Events

404 BC – Peloponnesian War: Lysander's Spartan Armies defeated the Athenians and the war ends.

1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094.

1607 – Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.

1644 – The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming Dynasty China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.

1707 – The Habsburg army is defeated by Bourbon army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.

1792 – Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.

1792 – ''La Marseillaise'' (the French national anthem) is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.

1804 – The western Georgian kingdom of Imereti accepts the suzerainty of the Russian Empire

1829 – Charles Fremantle arrives in HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom.

1846 – Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican-American War.

1847 – The last survivors of the Donner Party are out of the wilderness.

1849 – The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal's English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.

1859 – British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal.

1861 – American Civil War: The Union Army arrives in Washington, D.C.

1862 – American Civil War: Forces under Union Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Marks' Mills.

1898 – Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain.

1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.

1915 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli begins—The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian, British, French and New Zealand troops begins with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles.

1916 – Easter Rebellion: The United Kingdom declares martial law in Ireland.

1916 – Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove.

1920 – At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of World War I adopt a resolution to determine the allocation of Class "A" League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.

1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in ''Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins'' and overturns a century of federal common law.

1939 – DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics #27; he is Batman, one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time.

1943 – The Demyansk Shield for German troops in commemoration of Demyansk Pocket is instituted.

1944 – The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.

1945 – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops meet in Torgau along the River Elbe, cutting the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany in two, a milestone in the approaching end of World War II in Europe.

1945 – The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime dissolves and Benito Mussolini tries to escape. This day is taken as symbolic of the Liberation of Italy.

1945 – Fifty nations gather in San Francisco, California to begin the United Nations Conference on International Organizations.

1945 – The last German troops retreat from Finland's soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War. Military acts of Second World War end in Finland.

1953 – Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish ''Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid'' describing the double helix structure of DNA.

1959 – The St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.

1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.

1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.

1965 – Teenage sniper Michael Andrew Clark kills three and wounds six others shooting from a hilltop along Highway 101 just south of Santa Maria, California.

1966 – The city of Tashkent is destroyed by a huge earthquake.

1972 – Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive – The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum.

1974 – Carnation Revolution: A leftist military coup in Portugal overthrows the ''Estado Novo'' regime and eventually establishes a democratic government.

1975 – As North Vietnamese forces close in on the South Vietnamese capital Saigon, the Australian Embassy is closed and evacuated, almost ten years to the day since the first Australian troop commitment to South Vietnam.

1981 – More than 100 workers are exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan.

1982 – Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula per the Camp David Accords.

1983 – American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.

1983 – ''Pioneer 10'' travels beyond Pluto's orbit.

1986 – Mswati III is crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.

1988 – In Israel, John Demjanuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II.

2003 – The Human Genome Project comes to an end two and a half years earlier than expected.

2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.

2005 – Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union.

2005 – 107 die in Amagasaki rail crash in Japan.

2007 – Boris Yeltsin's funeral – the first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Emperor Alexander III in 1894.

2009 – Zach Daniels made his debut in professional wrestling against Jason Blackman.

2011 – At least 300 people killed in deadliest tornado outbreak in the Southern United States since the 1974 Super Outbreak.

Births

1214 – King Louis IX of France (d. 1270)

1228 – King Conrad IV of Germany (d. 1254)

1284 – King Edward II of England (d. 1327)

1287 – Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, ''de facto'' ruler of England (d. 1330)

1502 – Georg Major, German Protestant theologian (d. 1574)

1599 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (d. 1658)

1608 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans, French politician (d. 1660)

1621 – Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, British soldier, statesman, and dramatist (d. 1679)

1694 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect (d. 1753)

1710 – James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer (d. 1776)

1725 – Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1786)

1767 – Nicolas Oudinot, French marshal (d. 1847)

1770 – Georg Sverdrup, Norwegian philologist (d. 1850)

1775 – Charlotte of Spain, Spanish Infanta and queen of Portugal (d. 1830)

1776 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (d. 1857)

1843 – Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse (d. 1878)

1849 – Felix Klein, German mathematician (d. 1925)

1850 – Luise Adolpha Le Beau, German composer (d. 1927)

1851 – Leopoldo Alas y Ureña, a.k.a. "Clarín", Spanish novelist (d. 1901)

1862 – Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, British politician (d. 1933)

1868 – John Bevins Moisant, American aviator (d. 1910)

1873 – Walter de la Mare, English poet (d. 1956)

1874 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (d. 1937)

1897 – Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (d. 1965)

1898 – Fred Haney, baseball player (d. 1977)

1900 – Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, Austrian-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)

1902 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist (d. 1964)

1903 – Andrey Nikolayevich Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician (d. 1987)

1905 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1986)

1906 – William J. Brennan, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1997)

1908 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (d. 1965)

1909 – William Pereira, American architect (d. 1985)

1913 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek naval officer in World War II (d. 1944)

1913 – Earl Bostic, American musician (d. 1965)

1914 – Ross Lockridge, Jr., American writer (d. 1948)

1917 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (d. 1996)

1918 – Gerard Henri de Vaucouleurs, French astronomer (d. 1995)

1918 – Astrid Varnay, Swedish-born soprano (d. 2006)

1921 – Karel Appel, Dutch painter (d. 2006)

1923 – Melissa Hayden, American ballerina (d. 2006)

1923 – Albert King, American musician (d. 1992)

1924 – Franco Mannino, Italian composer (d. 2005)

1925 – Sammy Drechsel, German journalist, film director, and cabaret performer (d. 1986)

1925 – Kay E. Kuter, American actor (d. 2003)

1926 – Gertrude Fröhlich-Sandner, Austrian politician (d. 2008)

1927 – Albert Uderzo, French cartoonist

1927 – Corín Tellado, Spanish romance novelist (d. 2009)

1929 – Yvette Williams, first woman New Zealander to go to Olympics

1930 – Paul Mazursky, American film director and writer

1931 – Felix Berezin, Russian mathematician (d. 1980)

1932 – Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player

1932 – William Roache, British television actor (Coronation Street)

1933 – Jerry Leiber, American composer

1933 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player [AAGPBL] (d. 1992)

1934 – Peter McParland, Northern Irish footballer

1935 – April Ashley, English model

1938 – Ton Schulten, Dutch artist

1939 – Ted Kooser, American poet and US Poet Laureate

1940 – Jochen Borchert, German politician

1940 – Al Pacino, American actor

1941 – Bertrand Tavernier, French director, screenwriter and actor

1941 – Princess Muna al-Hussein, of Jordan

1942 – Jon Kyl, American politician, junior senator of Arizona

1942 – Katsuji Adachi, Japanese professional wrestler

1944 – Len Goodman, English dancer

1945 – Stu Cook, American rock bassist (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

1945 – Richard C. Hoagland, American conspiracy theorist

1945 – Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish singer and songwriter (ABBA)

