Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, mathematics and art, and is normally considered to be a definitive characteristic of human nature. The concept of reason is sometimes referred to as rationality and sometimes as discursive reason, in opposition to "intuitive reason".

Reason or "reasoning" is associated with thinking, cognition, and intellect. Reason, like habit or intuition, is one of the ways by which thinking comes from one idea to a related idea. For example, it is the means by which rational beings understand themselves to think about cause and effect, truth and falsehood, and what is good or bad.

In contrast to reason as an abstract noun, a reason is a consideration which explains or justifies some event, phenomenon or behaviour. The ways in which human beings reason through argument are the subject of inquiries in the field of logic.

Reason is closely identified with the ability to self-consciously change beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and institutions, and therefore with the capacity for freedom and self-determination.

Psychologists and cognitive scientists have attempted to study and explain how people reason, e.g. which cognitive and neural processes are engaged, and how cultural factors affect the inferences that people draw. The field of automated reasoning studies how reasoning may or may not be modeled computationally. Animal psychology considers the controversial question of whether animals can reason.

Etymology and related words

In the English language and other modern European languages, "reason", and related words, represent words which have always been used to translate Latin and classical Greek terms in the sense of their philosophical usage. The original Greek term was ''logos'', the root of the modern English word "logic" but also a word which could mean for example "language" or "explanation" or an "account" (of money handled). As a philosophical term ''logos'' was translated in its non-linguistic senses in Latin as ''ratio''. This was originally not just a translation used for philosophy, but was also commonly a translation for ''logos'' in the sense of an account of money. French ''raison'' is derived directly from Latin, and this is the direct source of the English word "reason".

The earliest major philosophers to publish in English, such as Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke also routinely wrote in Latin and French, and compared their terms to Greek, treating the words "''logos''", "''ratio''", "''raison''" and "reason" as inter-changeable. The meaning of the word "reason" in senses such as "human reason" also overlaps to a large extent with "rationality" and the adjective of "reason" in philosophical contexts is normally "rational", rather than "reasoned" or "reasonable". Some philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, for example, also used the word ''ratiocination'' as a synonym for "reasoning".

Philosophical History

Philosophy can be described as a way of life based upon reason, and in the other direction reason has been one of the major subjects of philosophical discussion since ancient times. Reason is often said to be reflexive, or "self-correcting," and the critique of reason has been a persistent theme in philosophy. It has been defined in different ways, at different times, by different thinkers.

Classical philosophy

For many classical philosophers, nature was understood teleologically, meaning that every type of thing had a definitive purpose which fit within a natural order that was itself understood to have aims. Perhaps starting with Pythagoras or Heraclitus, the cosmos is even said to have reason. Reason, by this account, is not just one characteristic that humans happen to have, and that influences happiness amongst other characteristics. Reason was considered to be of higher stature than other characteristics of human nature, such as sociability, because it is something humans share with nature itself, linking an apparently immortal part of the human mind with the divine order of the cosmos itself. Within the human mind or soul (''psyche''), reason was described by Plato as being the natural monarch which should rule over the other parts, such as spiritedness (''thumos'') and the emotions. Aristotle, Plato's student, defined human beings as rational animals, emphasizing reason as a characteristic of human nature. He ''defined'' the highest human happiness or well being (''eudaimonia'') as a life which is lived consistently, excellently and completely in accordance with reason.

The conclusions to be drawn from the discussions of Aristotle and Plato on this matter are amongst the most debated in the history of philosophy. But teleological accounts such as Aristotle's were highly influential for those who attempt to explain reason in a way which is consistent with monotheism and the immortality and divinity of the human soul. For example, in the neo-platonist account of Plotinus, the cosmos has one soul, which is the seat of all reason, and the souls of all individual humans are part of this soul. Reason is for Plotinus both the provider of form to material things, and the light which brings individuals souls back into line with their source. Such neo-Platonist accounts of the rational part of the human soul were standard amongst medieval Islamic philosophers, and under this influence, mainly via Averroes, came to be debated seriously in Europe until well into the renaissance, and they remain important in Iranian philosophy.

Subject-centred reason in early modern philosophy

The early modern era was marked by a number of significant changes in the understanding of reason, starting in Europe. One of the most important of these changes involved a change in the metaphysical understanding of human beings. Scientists and philosophers began to question the teleological understanding of the world. Nature was no longer assumed to be human-like, with its own aims or reason, and human nature was no longer assumed to work according to anything other than the same "laws of nature" which affect inanimate things. This new understanding eventually displaced the previous world view that derived from a spiritual understanding of the universe.

Accordingly, in the 17th century, René Descartes explicitly rejected the traditional notion of humans as "rational animals," suggesting instead that they are nothing more than "thinking things" along the lines of other "things" in nature. Any grounds of knowledge outside that understanding was, therefore, subject to doubt.

In his search for a foundation of all possible knowledge, Descartes deliberately decided to throw into doubt ''all'' knowledge – ''except'' that of the mind itself in the process of thinking:

At this time I admit nothing that is not necessarily true. I am therefore precisely nothing but a thinking thing; that is a mind, or intellect, or understanding, or reason – words of whose meanings I was previously ignorant.

This eventually became known as epistemological or "subject-centred" reason, because it is based on the "knowing subject", who perceives the rest of the world and itself as a set of objects to be studied, and successfully mastered by applying the knowledge accumulated through such study. Breaking with tradition and many thinkers after him, Descartes explicitly did not divide the incorporeal soul into parts, such as reason and intellect, describing them as one indivisible incorporeal entity.

A contemporary of Descartes, Thomas Hobbes described reason as a broader version of "addition and subtraction" which is not limited to numbers. This understanding of reason is sometimes termed "calculative" reason. Similar to Descartes, Hobbes asserted that "No discourse whatsoever, can end in absolute knowledge of fact, past, or to come" but that "sense and memory" is absolute knowledge.

In the late 17th century, through the 18th century, John Locke and David Hume developed Descartes' line of thought still further. Hume took it in an especially skeptical direction, proposing that there could be no possibility of deducing relationships of cause and effect, and therefore no knowledge is based on reasoning alone, even if it seems otherwise.

Hume famously remarked that, "We speak not strictly and philosophically when we talk of the combat of passion and of reason. Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them." Hume also took his definition of reason to unorthodox extremes by arguing, unlike his predecessors, that human reason is not qualitatively different from either simply conceiving individual ideas, or from judgments associating two ideas, and that "reason is nothing but a wonderful and unintelligible instinct in our souls, which carries us along a certain train of ideas, and endows them with particular qualities, according to their particular situations and relations." It followed from this that animals have reason, only much less complex than human reason.

In the 18th century, Immanuel Kant attempted to show that Hume was wrong by demonstrating that a "transcendental" self, or "I", was a necessary condition of all experience. Therefore, suggested Kant, on the basis of such a self, it is in fact possible to reason both about the conditions and limits of human knowledge. And so long as these limits are respected, reason can be the vehicle of morality, justice and understanding.

Substantive and formal reason

In the formulation of Kant, who wrote some of the most influential modern treatises on the subject, the great achievement of reason is that it is able to exercise a kind of universal law-making. Kant was able therefore to re-formulate the basis of moral-practical, theoretical and aesthetic reasoning, on "universal" laws.

Here practical reasoning is the self-legislating or self-governing formulation of universal norms, and theoretical reasoning the way humans posit universal laws of nature.

Under practical reason, the moral autonomy or freedom of human beings depends on their ability to behave according to laws that are given to them by the proper exercise of that reason. This contrasted with earlier forms of morality, which depended on religious understanding and interpretation, or nature for their substance.

According to Kant, in a free society each individual must be able to pursue their goals however they see fit, so long as their actions conform to principles given by reason. He formulated such a principle, called the "categorical imperative", which would justify an action only if it could be universalized:

Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.

In contrast to Hume then, Kant insists that reason itself (German ''Vernunft'') has natural ends itself, the solution to the metaphysical problems, especially the discovery of the foundations of morality. Kant claimed that this problem could be solved with his "transcendental logic" which unlike normal logic is not just an instrument, which can be used indifferently, as it was for Aristotle, but a theoretical science in its own right and the basis of all the others.

According to Jürgen Habermas, the "substantive unity" of reason has dissolved in modern times, such that it can no longer answer the question "How should I live?" Instead, the unity of reason has to be strictly formal, or "procedural." He thus described reason as a group of three autonomous spheres (on the model of Kant's three critiques):

#Cognitive-instrumental reason is the kind of reason employed by the sciences. It is used to observe events, to predict and control outcomes, and to intervene in the world on the basis of its hypotheses; #Moral-practical reason is what we use to deliberate and discuss issues in the moral and political realm, according to universalizable procedures (similar to Kant's categorical imperative); and #Aesthetic reason is typically found in works of art and literature, and encompasses the novel ways of seeing the world and interpreting things that those practices embody.

For Habermas, these three spheres are the domain of experts, and therefore need to be mediated with the "lifeworld" by philosophers. In drawing such a picture of reason, Habermas hoped to demonstrate that the substantive unity of reason, which in pre-modern societies had been able to answer questions about the good life, could be made up for by the unity of reason's formalizable procedures.

The critique of reason

Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault, Rorty, and a number of other philosophers have contributed to a debate about what reason means, or ought to mean. Some, like Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Rorty, are skeptical about subject-centred, universal, or instrumental reason, and even skeptical toward reason as a whole. Others, including Hegel, believe that it has obscured the importance of intersubjectivity, or "spirit" in human life, and attempt to reconstruct a model of what reason should be.

Some thinkers, e.g. Foucault, believe there are other ''forms'' of reason, neglected but essential to modern life, and to our understanding of what it means to live a life according to reason.

In the last several decades, a number of proposals have been made to "re-orient" this critique of reason, or to recognize the "other voices" or "new departments" of reason:

For example, in opposition to subject-centred reason, Habermas has proposed a model of communicative reason that sees it as an essentially cooperative activity, based on the fact of linguistic intersubjectivity.

Nikolas Kompridis has proposed a widely encompassing view of reason as "that ensemble of practices that contributes to the opening and preserving of openness" in human affairs, and a focus on reason's possibilities for social change.

The philosopher Charles Taylor, influenced by the 20th century German philosopher Martin Heidegger, has proposed that reason ought to include the faculty of disclosure, which is tied to the way we make sense of things in everyday life, as a new "department" of reason.

In the essay "What is Enlightenment?", Michel Foucault proposed a concept of critique based on Kant's distinction between "private" and "public" uses of reason. This distinction, as suggested, has two dimensions:

Private reason is the reason that is used when an individual is "a cog in a machine" or when one "has a role to play in society and jobs to do: to be a soldier, to have taxes to pay, to be in charge of a parish, to be a civil servant."

Public reason is the reason used "when one is reasoning as a reasonable being (and not as a cog in a machine), when one is reasoning as a member of reasonable humanity." In these circumstances, "the use of reason must be free and public."

Reason compared to related concepts

Reason compared to logic

The terms "logic" or "logical" are sometimes used as if they were identical with the term "reason" or with the concept of being "rational", or sometimes logic is seen as the most pure or the defining form of reason. For example in modern economics, rational choice is assumed to equate to logically consistent choice.

Reason and logic can however be thought of as distinct, although logic is one important aspect of reason. Author Douglas Hofstadter, in ''Gödel, Escher, Bach'', characterizes the distinction in this way. Logic is done inside a system while reason is done outside the system by such methods as skipping steps, working backward, drawing diagrams, looking at examples, or seeing what happens if you change the rules of the system.

Reason is a type of thought, and the word "logic" involves the attempt to describe rules or norms by which reasoning operates, so that orderly reasoning can be taught. The oldest surviving writing to explicitly consider the rules by which reason operates are the works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, especially ''Prior Analysis'' and ''Posterior Analysis''. Although the Ancient Greeks had no separate word for logic as distinct from language and reason, Aristotle's newly coined word "syllogism" (''syllogismos'') identified logic clearly for the first time as a distinct field of study. When Aristotle referred to "the logical" (''hē logikē''), he was referring more broadly to rational thought.

Reason compared to cause-and-effect thinking, and symbolic thinking

As pointed out by philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke and Hume, some animals are also clearly capable of a type of "associative thinking", even to the extent of associating causes and effects. A dog once kicked, can learn how to recognize the warning signs and avoid being kicked in the future, but this does not mean the dog has reason in any strict sense of the word. It also does not mean that humans acting on the basis of experience or habit are using their reason.

