Kenwood House (also known as the Iveagh Bequest) is a former stately home, in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath. It is managed by English Heritage.

History

The original house dates from the early 17th century. The orangery was added in about 1700. In 1754 it was bought by William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. He commissioned Robert Adam to remodel it from 1764-1779. Adam added the library (one of his most famous interiors) to balance the orangery, and added the Ionic portico at the entrance. In 1793-6 George Saunders added two wings on the north side, and the offices and kitchen buildings and brewery (now the restaurant) to the side.

It was donated to the nation by Lord Iveagh, a member of the Guinness family, when he died in 1927, and opened to the public in 1928. He had bought the house from the Mansfield family in 1925. Unfortunately the furnishing had already been sold by then, so the house is largely empty. Some furniture has since been added. The paintings are from Iveagh's collection. Part of the grounds were bought by the Kenwood Preservation Council in 1922, after there had been threats that it would be sold for building. In the late 1990s the house received approximately 150,000 visitors a year and an estimated 1 million people visited the grounds each year.

The house was the subject of a Margaret Calkin James poster in the 1930s, and was seen by many commuters on the London Underground.

The British feature film ''Notting Hill'' was partly filmed here.

Paintings

Paintings of note include

'The Guitar Player' by Johannes Vermeer

a late Rembrandt self portrait

Pieter van den Broecke, by Frans Hals

Thomas Gainsborough, 'Portrait of Countess Howe' (see Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe)

Edwin Henry Landseer, 'Hunting in the Olden Times'

Other painters include

Joshua Reynolds

Angelica Kauffmann

John Crome

George Morland

Van Dyck

William Larkin

J. M. W. Turner

Arthur Boyd Houghton

François Boucher

Thomas Lawrence

George Romney

Jan Baptist Weenix

Joseph Wright

There is also a collection of shoe buckles, jewellery and Portrait miniatures.

Estate

The estate has a designed landscape with gardens near the house, probably originally designed by Humphry Repton, contrasting with some surrounding woodland, and the naturalistic Hampstead Heath to the south. There is also a new garden by Arabella Lennox-Boyd.

One third of the estate is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, particularly the ancient woodlands. These are home to many birds and insects and the largest Pipistrelle bat roost in London.

There are sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Reg Butler in the gardens near the house. {|align=center | |}

Music concerts, originally classical but in more recent years predominantly pop concerts, were held by the lake on Saturday evenings every summer from 1951 until 2006, attracting thousands of people to picnic and enjoy the music, scenery and spectacular fireworks. In February 2007, English Heritage decided to abandon these concerts owing to restrictions placed on them after protests from some local residents. The future of Kenwood House is now uncertain, as English Heritage depended on the income from the Lakeside Concerts to maintain the house at a cost of around a million pounds per year.. On 19 March 2008, it was announced that the concerts would return to a new location on the Pasture Ground within the Kenwood Estate, with the number of concerts limited to eight per season..

References

''The Buildings of England London 4: North''. Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner. ISBN 0-300-09653-4.

''Kenwood: The Iveagh Bequest''. Julius Bryant. (English Heritage publication).

External links

English Heritage website for the house

English Heritage website for the gardens

Category:English Heritage sites in London Category:Gardens in London Category:Grade I listed buildings in London Category:Grade I listed houses ** Category:Houses in Camden Category:Historic house museums in London Category:Museums in Camden Category:Art museums and galleries in London

de:Kenwood House es:Kenwood House it:Kenwood House ms:Rumah Kenwood nl:Kenwood House and Garden ru:Кенвуд-хаус sv:Kenwood House

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
Name	Ray Davies
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Raymond Douglas Davies
Birth date	June 21, 1944
Origin	Fortis Green, London England
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, piano
Genre	Rock, pop, hard rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1963–present
Associated acts	The Kinks
Website	RayDavies.info
notable instruments	Fender Telecaster }}

Raymond Douglas "Ray" Davies, CBE (born 21 June 1944, Fortis Green, London) is an English rock musician, best known as lead singer and songwriter for The Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave. He has also acted, directed and produced shows for theatre and television.

Since the dissolution of The Kinks in 1996, Ray Davies has embarked on a solo career as a singer-songwriter.

Biography

Ray Davies (pronounced day-viz by Ray) was born at 6 Denmark Terrace, Fortis Green, in Muswell Hill, North London. He is the seventh of eight children, including six older sisters and younger brother Dave Davies. He went to William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School (now called Fortismere School).

Davies was an art student at Hornsey College of Art in London in 1962–1963, when the Kinks developed into a professional performing band. After the Kinks obtained a recording contract in early 1964, Davies emerged as the chief songwriter and ''de facto'' leader of the band, especially after the band's breakthrough success with his early composition "You Really Got Me", which was released as the band's third single in August of that year.

Davies led the Kinks through a period of musical experimentation between 1966 and 1976, with notable artistic achievements and commercial success. Between 1977 and their break-up in 1996, Davies and the group reverted to their earlier mainstream rock format and enjoyed a second peak of success, with other hit songs, like "Destroyer", "Come Dancing", and "Do it Again". The Kinks disbanded in 1996, and Ray Davies has performed solo since then.

Davies has had a tempestuous relationship with younger brother Dave (the band's lead guitarist) that dominated the Kinks' career as a band. He has been married three times and has four daughters - Louisa, Victoria, Natalie and Eva. Davies was romantically involved with Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders during the 1980s, and Natalie is the product of that relationship.

In 1990, Davies was inducted, with The Kinks, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, in 2005, into the UK Music Hall of Fame.

On 4 January 2004, Davies was shot in the leg while chasing thieves, who had snatched the purse of his companion as they walked in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The shooting came less than a week after Davies was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Work

The Kinks: 1964-1996

Davies' compositions for The Kinks' early recordings of 1964-65 ranged from chiming, melodic beat music to the more distinctive and influential proto-metal, protopunk, powerchord-based rock and roll which first brought the band to prominence. Indeed, it was the latter style that characterized their first two major hits, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night", as well as the B-side "I Need You" and the minor hit "Till the End of the Day". However, by the mid-to-late 1960s, this raucous early sound had gradually given way to more sensitive, introspective and complex songs, such as "Tired of Waiting for You", "See My Friends", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Too Much on My Mind", "This is Where I Belong", "Waterloo Sunset", "Wonderboy" and "Days".