1946 – Talia Shire, American actress

1946 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian politician

1947 – Johan Cruijff, Dutch footballer

1947 – Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor

1948 – Yu Shyi-kun, former Premier of Taiwan

1949 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French economist, lawyer, and politician

1949 – Vicente Pernía, Argentine footballer

1949 – James Fenton, English poet

1950 – Steve Ferrone, English drummer

1950 – Peter Jurasik, American actor

1951 – Ian McCartney, British Member of Parliament

1952 – Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist

1952 – Vladislav Tretiak, Soviet ice hockey player

1953 – Ron Clements, American animation director

1955 – Américo Gallego, Argentine footballer

1955 – Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor

1955 – Christopher Tyng, American composer

1956 – Jaroslava Schallerová, Czech actress

1958 – Fish, Scottish singer and lyricist (ex-Marillion)

1959 – Dominique Blanc, French actress

1960 – Bruce Redman, Australian film producer

1961 – Dinesh D'Souza, American author

1963 – David Moyes, Everton Football Club manager

1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor and voice actor

1964 – Andy Bell, English singer and songwriter (Erasure)

1965 – Eric Avery, American musician (Jane's Addiction, Deconstruction, Polar Bear)

1965 – Mark Bryant, American basketball player

1965 – Simon Fowler, English musician (Ocean Colour Scene)

1966 – James Stacy Barbour, American actor and singer

1966 – Diego Domínguez, Argentine-born Italian rugby player

1966 – Erik Pappas, Greek-American baseball player

1969 – Joe Buck, American sports broadcaster

1969 – Gina Torres, American actress

1969 – Darren Woodson, American football player

1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress

1970 – Jason Lee, American actor

1970 – Jason Wiles, American actor

1971 – Sara Baras, Spanish flamenco dancer

1971 – Tomoko Kawakami, Japanese voice actress

1973 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish drummer (Millencolin)

1974 – Dean Phoenix American gay pornographic actor

1975 – Emily Bergl, British-American actress

1975 – Jacque Jones, American baseball player

1976 – Tim Duncan, American basketball player

1976 – Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player

1976 – Gilberto, Brazilian footballer

1977 – Constantinos Christoforou, Cypriot singer

1977 – Kim Jong Kook, South Korean singer

1977 – Ilias Kotsios, Greek footballer

1977 – Marguerite Moreau, American actress

1977 – Paavo Siljamäki, Finnish musician

1977 – Matthew West, American Christian singer

1978 – Letícia Birkheuer, Brazilian model

1978 – Matt Walker, British Paralympic swimmer

1980 – Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor

1980 – Bruce Martin, New Zealand cricketer

1980 – Kazuhito Tadano, Japanese baseball player

1980 – Alejandro Valverde, Spanish cyclist

1981 – Dwone Hicks, American football player

1981 – Felipe Massa, Brazilian Formula One driver

1981 – John McFall, British Paralympic sprinter

1981 – Anja Pärson, Swedish skier

1982 – Brian Barton, American baseball player

1982 – Monty Panesar, English cricketer for England

1982 – Marco Russo, Italian footballer

1983 – DeAngelo Williams, American football player

1983 – J.P. Howell, American baseball player

1983 – Joanne Peh, Singaporean actress

1984 – Robert Andino, American baseball player

1984 – Melonie Diaz, American actress

1984 – Andre' Woodson, American football player

1985 – Giedo van der Garde, Dutch racing driver

1985 – Jadyn Maria, Puerto Rican singer & songwriter

1987 – Johann Smith, American soccer player

1987 – Jay Park, b-boy & musician, part of Art of Movement

1988 – James Sheppard, Canadian ice hockey player

1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, 11th Panchen Lama

1990 – Taylor Walker, Australian Rules football player

1996 – Allisyn Ashley Arm, American child actress

Deaths

68 – Saint Mark, the first Pope of Alexandria and the founder of Christianity in Africa

1077 – Géza I of Hungary (b. 1040)

1265 – Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, English crusader

1295 – King Sancho IV of Castile

1472 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian artist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1404)

1516 – John Yonge, English diplomat (b. 1467)

1566 – Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France (b. 1499)

1566 – Louise Labé, French poet

1595 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet (b. 1544)

1605 – Naresuan, King of Siam (b. 1555)

1644 – Chongzhen Emperor, Emperor of China (b. 1611)

1660 – Henry Hammond, English churchman (b. 1605)

1690 – David Teniers the Younger, Flemish artist (b. 1610)

1740 – Shrimant Baji Rao Vishwanath Bhat, also known as Baji Rao I, a general and Peshwa (b. 1699)

1744 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (b. 1701)

1770 – Jean-Antoine Nollet, French abbot and physicist (b. 1700)

1800 – William Cowper, English poet (b. 1731)

1840 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician (b. 1781)

1875 – Trinley Gyatso, 12th Dalai Lama (b. 1857)

1878 – Anna Sewell, English author (b. 1820)

1891 – Nathaniel Woodard, English educationalist (b. 1811)

1892 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (b. 1840)

1906 – John Knowles Paine, American composer (b. 1839)

1911 – Emilio Salgari, Italian novelist (b. 1862)

1915 – Frederick William Seward, United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1830)

1919 – Augustus D. Juilliard, music patron (b. 1836)

1923 – Louis-Olivier Taillon, Canadian politician (b. 1840)

1928 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian counter-revolutionary (b. 1878)

1937 – Michał Drzymała, Polish rebel (b. 1857)

1943 – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian theatre director (b. 1858)

1944 – George Herriman, American comic author (Krazy Kat) (b. 1880)

1944 – Tony Mullane, Irish-born American baseball player (b. 1859)

1968 – Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876)

1972 – George Sanders, British actor (b. 1906)

1973 – Olga Grey, Hungarian-born American silent actress (b. 1896)

1975 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer (b. 1947)

1976 – Carol Reed, English film producer and director (b. 1906)

1976 – Markus Reiner, Israeli scientist (b. 1886)

1978 – Lee Kim Lai, Singaporean police officer (b. 1960)

1980 – Katia Mann, wife of German writer Thomas Mann (b. 1883)

1982 – John Cody, American cardinal (b. 1907)

1983 – William S. Bowdern, American Jesuit Roman Catholic priest (b. 1897)

1988 – Valerie Solanas, American radical feminist (b. 1936)

1990 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist (b. 1923)

1992 – Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1965)

1995 – Andria Balanchivadze, Georgian composer (b. 1906)

1995 – Art Fleming, American game show host (b. 1925)

1995 – Ginger Rogers, American actress and dancer (b. 1911)

1996 – Saul Bass, American graphics designer (b. 1920)

1998 – Wright Morris, American writer (b. 1910)

1998 – Christian Mortensen, Danish-American supercentenarian (b. 1882)

1999 – Roger Troutman, American musician (b. 1951)

1999 – Larry Troutman, American musician (b. 1944)