Human reason requires more than being able to associate two ideas, even if those two ideas might be described by a reasoning human as a cause and an effect, perceptions of smoke, for example, and memories of fire. For reason to be involved, the association of smoke and the fire would have to be thought through in a way which can be explained, for example as cause and effect. In the explanation of Locke, for example, reason requires the mental use of a third idea in order to make this comparison by use of syllogism.

More generally, reason in the strict sense requires the ability to create and manipulate a system of symbols, as well as indices and icons, according to Charles Sanders Peirce, the symbols having only a nominal, though habitual, connection to either smoke or fire. One example of such a system of artificial symbols and signs is language.

The connection of reason to symbolic thinking has been expressed in different ways by philosophers. Thomas Hobbes described the creation of "Markes, or Notes of remembrance" (''Leviathan'' Ch.4) as "speech". He used the word "speech" as an English version of the Greek word ''logos'' so that speech did not need to be communicated.). When communicated, such speech becomes language, and the marks or notes or remembrance are called "Signes" by Hobbes.

Reason, imagination, mimesis, and memory

Reason and imagination rely on similar mental processes. Imagination is not only found in humans. Aristotle, for example, stated that ''phantasia'' (imagination: that which can hold images or ''phantasmata'') and ''phronein'' (a type of thinking which can judge and understand in some sense) also exist in some animals. According to him, both are related to the primary perceptive ability of animals, which gathers the perceptions of different senses and defines the order of the things that are perceived without distinguishing universals, and without deliberation or ''logos''. But this is not yet reason, because human imagination is different.

The recent modern writings of Terrence Deacon and Merlin Donald, writing about the origin of language, also connect reason connected to not only language, but also mimesis, More specifically they describe the ability to create language as part of an internal modeling of reality which is specific to humankind. Other results are consciousness, and imagination or fantasy. In contrast, modern proponents of a genetic pre-disposition to language itself include Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker, to whom Donald and Deacon can be contrasted.

As reason is symbolic thinking, and peculiarly human, then this implies that humans have a special ability to maintain a clear consciousness of the distinctness of "icons" or images and the real things they represent. Starting with a modern author, Merlin Donald writes

A dog might perceive the "meaning" of a fight that was realistically play-acted by humans, but it could not reconstruct the message or distinguish the representation from its referent (a real fight). [...] Trained apes are able to make this distinction; young children make this distinction early – hence, their effortless distinction between play-acting an event and the event itself

In classical descriptions, an equivalent description of this mental faculty is ''eikasia'', in the philosophy of Plato. This is the ability to perceive whether a perception is an image of something else, related somehow but not the same, and which therefore allows humans to perceive that a dream or memory or a reflection in a mirror is not reality as such. What Klein refers to as ''dianoetic eikasia'' is the ''eikasia'' concerned specifically with thinking and mental images, such as those mental symbols, icons, "signes" and marks which are discussed above as definitive of reason. Explaining reason from this direction: human thinking is special in the way that we often understand visible things as if they were themselves images of our intelligible "objects of thought" as "foundations" (''hypothēses'' in Ancient Greek). This thinking (''dianoia'') is "an activity which consists in making the vast and diffuse jungle of the visible world depend on a plurality of more 'precise' ''noēta''".

Both Merlin Donald and the Socratic authors such Plato and Aristotle emphasize the importance of ''mimesis'', often translated as "imitation" or "representation". Donald writes

Imitation is found especially in monkeys and apes [... but ...] Mimesis is fundamentally different from imitation and mimicry in that it involves the invention of intentional representations. [...] Mimesis is not absolutely tied to external communication.

''Mimēsis'' is a concept, now popular again in academic discussion, which was particularly prevalent in Plato's works, and within Aristotle, it is discussed mainly in the ''Poetics''. In Michael Davis's account of the theory of man in this work.

It is the distinctive feature of human action, that whenever we choose what we do, we imagine an action for ourselves as though we were inspecting it from the outside. Intentions are nothing more than imagined actions, internalizings of the external. All action is therefore imitation of action; it is poetic...

Donald like Plato (and Aristotle, especially in ''On Memory and Recollection''), emphasizes the peculiarity in humans of voluntary initiation of a search through one's mental world. The ancient Greek ''anamnēsis'', normally translated as "recollection" was opposed to ''mneme'' or "memory". Memory, shared with some animals, requires a consciousness not only of what happened in the past, but also ''that'' something happened in the past, which is in other words a kind of ''eikasia'' "but nothing except man is able to recollect". Recollection is a deliberate effort to search for and recapture something which was once known. Klein writes that, to "become aware of our having forgotten something means to begin recollecting". Donald calls the same thing "autocueing", which he explains as follows: "Mimetic acts are reproducible on the basis of internal, self-generated cues. This permits voluntary recall of mimetic representations, without the aid of external cues – probably the earliest form of representational "thinking"."

In a celebrated paper in modern times, the fantasy author and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in his essay "On Fairy Stories" that the terms "fantasy" and "enchantment" are connected to not only "the satisfaction of certain primordial human desires" but also "the origin of language and of the mind".

Logical reasoning methods and argumentation

Looking at logical categorizations of different types of reasoning the traditional main division made in philosophy is between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Formal logic has been described as "the science of deduction". The study of inductive reasoning is generally carried out within the field known as informal logic or critical thinking.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning in an argument is valid if the argument's conclusion must be true when the premises (the reasons given to support that conclusion) are true. One classic example of deductive reasoning is that found in syllogisms like the following: :Premise 1: All humans are mortal. :Premise 2: Socrates is a human. :Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.

The reasoning in this argument is valid, because there is no way in which the premises, 1 and 2, could be true and the conclusion, 3, be false.

Inductive reasoning

Induction is a form of inference producing propositions about unobserved objects or types, either specifically or generally, based on previous observation. It is used to ascribe properties or relations to objects or types based on previous observations or experiences, or to formulate general statements or laws based on limited observations of recurring phenomenal patterns.

Inductive reasoning contrasts strongly with deductive reasoning in that, even in the best, or strongest, cases of inductive reasoning, the truth of the premises does not guarantee the truth of the conclusion. Instead, the conclusion of an inductive argument follows with some degree of probability. Relatedly, the conclusion of an inductive argument contains more information than is already contained in the premises. Thus, this method of reasoning is ampliative.

A classic example of inductive reasoning comes from the empiricist David Hume: :Premise: The sun has risen in the east every morning up until now. :Conclusion: The sun will also rise in the east tomorrow.

Abductive reasoning

Abductive reasoning, or argument to the best explanation, is a form of inductive reasoning, since the conclusion in an abductive argument does not follow with certainty from its premises and concerns something unobserved. What distinguishes abduction from the other forms of reasoning is an attempt to favour one conclusion above others, by attempting to falsify alternative explanations or by demonstrating the likelihood of the favoured conclusion, given a set of more or less disputable assumptions. For example, when a patient displays certain symptoms, there might be various possible causes, but one of these is preferred above others as being more probable.

Analogical reasoning

Analogical reasoning is reasoning from the particular to the particular. An example follows: :Premise 1: Socrates is human and Socrates died. :Premise 2: Plato is human. :Conclusion: Plato will die.

Analogical reasoning can be viewed as a form of inductive reasoning, since the truth of the premises does not guarantee the truth of the conclusion. However, the traditional view is that inductive reasoning is reasoning from the particular to the general, and thus analogical reasoning is distinct from inductive reasoning.

Fallacious reasoning

Flawed reasoning in arguments is known as fallacious reasoning. Reasoning within arguments can be bad because it commits either a formal fallacy or an informal fallacy.

Formal fallacies occur when there is a problem with the form, or structure, of the argument. The word "formal" refers to this link to the ''form'' of the argument. An argument that contains a formal fallacy will always be invalid. Consider, for example, the following argument: # If a drink is made with boiling water, it will be hot. # This drink was not made with boiling water. # This drink is not hot.

An informal fallacy is an error in reasoning that occurs due to a problem with the ''content'', rather than mere ''structure'', of the argument.

Traditional problems raised concerning reason

Philosophy is sometimes described as a life of reason, with normal human reason pursued in a more consistent and dedicated way than usual. Two categories of problem concerning reason have long been discussed by philosophers concerning reason, essentially being reasonings about reasoning itself as a human aim, or philosophizing about philosophizing. The first question is concerning whether we can be confident that reason can achieve knowledge of truth better than other ways of trying to achieve such knowledge. The other question is whether a life of reason, a life which aims to be guided by reason, is a good aim which can be expected to achieve a happy life more so than other ways of life (whether such a life of reason results in knowledge or not).

Reason versus truth, and "first principles"

Since classical times a question has remained constant in philosophical debate (which is sometimes seen as a conflict between movements called Platonism and Aristotelianism) concerning the role of reason in confirming truth. People use logic, deduction, and induction, to reach conclusions they think are true. Conclusions reached in this way are considered more certain than sense perceptions on their own. On the other hand, if such reasoned conclusions are only built originally upon a foundation of sense perceptions, then, the argument being considered goes, our most logical conclusions can never be said to be certain because they are built upon the very same fallible perceptions they seek to better.

This leads to the question of what types of first principles, or starting points of reasoning, are available for someone seeking to come to true conclusions. In Greek, "first principles" are ''archai'', "starting points", and the faculty used to perceive them is sometimes referred to in Aristotle and Plato as ''nous'' which was close in meaning to "awareness" or "consciousness".

Empiricism (sometimes associated with Aristotle but more correctly associated with British philosophers such as John Locke and David Hume, as well as their ancient equivalents such as Democritus) asserts that sensory impressions are the only available starting points for reasoning and attempting to attain truth. This approach always leads to the controversial conclusion that absolute knowledge is not attainable. Idealism, (associated with Plato and his school), claims that there is a "higher" reality, from which certain people can directly arrive at truth without needing to rely only upon the senses, and that this higher reality is therefore the primary source of truth.

Philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Al-Farabi, Avicenna, Averroes, Maimonides, Aquinas and Hegel are sometimes said to have argued that reason must be fixed and discoverable—perhaps by dialectic, analysis, or study. In the vision of these thinkers, reason is divine or at least has divine attributes. Such an approach allowed religious philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas and Étienne Gilson to try to show that reason and revelation are compatible. According to Hegel, "...the only thought which Philosophy brings with it to the contemplation of History, is the simple conception of reason; that reason is the Sovereign of the World; that the history of the world, therefore, presents us with a rational process."

Since the 17th century rationalists, reason has often been taken to be a subjective faculty, or rather the unaided ability (pure reason) to form concepts. For Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz, this was associated with mathematics. Kant attempted to show that pure reason could form concepts (time and space) that are the conditions of experience. Kant made his argument in opposition to Hume, who denied that reason had any role to play in experience.

Reason versus emotion or passion

Starting with the description of the rational and irrational soul found in Plato and Aristotle, which is explained above, western literature often treats reason as being opposed to emotions or feelings—desires, fears, hates, drives, or passions. This was an understanding of human nature which was developed for example by Stoic philosophy in Roman times. For example people might say their passions made them behave contrary to reason, or that their reason kept the passions under control (often expressed in colloquial terms as the dilemma between following "the head" (reason) "or the heart" (emotions)).

It has however also become common, already since David Hume, and more recently since the writings of Freud, to describe reason as actually being a slave to the passions, or at best an arbiter of conflicting desires, rather than their natural monarch. Reasoning which allows someone to pretend to that the object of their desire is demanded by logic alone is called "rationalization".

Rousseau is notable as the philosopher who first proposed, in his second ''Discourse'', that reason (along with political life) is not natural to mankind, and not even good for mankind. In order to discover what can really be said about what is natural to mankind, and what, other than reason and civil society, "best suits his constitution", Rousseau saw "two principles prior to reason" in human nature, one is an intense interest in our own well-being, and the other is a natural repugnance of seeing any sentient being, especially one like ourselves, perish and suffer. It is from these two passions that humans began to desire more than they could achieve, became dependent upon each other, and started to establish relationships of authority and obedience, effecting putting the human race into slavery. Rousseau says that he almost dares to assert that nature does not destine men to be healthy. Concerning the practical implications, according to Velkley, "Rousseau outlines certain programs of rational self-correction, most notably the political legislation of the ''Contrat Social'' and the moral education in ''Émile''. All the same, Rousseau understands such corrections to be only ameliorations of an essentially unsatisfactory condition, that of socially and intellectually corrupted humanity".

