Interstate 94
Route information
Length:	1,585.20 mi[1] (2,551.13 km)
Existed:	1956 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-90 in Billings, MT
	I-29 in Fargo, ND I-35W in Minneapolis, MN I-35E in St. Paul, MN I-39 in Madison, WI I-90 in Madison, WI I-43 in Milwaukee, WI I-55 in Chicago, IL I-80 in South Holland, IL I-65 in Gary, IN I-69 in Marshall, MI I-75 in Detroit, MI
East end:	Highway 402 at Canadian border on Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, MI
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 94 (I-94) is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway (but I-96 is the highest-numbered), connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S. side of the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan, at the Sarnia, Ontario, Canada border, where together with Interstate 69 it meets Highway 402. It is currently the longest non-primary Interstate (Interstate that does not end with a 0 or 5), but may be surpassed by Interstate 69 in the future.

Route description[link]

Interstate 94 is the only purely east–west interstate to form a direct connection into a foreign country (Canada). No such interstate currently ends at the U.S.-Mexico border, although I-905 in California will when upgrades are completed. At Port Huron, I-94 crosses the Blue Water Bridge into Sarnia, Ontario, and becomes Highway 402, which can be used by motorists going to Toronto. I-94's concurrency at that crossing, I-69, is posted east–west in eastern Michigan, but changes to north–south near Lansing and remains north–south in the remainder of Michigan and throughout Indiana.

Interstate 94 crosses paths with Interstate 90 several times: at its western terminus; in central Wisconsin; in Chicago, IL; and in Lake Station, IN.

Montana[link]

I-94 begins at Billings and travels northeastward toward Glendive before exiting the state to the east.

North Dakota[link]

The route enters at Beach and passes through the Badlands near Medora (near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)). A public rest area about seven miles (11 km) east of Medora provides a scenic view and the Painted Canyon Trail provides an opportunity to hike through some of the scenery. I-94 then travels east past Bismarck on the way to Fargo, where it leaves the state and crosses into Minnesota.

Minnesota[link]

I-94 travels in a northwest-southeast trajectory past Moorhead and St. Cloud on the way to the Twin Cities, and eastward out of the state. Leaving Fargo, ND and entering Moorhead, MN, I-94 crosses the Red River. In Minneapolis it crosses the Mississippi River, and leaving Minnesota between Lakeland, MN and Hudson, WI, I-94 crosses the St. Croix River.

From September 2007 to October 2008, between northbound I-35W and MN-280 in the Twin Cities, the highway was not up to Interstate Highway standards because the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) added a temporary extra lane to help relieve traffic congestion caused by the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge.

Wisconsin[link]

A ramp from Miller Park onto I-94 in Milwaukee, WI.

Interstate 94 enters Wisconsin east of the Twin Cities at Hudson. It passes Eau Claire before turning southeastward and joining with Interstate 90 in Tomah and Interstate 39 in Portage. I-94 branches off eastward in Madison and travels east to Milwaukee before turning south and heading to Chicago, entering Illinois at Pleasant Prairie.

Illinois[link]

In the state of Illinois, I-94 runs south from Wisconsin to Indiana via downtown Chicago. It is tolled on the Tri-State Tollway to the I-94/I-294 split; it then runs east to the Edens Expressway, where it turns south through the city of Chicago. At Interstate 80, I-94 runs east to Indiana on the Kingery Expressway.

Indiana[link]

In the state of Indiana, I-94 runs east from Illinois concurrent with I-80. It crosses Interstate 90 (Indiana Toll Road), where I-80 joins I-90 east towards Ohio. I-94 continues northeast, paralleling the Lake Michigan shoreline into Michigan. The 55 mph speed limit used to continue to east of exit 26, now it ends a mile east of I-80/I-90, where the speed limit goes up to 70 mph. on EB I-94. source: http://archive.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/08/speed-limit-to-be-raised-on-i-94-in-porter-county-ind.html

• mile markers 0.0-15.5 are also posted with I-80, mile markers 15.6-19.0 are posted as I-94 alone.