In addition to American rock and roll and blues, Davies is a long-time enthusiast of British Music Hall, vaudeville, trad jazz and ragtime music; and from about 1966 onward, he composed a number of songs which reflected these latter influences, including "Dandy", "Little Miss Queen of Darkness", "Mister Pleasant", "End of the Season", "All of My Friends Were There", "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" and "Look a Little on the Sunny Side". During this period, he also became known for writing cheerful but occasionally ironic celebrations of traditional English culture and living ("Autumn Almanac", "The Village Green Preservation Society", "Victoria", "Have a Cuppa Tea", "Cricket") as well as songs championing individualistic personalities and lifestyles ("I'm Not Like Everybody Else", "Johnny Thunder", "Plastic Man", "Lola", "Apeman", "Celluloid Heroes", "Sitting in the Midday Sun").

By the mid-to-late 1970s and for the next decade, Davies began to combine elements from all of these styles to create a more overtly commercial sound again with songs like "Sweet Lady Genevieve", "Juke Box Music", "A Rock & Roll Fantasy", "Wish I Could Fly Like Superman", "Better Things", "Destroyer", "Come Dancing" and "Do It Again".

Davies' writing has often been called more mature, sophisticated and literate than that of many of his peers among British and American rock musicians. His lyrics often contain elements of topical satire and pointed social commentary about the aspirations and frustrations of common working class and middle class people in England, and as such demonstrate a great awareness and insight about the psychological effects of the British class system. In a 2008 ''Rolling Stone'' profile, journalist Charles M. Young called Ray Davies "an anthropologist with a guitar".

Prime examples of Davies' keenly observant songwriting include "A Well Respected Man", "Situation Vacant", "Shangri-La", "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" and "Clichés of the World (B Movie)"—all of which describe the class-bred insecurity and desperation underlying the materialism and conservativism of English middle-class respectability. Similarly, songs such as "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "Party Line" mocked the Carnaby Street-based 'Swinging London' scene of the mid-1960s, while "David Watts" humorously expressed the wounded feelings of a plain schoolboy who envies the grace and social privileges enjoyed by a charismatic upperclass student.

Other songs took aim at the corrupt motives of greedy businessmen and self-serving politicians ("King Kong", "Powerman", "Mr. Big Man", and the ''Preservation Act 1'' and ''Act 2'' albums), the heedlessness and ostentation of ''nouveaux riches'' soon to get their comeuppance ("Most Exclusive Residence For Sale", "Mister Pleasant"), as well as the complacency and indolence of wealthy playboys and the English upper class ("A House in the Country", "Sunny Afternoon").

Davies also wrote songs which described the bleakness of life at the opposite end of the social spectrum: released as the complementary A-B sides of a single in 1966, "Dead End Street" and "Big Black Smoke" offered grim, neo-Dickensian portraits of the desperate poverty that existed amidst the thriving urban British economy of the 1960s.

His mid-period work likewise showed signs of an emerging social conscience. For example, "Holiday in Waikiki", from ''Face to Face'', deplored the vulgar commercialization of a once unspoiled indigenous culture. Similarly, "God's Children", from the ''Percy'' soundtrack, and songs on the albums ''The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society'' and ''Muswell Hillbillies'', passionately decried industrialization, commercialism and bureaucracy in favour of simple pastoral living. In particular, Davies' songs on the 1968 album ''Village Green Preservation Society'' gave an affectionate embrace to "Merry England" nostalgia, and advocated for the preservation of traditional English country village and hamlet life, long before such themes and attitudes were even heard of in British pop music.

A definitive testament to Ray Davies' reputation as a songwriter of insight, empathy and wit can be heard on The Kinks' 1969 album ''Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)'', which affectionately chronicled the trials and tribulations of a working class everyman and his family from the very end of the Victorian era through World War I and World War II, the postwar austerity years, and up to the 1960s. The theme of the album was partly inspired by the life of Ray and Dave Davies' brother-in-law, Arthur Anning, who had married their older sister, Rose (herself the subject of an earlier Kinks song—"Rosie Won't You Please Come Home"), and had emigrated to Australia after the war. Over the course of a dozen evocative songs, the album fulfills its ambitious subtitle as Ray Davies embellishes an intimate family chronicle with satirical and often poignant observations about the shifting mores of English public life in response to the declining fortunes of the British Empire.

''NME'' - June 1978

Solo work: 1985-present

Aside from the lengthy Kinks discography, Davies has released five solo albums; the 1985 release ''Return to Waterloo'' (which accompanied a television film he wrote and directed), the 1998 release ''The Storyteller'', ''Other People's Lives'' in early 2006, ''Working Man's Café'' in October 2007 and ''The Kinks Choral Collection'' in June 2009. ''Other People's Lives'' was his first top 40 album in the UK since the 1960s, when he worked with the Kinks.

The release of ''Working Man's Café'' was followed on 28 October 2007 with a performance at the BBC's Electric Proms series, at The Roundhouse, Camden, accompanied by the Crouch End Festival Chorus. The concert was broadcast the same evening on BBC Two. An edited version of ''Working Man's Café'', excluding two bonus tracks and liner notes, was given away with 1.5 million copies of the ''Sunday Times'' on 21 October.

Since the Kinks ceased performing in 1996, Davies has toured independently. Initially, he toured with the mainly acoustic ''20th Century Man'', ''An Evening With Ray Davies'' and ''Storyteller'' shows, accompanied by guitarist Pete Mathison. More recently, he has toured with a full band consisting of, among others, Toby Baron - drums, Geoff Dugmore - drums, Dick Nolan - bass, Gunnar Frick - keyboards, Ian Gibbons - keyboards, Scott Donaldson - guitar, Mark Johns - guitar, Michael "Milton" McDonald - guitar, Bill Shanley - guitar and Damon Wilson - drums.

In 2005, Davies released a four-song EP in the UK -''The Tourist' - and a five-song EP in the U.S. - ''Thanksgiving Day''.

Davies published his "unauthorised autobiography", ''X-Ray'', in 1994. In 1997, he published a book of short stories entitled ''Waterloo Sunset'', described as 'a concept album set on paper'. He has made three films, ''Return to Waterloo'' in 1985, ''Weird Nightmare'' in 1991, a documentary about Charles Mingus and ''Americana'' (subtitled "A Work In Progress") which was included on DVD with the ''Working Man's Cafe'' disc release in 2008.

A choral album, ''The Kinks Choral Collection'', on which Davies has been collaborating with the Crouch End Festival Chorus since 2007, was released in the UK in June 2009 and in the US in November 2009.

