in the area of present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee, and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama (''Alibamu''), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, and Mobile.

European settlement

The French founded the first European settlement in the region at Old Mobile, in 1702. The area was French from 1702 to 1763; part of British West Florida from 1763 to 1780. Thomas Bassett was the first British settler in the state. He settled near what is now Tombigbee River in Washington County. Alabama became part of Spanish West Florida from 1780 to 1810; part of the independent Republic of West Florida for a short time (90 days); annexed by the U.S. and added to the Territory of Orleans (1810); and, finally, added to the Mississippi Territory in 1812. Throughout these later developments, however, the Spanish had kept a nominal (although largely ignored) governmental presence in the region, based out of Mobile. When Andrew Jackson's forces occupied Mobile in 1814 —while preparing for the Battle of New Orleans —he demonstrated the United States' ''de facto'' authority over the region, effectively ending Spanish governance (though not its claim), while gaining an unencumbered passage to the gulf.

The area making up today's northern and central Alabama, known as the Yazoo lands, had been claimed by the Province of Georgia after 1763. Following the Revolutionary War, it remained a part of the state of Georgia —although heavily disputed. Conflicting claims to the area were held, first by several Native American tribes (most notably the Chickamauga-Cherokee and Yazoo), by other states (e.g. South Carolina); and by the US federal government; Britain and Spain. In 1802, the region was joined to the Mississippi Territory. Individual statehood was delayed, however, by the territory's lack of a coastline.

Statehood, Civil War and Reconstruction

Alabama became the twenty-second state —admitted to the Union in 1819. Part of the frontier in the 1820s and 1830s, its constitution provided for universal suffrage for white men. Settlers rapidly arrived to take advantage of the fertile soil. Southeastern planters and traders from the Upper South brought slaves with them as the cotton plantations expanded. The economy of the central "Black Belt" (named for its dark, productive soil) was built around large cotton plantations whose owners' wealth grew largely from slave labor. The area also drew many poor, disfranchised people who became subsistence farmers. The 1860 census records show that enslaved Africans comprised 45% of the state's total population of 964,201. There were only 2,690 free persons of color living in Alabama at the time.

From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa served as the capital of Alabama. On January 30, 1846, the Alabama legislature announced that it had voted to remove the capital city from Tuscaloosa to Montgomery. The first legislative session in the new capital met in December 1847. In time, a Capitol building was erected under the direction of a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania architect. The original structure burnt down in 1849 but was rebuilt in 1851 following the original plans.

On January 11, 1861, Alabama declared its secession from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. While few battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the American Civil War. Alabama's slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment in 1865. During Reconstruction, the new state legislators created a public school system for the first time, as well as establishing some welfare institutions to help its people. Alabama was officially restored to the Union in 1868.

After the Civil War, the state was still chiefly agricultural, with an economy tied to cotton. Planters resisted working with free labor during Reconstruction and sought to re-establish controls over freedmen. In the early years the Ku Klux Klan had numerous independent chapters in Alabama that attacked freedmen and other Republicans. After it was suppressed, insurgent whites organized paramilitary groups, such as the Red Shirts and White League, that acted more openly to suppress black voting. Regaining power by the late 1870s, in the last decade of the 19th century, white Democrats passed electoral laws and constitutional amendments to disfranchise most blacks and many poor whites. Having regained power in the state legislature, Democrats passed Jim Crow laws, including racial segregation in public facilities, to restore white supremacy.

In 1875, it passed a Blaine Amendment preventing public money from being used to finance Catholic schools.

1900–1960

The new 1901 Constitution of Alabama effectively disfranchised African Americans through voting restrictions including literacy requirements. While the planter class had persuaded poor whites to support these legislative efforts, the new restrictions resulted in disfranchising poor whites as well, due mostly to imposition of a cumulative poll tax.

In 1900, 14 Black Belt counties had more than 79,000 voters on the rolls. By June 1, 1903, the number of registered voters had dropped to 1,081. In 1900, Alabama had more than 181,000 African Americans eligible to vote. By 1903, 2,980 had qualified to register, although at least 74,000 black voters were literate.

By 1941, a total of more whites than blacks had been disfranchised: 600,000 whites to 520,000 blacks. Nearly all African-Americans lost the ability to vote.

The disfranchisement was ended by African Americans' leading the Civil Rights Movement and gaining Federal legislation in the mid-1960s to protect their voting and civil rights. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also protected the suffrage of poor whites.

The rural-dominated legislature consistently underfunded schools and services for the disfranchised African Americans in the segregated state, but did not relieve them of paying taxes. Continued racial discrimination, agricultural depression, and the failure of the cotton crops due to boll weevil infestation led tens of thousands of African Americans to seek opportunities in northern cities. They left Alabama in the early 20th century as part of the Great Migration to industrial jobs and better futures in northern industrial cities. The population growth rate in Alabama (see "Historical Populations" table below) dropped by nearly half from 1910 to 1920, reflecting the effect of emigration.

At the same time, many rural whites and blacks migrated to the city of Birmingham for work in new industrial jobs. It experienced such rapid growth that it was nicknamed "The Magic City". By the 1920s, Birmingham was the 19th largest city in the U.S. and held more than 30% of the population of the state. Heavy industry and mining were the basis of the economy.

Industrial development related to the demands of World War II brought prosperity. Cotton faded in importance as the state developed a manufacturing and service base. In the 1960s under Governor George Wallace, many whites in the state opposed integration efforts.

1960–present

Despite massive population changes in the state from 1901 to 1961, the rural-dominated legislature refused to reapportion House and Senate seats based on population. They held on to old representation to maintain political and economic power in agricultural areas. In addition, the state legislature gerrymandered the few Birmingham legislative seats to ensure election by persons living outside Birmingham.

One result was that Jefferson County, containing Birmingham's industrial and economic powerhouse, contributed more than one-third of all tax revenue to the state, but did not receive a proportional amount in services. Urban interests were consistently underrepresented in the legislature. A 1960 study noted that because of rural domination, "A minority of about 25 per cent of the total state population is in majority control of the Alabama legislature."

African Americans were presumed partial to Republicans for historical reasons, but they were disfranchised. White Alabamans felt bitter towards the Republican Party in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction. These factors created a longstanding tradition that any candidate who wanted to be viable with white voters had to run as a Democrat regardless of political beliefs.

During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans achieved a protection of voting and other civil rights through the passage of the national Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. ''De jure'' segregation ended in the states as Jim Crow laws were invalidated or repealed.

Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, cases were filed in Federal courts to force Alabama to properly redistrict by population both the House and Senate of the state legislature. In 1972, for the first time since 1901, the legislature implemented the Alabama constitution's provision for periodic redistricting based on population. This benefited the urban areas that had developed, as well as all in the population who had been underrepresented for more than 60 years.

After 1972, the state's white voters shifted much of their support to Republican candidates in presidential elections (as also occurred in neighboring southern states). Since 1990 the majority of whites in the state have voted increasingly Republican in state elections. In 2010, Republicans won control of both houses of the legislature for the first time in 136 years.

Geography

Alabama is the thirtieth-largest state in the United States with 52,423 square miles (135,775 km²) of total area: 3.19% of the area is water, making Alabama twenty-third in the amount of surface water, also giving it the second-largest inland waterway system in the United States. About three-fifths of the land area is a gentle plain with a general descent towards the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The North Alabama region is mostly mountainous, with the Tennessee River cutting a large valley creating numerous creeks, streams, rivers, mountains, and lakes.

The states bordering Alabama are Tennessee to the north; Georgia to the east; Florida to the south; and Mississippi to the west. Alabama has coastline at the Gulf of Mexico, in the extreme southern edge of the state. Alabama ranges in elevation from sea level at Mobile Bay to over 1,800 feet (550 m) in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast. The highest point is Mount Cheaha, at a height of . Alabama's land consists of of forest or 67% of total land area. Suburban Baldwin County, along the Gulf Coast, is the largest county in the state in both land area and water area.

Areas in Alabama administered by the National Park Service include Horseshoe Bend National Military Park near Alexander City; Little River Canyon National Preserve near Fort Payne; Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport; Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee; and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site near Tuskegee. Additionally, Alabama has four National Forests: Conecuh, Talladega, Tuskegee, and William B. Bankhead. Alabama also contains the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, and the Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail. A notable natural wonder in Alabama is "Natural Bridge" rock, the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies, located just south of Haleyville.

A -wide meteorite impact crater is located in Elmore County, just north of Montgomery. This is the Wetumpka crater, which is the site of "Alabama's greatest natural disaster". A -wide meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago. The hills just east of downtown Wetumpka showcase the eroded remains of the impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or astrobleme ("star-wound") because of the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the surface. In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as an internationally recognized impact crater.

Urban areas

! Rank	! Metropolitan Area	! Population (2010 Census)	! Counties
1			Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Walker
2			[[Limestone County, Alabama
3
4			Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery
5			Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa
6			[[Lawrence County, Alabama
7			[[Colbert County, Alabama
8			Geneva, Henry, Houston
9
10
11

! Rank !! City !! Population (2010 Census) !! County
			[[Madison County, Alabama
			Madison Limestone
			Jefferson

Climate

The state is classified as humid subtropical (''Cfa'') under the Koppen Climate Classification. The average annual temperature is 64 °F (18 °C). Temperatures tend to be warmer in the southern part of the state with its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, while the northern parts of the state, especially in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeast, tend to be slightly cooler. Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state.

Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the United States, with high temperatures averaging over throughout the summer in some parts of the state. Alabama is also prone to tropical storms and even hurricanes. Areas of the state far away from the Gulf are not immune to the effects of the storms, which often dump tremendous amounts of rain as they move inland and weaken.

South Alabama reports many thunderstorms. The Gulf Coast, around Mobile Bay, averages between 70 and 80 days per year with thunder reported. This activity decreases somewhat further north in the state, but even the far north of the state reports thunder on about 60 days per year. Occasionally, thunderstorms are severe with frequent lightning and large hail – the central and northern parts of the state are most vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks seventh in the number of deaths from lightning and ninth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.