Michigan[link]

I-94/US 23 interchange, Pittsfield Township.

I-94 runs north along Lake Michigan to St. Joseph before heading east toward Detroit. It turns northeast to Port Huron where it meets I-69 and ends at the Blue Water Bridge, where it becomes Ontario Highway 402.

History[link]

The first section of I-94 completed with Interstate funds (under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956) was a 12-mile (19 km) section between Jamestown and Valley City, North Dakota in 1958.

North of Chicago, I-94 has been widened from six to eight lanes from Illinois Route 22 (Half Day Road) to just south of the Wisconsin state line at Illinois Route 173 and 95th Street to 159th Street.

In 2005, the I-94 bridge over the Crow River near St. Michael, Minnesota, about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Minneapolis, is being rebuilt. In 2006, a project to widen I-94 east of downtown St. Paul between Minnesota State Highway 120 and McKnight Road from four to six lanes was completed.

The new Marquette Interchange in downtown Milwaukee was completed in August 2008 at a cost of $810 million.

The interchange at 95th Ave. N in Maple Grove, Minnesota was rebuilt with a new, wider bridge that replaced the two-lane bridge there, which was demolished in July 2006.

In Detroit, Interstate 94 was routed over the existing Edsel Ford Freeway, and remained signed as such until the late 1980s when Michigan deemphasized proper names on Interstate guide signs. Its interchange with the Lodge Freeway, built in 1953, is significant as the first full-speed freeway-to-freeway interchange built in the United States.^[3]

Intersections with other interstates[link]

• Interstate 90 in Billings, Montana
• Interstate 29 in Fargo, North Dakota
• Interstate 35W in Minneapolis, Minnesota; concurrent for less than one mile (1.6 km)
• Interstate 35E in St. Paul, Minnesota
• Interstate 90 in Tomah, Wisconsin; concurrent until Madison, Wisconsin
• Interstate 39 at Portage, Wisconsin; concurrent until Madison, Wisconsin, forming the longest three-way concurrency of two-digit routes in the Interstate System.
• Interstate 39 and Interstate 90 at Madison, Wisconsin
• Interstate 43 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Interstate 90 in Chicago, Illinois; concurrent through Chicago to the junction with the Chicago Skyway
• Interstate 55 in Chicago, Illinois
• Interstate 90 Chicago Skyway in Chicago, Illinois
• Interstate 57 in Chicago, Illinois
• Interstate 80 in South Holland, Illinois; concurrent until Lake Station, Indiana
• Interstate 65 in Gary, Indiana
• Interstate 80 and Interstate 90 in Lake Station, Indiana
• Interstate 196 near Benton Harbor, Michigan
• Interstate 194 in Battle Creek, Michigan
• Interstate 69 in Marshall, Michigan
• Interstate 275 in Romulus, Michigan
• Interstate 96 in Detroit, Michigan
• Interstate 75 in Detroit, Michigan
• Interstate 696 in Roseville, Michigan
• Interstate 69 in Port Huron, Michigan^[2]

Spur routes[link]

• Bismarck, North Dakota - I-194 (unsigned)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota - I-394, I-494, I-694
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin - I-794, I-894
• Chicago, Illinois - I-294 (Tri-State Tollway)
• Battle Creek, Michigan - I-194

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 94

• Interstate 94 at Michigan Highways
• Interstate 94 at Wisconsin Highways
• Illinois Highway Ends: I-94
• Indiana Highway Ends: I-94
• The Old Red Trail documentary about the history of I-94 in North Dakota

Browse numbered routes
← US 93	MT	I-115 →
← ND 91	ND	ND 97 →
← MN 93	MN	MN 95 →
← WIS 93	WI	WIS 94 →
← IL 93	IL	IL 94 →
← M-93	MI	M-94 →

v t e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 94 North Dakota 1941 Minnesota 394 494 694 Wisconsin 794 894 Illinois 294 Michigan 194 1Unsigned

v t e Main Interstate Highways Signed 4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30 35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 99 H-1 H-2 H-3 Unsigned A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3 Lists Primary Main Intrastate Suffixed Temporary Future Gaps Auxiliary Main Future Unsigned Other Standards Business Bypassed Tolled Major Interstates highlighted