The choral album was re-released as a special extended edition including Davies' charity Christmas single ''Postcard From London'' featuring Chrissie Hynde. The video for the single was directed by Julien Temple and features London landmarks including Waterloo Bridge, Carnaby Street, The Statue of Eros steps and the Charlie Chaplin statue in Leicester Square. The duet was originally recorded with Kate Nash. His first choice had been Dame Vera Lynn.

Davies was also a judge for the 3rd and 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Davies played at Glastonbury Festival 2010 where he dedicated several songs to the late Kinks' bassist, Pete Quaife. Davies is seen to visibly almost break down in tears while singing an acappella intro to the song "Days".

A collaborations album, ''See My Friends'', was released in November 2010 with a US release to follow in early 2011.

Davies performed with Mando Diao in their ''MTV Unplugged'' live show.

In 2011 Davies was "grounded" for 6 months following discovery of blood clots in his lungs. After the malady Davies programmed the lineup for the upcoming Meltdown Festival in London. At the festival he is scheduled to perform rendition of the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society album with the London Philharmonic and a local chorus. He was working on his second book a memoir that Davies described as "kind of fictionalized". His first book ''X-Ray'' was released in 1995.

Musicals

In 1981 Davies collaborated with Barrie Keefe to write his first stage musical, ''Chorus Girls'', which opened at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, London, starring Marc Sinden and also had a supporting cast of Michael Elphick, Anita Dobson, Kate Williams and Charlotte Cornwell. Directed by Adrian Shergold, the choreography was by Charles Augins and Jim Rodford played bass with the theatres 'house band'.

Davies wrote songs for a musical version of Jules Verne's ''Around the World in Eighty Days''; the show, ''80 Days'', had a book by playwright Snoo Wilson. It was directed by Des McAnuff and ran at the Mandell Weiss Theatre in San Diego from 23 August to 9 October 1988. The musical received mixed responses from the critics. Davies' multi-faceted music, McAnuff's directing, and the acting, however, were well received, with the show winning the "Best Musical" award from the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle.

Davies' musical ''Come Dancing'', based partly on his 1983 hit single with twenty new songs, ran at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, London in September - November 2008.

Awards

On 17 March 2004, Davies received the CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for "Services to Music."

On 22 June 2004, Davies won the ''Mojo'' Songwriter Award, which recognises "an artist whose career has been defined by his ability to pen classic material on a consistent basis."

Davies was also a judge for the third annual Independent Music Awards. His contributions helped assist upcoming independent artists' careers.

Davies and the Kinks were the third British band (along with The Who) to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, at which Davies was called "almost indisputably rock's most literate, witty and insightful songwriter." They were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

On 3 October 2006, Davies was awarded the BMI Icon Award for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers" at the 2006 annual BMI London Awards.

On 15 February 2009, The Mobius Best Off-West End Production in the UK for the musical ''Come Dancing''.

On 7 September 2010, Davies was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards.

On 26 October 2010, Davies will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at his AVO Session concert in Basel; the concert will later be televised internationally.

Solo discography

:''For Kinks discography see The Kinks discography''

''Return to Waterloo'' (1985)

''The Storyteller'' (1998) (UK#105)

''Other People's Lives'' (2006) (UK#36)

''Working Man's Café'' (2007) (UK#179)

''The Kinks Choral Collection'' (2009) (UK#28)

''Ray Davies - Collected'' (2009) (released 19 October 2009) (Compilation)

''See My Friends'' (2010) (UK#12)

Chart singles written by Davies

The following is a list of Davies compositions that were chart hits for artists other than The Kinks. (See ''The Kinks discography'' for hits by The Kinks.)

style="width:35px;" rowspan="2"	Year	Title	Artist	Chart Positions
UK Singles Chart	Canada			! style="width:60px;"
rowspan="2"	1965	"This Strange Effect"
"Something Better Beginning"	The Honeycombs
	"A House in the Country"	The Pretty Things
	Herman's Hermits
	"You Really Got Me"	Van Halen
	The Jam
	1979	"Stop Your Sobbing"	The Pretenders
	1981	"I Go To Sleep"	The Pretenders
	"All Day and All of the Night"	The Stranglers
	1989	"Days (The Kinks song)	Days"	Kirsty MacColl
	1997	"Waterloo Sunset"	Cathy Dennis

See also

Songs written by Ray Davies

References

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Bibliography

Polito, Robert, ''Bits of Me Scattered Everywhere: Ray Davies and the Kinks'', p. 119–144 in Eric Weisbard, ed., ''This is Pop'', Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01321-2 (cloth), ISBN 0-674-01344-1 (paper).

Kitts, Thomas, ''Ray Davies, Not Like Everybody Else'', 302 p., Routledge Pub., 2008. ISBN 0-415-97769-X (paper).

External links

Official Ray Davies web site

The Kinks web site

Official Ray Davies Facebook page

Waterloo Sunset's Fine For Ray Davies, blog post about a performance Davies had with the Crouch End Festival Chorus near Waterloo Bridge for the release of his album ''The Kinks Choral Collection'' (includes pictures)

Category:The Kinks members Category:English male singers Category:English songwriters Category:English rock guitarists Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:E1 Music artists Category:Resonator guitarists Category:Musicians from London Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:People from Fortis Green Category:Rhythm guitarists Category:Alumni of the University of West London Category:Alumni of Middlesex University Category:People from Muswell Hill

ca:Ray Davies cs:Ray Davies da:Ray Davies de:Ray Davies es:Ray Davies fr:Ray Davies it:Ray Davies nl:Ray Davies ja:レイ・デイヴィス no:Ray Davies nn:Ray Davies pt:Ray Davies fi:Ray Davies sv:Ray Davies

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	George Benson
background	solo_singer
born	March 22, 1943Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,United States
instrument	Vocals, guitar, archtop guitar
genre	Jazz, funk, R&B;, soul
occupation	Musician, songwriter
years active	1954 (as little George Benson)1962–present
label	Prestige Records (1964-1965)Columbia Records (1966-1967)Verve Records (1968)A&M; Records (1968-1970)CTI Records (1971-1976)Warner Bros. Records (1976-1994)GRP Records (1995-2005)Concord Records (2006-present)
associated acts	Jack McDuff, Earl Klugh, Al Jarreau, Joe Farrell, Count Basie Orchestra, McCoy Tyner, Joe Sample, Fuse One, Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian
website	www.georgebenson.com
notable instruments	Ibanez GB10 Signature ModelIbanez GB200 Signature Model }}

George Benson (born March 22, 1943) is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist.

Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s playing soul jazz with the likes of Jack McDuff. Benson then launched a successful solo career, alternating between jazz, pop, R&B; singing, and scat singing. This one-time child prodigy topped the Billboard 200 in 1976 with the triple-platinum album, ''Breezin''', He was also a major live attraction in the UK during the 1980s and continues to attract a large following today.

Benson attended the Connelly High School, although he left before graduation. As a youth, instead, he learned how to play straight-ahead instrumental jazz during a relationship performing for several years with organist Jack McDuff. At the age of 21, he recorded his first album as leader, ''The New Boss Guitar'', featuring McDuff. Benson's next recording was ''It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet'' including Dr Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone saxophone. Benson followed it up with ''The George Benson Cookbook'', also with Lonnie Smith and Ronnie Cuber on baritone and drummer Marion Booker. Miles Davis employed Benson in the mid 1960s, featuring his guitar on "Paraphernalia" on his 1968 Columbia release, ''Miles in the Sky'' before going to Verve Records.

Then, he signed with Creed Taylor's jazz label, CTI Records, where he recorded several albums, with jazz heavyweights guesting, to some success, mainly in the jazz field. His 1974 release, "Bad Benson" climbed to the top spot in the Billboard jazz chart, while the follow-ups, "Good King Bad" (#51 Pop album) and "Benson and Farrell" (with Joe Farrell) both reached the jazz top three sellers. Benson also did a version of The Beatles's 1969 album ''Abbey Road'' called ''The Other Side of Abbey Road'', also released in 1969, and a version of "White Rabbit", originally written and recorded by San Francisco rock group Great Society, and made famous by Jefferson Airplane. He also played on numerous sessions for other CTI artists during this time, including Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine.

1970s and 1980s

By the mid to late 1970s, as he recorded for Warner Bros. Records, a whole new audience began to discover Benson for the first time. With the 1976 release ''Breezin''', Benson began to put his vocal on tracks such as "This Masquerade". He had used his vocals infrequently on songs earlier in his career, notably his rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" on the ''Other Side of Abbey Road'' album. Breezin was a significant album in terms of popular music history - the first jazz release to go Platinum and the first indication that something new was about to happen, He also recorded in this album many instrumentals and notable is his rendition of the 1975 Jose Feliciano composition "Affirmation". In 1976, Benson toured with soul singer, Minnie Riperton, who had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer earlier that year. Also in 1976, George Benson apperared as a guitarist and backup vocalist on Stevie Wonder's song "Another Star" from Wonder's album Songs In the Key of Life. This Masquerade" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the live take of "On Broadway", recorded two years later from the 1978 release ''Weekend in L.A.'', also won a Grammy. He has worked with Freddie Hubbard on a number of his albums throughout the '60s '70s and '80s. In 1987, at the J.V.C. Newport Jazz Festival, Benson played his heart out - it was a performance to remember, along the heavy weight line up such as Michael Brecker, Dianne Reeves and Branford Marscelis. The opening act was an unknown to some: The Gary Pearson Enselmble, which featured Gary Pearson (Guitar/Vocal) and Ruben Riera (Flautist /Percussion). 'It was a musician's dream to be part of that hi-energy line up - unforgettable,' Ruben Riera said.

The first recipient of this stellar team effort was Benson, and the Qwest label's first official release was Benson's breakthrough pop album ''Give Me The Night''. Benson made it into the pop and R&B; top ten with the song "Give Me the Night", produced by Quincy Jones having previously been almost unknown to the younger audience. More importantly, Quincy Jones encouraged Benson to search his roots for further vocal inspiration and he re-discovered his love for Nat Cole, Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway in the process influencing a string of further vocal albums into the '90s. Despite returning to his jazz and guitar playing most recently, this theme was reflected again much later in Benson's 2000 release Absolute Benson featuring a cover of one of Hathaway's most notable songs, The Ghetto. Benson accumulated three other platinum LPs and two gold albums. He also recorded the original version of "Greatest Love of All" for the 1977 Muhammad Ali bio-pic, ''The Greatest'', which was later recorded as a cover by Whitney Houston. During this time Benson recorded with the German conductor, Claus Ogerman.

Later and current career

In 1985 Benson and guitarist Chet Atkins went on the smooth jazz charts with their collaboration "Sunrise", one of two songs from the duo released on Atkins' disc ''Stay Tuned''. In 1992, Benson appeared on Jack McDuff's ''Colour Me Blue'' album. Benson toured with Al Jarreau in America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to promote their 2006 album ''Givin' It Up''. He played during the second Monsoon Cup in Terengganu in 2006 and also Malaysia's 50th Merdeka celebration alongside Jarreau in 2007. In May 2008, for the first time Benson took part in Mawazine Festival in Morocco.

To commemorate the long term relationship between Benson and Ibanez and to celebrate 30 years of collaboration on the GB Signature Models, Ibanez created the GB30TH, a very limited edition model featuring a gold foil finish inspired by the traditional Japanese Garahaku art form. In 2009, Benson was recognized by the National Endowment of the Arts as a Jazz Master, the nations highest honor in Jazz. Benson performed at the 49th issue of The Ohrid Summer Festival in Macedonia on July 25, 2009, and his tribute show to Nat King Cole "An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole" as part of the Istanbul International Jazz Festival in Turkey on July 27. In the fall of 2009, Benson finished recording a new album titled Songs and Stories, with Marcus Miller, producer John Burk, and session musicians David Paich and Steve Lukather. As a part of the promotion for his recent Concord Music Group/Monster Music release Songs and Stories, Benson has appeared and/or performed on The Tavis Smiley Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

He is currently touring and performing in support of his recent release Songs and Stories (Concord Music Group/Monster Music).

Benson has toured throughout 2010 in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, including an appearance at the Singapore Sun Festival. He performed at the Java Jazz Festival March 4–6, 2011.

Personal life

George and his wife Johnnie have been married since 1965. George recorded a song on his That's Right CD titled "Johnnie Lee" in her honor.