Alabama, along with Kansas, has the most reported EF5 tornadoes of any state – according to statistics from the National Climatic Data Center for the period January 1, 1950, to October 31, 2006. Several long – tracked F5 tornadoes have contributed to Alabama reporting more tornado fatalities than any other state, even surpassing Texas which has a much larger area within Tornado Alley. The state suffered damage in the Super Outbreak of April 1974, and the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak.

The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state. Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December, along with the spring severe weather season. The northern part of the state — along the Tennessee Valley — is one of the areas in the U.S. most vulnerable to violent tornadoes. The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as Dixie Alley, as distinct from the Tornado Alley of the Southern Plains.

Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around in Mobile and around in Birmingham. Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. Historic snowfall events include New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm and the 1993 Storm of the Century. The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is per year. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.

Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Alabama cities [°F (°C)]

Month

! Jan

! Feb

! Mar

! Apr

! May

! Jun

! Jul

! Aug

! Sep

! Oct

! Nov

! Dec

Year

Huntsville

! Average high

! Average low

Birmingham

! Average high

! Average low

Montgomery

! Average high

! Average low

Mobile

! Average high

! Average low

Demographics

{|style="float:right;" |- | |}

The United States Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2008, estimated Alabama's population at 4,661,900, which represents an increase of 214,545, or 4.8%, since the last census in 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 121,054 people (that is 502,457 births minus 381,403 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 104,991 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 31,180 people, and migration within the country produced a net gain of 73,811 people. The state had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were illegal immigrants (24,000).

The center of population of Alabama is located in Chilton County, outside of the town of Jemison.

Race and ancestry

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Alabama had a population of 4,779,736. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was 68.5% White (67.0% Non-Hispanic White Alone), 26.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.0% from Some Other Race, and 1.5% from Two or More Races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 3.9% of the population.

The largest reported ancestry groups in Alabama are: African American (26.2%), English (23.6%), Irish (7.7%), German (5.7%), and Scots-Irish (2.0%). In the 2000 Census, 621,080 people claimed to be of "American ancestry", most them are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ethnicity because their roots have been in North America as long as the early 1600s. Demographers estimate that roughly 23% of people in Alabama are of predominantly English ancestry. There are also many more people in Alabama of Scots-Irish origins than are self-reported.

In 1984, under the Davis–Strong Act, Alabama established a state Indian Commission and officially recognized seven American Indian tribes, including the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, which is a 501 (c3) group. It is made up of descendants of the Chickamauga Cherokee and others who managed to evade Indian Removal in the 1830s. Working with Auburn University, the tribe has begun a revival of the Cherokee language.

Religion

Alabama is located in the middle of the Bible Belt. A majority of people in Alabama today identify as Protestant. As of 2000, the three largest denominational groups in Alabama are Evangelical Protestant, Mainline Protestant, and Catholic. The Southern Baptist Convention has the highest number of adherents in Alabama with 1,380,121, followed by the United Methodist Church with 327,734 members, and the Catholic Church with 150,647 adherents.

In a 2007 survey, nearly 70% of respondents could name all four of the Christian Gospels. Of those who indicated a religious preference, 59% said they possessed a "full understanding" of their faith and needed no further learning. In a 2007 poll, 92% of Alabamians reported having at least some confidence in churches in the state. In the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, 80% of Alabama respondents reported their religion as Christian (other than Catholic,) 6% as Catholic, and 11% as having no religion at all.

Health

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed that Alabama was one of the worst in the country for obesity with most counties having over 29% of adults obese, except for ten which exceeded 26%. Residents were least likely of any state in the nation to exercise. Alabama has one of the highest incidents of adult onset diabetes in the country, exceeding 10% of adults.

Economy

The state has invested in aerospace, education, health care, and banking, and various heavy industries, including automobile manufacturing, mineral extraction, steel production and fabrication.

According to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis, the 2008 total gross state product was $170 billion, or $29,411 per capita. Alabama's 2008 GDP increased 0.7% from the previous year. The single largest increase came in the area of information. In 1999, per capita income for the state was $18,189.

As of September 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 8.9%.

Agriculture

Alabama's agricultural outputs include poultry and eggs, cattle, plant nursery items, peanuts, cotton, grains such as corn and sorghum, vegetables, milk, soybeans, and peaches. Although known as "The Cotton State", Alabama ranks between eighth and tenth in national cotton production, according to various reports, with Texas, Georgia and Mississippi comprising the top three.

Industry

Alabama's industrial outputs include iron and steel products (including cast-iron and steel pipe); paper, lumber, and wood products; mining (mostly coal); plastic products; cars and trucks; and apparel. Also, Alabama produces aerospace and electronic products, mostly in the Huntsville area, location of NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army Aviation and Missile Command, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal.

Most Alabama's economic growth is due to the state's expanding automotive manufacturing industry. Located in the state are Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, as well as their various suppliers. Since 1993, the automobile industry has generated more than 67,800 new jobs in the state. Alabama currently ranks 4th in the nation in automobile output.

Steel producers Nucor, SSAB, ThyssenKrupp, and U.S. Steel have facilities in Alabama and employ over 10,000 people. In May 2007, German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp selected Alabama for a $3.7 billion steel production plant, with the promise of 2,700 permanent jobs. When ThyssenKrupp's new facilities reach full production capacity, Alabama is expected to become the third largest steel producing state in the country behind Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Alabama's industrial and manufacturing plants includes BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing, GAF Materials Corporation, Hunt Refining Company, and JVC America.

Tourism

An estimated 100,000 tourists annually from other countries visit the state, including from Canada, England, Germany and Japan. In 2006, 22.3 million tourists spent $8.3 billion providing an estimated 162,000 jobs in the state.

Health

UAB Hospital is the only Level I trauma center in Alabama. UAB is the largest employer in Alabama, with a workforce of about 20,000.

Banking

Alabama has the headquarters of Regions Financial Corporation, BBVA Compass and Superior Bancorp. Birmingham-based Compass Banchshares was acquired by Spanish-based BBVA in September 2007, although the headquarters of BBVA Compass remains in Birmingham. In November 2006, Regions Financial completed its merger with AmSouth Bancorporation, which was also headquartered in Birmingham. SouthTrust Corporation, another large bank headquartered in Birmingham, was acquired by Wachovia in 2004 for $14.3 billion. The city still has major operations for Wachovia and its now post-operating bank Wells Fargo, which includes a regional headquarters, a operations center campus and a $400 million dollar data center. Nearly a dozen smaller banks are also headquartered in the Birmingham, such as Superior Bancorp, ServisFirst and New South Federal Savings Bank. Birmingham also serves as the headquarters for several large investment management companies, including Harbert Management Corporation.

Electronics

Telecommunications provider AT&T;, formerly BellSouth, also has a major presence in Alabama with several large offices in Birmingham. The company has over 6,000 employees and more than 1,200 contract employees.

Many commercial technology companies are headquartered in Huntsville, such as the network access company ADTRAN, computer graphics company Intergraph, design and manufacturer of IT infrastructure Avocent, and telecommunications provider Deltacom. Cinram manufactures and distributes 20th Century Fox DVDs and Blu-ray Discs out of their Huntsville plant.

Construction

Rust International has grown to include Brasfield & Gorrie, BE&K;, Hoar Construction and B.L. Harbert International, which all routinely are included in the Engineering News-Record lists of top design, international construction, and engineering firms. (Rust International was acquired in 2000 by Washington Group International, which was in turn acquired by San-Francisco based URS Corporation in 2007.)

Transportation

The Port of Mobile, Alabama's only saltwater port, is a busy seaport on the Gulf of Mexico with inland waterway access to the Midwest by way of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The Port of Mobile is currently the 9th-largest by tonnage in the United States.

Barge transportation in and out of the Port of Tuscaloosa and other commercial navigation make the Black Warrior River useful in the state of Alabama.

Law and government

State government

The foundational document for Alabama's government is the Alabama Constitution, which was ratified in 1901. At almost 800 amendments and 310,000 words, it is the world's longest constitution and is roughly forty times the length of the U.S. Constitution. There is a significant movement to rewrite and modernize Alabama's constitution. This movement is based upon the fact that Alabama's constitution highly centralizes power in Montgomery and leaves practically no power in local hands. Any policy changes proposed around the state must be approved by the entire Alabama legislature and, frequently, by state referendum. One criticism of the current constitution claims that its complexity and length were intentional to codify segregation and racism.

Alabama is divided into three equal branches: The legislative branch is the Alabama Legislature, a bicameral assembly composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members. The Legislature is responsible for writing, debating, passing, or defeating state legislation.

The executive branch is responsible for the execution and oversight of laws. It is headed by the Governor of Alabama. Other members of executive branch include the cabinet, the Attorney General of Alabama, the Alabama Secretary of State, the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, the Alabama State Treasurer, and the State Auditor of Alabama.

The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the Constitution and applying the law in state criminal and civil cases. The highest court is the Supreme Court of Alabama.

Taxes

Alabama levies a 2, 4, or 5 percent personal income tax, depending upon the amount earned and filing status. Taxpayers are not allowed to deduct their federal income tax from their Alabama state tax, but can deduct federal Social Security and Medicare taxes.

The state's general sales tax rate is 4%. The collection rate could be substantially higher, depending upon additional city and county sales taxes. For example, the total sales tax rate in Mobile is 10% and there is an additional restaurant tax of 1%, which means that a diner in Mobile would pay a 11% tax on a meal. Sales and excise taxes in Alabama account for 51% of all state and local revenue, compared with an average of about 36% nationwide. Alabama is also one of the few remaining states that levies a tax on food and medicine. Alabama's income tax on poor working families is among the nation's very highest. Alabama is the only state that levies income tax on a family of four with income as low as $4,600, which is barely one-quarter of the federal poverty line. Alabama's threshold is the lowest among the 41 states and the District of Columbia with income taxes.

