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The World Soundtrack Academy (WSA, or World Soundtrack Awards), launched in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and its worldwide promotion. The event takes place yearly in Ghent, Belgium with the ceremony usually at the Bijloke Concert Hall.

Main Awards[link]

The three main categories are:

• Soundtrack Composer of the Year
• Best Original Score of the Year
• Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film

Other awards[link]

• Discovery of the Year
• Public Choice Award (2001–2002, 2004-)
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Best Young Belgian Composer
• Major Contribution to the Art of Film Music and Sound (handed out occasionally)
• Most Creative Use of Existing Material on a Soundtrack (2001)
• Best Original Score of the Year Not Released on an Album (2001)

References[link]

• cdinsight.com
• stuff.co.nz
• (Dutch) standaard.be

External links[link]

• Official website

Sain Zahoor
Background information
Born	Okara, Pakistan born 1937[citation needed]
Origin	Okara, Pakistan
Genres	Folk
Occupations	Musician, Singer
Instruments	Ektara, Tumbi
Labels	Pakistan - Coke Studio

Saieen Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad (Urdu: سائیں ظہور) (born circa 1937)^{[citation needed]} is a leading Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth.^[1] He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year 2006",^[2] Sain is not his first name but a Sindhi honorific title and is also spelt Saeen or Saiyan, and Zahoor may be spelt Zahur.

Life[link]

Born in the Okara district of the Sahiwal region in the province of Punjab, Pakistan, Zahoor was the youngest child in a rural peasant family. He is said to have started singing at the age of five,^[2] and from that early age, he had dreamt of a hand beckoning him towards a shrine. He left home at the age of ten, roaming the Sufi shrines of Sindh, Punjab, making a living through singing. Zahoor claims that as he was walking past a small shrine in the south Punjab town of Uch Sharif (known for its Sufi traditions), when "someone waved at me with his hand, inviting me in, and I suddenly realised that it was this hand which I saw in my dream."^[3]

For some time, he studied music under Raunka Ali of Patiala Gharana, whom he met at Bulleh Shah's dargah (shrine), and who became his first teacher for Sufi verses. He also studied music with other Uch Sharif-based musicians.

Although Zahoor is illiterate he is known for his memory of song lyrics; mostly he sings compositions of the major Sufi poets, Bulleh Shah, Shah Badakhshi, Muhammad Qadiri others.

Musical style[link]

Zahoor performing with his decorated Ektara (a kind of lute, normally with a single string, but he uses a three-stringed version). Notice the long kurta and the ghungroos (anklet bells).

For most of his life Zahoor performed mainly in dargahs (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument Ektara (ek= one, tar = string), in its three-stringed version called Tumbi, as his main instrument. Like some traditions of Sufi music, he has a passionate, high-energy style of singing, often dancing in a frenzied style with the tassels on his instrument whirling around him. His typical costume includes embroidered (kurta), beads, tightly bound turban, as well as ghungroos (anklet-bells worn by dancers). His voice has an earthy tone, almost cracking at the edges, but capable of a wide vocal and emotional range.^{[citation needed]}

In 1989 he performed on a concert stage for the first time at the All Pakistan Music Conference,^[2] which brought him into musical prominence. Subsequently he has emerged as a leading performer in Pakistan, frequently appearing on TV and in concerts. Zahoor has also given concerts in UK, Japan,^[4] Ireland^[5], India^{[citation needed]}, Canada and Norway ^[6]

Sufi singing is focused on poetry with themes of devotional love, which shares much with Persian mystic poets like Rumi and with other South Asian traditions such as the Bhakti cult. Sufi traditions highlight a softer, multi-cultural aspect of Islam, and are seen as a countering "the extremism of the mullahs who use the mosques to spread ill-will" against other cultural groups, according to some organizers of Saieen Zahoor's concerts.^[1]

In 2006 Zahoor released an album titledAwazay ("Sounds") through Matteela Records.^[3] In 2007 he helped produce the soundtrack to the Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye.

He sang an ost in 2011 for West Is West a British comedy-drama film, which is a sequel to the 1999 comedy East Is East. He also acted and appeared in the film.^[7]

Songs[link]

• Toomba
• Allah Hoo
• Nachna Painda Hai
• Tere Ishq Nachaya

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Robin Denselow (December 2, 2005). "Sufi's choice". The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1654986,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Ivan Chrysler. "Winner BBC Music Awards 2006: Sain Zahoor (Pakistan)". British Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2006/a4wm_zahoor.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Saieen Zahoor: the roving minstrel". Matteela Music. http://www.matteela.com/saeen1.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
4. ^ "Folk Music Performance: Pakistan Pavilion [PDF"]. Aichi Expo 2005 website. http://www.expo2005.or.jp/en/nations/release/pdf/050627_pakistan.pdf. Retrieved 2007-05-09. 
5. ^ "Festival of World Cultures, Dublin 2009". http://www.festivalofworldcultures.com/sain-zahoor-with-guest-bachir-attar-master-drummers-of-jajouka. Retrieved 2009-08-31. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ [1] @Mela 2011
7. ^ "sain zahoor brings the soul of sufi to west". http://www.desi-box.com/media/other-news/sain-zahoor-brings-the-soul-of-sufi-to-west-is-west-.html. 