This quandary presented by Rousseau was the inspiration of Kant's new way of justifying reason as freedom to create good and evil, which are therefore not to be blamed on nature or God. "In various ways, German Idealism after Kant, and major later figures such Nietzsche, Bergson, Husserl, Scheler, and Heidegger, remain pre-occupied with this problem of the justice of the metaphysical demands or "urges" of reason". The influence of Rousseau and these later writers is also large upon art and politics. Many writers (such as Nikos Kazantzakis) extol passion and disparage reason; while in politics modern nationalism is a direct result of Rousseau's argument that rationalist cosmopolitanism brings man ever further from his natural state.

Reason versus faith or tradition

Though theologies and religions typically do not claim to be irrational, there is often a perceived conflict or tension between faith and tradition on the one hand, and reason on the other, as potentially competing sources of wisdom, law and truth. Defenders of traditions and faiths from claims that they are irrationalist for ignoring or even attempting to forbid reason and argument concerning some subjects, typically maintain that there is no real conflict with reason, because reason itself is not enough to explain such things as the origins of the universe, or right and wrong, and so reason can and should be complemented by other sources of knowledge, or in other words "first principles". The counter claim to this is that such a defense does not logically explain why some arguments from reason would be forbidden or ignored, while others are favoured, which tends to be a property of all religion and traditional wisdom.

There are enormously wide differences between different faiths, or even schools within different faiths, concerning this matter.

Some commentators have claimed that Western civilization can be almost defined by its serious testing of the limits of tension between "unaided" reason and faith in "revealed" truths—figuratively summarized as Athens and Jerusalem, respectively. Leo Strauss spoke of a "Greater West" which included all areas under the influence of the tension between Greek rationalism and Abrahamic revelation, including the Muslim lands. He was particularly influenced by the great Muslim philosopher Al-Farabi. In order to consider to what extent Eastern philosophy might have partaken of these important tensions, Strauss thought it best to consider whether dharma or tao may be equivalent to Nature (by which we mean ''physis'' in Greek). According to Strauss the beginning of philosophy involved the "discovery or invention of nature" and the "pre-philosophical equivalent of nature" was supplied by "such notions as 'custom' or 'ways which appear to be "really universal" "in all times and places". The philosophical concept of nature or natures as a way of understanding ''archai'' (first principles of knowledge) brought about a peculiar tension between reasoning on the one hand, and tradition or faith on the other.

Although there is this special history of debate concerning reason and faith in the Islamic, Christian and Jewish traditions, the pursuit of reason is sometimes argued to be compatible with the other practice of other religions of a different nature, such as Hinduism, because they do not define their tenets in such an absolute way.

Reason in particular fields of study

Reason in political philosophy and ethics

Aristotle famously described reason (with language) as a part of human nature which means that it is best for humans to live "politically" meaning in communities of about the size and type of a small city state (''polis'' in Greek). For example...

It is clear, then, that a human being is more of a political [''politikon'' = of the ''polis''] animal [''zōion''] than is any bee or than any of those animals that live in herds. For nature, as we say, makes nothing in vain, and humans are the only animals who possess reasoned speech [''logos'']. Voice, of course, serves to indicate what is painful and pleasant; that is why it is also found in other animals, because their nature has reached the point where they can perceive what is painful and pleasant and express these to each other. But speech [''logos''] serves to make plain what is advantageous and harmful and so also what is just and unjust. For it is a peculiarity of humans, in contrast to the other animals, to have perception of good and bad, just and unjust, and the like; and the community in these things makes a household or city [''polis'']. [...] By nature, then, the drive for such a community exists in everyone, but the first to set one up is responsible for things of very great goodness. For as humans are the best of all animals when perfected, so they are the worst when divorced from law and right. The reason is that injustice is most difficult to deal with when furnished with weapons, and the weapons a human being has are meant by nature to go along with prudence and virtue, but it is only too possible to turn them to contrary uses. Consequently, if a human being lacks virtue, he is the most unholy and savage thing, and when it comes to sex and food, the worst. But justice is something political [to do with the ''polis''], for right is the arrangement of the political community, and right is discrimination of what is just. (Aristotle's Politics 1253a 1.2. Peter Simpson's translation, with Greek terms inserted in square brackets.)

The concept of human nature being fixed in this way, implied, in other words, that we can define what type of community is always best for people. This argument has remained a central argument in all political, ethical and moral thinking since then, and has become especially controversial since firstly Rousseau's Second Discourse, and secondly, the Theory of Evolution. Already in Aristotle there was an awareness that the ''polis'' had not always existed and had needed to be invented or developed by humans themselves. The household came first, and the first villages and cities were just extensions of that, with the first cities being run as if they were still families with Kings acting like fathers....

Friendship [''philia''] seems to prevail [in] man and woman according to nature [''kata phusin'']; for people are by nature [''tēi phusei''] pairing [''sunduastikon''] more than political [''politikon'' = of the ''polis''], inasmuch as the household [''oikos''] is prior [''proteron'' = earlier] and more necessary than the ''polis'' and making children is more common [''koinoteron''] with the animals. In the other animals, community [''koinōnia''] goes no further than this, but people live together [''sumoikousin''] not only for the sake of making children, but also for the things for life; for from the start the functions [''erga''] are divided, and are different [for] man and woman. Thus they supply each other, putting their own into the common [''eis to koinon'']. It is for these [reasons] that both utility [''chrēsimon''] and pleasure [''hēdu''] seem to be found in this kind of friendship. (Nicomachean Ethics, VIII.12.1162a. Rough literal translation with Greek terms shown in square brackets.)

Rousseau in his Second Discourse finally took the shocking step of claiming that this traditional account has things in reverse: with reason, language and rationally organized communities all having developed over a long period of time merely as a result of the fact that some habits of cooperation were found to solve certain types of problems, and that once such cooperation became more important, it forced people to develop increasingly complex cooperation—often only in order to defend themselves from each other.

In other words, according to Rousseau, reason, language and rational community did not arise because of any conscious decision or plan by humans or gods, nor because of any pre-existing human nature. As a result, he claimed, living together in rationally organized communities like modern humans is a development which has many negative aspects compared to the original state of man as an ape. If there be anything specifically human in this theory, it is the flexibility and adaptability of humans. This view of the animal origins of distinctive human characteristics later received support from Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

The two competing theories concerning the origins of reason are relevant to political and ethical thought because according to the Aristotelian theory, there is a best way of living together which exists independently of historical circumstances. According to Rousseau, we should even doubt that reason, language and politics are a good thing, as opposed to being simply the best option given the particular course of events which lead to today. Rousseau's theory, that human nature is malleable rather than fixed, is often taken to imply, for example by Karl Marx, a wider range of possible ways of living together than traditionally known.

However, while Rousseau's initial impact encouraged bloody revolutions against traditional politics, including both the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution, his own conclusions about the best forms of community seem to have been remarkably classical, in favor of city-states such as Geneva, and rural living.

Psychology

Scientific research into reasoning is carried out within the fields of psychology and cognitive science. Psychologists attempt to determine whether or not people are capable of rational thought in various different circumstances.

Assessing how well someone engages in reasoning is the project of determining the extent to which the person is rational or acts rationally. It is a key research question in the psychology of reasoning. Rationality is often divided into its respective theoretical and practical counterparts.

Behavioral experiments on human reasoning

Experimental cognitive psychologists carry out research on reasoning behaviour. Such research may focus, for example, on how people perform on tests of reasoning such as intelligence or IQ tests, or on how well people's reasoning matches ideals set by logic (see, for example, the Wason test). Experiments examine how people make inferences from conditionals e.g., ''If A then B'' and how they make inferences about alternatives, e.g., ''A or else B''. They test whether people can make valid deductions about spatial and temporal relations, e.g., ''A is to the left of B'', or ''A happens after B'', and about quantified assertions, e.g., ''All the A are B''. Experiments investigate how people make inferences about factual situations, hypothetical possibilities, probabilities, and counterfactual situations.

Developmental studies of children's reasoning

Developmental psychologists investigate the development of reasoning from birth to adulthood. Piaget's theory of cognitive development was the first complete theory of reasoning development. Subsequently, several alternative theories were proposed, including the neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development.

Neuroscience of reasoning

The biological functioning of the brain is studied by neurophysiologists and neuropsychologists. Research in this area includes research into the structure and function of normally functioning brains, and of damaged or otherwise unusual brains. In addition to carrying out research into reasoning, some psychologists, for example, clinical psychologists and psychotherapists work to alter people's reasoning habits when they are unhelpful.

Computer science

Automated reasoning

In artificial intelligence and computer science, scientists study and use automated reasoning for diverse applications including automated theorem proving the formal semantics of programming languages, and formal specification in software engineering.

Meta-reasoning

Meta-reasoning is reasoning about reasoning. In computer science, a system performs meta-reasoning when it is reasoning about its own operation. This requires a programming language capable of reflection, the ability to observe and modify its own structure and behaviour.

See also

Calculation

Conscience

Consciousness

Deism

Empiricism

Epistemology

Intellect

Inquiry

Knowledge

Fantasy

Fideism

Foucault/Habermas debate

Fuzzy-trace theory

Language

Logic

Mimesis

Mind

Nous

Practical reason

Rationality

Rationality and power

Reflective disclosure

Speculative reason

Truth

World disclosure

References

Further reading

Beer, Francis A., "Words of Reason", ''Political Communication'' 11 (Summer, 1994): 185-201.

Tripurari, Swami, ''On Faith and Reason'', ''The Harmonist'', May 27, 2009.

Category:Epistemology Category:Belief Category:Thought Category:Concepts in logic

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Coordinates	50°34′″N21°52′″N
name	The Corrs
background	group_or_band
origin	Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
genre	Folk rock, Rock, Pop, Celtic rock, alternative rock
years active	1990–2006 (On hiatus)
label	143 (1990–2003) Lava (1990–2003)Atlantic (1990–2006)
website	www.thecorrswebsite.com
current members	Andrea CorrCaroline CorrSharon CorrJim Corr }}

The Corrs are a Celtic folk rock band from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle); Sharon (violin, vocals); Caroline (drums, piano, bodhrán, vocals); and Jim (guitar, piano, vocals).

The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and their support of Celine Dion on her 1996 Falling into You Tour. Since then, they have released five studio albums and numerous singles, which have reached platinum in many countries. ''Talk on Corners'', their most successful album to date, reached multi-platinum status in Australia and the UK.

The Corrs have been actively involved in philanthropic activities. They have performed in numerous charity concerts such as the Prince's Trust in 2004 and Live 8 alongside Bono in 2005. The same year, they were awarded honorary MBEs for their contributions to music and charity. The Corrs are on hiatus because Jim and Caroline are raising families, while Andrea and Sharon are pursuing solo careers.

History

Early years

The Corrs' parents are Gerry Corr, a manager of the payroll department of the Irish Electricity Supply Board, and his wife, Jean, a homemaker, who died in 1999 while waiting for a lung transplant. They raised their family in Dundalk, Ireland. The Corrs' paternal uncle, Peter Corr, was a professional footballer who played for Ireland and several clubs including Everton. Gerry and Jean performed together as a band called Sound Affair, and often brought their children to their performances, where they played songs by ABBA and the Eagles in local pubs.

With the encouragement of their parents, Jim took guitar lessons and Sharon played the violin. Caroline did not learn to play the drums until she was 17 and was helped by a boyfriend at the time and Andrea did not take up the tin whistle until she was 19. They were all taught the piano by their father. Throughout their teenage years the children practiced in Jim's bedroom at a rented house. Andrea sang lead vocals, Sharon played the violin, and Caroline and Jim played the keyboards.

1990–1994: Early commercial success

While Caroline and Andrea were still attending school, Jim and Sharon began playing as a duo, often at their aunt's pub, ''McManus's''. In 1990, Jim and Sharon added their younger siblings, to form a quartet. Their career took off in 1991 when they auditioned for the film ''The Commitments''. Jim, Sharon, and Caroline each had small parts as musicians, while Andrea had a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte. John Hughes noticed them when they auditioned for the movie, and agreed to become their manager.

In 1994, the American ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, invited them to perform at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Boston after seeing them play a gig at Whelan's Music Bar in Dublin. After an appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, The Corrs joined Celine Dion's worldwide ''Falling into You Tour'' as a supporting act.

1995–1999: International fame

Jason Flom, Atlantic Records's head of A&R;, recommended that they meet with David Foster, a Canadian musician, producer, composer and arranger. The Corrs played live for Foster and he agreed to sign them to Atlantic Records. They extended their stay in the US for over five months to record their debut album, ''Forgiven, Not Forgotten''. ''Forgiven, Not Forgotten'' featured six instrumental selections among its Celtic-influenced tracks. The album sold well in Ireland, Australia, Japan, Norway and Spain. Major success in the US and the UK, however, was not immediately forthcoming. Eventually, the album reached platinum status in the UK and Australia, and quadruple platinum in Ireland, making it one of the most successful debuts by an Irish group.