The corporate income tax rate is currently 6.5%. The overall federal, state, and local tax burden in Alabama ranks the state as the second least tax-burdened state in the country. Property taxes are the lowest in the United States. The current state constitution requires a voter referendum to raise property taxes.

Since Alabama's tax structure largely depends on consumer spending, it is subject to high variable budget structure. For example, in 2003 Alabama had an annual budget deficit as high as $670 million.

Local and county government

Alabama has 67 counties. Each county has its own elected legislative branch, usually called the County Commission, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Because of the restraints placed in the Alabama Constitution, all but seven counties (Jefferson, Lee, Mobile, Madison, Montgomery, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa) in the state have little to no home rule. Instead, most counties in the state must lobby the Local Legislation Committee of the state legislature to get simple local policies such as waste disposal to land use zoning.

Alabama is an alcoholic beverage control state; the government holds a monopoly on the sale of alcohol. However, counties can declare themselves "dry"; the state does not sell alcohol in those areas.

List of counties in Alabama

! Rank !! County !! Population (2010 Census) !! Seat !! Largest city
			style="text-align:center;"
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			style="text-align:center;"	style="text-align:center;"|Hoover (part) Alabaster
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Politics

The current governor of the state is Republican Robert Bentley. The lieutenant governor is Republican Kay Ivey. The Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court is Democrat Sue Bell Cobb. The Republican Party currently holds a majority in both houses of the Legislature. The Legislature has the power to override a gubernatorial veto by a simple majority (most state Legislatures require a two-thirds majority to override a veto).

During Reconstruction following the American Civil War, Alabama was occupied by federal troops of the Third Military District under General John Pope. In 1874, the political coalition known as the Redeemers took control of the state government from the Republicans, in part by suppressing the African American vote.

After 1890, a coalition of whites passed laws to segregate and disenfranchise black residents, a process completed in provisions of the 1901 constitution. Provisions which disfranchised African Americans also disfranchised poor whites, however. By 1941 more whites than blacks had been disfranchised: 600,000 to 520,000, although the impact was greater on the African-American community, as almost all of its citizens were disfranchised.

From 1901 through the 1960s, the state did not redraw election districts as population grew and shifted within the state. The result was a rural minority that dominated state politics until a series of court cases required redistricting in 1972.

Alabama state politics gained nationwide and international attention in the 1950s and 1960s during the American Civil Rights Movement, when majority whites bureaucratically, and at times, violently resisted protests for electoral and social reform. George Wallace, the state's only four-term governor, was a controversial figure. Only with the passage of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 did African Americans regain suffrage and other civil rights.

In 2007, the Alabama Legislature passed, and Republican Governor Bob Riley signed, a resolution expressing "profound regret" over slavery and its lingering impact. In a symbolic ceremony, the bill was signed in the Alabama State Capitol, which housed Congress of the Confederate States of America.

State elections

With the disfranchisement of African Americans, the state became part of the "Solid South", a one-party system in which the Democratic Party became essentially the only political party in every Southern state. For nearly 100 years, local and state elections in Alabama were decided in the Democratic Party primary, with generally only token Republican challengers running in the General Election.

Developments in the 1986 Democratic primary election led to the election of the first Republican Governor in more than 100 years and started Republicans on the road to political dominance in the state. One million voters cast ballots in the 1986 Democratic primary. The then-incumbent Lieutenant Governor, Bill Baxley, lost the Democratic nomination for Governor by approximately 8,000 votes to then fellow Democratic Attorney General Charles Graddick. The state Democratic party's five-member election contest committee invalidated the primary election result claiming that thousands of Republicans had "illegally" voted in the Democratic primary for Graddick and as a result they removed Graddick from the ballot. The Democratic Party then placed Baxley's name on the ballot as the Democratic candidate instead of Graddick. The voters of the state revolted at what they perceived as disenfranchisement of their right to vote and elected the Republican challenger Guy Hunt as Governor. Hunt had been nominated in a statewide Republican primary that had 28,000 participants compared to the 1,000,000 plus of the Democratic primary. That November Hunt became the first Republican Governor elected in Alabama since Reconstruction when he won 57% of the vote statewide against Baxley.

Since 1986, Republicans have won six of the seven Governors elections and become increasingly competitive in Alabama politics at many levels. They currently control both seats in the U.S. Senate and six out of the state's seven congressional seats.

Republicans hold all nine seats on the Alabama Supreme Court and all ten seats on the state appellate courts. Until 1994, no Republicans held any of the court seats. This change also began, likely in part, due to the same perception by voters of Democratic party efforts to disenfranchise voters again in 1994. In that general election, the then-incumbent Chief Justice of Alabama, Sonny Hornsby, refused to leave office after losing the election by approximately 3,000 votes to Republican Perry Oliver Hooper, Sr. Hornsby sued Alabama in court and defiantly remained in office for more than a year before finally giving up the seat after losing in court. This ultimately would lead to a collapse of support for Democrats at the ballot box in the next three or four election cycles and ultimately losing the last of the nineteen court seats following the resignation of the last Democrat in August, 2011.

Today, Republicans also hold all seven of the statewide elected executive branch offices. Republicans also hold six of the eight elected seats on the Alabama State Board of Education. In 2010, Republicans took large majorities of both chambers of the state legislature giving them control of that body for the first time in 136 years. However, Democrats hold one of the three seats on the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Only two Republican Lieutenant Governors have been elected since Reconstruction, Steve Windom and Kay Ivey, the current Lieutenant Governor. Windom served as Lt. Governor under Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman. Before 2011, the last time that Alabama had a governor and Lieutenant Governor of the same party was the period between 1983 and 1987 when George Wallace was serving his fourth term as governor and Bill Baxley was serving as Lieutenant Governor; both were Democrats.

In Alabama, the members of the Legislature take office immediately after the November elections, but the statewide officials, such as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and other constitutional offices take office in the following January.

Local elections

Many local offices (County Commissioners, Boards of Education, Tax Assessors, Tax Collectors, etc.) in the state are still held by Democrats. Local elections in most rural counties are generally decided in the Democratic primary and local elections in metropolitan and suburban counties are generally decided in the Republican Primary, although there are exceptions.

Alabama's 67 County Sheriffs are elected in partisan races and Democrats still retain the majority of those posts. The current split is 42 Democrats, 24 Republicans, and 1 Independent (Choctaw). However, most of the Democratic sheriffs preside over rural and less populated counties and the majority of Republican sheriffs preside over more urban/suburban and heavily populated counties. Two Alabama counties (Montgomery and Calhoun) with a population of over 100,000 have Democratic sheriffs and five Alabama counties with a population of under 75,000 have Republican sheriffs (Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Coosa, and Blount). The state has one female sheriff (Morgan) and 9 African-American sheriffs.

Federal elections

+ Presidential elections results
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From 1876 through 1956, Alabama supported only Democratic presidential candidates, by large margins. In 1960, the Democrats won with John F. Kennedy on the ballot, but the Democratic electors from Alabama gave 6 of their 11 electoral votes as a protest to Harry Byrd. In 1964, Republican Barry Goldwater carried the state.

In the 1968 presidential election, Alabama supported native son and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace over both Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Wallace was the official Democratic candidate in Alabama, while Humphrey was listed as the "National Democratic". In 1976, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter from Georgia carried the state, the region, and the nation, but Democratic control of the region slipped after that.

Since 1980, conservative Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the Federal level, especially in Presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates have been elected to many state-level offices and until 2010 comprised a longstanding majority in the Alabama Legislature; see Dixiecrat.

In 2004, George W. Bush won Alabama's nine electoral votes by a margin of 25 percentage points with 62.5% of the vote, mostly white voters. The 11 counties that voted Democratic were Black Belt counties, where African Americans are the majority racial group.

The state's two U.S. senators are Jefferson B. Sessions III and Richard C. Shelby, both Republicans.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the state is represented by seven members, six of whom are Republicans: (Jo Bonner, Mike D. Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Morris J. Brooks, Martha Roby, and Spencer Bachus) and one Democrat: Terri Sewell).

Education

Primary and secondary education

Public primary and secondary education in Alabama is under the overview of the Alabama State Board of Education as well as local oversight by 67 county school boards and 60 city boards of education. Together, 1,541 individual schools provide education for 743,364 elementary and secondary students.

Public school funding is appropriated through the Alabama Legislature through the Education Trust Fund. In FY 2006–2007, Alabama appropriated $3,775,163,578 for primary and secondary education. That represented an increase of $444,736,387 over the previous fiscal year. In 2007, over 82 percent of schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward student proficiency under the National No Child Left Behind law, using measures determined by the State of Alabama. In 2004, 23 percent of schools met AYP.

While Alabama's public education system has improved, it lags behind in achievement compared to other states. According to U.S. Census data, Alabama's high school graduation rate – 75% – is the second lowest in the United States (after Mississippi). The largest educational gains were among people with some college education but without degrees.

Colleges and universities

Alabama's programs of higher education include 14 four-year public universities, two-year community colleges, and 17 private, undergraduate and graduate universities. In the state are three medical schools (University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Alabama and University of South Alabama), two veterinary colleges (Auburn University and Tuskegee University), a dental school (University of Alabama at Birmingham), an optometry college (University of Alabama at Birmingham), two pharmacy schools (Auburn University and Samford University), and five law schools (University of Alabama School of Law, Birmingham School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Miles Law School, and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law). Public, post-secondary education in Alabama is overseen by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Colleges and universities in Alabama offer degree programs from two-year associate degrees to 16 doctoral level programs.

Accreditation of academic programs is through the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges as well as a plethora of subject focused national and international accreditation agencies.

Sports

Professional sports teams

Alabama has several minor league professional teams including four minor league baseball teams.