Discography

References

External links

Tour dates

George Benson Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards

George Benson

George Benson official homepage

"Twelve Essential George Benson Recordings" by Bobby Broom (Jazz.com)

George Benson Guitar Tabs

George Benson 2006 Interview with Al Jarreau on ''Sidewalks Entertainment''

Interview with George Benson Recorded by NPR's KJZZ

YourSingapore - Singapore Sun Festival''

Category:American male singers Category:American composers Category:American jazz guitarists Category:American jazz singers Category:Smooth jazz guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:African American guitarists Category:African American singers Category:Groove Records artists Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:GRP Records artists Category:Verve Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Prestige Records artists Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

cs:George Benson da:George Benson de:George Benson es:George Benson fa:جورج بنسون fr:George Benson it:George Benson nl:George Benson ja:ジョージ・ベンソン no:George Benson pl:George Benson pt:George Benson ru:Бенсон, Джордж fi:George Benson sv:George Benson th:จอร์จ เบนสัน uk:Джордж Бенсон

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Will Young
background	solo_singer
birth name	William Robert Young
born	January 20, 1979Wokingham, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
genre	Pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter, Actor
years active	2001–present
label	19 Recordings, Sony Music
website	www.WillYoung.co.uk }}

William Robert "Will" Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor. He rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural ''Pop Idol'' contest (February 2002), making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise. He has won multiple awards. Young has sold over eight million albums worldwide..

Early life

Young was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, with a fraternal twin, Rupert Maxwell Young. He also has an elder sister Emma. He had a pleasant childhood and has often spoken about his happy memories of this time. Young was educated at three independent schools: Horris Hill School near the village of Newtown in Berkshire and from the age of thirteen, at Wellington College in Crowthorne, also in Berkshire, and at D'Overbroeck's College in Oxford, Oxfordshire. He then studied at the University of Exeter in Exeter, Devon, where he read Politics and graduated with a 2:2 honours degree. In September 2001, he became a student at the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, London, starting a three-year course in musical theatre with a scholarship.

Music career

''Pop Idol''

In February 2002, Young came to national prominence by winning the ITV television programme contest ''Pop Idol''. Contrary to press claims of being the underdog, after having beaten the widely accepted front-runner Gareth Gates in the final show, it emerged that Young had in fact gained the most votes in six out of the nine rounds of public voting. This was published in the ''Pop Idol'' book, which was released shortly after the programme.

The songs Young sang on the show were:

!Week	!Theme	!Song performed	!Artist
Audition	Idol's Choice	"Blame It on the Boogie"	The Jacksons
London Rounds	Day 1 - Part 1		The Drifters
London Rounds	Day 1 - Part 2		O-Town
London Rounds	Day 2	"Fastlove"	George Michael
Top 50	Semi Finals	"Light My Fire"	The Doors
Top 10	Inspiring Artists	"Until You Come Back to Me"	Aretha Franklin
Top 9	Christmas Songs	"Winter Wonderland"	Perry Como
Top 8	Burt Bacharach Music	"Wives and Lovers"
Top 7	Movie Hits		Bill Withers/ Andy Williams
Top 6	Songs of ABBA	"The Name of the Game"	ABBA
Top 5	Big Band	"We Are in Love"	Harry Connick, Jr.
Top 4	No. 1 Hits	"Night Fever""There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"	Bee GeesThe Eurythmics
Top 3	Judges' Choice		Bobby DarinJackie Wilson
Top 2	Idol Single A-SideIdol's FavouriteIdol Single AA-Side	"Anything Is Possible (Will Young song)	Will YoungThe Doors/Jose Feliciano[[Westlife

Post-''Idol'' career

2002-present: ''From Now On'', ''Friday's Child'' and further releases

Young's first single was a double A-side featuring Westlife's song "Evergreen" and "Anything Is Possible", a new song written for the winner of the show by Chris Braide and Cathy Dennis. In March 2002, this became the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history, selling 403 027 copies on its day of release (1 108 659 copies in its first week). It went on to sell over 1.7 million copies, and on the official list of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK issued later that year, it was ranked eleventh. In 2008, Official Charts Company released the Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of the 21st Century (so far) in which Will's version of Evergreen topped the chart. On 31 December 2009, Radio 1 confirmed that "Anything Is Possible"/"Evergreen" was the biggest selling single of the 2000s decade in the United Kingdom. "Anything is possible" won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

In October 2002, Young released his debut album, ''From Now On'', which included "Evergreen" nominated in the Best single category in 2003 at the BRIT Awards and "Anything Is Possible". It produced three singles: "Light My Fire", "The Long and Winding Road" (a duet with Gareth Gates, released as a double A-side with Gates's song "Suspicious Minds") and "Don't Let Me Down"/"You and I" (released in aid of Children in Need). He won his first BRIT Award in February 2003 as Best Breakthrough Artist.

Young's second album, ''Friday's Child'', was released in December 2003. It features the singles "Leave Right Now", nominated in the Best British single category of the past 25 years at the 2005 BRIT Awards and winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2004, "Your Game" (which won Young his second BRIT Award in 2005) and "Friday's Child" In November 2005, Young released his third album, ''Keep On'', which included the single "All Time Love", nominated in the Best British Single category at the 2007 BRIT Awards. Other singles from the album were "Switch It On" and "Who Am I".

On 29 September 2008, Young's fourth album, ''Let It Go'', was released. It peaked at Nº2 in the album charts, having been preceded by the single "Changes", which was released on 15 September and peaked at Nº10 in the UK Singles Chart. His next single "Grace" was released on 1 December 2008, and peaked at Nº33 on the UK Singles Chart. The third single taken from the album, "Let It Go", was released on 2 March 2009 in the UK, and peaked at Nº58 on the UK Singles Chart. The fourth and final single, "Tell Me the Worst", was released in the UK only, on 5 July, 2009 . It served as a club promo, and featured some Fred Falke remixes.

On an interview with Digital Spy, Will Young revealed that he was working on a Dance-Pop album, which might be released in late 2009. He also confirmed that he was working with British duo Groove Armada, Superbass, who remixed his UK Top 10 single "Changes", and Gregg Alexander, who has previously worked with British pop diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Geri Halliwell. He also confirmed that he is working on an album covering songs by Noel Coward, which is as yet in its very early stages and he "doesn't know if it will end up".

Young's greatest hits collection was released on 16 November 2009. It included two brand new songs, one of them the single "Hopes & Fears". The album was a success on the charts, being certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.

In 2010 Will Young collaborated with Groove Armada on their album Black Light, singing vocals on the track 'History'.

In early 2011, Will tweeted teaser clips of tracks from his new album, 'Echoes', which was subsequently released on August 22, 2011 and entered the UK Album charts at No.1 on August 29th 2011. The first single is called 'Jealousy', and premiered on BBC Radio 2, between 9am-12pm, Monday 11 July 2011, as confirmed on Will's Facebook page. The single was released on August 21, 2011, preceding the album by 1 day.