The Corrs' next album, 1997's ''Talk On Corners'', was produced by Glen Ballard, who was respected for his collaboration with Alanis Morissette. The Corrs also collaborated with Carole Bayer Sager, Oliver Leiber, Rick Nowels, and Billy Steinberg. The album met with lukewarm responses and was only successful in Ireland.

The Corrs performed a special remixed version of the tracks from their first two albums in a televised St. Patrick's Day appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1998. After the performance, the band re-released ''Talk on Corners'', with new remixes of "What Can I Do?", "So Young" and "Runaway". The special edition topped the charts worldwide, and again reached multi-platinum status in the UK and Australia.

In June 1998, The Corrs participated in the ''Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia'' charity concert. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and was hosted by Luciano Pavarotti. Other performers included Jon Bon Jovi, Céline Dion, Spice Girls and Stevie Wonder. The concert aimed to raise money to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village, to provide refuge for children in Liberia.

The following year, The Corrs received a BRIT Award for ''Best International Band''. They performed live on MTV's Unplugged on 5 October 1999 at Ardmore Studios, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The resulting CD and DVD sold 2.7 million copies and featured live performances of previously released songs, plus a new song, "Radio", later featured on their third album, ''In Blue''.

2000–2002: Mainstream success

In 2000, The Corrs returned to mainstream success with their third album. Unlike their previous albums, ''In Blue'' moved towards mainstream pop. Nevertheless, ''In Blue'' hit number one in its first sales week in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and debuted at #2 in France and Norway. It climbed to the top spot during its second week in Sweden and Spain.

The Corrs worked with Alejandro Sanz on ''In Blue'', recording "Una Noche (One Night)", a duet between Sanz and Andrea Corr; Sanz played Andrea's love interest in the music video. In return, The Corrs performed "Me Iré (The Hardest Day)" with him on his album, ''El Alma Al Aire''. The Corrs collaborated with Robert Lange to produce a mainstream hit single, "Breathless", which reached number 34 in the Billboard Hot 100, number seven in Australia, number three in Ireland and New Zealand, and topped the charts in the UK. The album went straight to number one in the Irish Albums Chart, the third highest single-week sales in the history of the charts, behind U2's ''The Best of 1980-1990'' and Oasis' ''Be Here Now''. ''In Blue'' achieved platinum sales in the US, double platinum in the UK, and quadruple platinum in Australia.

During the production of the album, the Corrs' mother, Jean, died while waiting for a lung transplant. She was buried at St. Patrick's cemetery in Dundalk, and Bono, Larry Mullen, Brian Kennedy and Paul Brady were among the congregation at the funeral. "No More Cry", written by Andrea and Caroline Corr for the album, was written to help their father get over his grief.

In 2001, The Corrs released their first compilation album, ''Best of The Corrs''. The album featured previously released songs and new tracks, such as the singles "Would You Be Happier", "Make You Mine" and "Lifting Me". The album did not chart highly in Ireland but reached platinum status in Australia. The Corrs collaborated with Josh Groban, recording ''Canto Alla Vita'', for his eponymous debut album.

When the band returned to Ireland, they hosted another live concert at Ardmore Studios, where they previously performed for the MTV's Unplugged series. Guest performers included Bono from U2 and Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones. During the concert, Bono joined Andrea Corr for a duet of Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine" and a performance of Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue". Ronnie Wood joined the band onstage to play guitar on their version of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday". These performances were recorded and compiled on a live album, ''VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin'', which was released in the UK.

2003–2005: Later years

In 2003, Andrea Corr recorded "Time Enough For Tears", written by Bono and Gavin Friday for the film ''In America''. This track was featured on The Corrs' 2004 album, ''Borrowed Heaven''. Recorded over an 18-month period in Dublin and Los Angeles, ''Borrowed Heaven'' was produced by Olle Romo, who previously worked with Melanie C and Kelly Clarkson. The album marked The Corrs' return to the folk rock genre with a slightly heavier emphasis on guitars. Nevertheless, the album was not as successful as their predecessors, but at least successful enough to enter at No.2 in both the UK and Germany and reach silver status in the UK as well as gold in Germany. Jason Duffy temporarily joined the band as drummer, filling in for Caroline while she was pregnant with her second child and unable to tour. ''Borrowed Heaven'' was dedicated to the band's parents.

The band also dedicated their 2005 album ''Home'' to their deceased mother. It is regarded a traditional Irish album as the band covered traditional Irish songs taken from their mother's songbook to commemorate their 15 years as a band. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and featured the BBC Radio 2 Orchestra. The songs on ''Home'' spanned the history of Irish music. It also included two songs in Irish, "Bríd Óg Ní Mháille (Brigid O'Malley)" and "Buachaill Ón Éirne (Boy from Lough Erne)". ''Home'' had success in Ireland, France (reaching #5) and Germany (reaching #12) and was certified silver in the UK.

2006–present: Children and a solo career

The Corrs have been on hiatus since 2006. Sharon, Jim, and Caroline are raising their own families while Andrea pursues a solo career. Sharon married Gavin Bonnar, a Belfast barrister, on 7 July 2001. Since then, they have had two children, Cathal Robert Gerard and Flori Jean Elizabeth. Jim's child, Brandon, was born in 2006 to Gayle Williamson, his ex-fiancée and a former Miss Northern Ireland. Caroline married Frank Woods, a property developer in Majorca, Spain on 22 August 2002. They have three children, Jake, Georgina and Rihann. Andrea released her first solo album, ''Ten Feet High'', on 25 June 2007. It was produced by Nellee Hooper, who has worked with Gwen Stefani and Madonna; Bono was an executive producer. The first single released from the album was "Shame on You (to Keep My Love from Me)". On 30 May 2011, Andrea released her second album, Lifelines, an album of cover songs, with The Blue Nile's ''Tinseltown in the Rain'' as the first single. As of 2009, Sharon is pursuing a solo career, her single ''It's Not A Dream'' was released on 29 August 2009.

The Corrs released their second compilation album, ''Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection'', on 20 November 2006. The album consisted of several of the band's hits, as well as tracks that had not previously been released on Corrs albums, such as "I Know My Love", a collaboration with The Chieftains, and "All I Have To Do Is Dream", Andrea's duet with Laurent Voulzy. The album also featured remixes of "When The Stars Go Blue" and "Goodbye". The latter was released as a download-only single to promote the album. However, the album charted poorly, reaching number 24 in Ireland. On 25 September 2007, The Corrs released another compilation album, ''The Works''. The album consists of three CDs that feature previously released songs. It performed worse than its predecessor, failing to chart at all. Sharon Corr suggested in a September 2010 interview that The Corrs could do something in 2011.

Musical style and influence

When asked to describe their genre, Caroline Corr said it was a "blend of modern rhythms and technology with acoustic instruments, violin, tin whistle, drums, and of course the voices, the marrying of these instruments is our sound". The Corrs' music is typically categorised as folk rock. This is evident in their first two albums, ''Forgiven Not Forgotten'' and ''Talk on Corners'', although Andrea described the genre of ''Talk on Corners'' by saying "it [has] got more of an edgy feel, a little bit more guitar-orientated and also an Irish sound, which is in ''Forgiven, Not Forgotten''."

''In Blue'' moved to towards mainstream pop, placing heavy emphasis on synthesisers. The move attracted criticism from many; one ''Entertainment Weekly'' critic called it "a disheartening example of musical ethnic cleansing". A ''USA Today'' critic called it "the best mainstream pop album you're likely to come across".

''Borrowed Heaven'' placed heavier emphasis on guitars, while retaining the original folk rock genre. ''Home'' is a traditional Irish album, where the band covered many traditional Irish songs. The album contained songs from different eras of Irish music, including a 1982 song written by the late Phil Lynott ("Old Town") while the 1,000-year-old "Return to Fingal" featured as a bonus track on the Japanese, limited German and Spanish editions.

The Corrs' main influences were their parents who were musicians and encouraged them to learn instruments. They drew inspiration from musicians such as The Eagles, The Police, The Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel and Fleetwood Mac, which Sharon said in an interview with CNN is the reason "our songs are very, very melodic and [harmonious]".

Philanthropy

The Corrs have been active in supporting charitable and philanthropic causes and disaster relief. In 1996, the Corrs participated in the ''Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia'' charity concert. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and was hosted by Luciano Pavarotti. Among the other participating artists were Jon Bon Jovi, Natalie Cole, Pino Daniele, Céline Dion, Florent Pagny, Eros Ramazzotti, Spice Girls, Vanessa L. Williams, Stevie Wonder, Trisha Yearwood and Zucchero. The concert raised money that was used to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village and to provide a refuge for orphans in Liberia during the civil war. The Corrs, along with Sinéad O'Connor, Van Morrison, Boyzone, U2 and Enya held a charity concert in 1998, to raise money for the victims of the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland.

The Corrs' mother, Jean, died in Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, England. The Corrs showed their appreciation to the hospital by performing a one-off charity concert, held in 2001 at the Telewest Arena; it raised more than £100,000. The money was used to extend the William Leech Centre of the hospital, which is dedicated to research into lung treatment. The city of Newcastle presented them a limited edition painting of Tyneside's quayside in return.

The Corrs' played at a 2004 charity concert for The Prince's Trust, a UK-based charity that provides help, training, financial, and practical support to UK citizens aged between 14 and 30. They performed with Will Young, Blue, Avril Lavigne, Lenny Kravitz, Busted, Anastacia, Nelly Furtado, Sugababes and Natasha Bedingfield and raised more than £1 million.

They are ambassadors for the Nelson Mandela's "46664" campaign, where they performed live to raise awareness towards AIDS in Africa. The concert was held on 29 November 2003 in Cape Town, South Africa. The concert aimed to "[raise] awareness of HIV in South Africa and launched the 46664 campaign" and the money raised was donated to the ''Nelson Mandela Foundation for Aids''. During the Edinburgh Live 8 on 2 July 2005, the Corrs performed "When the Stars Go Blue" alongside Bono to promote the Make Poverty History campaign, which aimed to increase awareness and pressure governments into taking actions towards relieving absolute poverty.

In recognition of their charity work, the Corrs were made honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 by Queen Elizabeth II.

Personal

The Corrs are four siblings: Andrea Corr (lead vocals, tin whistle); Sharon Corr (violin, vocals); Caroline Corr (Drums, piano, bodhrán, vocals); and Jim Corr (guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals). After the release of ''Forgiven Not Forgotten'' in late 1995, Anthony Drennan (lead guitar/dobro)and Keith Duffy (bass guitar/percussion) joined the lineup for their Forgiven, Not Forgotten World Tour. Both Drennan and Duffy subsequently became permanent members of the touring ensemble and all subsequent recordings. During Caroline Corr's absence due to pregnancy for much of their 2004 Borrowed Heaven Tour, bass player Keith's brother, Jason, who was known as the former drummer of Michael Flatley in Lord of the Dance and Celtic Tiger Live took over. When Caroline reunited with the band, she did piano and percussion as it was easy for her as she progressed

They had numerous producers working for their albums, using differing styles. For ''Forgiven, Not Forgotten'' they enlisted David Foster. They recruited Glen Ballard to produce ''Talk on Corners''. Mutt Lange produced ''In Blue'', Olle Romo produced ''Borrowed Heaven'', and ''Home'' was produced by Mitchell Froom. Froom also produced ''The Corrs Unplugged''.

Band Members

Current Members

# Andrea Corr (lead vocals, tin whistle) # Sharon Corr (violin, vocals) # Caroline Corr (Drums, piano, bodhrán, vocals) # Jim Corr (guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals)

Touring Members

# Anthony Drennan (lead guitar/dobro) # Keith Duffy (bass guitar/percussion)

Discography

Albums

{|class="wikitable" ! Release date ! Title |- | 1995 | ''Forgiven Not Forgotten'' |- | 1997 | ''Talk on Corners'' |- | 2000 | ''In Blue'' |- | 2004 | ''Borrowed Heaven'' |- | 2005 | ''Home'' |}

Compilation albums

{|class="wikitable" ! Release date ! Title |- | 2001 | ''Best of The Corrs'' |- | 2006 | ''Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection'' |- | 2007 | ''The Works'' |- | 2011 | ''Original Album Series'' |}

Live albums

{|class="wikitable" ! Release date ! Title |- | 1997 | ''The Corrs – Live'' |- | 1999 | ''The Corrs Unplugged'' |- | 2002 | ''The Corrs, Live in Dublin'' |}

Tours and other media

Tours

Forgiven Not Forgotten tour (1996–1997)

Talk On Corners Tour (1997–2000)

In Blue Tour (2000–2001)

Borrowed Heaven Tour (2004)

The Corrs: In Concert

Video

The Corrs Live At the Royal Albert Hall

The Corrs Live at Lansdowne Road

The Corrs Unplugged

The Corrs Live In London

All The Way Home/Live in Geneva

Awards

Many of the Corrs' songs have charted at #1 in numerous countries. They won one BRIT Award, in 1999, and have twice been nominated for Meteor Music Awards, in 2005 and 2006. They were nominated for two Grammy awards in 2001 too: one for their song ''Breathless'' and for another one due to their instrumental song ''Rebel Heart''.