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Lara Fabian
Background information
Birth name	Lara Crokaert
Born	(1970-01-09) January 9, 1970 (age 42)
Origin	Etterbeek, Belgium
Genres	Pop, French pop, pop rock, adult contemporary, acoustic, dance
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, musician, actress
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Polydor Sony Music Universal Music Group
Website	www.larafabian.com

Lara Fabian (born Lara Crokaert, January 9, 1970) is a Belgian-Italian international singer who holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English. She has also sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Greek, and German.

She has sold over 10 million records worldwide.^{[citation needed]} She is a lyric soprano with a vocal range that spans four octaves from E-flat 3 to G#6 in live performances, and has reached up to A5.^[1]

Early life[link]

Born to a Belgian father and a Sicilian mother in Etterbeek, Belgium, Fabian spent her first five years in her mother's hometown of Catania in Sicily, before moving back to Brussels, Belgium. She began singing, dancing and taking piano lessons at a young age, and began formal music lessons at age eight. She began writing and performing her own songs during her ten years of formal music study. Fabian's songs were influenced by her classical vocal and music theory training, and by contemporary artists such as Barbra Streisand and Queen.^{[citation needed]}

Music career[link]

1986-1993: Early music career[link]

During the 1980s, Fabian entered a number of European competitions and won several prizes. She released her first single, "L'Aziza est en pleurs" / "Il y avait" in 1986. Both songs were written by the Belgian composer Marc Lerchs as an homage to Daniel Balavoine.

In 1988, the RTL TV channel in Luxembourg invited Fabian to represent the country at the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest, held that year in Dublin, Ireland. The song was a composition of Jacques Cardona and Alain Garciac entitled Croire (Trust) which reached a respectable fourth place. The single became a hit in Europe, selling nearly 500,000 copies.^{[citation needed]}

In 1990, Fabian and musical collaborator Rick Allison moved to Montreal, Canada to embark on a career in North America. They began their own music label and publishing company, Productions Clandestines.

In August 1991, the self-titled, French-language, debut album, Lara Fabian, was released in Canada and sold over 100,000 copies. The album went gold in 1993, and platinum the following year. The success of upbeat Dance-pop singles such as "Le jour où tu partira", "Les murs", and "Qui pense à l'amour" gave Fabian the radio exposure she needed. She received several nominations at the 1993 ADISQ awards, and a poll published around that time^[when?] voted her Quebec's most promising singer.

[edit] 1994-1996: Breakthrough album: Carpe diem

Constant touring in Quebec helped Fabian's 1994 album Carpe diem become her breakthrough album. The album went Gold three weeks after its release, and spawned three hit singles: "Tu t'en vas", "Si tu m'aimes", and "Leïla". The following year, the album went Triple Platinum.

The success of Carpe diem was recognized at the 1995 ADISQ gala. Fabian received two Félix awards: Best Show Of The Year and Best Female Singer Of The Year (a category that is voted for by the public).

In 1996, Walt Disney Studios asked Fabian to voice the character of Esmeralda in the French version of the animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Disney also included Fabian's French version of the song "Que Dieu aide les exclus" (God Help The Outcasts) on the film's English soundtrack album beside Bette Midler's version.

[edit] 1997-1999: Mainstream international success: Pure and Live

After the success of Carpe diem, Fabian signed a contract with the French Polydor label for several albums and Pure was released in June 1997. Pure sold over two million copies in France alone^{[citation needed]} and the album went platinum in less than two weeks, and spawned several hit singles: "Tout", "Je t'aime", "Humana", each of which sold more than a million copies, and the anti-homophobia anthem "La Différence". The album won a Félix for Popular Album Of The Year at the 1997 ADISQ gala and was nominated for two Juno Awards in the Best Selling French Album category, and for Fabian as Best Female Singer.

In February 1998, Fabian received the Discovery Of The Year award during the Victoires de la Musique Gala. Also in 1998, Polydor released Carpe diem in Europe, securing her international popularity. In November 1998, she received the Félix Award for Artist With The Most Recognition Outside Quebec at the 'ADISQ Gala'. In December, she was voted Revelation Of The Year by Paris Match, which put her on its cover to mark this occasion.

In March 1999, Fabian released her first live album, simply named Live, which debuted at #1 on the French charts. This helped seal an international recording contract with Sony Music. In May 1999, Fabian was honoured at the World Music Awards in Monaco, where she received Best Selling Record for the Year 1998 for her album Pure. In July 1999, with over six million records already sold across Europe, Polydor rereleased Fabian’s self-titled debut album.

[edit] 1999-2001: Extension of success to the US and Latin America: Lara Fabian

In the summer of 1999, Fabian recorded her first English-language album, Lara Fabian, in New York and San Francisco for the Sony label. The songs were written and produced with Rick Allison and Dave Pickell, Walter Afanasieff, Glen Ballard and Patrick Leonard.

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 'Heatseekers' album chart, reached #1 on the French album chart and #2 on the Belgian album chart. For the Asian version of the album, Fabian collaborated with American-Taiwanese pop star Leehom Wang on the song "Light of My Life".

The Dance-pop song, "I Will Love Again", her first English single, reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play, and peaked #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 Adult Contemporary, as well as appearing in several international charts. This included the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #63.^[2] The follow-up ballad, "Love By Grace", entered the Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at #24. In February 2001, "Love By Grace" became the theme song of the lead couple in the Brazilian soap opera Laços de Família, broadcast by TV Globo in Brazil and Portugal. For several weeks, the song was number 1 on most Brazilian and Portuguese radio stations. The third single, Dance-pop song "I Am Who I Am", remixed by Hex Hector, became an underground club hit, but did not chart. In Europe, the single "Adagio" charted at #5 on the French singles chart and #3 on the Belgian singles chart.

