non-profit name	ONCE
non-profit logo
founded date
founder	Luis del Rosal y Caro
location
area served	Spain
focus	Blind/visually impaired
homepage	www.once.es
footnotes	}}

ONCE (), or ''Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles'' (National Organization of Spanish blind people), is a Spanish foundation founded on December 13, 1938 to raise funds to provide services for the blind and people with serious visual impairment.

Although it is overseen by a board of patrons made up of representatives from various Spanish ministries, it does enjoy a certain amount of freedom of movement in the day-to-day running of its activities, and its general council is democratically elected from among its members.

In June 2006, membership of the organization was 66,851 people, of whom 40% were over the age of 65.

Between them, the three pillars of the ONCE — the General Directorate, the Fundación and CEOSA, ONCE's business corporation — employ over 40,000 blind, visually impaired or sighted staff, as well as people with other disabilities.

The three pillars of ONCE

While many of their activities overlap, there are, at least formally, three divisions of the ONCE:

General Directorate

The General Directorate is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organization, its social and cultural work, and so on. Through its general council, it maintains institutional relations with local, regional and national government bodies, as well as representation on international bodies such as the World Blind Union, EBU and IBSA, the International Blind Sports Federation.

Fundación ONCE

In 1988 ONCE established the foundation Fundación ONCE to provide professional training and employment, to eliminate architectural, urban and communication barriers and promote "Digital Solidarity": web-based services for people with any disabilities. The Fundación also has its own business arm, Fundosa, with companies dealing with accessibility, industrial laundering, and so on.

The Fundación is active in the Paralympic movement and is a founding partner of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), an international organization set up in 2006 to promote accessible tourism.

CEOSA

CEOSA is the business corporation of ONCE and owns, or is a stakeholder in, several companies across a wide range of sectors, including service companies, hotels and food companies. In the 1980s to diversify risk, i.e., any future potential decrease in sales of the ''cupón'', the managers of the then-affluent ONCE started a policy of profit-oriented investment.

One of its acquisitions was a sizeable participation in the Spanish private TV channel Telecinco and the radio network Onda Cero ("Airwave Zero", based on the ''ON''da ''CE''ro acronym). The most visible effect was the Telecinco broadcast of the daily lottery draw, the ''Telecupón'', presented by the highly popular retired actress Carmen Sevilla.

Critics pointed to the paradox of blind "upstarts" running one of the newly created commercial TV channels. There were also critics who claimed that it was a manoeuvre of the then-ruling party in government, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) to indirectly control the media in general.

Later management teams divested from Telecinco following a major judicial investigation into supposed tax dodges, etc. by the main shareholder, a company belonging to Silvio Berlusconi's Fininvest.

ONCE no longer has a stake in either of these media companies, although it does still run a media company, Servimedia, that is a news agency specialising in providing information on issues of social interest, such as disability, integration, corporate social responsibility, leisure, etc.

The ''Cupón''

Although ONCE now has several gaming products available, their traditional product and one of the most visible aspects of ONCE is the charity lottery ticket known throughout Spain as the ''Cupón''. Sales of this lottery product are the main source of income for ONCE and can carry huge tax-exempt cash prizes. The draw has different tickets for different days of the week, a special weekend ticket as well as special tickets with higher prizes, usually by season. The draw has for many years been broadcast live every night on Spanish TV channels, including Telecinco and Cuatro. It is currently (as of January 1, 2009) on the Spanish television channel CNN+.

The basic graphic designs on the ''cupón'' stay the same on each day, but the theme changes to correspond to current events. For example, when the Euro became legal tender, or cultural references such as national or local monuments, etc. Collecting old issues of the ''cupón'' has thus become a hobby for many ''cupón'' buyers in Spain.

Cupón Diario

The ONCE periodically introduces new products onto the market and the information below regarding the prices and prizes of ONCE products may not be up-to-date.

The ''Cupón Diario'' (daily cupón) is drawn daily (Monday to Friday) and costs 1,50 euro. Prizes are as 1,50€ prize for last or first numbers, 540,000 prizes.

How it works

The ''cupón'' is drawn as a five-digit number and a Series number. Prizes vary from how many of the five digits your ''cupón'' has, or the amount of numbers it has plus the Series number. The digits have to be in order to win, from left to right. The lowest prize is effectively a refund of the 1,50€ that was used to purchase a ticket.