Performing

In early 2002, Young joined his fellow ''Pop Idol'' contestants in a nationwide arena tour. The final concert at Wembley was in aid of The Prince's Trust, of which Young is an ambassador, together with Gareth Gates and Darius Danesh, the runner-up and third-placed contestant in ''Pop Idol''. In June 2002, Young performed at the Queen's Jubilee Concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, singing "We Are the Champions" with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor.

During July 2002, Young sang at two concerts with the renowned songwriter Burt Bacharach at Hammersmith Apollo and at the Liverpool Summerpops event. In August 2002, he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, singing "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" in the pouring rain. He was praised by the announcer, Grandmaster Flash, who said that it was not easy entering a talent show. November 2002 brought an appearance at the Royal Command Performance. In November 2003, Young performed the wartime song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square", accompanied by The Squadronaires, at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Following a sell-out theatre tour in 2004, Young appeared at The Olympic Torch Concert, performing a duet of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" with soul legend James Brown. Later that year, he embarked upon his first solo arena tour, another sell-out success. He toured again at outside festival venues in mid 2005. In July 2005, he performed at Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push, the final concert of Live 8, a charity concert in Edinburgh to raise awareness of the plight of Africa, where he duetted with James Brown once again and also sang with One Giant Leap, Neneh Cherry and Maxi Jazz. In November 2005, Young appeared in his second Royal Command Performance.

In May 2006, he sang at The Prince's Trust 30th Birthday, which took place at the Tower of London. From 12 September until 2 October 2006, Young toured the UK with his ''Keep On Live'' tour, which included the songs taken from his album ''Keep On'' and a selection of past songs. The official merchandise range for the tour, highlighted by the press, included a "tip and strip" pen which, when turned over, reveals Young in his underpants. In October 2006, Young sang at Nitin Sawhney's concert in the BBC Electric Proms series of concerts. He followed this by performing in South Africa for Nelson Mandela's Unite of the Stars charity concerts.

In July 2007, he appeared at the Concert for Diana at the new Wembley Stadium. Young was the headline act at the Proms in the Park, which took place in Hyde Park in September 2007 as part of the Last Night of the Proms. In September 2007, Young performed at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with the Vanguard Big Band. Young took part in the Little Noise Sessions, a series of intimate, acoustic gigs for the learning disability charity, Mencap. He performed in November 2007 with special guests at Islington's Union Chapel.

In April 2008, Young again appeared at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with the Vanguard Big Band. Young is to perform at various festivals during mid 2008, including Glastonbury, T In the Park in Scotland and Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

On 24 August 2008 Young appeared at the Olympic Party which took place in The Mall, London. He performed his latest single Changes and I Can See Clearly Now, which was originally sung by Johnny Nash.

Young is also featured singing in trailers for the recording/film making group 1 Giant Leap's newest project "What About Me?"

Young was the featured singer on the X-Factor programme on ITV1 on Saturday 1 November 2008. He also mentored the remaining contestants.

Young performed in a sell-out theatre tour, commencing on 16 November 2008 and continuing until 13 December 2008 with two dates at The Roundhouse in Camden, London.

On 31 December 2008 Young was featured as a guest on Elton John's Live New Year show at the O2 Arena in London. He joined Sir Elton in the song Daniel.

Young will be performing at various festivals across the UK during the summer of 2009, starting with the Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday 13 June, including T4 On The Beach on Sunday 19 July.

Young was one of the performers at the BBC's "Live at Blackpool" programme on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 5 September 2009.

Young toured again in the UK at the end of 2009. He took to the stage at The Waterfront, Belfast on the opening night on 9 November, finishing up at the Brighton Centre on 6 December.

As part of his 2010 outdoor summer tour, it was announced that he would be a special guest and play on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor was his supporting act for his 2010 tour.

Recently his 2003 song Leave Right Now has been featured on American Idol as the "departing song". He also performed live on the programme on 25 May 2010. Young gave his first U.S. concert on May 26 at West Hollywood's Ultra Suede nightclub. He was also featured on the cover of the U.S. magazine ''Instinct''.

Other projects

Acting career

Young added acting to his repertoire when he accepted a role in the BBC film ''Mrs. Henderson Presents'', starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, in which he played Bertie. The film was released in the UK in November 2005 to excellent reviews—not least for Young's performance as both actor and singer in the film. The scene, in which Young appears naked, postdated his "absolutely thrilled" acceptance of the British male Rear of the Year Award 2005, an accolade to add to the Most Stylish Male Music Star, Best Bod, Sexiest Star, Best Dressed and Best Hair awards he had already won.

Young trod the boards in the Royal Exchange Theatre's production of ''The Vortex'' by Noel Coward. This production ran from January to March 2007 and Young played the leading role of Nicky Lancaster. Critics, including Nicholas de Jongh, were very positive.

In October 2007 Young narrated an audio version of the Roald Dahl novel ''Danny, the Champion of the World''.

Young also appeared in the Marple drama ''The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side'' and guest starred in an episode of ''Skins'' in 2010.

In 2011, he starred in a new drama series on Sky Living called ''Bedlam'', about supernatural happenings taking place at a disused asylum being converted into loft-style apartments. The £3 million six-part series began airing on 7 February 2011. It was distributed by BBC Worldwide.

Television documentaries

In November 2004, Young presented a documentary entitled ''Runaways'' as part of the Children in Need campaign, highlighting the problems facing distressed teens who run away from home, and the plight they were in being picked up off the streets and railway stations by pimps who offered them work and drugs. The children did not know where to go for immediate help unless they were picked up by the police and sent to a refuge centre.

During June 2007 a series of documentaries entitled ''Saving Planet Earth'' was shown on BBC Television. Young filmed an episode about saving the gorillas of West Africa during his visit to Africa earlier in the year.

In March 2009, ITV1 arts programme The South Bank Show presented an hour long fly on the wall documentary about Young that they had been filming over the course of the year as he returned to promote the ''Let It Go'' album. It showed him in Iceland filming the video for the ''Let It Go'' single, backstage before his performance on The X Factor and on his UK theatre tour from November 2008 amongst other segments.

Young has been made a "Companion" of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

Young was a guest on Top Gear during season 12 episode 2 and was the fastest wet lap around the track in the Chevrolet Lacetti.

Young is making a documentary about Ralph Fiennes production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus which is being filmed in Serbia. He also has a small role in the film as well as being Executive Producer.