1999 – Lord Killanin, Irish International Olympic Committee president (b. 1914)

2000 – David Merrick, American theatrical producer (b. 1911)

2000 – Lucien le Cam, French mathematician (b. 1924)

2001 – Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (b. 1956)

2002 – Indra Devi, yoga teacher (b. 1899)

2002 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper (TLC) (b. 1971)

2002 – Athanasios Papoulis, Greek-American engineer and applied mathematician (b. 1921)

2003 – Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete (b. 1966)

2004 – Thom Gunn, English poet (b. 1929)

2005 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk (b. 1908)

2005 – Hasil Adkins, Appalachian country, rock and roll, and blues musician (b. 1937)

2006 – Jane Jacobs, American-born Canadian urbanist (b. 1916)

2007 – Alan Ball, British footballer (b. 1945)

2007 – Bobby "Boris" Pickett, American singer and songwriter (b. 1938)

2007 – Arthur Milton, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1928)

2008 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English jazz musician and broadcaster (b. 1921)

2009 – Beatrice Arthur, American comedienne, actress, and singer (b. 1922)

2010 – Dorothy Provine, American singer, dancer, actress, and comedienne (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances

ANZAC Day (Australia, New Zealand)

Arbor Day (Germany)

Army Day (North Korea)

Christian Feast Day:

* The latest possible date for Easter Sunday, last in 1943.

*Mark the Evangelist

*Philo and Agathopodes

*Pope Anianus of Alexandria

*April 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

DNA Day

Flag Day (Faroe Islands)

Flag Day (Swaziland)

Freedom Day (Portugal)

Liberation Day (Italy)

Malaria Awareness Day (International)

Military Foundation Day (North Korea)

Red Hat Society Day

Robigalia, celebrated on 25 Aprilis. (Roman Empire)

Sinai's Liberation Day (Egypt)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:April

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Peter Aerts
birth name	Peter Aerts
other names	The Dutch Lumberjack
nationality	Dutch
birth date	October 25, 1970
birth place	Eindhoven, Netherlands
fighting out of	Amsterdam, Netherlands
height
weight
weight class	Super Heavyweight
style	Kickboxing, Muay Thai
stance	orthodox
team	Team Aerts (2004-present) Mejiro Gym (1997-2004) Chakuriki Gym (1991-1997) The Champs (1989-1991) Judoka-Kickboxing (1984-1987)
trainer	Thom Harinck (2009-present) Jan Plas (2004-2009) Andre Mannaart (1997-2004) Thom Harinck (1991-1997) Eddy Smulders (1989-1991) Mikki Benazzouz (1984-1987)
years active	26 (1985–present)
kickbox win	102
kickbox kowin	77
kickbox loss	28
kickbox koloss	17
kickbox draw	1
mma win	1
mma kowin	1
mma loss	1
mma subloss	1
mma draw	0
students	William Diender
url	http://www.peteraerts.com
sherdog	13344
updated	December 16, 2010 }}

Peter "The Dutch Lumberjack" Aerts (born October 25, 1970) is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and Muay Thai World Champion. Aerts is best known for his powerful strikes and high kicks.

Biography

After playing football for seven years, in 1983 Peter Aerts started to practice taekwondo. His interest in combat sports came from his grandfather and an uncle; both were active in that field. In 1984 he picked up kickboxing and started training in "Judoka-Kickboxing" in Best, Netherlands with Mikki Benazzouz. After a year Aerts fought his first match, and soon one victory succeeded the other. He won his first world championship title when he was nineteen.

Aerts then switched to club "Champs" in Eindhoven, with Eddy Smulders, where he became world champion for the second time. After that he moved to the famous Chakuriki Gym of Thom Harinck, where he had his greatest successes. In 1994 Aerts became the K-1 World Champion for the first time, following up his success in 1995 and 1998. His win in 1998 was the fastest tournament win in K-1 history, when he knocked out all of his opponents in the very first round in a record time of 6:43 minutes, until Semmy Schilt won the World Grand Prix in 2009 in 5:54 minutes. He has competed in more K-1 World Grand Prix than any other K-1 fighter in history. He currently competed in every World Grand Prix except 2009.

In 1997 He broke the work relationship with Thom Harinck. He later moved to train with Andre Mannaart, a former K-1 fighter himself. Currently Aerts has his own Team Aerts, training out of Kops Gym in Amsterdam under Henry Hooft and formerly Jan Plas.

On December 2, 2006, Aerts entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 as a reserve fighter, defeating his opponent Musashi by first round knockout. After Remy Bonjasky was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury, Aerts met Glaube Feitosa in the semifinals, winning his fight by TKO in the second round. His opponent in the finals was reigning World Champion Semmy Schilt, Aerts lost the fight by unanimous decision.

On June 23, 2007 at the K-1 World GP 2007 in Amsterdam Aerts faced Bob Sapp in a much-anticipated Superfight. Aerts struck Sapp with the left knee, Sapp fell down and the fight was over in 0'25" in a first round. In June 2007, Aerts extended his contract with K-1 for another two years.

On September 29, 2007 Aerts met Ray Sefo at the K-1 World GP 2007 in Seoul Final 16 in Korea. He won the fight at the end of the first round by TKO corner stoppage when Ray Sefo did not answer the bell and qualified himself for 15th consecutive year to K-1 World GP 2007 Final held on December 8, 2007 at the Yokohama Arena, Japan. In quarterfinals, Aerts knocked out Junichi Sawayashiki from Japan in the first round. In the semi finals, he defeated two time K-1 World Grand Prix winner Remy Bonjasky by unanimous decision. He then moved on to face two time defending champion Semmy Schilt in the finals. Aerts lost the bout by TKO in the first round after suffering a knee injury.

Aerts entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final after beating Schilt by majority decision where he was unexpectedly beaten in the second round by Badr Hari.

At the start of 2009 Aerts was back to training again with Thom Harinck. Back with Harinck in his corner Aerts had two very impressive fights, a extra round unanimous decision win to Errol Zimmerman and a 3rd round KO win over Yosuke Nishijima. In both fights Aerts looked as though he would easily capture the K-1 World Grand Prix Title for a fourth time in the awesome shape he was in.

Aerts fought at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16 as a huge favourite against MMA heavyweight Alistair Overeem. However in a huge upset Overeem shocked the world by defeating Aerts by unanimous decision. Aerts stated after the fight that after the first minute he had lost virtually all of his power and felt no shame in his first Final 16 defeat. Aerts said he will return to training as usual. After the Overeem fight Aerts dropped more weight under a diet that Harinck set for him, dropping to 103 kg as opposed to his usual 109–112 kg. He was still picked as a reserve fighter where he beat Gokhan Saki by Unanimous decision.