During this period, Fabian recorded songs for several Hollywood motion picture soundtracks, including "The Dream Within" for the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within soundtrack, and "For Always" for the AI:Artificial Intelligence soundtrack, which contained both a solo version and a duet with Josh Groban.

[edit] 2001-2003: O Canada 2001 and return to French roots: Nue, Live 2002 and En toute intimité

Nue (Naked), Fabian's fourth French album, was released in the Fall of 2001 in both Québec and France. Nue is a documentation of her emotional ride in the preceding few years caused by the success of the pervious album, and as such is more vulnerable and fragile. The album reached #1 in Belgium and #2 in France but had little impact in Québec. The album was also released in Portugal and reached the top 10 on the album charts during the Fall of 2001.

The first single, released in the summer of 2001, was the anthem "J'y crois encore" was a top 20 French hit. Other singles followed, including Fabian's personal favourite "Immortelle", "Aimer Déjà" and in 2002 "Tu es mon autre" (a duet with fellow Belgian, Maurane which was nominated for song of the year and reached the top 5 in France).

Also in 2001, she collaborated with David Foster and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to record the Canadian national anthem, O Canada, in an English version, a French version, and a bilingual (French/English) version, for a promotion of the Government of Canada.

In 2002, Fabian contributed to the World Soccer Championship CD release, with the song World At Your Feet written and produced by Gary Barlow.

Towards the end of 2002, Fabian released her second live album, Live 2002, from her latest tour, together with a DVD showcasing concerts recorded in December 2001 in Belgium at the Forest National and at Le Zénith in Paris.

Her 2003 stint at the Casino de Paris every Monday night were intimate concerts which were released as a live CD and DVD at the end of 2003, under the title En toute intimité.

[edit] 2004: Second English language release: A Wonderful Life

In 2004, Fabian released her second English album, A Wonderful Life.

The project was commercially unsuccessful but critically praised. The more organic sound on the album is attributed to the work of French guitarist Jean-Félix Lalanne, and producers such as Desmond Child, Anders Bagge and the British team True North (composed of Take That singer Gary Barlow and Elliot John Kennedy). The centrepiece, "Review My Kisses" was written by Desmond Child was first recorded by LeAnn Rimes in 2002 for her album Twisted Angel.

The first single released for radio was "The Last Goodbye" in the US and most other countries (except France). In France the song "No Big Deal" was the first single. Neither of the songs achieved success and the album was not promoted; and its release was cancelled in the United States.

In Brazil, the song "I Guess I Loved You" achieved moderate success when included on a soap opera. The song also gained some popularity in Portugal, for the same reason, though it was never officially released or promoted.

[edit] 2005-2006: A new musical direction: 9 and Un Regard 9

After a sabbatical in 2004, Fabian returned to the music scene spring of 2005 with her fifth French album, 9. It marked a different direction in Fabian's musical and personal life. The album is performed differently, with smoothness, serenity and with a lot of joy, far from the in-depth and dramatic vibes of earlier recordings.

9 yielded the hit single "La Lettre", a song co-written with her new partner, Jean-Félix Lalanne, with whom she produced the album's 11 tracks. Other singles released included "Ne lui parlez plus d'elle", "Un Ave Maria", "Il ne manquait que toi" and the gospel-infused "L'homme qui n'avait pas de maison".

In October 2006, Fabian released a CD and DVD of this associated tour, both titled Un regard 9 Live and recorded during the 29 March 2006 concert at Le Zénith in Paris. The CD presents 15 live performances plus a brand new song, "Aime", recorded in a studio in Montreal.

2006-2007: An Italian collaboration and live concerts in Europe[link]

Fabian's next studio album was to be her first Italian-language project, and in June 2007 she worked in Rome and Los Angeles to record sessions for it. No further details have been revealed.

In the meantime, the single "Un Cuore Malato" (with Gigi D'Alessio) reached the top of the Italian charts and #16 in France.

In Los Angeles, Fabian worked with Dave Stewart on a "multilingual" album, reputed to include songs in English, Spanish, French, Italian and a few other languages. This album is expected to be released in late 2008.^{[dated info]}

Also in 2007, Fabian was in Québec to perform a two night concert at the Olympia de Montreal. On 14 October 2007, Fabian was a surprise guest at the only concert Gigi D'Alessio gave in France at the Olympia in Paris, just a few days before the birth of her daughter.

[edit] 2009: Return to the music scene: Toutes les femmes en moi

A few months after her daughter's birth in 2007, Fabian carried out a tour of Ukraine, Russia and Greece. She also made a few TV appearances (such as 60th Anniversary of Israel where Fabian performed a Hebrew song and duetted with Israeli singer Noa).

During 2008, Fabian was in Belgium preparing to record a French album with pianist Mark Herskowitz, who had composed and arranged the hidden instrumental track featured on the 2001 album Nue. The album will be partly recorded in Montreal, Canada. The album, Toutes les femmes en moi, was released on May 26, 2009.

The first single, Soleil, Soleil, is a cover of the Nana Mouskouri song. The second single wsa Toutes les Femmes en moi, the only original song on the album.