See also

Music of Ireland

List of artists who reached number one in Ireland

References

Sources

Cornwell, Jane, ''The Corrs'', London: Virgin Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85227-840-4

Footnotes

External links

The Corrs Official Website

Disfrutaloscorrs.es

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Celtic music groups Category:Family musical groups Category:Irish folk musical groups Category:Irish alternative rock groups Category:Folk rock groups Category:People from County Louth Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Irish pop music groups Category:Celtic fusion musicians Category:Musical quartets

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Coordinates	50°34′″N21°52′″N
name	Celine Dion
background	solo_singer
birth name	Céline Marie Claudette Dion
birth date	March 30, 1968
origin	Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada
instrument	Vocals
genre	Pop, dance-pop, pop rock, soft rock, adult contemporary
occupation	Singer, songwriter-composer, actress
years active	1980–present
label	Sony Music Canada, Epic, 550, Columbia
networth	over US$250 million (Jan. 2007)
website
associated acts	Andrea Bocelli, R. Kelly, Peabo Bryson, Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti }}

Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , (; born March 30, 1968), is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record. In 1990, she released the English-language album ''Unison'', establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.

Dion had first gained international recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Following a series of French albums in the early 1980s, she signed on to CBS Records Canada in 1986. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved worldwide fame after signing with Epic Records and releasing several English albums along with additional French albums, becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music history. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a hiatus from entertainment in order to start a family and spend time with her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer. She returned to the top of pop music in 2002 and signed a three-year (later extended to almost five years) contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

Dion's music has been influenced by genres ranging from rock and R&B; to gospel and classical. While her releases have often received mixed critical reception, she is renowned for her technically skilled and powerful vocals. Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist of all time, is the second best-selling female artist in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era, and is the only female artist to have two singles sell more than a million copies in the UK. In addition, her 1995 album ''D'eux'', is the best-selling French-language album of all time. In 2004, after surpassing 175 million in album sales worldwide, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for becoming the best-selling female artist of all time. According to Sony Music Entertainment, Dion has sold over 200 million albums worldwide.

Life and career

Childhood and early beginnings

The youngest of 14 children born to Adhémar Dion and Thérèse Tanguay, both of French-Canadian descent, Celine Dion was raised a Roman Catholic in a poverty-stricken, but, by her own account, happy home in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. Music had always been a part of the family (Dion was named after the song ''Céline'', recorded by French singer Hugues Aufray two years before her birth), as she grew up singing with her siblings in her parents' small piano bar called ''Le Vieux Baril''. From an early age Dion had dreamed of being a performer. In a 1994 interview with ''People'' magazine, she recalled, "I missed my family and my home, but I don't regret having lost my adolescence. I had one dream: I wanted to be a singer."

At age 12, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to compose her first song, "Ce n'était qu'un rêve" ("It Was Only a Dream"). Her brother Michel Dondalinger Dion sent the recording to music manager René Angélil, whose name he discovered on the back of a Ginette Reno album. Angélil was moved to tears by Dion's voice, and decided to make her a star. In 1981, he mortgaged his home to fund her first record, ''La voix du bon Dieu'' ("The Voice of the Good God"), which later became a local number-one hit and made Dion an instant star in Quebec. Her popularity spread to other parts of the world when she competed in the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan, and won the musician's award for "Top Performer" as well as the gold medal for "Best Song" with "Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi" ("I Have So Much Love for You").

By 1983, in addition to becoming the first Canadian artist to receive a gold record in France for the single "D'amour ou d'amitié" ("Of Love or of Friendship"), Dion had also won several Félix Awards, including "Best Female performer" and "Discovery of the Year". Further success in Europe, Asia, and Australia came when Dion represented Switzerland in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with the song ''Ne partez pas sans moi'' (''Don't Go Without Me'') and won the contest by a close margin in Dublin, Ireland. However, American success was yet to come, partly because she was exclusively a Francophone artist. At eighteen, after seeing a Michael Jackson performance, Dion told Angélil that she wanted to be a star like Jackson. Though confident in her talent, Angélil realized that her image needed to be changed in order for her to be marketed worldwide. Dion receded from the spotlight for a number of months, during which she underwent dental surgery to improve her appearance, and was sent to the École Berlitz in 1989 to polish her English.

In 1989, during a concert on ''Incognito Tour'', Dion injured her voice. She consulted the otorhinolaryngologist William Gould. He gave her an ultimatum: have surgery on her vocal cords, or not utilize them at all for three weeks. The album was largely influenced by 1980s soft rock music that quickly found a niche within the adult contemporary radio format. ''Unison'' also hit the right notes with critics: Jim Faber of ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that Dion's vocals were "tastefully unadorned", and that she never attempted to "bring off styles that are beyond her". Stephen Erlewine of ''Allmusic'' declared it as, "a fine, sophisticated American debut." Singles from the album included "(If There Was) Any Other Way", "The Last to Know", "Unison", and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", a mid-tempo soft-rock ballad which made prominent use of the electric guitar. The latter became her first single to reach the top-ten on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number-four. The album established Dion as a rising singer in the United States, and across Continental Europe and Asia.

In 1991, Dion was also a soloist in ''Voices That Care'', a tribute to American troops fighting in Operation Desert Storm. Dion's real international breakthrough came when she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track to Disney's animated film ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991). The song captured a musical style that Dion would utilize in the future: sweeping, classically influenced ballads with soft instrumentation. Both a critical and commercial hit, the song became her second U.S. top-ten single, and won the Academy Award for Best Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Beauty and the Beast" was featured on Dion's 1992 self-titled album, which, like her debut, had a strong rock influence combined with elements of soul and classical music. Owing to the success of the lead-off single and her collaboration with Foster and Diane Warren, the album was as well received as ''Unison''. Other singles that achieved moderate success included "If You Asked Me To" (a cover of Patti LaBelle's song from the 1989 movie ''Licence to Kill'') which peaked at number-four on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the gospel-tinged "Love Can Move Mountains", and "Nothing Broken But My Heart".

As with Dion's earlier releases, the album had an overtone of love. Also during this time, Dion released the Francophone album ''Dion chante Plamondon'' in 1991. The album consisted mostly of covers, but included 4 new songs, which included "Des mots qui sonnent", "Je danse dans ma tête", "Quelqu'un que j'aime, quelqu'un qui m'aime" and "L'amour existe encore". It was originally released in Canada and France during the 1991–1992 period, but then got an international release in 1994, the first French Celine Dion album to do so. "Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)" became a smash hit in France, reaching number-two and being certified gold. In Quebec, the album was certified Gold the day it was released.

By 1992 ''Unison'', ''Céline Dion'', and media appearances had propelled Dion to superstardom in North America. She had achieved one of her main objectives: wedging her way into the Anglophone market and achieving fame. However, while she was experiencing rising success in the U.S., her French fans in Canada criticized her for neglecting them. She would later regain her fan base at the Félix Award show, where, after winning "English Artist of the Year", she openly refused to accept the award. She asserted that she was—and would always be—a French, not an English, artist. Apart from her commercial success, there were also changes in Dion's personal life, as Angélil, who was twenty-six years her senior, transitioned from manager to lover. However, the relationship was kept a secret as they both feared that the public would find their relations inappropriate.

Popularity established: 1993–1995

In 1993, Dion announced her feelings for her manager by declaring him "the colour of [her] love" in the dedication section of her third English-language album ''The Colour of My Love''. However, instead of criticizing their relationship as Dion had feared, fans embraced the couple. Eventually, Angélil and Dion married in an extravagant wedding ceremony in December 1994, which was broadcast live on Canadian television.

As it was dedicated to her manager, the album's motif focused on love and romance. It became her most successful record up to that point, selling more than six million copies in the U.S., two million in Canada, and peaking at number-one in many countries. The album also spawned Dion's first U.S., Canadian, and Australian number-one single "The Power of Love" (a remake of Jennifer Rush's 1985 hit), which would become her signature hit until she reached new career heights in the late 1990s. The single "When I Fall in Love", a duet with Clive Griffin, achieved moderate success on the U.S. and Canadian charts, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning one. ''The Colour of My Love'' also became Dion's first major hit in Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom. Both the album and the single "Think Twice" simultaneously occupied the top of the British charts for five consecutive weeks. "Think Twice", which remained at number-one for seven weeks, eventually became the fourth single by a female artist to sell in excess of one million copies in the UK, while the album was eventually certified five-times platinum for two-million copies sold.

Dion kept to her French roots and continued to release many Francophone recordings between each English record. Generally, they achieved more credibility than her English-language works. She released ''À l'Olympia'', a live album that was recorded during one of Dion's concerts at the Paris Olympia in 1994. It had one promotional single, a live version of "Calling You", which peaked at seventy-five on the French Singles Chart. She also recorded a bilingual version of Petit Papa Noël with Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 1994 holiday album ''A Very Merry Chipmunk''. ''D'eux'' (also known as ''The French Album'' in the United States), was released in 1995, and it would go on to become the best-selling French-language album of all time. The album was mostly written and produced by Jean-Jacques Goldman, and amassed huge success with the singles "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" and "Je sais pas". "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" reached number 1 in France and stayed at the top position for twelve weeks. It was later certified Platinum in France. The single also reached the top ten in the UK and Ireland, a rare accomplishment for a French song. The second single off the album, "Je sais pas", reached number-one on the French Singles Chart as well and was certified Silver in France. These songs would later become "If That's What It Takes" and "I Don't Know" on Dion's next English album, ''Falling into You''.

During the mid-1990s, Dion's albums continued to be constructed on the basis of melodramatic ballads, but also with up-tempo pop and adult contemporary themed music. She collaborated with talented craftsman such as Jim Steinman and David Foster who helped her devise more adult contemporary songs. While critical reviews fluctuated, Dion's releases performed increasingly well on the international charts, and in 1996 she won the World Music Award for "World’s Best-selling Canadian Female Recording Artist of the Year" for the third time. By the mid-1990s, she had established herself as one of the best-selling artists in the world.

Worldwide commercial success: 1996–1999

''Falling into You'' (1996), Dion's fourth English-language album, presented the singer at the height of her popularity, and showed a further progression of her music. In an attempt to reach a wider audience, the album combined many elements, such as complex orchestral sounds, African chanting and elaborate musical effects. Additionally, instruments like the violin, Spanish guitar, trombone, the cavaquinho and saxophone created a new sound. The singles encompassed a variety of musical styles. The title track "Falling into You" and "River Deep, Mountain High" (a Tina Turner cover) made prominent use of percussion instruments; "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (a remake of Jim Steinman's song) and a remake of Eric Carmen's "All by Myself" kept their soft-rock atmosphere, but were combined with the classical sound of the piano; and the number-one single "Because You Loved Me", which was written by Diane Warren, was a ballad that served as the theme to the 1996 film ''Up Close & Personal''.

''Falling into You'' garnered career-best reviews for Dion. While Dan Leroy wrote that it was not very different from her previous work, and Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' and Natalie Nichols of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that the album was formulaic, other critics, such as Chuck Eddy of ''Entertainment Weekly'', Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ''AMG'' and Daniel Durchholz, lavished the album as "compelling", "passionate", "stylish", "elegant" and "remarkably well-crafted". ''Falling Into You'' became Dion's most critically and commercially successful album: it topped the charts in many countries and became one of the best-selling albums of all time. In the United States, the album reached number-one, and was later certified 11x Platinum for over 11 million copies shipped. In Canada, the album was certified diamond for over one million copies shipped. The IFPI certified ''Falling into You'' 9x Platinum, an accolade that has been given to only two other albums in history, with one of the two being Dion's own album, ''Let's Talk About Love''. The album also won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Album, and the academy's highest honor Album of the Year. Dion's status on the world stage was further solidified when she was asked to perform "The Power of the Dream" at the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In March 1996, Dion launched the Falling into You Tour in support of her new album, giving concerts around the world for over a year.