Jason Thomas Mraz
Jason Mraz in March 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jason Thomas Mraz
Born	(1977-06-23) June 23, 1977 (age 35) Mechanicsville, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock, blue-eyed soul, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin, mandola, banjo, ukulele, baritone ukulele
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Elektra Records (2002–2005) Atlantic Records (2005–present)
Associated acts	Tristan Prettyman, Bushwalla, Jack Johnson, Colbie Calliat
Website	jasonmraz.com
Notable instruments
Taylor Guitars

Jason Mraz ( /məˈræz/;^[1] born June 23, 1977 in Mechanicsville, Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z, in 2005, that Mraz achieved major commercial success. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US. In 2008, Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of many international charts.

Mraz's international breakthrough came with the release of the single "I'm Yours" from the album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Mraz his first top ten single. The song was on the Hot 100 for 76 weeks, beating the previous record of 69 weeks held by LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live". The song was a huge commercial success in the US, receiving a 5x platinum certification from the RIAA for sales of over five million.^[2] The song was successful internationally, topping the charts in New Zealand and Norway and peaking in the top ten of multiple international charts.

Early life[link]

Jason Mraz was born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia.^[3] He is of Czech descent through his grandfather, who moved to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1915.^[4] His surname is Czech for "frost"^[4] (Czech: mráz). His parents, Tom (Tomáš) Mraz and June, divorced when he was four years old, but he asserts that he had an idyllic childhood, saying, "My hometown of Mechanicsville was very American. There were white picket fences, a church on every street corner, low crime and virtually no drug use. It was a good place to grow up."^[5] He went to Lee Davis High School^[6]

Music career[link]

[edit] Live at Java Joe's (2001)

In 2001, Mraz released a live acoustic album, Live at Java Joe's, a coffee-house type place in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego where Jewel also made her debut. Here, Mraz performed with percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and felt at home singing and scatting through jazzy-pop songs. He would deliver rapidfire lyrics full of verbal mischief, and he would riff off the crowd like a stand-up comic.^[7] The album featured Mraz's free-lancing vocal style and songs he later re-released, including "1000 Things", "You and I Both", and "Halfway Home."

The album was made available to download on iTunes on March 11, 2008, under the title Jason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001.

[edit] Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002–2003)

In 2002, Mraz signed a recording contract with Elektra Records. He recorded his first album with the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer producer John Alagía, and Virginia-based roots rock band the Agents Of Good Root.^[8] Mraz then released his first major-label debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. The album was a relative commercial success, peaking at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 200 and at number two on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The lead single from the album, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" was co-written by music production team The Matrix and it was Mraz's first top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 15.

Mraz's friend and former roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood collaborated on the album, co-writing "Curbside Prophet" and the album's third single, and "I'll Do Anything".

[edit] Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004)

In 2004, while touring, Mraz released a live album and accompanying DVD^[9], Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom, a special two-disc set including an audio CD of his concert from Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom^[10] , plus a video DVD of the concert plus tons of backstage footage. Mraz performed with his touring band including drummer Adam King, percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and keyboardist Eric Hinojosa along with a guest appearance from Blues Traveler lead John Popper. The Eagles Ballroom (part of The Rave complex) has a capacity of only about 3,200^[11] making it possible for Mraz to have significant interaction with the audience, bridging his earlier coffeeshop performances to his later much larger venue concerts.

[edit] Touring and Mr. A–Z (2003–2008)

Mraz opened for Tracy Chapman in March 2003 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In July 2005, Mraz opened for Alanis Morissette during her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour. On July 26, 2005, he released his second major-label album, Mr. A–Z, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5.^[12] In December, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while its producer, the prolific Steve Lillywhite, received a nomination for Producer of the Year.^[13] In 2006 "Life is Wonderful" the first track of the album was featured in the Hilton Journeys Hotel commercial"

Mraz began his long-running tour in support of Mr. A–Z at the San Diego Music Awards on September 12. The tour featured several opening acts, including Bushwalla and Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had co-written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002.^[14] Mraz and Prettyman dated, ending their relationship in 2006. They also co-wrote the song "All I Want For Christmas is Us".^{[citation needed]} In November 2005, Mraz opened for the Rolling Stones on five dates during their 2005–2006 world tour. Also in 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign for The Gap entitled "Favorites". The music-themed campaign also featured other singers including Tristan Prettyman, Michelle Branch, Joss Stone, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Brandon Boyd, and Michelle Williams.^[15] In December 2005, Mraz released the first part of his ongoing podcast.