!Club	!City	!Sport	!League	!Venue	!Notes
Alabama Hammers	Huntsville	Arena football	Southern Indoor Football League	Von Braun Center
Birmingham Barons	Birmingham	Baseball		Regions Park
Huntsville Havoc	Huntsville	Ice Hockey	Southern Professional Hockey League	Von Braun Center
Huntsville Stars	Huntsville	Baseball	Southern League	Joe W. Davis Stadium
Mobile BayBears	Mobile	Baseball	Southern League	Hank Aaron Stadium
Montgomery Biscuits	Montgomery	Baseball	Southern League	Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium
Rocket City United	Huntsville	Soccer	National Premier Soccer League	Madison City Schools Stadium
Tennessee Valley Tigers	Huntsville		Independent Women's Football League	Milton Frank Stadium	replaced the Alabama Renegades

Transportation

Air transportation

Major airports in Alabama include Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Huntsville International Airport (HSV), Dothan Regional Airport (DHN), Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), Muscle Shoals – Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL), Tuscaloosa Regional Airport (TCL), and Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU).

Rail

For rail transport, Amtrak schedules the Crescent, a daily passenger train, running from New York to New Orleans with stops at Anniston, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa.

Roads

Alabama has five major interstate roads that cross the state: I-65 runs north–south roughly through the middle of the state; I-59/I-20 travels from the central west border to Birmingham, where I-59 continues to the north-east corner of the state and I-20 continues east towards Atlanta; I-85 originates in Montgomery and runs east-northeast to the Georgia border, providing a main thoroughfare to Atlanta; and I-10 traverses the southernmost portion of the state, running from west to east through Mobile. Another interstate road, I-22, is currently under construction. When completed around 2012 it will connect Birmingham with Memphis, Tennessee. Several U.S.Highways also pass through the state, such as US 11, US 29, US 31, US 43, US 72, US 78, US 80, US 82, US 84, US 90, US 98, US 231, US 278, US 280, and US 431.

There are four toll roads in the state: Alabama River Parkway in Montgomery; Black Warrior Parkway in Tuscaloosa; Emerald Mountain Expressway in Montgomery; Foley Beach Express in Foley; Montgomery Expressway in Montgomery and four toll bridges: Alabama River Parkway Bridge in Montgomery; Black Warrior Parkway Bridge in Tuscaloosa; Emerald Mountain Expressway Bridge in Montgomery; and Foley Beach Express Bridge in Foley.

In March 2011, Alabama ranked among the top five "Worst" states on the American State Litter Scorecard, for overall poor effectiveness and quality of its statewide public space cleanliness—primarily roadway and adjacent litter removals—from state and related efforts.

Ports

Alabama has one sea port in Mobile on the Gulf of Mexico. The state's other ports are on rivers with access to the Gulf.

Water Ports of Alabama, listed from north to south {| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" border="1" |+ align = bottom | !style="background:#fcc;"| Port name !style="background:#fcc;"| Location !style="background:#fcc;"| Connected to |- | Port of Florence ||''Florence/Muscle Shoals'', on ''Pickwick Lake''||Tennessee River |- | Port of Decatur || ''Decatur'', on ''Wheeler Lake''||Tennessee River |- | Port of Guntersville ||''Guntersville'', on ''Lake Guntersville''||Tennessee River |- | Port of Birmingham || ''Birmingham'', on ''Black Warrior River'' || Tenn-Tom Waterway |- | Port of Tuscaloosa ||''Tuscaloosa'', on ''Black Warrior River''||Tenn-Tom Waterway |- | Port of Montgomery || ''Montgomery'', on ''Woodruff Lake'' || Alabama River |- | Port of Mobile || ''Mobile'', on ''Mobile Bay'' || Gulf of Mexico |}

See also

List of people from Alabama

National Register of Historic Places listings in Alabama

References

Further reading

:''For a detailed bibliography, see the History of Alabama.''

Atkins, Leah Rawls, Wayne Flynt, William Warren Rogers, and David Ward. ''Alabama: The History of a Deep South State'' (1994)

Flynt, Wayne. ''Alabama in the Twentieth Century'' (2004)

Owen Thomas M. ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography'' 4 vols. 1921.

Jackson, Harvey H. ''Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State'' (2004)

Mohl, Raymond A. "Latinization in the Heart of Dixie: Hispanics in Late-twentieth-century Alabama" ''Alabama Review'' 2002 55(4): 243–274. ISSN 0002-4341

Peirce, Neal R. ''The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States'' (1974). Information on politics and economics 1960–72.

Williams, Benjamin Buford. ''A Literary History of Alabama: The Nineteenth Century'' 1979.

WPA. ''Guide to Alabama'' (1939)

External links

Alabama.gov – Official website.

Alabama State Guide, from the Library of Congress

Alabama Association of Regional Councils

Energy Data & Statistics for Alabama- From the U.S. Department of Energy

TourAlabama.org – Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel

All About Alabama, at the Alabama Department of Archives and History

AlabamaMosaic, a digital repository of materials on Alabama's history, culture, places, and people

Code of Alabama 1975 – at the Alabama Legislature site

USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Alabama

Alabama QuickFacts from the U.S. Census Bureau

Alabama State Fact Sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Category:Former British colonies Category:Place names in Alabama of Native American origin Category:States and territories established in 1819 Category:States of the Confederate States of America Category:States of the Southern United States Category:States of the United States

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Mark Ronson
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
occupation	Musician, DJ, producer
birth name	Mark Daniel Ronson
born	September 04, 1975Notting Hill, London, England
label	Allido/Columbia/RCA/JRoc Nation
years active	1993–present
instruments	Vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards, drum machine, bass, clavinet, organ, piano
associated acts	Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Daniel Merriweather, Jordan Galland, Wale, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, the Business International, Samantha Ronson
Website	}}

Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.

While his debut album ''Here Comes the Fuzz'' failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album, ''Version'' included three top ten hits and won Ronson a BRIT Award for ''Best Male Artist 2008''. His third studio album, ''Record Collection'', was released on 27 September 2010.

Early life

Ronson was born at the Wellington Hospital, St John's Wood, to writer/socialite Ann Dexter-Jones and one-time band manager and real estate entrepreneur Laurence Ronson. His parents are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, with ancestors from Austria, Russia, and Lithuania, and Ronson was brought up in Conservative Judaism. Ronson's family name was originally Aaronson, but his grandfather Henry Ronson changed it to Ronson. Ronson is the nephew of property tycoon Gerald Ronson. Ronson is related to British Conservative politicians Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Leon Brittan, as well as Odeon Cinemas founder Oscar Deutsch. Ronson has younger twin sisters, Charlotte Ronson, a fashion designer, and Samantha Ronson, a singer and DJ. Ronson also has five younger half-siblings. Alexander and Annabelle, through his mother's remarriage to Mick Jones as well as David, Henrietta, and Joshua, through his father's remarriage to Michele Human. After his parents broke up, his mother married Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, which contributed to a childhood surrounded by music.

Career

Ronson went to high school at the private Collegiate School in New York. Attending Vassar College and then New York University (NYU), Ronson became a regular at downtown hip hop spots and made his name as a DJ on the New York club scene in 1993, charging $50 per job. Though a novice with little experience, he became known for his diverse, genre-spanning selection. Influenced by funk, the hip hop scene of New York and the more rock influence of the UK (all of which he incorporated in his sets) he attracted a wider audience. He was soon one of the most respected DJs and was being called on for celebrities' private parties. In 1999, Ronson was featured in an ad wearing Tommy Hilfiger denim in the recording studio for an ad campaign for the company.

He provided the score for the 2011 film ''Arthur''.

''Here Comes the Fuzz'' and initial producing

He moved on, however, to producing music after Nikka Costa's manager heard one of his gigs and introduced the musicians. He produced her song "Everybody Got Their Something", and soon Ronson signed a record contract with Elektra Records. Mark had produced tracks for Hilfiger ads, and in 2001 used the connection to have Costa's single "Like a Feather" used in an ad.

Ronson's first album, ''Here Comes the Fuzz'', was released in 2003 and was critically acclaimed and a financial success, despite initially poor sales. On the album, he wrote the songs, made the beats and played guitar, keyboards, and bass. The album featured artists from diverse genres, including Mos Def, Jack White, Sean Paul, Nikka Costa, Nappy Roots and Rivers Cuomo. The best known song from the album, "Ooh Wee", samples "Sunny" by Boney M and features Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Trife Da God, and Saigon. It was featured that year in the movie ''Honey'' and its soundtrack. The song was later used in the movies ''Hitch'' and ''Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay''. Two weeks after releasing ''Here Comes the Fuzz'', Elektra Records dropped him. Ronson has since produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Lamya, Macy Gray, Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Robbie Williams.

Ronson became one of the regular DJs at Justin Timberlake's New York club, Suede, when it opened in 2003.

In 2004, Ronson formed his own record label, Allido Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's J Records, along with his longtime manager Rich Kleiman. The first artist he signed to Allido was rapper Saigon, who later left to sign with Just Blaze's Fort Knox Entertainment. He has signed Rhymefest, most well-known for winning the Grammy for co-writing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks".

''Version (album)''

Ronson released a cover of The Smiths' track "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" under the title "Stop Me" on 2 April 2007, featuring singer Daniel Merriweather, which reached number 2 in the UK singles charts, the biggest hit for Ronson to date. Ronson remixed the Bob Dylan song "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" in promotion for the three disc Bob Dylan set titled ''Dylan'' released October 2007. Ronson has also produced Candie Payne's "One More Chance (Ronson mix)" in 2007.

The album has been well received by critics. In May 2007 it was awarded the title Album of the Month by the British dance music magazine, ''Mixmag''. On 23 June, the DJ made the cover of the ''Guardian'' newspaper's Guide magazine, alongside singer Lily Allen.

In June 2007, Ronson signed DC hip hop artist Wale to Allido Records. In late 2007, he focused on production, working with Daniel Merriweather on his debut album, and recording again with Amy Winehouse and Robbie Williams.

On 24 October 2007 Ronson performed a one-off set at The Roundhouse in Camden, London as part of the BBC Electric Proms 2007. The performance featured the BBC Concert Orchestra and included special guests Terry Hall, Sean Lennon, Tim Burgess, Alex Greenwald, Ricky Wilson, Charlie Waller, Adele and Kyle Falconer.