At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama Peter was in great shape weighing 97 kg. Unfortunately he was knocked down twice in round 1 and KO'd in round 2 by Kyotaro famous right punch. Most notably, the 2nd knock down didn't count, because it was on the bell. Afterwards Thom Harinck explained that Peter had troubles with his left elbow and his eye and the loss of weight was too much.

At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Seoul Final 16 Peter was back in top shape. He defeated Ewerton Teixeira by a close but brilliant extra round decision.

In his 17th appearance at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final he defeated Mighty Mo by first round KO. In the semi finals he came face to face with his arch rival Semmy Schilt, in a fight where he was a huge underdog due to his age and Schilt's success in the 2009 Grand Prix. After been cut above the eye and finishing the fight with a swollen face Peter won a brilliantly fought decision. However he had taken a lot of damage in the fight with Schilt, actually started to cough up blood in his changing room after the fight, which wrecked his plans in the final. He was overwhelmed by a less damaged and much fitter and bigger Alistair Overeem and lost by first round TKO. Though he was defeated he broke three world records in K-1: He became the oldest man, 40 years old to ever make it to the K-1 World Grand Prix Final, he marked the most amount of appearances, 6 times that any fighter had ever made it to the Final and also became the first person to ever beat Semmy Schilt in a tournament.

He also played a minor role in the comedy movie "New Kids Turbo", which is a Dutch production. The protagonists, a group of Dutch guys who always look for trouble and create chaos in a small Dutch village, borrow some money from Peter. He plays himself in the movie and is seen living in a villa. In one scene he KO´s one of the guys for refusing to give him the money back.

Titles

2010 K-1 World Grand Prix runner up

2007 K-1 World Grand Prix runner up

2006 K-1 World Grand Prix runner up

2003 K-1 World Grand Prix Final 3rd Place

2001 K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas runner up

1998 K-1 World GP champion

1995 K-1 World GP champion

1995 WMTA World Muay Thai Super Heavyweight champion

1994 K-1 World GP champion

1994 The Night of the Stars tournament champion

1992 MTBN World Muay Thai Heavyweight Champion

1991 WMTA World Muay Thai Heavyweight champion

1990 IKBF World Heavyweight champion

Kickboxing record

See also

List of K-1 events

List of K-1 champions

List of male kickboxers

List of kickboxing organizations

References

External links

Peter Aerts Official Website

K-1sport.de - Complete Fighters Profile of Peter Aerts

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Dutch kickboxers Category:Super heavyweight kickboxers Category:Dutch mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Dutch Muay Thai practitioners Category:People from Eindhoven

de:Peter Aerts es:Peter Aerts fr:Peter Aerts ko:피터 아츠 it:Peter Aerts nl:Peter Aerts ja:ピーター・アーツ pl:Peter Aerts pt:Peter Aerts ru:Артс, Петер sk:Peter Aerts sv:Peter Aerts uk:Петер Артс

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Matt Skelton
birth name	Matthew Skelton
other names	The Bedford BangerThe Bedford Bear
nationality	English
birth date	January 23, 1967
birth place	Bedford, England
residence	Bedford, England
height
weight
weight class	Heavyweight
style	Boxing, Kickboxing
stance	orthodox
trainer	Kevin Sanders
box win	25
box kowin	20
box loss	6
box koloss	3
kickbox win	63
kickbox kowin	57
kickbox loss	8
kickbox koloss	3
mma win	0
mma loss	1
mma subloss	1
boxrec	141021
sherdog	3156
updated	September 16, 2009 }}

Matt Skelton (born 23 January 1967 in Bedford) is an English boxer who changed sports from kickboxing. He is a former English, British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight champion. He has also held the lightly regarded WBU "World" Heavyweight title.

Biography

Skelton did not become a professional boxer until fairly late in life, his first fight being at the age of 35. Prior to this he had been a professional kickboxer.

Kickboxing

Skelton has a kickboxing/muay thai record of 63-8/57. He won an International Kickboxing Federation IKF World Title when he stopped Jeff Ford (USA) at 1:51 of the second round in Northampton, England on 26 November 2000.

In his first defense of the IKF World Title on 18 November 2001, in Northampton, England, he defeated Peter Varga (Hungary) by TKO at 53 seconds of round 3.

Skelton, in a K-1 primary tournament ''K-1 WORLD GP 2001 in Melbourne'' in Australia, 16 June 2001, knocked out Paris Vasilikos (Greece) at 2:05 of the first round in the quarter final match. And he also beat Michael McDonald (Canada) by third round decision (3-0) in the semi-final match. He was beaten, however, by Ernesto Hoost of the Netherlands by a third round decision (2-0) in the tournament final.

Skelton's record in K-1 is ten wins and seven losses.

During his time as kickboxer and muay thai fighter, Skelton trained with the well known Eagles Gym under the highly regarded and respected Nigel Howlett.

Professional wrestling

Skelton has competed in one shoot-style pro-wrestling bout - a loss to Kazuo Yamazaki for Akira Maeda's Universal Wrestling Federation on 10 January 1989 at Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

Mixed martial arts

Matt Skleton has had one Mixed martial arts fight. On 3 November 2001, at a Pride FC event named PRIDE 17, he lost via choke to wrestler Tom Erikson at 1:11 of the first round.

Boxing

As a professional boxer, he was initially dismissed by purists as an unrefined slugger lacking the required skill to achieve at the very top, but his powerful style has proved extremely successful under the tutelage of renowned trainer Frank Maloney.

He turned pro aged 35 in September 2002 with a two round KO of Gifford Shillingford. From this point he was moved along quickly, in 2003 scoring stoppages of respected veterans Jacklord Jacobs, Antoine Palatis, and ex-British champ Michael Holden, among others.

In 2004, he took his first serious step up, at 11-0 taking on ex-British and Commonwealth champion Julius Francis, who he outpointed over 10 rounds. He won the British and Commonwealth titles in his next fight, stopping Michael Sprott in 12 rounds, and defending the titles against the durable Keith Long, who he stopped in 11.

In 2005, Skelton won the lowly regarded WBU belt with a 6th round knockout of Fabio Moli. Skelton soon vacated the belt, and began to enjoy a higher profile when his promoter Frank Warren took all his fighters to ITV for exposure on terrestrial free-to-air television.

Skelton was due to defend his British title against his main rival Danny Williams in July 2005, but Williams pulled out at the last minute citing a case of the flu, a decision that prompted scorn from Williams' promoter Frank Warren. Skelton stopped late sub Mark Krence in 7 rounds, and scored a 1st round knockout of John McDermott to finish the year, whereupon he vacated his British title, having defended it three times.

In February 2006, Skelton finally fought Williams, and lost on split decision handing him his first pro defeat.

In July 2006, he regained his Commonwealth title by easily outboxing Williams.

Skelton was due to defend his title against Audley Harrison in December 2006, but the fight didn't take place.

Instead, the fight against Michael Sprott for the second time was rescheduled for 14 July 2007, in which Skelton defended his title in a 12 round battle.