Jason Mraz performs at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut on May 17, 2006.

Jason Mraz at Gröna Lund In Stockholm, Sweden 2008

In March 2006, Mraz also performed for the first time at a sold-out performance in Singapore with Noel "Toca" Rivera as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival.^{[citation needed]} In May 2006, Mraz toured mostly small venues and music festivals in the U.S., along with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour included a May 6, 2006 acoustic show with P.O.D., Better Than Ezra, Live, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest of St. Louis's annual Fair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of the Arch on July 1, 2006. During this time, Mraz was also the opening act at several dates for Rob Thomas' Something to Be Tour.

In December 2006, Selections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour, was released. Selections for Friends features Jason's favorite songs from the Schubas Tavern and Villa Montalvo shows he played in July 2006. Jason Mraz began 2007 by debuting his new single "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz entitled "Plain Jane" that he rewrote for the ABC television program Ugly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign.^[16] He has since released a song in Spanish entitled "La Nueva Belleza (The New Beauty)".^[17]

In 2007, American Idol contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink", which subsequently garnered the song mass recognition and increased downloads at the American iTunes Store. "Geek in the Pink" peaked at No. 22 on the U.S. iTunes Store on March 10, 2007, but it was ineligible for the site's Hot 100.^{[citation needed]} The tape-recording of bootlegs during Mraz's shows is explicitly supported by him and his management.^[18] In 2007, he also provided background vocals on Mandy Moore's song "Slummin' in Paradise", of her studio album Wild Hope.

[edit] We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008–2009)

Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on May 13, 2008, following the April 2008 "Music, Magic, Make Peace" Tour with Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and magician Justin Willman. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, giving Mraz his highest charting album to date. Following the success of its lead single, "I'm Yours", the album broke into the top ten of many international music charts and charted in the top three in Australia and the US.^[19]

The first single, "I'm Yours", reached No. 1 on AAA radio charts in the US. The single was a B-side to Mr A-Z, and was made famous by recordings from his live shows. In September 2008, the song became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #6. As of October 14, 2008, the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. The song was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of multiple European charts and topping the charts in New Zealand for six weeks.^[20] In 2008, Mraz launched his single "I'm Yours" at the music industry-only event titled Sunset Sessions. Exactly one year later, Jason was nominated for a Grammy on the single.

Mraz and his song "I'm Yours" were nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 51st Grammy Awards. The album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2009. On January 31, 2009, Mraz was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "I'm Yours" and "Lucky", the latter with Colbie Caillat. "Lucky" peaked on the Hot 100 at 48.

With "Make It Mine" and "Lucky", Mraz won two awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, respectively, at the 2010 52nd Grammy Awards.

On June 20, 2009, Mraz was awarded the Hal David Starlight award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.^[21]

[edit] Love Is a Four Letter Word (2009–present)

In early 2009, a song titled "Try Try Try" was leaked out into the Internet. The song was later released in 2010 by Michael Squire. New songs have been performed in his recent concerts, some of which have been uploaded onto YouTube. Earlier this year, Jason Mraz spent time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil working with Milton Nascimento. Mraz also recently met and worked with Willie Nelson, whose 'style' is fondly referenced in one of Mraz's early hits "Curbside Prophet."