Ronson received a Grammy Award nomination in early December 2007 for 'Producer of the Year, Non Classical', along with Timbaland and Mike Elizondo. Ronson's work with Amy Winehouse also received substantial praise, gaining 6 nominations. ''Back to Black'', an album mostly produced by Ronson was nominated for 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Pop Vocal Album'. "Rehab" received nods for 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance', 'Song of the Year' and 'Record of the Year'. Ronson would go on to win three Grammys for 'Producer of the Year' as well as 'Best Pop Vocal Album' and 'Record of the Year' (which he shared with Amy Winehouse) in early February 2008.

Ronson is credited as producer on a mixtape album called ''Man in the Mirror'', released in January 2008 by the rapper Rhymefest which is a tribute to the pop star Michael Jackson. The album features Rhymefest appearing to speak to Michael Jackson using archive audio from interviews with the pop star.

Later in January 2008, Ronson received three nominations for the Brit Awards, including 'Best Male Solo Artist', 'Best Album' (''Version'') and 'Song of the Year' ("Valerie"). Ronson won his first Brit for 'Best Male Solo Artist' in mid February 2008 over favourite Mika. He also performed a medley of "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" with Adele, "Stop Me" with Daniel Merriweather and "Valerie" with Amy Winehouse.

The performance allowed for a large boost in sales in the iTunes UK Top 100. "Valerie" would jump almost 30 spots in the days after the event, while "Just", "Stop Me" and "Oh My God" all appeared in the chart as well. That same week, Ronson appeared twice in the UK Top 40, with "Valerie" rebounding to number 13 and "Just" at number 31, his fourth Top 40 hit from "Version". The Brits performance also allowed for "Version" to climb 18 spots to number 4.

Around this time, Ronson received his first number one on an international chart (Dutch Top 40) for "Valerie", which has spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. He collaborated with Kaiser Chiefs on their third album.

Ronson has toured the album "Version" vigorously through both the UK and Europe during 2008. Notable sold out performances at The Hammersmith Apollo and Brixton Academy. Ronson is known to champion new upcoming artists on the road with him, such as Sam Sparro and Julian Perretta. Ronson's string backing was provided by the all-female string quartet Demon Strings. In May 2008, Ronson played at the largest private party in the world, the Trinty Ball in Trinity College Dublin. On 2 July 2008 in Paris, Mark Ronson performed a unique live set with Duran Duran for an exclusive, invitation-only performance. Together, they showcased specially re-worked versions of some of Duran Duran's classic hits that were created by Ronson, along with tracks from the band's new album, ''Red Carpet Massacre''. Ronson & the Version Players also brought Ronson's acclaimed live show to the event, performing songs from his album ''Version''. Simon LeBon was one of his featured guest vocalists. As of March 2009 Ronson was working with the group on their upcoming 13th album. The Album, titled ''All You Need Is Now'' was released digitally exclusively via Apple's iTunes on 21 December 2010. A physical release with an expanded track list will be released in March 2011.

''Record Collection''

At the launch of his most recent Gucci pop-up store in London, Ronson confirmed the name of his new album ''Record Collection'', and said that he hoped to have it out by September 2010. Additionally, Ronson announced the name of his new band, "The Business Intl.'", which is the alias adopted by Ronson on the third studio album. The first single "Bang Bang Bang". which featured rapper Q-Tip and singer MNDR was released on 12 July 2010, where it peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart, giving Ronson his fourth Top 10 hit. The single also saw success on the Irish Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 18. The second single from the album, "The Bike Song", was 19 September 2010 and features Kyle Falconer from The View and Spank Rock. The album was released on 27 September 2010. This is the first of Ronson's albums that he has sung on.

Videos

Ronson created a video, along with Directors Gary Breslin and Jordan Galland: Circuit Breaker, which is a Homage to video game ''The Legend of Zelda.''

Personal life

Ronson spends his time between New York and London; due to this and his childhood he has a Mid-Atlantic English accent. Ronson is the nephew of property tycoon Gerald Ronson. Mark has two sisters who are twins: Charlotte is a fashion designer and his other sister Samantha is a DJ and singer. He lived next door to, and was friends with, Sean Lennon. Ronson became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 2008.

In 2002, he began dating Quincy Jones's daughter, actress/singer Rashida Jones They became engaged in March 2003, with Ronson proposing by creating a crossword puzzle with the message "Will you marry me". They later broke up. In the beginning of 2008, Ronson briefly dated English model/socialite Daisy Lowe. Ronson went on to date Tennessee Thomas, the English drummer of American indie girl band The Like, but they split in early 2009.

In March 2009, Ronson was pictured with French actress and singer Joséphine de La Baume. She featured in his 2010 video for "The Bike Song." The couple got engaged in February 2011.

In 2009 he participated in PETA's "Please Don't Wear Any Fur" campaign. He was also voted the most stylish man in UK by ''GQ'' magazine.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions									! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"
		2003		* Released: 8 September 2003	* Label: [[Elephant Records">Music recording sales certification
! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"
2003		* Released: 8 September 2003	* Label: [[Elephant Records	70	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		British Phonographic Industry>UK: Silver
2007	style="text-align:left;"	* Released: 16 April 2007	Allido>Allido Records	2	—	—	21	44	—	51	129		* UK: 2× Platinum
2010	style="text-align:left;"	* Released: 27 September 2010	Allido>Allido RecordsRCA RecordsColumbia Records	2	6	61	16	67	33	40	81		* AUS: Gold	UK: 2x Platinum

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions	Album
style="width:30px;"	UK	AUS	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"
2003		15	—	—	9	82	—	—	—	''Here Comes the Fuzz''
	2006		48	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	2	—	—	38	—	—	11	—
	8	72	—	21	—	—	—	—
	2	75	5	3	1	39	4	—
	2008		31	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Bang Bang Bang (song)	6	16	75	18	68	25	65	17
"[[The Bike Song" (featuring Kyle Falconer & Spank Rock)	17	66	—	—	—	—	—	35
	55	—	—	—	—	—	—	10

;Other charted songs:

Year	Title	Chart positions		Album
		! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"
2003		—	21	''Here Comes the Fuzz''
		63	—	rowspan="2"
	66	—

''Notes'': – As ''Mark Ronson & The Business Intl''.

Production discography

Albums

1998: Flip Squad Allstars – ''The Flip Squad Allstar DJs''

1999: The High & Mighty – ''Home Field Advantage'' (programming)

2001: Nikka Costa – ''Everybody Got Their Something''

2002: Jimmy Fallon – ''The Bathroom Wall'' (mixing)

2002: Sean Paul – ''Dutty Rock''

2002: Saigon – ''The Best of Saigon a.k.a. The Yardfather Volume 1''

2003: Mark Ronson – ''Here Comes the Fuzz''

2003: Macy Gray – ''The Trouble with Being Myself'' (programming)

2004: Consequence – ''Take 'Em to the Cleaners''

2005: Ol' Dirty Bastard – ''Osirus''

2005: Terry Sullivan – ''TheErthMoovsAroundTheSun'' (guitar)

2005: Teriyaki Boyz – ''Beef or Chicken''

2006: Lily Allen – ''Alright, Still''

2006: Rhymefest – ''Blue Collar''

2006: Christina Aguilera – ''Back to Basics''

2006: Amy Winehouse – ''Back to Black''

2006: Robbie Williams – ''Rudebox''

2006: Ghostface Killah – ''More Fish''

2007: Wale – ''100 Miles & Running''

2007: Mark Ronson – ''Version''

2008: Rhymefest – ''Man in the Mirror''

2008: Adele – ''19''

2008: Estelle – ''Shine''

2008: Wale – ''The Mixtape About Nothing''

2008: Solange Knowles – ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''

2008: Nas – ''Untitled''

2008: Q-Tip – ''The Renaissance''

2008: Kaiser Chiefs – ''Off with Their Heads''

2009: Wale & 9th Wonder – ''Back to the Feature''

2009: Richard Swift – ''The Atlantic Ocean''

2009: Wale – ''Attention Deficit''

2009: Daniel Merriweather – ''Love & War''

2009: The Rumble Strips – ''Welcome to the Walk Alone''

2009: ODB – ''A Son Unique''

2010: The Like – ''Release Me''

2010: Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. – ''Record Collection''

2011: Duran Duran – ''All You Need is Now''

2011: Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. – ''Record Collection 2012''

2011: Black Lips – ''Arabia Mountain''

2012: Rufus Wainwright - untitled album

Singles

1997: Posse-O – "It's Up to You..."

1998: Powerule – "Heatin' Up"

1998: Powerule – "Rhymes to Bust" / "It's Your Right"

2001: Nikka Costa – "Like a Feather"

2002: J-Live – "School's In"

2004: Daniel Merriweather – "City Rules"

2004: Daniel Merriweather – "She's Got Me"

2005: Ol' Dirty Bastard – "Dirty Dirty"

2005: Rhymefest – "These Days"

2005: Rhymefest – "Brand New"

2006: Amy Winehouse – "Rehab"

2006: Robbie Williams – "Lovelight"

2006: Lily Allen – "Littlest Things"

2007: Amy Winehouse – "You Know I'm No Good"

2007: Robbie Williams – "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'Aime Plus"

2007: Amy Winehouse – "Back to Black"

2007: Christina Aguilera – "Slow Down Baby"

2007: Candie Payne – "One More Chance"

2007: Amy Winehouse – "Love Is a Losing Game"

2008: Adele – "Cold Shoulder"

2008: Leon Jean-Marie – "Bed of Nails"

2008: Kaiser Chiefs – "Never Miss a Beat"

2008: Wiley – "Cash in My Pocket"

2008: Kaiser Chiefs – "Good Days Bad Days"

2009: Daniel Merriweather – "Change"

2009: Daniel Merriweather – "Red"

2009: Daniel Merriweather – "Impossible

Awards

Winner

Grammy Award 2008 Producer of the Year – Non-Classical, Record of the Year (with Amy Winehouse), Best Pop Vocal Album (also with Winehouse)