Dion followed ''Falling into You'' with ''Let's Talk About Love'' (1997), which was publicized as its sequel. The recording process took place in London, New York City, and Los Angeles, and featured a host of special guests, such as Barbra Streisand on "Tell Him"; the Bee Gees on "Immortality"; and world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti on "I Hate You Then I Love You". Other musicians included Carole King, Sir George Martin, Bryan Adams and Jamaican singer Diana King, who added a reggae tinge to "Treat Her Like a Lady". As with ''Falling into You'', ''Let's Talk About Love'' was a major success for Dion, reaching number-one all over the world, attaining platinum status in twenty-four sales territories, and becoming Dion's fastest selling album of her career. In the United States, the album topped the chart in its seventh week of release, and was later certified 10x Platinum in the U.S. for over 10 million copies shipped. In Canada, the album sold 230,212 copies in its first week of release, which became, and still is, a record. It was eventually certified diamond in Canada for over 1 million copies shipped. The most successful single from the album became the classically influenced ballad "My Heart Will Go On", which was written and composed by James Horner and Will Jennings, and produced by Horner and Walter Afanasieff. Serving as the love theme for the 1997 blockbuster film ''Titanic'', the song topped the charts across the world, and became Dion's signature song; as well as winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The song also gave Dion two Grammy Awards for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" and the most coveted "Record of the Year", (the song itself won four awards, but two were presented to the songwriters). "My Heart Will Go On" and "Think Twice" made her the only female artist in the UK to have two singles to sell more than a million copies. In support of her album, Dion embarked on the Let's Talk About Love Tour between 1998 and 1999.

Dion ended the 1990s with three more extremely successful albums—the Christmas album ''These Are Special Times'' (1998), the French-language album, ''S'il suffisait d'aimer'', and the compilation album ''All the Way... A Decade of Song'' (1999). On ''These Are Special Times'', Dion became more involved in the writing process. She co-wrote the song, ''Don't Save It All For Christmas Day'' along with Ric Wake and Peter Zizzo. The album was her most classically influenced yet, with orchestral arrangements found on virtually every track. "I'm Your Angel", a duet with R. Kelly, became Dion's fourth U.S. number one single, and another hit single across the world. ''All the Way... A Decade of Song'' drew together her most successful hits coupled with seven new songs, including the lead off single "That's the Way It Is", a cover of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", and "All the Way", a duet with Frank Sinatra. The album itself was also extremely successful worldwide, reaching number-one in the United States for three weeks. The album was later certified 7x Platinum in the U.S. for 7 million copies shipped. ''All the Way... A Decade of Song'' also topped the charts in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Her last French-language studio album of the 1990s, ''S'il suffisait d'aimer'', was very successful as well, topping the charts in every major French-speaking country, including France, Switzerland, Belgium Wallonia, and Canada. By the end of the 1990s, Celine Dion had sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, and had won a slew of industry awards. Her status as one of the music industry's biggest pop divas was further solidified when she was asked to perform on VH1's ''Divas Live'' special in 1998, with superstars Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey. That year she also received two of the highest honours from her home country: "Officer of the Order of Canada for Outstanding Contribution to the World of Contemporary Music" and "Officer of the National Order of Quebec". A year later she was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame, and was honoured with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

During this time, the pop-rock genre that was more noticeable in her earlier releases, was replaced by a more adult contemporary feel. However, the theme of "love" remained in most of her releases, which led to some critics dismissing her music as banal. Other critics, like Elysa Gardner and Jose F. Promis, praised her vocals during this period, describing it as a "technical marvel". However, others, like Steve Dollar, who reviewed ''These Are Special Times'', stated that Dion is a "vocal Olympian for whom there ain't no mountain—or scale—high enough."

Career break: 2000–2002

After releasing and promoting thirteen albums during the 1990s, Dion stated that she needed to settle down, and announced on her latest album ''All the Way... A Decade of Song'', that she needed to take a step back from the spotlight and enjoy life. Angélil's diagnosis with throat cancer also prompted her to hiatus. While on break, Dion was unable to escape the spotlight. In 2000, the ''National Enquirer'' published a false story about the singer. Brandishing a picture of Dion and her husband, the magazine misquoted Dion, printing the headline, "Celine — 'I'm Pregnant With Twins!'" Dion later sued the magazine for more than twenty million dollars. The editors of the ''Enquirer'' printed an apology and a full retraction to Dion in the next issue, and donated money to the American Cancer Society in honor of Dion and her husband. A year after the incident, after undergoing fertility treatments, Dion gave birth to a son, René-Charles Dion Angélil, on January 25, 2001, in Florida. Following the September 11, 2001, attacks, Dion returned to the music scene, and in a televised performance sang "God Bless America" at the benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes. Chuck Taylor of ''Billboard'' wrote, "the performance... brings to mind what has made her one of the celebrated vocalists of our time: the ability to render emotion that shakes the soul. Affecting, meaningful, and filled with grace, this is a musical reflection to share with all of us still searching for ways to cope." In December 2001, Dion published her autobiography, ''My Story, My Dream'' which chronicled her rags to riches story.

Return to music: 2002–2003

Dion's aptly titled ''A New Day Has Come'', released in March 2002, ended her three-year break from the music industry. The album was Dion's most personal yet, and established a more mature side of Dion with the songs "A New Day Has Come", "I'm Alive", and "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", a change that resulted from her new-found maternal responsibilities, because, in her own words, "becoming a mother makes you a grown-up." She stated, "''A New Day Has Come'', for Rene, for me, is the baby. It has everything to do with the baby...That song "A New Day Has Come" represents very well the mood I'm feeling right now. It represents the whole album." ''A New Day Has Come'' debuted at number one in over 17 countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada. In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 527,000 copies; marking her first number one debut on the chart. It was eventually certified 3x Platinum in the United States, and 6x Platinum in Canada.

While the album was commercially successful, critical reviews suggested that it was "forgettable" and the lyrics were "lifeless". Both Rob Sheffield of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, and Ken Tucker of ''Entertainment Weekly'', stated that Dion's music had not matured during her break, and classed her music as trite and mediocre. Sal Cinquemani of ''Slant'' magazine called the album "a lengthy collection of drippy, gooey pop fluffer-nutter." The first single off the album, ''A New Day Has Come'' peaked at No.22 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, being an airplay-only release. On the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, however the song spent 21 consecutive weeks at number 1, breaking the record for the longest span at the top. The previous record holders were Phil Collins' ''You'll Be in My Heart'' and Dion's own ''Because You Loved Me,'' both of which lasted nineteen weeks at number 1. During 2002, she performed for many benefit concerts, the famous VH1 Divas Live, a concert to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, alongside Cher, Anastacia, Dixie Chicks, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, Shakira and Stevie Nicks.

Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, Dion released ''One Heart'' (2003), an album that represented her appreciation for life. The album largely consisted of dance music—a deviation from the soaring, melodramatic ballads, for which she had once been given mixed reception. Although the album achieved moderate success, ''One Heart'' was met with mixed criticism, and words such as "predictable" and "banal" appeared even in the most lenient reviews. A cover of the 1989 Cyndi Lauper hit "I Drove All Night", released to launch her new advertising campaign with Chrysler, incorporated dance-pop and rock and roll. The advertising deal itself, however was met with mixed criticism, with some stating that Dion was trying to please her sponsors. However, people like Bonita Stewart, who was the director of Chrysler Group Marketing Communications stated that "Chrysler was taken by how her appeal crossed ethnic lines." She also added, "She brings sophistication, refinement, romance and passion to the brand."

After ''One Heart'', Dion released her next English Language studio album, ''Miracle'' (2004). ''Miracle'' was a multimedia project conceived by Dion and photographer Anne Geddes, and had a theme centering on babies and motherhood. The album was filled with lullabies and other songs of maternal love and inspiration, the two most popular being covers of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy". The reviews for ''Miracle'' were mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic.com gave the album three of out five stars, stating, "The worst you can say about the record is that there are no surprises, but the audience for this record doesn't want surprises; they want comfort, whether it arrives in polished music or artsy photos of newborns, and Miracle provides both, which makes it appealing for those expectant or new mothers in Dion's audience. Chuck Taylor of ''Billboard'' magazine wrote that the single "Beautiful Boy" was "an unexpected gem" and called Dion "a timeless, enormously versatile artist", Chuck Arnold of ''People'' Magazine, however, labeled the album as excessively sentimental, while Nancy Miller of ''Entertainment Weekly'' opined that "the whole earth-mama act is just opportunism, reborn". ''Miracle'' debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and number one in Canada , and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA.

The Francophone album ''1 fille & 4 types'' (''1 Girl & 4 Guys''), released in October 2003, fared better than her first two releases, and showed Dion trying to distance herself from the "diva" image. She recruited Jean-Jacques Goldman, Gildas Arzel, Eric Benzi, and Jacques Veneruso, with whom she had previously worked on two of her best-selling French albums ''S'il suffisait d'aimer'' and ''D'eux''. Labeled "the album of pleasure" by Dion herself, the album cover showed Dion in a simple and relaxed manner, contrary to the choreographed poses usually found on her album covers. The album achieved widespread commercial success in France, Canada, and Belgium where it reached number one. In France, the album debuted at number one and was later certified 2x platinum after selling over 700,000 copies. Critic, Stephen Erlewine of ''AllMusic'' wrote that Dion's vocals "are back at top of their game" and that she was "getting back to pop basics and performing at a level unheard in a while."

Though her albums were commercially successful, they did not achieve the sales or the reception of her previous works. Albums like ''The Collector's Series, Volume One'' (2000), and ''One Heart'' (2003) did not perform as well critically. Her songs received less airplay as radio became less embracing of balladeers like Dion, Carey, and Houston, and was focused on more up-tempo, Urban/Hip-hop songs. However, by 2004, Dion had accumulated sales of more than 175 million albums worldwide, and received the Chopard Diamond Award from the World Music Awards for her achievements. According to the official World Music Awards website, the award is rare; it's not even "presented every year" and an artist can only be presented with the award for selling "over 100 million albums during their career."

''A New Day... Live in Las Vegas'': 2003–2007

In early 2002 Dion had announced a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza, ''A New Day...'', at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. This move was seen as "one of the smartest business decisions in years by any major recording artist". She conceived the idea for the show after seeing ''O'' by Franco Dragone early in her break from recording, and began on March 25, 2003, in a 4,000-seat arena designed for her show. Many stars attended opening night including Dick Clark, Alan Thicke, Kathy Griffin, and Justin Timberlake, who hosted the television special. The show, put together by Dragone, was a combination of dance, music, and visual effects. It included Dion performing her biggest hits against an array of dancers and special effects. Reviewer Mike Weatherford felt that, at first, Dion was not as relaxed as she should be, and at times, it was hard to find the singer among the excessive stage ornamentations and dancers. However, he noted that the show had become more enjoyable, due to Dion's improved stage-presence and simpler costumes.

The show was also well-received by audiences, despite the complaints of expensive tickets; the show routinely sold out until its end in late 2007. Ticket prices averaged $135.33. The show was choreographed by Mia Michaels, who is a world renowned choreographer. According to ''Pollstar'', Dion sold 322,000 tickets and grossed US$43.9 million in the first half of 2005, and by July 2005, she had sold out 315 out of 384 shows. By the end of 2005, Dion grossed more than US$76 million, placing sixth on ''Billboard's Money Makers list for 2005''. ''A New Day...'' was the 6th biggest selling tour in America in 2006. Because of the show's success, Dion's contract was extended into 2007 for an undisclosed sum. On January 5, 2007 it was announced that the show would end on December 15, 2007, with tickets for the period after October 2007 having gone on sale from March 1. During its entire run, the show accumulated a total gross of $400 million, while being seen by nearly 3 million fans. The ''Live in Las Vegas - A New Day...'' DVD was released on December 10, 2007 in Europe and the following day in North America.