Where to buy

ONCE lottery tickets are sold on the streets by authorised ''cupón'' sellers, as well as in ONCE kiosks. These are clearly identified by the word "ONCE" and can be found along the high street, at airports, and in shopping malls. These points of sales employ the blind or partially sighted, which is one of the main goals of ONCE, although by agreement with Fundación ONCE, over the last few years some have become available to persons with other disabilities.

Like Spain's National Lottery agency, ONCE does not sell its lottery products over Internet, and both bodies continuously issue warnings to that effect, as there have recently been a series of scams involving international criminal organisations claiming to operate as authorised agencies of both lottery institutions. Major (tax-exempt) cash prizes are paid directly into bank accounts once the winner has established contact with the organisation through its delegations throughout Spain.

Likewise, to prevent attempts of fraudulent manipulation and counterfeiting, the ''cupón'' itself has a number of embedded security features of different kinds, such as optically variable devices, that are extremely difficult to reproduce. The ''cupón'' sellers, whether in the street or in kiosks, use electronic reading devices connected to the ONCE's database to check each winning number, as well as the authenticity of the ''cupón''.

Cycling

From 1989 until the end of the 2003 season, ONCE sponsored one of the leading cycling teams. Whilst hugely successful in sporting terms and as a marketing vehicle, it was a costly project that was increasingly difficult to justify in terms of the ONCE's commitment to social integration of its members. The former directeur sportif, Manolo Saiz, went on to form the Liberty Seguros-Würth team.

See also

ENAT - European Network for Accessible Tourism

''Nico'' (also known as ''Nicholas''), an animated TV series ONCE made in association with BRB Internacional

References

External links

ONCE's web page

Lotería Nacional Official Site Spanish National Lottery web site

Spanish Lotteries FAQ FAQs for visitors and expats living in Spain

Category:Lotteries in Spain Category:Organisations based in Spain Category:Blindness organizations Category:Organizations established in 1938 Category:1938 establishments in Spain

ast:Organización Nacional de Ciegos d'España ca:ONCE de:ONCE (Lotterie) es:Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles eu:ONCE fr:Organización Nacional de Ciegos de España gl:ONCE pt:ONCE

name	Glen Hansard
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
born	April 21, 1970Ballymun, DublinIreland
instrument	Vocals, guitar, mandolin
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Actor
years active	1983–present
label	Plateau Records (Ireland)/Overcoat Recordings (International)Island Records
associated acts	The Frames, The Swell Season, Markéta Irglová
website	Official Frames site }}

Glen Hansard (born 21 April 1970 in Dublin, Ireland) is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season. He is also known for his acting, having appeared in the BAFTA winning film ''The Commitments'', as well as starring in the film ''Once''.

His song "Falling Slowly" from ''Once'', co-written with Markéta Irglová, won the Academy-Award for Best Original Song in 2007, and earned him ten other major nominations or awards between 2007 and 2008.

Career

Hansard quit school at age 13 to begin busking on local Dublin streets. He formed The Frames in 1990, and they've been staples of the Irish music scene ever since. Their first album, ''Another Love Song'', was released on Island Records in 1991, and their most recent, ''The Cost'', was released in 2006.

Hansard first came to international attention as guitar player Outspan Foster in the 1991 Alan Parker film ''The Commitments'', after attending the New York Film Academy School of Acting. He has often stated that he regretted taking the role, because he felt it distracted him from his music career.

In 2003, he presented the television programme ''Other Voices: Songs from a Room'', which showcased Irish music talent on RTÉ. On 22 April 2006, he released his first album without The Frames, ''The Swell Season'', on Overcoat Recordings in collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen from Finland on violin and viola, and Bertrand Galen from France on cello. Hansard also spent part of 2006 in front of the cameras for a music-infused Irish film ''Once'', in which Hansard plays a Dublin busker, and Irglová an immigrant street vendor. The film had its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Festival's World Cinema Audience Award. During the promotional tour, he and Irglová began dating. Said Hansard about his relationship with Irglova: "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid". One of the songs they wrote together for the film ("Falling Slowly") won an Oscar for Best Song in February 2008. Hansard became the first Irish-born person to win in that category. Hansard and Irglová also recorded a version of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the film ''I'm Not There'' in 2007. In 2009, Hansard said that he and Irglova were no longer romantically linked, and that they are now "good friends".

Aside from his projects with The Frames and Irglová, Hansard also took part as a member of the band on the 2006 Oxfam charity album, ''The Cake Sale''. In addition, Hansard has recorded a few cover songs, both alone and with band member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, for the Today FM discs ''Even Better than the Real Thing''. Songs that he has recorded include Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" on ''Vol. 1'' and Britney Spears' "Everytime" on ''Vol. 2''.