The BRIT Awards 2008 Best British Male Solo Artist

Vodafone Live Music Awards – Best Live Male – Winner 2008

Glamour Women of the Year – Men of the Year – Winner 2008

Nominations

BRIT Awards 2008 Best Album – Version, Best Single Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse)

MOBO Awards 2010 Best Video – Bang Bang Bang (feat. Q-Tip & MNDR), Best Song – Bang Bang Bang (feat. Q-Tip & MNDR)

References

External links

Mark Ronson and Boy George

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Never Mind the Buzzcocks Category:Grammy Award winners Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Allido Records artists Category:Hip hop DJs Category:English DJs Category:English male singers Category:American people of English descent Category:Alternative rock musicians Category:Hip hop record producers Category:English record producers Category:Collegiate School (New York) alumni Category:Jewish singers Category:English Jews Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:English people of Austrian descent Category:English people of Russian descent Category:People from Notting Hill Category:People from Manhattan Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

cy:Mark Ronson da:Mark Ronson de:Mark Ronson es:Mark Ronson fr:Mark Ronson ko:마크 론슨 it:Mark Ronson he:מארק רונסון nl:Mark Ronson ja:マーク・ロンソン pl:Mark Ronson pt:Mark Ronson ro:Mark Ronson ru:Ронсон, Марк simple:Mark Ronson fi:Mark Ronson th:มาร์ก รอนสัน tr:Mark Ronson

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Amr Diab عمرو دياب
background	solo_singer
birth name	Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab
astrological sign	Libra.
alias	Father of Mediterranean music, The Plateau (الهضبة)
birth date	October 11, 1961
origin	Port Said, Egypt
instrument	Vocal, Guitar
genre	Mediterranean
occupation	Singer, composer, actor
years active	1983–present
label	Rotana
official webstite| website	Official Website/
nationality	Egyptian
nickname	The Empror The King
father	Abdul Basset Diab
spouse	Sherine Rida (1989–1992) Zinah Ashour }}

Amr Abdol-Basset Abdol-Azeez Diab (}}; born October 11, 1961) is an Egyptian singer and composer of geel music; the contemporary face of Egyptian el-geel pop music, according to ''World Music''. Diab is the best-selling Arab recording artist of all time, according to ''Let's Go Egypt''. He was awarded the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist four times: 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2009. He has also sold over 50 million albums worldwide. He is currently the top singer in the Arab world, and considered a living legend by many of his fans in the Arab world.

Amr Diab is known as the Father of Mediterranean Music. He has created his own style which is often termed "Mediterranean Music" or "Mediterranean Sound", a blend of Western and Egyptian rhythms.

In ''The Mediterranean in Music'', David Cooper and Kevin Dawe referred to his music as "the new breed of Mediterranean music".

According to author Michael Frishkopf, Amr Diab has produced a new concept of Mediterranean music, especially in his international hit, "Nour El Ain".

In his analysis of ''The Very Best of Amr Diab'' album, Victor W. Valdivia of Allmusic said: "His music melded traditional Arabic sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instruments. The mesh was dubbed Mediterranean music, and The Very Best of Amr Diab displays Diab's superb skill in creating it."

According to the BBC, Diab "has ruled the Arab music world, especially Egypt and the Middle East, since the mid '80s, continually breaking sales records".

Musical career

In 1983, Diab released his first studio album, ''Ya Tareeq''. Diab released three more albums between 1984 and 1987. 1988's "Mayaal" garnered huge success all around the Middle East. It was produced, arranged and remixed by German musicians, Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg and Jörg Evers, with various releases. More success followed in the following years including the albums ''Shawakkna'', ''Matkhafesh'', and ''We Yloumouni''.

Amr Diab quickly developed fame for his new style of "Pan-Mediterranean" Arabic music, fusing touches of flamenco and raï with western pop with traditional Arabic rhythms. B1992, he became the first Arabic artist to start making high-tech music videos.

"Habibi" from Diab's 1996 album, ''Nour El Ain'' became a hit worldwide, and was remixed by many of the world's top DJs at the time. A special CD named ''Habibi: The Remix Album'' was released later with all of these remixes. Since then, Diab has remained at the top of the Arabic music scene, expanding reach to all parts of the Mediterranean with his 1999 release, ''Amarain'', that featured duets with Algeria's king of rai Khaled in a song called "Qalbi" and Greece's Angela Dimitriou in "Ana Bahibak Aktar" and "Eleos". "Tamally Maak" from Diab's 2000 album became a huge success. ''Leily Nahari'', Diab's first album with Rotana Records, was released in 2004. Diab's album ''El Leila De'' was released in the summer of 2007 and topped the Arabic music charts for 22 weeks. Diab received a World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist for the album. In 2008, Diab renewed his contract with Rotana for five more years. In 2009, Diab released a new album ''Wayah''. 233255/23. Omar soudan

Influences and contributions

Diab revolutionized Egyptian show business in several respects, and some of his biographers have referred to him as rebellious, because he challenged everything in Middle Eastern show business, from hairstyle and appearance to music style, presentation, and the financial scale of his projects.

Diab’s blending of Western rhythms with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music styles created a new music style, referred to as Mediterranean music. His song “Tamalli Ma’ak”/“Always With You,” wherein he introduced classical guitar, is a good example of the genre.

The world's perspective

Diab is one of the most popular and acclaimed Arab pop singers of the modern age. In 1997 he won three awards at the Annual Arabic Festival; one for Best Video, for Best Song, and for Best Artist of the Year. The following year Diab received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of ''Nour El Ain'' and also received a World Music Award in Monaco.

Albums

''Nour El Ain''

In 1996, ''Nour El Ain'' (Light of The Eye – Sight) was released, becoming a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world. The song was composed by Nasser el-Mizdawi, lyrics were written by Ahmed Sheta and it was arranged by Hameed Elshaery. The title track, and its English version "Habibi", was an international phenomenon, becoming a massive crossover hit in countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka (performed by Sangeeth Wickremasinghe) and Malaysia (Malay version sung by Datuk Sharifah Aini). The song was copied and remade with Malayalam lyrics, a south Indian language, in the Malayalam movie Chandralekha. In a style reminiscent of the Aldo (musician) Franco-Arabic style, the song was remixed by several top European arrangers and has become a big pull on the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El Phan for the song "Nour El Ain", was one of the most lavish and expensive productions in the field of Egyptian song, and set a new standard for his contemporaries to aspire to. This album sold 3 million copies. In 1997, Amr Diab won three Awards at the Annual Arabic Festival (for Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year). In the following year, he received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of ''Nour El Ain'', and received a World Music Award in Monaco on 6 May 1998, under the patronage of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and attended by Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Steven Seagal and others. This award was the first of its kind for an Egyptian artist, emphasizing that his appeal is not just confined to the Middle East unlike the majority of his contemporaries.

''Awedooni''

His follow-up studio album entitled ''Awedooni'' (they made me used to...) was released in July 1998, and as with ''Nour El Ain'' (the light of the eye) it was produced with Hamid El Shaery and recorded in Cairo, Egypt. The first video from the album, the title track "Awedooni" (they made me used to...), was shot by the river Nile in Egypt and directed by Tareq Al Aryan. Like its predecessor, this album was a huge success for Amr and reinforced his popularity in the Arab world and abroad.

''Amarain'' "Two Moons" in english

Diab released his July 1999 new studio album ''Amarain'' (two moons), which is hailed as the best work of his career to date. Amr is working on eagerly anticipated duets with the France-based international Rai superstar, Khaled of "Didi" fame, and with the Greek singer, Angela Dimitrou, whose crossover smash "Marguerites" was a huge hit across the Middle East in 1998. The title track "Amarain" was the first video to be broadcast.

''Tamally Ma'ak''

In 2000, Diab revolutionized Arab music when he issued ''Tamally Ma'ak'' (I'm Always With You). The song was composed by Sherif Tag, a modern Egyptian Composer. He introduced the Spanish guitar in his song "Tamally Ma'ak" and in other songs. The clip of this song was made in the Czech Republic with much success. The album contained songs like "El Allem Alla" (Only God Knows), "Ba'terf" (I Confess) which where composed by Amr Mostafa the best middle-eastern composer, "Sa'ban Alaea" (It Makes Me Feel Sorry) and "We Heya Amla Eih" (And How Was She?). The song "Tamally Ma'ak" was even copied in the hit Bollywood song "Kaho Na Kaho" from the film ''Murder'' and also "I'm Calling U" by the group, Outlandish.

''Aktar Wahed''

''Aktar Wahed'' was released on August 1, 2001. The album's name is short for one of the songs, "Aktar Wahed Beyhebbak" (One loves you the most). It contains 10 tracks and received the World Music Award for the best-selling album in the Middle East for 2001.

''Allem Albi''

In February 2003, Diab released ''Allem Alby'' (Teach My Heart). The album's release date was arranged to be with the debut broadcast of Alam El Phan's (Allem Alby's production company, owned by Mohsen Gaber) music channel "Mazzika".

The album was a great success, with the release of the video "Ana Ayesh" (I'm Alive) which was directed by Stuart Gosling. The video was intensely broadcast on Mazzika. The album contains other songs, like the R&B;-influenced hit, "Allem Albi". Others that tend to be more distinctively Arabic-sounding are songs like "Kolohom" (All of Them), "Law Ash'any" (If You Adore Me), and "Alli El Wadaa'" (Goodbye To Me).

''Leily Nahary''

In late summer 2004, Diab's first album with Rotana was released, titled ''Leily Nahary'' (My Nights, My Days). The album's cover was from the promotional photo shoot of Pepsi. The video "Leily Nahari" directed by Cameron Casey provided aid to give Diab his space in the record-exclusive music channels. It was criticized because of its similarity to his previously unreleased video for "El Alem Allah" from the album ''Tamally Ma'ak''. This album sold over 1.5 million copies.