Matt Skelton faced WBA Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev on 19 January 2008 in Düsseldorf. Skelton fought bravely, but the superior boxing skills of his opponent were too much, and he succumbed to a unanimous points decision after 12 rounds.

Skelton fought Paolo Vidoz for the vacant European Heavyweight Title on 19 December 2008. Vidoz, exhausted, stopped fighting in round nine, but his corner refused to throw the towel. Skelton, recognizing this fact, refused to knock out the tormented Vidoz and even asked for the referee to quit the match.

Skelton chose to defend the Commonwealth title rather than the European title against undefeated brawler Martin Rogan, who had been completely unknown before upsetting Audley Harrison in his previous fight. On 28 February 2009, Rogan scored another upset by defeating Skelton by TKO11.

On 19 September 2009, Skelton challenged for the so-called EU title (not the European title) against undefeated Italian southpaw Francesco Pianeta. Skelton lost the fight after failing to come out for the 9th due to a hand injury suffered earlier in the fight. In January 2010, he lost to Bulgarian top prospect Kubrat Pulev.

In July 2010, Skelton ended his run of defeats when he knocked out journeyman Lee Swaby in round 5. Later in the year he competed in the Prizefighter series where he outpointed novice Ali Adams and Mike Tyson conqueror Kevin McBride before a split decision loss to Michael Sprott, Sprott avenging his losses to Skelton in their two previous encounters.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|25 Wins (20 knockouts, 5 decisions), 6 Losses, 0 Draws |- |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponnent |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |Lose |25-6 |align=left| Michael Sprott |SD |3 |2010-10-09 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |-align=center |Win |25-5 |align=left| Kevin McBride |UD |3 |2010-10-09 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |-align=center |Win |24-5 |align=left| Ali Adams |UD |3 |2010-10-09 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |-align=center |Win |23-5 |align=left| Lee Swaby |TKO |5 1:00 |2010-07-09 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |22-5 |align=left| Kubrat Pulev |KO |4 2:14 |2010-01-30 |align=left| Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |22-4 |align=left| Francesco Pianeta |RTD |8 3:00 |2009-09-19 |align=left| Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |22-3 |align=left| Martin Rogan |TKO |11 1:21 |2009-02-28 |align=left| National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, West Midlands, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |22-2 |align=left| Paolo Vidoz |RTD |9 3:00 |2008-12-19 |align=left| PalaLido, Milan, Lombardia, Italy |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |21-2 |align=left| Ruslan Chagaev |UD |12 |2008-01-19 |align=left| Burg-Waechter Castello, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany |align=left| |-align=center |Win |21-1 |align=left| Michael Sprott |MD |12 |2007-07-14 |align=left| O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |20-1 |align=left| Danny Williams |UD |12 |2006-07-08 |align=left| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |align=left| |-align=center |Win |19-1 |align=left| Suren Kalachyan |KO |4 0:38 |2006-04-01 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |18-1 |align=left| Danny Williams |SD |12 |2006-02-25 |align=left| ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |18-0 |align=left| John McDermott |TKO |1 1:19 |2005-12-10 |align=left| ExCel Arena, Dockland, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |17-0 |align=left| Mark Krence |TKO |7 3:00 |2005-07-16 |align=left| Bolton Arena, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |16-0 |align=left| Fabio Eduardo Moli |TKO |6 2:14 |2005-02-25 |align=left| Conference Centre, Wembley, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |15-0 |align=left| Keith Long |TKO |11 2:45 |2004-11-19 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |14-0 |align=left| Bob Mirovic |TKO |4 |2004-06-05 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |13-0 |align=left| Michael Sprott |KO |12 |2004-04-24 |align=left| Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, Berkshire, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |12-0 |align=left| Julius Francis |Points |10 |2004-02-07 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |11-0 |align=left| Patriche Costel |KO |1 |2003-11-15 |align=left| Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Bayern, Germany |align=left| |-align=center |Win |10-0 |align=left| Ratko Draskovic |TKO |3 |2003-10-25 |align=left| Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland |align=left| |-align=center |Win |9-0 |align=left| Costi Marin |TKO |1 |2003-10-11 |align=left| Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |8-0 |align=left| Mike Holden |TKO |6 0:32 |2003-09-18 |align=left| Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |7-0 |align=left| Antoine Palatis |TKO |4 |2003-07-17 |align=left| Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |6-0 |align=left| Dave Clarke |TKO |1 |2003-05-15 |align=left| Marriott Hotel, Mayfair, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |5-0 |align=left| Alexey Varakin |KO |2 |2003-04-08 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |4-0 |align=left| Jacklord Jacobs |TKO |4 |2003-02-18 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |3-0 |align=left| Neil Kirkwood |TKO |1 |2002-12-08 |align=left| York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |2-0 |align=left| Alvin Miller |TKO |1 |2002-10-27 |align=left| Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |1-0 |align=left| Gifford Shillingford |KO |2 |2002-09-22 |align=left| Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England |align=left| |-align=center

Professional kickboxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|63 Wins (57 knockouts, 0 submission, 6 decisions), 8 Losses, 0 Draws |- |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponnent |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |Win |63-8 |align=left| George Arias |Decision |3 |2002-08-10 |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win |62-8 |align=left| Peter Varga |TKO |3 0:53 |2001-11-18 |align=left| Northampton, England |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |61-8 |align=left| Lloyd Van Dams |Decision |1 |2001-08-08 |align=left| Marine Messe, Fukuoka, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |61-7 |align=left| Ernesto Hoost |Decision |3 |2001-06-16 |align=left| Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia |align=left| |-align=center |Win |61-6 |align=left| Michael McDonald |Decision |3 |2001-06-16 |align=left| Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia |align=left| |-align=center |Win |60-6 |align=left| Paris Vasilikos |KO |2 1:51 |2001-06-16 |align=left| Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia |align=left| |-align=center |Win |59-6 |align=left| Jeff Ford |KO |2 1:51 |2000-11-26 |align=left| Northampton, England |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |58-6 |align=left| Francisco Filho |KO |2 2:36 |2000-08-20 |align=left| Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Win |58-5 |align=left| Alexey Ignashov |Decision |3 |2000-08-20 |align=left| Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Win |57-5 |align=left| Ricky Nicklson |KO |3 1:10 |2000-04-16 |align=left| Aston Villa Leisure Center, Birmingham, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |56-5 |align=left| Mark Russell |Decision |3 |2000-04-16 |align=left| Aston Villa Leisure Center, Birmingham, England |align=left| |-align=center |Win |55-5 |align=left| Gary Turner |Decision |3 |2000-04-16 |align=left| Aston Villa Leisure Center, Birmingham, England |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |54-5 |align=left| Jérôme Le Banner |KO |1 1:59 |1999-08-05 |align=left| Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |54-4 |align=left| Loyd Van Dams |Decision |3 |1999-06-20 |align=left| Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Win |54-3 |align=left| Jan Nortje |Decision |3 |1999-06-20 |align=left| Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |53-3 |align=left| Peter Aerts |KO |4 3:00 |1999-04-25 |align=left| Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Lose |53-2 |align=left| Sam Greco |Decision |5 |1998-09-27 |align=left| Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Win |53-1 |align=left| Masaaki Satake |TKO |1 2:06 |1998-07-18 |align=left| Nagoya Dome, Nagoya, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Win |52-1 |align=left| Ray Sefo |TKO |2 3:00 |1998-05-24 |align=left| Marine Messe, Fukuoka, Japan |align=left| |-align=center |Win |51-1 |align=left| Jan Nortje |TKO |3 0:47 |1998-04-09 |align=left| Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan |align=left| |-align=center