Outside music, he appeared on a ''Simpsons'' episode as a street musician in Ireland. A new album of original songs recorded as The Swell Season with Markéta Irglová and entitled ''Strict Joy'' was released on October 27, 2009 on the ANTI- record label.

On August 14, 2009, Hansard sang "Amazing Grace" at the funeral of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In December 2009, Glen was joined by Bono, Damien Rice and other Irish musicians on Grafton Street in Dublin, to busk in aid of the Simon Community. In January 2010, Glen and fellow musician Mark Geary auctioned off a house concert on eBay in aid of Haitian relief after the catastrophic earthquake left the country in dire need of assistance. The pair would travel anywhere within a 2 hour drive of Dublin and play a private gig in the highest bidder's house. In the end the two musicians played for the highest bidder and a selection of other fans in a central Dublin cafe. The auction raised in the region of €6,000 (six thousand euro) for charity.

From June 15 to July 15, 2011, he will join Eddie Vedder on his upcoming American solo tour in support of Vedder's forthcoming solo album, ''Ukulele Songs.''

Hansard plays a Takamine acoustic guitar, which is named "The Horse".

Influences

Hansard has remarked about his musical influences: ''"In my house, when I was a kid, there was the holy trinity, which was Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan with Bob sitting center."'' Hansard and The Frames toured as the support act for Bob Dylan in Australia and New Zealand in August 2007 and Hansard often performs Van Morrison's songs in concert. Two such songs include "Into the Mystic", and "And the Healing Has Begun" which were included on the collector's edition of the soundtrack for the film ''Once''.

Awards and nominations

Awards

Academy Award 2008 Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture (Original Song) - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Critics' Choice Award 2008 Best Original Song - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award 2008 Best Original Score - for ''Once''

Nominations

Grammy Award 2008 (50th Annual Grammy Awards) Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Grammy Award 2008 (50th Annual Grammy Awards) Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - ''Once''

Discography

The Frames

Albums

''Another Love Song'' (1991) (Out of production, though available for download from iTunes)

''Fitzcarraldo'' (1995) (as The Frames DC)

''Fitzcarraldo'' (1996)

''Dance the Devil'' (1999)

''For the Birds'' (2001)

''Breadcrumb Trail'' (2002) (live album)

''Set List'' (2003) (live album)

''Burn the Maps'' (2004)

''The Cost'' (2006)

Singles & EPs

"The Dancer" (1991)

"Masquerade" (1992)

''Turn On Your Record Player EP'' (1992)

''Picture of Love'' (1993)

''Angel at My Table'' (1994)

"Revelate" (1995)

"Monument" (1996)

''I am the Magic Hand'' (February 15, 1999)

''Pavement Tune'' (1999)

''Rent Day Blues EP'' (1999)

''Come On Up to the House'' (1999—Compilation featuring "Star Star" by The Frames)

''Lay Me Down'' (2001)

''Headlong'' (2002)

''The Roads Outgrown EP'' (2003)

"Fake" (September 12, 2003)

"Finally" (August 20, 2004)

"Sideways Down" (January 28, 2005)

"Happy" (Radio Single Only – 2005)

"Falling Slowly/No More I Love Yous" (September 1, 2006)

The Swell Season

''The Swell Season'' (2006)

''Once Soundtrack'' (2007)

''Strict Joy'' (2009)

Films and television

''The Commitments'' (1991)

''Once'' (2007)

See also

''The Stars Are Underground'' – 24-minute film documenting the underground music scene in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996

'''' - The Frames: It's Just A Band, a 56-minute documentary on The Frames, in 2005

References

External links

The Swell Season - Myspace

theswellseason.com

Lyrics at Irish Music Central

Excreting Songs - Glen Hansard in interview

Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish guitarists Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Irish songwriters Category:Irish buskers Category:People from County Dublin Category:Music from Dublin (city) Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Rhythm guitarists Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters

ar:جلين هانسارد cs:Glen Hansard de:Glen Hansard es:Glen Hansard fr:Glen Hansard ga:Glen Hansard it:Glen Hansard hu:Glen Hansard no:Glen Hansard pl:Glen Hansard pt:Glen Hansard ru:Хансард, Глен simple:Glen Hansard sv:Glen Hansard

name	Diana Vickers
background	solo_singer
birth name	Diana Vickers
born	July 30, 1991
origin	Blackburn, Lancashire, England
occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter, stage actress, fashion designer
associated acts
genre	Indie pop, indie rock, folktronica, folk pop, new wave, synthpop
instrument	Vocals, trumpet, acoustic guitar
label	RCA (2009–2011)
years active	2008 – present
associated acts
website	}}

Diana Vickers (born 30 July 1991) is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2008. In January 2009, Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and after touring with her fellow X Factor finalists until March 2009, began work on her debut album, ''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree'', until September 2009.