In August 2011, ITV based an hour-long programme on Young, entitled "A night With Will Young". This was to promote the release of his most recent album, Echoes.

Debate

On 27 October 2008, Young spoke on Celebrity at the Oxford Union, where he showed an interest in forming a band named 'Will Young and the Credit Crunchers'. he was invited to appear on ''Question Time'' after he revealed he was a fan of the show. He participated in the edition from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, in February 2009.

Philanthropy

Young supports the charity Women's Aid, about which he wrote: "I am proud to put my name beside this cause, and hope that I might be able to help more people affected by the terrors of domestic violence, as well as help to create a wider awareness within our society."

Young also supports Mencap—about which he wrote, "I'm very much in this for the long term, and I'd like to help continue to break down peoples' misconceptions and prejudices"—, The Children's Society Safe and Sound Campaign, and Positive Action Southwest (PASW), for which he performed at his first solo concert, in July 2003, at Killerton House, Exeter.

Young has been an ambassador for The Prince's Trust since 2002, and performed at the 30th anniversary concert in the grounds of the Tower of London.

Together with Dame Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman, Young appeared in a series of advertisements during the Christmas period 2007 for Oxfam; "Oxfam Unwrapped".

Young is the ambassador for Mood Foundation, a charity which aims to build a database of private therapists and alternative therapies to treat various types of depressive conditions. It was set up by Young's twin brother Rupert Young.

Young is an ambassador for Catch22, a UK young people's charity, which supports young people in tough situations. The young people may come from tough upbringings or neighbourhoods, where poverty, crime and unemployment are common features. They may be leaving care, truanting, or have been excluded from school. Some of them have started getting into trouble with the police or may have got as far as custody.

Personal life

In March 2002, Young revealed that he is gay, pre-empting a tabloid newspaper that was preparing to out him. He also stated that he had never hidden and was comfortable with his sexuality.

Discography

''From Now On'' (2002)

''Friday's Child'' (2003)

''Keep On'' (2005)

''Let It Go'' (2008)

''Echoes'' (2011)

References

External links

Official website

Will Young discography at Discogs.

.

Will Young Tour Review on the Daily Music Guide, 6 November 2008.

Interview with Will Young on the Daily Music Guide, 8 November 2008.

Category:1979 births Category:People educated at the Arts Educational Schools Category:Alumni of the University of Exeter Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English film actors Category:English male singers Category:English pop singers Category:English stage actors Category:Gay actors Category:Idol series winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom Category:LGBT people from England Category:Living people Category:Old Wellingtonians Category:People from Hungerford Category:People from Reading, Berkshire Category:People from Wokingham Category:Pop Idol contestants Category:Sony BMG artists Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK) Category:Twin people from England

cy:Will Young da:Will Young de:Will Young fa:ویل یانگ fr:Will Young id:Will Young it:Will Young nl:Will Young ja:ウィル・ヤング pl:Will Young pt:Will Young ru:Янг, Уилл simple:Will Young fi:Will Young sv:Will Young th:วิล ยัง

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Jamie Cullum
background	solo_singer
born	August 20, 1979Rochford, Essex, England, UK
instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums
genre	Crossover jazz, power pop, blue-eyed soul
active	1999–present
spouse	Sophie Dahl (2010–present)
occupation	Musician, songwriter
label	UCJ, Candid, Decca, Verve (US), Verve Forecast (US), Deckdisc (BR)
website	www.jamiecullum.com }}

Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.

Early life

Cullum was born in Rochford, Essex. He was brought up in Hullavington, Wiltshire.

His mother, Yvonne, is a secretary of Anglo-Burmese origin, whose family settled in North England after Burma's independence; his father, John Cullum, worked in finance. His paternal grandfather was a British Army officer, while his paternal grandmother was a Jewish refugee from Prussia who sang in Berlin nightclubs.

Cullum was educated at the independent Grittleton House School and the sixth form at Sheldon School, a comprehensive school. He then went on to study English Literature and Film Studies at Reading University, where he graduated with First Class Honours.

Musical career

With only £48 to produce it, Cullum released his first album, ''Jamie Cullum Trio—Heard it All Before'', in 1999, of which 500 copies were made. Due to their rarity, original copies have sold for as much as £600 on eBay. The success of ''Heard it All Before'' resulted in Cullum being invited to appear on Geoff Gascoyne's album ''Songs of the Summer''.

After graduating from Reading University, Cullum released his best-selling album, ''Pointless Nostalgic'', which stirred interest from Michael Parkinson and Melvyn Bragg.

Just after Cullum made his first television appearance, on Parkinson in April 2003, he signed a £1m contract for three albums with Universal, who beat Sony in a bidding war. Cullum's second studio album, ''Twentysomething'', released in October 2003, went platinum and became the No. 1 selling studio album by a jazz artist in the United Kingdom. Cullum ended 2003 as the UK's biggest selling jazz artist of all time.

Although primarily a jazz musician, he performs in a wide range of styles and is generally regarded as a "crossover" artist with his musical roots firmly based in jazz. Cullum draws his inspiration from many different musicians and listens to an eclectic mix of music from Miles Davis to Tom Waits and many more. Cullum has belonged to several bands, ranging from banging drums in a hip hop group to playing guitar in rock bands such as Raw Sausage and The Mystery Machine, in his teenage youth. Cullum names his elder brother, Ben Cullum, as his biggest musical influence, and the two continue to collaborate extensively.

Cullum is well known not only for his abilities on the piano, but also for his style and charisma. One of the many things that features in Cullum's concerts is the Stomp box (not to be confused with an effect pedal for guitars), made from a small wooden block. The stompbox is used to amplify a musician's tapping foot. Cullum found this in Melbourne, Australia and uses it to enhance upbeat and fast-paced songs such as "Seven Nation Army", originally by The White Stripes and "Gold Digger", originally by Kanye West. He is also often found using a looping machine. This plays a heavy part in Cullum's versions of "Seven Nation Army" and "Teardrop" by Massive Attack. Cullum is also often found beatboxing at most gigs.

As well as The White Stripes and Kanye West, Cullum has performed work by Massive Attack, Pharell, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Joy Division, Lady Gaga and many others. He has also performed with Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Will.i.am and Burt Bacharach.

Cullum never works to a set list and on average his gigs last just over two hours. The gigs are largely improvised, rooted in jazz but not solely consisting of jazz music.