Professional MMA record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|0 Wins (0 knockouts, 0 submission, 0 decisions), 1 Losses, 0 Draws |- |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponnent |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |Lose |0-1 |align=left| Tom Erikson |Submission |1 1:51 |2001-11-03 |align=left| Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan |align=left| |-align=center

Career

Kickboxing

*IAMTF World championship Super Heavyweight winner

*IKF-PRO World Super Heavyweight Champion

*WKO Muay Thai World Super Heavyweight Champion

*IKO World Heavyweight Champion

*2000 K-1 UK Battle of Britain winner

*2001 K-1 World Grand Prix in Melbourne runner up

Boxing

*British Heavyweight champion

*Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight champion

References

External links

Matt Skelton's K-1 Record

Matt Skelton's MMA Record

International Kickboxing Federation Official Site

Category:1967 births Category:English boxers Category:English kickboxers Category:English mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight boxers Category:Super heavyweight kickboxers Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Living people Category:People from Bedford Category:Prizefighter contestants Category:Black British sportspeople

de:Matt Skelton ja:マット・スケルトン pl:Matt Skelton ru:Скелтон, Мэтт fi:Matt Skelton

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Luther Vandross
background	solo_singer
birth name	Luther Ronzoni Vandross
born	April 20, 1951Manhattan, New York, United States
died	July 01, 2005Edison, New Jersey, United States
genre	R&B;, soul, soft rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer
voice type(s)	Lyric Tenor
years active	1968–2005
label	Cotillion, Epic, Virgin, J, Legacy
associated acts	Change, Chic, Dionne Warwick, Richard Marx, Whitney Houston
website	}}

Luther Ronzoni Vandross (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance four times. He won four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the track "Dance with My Father", co-written with Richard Marx.

Biography

1951–1979: Early life and career

Luther Ronzoni Vandross was born on April 20, 1951 at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, United States. He was the fourth child and second son to Mary Ida Vandross and Luther Vandross, Sr.

Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City in the Alfred E. Smith Houses public housing development, Vandross began playing the piano at the age of three. He grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was thirteen. His sister, Patricia Van Dross, sang with the vocal group The Crests, who had a number two hit in 1958 with "16 Candles (song)", though she left the group before the recording. Vandross's father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. Luther Vandross was in a high school group, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He was also a member of a theater workshop, "Listen My Brother" who released the singles "Only Love Can Make a Better World" and "Listen My Brother", and appeared on the second and fifth episodes of ''Sesame Street'' in November 1969.

Vandross attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music.

His next hit credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972. He was the founder of the first-ever Patti LaBelle fan club. Luther also sang on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album from 1973. He sang with her on the song "Who's Gonna Make It Easier for Me", which he wrote. He also contributed another song, "In This Lonely Hour." Having co-written "Fascination" for David Bowie's ''Young Americans'', he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974. Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice" for the 1975 Broadway musical ''The Wiz'' and appeared as a choir member in the movie.

Vandross also sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Gary Glitter, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, Barbra Streisand, and David Bowie.

Before his breakthrough, Vandross was part of a singing quintet in the late '70s named Luther, consisting of former Shades of Jade members Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler, Theresa V. Reed, and Christine Wiltshire, signed to Cotillion Records. Although the singles "It's Good for the Soul", "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)", and "The Second Time Around" were relatively successful, their two albums, the self-titled ''Luther'' (1976) and ''This Close to You'' (1977), didn't sell enough to make the charts. Vandross bought back the rights to these albums after Cotillion dropped the group, preventing their later re-release.

Vandross also wrote and sang commercial jingles during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 1970s.

Luther also sang lead vocals for a disco band called Greg Diamond's Bionic Boogie on the song titled "Hot Butterfly." Luther also sang with the band Soirée, where he was the lead vocalist on the track "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", and contributed background vocals to the album along with Jocelyn Brown and Sharon Redd, each of whom also saw solo success. He also sang the lead vocals on the group Mascara LP title song "See You in L.A." released in 1979. Luther shines with his impeccable singing supported by his group's co-members David Lalsey and Ula Hedwig.

1980–2003: Career success

Luther Vandross finally made his long desired career breakthrough as a featured singer with the vaunted pop-dance act Change, a studio concept created by French-Italian businessman Jacques Fred Petrus. Their 1980 hits, "A Lover's Holiday" (by Romani and Willoughby), "The Glow of Love" (by Romani, Malavasi and Garfield) and "Searching" (by Malavasi), of which Vandross sang on all three, opened up the world for Vandross. And there was no doubt about whether Vandross liked the song "The Glow of Love". In an interview that Vibe Magazine did with him in 2001 Vandross said, ''"This is the most beautiful song I've ever sung in my life."'' Vandross was also originally intended to perform on the second and highly successful Change album "Miracles" in 1981, but declined the offer as Petrus didn't pay enough money. Vandross' decision rapidly led to a recording contract with Epic Records that same year but didn't stop him from doing some background vocals on "Miracles" and on the new Petrus created act, The B. B. & Q. band in 1981. During that hectic year Vandross jump-started his second attempt at a solo career with his debut album, ''Never Too Much''. In addition to the hit title track it contained a version of the Burt Bacharach / Hal David song "A House Is Not a Home". The song "Never Too Much", written by himself, reached number-one on the R&B; charts. This period also marked the beginning of frequent songwriting collaboration with bassist Marcus Miller, who played on many of the tracks and would also produce or co-produce a number of tracks for Vandross. The ''Never Too Much'' album was arranged by high school classmate Nat Adderley, Jr., a collaboration that would last through Vandross's career.

Vandross released a series of successful R&B; albums during the 1980s and continued his session work with guest vocals on groups like Charme in 1982. Many of his earlier albums made a bigger impact on the R&B; charts than on the pop charts. During the 1980s, Vandross had two singles that reached #1 on the Billboard R&B; charts: "Stop to Love", in 1986, and a duet with Gregory Hines—"There's Nothing Better Than Love." Vandross was at the helm as producer for Aretha Franklin's Gold-certified, award-winning comeback album ''Jump to It''. He also produced the disappointing follow-up album, 1983's ''Get It Right''. In 1983, the opportunity to work with his main music influence, Dionne Warwick, came about with Vandross producing, writing songs, and singing on ''How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye'', her fourth album for Arista Records. The title track duet reached #27 on the Hot 100 chart (#7 R&B;/#4 Adult Contemporary), while the second single, "Got a Date" was only a moderate hit (#45 R&B;/#15 Club Play).