From October 2009 to January 2010, Vickers played the title role in a West End revival of ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'' for which she won the award for "London Newcomer of the Year" at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards. Vickers' debut single, "Once", charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after its release on 19 April 2010 and has sold over 210,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Vickers' debut album was released on 3 May 2010 in the United Kingdom achieving number one status on the UK Albums Chart, number seven on the Irish Albums Chart and number four on the European Top 100 Albums, and has been certified Gold by the BPI. ''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree'' went on to sell over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Her second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love", charted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart. This was followed by her third single, "My Wicked Heart", which was released on 17 October 2010 digitally and on 1 November 2010 physically. "My Wicked Heart" peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Vickers' third consecutive Top 40 single. Vickers performed the track live on ''The X Factor'' results show on 16 October 2010.

Vickers' musical career has been commercially successful thus far, with total sales of over 500,000 records in the UK alone for her three singles and debut album. Vickers is currently co-writing material for a second album, which is planned for release in 2012.

In May 2011, Vickers unveiled her debut fashion line for Very.co.uk titled "Dee V" reinforcing her signature quirky fashion sense. Vickers' distinctive and unique boho-chic approach to fashion has achieved industry praise from prestigious fashion magazines including Grazia, Look, and Harpers Bazaar. On 30 June 2011, Vickers announced via her official Tumblr blog that she had parted company with RCA Records purely for creative reasons, by mutual consent. On 28 July 2011, Vickers announced on a Ustream web chat that she would be releasing a downloadable EP before the end of 2011 to showcase a sample of her second era of music.

Early life

Vickers was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England and grew up in the village of Huncoat near Accrington. When Vickers reached the age of 16 she originally planned to study hard for her A Levels and either attend drama school or travel to Thailand to find herself. She studied for A Levels in Theatre Studies, Classics and Psychology at Westholme School in Blackburn. Vickers has been singing since the age of 11, taking singing lessons and participating in local competitions, but had never sung professionally.

Music career

2008–2009: ''The X Factor'' and record deal

In 2008, Vickers auditioned for the fifth series of ''The X Factor'', singing "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice where Louis Walsh commented that she resembled a "little hippie" eventually making it to the live shows. Vickers was selected for the live shows and was mentored by Cheryl Cole along with fellow competitors, Alexandra Burke and Laura White.

Vickers' live show performances were often unconventional, attracting both praise and criticism. Judge Simon Cowell likened her to Marmite, saying fans would either love or hate her unusual singing style, stating that he "loved it".

On her first live show Vickers sang U2’s "With or Without You". Vickers then covered Michael Jackson’s "Man in the Mirror", for which she received nothing but praise with Dannii Minogue describing it as "box fresh" and Simon Cowell remarking she was "the one to beat". The following week Vickers performed Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which again received much praise and the judges were even more impressed with her version of Blondie’s "Call Me".

In week 5 of the live show stages, Vickers missed the live show without performing following a bout of laryngitis. She had wanted to perform the Mariah Carey song "Always Be My Baby" up until a few hours before the show, but her doctor advised her not to, saying Vickers could do permanent damage to her vocal cords. This is the first time the producers have ever excused any act from performing.

In week six, Vickers returned to the programme performing Coldplay's "Yellow", which received a negative reaction from the judges; Dannii Minogue commented that she did not "love the song choice", while Cowell suggested Vickers was still not well enough to perform. In week seven Vickers performed Take That's "Patience" commenting that she felt 100% once again and hoped to deliver her best performance to date. During the show, guest Gary Barlow offered to sign her if Cowell did not, to which Cowell responded, "We will not be accepting Gary Barlow’s kind offer for a recording contract. Leona [Lewis] has done fine with me, thank you Gary."

In the week nine semi finals of the competition, Vickers performed Avril Lavigne’s "Girlfriend" as her first song and received excellent comments from all the judges, including Cheryl Cole's comment that "she had got that sparkle back". Vickers followed this with Dido’s "White Flag" but was subsequently voted out of the competition.