''Kammel Kalamak''

Diab's album ''Kammel Kalamak'', released on December 14, 2005, was the follow-up to ''Leily Nahary''. The album cost a reported $4 million to record, and was Rotana's biggest album of 2005. The love ballad "We Malo" was released as the single of the album, ''Kammel Kalamak''. The music video was shot in London and was released on a late notice after the release of the album. Rumors surfaced in late 2005 and early 2006 stated that Amr is considering terminating his contract with Rotana due to the poor promotion of his latest album, ''Kammel Kalamak''.

''El Leila De'' (Tonight)

The album ''El Leila De'' was originally set to be released after Ramadan 2006. However, it was pushed back several times due to Diab's repeated changes in the musical producers he was dealing with. Diab attributes the changes to the producer's lack of new and strong styles. In early 2006, Music Arranger Fahd was supposed to work on this album; however, later that year Tarek Madkour joined Amr Diab, and they started together to work on it. On March 25, 2007, Madkour's official website announced that Amr Diab and Madkour had decided jointly to skip the collaboration on the album due to the lack of time and conflicting working schedules. Fahd and a new producer called Hasan Al Shafei are elected to produce the music in the album, which is supposed to hit the markets in July 2007. The title of the album was changed from ''Khaleek Ma'aya'' to ''El Leila De''. After the release Amr, shot a new Pepsi advertisement in Europe. On June 21, 2007, two of the biggest sites (AmrDiabWorld.com & AmrDiab.info) for Amr Diab announced that the album, now entitled ''El Lilady'', would hit the market on July 7, 2007. The album would contain 10 tracks; AL Shafei and Fahd shared the production Al Shaei 7 songs & Fahd 3 Songs. Before releasing his album, Diab traveled to Portugal to shoot the new Pepsi ad choosing "Inta El Ghaly" song from his upcoming album ''El Leila De'' as the ad music. Amr then traveled to the USA to film the music video for his upcoming album.

The album master copy was given to Rotana, Amr Diab's CD production company, on the last week of June to meet the July 7, 2007 release date he had planned earlier. Rotana, however, has delayed the release of the new CD for a couple of days for unknown reasons. The album has also been leaked. The album was officially released on July 11, 2007. The album has already become a huge hit in Egypt and all over the Middle East. The album sold over 1,000,000 copies in only 5 days of release. The video clip has been slated for a July 27 release. The song that Diab chose to film was "N'eoul Eih", which is in the new style of House Music mixed with oriental Arabic music. The video clip was filmed in Santa Monica and Malibu, and also near Hollywood.

On July 27, Rotana News announced that ''El Leila De'' had sold over 5 million copies in less than two weeks in the Middle East, which gives the album a good chance to surpass Kammel Kalamak's 3 million copies only. On October 30, 2007, the management of the World Music Awards announced that Amr Diab was to receive an award for best selling artist in the Middle East for this album. Amr Diab received the award in the festival that was held in Monaco, Monte-Carlo, on the November 4, 2007.

''Wayah'' (With Her) (2009)

the world music award of for the best-selling album in the Middle East 2009 ''Wayah'' (With Her) was released for sale on the internet on June 27; however, the album was leaked online and was downloaded illegally amid complaints of slow download speed on the official site. Diab's fans initiated a massive boycott of the sites with the illegal copies and by July 3, 2009 ''Wayah'' had sold more than 1.5 million copies in the first week. Later on Amr Diab's administration announced that the album has become the highest-selling album in Diab's career. This album sold 3 million copies.

On October 18, 2009 Amr Diab won four 2009 African Music Awards in the following categories: best artist, best album, best vocalist and best song for "Wayah" and Amr Diab has been nominated by the Big Apple Music Awards

''Aslaha Betefre''' (2010)

Amr Diab has released a mini album for the first time in his career history, produced by Rotana, in July 2010. The mini album contains 1 song with 3 arrangements (Original song + Club Mix + Karaoke).

''Banadeek Ta'ala'' (2011)

Amr Diab is expected to release "Banadeek Ta'ala" late September 2011. The album contains 12 songs that include: Banadeek Ta'ala, Heya Hayaty, Aloomak Leh, Aref Habibi, Maly Enaya, Yaret Sennek, Ghaly Alaya, and Tagreba o Addet. The album is arranged by Adil Hakki and is produced by Rotana.

Music videos

Diab is one of the first singers to popularise music videos in the Arab World, and the first Egyptian singer to appear in music videos. With the exception of his very early releases, all of his albums have had at least one song shot as a music video. Diab has collaborated with a variety of music video directors in the Middle East, including Tarek El-Erian and Sherif Sabri.

The most anticipated video clip of 2007, ''N'eoul Eih'', was released on August 14 that year on Rotana TV. It was broadcast minutes later on Egyptian television on "El Beit Betak". The video was a great success.

August 6, 2009 witnessed the release of Amr Diab's latest video clip for his smash hit Wayah. Working alongside Cameron Casey and [Leily Nahari] for a second time, Amr Diab presented a fresh video clip which was filmed mostly on Green Screen and in Amr Diab's personal villa in Cairo, Egypt. The biggest surprise was the appearance of Amr Diab's children alongside his niece, who represented the younger generation of children who are still inspired by the music of Amr Diab.

Diab also filmed "Ba2dem Alby" which is set to be released on Valentine's Day.

''El Helm/The Dream''

''The Dream'' or ''El Helm'' is a biographical TV production produced by Amr Afefy that gives viewers the story of Amr Diab's life. The show consists of 12 episodes and began airing on December 24, 2008. ''El Helm'' is narrated by actor Ezzat Abou Ouf and includes interviews with Diab and people he worked with throughout the span of his career. The show, which aired on Rotana TV, saw great success and was preceded by one of the biggest advertising campaigns in the history of Middle Eastern music.

Film career

Diab's fame in the music industry has led him to experiment with other forms of media, such as film. Amr played himself in his first film, ''El Afareet'', which was released in 1989. The film also starred Madiha Kamel. His second film ''Ice Cream in Gleam'' (''Ays Krim fi Glym''), the 1992 movie in which Diab starred, was chosen as one of the best five Egyptian musical films by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The film was also featured in the UCLA Film and Television Archive's new program "Music on the Nile: Fifty Years of Egyptian Musical Films" at James Bridges Theater, UCLA, April 6, 8 and 10. David Chute of the Los Angeles Weekly termed the film "observant" and "a big leap". His third movie was released in 1993, and was named ''Deahk We La'ab'' (''Laughter and Fun''). The film premiered in the Egyptian Film Festival in 1993. Amr played alongside international Egyptian movie star Omar Sharif (''Lawrence of Arabia'', ''Doctor Zhivago'') and Yousra in the movie. Overall, Diab did not experience the same level of success in film that he had with his music career. Since 1993, Diab has focused on his singing career.

Egyptian Uprising

Amr Diab did not participate in the protests of early 2011 (he left the country with his family). However, he composed and sang a memorial song, "Masr A'let"., then he participated in a campaign "Masry Begad" ("Real Egyptian"), a social national program aimed at serving and rebuilding Egyptian society. His online radio station Diab FM will present talks and discussions about what Diab FM team can offer to our community as well as applying it practically by being present in different sites across Egypt with a new project each week.

Endorsements

Amr Diab has taken part in an internationally known Pepsi commercial featuring four other pop musicians: Beyoncé Knowles, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears. In the US version, Enrique Iglesias takes the role of Caesar. But in the pan Arab version, the four American singers were retained but the male figure was replaced with Diab. This was not the first Pepsi commercial Diab has done; he also filmed commercials featuring his songs "Ana Aktar Wahed" (I'm the most), "Allem Alby" (teach my heart) and "Khad Alby Ma'aa" (She took my heart with her). Diab also appeared in a commercial alongside Jennifer Lopez, singing The Troggs hit "Wild Thing". In 2009 Pepsi decided not to renew his contract. In 2010 he was the star of "Hayat" bottled water campaign.

Local record labels

Diab's earliest albums were released by Delta Sound. In 1996 Diab moved to Alam Al Phan were he released his greatest hits. In between 2003 and 2004, and after a long successful career with Alam El Phan, Diab officially announced the termination of his contract with Mohsen Gaber (owner of Alam El Phan) and move to Rotana Records.

International record labels

Over 18 international companies have produced studio albums, compilations and exclusive music for Amr Diab across the globe.

Ariola - Germany

Hot Records - Germany

EMI Music - Greece

EMI Music - Arabia

EMI Music - Turkey

EMI Music - Canada [Hemisphere]

EMI Music - Europe

EMI Music - International

World Music Network - USA

George V Records - France

Putumayo World Music - USA

Wagram Music - France

Virgin - International

Nascent - UK

Milano 2000 - Italy

Reverb Music - UK

Toast Records - Italy

Warner Bros. - France

Collaboration with international musicians

Various international musicians have collaborated with Amr Diab:

Stuart Crichton (The founder of Progressive House)

Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg - Germany

Jorg Evers - Germany

Shazz (Didier Delesalle) - France

Klubbheads (Koen Groeneveld and Addy van der Zwan) - Dutch

Phunk Phorce (Leon and Matthew Roberts) - UK

Rhythm Masters (Robert Bruce Chetcuti and Steve McGuinness) - UK

Pete Beachill - UK

Simon Gardner - UK

Andy Greenwood - UK

Kevan Gallagher - UK

Jon Bishop - UK

Juan Cerro - Spain

Angela Dimitriou - Greece

Amr Diab in movies

Amr Diab's songs have appeared in several films, including: "Wala Ala Baloh" in ''Divine Intervention'' (2002) "Awedouni" in ''The Dancer Upstairs'' (2002) "El Alem Alah" and "Nour El Ain" in ''O Clone'' (2001) "Nafs El Makan" in ''Double Whammy'' (2001)

"Tamally Ma'ak" and "Nour El Ain" in the French movie, ''Coco'' (2009)

"Nour El Ain" in ''Malcolm in the Middle'' TV series (Season 4, Episode 4, Episode name: Stupid Girl), released on 9 January 2000 (USA)

Further reading

''Mediterranean Mosaic'' by Goffredo Plastino

''Egypt'' by Virginia Maxwell, Mary Fitzpatrick, Siona Jenkins, Anthony Sattin

''World Music'' by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo, Orla Duane, Vanessa Dowell

''Teens in Egypt'' by Barbara A. Somervill

''Syria & Lebanon'' by Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys, Damien Simonis

''World Music'' by Richard Nidel

''The Mediterranean in Music'' by David Cooper, Kevin Dawe

''The Middle East'' by Library Information and Research Service

''Let's Go Egypt'' by Let's Go, Inc., Joey Shabot, Dave Newman, Elizabeth Ogburn, Charlotte Houghteling

Discography

Studio Albums

1983: ''Ya Taree'' (يا طريق - O Road)

1984: ''Ghanny Men Albak'' (غنّي من قلبك - Sing From Your Heart)

1985: ''We Mneen Ageeb Nas'' (ومنين أجيب ناس - To Whom I Complain?)