[edit] 2010: "Tour Les Femmes Font Leur Show", Mademoiselle Zhivago and her first "Best of" album

This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the section; suggestions may be found on the talk page. (January 2012)

Throughout the first half of 2010, Fabian embarked on a European tour of concerts specially throughout France, Switzerland and Belgium incorporating the main repertoire of her last album "Toutes Les Femmes En Moi" alongside some classic and fan favourites. She also had the chance of once again performing in Eastern Europe, with a more acoustic set (piano-voice). This time also including some of the English recording from the English album Every Woman In Me. In September 2010 she finally released her 2009 album "Toutes Les Femmes En Moi" in Québec, following a week of promotion. There is a new version on the album for "Nuit Magique" which was recorded as a duet with Canadian singer Coral egan.

Later in 2010, she released an concept album in Russia and Ukraine called Mademoiselle Zhivago. It features 11 songs in different languages by Russian composer Igor Krutoy. Mademoiselle Zhivago tells the story of a woman who crosses different lives over the years and centuries, having a special personal bond to Fabian's origins and family. The whole project is not only musical one, but also cinematographic one, as for all 11 songs different videos were shot, which as a whole creating one big film, produced and directed by Ukrainian film producer Alan Badoev. The album itself, containing a CD and a DVD, was first released in Ukraine on October 25th. 2010 and in Russia on November 19th. 2010. An international release date is yet to be confirmed.

The whole set of songs composed by Fabian with Igor Krutoy is in English, French, Italian, Spanish and also in Russian. Fabian first introduced one of these songs in 2009 during the New Wave Festival in Latvia, performing "Demain n'existe pas". Later on in 2010 she returned to that same stage performing new songs from the already finalized project. Fabian has been promoting this project in both countries on television but also by performing a series of concerts presenting the new songs live to the eastern European public. Ever since Fabian has established herself as a huge superstar in Russia and the Ukraine. Fabian was a guest performer on 30 October show of the Ukrainian X Factor singing "Mademoiselle Hyde" and "Demain N'Existe Pas" taken from the album and also her longtime classic "Adagio".

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

• Etoile Cherie FM:
  • 2005 - Best Female Star of the Year - WON

• Félix Awards:
  • 1993 - Francophone Artist with Biggest Succes in Quebec
  • 1994 - Francophone Artist Achvieving Biggest Succes in Quebec
  • 1995 - Best Selling Album of the Year - Carpe Diem
  • 1995 - Best Show of the Year - Songwriter/Performer - WON
  • 1995 - Female Vocalist of the Year - WON
  • 1995 - Most Popular Song of the Year - Leila
  • 1995 - Popular Album of the Year - Carpe Diem
  • 1996 - Best Selling Album of the Year - Carpe Diem
  • 1997 - Best Selling Album of the Year - Pure
  • 1997 - Best Show of the Year - Songwriter/Performer
  • 1997 - Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 1997 - Most Popular Song of the Year - Tout
  • 1997 - Popular Album of the Year - Pure - WON
  • 1998 - Artist with most Recognition Outside of Quebec - WON
  • 1998 - Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 1998 - Most Popular Song Of the Year - Je T'Aime
  • 1999 - Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 1999 - Quebecian Artist Achieving Biggest Succes Outside of Quebec
  • 2000 - Artist with most Recognition Outside of Quebec
  • 2000 - Quebecian Artist Having Biggest Succes in other Language then French - WON
  • 2002 - Popular Album of the Year - Nue
  • 2006 - Best Concert DVD of the Year - Un regard 9 Live

• IFPI Platinum Europe Award:
  • 1999 - Award for Sales Over 2 Million Units - WON

• Victoires de la Musique:
  • 1998 - Original Song of the Year - Tout
  • 1998 - Revelation of the Year - WON
  • 1999 - Best Female Artist
  • 2003 - Original Song of the Year - Tu es mon autre (with Maurane)

• Women To Women Without Borders:
  • 2000 - GOLD

• World Music Awards:
  • 1999 - Best Selling Benelux Recording Artist of the Year - WON
  • 2001 - Best Selling Benelux Artist of the Year - WON

• Juno Award Nominations:
  • 1996 - Best New Solo Artist of the Year
  • 1996 - Best Selling Francophone Album of the Year - Carpe Diem
  • 1998 - Best Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 1998 - Best Selling Francophone Album of the Year - Pure
  • 2001 - Best Female Artist

Writing for other artists[link]

Fabian has written for other artists such as French female singers Chimène Badi, Nolwenn Leroy and Myriam Abel. She also composed for Daniel Lévi and is said to be currently working with a former contestant from "Nouvelle Star 3", Roland. She has often praised the voice and talent of successful female singer Amel Bent, who was also a contestant on that show.

Acting career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)

• 2004: in the MGM film De-Lovely ^[3][4] the singer performed the numbers "Another Openin', Another Show" (with chorus) and "So in Love" (with Mario Frangoulis) from the Cole Porter musical Kiss Me, Kate.

Personal life[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)

Fabian and French singer Patrick Fiori began a relationship at the start of 1998.^[5]

On November 20, 2007 Belgian singer Maurane, revealed, during her concert at the Cirque Royal, that "...little Lou was born this morning!" referring to Fabian's first child, a girl named Lou, born at the Edith Cavell Hospital in Uccle, Belgium.