In November 2009, Mraz posted on his MySpace page plans for a new album to be recorded starting in December, stating "In 2 weeks time I will enter the studio and begin recording the next album. Only a handful of songs are written and slated but the momentum of love is with me. Every day new verses get added on. The songs are coming together piece by piece. The process is unlike any of the other records before this. It's like I'm being gifted the album without having to do the work. I'm creating that in 6 months the project will be complete and then we'll hit the road again with new sounds and new musicians."^[22]

In 2010 Mraz spent time in London, England, where he worked on songs for his new album with producer Martin Terefe and wrote with British singer-songwriter Dido.^[23]

Mraz contributed vocals for The Grooveline Horns' eponymous EP on the track "Fun", a cover of the Con Funk Shun song, released March 2, 2010.^[24]

In August 2010, Mraz had a Q&A interview with Spin magazine. In the interview, he stated the current possible titles for his fourth album are Peace Canoe or The Love Album.^[25]

On September 13, 2010, Mraz was featured on the single "Love, Love, Love" by Hope.^[26]

On September 28, 2010, Mraz announced the upcoming release of the new "Life Is Good" EP consisting of recordings from his concerts from Maine to the Life is Good Festival in Canton, Massachusetts which will include live recordings of "Coyotes" and multiple new songs, "San Disco Reggaefornia", "Up", "What Mama Say", and "The Freedom Song". The EP was released on October 5, 2010.^[27] On the same tour, Mraz also showcased other new songs, such as "Thinking About You", "Love Looks Like" and "In Your Hands".

From December 26, 2010, the official website was updated with a series of images, the first seemingly a sequence of blocks separated by points to indicate a date, and the second image containing a rectangle, circle, triangle and a square, which appear to spell out the word "love." This image was also trademarked. Popular belief was that the "love" image was the beginning of a marketing campaign for a new record.

Appearing on VH1 Top 20 Countdown on March 5, 2011, Jason Mraz noted that he had 12 songs ready to go for the album but then decided they weren't good enough. In July 2011, his team's Twitter feed (@theRKOP) confirmed that his album will be released in early 2012.^[28]

JasonMraz.com relaunched in July 2011 with a new design and a message informing fans that a special announcement was imminent. A few days later, it was announced that Mraz would embark on a mini-global tour in September to November 2011, with occasional full band shows, but mostly as an acoustic duo with long time performing partner and friend, Noel "Toca" Rivera. The special shows marked the ten-year anniversary of the independently released Live at Java Joe's album. Mraz played in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Berlin and Prague, and was due to make a festival appearance in Hossegor, France before the festival was cancelled.

On September 19, 2011, Jason Mraz announced via his Facebook page the release of a new single titled "The World as I See It", which is intended to be the theme of the "In Search of Incredible" campaign, accompanied by the song being embedded via YouTube.^[29] On September 20, 2011, the single was released on the iTunes music store.^[30]

During the fall/winter tour, many songs old and new were showcased. Towards the end of the tour, Mraz announced that 'I Never Knew You' would not be featuring on the new album, suggesting that the final tracklist has been decided on and that the album is on course for release around February 2012.

On December 8, 2011, Mraz told Jeff Benjamin of Billboard that the "album is finished" except for one track he was attempting to re-work as an acoustic version. He described the album as, "It's not a departure in the sound of the genre in any way, it's just different tones, different textures. Musically, I think people are going to like it. It's personal. It's melodic. And it's mellow. There's a couple of up-tempo tunes, but mostly the rhythm of the heartbeat kind of takes precedence on this record. Medium-tempo tunes; which I love. It feels more like the pace of life. At least, based on my life and what I've been doing."^[31]

On January 20, 2012, during a performance streamed live from the Bing Bar at the Sundance Film Festival, Mraz told the audience that the album's title is Love Is a Four Letter Word. Mraz released a new single from the album, called "I Won't Give Up", and the single has peaked at No. 1 on iTunes.^[when?]