In 1985, Luther Vandross first spotted the talent of Jimmy Salvemini, 15 at the time, on ''Star Search''. He thought Salvemini had the perfect voice for some of his songs. He contacted Salvemini, who was managed by his brother Larry. A contract was negotiated with Elektra records for $250,000 and Luther agreed to produce the album. Luther even contacted old friends to appear on the album, Cheryl Lynn, Alfa Anderson (Chic), Phoebe Snow and Irene Cara. After the album was completed, Luther, Jimmy, and Larry decided to celebrate. On January 12, 1986, they were riding in Luther's convertible Mercedes when it crossed the yellow lines of the two lane street and smashed into two vehicles. All three men were rushed to the hospital. Larry Salvemini died during surgery, and Vandross and Jimmy Salvemini survived. At first, the Salvemini family was supportive of Luther. In 1986, Luther faced vehicular manslaughter charges as a result of Larry's death. Vandross pled no contest to reckless driving. The Salvemini family filed a wrongful death suit against Vandross. The case was quietly settled out of court with a payment to the Salvemini family for $700,000. The album called "Roll With It" was released later that year.

In 1986, Vandross voiced a cartoon character named Zack for three Saturday morning animated PSA spots for ABC Television called 'Zack of All Trades'.

The 1989 compilation ''The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love'' included the ballad "Here and Now", his first single to chart in the Billboard pop chart top ten, peaking at number six. He won his first Grammy award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance in 1991.

More albums followed in the 1990s, beginning with 1991's ''Power of Love'' which spawned two top ten pop hits. He won his second Best Male R&B; Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 1992 with the track "Power of Love/Love Power" winning the Grammy Award for Best R&B; Song in the same year. In 1992, "The Best Things in Life Are Free", a duet with Janet Jackson from the movie ''Mo' Money'' became a hit.

In 1993, Vandross had a brief non-speaking role in the Robert Townsend movie ''The Meteor Man''. He played a hit man who plotted to stop Townsend's title character.

Vandross hit the top ten again in 1994 with Mariah Carey, doing a cover version of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's duet "Endless Love". He also appears on Frank Sinatra's posthumous ''Duets'' album. In the Grammy Awards of 1997, he won his third Best Male R&B; Vocal for the track "Your Secret Love". A second greatest hits album, released in 1997, compiled most of his 1990s hits and was his final album released through Epic Records. After releasing ''I Know'' on Virgin Records, he signed with J Records. His first album on Clive Davis's new label, entitled ''Luther Vandross'', was released in 2001, and it produced the hits "Take You Out" (#7 R&B;/#26 Pop), and "I'd Rather" (#17 Adult Contemporary/#40 R&B;/#83 Pop) Vandross scored at least one top 10 R&B; hit every year from 1981-1994.

In 1997, Luther Vandross sang the American national anthem during Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.

In September 2001, Luther Vandross performed a rendition of Michael Jackson's hit song "Man in the Mirror" at Jackson's 30th Anniversary special, alongside Usher.

In 2002, he gave some of his final concerts during his last tour, The BK Got Soul Tour starring Luther Vandross featuring Angie Stone and Gerald Levert.

In 2003, Vandross released the album ''Dance With My Father''. The title track, which was dedicated to Vandross' memory childhood dances with his father, won Luther and his co-writer, Richard Marx, the 2004 Grammy Award for ''Song of the Year''. The song also won Vandross his fourth and final award in the Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance category. The album was his first to reach number one on the Billboard album chart. The video for the title track features various celebrities alongside their fathers and other family members. The 2nd single released from that album, "Think About You" was the Number One Urban Adult Contemporary Song of 2004 according to Radio & Records.

In 2003, after the televised NCAA Men's Basketball championship, CBS Sports gave "One Shining Moment" a new look. Luther, who had been to only one basketball game in his life, was the new singer, and the video didn't have any special effects like glowing basketballs and star trails like it did in previous years. This song version is in use today.

2003–2005: Illness and death

Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension, both of which ran in his family.

On April 16, 2003, Vandross suffered a stroke at his home in Manhattan, New York. At the time of his stroke, he had just finished the final vocals for the album ''Dance With My Father''. His collaborator on the album was pop star, Richard Marx, whom Vandross had met in 1989 and been friendly with since then. The two worked together on numerous projects over the years, with Vandross appearing on most of Marx's albums. Upon its release, ''Dance With My Father'' became the first and only Luther Vandross record to hit #1. It was also his biggest-selling studio album ever, selling nearly 3 million copies in the United States alone. The title track was also a hit, and won the 2004 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

He appeared briefly on videotape at the 2004 Grammy Awards to accept his Song of the Year Award, where he said, "Whenever I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love". Other than an appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', he was never seen in public again.

Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey at the age of 54. The apparent cause of his death was a heart attack.

His funeral was in New York City on July 8, 2005. After two days of viewing, Vandross was entombed at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey. Much of his estate was left to friends and his godson Mark West.

Voice Recognition

In 2008, Luther Vandross was ranked #54 on Rolling Stone's Magazine's List of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Tribute

On July 27, 2004, GRP Records released a smooth jazz various artists tribute album, ''Forever, For Always, For Luther'', with ten popular songs written by Luther. The album featured vocal arrangements by Luther, and was produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Rideout had co-authored songs and contributed arrangements and played keyboards on Luther's final three albums. The tribute album was mixed by Ray Bardani, who recorded and mixed most of Luther's music over the years. It featured an ensemble of smooth jazz performers, many of whom had previously worked with Luther.

In 2000, Whitney Houston sung Vandross' "So Amazing" as a tribute to Vandross as he sat in the audience during a BET Special. Johnny Gill, El Debarge, and Kenny Lattimore provided background vocals.

On September 20, 2005, the album ''So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross'' was released. The album is a collection of some of Luther's songs performed by various artists, including Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Fantasia, Beyoncé Knowles, Donna Summer, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Angie Stone, Jamie Foxx, Teddy Pendergrass, Chris Farley and Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for her rendition of "A House Is Not a Home", and Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé won a Grammy for their cover of "So Amazing".

The violin duo Nuttin' But Stringz did a remix of the song "Dance with My Father" for their album ''Struggle from the Subway to the Charts'', which was released on October 3, 2006.

On November 21, 2006, saxophonist Dave Koz released a followup to the earlier smooth jazz GRP tribute album, this time on his own Rendezvous Entertainment label, an album called ''Forever, For Always, For Luther Volume II'', also produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner. Dave Koz played on all the featured Luther Vandross tracks, which were recorded by various smooth jazz artists.