Vickers was the bookies' favourite to win the competition from the second live show for seven consecutive weeks. She was eliminated in the semi-final (week nine), achieving fourth place overall. Following the end of the series, she went on tour with the rest of the final eight contestants on The X Factor Live tour between February and March 2009. While on the show, her trademark was to perform in her bare feet. Vickers additionally gained national attention for her hand gestures on stage coining the nickname "The Claw".

After The X Factor it was initially announced that Vickers would be signed by Sony Music under the Syco label along with JLS and Eoghan Quigg but this plan for her to join Syco was later dropped. Instead, she signed to Sony Music's RCA Records. She began work on her debut album, ''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree'', in January 2009, commenting that it would not be rushed and that it would be "Diana style". She worked with Cathy Dennis, Eg White, Nerina Pallot, Ellie Goulding, Cass Lowe, Guy Sigsworth, Chris Braide, Savan Kotecha, Starsmith, Alexis Strum, Patrick Wolf and Dev Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion.

2009–2010: ''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree''

Vickers' debut single, "Once" was written by Cathy Dennis and Eg White and produced by Mike Spencer. The track was released in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2010, after it was playlisted on Radio 1 and the music video premiered via Channel 4's Freshly Squeezed music programme. On 22 April 2010, Vickers performed an acoustic version of "Once" and a cover of Snow Patrol's "Just Say Yes" on ''Radio 1's Live Lounge''. On 25 April 2010, "Once" entered the UK Singles Chart at number one selling approximately 70,000 copies in its first week of release. In March 2010, Vickers' first leg of the Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour took place, during which she showcased material from the album.

On 15 April 2010, plans for Vickers' second single were confirmed. "The Boy Who Murdered Love" was written and produced by Chris Braide at his studio in London, with lyric contribution from Vickers. The video for the second single was shot in the week commencing 26 April 2010 in London. Vickers embarked on the second leg of her UK Tour in May 2010 promoting her newly released album, Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree, which on 9 May 2010 charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart selling approximately 36,000 copies in its first week of release. On 25 July 2010, the album returned to the upper reaches of the UK Albums Chart, rising 29 places from number 42 to number 13.

On 23 May 2010, Vickers performed an acoustic version of "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and Biffy Clyro's "Many of Horror" at Radio 1's Big Weekend. Vickers released her second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love", on 18 July 2010 and it peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart. Vickers' performed "Once", "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and debut album tracks "N.U.M.B" and "Notice" for a live session for MTV. On 28 July 2010, iTunes released an exclusive EP of Vickers performing at the 2010 iTunes Festival. It included singles "Once", "The Boy Who Murdered Love", album tracks "Notice", "My Hip", a cover of Snow Patrol's "Just Say Yes", but did not include album track "Put It Back Together" nor "You'll Never Get to Heaven", which she also performed.

Vickers appeared at many festivals throughout Summer 2010, including the 2010 V Festival, The Live Lounge Stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010, Stoke Festival, T4 on the Beach, T in the Park, 2010 Oxygen Festival, iTunes Festival, 2010 Sundae Festival and 2010 Freedom Festival, promoting her debut album. Vickers also supported Mika at the Eden Sessions in 2010.

On 31 August 2010, Vickers participated in a live Ustream video chat in which she confirmed that her third single would be a brand new track titled "My Wicked Heart" co-written by Vickers and songwriters Dee Adams and James Earp and also produced by them. The track features Vickers playing the trumpet. The single received its first radio play on 12 September 2010 by Tom Deacon on The 5:19 Show. "My Wicked Heart" was digitally released on 17 October 2010 and physically released on 7 November 2010. The video for "My Wicked Heart" premiered on ITV2 at 6.55 pm on 2 October 2010, it features Vickers in a circus tent with gymnasts and drummer boys.

On 16 October 2010, it was reported that Red Hot Chili Peppers was considering legal action over similarities between the chorus of the band's well known song "Under The Bridge" and "My Wicked Heart". Vickers admitted in an interview that she had been listening to "Under The Bridge" shortly before working on "My Wicked Heart" and had noticed but decided to ignore the similarities. On 17 October 2010, Vickers returned to The X Factor stage, two years after she was last there, to perform "My Wicked Heart".