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• List of awards received by Lara Fabian

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Web Site (available in French, English and Italian)
• Biography of Lara Fabian, from Radio France Internationale
• Lara Fabian News (in English, Portuguese and French)
• Last.fm - Lara Fabian
• All Lara Fabian's career
• English translations of Lara Fabian's songs
• Singing Je T'Aime with Stunning Audience Interaction

Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer receiving his star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2010)
Background information
Birth name	Hans Florian Zimmer
Born	(1957-09-12) 12 September 1957 (age 54) Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Genres	Film score, Video game score
Occupations	Film composer, Video game composer, Music producer
Instruments	Piano, Keyboard, MIDI Master Keyboard, Synthesizer, Guitar
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Remote Control Productions
Website	hanszimmer.com

Hans Florian Zimmer, German pronunciation: [hans ˈfloːʁi̯aːn ˈtsɪmɐ]; (born 12 September 1957) is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including award winning film scores for The Lion King (1994), Crimson Tide (1995), Gladiator (2000), The Last Samurai (2003),The Dark Knight (2008), and Inception (2010).

Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States. He is the head of the film music division at DreamWorks studios, and works with other composers through the company which he founded, Remote Control Productions.^[1]

Zimmer's works are notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements. He has received four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Classical BRIT Award, and an Academy Award. He was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph.^[2]

Early life[link]

Zimmer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. As a young child, he lived in Königstein-Falkenstein, where he played the piano at home, but had piano lessons only briefly as he disliked the discipline of formal lessons.^[3] He moved to London as a teenager, where he attended Hurtwood House school.^[4] In an interview with the German television station ZDF in 2006, he commented: "My father died when I was just a child, and I escaped somehow into the music and music has been my best friend."^[5]

Early career[link]

Zimmer began his career playing keyboards and synthesizers. He worked with The Buggles, a New Wave band formed in 1977 with Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley. Zimmer can be seen briefly in The Buggles' music video for the 1979 song "Video Killed the Radio Star".^[6] After working with The Buggles, he started to work for the Italian group Krisma, a New Wave band formed in 1976 with Maurizio Arcieri and Christina Moser. He was a featured synthesist for Krisma’s third album, Cathode Mamma. He has also worked with the band Helden (with Warren Cann from Ultravox).^[7] Both Zimmer (on keyboards) and Cann (on drums), were invited to be part of the Spanish group Mecano for a live performance in Segovia (Spain) in 1984. Two songs from this concert were included in the "Mecano: En Concierto" album released in 1985 only in Spain. In 1980 Zimmer co-produced a single, "The History Of The World Part 1," with, and for, UK Punk band The Damned, which was also included on their 1980 LP release, "The Black Album," and carried the description of his efforts as "Over-Produced by Hans Zimmer."

While living in London, Zimmer wrote advertising jingles for Air-Edel Associates.^[7] In the 1980s, Zimmer partnered with Stanley Myers, a prolific film composer who wrote the scores for over sixty films. Zimmer and Myers co–founded the London–based Lillie Yard recording studio. Together, Myers and Zimmer worked on fusing the traditional orchestral sound with electronic instruments.^[8] Some of the films on which Zimmer and Myers worked are Moonlighting (1982), Success is the Best Revenge (1984), Insignificance (1985), and My Beautiful Launderette (1985). Zimmer's first solo score was Terminal Exposure for director Nico Mastorakis in 1987, for which he also wrote the songs. Zimmer acted as score producer for the 1987 film The Last Emperor, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.^[7]

One of Zimmer's most durable works from his time in the United Kingdom is the theme song for the television game show Going for Gold, which he composed with Sandy McClelland in 1987. In an interview with the BBC, Zimmer said: "Going For Gold was a lot of fun. It's the sort of stuff you do when you don't have a career yet. God, I just felt so lucky because this thing paid my rent for the longest time."^[9]

Hollywood film scoring[link]

A turning point in Zimmer's career occurred with the 1988 film Rain Man.^[8] Hollywood director Barry Levinson was looking for someone to score Rain Man, and his wife heard the soundtrack CD of the anti-Apartheid drama A World Apart, for which Zimmer had composed the music. Levinson was impressed by Zimmer's work, and hired him to score Rain Man.^[10] In the score, Zimmer uses synthesizers (mostly a Fairlight CMI) mixed with steel drums. Zimmer explained that "It was a road movie, and road movies usually have jangly guitars or a bunch of strings. I kept thinking don't be bigger than the characters. Try to keep it contained. The Raymond character doesn't actually know where he is. The world is so different to him. He might as well be on Mars. So, why don't we just invent our own world music for a world that doesn't really exist?".^[11] Zimmer’s score for Rain Man was nominated for an Academy Award in 1989, and the film won four Academy Awards including Best Picture.^[12]

A year after Rain Man, Zimmer was asked to compose the score for Bruce Beresford's Driving Miss Daisy which, like Rain Man, won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Driving Miss Daisy’s instrumentation consisted entirely of synthesizers and samplers, played by Zimmer. According to an interview with Sound On Sound magazine in 2002, the piano sounds heard within the score come from the Roland MKS–20, a rackmount synthesizer. Zimmer joked: "It didn't sound anything like a piano, but it behaved like a piano."^[13]

1991's Thelma & Louise soundtrack by Zimmer featured the trademark slide guitar performance by Pete Haycock on the "Thunderbird" theme in the film. As a teenager, Zimmer was a fan of Haycock, and their collaboration on film scores includes K2 and Drop Zone.^[14]