During January 2012, the Dutch online retailer bol.com accidentally released a tracklisting for the forthcoming album, which has been dismissed as being incorrect. On February 28, 2012, Jason released an EP entitled Live Is A Four Letter World. The EP was recorded live in San Diego and contains four tracks (one of which had already been released).^[32]

The new album was set to be released on May 8, 2012,^[33] however on February 14 it was stated that the new album is set to be released in stores and at all digital retailers on April 17, 2012.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Mraz was engaged to singer/songwriter and long-time close friend Tristan Prettyman.^[35] On June 7, 2011, Mraz said in an interview with the Daily Beast that he and Prettyman were no longer engaged.^[36]

Mraz lives a health-conscious lifestyle and enjoys eating mostly raw vegan foods.^[37] He owns an avocado farm in Bonsall in Northern San Diego County. Recently, he acquired the Garden Patch Farms&Orchard in Homer Glen, for its organic strawberries.^[38] Mraz is an active supporter of several charities including VH1's Save The Music Foundation, MusiCares, Free the Children, Life Rolls On, SPARC and the Human Rights Campaign.^[39] He has been named the 2010 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year. He also received the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation.^[40] The same year, he also teamed up with The Nature Conservancy^[41] and created a PSA using his song I'm Yours to raise awareness about the non-profit organization's efforts to protect the earth.^[42] Jason performed at Farm Aid 2011 on August 13 in Kansas City. He has also advocated LGBT rights.^[43]

In 2011, Mraz appeared in the Visit California promotional film^[44] aimed at boosting tourism from the UK.

Discography[link]

• Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002)
• Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004) + accompanying DVD
• Mr. A-Z (2005)
• We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008)
• Love is a Four Letter Word (2012)

Awards[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jason Mraz

• Official website
• Jason Mraz at the Internet Movie Database
• Jason Mraz at Allmusic
• Jason Mraz's channel on YouTube
• Jason Mraz collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Playlist: Jason Mraz – Nightline 07/17/09 – Reggae to rock, Mraz reveals his musical influences.
• Concert Photos: Jason Mraz – 09/17/2010, 09/18/2010 – Jason Mraz opens for Dave Matthews Band for two sold out shows at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Reel 2 Real is an American house music and reggae-influenced duo which had seven Top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s.

Biography[link]

The duo's core member is producer and DJ Erick Morillo from New York City, who spent a portion of his childhood living in Colombia and also in Union City, New Jersey. The first release as Reel 2 Real was The New Anthem which spent a week at No. 1 in 1992.

Although it peaked at No. 8 on the dance chart, Reel 2 Real is best known for the dancehall reggae-influenced house track I Like to Move It, which featured Trinidad and Tobago native and toaster Mark Quashie, also known as the Mad Stuntman. The song peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994. It was successful in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 5 on the singles chart, and in France and the Netherlands it peaked at number-one. The song would later be used in 2005 animated film Madagascar, and was covered by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen but produced by Morillo, making it a hit once again in 2005. In all, The Mad Stuntman was featured on four of Reel 2 Real's top 10 dance hits. Later singles featured Barbara Tucker, Charlotte Small, and Proyecto Uno. The Reel 2 Real alias was abandoned.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1994 Move It!
• 1995 Reel 2 Remixed
• 1996 Are You Ready for Some More?

Singles[link]

See also[link]

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

References[link]

This article on a United States electronic music band is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article on a house music band is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Charlie Parra del Riego
Background information
Birth name	Charlie Parra del Riego
Born	12 April 1985 Lima, Perú
Genres	Rock pop Rock alternativo Hard rock Indie
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	2000–present
Associated acts	6 Voltios

Charlie Parra del Riego is a Peruvian composer born March 5, 1985. He is also known as Charlie Parra del Riego or Charlie Parra.

Bands[link]

Difonía[link]

With this band he composed and recorded the guitars of their 3 albums: “Camino Difícil” (2004),^[1] “Tarde o Temprano” (2007)^[2] and “Génesis” (2010).^[3] As a member of Difonía Charlie took part of several festivals in the independent rock circuit of Perú, and shared stage with international bands as “Silverstein”, “Alesana” and “Tres de Corazón”. In 2010 they played in the Colombian festival “Altavoz Festival 2010”^[4] at Medellín, together with “The Skatalites”, “Robi Draco Rosa”, “Dante Spinetta”, “Reincidentes” and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Medellín.^[5]

6 Voltios[link]

With peruvian band 6 Voltios Charlie recorded the guitar solos for their album “Descompresión” (2006).