Back to studio and world tour: 2007–2009

Dion's latest French language album, ''D'elles'' ''(About Them)'', released on May 21, 2007, debuted at the top of the Canadian album charts, selling 72,200 copies in its first week. It marked her tenth number-one album in the SoundScan era, and her eighth to debut at the top position. In Canada, the album has been certified 2× platinum, and within the first week had already shipped half a million units worldwide. ''D'Elles'' also reached No. 1 in France and Belgium. The first single "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" (meaning "And If There Was Only One Woman Left (I Would Be That One)") debuted at the top of the French singles chart a month earlier. She released her latest English album ''Taking Chances'' on November 12 in Europe, and on the November 13 in North America. Her first English studio album since 2003's ''One Heart'', it features pop, R&B;, and rock inspired music. Dion has collaborated with John Shanks and ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody, as well as Kristian Lundin, Peer Astrom, Linda Perry, Japanese singer Yuna Ito, and R&B; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. Dion stated, "I think this album represents a positive evolution in my career ... I'm feeling strong, maybe a little gutsier than in the past, and just as passionate about music and life as I ever was." She launched her year-long worldwide Taking Chances Tour on February 14, 2008 in South Africa, performing 132 dates in stadiums and arenas across five continents.

The Taking Chances Tour was a great success in the United States, reaching the Number 1 spot on the ''Billboard'' Boxscore and it sold out every concert in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, she appeared on Idol Gives Back for a second year in a row. Céline Dion was nominated for six Juno Awards in 2008, leading the group of Canadians to receive this honour,and adding to her 53 previous nominations. Her nominations included Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year (for ''Taking Chances''), Francophone Album of the Year (for ''D'elles'') and Album of the Year (for both ''Taking Chances'' and ''D'elles''). The following year, Dion was nominated for 3 Juno Awards including the Fan Choice Award, Song of the Year (for ''Taking Chances''), and Music DVD of the Year (for ''Live in Las Vegas — A New Day...'')

On August 22, 2008, Celine Dion presented a free show, exclusively francophone, outside on the Plains of Abraham, in Quebec City, Canada, for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The celebration gathered approximately 490,000 people (total with TV broadcast). The concert, called ''Céline sur les Plaines'', was released on DVD on November 11, 2008 in Quebec and was released on May 20, 2009 in France. The end of October saw the worldwide release of her first ever comprehensive English greatest hits album called ''My Love: Essential Collection'', available in two different album formats.

In May 2009, Celine Dion was named the 20th best-selling artist of the decade in the United States and the second-best-selling female artist of the decade in the United States, selling an estimated 17.57 million albums. In June 2009, ''Forbes'' reported that Dion earned $100 million during 2008. In December 2009, Pollstar announced that Dion was the best-selling solo touring act of the decade and the second-best-selling touring act of the decade, only to the Dave Matthews Band. Dion grossed $522.2 million during the decade, a large sum of that coming from her five-year residence at Caesars Palace.

Concert film and video release: late 2009–2010

On February 17, 2010 Dion released into theatres a documentary film about her ''Taking Chances Tour'', titled, ''Celine: Through the Eyes of the World''. The documentary shows behind-the-scenes footage of Dion both onstage and offstage, along with footage of Dion with her family as they traveled with her. The distributor is the Sony Pictures subsidiary, Hot Ticket. The film was later released on Blu-ray and DVD on May 4, 2010, along with the CD/DVD, ''Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert'', which chronicled her world tour of the same name. At the 52nd Grammy Awards in February 2010, Dion joined Carrie Underwood, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson to perform the song "Earth Song" during the 3-D Michael Jackson tribute.

In January 2010, ''The Los Angeles Times'' presented its annual list of the top ten largest earners of the year, revealing that Dion took the top spot for the entire decade, with $US747.9 million in total revenue from 2000–2009. The largest haul came from ticket sales, totaling $522.2 million. Additionally, Dion was named "Artist of the Decade" in her native Canadian province of Quebec, announced by the Montreal-based newspaper, ''Le Journal de Quebec'' in 2009 December. A public online survey asked responders to vote for who they believe deserved the above-mentioned accolade.

Furthermore, in a May 2010 Harris Poll, Dion was named the most popular musician in the United States, ahead of U2, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles, while factoring in gender, political affiliations, geographic region of residence, and income. Specifically, Dion was the most popular musician in the female demographic, as well as among all Democrats, those who live in the eastern United States and southern United States, and those who have incomes between US$35k and US$74.9k.

In September 2010, she released the single "Voler", a duet with French singer Michel Sardou. The song was later included on Sardou's album. In addition, it was announced in October 2010 that Dion wrote and composed a new song for Canadian singer, Marc Dupré entitled "Entre deux mondes".

New Las Vegas show: 2011–present

In an interview with ''People Magazine'' published in February 2010, Dion announced that she will be returning to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for ''Celine'', a three-year residency for seventy shows a year, beginning March 15, 2011. She stated that the show will feature, "all the songs from my repertoire that people want to hear" and will contain a selection of music from classic Hollywood films. Dion has also announced that she is working on two new studio albums, in French and English.

In preparation for her return to Las Vegas, Dion, on February 21 made an appearance on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" during the show's final season, and spoke about her upcoming Caesars Palace shows, as well as her family. Additionally, for a record sixth time, Dion performed at the 83rd Academy Awards, where she sang the song "Smile," as part of the ceremony's "In Memoriam" segment.

Personal life

Dion first met her husband and manager, Rene Angelil in 1980, when she was 12 and he was 38, after she and her mother sent him a demo tape of a song they had written. They began a relationship in 1987, and became engaged in 1991. They married on December 17, 1994, at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Quebec. On January 5, 2000, Dion and Angelil renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.

In May 2000, Dion had two small operations at a fertility clinic in New York to improve her chances of conceiving, after deciding to use in-vitro fertilisation after years of failed attempts to conceive. Their first child, Rene-Charles Angelil, was born on January 25, 2001. In May 2010, Angelil announced that Dion was 14 weeks pregnant with twins after a sixth treatment of in-vitro fertilisation. On Saturday, October 23, 2010, at 11:11 and 11:12 am respectively, at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, Dion, by Caesarean section, gave birth to two healthy fraternal twins weighing 5 pounds 10 ounces and 5 pounds 4 ounces. The twins were named Eddy, after Dion's favorite Algerian songwriter Eddy Marnay, and Nelson, after former South African President Nelson Mandela. Dion appeared with her newborn sons on the cover of the December 9, 2010 issue of the Canadian edition of ''Hello!'' magazine.

On October 15, 2010, Céline Dion was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Artistry and image

Dion grew up listening to the music of Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Anne Murray, Barbra Streisand, and the Bee Gees, all of whom she would eventually collaborate with. Dion has also stated she grew up listening to artists such as Janis Joplin, the Doobie Brothers, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, but never got the chance to sing their genre of music. She also was inspired by fellow vocalist Whitney Houston, whom Dion has often been compared to. Her music has been influenced by numerous genres, including pop, rock, gospel, R&B; and soul, and her lyrics focus on themes of poverty, world hunger, and spirituality, with an emphasis on love and romance. After the birth of her child, her work also began to emphasize maternal bond and brotherly love.

Dion has faced considerable criticism from critics, who state that her music often retreats behind pop and soul conventions, and is marked by excessive sentimentality. According to Keith Harris of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, "[Dion's] sentimentality is bombastic and defiant rather than demure and retiring....[she] stands at the end of the chain of drastic devolution that goes Aretha-Whitney-Mariah. Far from being an aberration, Dion actually stands as a symbol of a certain kind of pop sensibility—bigger is better, too much is never enough, and the riper the emotion the more true." Dion's francophone releases, by contrast, tend to be deeper and more varied than her English releases, and consequently have achieved more credibility.

Critics have stated that Dion's involvement in the production aspect of her music is fundamentally lacking, which results in her work being overproduced and impersonal. However, coming from a family in which all of her siblings were musicians, she learned to play instruments like piano and guitar, and practiced with a Fender Stratocaster during the recording sessions of her album, ''Falling into You''. Also, she helped to compose many of her earlier French songs, and had always tried to involve herself with the production and recording of her albums. On her first English album, which she recorded before she had a firm command of the English language, she expressed disapproval of the record, which could have been avoided if she had assumed more creative input. By the time she released her second English album ''Celine Dion'', she had assumed more control of the production and recording process, hoping to dispel earlier criticisms. She stated, "On the second album I said, 'Well, I have the choice to be afraid one more time and not be 100% happy, or not be afraid and be part of this album.' This is my album." She would continue to involve herself in the production of subsequent releases, helping to write a few of her songs on ''Let's Talk About Love'' (1997) and ''These Are Special Times'' (1998).

Dion is often the subject of media ridicule and parody, and is frequently impersonated on shows like ''MADtv'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''South Park'', ''Royal Canadian Air Farce'' and ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' for her strong accent and on-stage movements. However, Dion has stated that she is unaffected by the comments, and is flattered that people take the time to impersonate her. She even invited Ana Gasteyer, who parodied her on SNL, to appear on stage during one of her performances. While she is rarely politically outspoken, in 2005 following the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Dion appeared on ''Larry King Live'' and tearfully criticized the U.S. government's slow response in aiding the victims of the hurricane: "There's people still there waiting to be rescued. To me that is not acceptable...How can it be so easy to send planes in another country to kill everybody in a second and destroy lives. We need to serve our country." After her interview, she stated, "When I do interviews with Larry King or the big TV shows like that, they put you on the spot, which is very difficult. I do have an opinion, but I'm a singer. I'm not a politician."

Voice

Dion is often regarded as one of pop music's most influential voices. She has been described as a reigning "Queen of Pop" for her influence over the record industry during the 1990s, alongside other female entertainers, including Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. In a countdown of the "22 Greatest Voices in Music" by ''Blender Magazine'' and MTV, she placed ninth (sixth for a female), and she was also placed fourth in ''Cove'' magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists." Dion is often compared to Mariah Carey for her vocal style and to her idol, Barbra Streisand, for her voice.

According to various sources, Dion possesses a five-octave vocal range. Regarding the power of Dion's voice, Regine Crespin states, "The volume as such is thin, but thanks to her perfect mastery of the nasal backing, her voice acquires an incisive and penetrating timbre, with a great harmonic richness." Dion states she is a mezzo-soprano, while Regine Crespin and André Tubeuf state she is probably a lyric soprano. However, attempts to adopt classical voice types to other forms of singing has been met with controversy. Without making a classification, maestro Kent Nagano remarked, "All you just sang was soprano," after Dion auditioned with two solos of ''Carmen,'' wanting to know if she could sing opera. Her timbre has been described as "fresh," as well as "thin, slightly nasal, nearly vibratoless," with a "raspy" lower register and "bell glass-like high notes." According to French soprano, Regine Crespin, Dion's voice is "comparable to oboe, because of its nasal and fruity timbre and it is mordant in high notes." Crespin is also circumspect about Dion's highest notes, stating, "She doesn't have a head voice," further remarking, "she uses falsetto," which is "disconnected to the normal voice body."

Dion is often praised for her technical virtuosity. Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times,'' writes, "Ms. Dion [...] is a belter with a high, thin, slightly nasal, nearly vibratoless soprano and a good-sized arsenal of technical skills. She can deliver tricky melismas, produce expressive vocal catches and sustain long notes without the tiniest wavering of pitch. And as her duets [...] have shown, she is a reliable harmony voice." In an interview with ''Libération'', Jean-Jacques Goldman states that she has "no problem of accuracy or tempo." According to Kent Nagano, maestro of the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Dion is "a musician who has a good ear, a refinement, and a degree of perfection that is envious." Mezzo-soprano, Cecilia Bartoli and soprano, Joan Sutherland have expressed that Dion has a very good legato, while Charles Alexander of ''TIME'' states, "[Her] voice glides effortlessly from deep whispers to dead-on high notes, a sweet siren that combines force with grace."

In her French repertoire, Dion adorns her vocals with more nuances and modulations, with the emotional intensity being "more tender and intimate." Additionally, Luc Plamondon, a French singer-songwriter who has written several works for Dion states that there are three chanteuse that Dion uses: the Québécois, the French, and the American. Her latest fragrance, ''Pure Brilliance'' is scheduled to be released in September 2010. Since its inception, ''Celine Dion Parfums'' has grossed over $850 million in retail sales. In October 2004, Air Canada hired Dion as part of their promotional campaign to unveil new service products and an updated livery. "You and I", the theme song sung by Dion, was written by advertising executives working for Air Canada.

Dion has actively supported many charity organizations, worldwide. She has promoted the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) since 1982, and became the foundation's National Celebrity Patron in 1993. She has an emotional attachment to the foundation; her niece Karine succumbed to the disease at the age of sixteen. In 2003, Dion joined a number of other celebrities, athletes, and politicians, including Josh Groban and Yolanda Adams to support "World Children's Day", a global fundraising effort sponsored by McDonald's. The effort raised money from more than 100 nations and benefited orphanages and children's health organizations. In addition, Dion has been a major supporter of the T.J. Martell Foundation, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and many health and educational campaigns. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Dion donated $1 million to the victims of the storm, and held a fund-raising event for the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, which subsequently raised more than $1 million. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Dion donated $100,000 to China Children & Teenagers' Fund and sent a letter showing her consolation and support.