For the 1992 film The Power of One, Zimmer traveled to Africa in order to use African choirs and drums in the recording of the score. On the strength of this work, Disney Animation Studios approached Zimmer to compose the score for the 1994 film The Lion King. This was to be his first score for an animated film. Zimmer said that he had wanted to go to South Africa to record parts of the soundtrack, but was unable to visit the country as he had a police record there "for doing 'subversive' movies" after his work on The Power of One. Disney studio bosses expressed fears that Zimmer would be killed if he went to South Africa, so the recording of the choirs was organized during a visit by Lebo M.^[15] Zimmer won numerous awards for his work on The Lion King, including an Academy Award for Best Original Score, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys. In 1997, the score was adapted into a Broadway musical version which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1998.^[16][17] As of April 2012^[update], the musical version of The Lion King is the highest grossing Broadway show of all time, having grossed $853.8 million.^[18]

	Crimson Tide - "Roll Tide" noicon A clip from the score of the 1995 film Crimson Tide.
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Zimmer's score for Crimson Tide (1995) won a Grammy Award for the main theme, which makes heavy use of synthesizers in place of traditional orchestral instruments. For The Thin Red Line (1998), Zimmer said that the director Terrence Malick wanted the music before he started filming, so he recorded six and a half hours of music.^[11] Zimmer's next project was The Prince of Egypt (1998), which was produced by DreamWorks Animation. He introduced Ofra Haza, an Israeli Yemenite singer, to the directors, and they thought she was so beautiful that they designed one of the characters in the film to look like her.^[11]

Work: 2000–present[link]

	Gladiator - "Battle" noicon A clip from the score of the 2000 film Gladiator.
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In the 2000s, Zimmer has composed scores for Hollywood blockbuster films including Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down and Hannibal (2001), The Last Samurai (2003), The Da Vinci Code (2006) The Simpsons Movie (2007), Angels and Demons (2009) and Sherlock Holmes (2009). While writing the score for The Last Samurai, Zimmer felt that his knowledge of Japanese music was extremely limited. He began doing extensive research, but the more he studied, the less he felt he knew. Finally, Zimmer took what he had written to Japan for feedback and was shocked when he was asked how he knew so much about Japanese music.^[11]

During the scoring of The Last Samurai in early 2003, Zimmer was approached by the producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with whom he had worked previously on Crimson Tide, The Rock and Pearl Harbor. Bruckheimer had finished shooting Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, but was unhappy with the music composed for the film by Alan Silvestri and wanted a replacement score.^[19] Bruckheimer wanted Zimmer to rescore the film, but due to his commitments on The Last Samurai, the task of composing and supervising music for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was given to Klaus Badelt, one of Zimmer's colleagues at Media Ventures. Zimmer provided some themes that were used in the film, although he is not credited on screen.^[20][21] Zimmer was hired as the composer for the three subsequent films in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), collaborating with Rodrigo y Gabriela.^[22]

For the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, "The Daily Variety" reported that Zimmer purchased an out-of-tune piano for 200 dollars and used it throughout the scoring process because of its "quirkiness".^[23]

Hans Zimmer in 2008

Zimmer is also noted for his work on the scores of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), on which he collaborated with James Newton Howard.^[9] The scores for these films were disqualified from receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score due to too many composers being listed on the cue sheet.^[24] Zimmer succeeded in reversing the decision not to nominate The Dark Knight in December 2008, arguing that the process of creating a modern film score was collaborative, and that it was important to credit a range of people who had played a part in its production.^[25] Zimmer explained his approach to scoring with other musicians in an interview with Soundtrack.net in 2006:

	Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard - "Now We Are Free" noicon A clip from the score of the 2000 film Gladiator.
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"Originally I had this idea that it should be possible to create some kind of community around this kind of work, and I think by muddying the titles - not having "you are the composer, you are the arranger, you are the orchestrator" - it just sort of helped us to work more collaboratively. It wasn't that important to me that I had "score by Hans Zimmer" and took sole credit on these things. It's like Gladiator: I gave Lisa Gerrard the co-credit because, even though she didn't write the main theme, her presence and contributions were very influential. She was more than just a soloist, and this is why I have such a problem with specific credits."^[26]

Zimmer is also composing the score for The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The film is scheduled for release in July 2012.^[27]

Zimmer works with other composers through his company Remote Control Productions, formerly known as Media Ventures. His studio in Santa Monica, California has an extensive range of computer equipment and keyboards, allowing demo versions of film scores to be created quickly.^[28] His colleagues at the studio have included Harry Gregson-Williams, James Dooley, Geoff Zanelli, Henning Lohner, Steve Jablonsky, Mark Mancina, John Van Tongeren, John Powell and Thomas J. Bergersen.