In 2007, Deniece Williams included "Never Too Much" on her ''Love, Niecy Style'' CD. Williams said that she recorded the song to say "I love you" to her old friend.

The music video "Bye Bye" from Mariah Carey sees Vandross' picture appear in the closing images. His image was included as a tribute along with various other deceased people with whom Carey had collaborated with.

On ''A Different Me'', Keyshia Cole sings the outro to "Luther Vandross" on "Playa Cardz Right", which features rapper Tupac Shakur.

Guitarist Norman Brown did a rendition of "Any Love" on his 1994 album ''After The Storm''.

R&B; band 112 sampled Vandross' "Don't You Know That" to make their song "Love Me" on their second album ''Room 112''.

Saxophonist Boney James covers his rendition on his final track "The Night I Fell In Love" on ''Backbone'' in 1994.

Author Craig Seymour wrote a book about Vandross called ''Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross''. The book includes numerous interviews with Vandross.

In 2009, Jadakiss sampled Vandross' "Promise Me" to make his song "The Things I've Been Through" on his album, "The Last Kiss".

In 1998, well-known guitarist Peter White covered the Vandross song "Don't Want to Be a Fool", from the album ''Perfect Moment''.

In November 2006, Korean singer K included a cover of the Vandross song "Every Year, Every Christmas" on his Christmas single, ファースト・クリスマス ("First Christmas"), released in Japan. It was also later added to his tribute album, ''The Timeless Collection Vol. 1''.

Tribute artists include FiL Straughan, a singer based in London and New York, and Harry Cambridge.

In 2010, NPR included Vandross in its 50 Greatest Voices in recorded history, saying Vandross represents "the platinum standard for R&B; song stylings." The announcement was made on NPR's ''All Things Considered'' on November 29, 2010.

In late 2010, rapper Battman D.E. GannaBanna sampled Vandross' "Make Me A Believer" for his song "Wanna Luv U" on his debut album ''The World Is A MothaF**kin' Ghetto''.

Hip-hop duo Young Gunz sampled featuring Rell sampled Vandross' "Better Love" to the make the song "No Better Love" on their 2004 Roc-A-Fella Records debut album, ''Tough Luv''.

Jacob Lusk performed "Dance With My Father" on ''American Idol'' season 10 as a tribute to his late father Gregory Lusk and as a tribute to Vandross on April 20, 2011.

New releases

J Records released a song "Shine"—an upbeat R&B; track that samples Chic's disco song "My Forbidden Lover"—reaching #31 on the R&B; chart. A later remix peaked at #10 on the Club Play chart. "Shine" and a track entitled "Got You Home" are previously unreleased songs on ''The Ultimate Luther Vandross'', a greatest hits album on Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings that was released August 22, 2006.

On October 16, 2007, Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings released a 4 disc box set entitled ''Love, Luther''. It features all of Vandross' R&B; and pop hits throughout his career. The set also includes "There's Only You", a version of which had originally appeared on the soundtrack to the 1987 film ''Made in Heaven''.

Discography

Awards

{| class=wikitable |- | colspan=5 align=center | Grammy Award history |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Field ! Result |- align=center | rowspan="2"| 1982 | Best New Artist | — | General | |- align=center | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | ''Never Too Much'' | R&B; | |- align=center | 1983 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | ''Forever, For Always, For Love'' | R&B; | |- align=center | 1986 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | ''The Night I Fell in Love'' | R&B; | |- align=center | rowspan="2"| 1987 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "Give Me the Reason" | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Song | "Give Me the Reason" (shared with Nat Adderley, Jr.) | R&B; | |- align=center | rowspan="2"| 1989 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | ''Any Love'' | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Song | "Any Love"(shared with Marcus Miller) | R&B; | |- align=center | 1990 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "She Won't Talk to Me" | R&B; | |- align=center | 1991 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "Here and Now" | R&B; | |- align=center | rowspan="3"| 1992 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | ''Power of Love'' | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Song | "Power of Love/Love Power" (shared with Marcus Miller & Teddy Vann) | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | "Doctor's Orders" (shared with Aretha Franklin) | R&B; | |- align=center | 1993 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | "The Best Things in Life Are Free" (shared with Janet Jackson) | R&B; | |- align=center | 1994 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "How Deep Is Your Love" | R&B; | |- align=center | rowspan="4"| 1995 | Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male | "Love the One You're With" | Pop | |- align=center | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | "Endless Love" (shared with Mariah Carey) | Pop | |- align=center | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "Always and Forever" | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Album | ''Songs'' | R&B; | |- align=center | rowspan="2"| 1997 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "Your Secret Love" | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Song | "Your Secret Love" (shared with Reed Vertelney) | R&B; | |- align=center | 1998 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "When You Call On Me / Baby That's When I Come Runnin'" | R&B; | |- align=center | 1999 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "I Know" | R&B; | |- align=center | 1999 | Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance | ''I Know'' | R&B; | |- align=center | 2003 | Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance | "Any Day Now" | R&B; | |- align=center | rowspan="5"| 2004 | Song of the Year | "Dance with My Father" (shared with Richard Marx) | General | |- align=center | Best R&B; Album | ''Dance with My Father'' | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | "The Closer I Get to You" (shared with Beyoncé) | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "Dance with My Father" | R&B; | |- align=center | Best R&B; Song | "Dance with My Father" (shared with Richard Marx) | R&B; | |- align=center | 2007 | Best R&B; Vocal Performance - Male | "Got You Home" | R&B; | |- align=center |}

See also

Luther Burger

Craig Seymour

Notes

References

Vandross, Luther. ''The Best of Luther Vandross: The Best of Love'', Hal Leonard Corporation, 1990 - ISBN 0-7935-0291-8

External links

Official site

Remembering Luther Vandross

Luther Vandross at Find A Grave

Category:1951 births Category:2005 deaths Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American crooners Category:American male singers Category:African American male singers Category:African American singers Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:Chic (band) members Category:Disease-related deaths in New Jersey Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:J Records artists Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from Manhattan

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Perfume Genius
background	non_performing_personnel
origin	Seattle, USA
genre	Roots Music, Indie
years active	2007 – present
label	Matador Records
current members	Mike Hadreas
past members	}}

Perfume Genius is the stage name for Seattle based solo artist Mike Hadreas. His MySpace page describes his genre as 'Roots Music' and is signed to the indie record label Matador/ Turnstile.

His debut album, ''Learning'', was released on June 21, 2010. Like most solo indie musicians, piano is involved along with the soft singing. Michaels' songs are brutally honest; about loneliness, regret, sexual exploration, and most likely, a lot of his own heartfelt emotions. Perfume Genius was officially founded in 2008.

References

Category:American indie rock musicians Category:Musicians from Washington (state) Category:Living people