In 1999, Dion received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and also a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2004. She dedicated her star to her father, who died the month prior. In 2007, Celine Dion was ranked by ''Forbes'' as the 5th richest woman in entertainment with an estimated net worth of US$250 million. She also received France's highest award, the Légion d'honneur, in May 2008. In August 2008, she received an honorary doctorate in music from the Université Laval in Quebec City. In October 2010, Dion was named a Goodwill Ambassador, a program created by the UN in 1999. She shared this accolade with Oscar-winner, Susan Sarandon.

Discography

1981: ''La voix du bon Dieu''

1981: ''Céline Dion chante Noël''

1982: ''Tellement j'ai d'amour...''

1983: ''Les chemins de ma maison''

1983: ''Chants et contes de Noël''

1984: ''Mélanie''

1985: ''C'est pour toi''

1987: ''Incognito''

1990: ''Unison''

1991: ''Dion chante Plamondon''

1992: ''Celine Dion''

1993: ''The Colour of My Love''

1995: ''D'eux''

1996: ''Falling into You''

1997: ''Let's Talk About Love''

1998: ''S'il suffisait d'aimer''

1998: ''These Are Special Times''

2002: ''A New Day Has Come''

2003: ''One Heart''

2003: ''1 fille & 4 types''

2004: ''Miracle''

2007: ''D'elles''

2007: ''Taking Chances''

Tours

!Year	!Title	!Releases
1983–1984	Les chemins de ma maison tournée	None
1985	C'est pour toi tournée	Vinyl ''Céline Dion en concert''
1988	Incognito tournée	None
1990–1991	Unison Tour
1992–1993	Celine Dion in Concert	None
1994–1995	The Colour of My Love Tour	VHS/DVD ''The Colour of My Love Concert''; CD ''À l'Olympia''
1995	D'eux Tour
1996–1997	Falling into You Tour	VHS ''Live in Memphis''
1998–1999	Let's Talk About Love World Tour
2003–2007	''A New Day...''	DVD/BD ''Live in Las Vegas - A New Day...''; CD ''A New Day... Live in Las Vegas''
2008–2009	Taking Chances Tour	DVD ''Céline sur les Plaines''; DVD/BD ''Celine: Through the Eyes of the World''; DVD/CD ''Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert''
2011–2014

Filmography

''Touched by an Angel''

''The Nanny''

''All My Children''

''La fureur de Céline''

''Des fleurs sur la neige''

''Céline sur les Plaines''

''Celine: Through the Eyes of the World''

See also

List of awards received by Celine Dion

Celine Dion videography

List of best-selling music artists

Notes

References

}}

''Céline Dion''. Artist direct. Retrieved on December 18, 2005.

"Celine Dion." ''Contemporary Musicians, Volume 25''. Gale Group, 1999.

"Celine Dion." ''Newsmakers 1995'', Issue 4. Gale Research, 1995.

''Céline Dion'' Rock on the Net. Retrieved November 20, 2005.

Céline Dion ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Retrieved July 2, 2006

''Céline Dion'' provided by VH1.com Retrieved August 16, 2005.

''Dion extends long Las Vegas stint'' bbc news. com. Retrieved November 5, 2005.

Durchholz, Daniel. ''Review: One Heart''. ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. St. Louis, Mo.: April 24, 2003. p. F.3

''The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalist'' covemagazine.com Retrieved November 1, 2005.

''Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Nineties'' (ISBN 0-89820-137-3)

''The Journey so far'' celinedion.com. Retrieved August 16, 2005.

World Music Awards ''Diamond Award'' Retrieved November 1, 2005, (Search by year required)

Céline Dion's biography ''Biography'' Retrieved April 7, 2006.

Céline DTV Series ''TV Series'' Retrieved April 15, 2006.

Further reading

}}

External links

CelineDion.com – Official website operated by Sony Music Canada (English, French).

Celine Dion YouTube Channel

Celine Dion at WN

[ Celine Dion] at Allmusic

Celine Dion at Billboard.com

FAO Goodwill Ambassador website

Johnny Loganwith "Hold Me Now"}} Rivawith "Rock Me"}}

Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:1968 births Category:Ballad musicians Category:Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian child singers Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian philanthropists Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian people of French descent Category:Canadian Roman Catholics Category:Canadian sopranos Category:Canadian voice actors Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Companions of the Order of Canada Category:English-language singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1988 Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners Category:French-language singers Category:French Quebecers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Juno Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Montreal Category:Officers of the National Order of Quebec Category:Swiss Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:World Music Awards winners Category:People from Martin County, Florida Category:People from Henderson, Nevada Category:People from Las Vegas, Nevada Category:People from Toronto Category:Miscarriage victims

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Coordinates	50°34′″N21°52′″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

de:Luther Vandross es:Luther Vandross fr:Luther Vandross io:Luther Vandross id:Luther Vandross it:Luther Vandross nl:Luther Vandross ja:ルーサー・ヴァンドロス no:Luther Vandross nn:Luther Vandross oc:Luther Vandross pl:Luther Vandross pt:Luther Vandross simple:Luther Vandross fi:Luther Vandross sv:Luther Vandross tl:Luther Vandross th:ลูเธอร์ แวนดรอส tr:Luther Vandross yo:Luther Vandross zh:路德·范德鲁斯

Coordinates	50°34′″N21°52′″N
name	Eric Prydz
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
alias	Sheridan, Cirez D, Pryda, Moo, Fitzy, A&P; Project, AxEr, Hardform, Dukes of Sluca, Groove System...
birth date	July 19, 1976
origin	Täby, Stockholm, Sweden
residence	London, England, United Kingdom
genre	House, Electro, Progressive House, Tech House, Techno
occupation	Musician, Producer, Disc Jockey
instrument	TurntablesKeyboardGuitar
years active	2001–present
label	Pryda, Pryda Friends, Mouseville
website	}}

Eric Sheridan Prydz (born July 19, 1976) is a Swedish DJ and producer based in London, United Kingdom. The pronunciation of his surname is often questioned; it is pronounced "prids", but when under his alias, Pryda, it is pronounced "pride-ah". In October 2010, ''DJ Magazine'' announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, where Prydz placed at #30.

Personal life

Until recently, Prydz had only played shows in and around Europe as he has a fear of flying. In December 2008, Prydz was forced to cancel several dates in Australia and New Zealand after panic attacks prevented him from boarding the outbound flight.

On Armin van Buuren's radio show "A State of Trance" in February 2011, it was announced that Prydz recently became a father.

Discography

Albums

Since 2005, Prydz has been working on an artist album. The first version of the album was originally planned for release in 2007, but after complications with the record label, he decided to cancel the release. In late 2009, Prydz told followers on his Facebook and Twitter accounts that his album had been completed under the Pryda recordings and was slated for a summer 2011 release. His debut live show called "EPIC / Eric Prydz in Concert" was held on April 2, 2011 at the O2 Brixton Academy in London where he played most of his own production, as well as unfinished and upcoming tracks.

Singles

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Single ! scope="col" colspan="12"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| BEL (FLA) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| FRA ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| GER ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| IRE ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| NL ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| SWE ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| SWI |- |2004 ! scope="col"| "Call On Me" | 1 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 10 || 1 || 2 |rowspan="4"|''Non-album singles'' |- |2007 ! scope="col"| "Proper Education" | 2 || 2 || 10 || 4 || 9 || 4 || 7 || 12 |- |2008 ! scope="col"| "Pjanoo" | 2 || 8 || 21 || 34 || 7 || 3 || 6 || 31 |- |2011 ! scope="col"| "Niton (The Reason)" | 45 || 75 || — || 66 || — || 82 || — || — |rowspan="4"|''Non-album singles'' |- |}

Other charted songs

Year	Title	Chart positions	Album
		!width="35"
2006	"Remember" ''(as Pryda)''
2007	"Genesis" ''(as Pryda)''

Pryda

; 2004

Human Behaviour / Lesson One

Spooks / Do It

; 2005

Nile / Sucker DJ

Aftermath / The Gift

; 2006

Shadows

Remember / Frankfurt

; 2007

Genesis

Ironman / Madderferrys

Muranyi / Balaton

Rymd / Armed

; 2008

Europa / Odyssey

Evouh / Wakanapi / Rakfunk

; 2009

Animal / Miami To Atlanta / Loaded

Melo / Lift / Reeperbahn

Waves / Alfon

; 2010

Rymd 2010 / Inspiration

Viro / Emos

M.S.B.O.Y. / The End

Niton / Vega

Illusions / Glimma

; 2011

Mirage / Juletider / With Me

2Night

Pryda Friends

; 2006

AxEr - 123 / 321

Paolo Mojo - 1983 (Incl. Eric Prydz Remix)

Henrik B - Airwalk / Overun

Giorgio Prezioso vs. Libex - Xperimental Scratch (Incl. Sébastien Léger Remix)

; 2009

Sébastien Léger - The People (Incl. Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2010

Felix Da Housecat - Thee Anthem (Incl. Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2011

Jeremy Ölander - Evade / Riots / Chronic

Jeremy Ölander - Fairfax / Rypamont

A&P; Project

; 2003

Sunrize

Sheridan

; 2002

Sunlight Dancing

; 2002

Wants Vs Needs

; 2004

High On You

Moo

; 2002

Seashells

; 2003

Jonico (Moo & Luciano Ingrosso)

Cirez D

; 2004

Control Freak / Hoodpecker

Deep Inside

Diamond Girl

; 2005

Knockout / Lost Love

Re-Match / B-Boy

Teaser

; 2006

Mouseville Theme

Punch Drunk / Copyrat

; 2007

Horizons / Tigerstyle

; 2008

Läget?

Stockholm Marathon / The Journey

; 2009

The Tunnel / Raptor

On/Off / Fast Forward

; 2010

Glow / On/Off (Sébastien Léger Remix)

Bauerpost / Glow (In The Dark Dub)

The Tumble / Exit

;2011

Full Stop

Tomorrow / Sirtos Madness (with Acki Kokotos)

Mokba

Remixes

; 2002

Outfunk – Echo Vibes (Eric Prydz Remix)

Star Alliance – PVC (Eric Prydz Remix)

Par-T-One – I'm So Crazy (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2003

Harry's Afro Hut – C'mon Lady (Eric Prydz Remix)

Outfunk – Lost In Music (Eric Prydz Remix)

Steve Angello – Voices (Eric Prydz Remix)

SNAP Vs Motivo – The Power of Bhangra (Eric Prydz Remix)

M Factor – Come Together (Eric Prydz Remix)

The Attic – Destiny (Eric Prydz Remix)

Futureshock – Pride's Paranoia (Eric Prydz Remix)

Oliver Lieb pres. Smoked – Metropolis (Eric Prydz Remix)

Pet Shop Boys – Miracles (Eric Prydz Remix)

Aloud – Sex & Sun (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2004

Duran Duran – Reach Up For The Sunrise (Eric Prydz Remix)

Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme (Eric Prydz Remix)

Mutiny & Lorraine Cato – Holding On (Eric Prydz Remix)

Alter Ego – Rocker (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2005

Axwell – Feel The Vibe (Eric Prydz Remix)

Howard Jones – And Do You Feel Scared (Eric Prydz Remix)

Eric Prydz & Adeva – In & Out (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2006

Switch – A Bit Patchy (Eric Prydz Remix)

Paolo Mojo – 1983 (Eric Prydz Remix)

Michael Jackson – Thriller (Eric Prydz Remix)

Duran Duran – Nice (Eric Prydz Remix)

Double 99 – RIP Groove (Cirez D Remix)

Inner City – Good Life (Eric Prydz Edit)

; 2007

Sven Väth – The Beauty & The Beast (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2008

Christian Smith & John Selway – Total Departure (Cirez D Remix)

Paolo Mojo & Jim Rivers – Ron Hardy Said (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2009

Sébastien Léger – The People (Eric Prydz Remix)

Calvin Harris – Flashback (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2010

Faithless - Not Going Home (Eric Prydz Remix)

Felix Da Housecat - Thee Anthem (Eric Prydz Remix)

; 2011

Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (Eric Prydz Remix)

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus 2011 (Eric Prydz Remix)

References

External links

Category:1976 births Category:Club DJs Category:Living people Category:Remixers Category:Swedish dance musicians Category:People from Stockholm Category:Swedish house musicians Category:Ministry of Sound Category:Swedish musicians

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