In October 2000, Zimmer performed live in concert for the first time with an orchestra and choir at the 27th Annual Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent.^[29] He has received a range of honors and awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in film Composition from the National Board of Review, the Frederick Loewe Award in 2003 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement, and BMI's Richard Kirk Award for lifetime achievement in 1996. Recent work includes the Spanish language film Casi Divas,^[30] Sherlock Holmes, The Burning Plain (2009), and Inception (2010). He composed the theme for the television boxing series The Contender, and worked with Lorne Balfe on the music for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which was his first video game project.^[31] Zimmer also collaborated with composers Borislav Slavov and Tilman Sillescu to create the score for the video game Crysis 2.^[32]

In December 2010, Zimmer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He dedicated the award to his publicist and long term friend Ronni Chasen, who was shot dead in Beverly Hills the previous month.^[33]

Zimmer composed and produced the music for the 84th Academy Awards with Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes.^[34]

Zimmer lives in Los Angeles with his wife Suzanne, and has four children.^[35][36]

Discography and awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Hans Zimmer
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hans Zimmer

• Official website
• Hans Zimmer at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Hans Zimmer in Film Score Monthly
• Interview with Hans Zimmer about Sherlock Holmes from C Music TV
• Focus.De

v t e Hans Zimmer Soundtracks Angels and Demons  · Driving Miss Daisy  · Batman Begins  · Beyond Rangoon  · Black Hawk Down  · The Da Vinci Code  · The Dark Knight  · Gladiator  · Inception · Kung Fu Panda  · Kung Fu Panda 2  · The Lion King  · Madagascar  · Mission: Impossible II  · Pearl Harbor  · Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End  · Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl  · Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest  · Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides  · Pirates of the Caribbean: Soundtrack Treasures Collection · Rango  · Sherlock Holmes  · The Thin Red Line Songs "Hoist the Colours" Related articles Discography · Remote Control Productions Book:Hans Zimmer  · Category:Hans Zimmer

Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004)^[1] was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a Hip-Hop group primarily from Staten Island, New York that first rose to mainstream prominence with their 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).^[2][3]

After establishing the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol' Dirty Bastard went on to pursue a successful solo career.^[4] However, his professional success was hampered by frequent legal troubles, including incarceration. He died in late 2004 of a drug overdose, two days before his 36th birthday.^[5] Prior to his death, Ol' Dirty Bastard managed to record his third solo album, which has been repeatedly re-shelved.

Jones was often noted for his trademark microphone techniques and his "outrageously profane, free-associative rhymes delivered in a distinctive half-rapped, half-sung style".^[6] His stage name was derived from a childhood alias given by RZA, the relevance of which was articulated by Method Man's assertion that there was "no father to his style".^[7]

Biography[link]

Early life / formation of the Wu-Tang Clan[link]

Russell Jones was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. He and his cousins Robert Diggs and Gary Grice shared a taste for rap music and martial arts-style movies^[3]. Jones, Diggs, and Grice (later known Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, and GZA respectively) formed the group Force of the Imperial Master, which subsequently became known as All in Together Now after their successful underground single of the same name. They eventually added six more members to their group, calling it the Wu-Tang Clan. The group released their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, receiving notable commercial and critical success.

Music career[link]

Ol' Dirty Bastard's solo career began in 1995, making him the second member of the Wu-Tang Clan to release a solo album, following Method Man's 1994 album, Tical. Released on March 28, 1995, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version spawned the hit singles "Brooklyn Zoo" and "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", which helped propel the album to platinum status. The album's sound was noted by several music writers as being "raw and gritty" as 36 Chambers, with RZA and 4th disciple producing beats of an even more minimalist and stripped-down style than on the group's debut album. In this same year, Ol' Dirty Bastard collaborated with Mariah Carey for the "Fantasy Remix".

Around this time, Jones gained notoriety when, as he was being profiled for an MTV biography, he took two of his thirteen children by limousine to a New York State welfare office to pick up his welfare check; his latest album was still in the top ten of the US charts. The entire incident was filmed by an MTV camera crew and was broadcast nationwide.

In 1997, Ol' Dirty Bastard appeared on the Wu-Tang Clan's second and most commercially successful work, the double album Wu-Tang Forever. He had fewer appearances on this album than the group's debut, contributing to one solo track ("Dog Shit"), three verses ("Maria", "Reunited", "Heaterz") one hook ("As High as Wu-Tang Get"), and a spoken introduction/refrain ("Triumph").

In February 1998, Jones witnessed a car accident from the window of his Brooklyn recording studio. He and a friend ran to the accident scene and organized about a dozen onlookers who assisted in lifting the 1996 Ford Mustang—rescuing a 4-year-old girl from the wreckage. She was taken to a hospital with first and second degree burns. Using a false name, Jones visited the girl in the hospital frequently until he was spotted by members of the media.^[8]

The evening following the traffic accident, Jones rushed on-stage unexpectedly as Shawn Colvin took the stage to give her acceptance speech for Song of the Year at the 1998 Grammy Awards, and announced that he had recently purchased expensive clothes in anticipation of winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album that he lost to Puff Daddy. As Colvin took the stage to a round of applause, he asked of the audience, "Please calm down, the music and everything. It's nice that I went and bought me an outfit today that costed a lot of money, you know what I mean? 'Cause I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win. I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. You know what I mean? Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best, Okay? I want you all to know that this is ODB, and I love you all. Peace!" This incident was widely covered in the mainstream media.

In 1999, Ol' Dirty Bastard wrote and recorded his second studio album Nigga Please between jail sentences. The album received notable commercial success, although it failed to parallel the critical praise of his debut. This release included the single "Got Your Money" which garnered world-wide chart success. The song was produced by The Neptunes, and featured backing vocals by R&B singer Kelis, both of whom would go on to pursue successful recording careers.