Cullum has played at many large music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival (in 2004 and 2009), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (in 2005), Coachella 2005, 2006 South by Southwest, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl (performing with the Count Basie Orchestra) and the 2006 Playboy Jazz Festival. On 30 April 2006 Cullum played his biggest ever crowd on Queensday in the Netherlands.

''Pointless Nostalgic''

''Pointless Nostalgic'' began life as a self-funded project and eventually got taken on by Candid Records, featuring a mix of standards, originals and contemporary covers. It was recorded in Spring 2001 at Clown's Pocket Studios, Bexley, by Derek Nash and co-produced by Geoff Gascoyne.

On the album Cullum created covers of old classics with new arrangements of Warren and Burke's "Devil May Care", Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't" and Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So".

''Twentysomething''

Recorded at London's Mayfair Studio and released 20 October 2003, ''Twentysomething'' contains a mix of jazz standards, contemporary tunes and ballads.

Due to the acoustic nature of the music, producer Stewart Levine chose to record and mix ''Twentysomething'' entirely on analogue tape. Since the album was recorded almost entirely "live" with no need to correct or improve performances, Levine saw no need for the infinite amount of tracks and computerised digital recording.

The album includes jazz standards "What a Diff'rence a Day Made", "Singin' in the Rain", and Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick out of You", modern takes on ''My Fair Lady'''s "I Could Have Danced All Night", Jeff Buckley’s "Lover, You Should Have Come Over", and Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary", as well as new tracks written by Cullum and his brother Ben, including the first single from the album "All At Sea" and the title track "Twentysomething".

''Catching Tales''

Cullum's third major label album, also produced by Stewart Levine, entitled ''Catching Tales'', was released on 26 September 2005, in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and two weeks later in the United States, on 11 October. The American and French versions of ''Catching Tales'' do not include the track "Fascinating Rhythm", which appears on the European version. The first single released from the album, in the United Kingdom, was "Get Your Way", a collaboration with Dan The Automator which used a sample from the Thad Jones song "Get Out Of My Life, Woman". The second single released, in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, was "Mind Trick", written by Cullum and his brother Ben. The third single from the album was the self-penned track "Photograph", which Cullum said was written on New Years Day 2005 after he found a box of old photographs at his parents house.

A special edition version of ''Catching Tales'' was released in Europe, featuring a 20-minute documentary, including behind the scenes footage of Jamie recording the album and on the road footage, from across Europe. ''Catching Tales'' has also been released on double vinyl, as was the first single, "Get Your Way". A limited edition version of the "Get Your Way" single was released on red vinyl.

Cullum collaborated with Pharrell Williams. They recorded various songs together and it was thought that the track titled "Wifey" would make an appearance on ''Catching Tales'', but this was prevented by legal and contractual problems. Cullum's vocals finally featured on Pharrell's debut solo album, on a track titled "You Can Do It Too", though Cullum is not credited as a featured artist.

Cullum toured in support of ''Catching Tales'' from the end of October 2005 to December 2006.

''The Pursuit''

On 4 June 2009, Cullum announced the title of his fourth studio album, ''The Pursuit''. The album, which was released on 10 November 2009, is produced by Greg Wells, and the first single is "I'm All Over It", written by Deacon Blue frontman, Ricky Ross. The album was recorded at a Los Angeles studio, using songs that Cullum originally recorded at his Shepherd's Bush recording studio, Terrified Studios.

''The Pursuit'' was recorded in a variety of places; Jamie's kitchen, a studio in L.A. and "Terrifed Studios" (Jamie's own in Shepherd's Bush). Various musicians were also used in the recording process. Songs recorded in L.A. mostly used session musicians and sees Greg Wells and Cullum play various instrument including drums and bass. "Don't Stop The Music", the second single from the album (released as a download only in January 2010) was recorded with Chris Hill and Brad Webb.

Other band members

From 2003 to 2008 Cullum played consistently with Geoff Gascoyne on bass, and Sebastiaan de Krom on drums. From 2003 until 2004 the trio was joined by Ben Castle on saxophone, John Hoare on trumpet, Barnaby Dickinson on trombone and Malcolm MacFarlane on guitar.

Sam Wedgwood (guitarist, bassist and trumpeter) later joined Cullum, on tour, for a little over a year. At the end of 2005 Cullum was joined by Tom Richards (saxophonist, occasional guitarist and percussion). Soon after that Sam Wedgwood left to pursue his own solo musical career. At the beginning of 2006 Rory Simmons (trumpeter and guitarist) joined the band as a replacement, bringing the total number of band members (including Cullum himself) to five.

In late 2009 Cullum replaced Geoff Gascoyne (bass) and Sebastiaan de Krom (drums) with Chris Hill (bass) and Brad Webb (drums).

Awards

The British Jazz Awards first recognised Cullum's growing success by awarding him the "Rising Star" award, at the 2003 ceremony in July. At the 2004 BRIT Awards, Cullum was nominated in the "British Breakthrough Act" category. He performed live in the ceremony at Earl's Court, a duet with Katie Melua of The Cure's "The Lovecats". In the 2005 BRIT Awards, Cullum was nominated for two awards: "Best Male Artist" and "Best Live Act". In 2005 Cullum was nominated for a Grammy while taking BBC Radio 2 "Artist of the Year" honours at the BBC Jazz Awards (as voted for by listeners of Radio 2). In 2007 Cullum won the Ronnie Scotts Jazz Award for "Best British Male". He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for his composition, "Gran Torino".

Personal life

Cullum married British food writer and former model Sophie Dahl in a private ceremony at Westminster Abbey in England on 9 January 2010. On 11 September 2010, the couple confirmed that they were expecting a child. Their daughter, Lyra, was born on 2 March 2011.

Discography

References

External links

Official record label site

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Reading Category:Anglo-Burmese people Category:British people of Jewish descent Category:British people of Burmese descent Category:English drummers Category:English-language singers Category:English male singers Category:English pop guitarists Category:English pop pianists Category:English pop singers Category:Jazz-pop pianists Category:Jazz-pop singers Category:People from Wiltshire Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:People educated at Grittleton House School

ca:Jamie Cullum cs:Jamie Cullum cy:Jamie Cullum da:Jamie Cullum de:Jamie Cullum es:Jamie Cullum fr:Jamie Cullum it:Jamie Cullum nl:Jamie Cullum ja:ジェイミー・カラム no:Jamie Cullum pl:Jamie Cullum pt:Jamie Cullum fi:Jamie Cullum sv:Jamie Cullum