1986: ''Hala Hala'' (هلا هلا - Welcome, Welcome)

1987: ''Khalseen'' (خالصين - We're Even)

1988: ''Mayyal'' (ميّال - In Love)

1989: ''Shawaana'' (شوقنا - Missing You)

1990: ''Matkhafeesh'' (متخافيش - Don't Worry)

1991: ''Habiby'' (حبيبي - My Love)

1992: ''Ayamna'' (أيامنا - Our Days)

1992: ''Ice Cream Fi Gleam'' (أيس كريم في جليم - Ice Cream In Gleam)

1993: ''Ya Omrena'' (يا عمرنا - Our Life)

1994: ''W Ylomoony'' (و يلوموني - And They Blame Me)

1994: ''Zekrayat'' (ذكريات - Memories)

1995: ''Ragaeen'' (راجعين - We'll Be Back)

1996: ''Nour El-Ain'' (نور العين - Light Of The Eye)

1998: ''Awedoony'' (عوّدوني - They Got Me Used To)

1999: ''Amarein'' (قمرين - Two Moons)

2000: ''Tamally Maak'' (تملي معاك - Always With You)

2001: ''Aktar Wahed'' (أكتر واحد - The Most One)

2003: ''Allem Alby'' (علم قلبي - Teach My Heart)

2004: ''Leily Nahary'' (ليلي نهاري - My Night, My Day)

2005: ''Kammel Kalamak'' (كمّل كلامك - Keep Talking)

2007: ''El Leila De'' (الليلا دي - This Night)

2009: ''Wayah'' (ويّاه - With Her)

2010: ''aslaha Betfre''' (اصلها بتفرق - She Differs)

;Compilations

1999: ''The Best of Amr Diab''

2004: ''Amr Diab Greatest Hits (1986–1995)''

2005: ''Amr Diab Greatest Hits (1996–2003)''

Singles

2010: "Aslaha Btefre'" (أصلها بتفرق - Because she makes a difference)

References

External links

http://www.amrdiab.net/ - Official Website

http://amrdiabworld.com/ - Official Online Store

http://DiabFM.com/ - Official Online Radio

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Egyptian actors Category:Egyptian singers Category:People from Port Said Category:World Music Awards winners

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Mercedes Sosa
background	solo_singer
birth name	Haydée Mercedes Sosa
born	July 09, 1935
died	October 04, 2009
origin	Argentina
relatives	Jeffy Lurie
genre	Folk, Nueva canción
occupation	Singer, Activist
years active	1950–2009 }}

Haydée Mercedes Sosa, known as La Negra, (9 July 1935 – 4 October 2009) was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout South America and some countries outside the continent. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva canción. She gave voice to songs written by both Brazilians and Cubans. She was best known as the "voice of the voiceless ones".

Sosa performed in venues such as the Lincoln Center in New York City, the Théâtre Mogador in Paris and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, as well as sell-out shows in New York's Carnegie Hall and the Roman Coliseum during her final decade of life. Her career spanned four decades and she has been the recipient of several Grammy awards and nominations, including three nominations which will be decided posthumously. She served as an ambassador for UNICEF.

Life

Sosa was born on 9 July 1935, in San Miguel de Tucumán, in the northwestern Argentine province of Tucumán, of mestizo, French, and Quechua Amerindian ancestry. In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months. brought her to the attention of her native countrypeople. In 2002, she sold out both Carnegie Hall in New York and the Coliseum in Rome in the same year.

A supporter of Perón in her youth, she favored leftist causes throughout her life. She opposed President Carlos Menem, who was in office from 1989 to 1999, and supported the election of Néstor Kirchner, who became president in 2003. Sosa was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean.

In a career consisting of four decades, she worked with performers across several genres and generations, folk, opera, pop, rock, including Lucio Dalla, Nana Mouskouri, Andrea Bocelli, Holly Near, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Joan Manuel Serrat, Chico Buarque, Gal Costa, Gian Marco, Konstantin Wecker, Lourdes Pérez, Nilda Fernández, Pata Negra, David Broza, Franco Battiato, Luz Casal, Ismael Serrano, Charly Garcia, Joan Baez, Luciano Pavarotti, Shakira, Lila Downs, Julieta Venegas, Martha Argerich, and Sting.

Sosa participated in a 1999 production of Ariel Ramírez's ''Misa Criolla''. Her song ''Balderrama'' is featured in the 2008 movie ''Che'', starring Benicio del Toro as the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.

Awards

She won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000 ("Misa Criolla"), 2003 ("Acústico") and 2006 ("Corazón Libre"), as well as many international awards.

Her album ''Cantora 1'' won two awards at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2009. She won Best Folk Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. The album was also awarded Best Recording Package.

Death

Suffering from recurrent endocrine and respiratory problems in later years, the 74-year-old Sosa was hospitalized in Buenos Aires on September 18, 2009. She died from multiple organ failure on October 4, 2009, at 5:15 am. She is survived by one son, Fabian Matus, born during the first marriage. The hospital expressed its sympathies with her relations. Her website featured the following: "Her undisputed talent, her honesty and her profound convictions leave a great legacy to future generations".

Her body was placed on display at the National Congress building in Buenos Aires for the public to pay their respects, and President Fernández de Kirchner ordered three days of national mourning. Thousands had queued by the end of the day. She was cremated on October 5.

Sosa's obituary in ''The Daily Telegraph'' said she was "an unrivalled interpreter of works by her compatriot, the Argentinian Atahualpa Yupanqui, and Chile's Violeta Parra". Helen Popper of Reuters announced her death by saying she "fought South America's dictators with her voice and became a giant of contemporary Latin American music". Sosa received two Latin Grammy nominations for her album which is nominated for a total of three awards. She went on to win Best Folk Album about a month after her death.

Discography

She recorded forty albums.

''La voz de la zafra '' (1959)

''Canciones con fundamento '' (1965)

''Yo no canto por cantar '' (1966)

''Hermano '' (1966)

''Para cantarle a mi gente '' (1967)

''Con sabor a Mercedes Sosa '' (1968)

''Mujeres argentinas '' (1969)

''Navidad con Mercedes Sosa '' (1970)

''El grito de la tierra '' (1970)

''Homenaje a Violeta Parra '' (1971)

''Hasta la victoria '' (1972)

''Cantata sudamericana '' (1972)

''Traigo un pueblo en mi voz '' (1973)

''Si se calla el cantor '' (1973) (with Gloria Martín, life in Venezuela)

''Niño de mañana '' (1975)

''A que florezca mi pueblo '' (1975)

''En dirección del viento '' (1976)

''O cio da terra '' (1977)

''Mercedes Sosa interpreta a Atahualpa Yupanqui '' (1977)

''Si se calla el cantor '' (1977) - Recopilacion

''Serenata para la tierra de uno '' (1979)

''A quién doy '' (1980)

''Gravado ao vivo no Brasil '' (1980)

''Mercedes Sosa en Argentina '' (1982)

''Mercedes Sosa '' (1983)

''Como un pájaro libre '' (1983)

''Recital '' (1983)

''¿Será posible el sur? '' (1984)

''Vengo a ofrecer mi corazón '' (1985)

''Corazón americano '' (1985) (with Milton Nascimento and León Gieco)

''Mercedes Sosa ´86 '' (1986)

''Mercedes Sosa ´87 '' (1987)

''Amigos míos '' (1988)

''En vivo en Europa '' (1990)

''De mí '' (1991)

''30 años '' (1993)

''Sino '' (1993)

''Gestos de amor '' (1994)

''Live in Argentina '' (1994)

''Live in Europe '' (1994)

''Sera Posible El Sur '' (1994)

''Vivir '' (1994)

''Oro '' (1995)

''Escondido en mi país '' (1996)

''Gracias a la Vida '' (1996)

''Alta fidelidad '' (1997) '' (with Charly García)

''Coleccion Mi Historia '' (1997)

''Al despertar '' (1998)

''Misa criolla '' (1999)

''Serie Millennium 21 '' (1999)

''La Negra '' (2000)

''Acústico '' (2002)

''Grandes Exitos, Vols. 1 & 2 '' (2002)

''40 Obras Fundamentales '' (2003)

''Argentina quiere cantar '' (2003) (with Víctor Heredia and León Gieco)

''Voz Y Sentimiento '' (2003)

''Corazón libre '' (2005)

''Éxitos Eternos '' (2005)

''La Historia del Folklore '' (2007)

''Cantora 1'' (2009)

''Cantora 2 '' (2009)

Filmography

''Güemes, la tierra en armas'' (1971)

''Argentinísima'' (1972)

''Esta es mi Argentina'' (1974)

''Mercedes Sosa, como un pájaro libre'' (1983)

''Será posible el sur: Mercedes Sosa'' (1985)

''Historias de Argentina en vivo'' (2001)

References

External links

Mercedes Sosa's website (in Spanish)

Mercedes Sosa's News (in Spanish)

Category:1935 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Argentine female singers Category:Argentine activists Category:Argentine people of French descent Category:Argentine people of Quechua descent Category:Contraltos Category:Deaths from renal failure Category:People from San Miguel de Tucumán Category:Nueva canción musicians Category:Bombo legüero players

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