In 1999, Jones was paid $30,000 to appear on Insane Clown Posse's album The Amazing Jeckel Brothers. Completing his track in two days, his recording consisted of him "rambling about bitches". Insane Clown Posse re-recorded the track and re-edited Jones' vocals in order to form four rhymes out of his rambling, giving the song the title "Bitches".^[9]

In 2001, with Jones again in jail for crack cocaine possession, his record label Elektra Records made the decision to release a greatest hits album (despite there being only two albums in his back catalog) in order to both end their contract with the artist (see below section), as well as make some money off the publicity generated by his legal troubles. After the contract with Elektra was terminated, the label D-3 records released the album The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones in 2002, composed of tracks put together without Jones's input, using the vocals he had recorded with hype-woman Sic-wif-it (Salome), DJ extrordinaire Organix (Eden), and the high- profile lyricist T-Time (Tamara) prior to his capture by authorities. The label recruited many guests including several Wu-Tang Clan affiliates, No Limit Records artist C-Murder, Too $hort, E-40 and Mack 10. However, the album was critically panned and sales were poor.

In 2003, the day he was released from prison, with Mariah Carey and Damon Dash by his side, Jones signed a contract with Roc-A-Fella Records. Living at his mother's home under house arrest, and with a court-ordered probation, he managed to star in a VH1 special, Inside Out: Ol' Dirty Bastard On Parole. He also managed to record a new album, originally scheduled to be released through Dame Dash Music Group in 2004; it has since been shelved indefinitely. In October 2004, one month before his death, his last collaboration was Jon B. on the track, "Everytime" from the album, Stronger Everyday. In 2005, he was posthumously collaborated on "Blah-Blah-Blah" with Brooke Valentine from her album, Chain Letter.

Legal troubles[link]

In 1993, Ol' Dirty Bastard was convicted of second degree assault^[4] for an attempted robbery and in 1994, he was shot in the abdomen following an argument with another rapper.^[4] In 1997, he was arrested for failure to pay child support for three of his 13 children. In 1998, he pled guilty to attempted assault on his wife and was the victim of a home invasion robbery at his girlfriend's house. He was shot in the back and arm but the wounds were superficial.

In July 1998, only days after being shot in a push-in robbery at his girlfriend's house in Brooklyn, he was arrested for shoplifting a pair of $50 shoes from a Sneaker Stadium store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, although he was carrying close to $500 in cash at the time. He was issued bench warrants by the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department to stand trial after he failed to appear in court numerous times. He was arrested for criminal threatening after a series of confrontations in Los Angeles a few weeks later, and was then re-arrested for similar charges not long after that. During a traffic stop, the details of which remain clouded in multiple versions of events, he was arrested for attempted murder and criminal weapon possession. The case was later dismissed.^{[citation needed]}

In February 1999, he was arrested for driving without a license and for being a convicted felon wearing a bulletproof vest (the first person arrested for this infraction under a new California law). Back in New York weeks later, he was arrested for drug possession of crack cocaine and for traffic offenses. With multiple cases in the past and present, he was arrested with marijuana and 20 vials of crack. After his arrest, Ol' Dirty Bastard reportedly asked the police to "make the rocks disappear". During his court hearing in January 2000, he called a female prosecutor a "sperm donor."^[10][11]

In October 2000, he escaped from his court-mandated drug treatment facility and spent one month as a fugitive. During his time on the run, he met with RZA and spent some time in their recording studio. He then appeared onstage at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York swigging a bottle at the record release party for The W, the third Wu-Tang Clan album. In late November 2000 while still on the lam, he was arrested outside a South Philadelphia McDonald's (at 29th and Gray's Ferry Ave.), after he drew a crowd while signing autographs. He spent several days in a Philadelphia jail and was later extradited to New York City. A Manhattan court sentenced him to two to four years incarceration.

In 2012, his FBI file was released to the public after a Freedom of Information Act request.^[12] It contains details of numerous crimes, such as connections to three murders, a shoot out with the NYPD and a RICO investigation against the Wu-Tang Clan.

Death[link]

Leading up to his death, Jones' legal troubles and odd behavior made him "something of a folk hero", according to The New Yorker writer Michael Agger.^[13] Music writer Steve Huey wrote that "it was difficult for observers to tell whether Ol' Dirty Bastard's wildly erratic behavior was the result of serious drug problems or genuine mental instability."

Jones collapsed at approximately 4:35 p.m. on November 13, 2004 (two days before his 36th birthday) at RZA's recording studio (36 Records LLC on West 34th Street in New York City). He was announced pronounced dead at 5:04pm. His funeral was held at Brooklyn's Christian Cultural Center and drew a crowd of thousands.

The official cause of death was a drug overdose; an autopsy found a lethal mixture of cocaine and the prescription drug Tramadol, a synthetic opiate.^[14] The overdose was ruled accidental and witnesses say that Jones complained of chest pain on the day he died.^[15]

In November 2009, a video documentary about Ol' Dirty Bastard's life, Dirty: The Official Ol' Dirty Bastard Biography, was released. The documentary features interviews and stories from Wu-Tang members, affiliates, and family members, as well as old interviews and live footage.^[16]

Michael K. Williams has agreed to play ODB in Dirty White Boy.^[17][18]

Discography[link]

• Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (1995)
• Nigga Please (1999)
• A Son Unique (unreleased)

Awards and Nominations[link]

Grammy Awards

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ol' Dirty Bastard

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ol' Dirty Bastard

• Ol' Dirty Bastard at the Internet Movie Database
• Ol' Dirty Bastard discography at Discogs
• Ol' Dirty Bastard at Find a Grave
• Ol' Dirty Bastard Tells Why He Stormed Grammy Stage
• The Economist - Obituary in brief Ol' Dirty Bastard