Serial Asesino[link]

Charlie became member of this “New Metal” band in 2009.

M.A.S.A.C.R.E.[link]

In year 2009, Charlie was recruited to be a part of the band as a replacement of their lead guitar Jaqo Sangalli.^[6] With M.A.S.A.C.R.E., in 2009, he opened the concerts of the Argentinian bands “Los Violadores” y “Ratablanca” at Lima - Perú.

Solo career[link]

In the year 2010 Charlie starts his solo career uploading a first series of videos in his YouTube channel, including a heavy metal version of Peru’s National Anthem, the first version of this song in heavy metal style. This version was covered in TV, radio and local newspapers.

In January 2011 he releases his first solo album “Procrastinación/Procrastination”, together with another series of YouTube videos. These videos got different YouTube awards, including “Most viewed (today)”. By this time his videos got more than 3.8 million visits and his channel subscribers passed the 90000.^[7] After the release the disc was sold out in a few weeks due to the high international demand.

Controversy[link]

Although the Heavy Metal version of Peru’s National Anthem was successful, it also got detractors, mainly because it was done in a non-peruvian musical genre.^[8]

Charlie is also criticized by his detractors because of his relation with musical genres other than Heavy Metal. Charlie has done, in his style, Salsa, Cumbia, Pop and Classical Music songs. He also played a guitar solo with the pop band “Adammo” in the release of their album “Amber” (2010). This presentation angered some of his Peruvian fans.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• YouTube Charlie Parra del Riego

Jamie Oliver
MBE

Oliver in Union Square in New York City, 2008
Born	James Trevor Oliver (1975-05-27) 27 May 1975 (age 37) Clavering, Essex, England
Cooking style	Fresh and Organic, Italian cuisine, British cuisine
Education	Westminster Kingsway College
Spouse	Juliette Norton (m. 2000) «start: (2000-06-24)»"Marriage: Juliette Norton to Jamie Oliver" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Jamie_Oliver)
Current restaurant(s) Fifteen Jamie's Italian
Television show(s) Oliver's Twist Jamie's School Dinners Jamie's Great Italian Escape Naked Chef Jamie's Kitchen Jamie's Chef Jamie at Home Jamie's Fowl Dinners Jamie's Ministry of Food Jamie's American Road Trip Jamie's Family Christmas Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Jamie's Dream School Jamie Does 30 Minute Meals
Official website
jamieoliver.com

James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver, MBE (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools. He strives to improve unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits in the United Kingdom and the United States. Jamie Oliver's speciality is Italian cuisine, although he has a broad international repertoire.

Life and career[link]

Jamie Oliver was brought up in Clavering, Essex, England. His parents ran a pub, "The Cricketers", where he used to practise in the kitchen.^[1] He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School. He left school at age sixteen without qualifications and went on to attend Westminster Kingsway College, formerly Westminster College.^[1][2] He then earned a City & Guilds NVQ in home economics.

His first job was as a pastry chef at Antonio Carluccio's Neal's Yard restaurant, where he first gained experience with preparing Italian cuisine, and developed a relationship with his 'mentor' Gennaro Contaldo.^[2] Oliver then moved to The River Café, Fulham, as a sous chef.

It was there where he was noticed by the BBC in 1997 after making an unscripted appearance in a documentary about the restaurant, "Christmas at the River Cafe".^[3] That year, his show The Naked Chef debuted and his cookbook became a number one best-seller in the UK.^[4] That same year, Oliver was invited to prepare lunch for then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing Street.^[4]

Personal life[link]

In July 2000, Oliver married former model Juliette Norton.^[5] The couple met in 1993 and have four children: Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver (born 18 March 2002), Daisy Boo Pamela Oliver (born on 10 April 2003), Petal Blossom Rainbow Oliver (born on 3 April 2009)^[6] and Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver (born on 15 September 2010).^[7] Oliver announced the births of the two youngest children on Twitter.^[8][9] The family lives in Clavering, Essex.^[10]