In an interview with Digital Spy she announced the possibility of "Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree" getting a solely digital download re-release. She also stated, "I've been writing so much and got so many tracks under my belt. I think I'm very close to ready for the second album actually." Vickers embarked on a UK radio tour to promote "My Wicked Heart", which started on 18 October 2010 and ended on 24 October 2010. On 24 October, "My Wicked Heart" charted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number 12 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 22 on the Irish Singles Chart selling 50,000 copies to date. Vickers' fourth leg of the Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour began on 8 November 2010, touring the UK and for the first time, Ireland where Vickers showcased "More Than This", a previously unheard track, to promote her second album.

2010 – present: Untitled upcoming second album, extended play and new record deal

On 3 June 2010, Vickers announced that she had started preparing songs for a second album. In an interview with Orange Music, Vickers revealed that the new direction would be "sexy", "adventurous" and inspired and influenced by indie and rock music, citing the works of The xx, The Doors, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Bjork. Vickers has co-written material with Nerina Pallot (who penned "Put It Back Together" for Vickers' debut album), Eg White (who co-wrote "Once"), Starsmith, Chris Braide and Dee Adam (who co-wrote "My Wicked Heart" with Vickers). On 6 January 2011, Vickers travelled to Los Angeles, United States, to co-write material with John Shanks and Diane Warren. On 15 January 2011, Vickers played her debut gig in the United States at Cherry Pop in West Hollywood promoted via Perez Hilton.

On 11 March 2011, it was announced that Vickers has been collaborating with Starsailor front-man James Walsh indicating a heavier and rockier direction for her second album. Vickers made a second visit to Los Angeles on 14 March 2011, to do further studio work with John Shanks.

On 30 June 2011, Vickers revealed on her official Tumblr account that she had parted company with RCA Records due to creative differences. She went on further to assure her fans that the second album is still proceeding and that she is proud of it. It is uncertain whether Vickers will be signed to a new record label or will release her album independently. On 1 July 2011, it was uncovered that the mutual separation between Vickers and her management was due to musical direction where Vickers wants to pursue a more indie, less-commercial route. She has since been signed up to Polydor Records.

On 13 July 2011, Popjustice reviewed three tracks from Vickers' second album titled, "Boy In Paris", "Cinderella" and "Music To Make The Boys Cry" commenting that the songwriting standard was extremely high and that, "the tunes – the melodies – are huge". The article presented how the three tracks were a result of studio sessions with Donkeyboy and Miranda Cooper. Popjustice confirmed that the new material would be released in 2012.

On 28 July 2011, Vickers announced via a Ustream web chat that she would be releasing a downloadable EP before the end of 2011 to showcase a sample of her second era of music. Vickers confirmed that she has recorded over thirty tracks for her new album to be released early next year. As they cannot all feature on the album, a taster EP will be available to download over the coming months. A release date is yet to be confirmed for the EP. On 12 August 2011, it was unveiled that Vickers had collaborated with MNEK where the British record producer tweeted that "pop gems" had been made as a result of their studio sessions.

Acting career

Vickers made her professional acting debut in the title role of a new revived West End production of Jim Cartwright's ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'' on 8 October 2009 at the Vaudeville Theatre, on The Strand, London. She played Little Voice, who hides a talent as an impersonator of singers such as Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf and Judy Garland.

Mark Owen of Take That wrote "Sunlight", the final song in the play for Vickers to sing. "Sunlight" was featured as a B-Side for her debut single, "Once". Vickers took a break from recording her debut album to star in the production. Vickers' performance received more positive reviews than any other show of that year.

Vickers' performance received a good review in The Guardian in which they said that "[Vickers'] singing is impressive, we were surprised at her vocal abilities." Her stint was deemed "magical" in The Daily Telegraph. Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail also gave a positive review of Vickers' performance. She won the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award "London Newcomer of the Year" in February 2010 for her performance, with 34.5% of the vote out of 7 other competitors.

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Vickers' musical style scopes from simple folk-tinged, keyboard and guitar based ballads to more up-tempo indie rock and synth-based songs with full band backing. Her musical style has been compared to Kate Bush, Ellie Goulding, Dido, and Dolores O'Riordan. Vickers additionally showcases a quirky and idiosyncratic style of singing often described as breathy, raspy and hiccupy. Vickers has cited an array of influences including Florence + The Machine, Kate Bush, Regina Spektor, Kings of Leon, Frou Frou, Sinéad O'Connor and The Sundays. Vickers commented on her musical style and career saying:

}}

Discussing the musical style of her forthcoming second album, Vickers declared that she had been inspired by indie and rock music to experiment with different sounds. Vickers has stated that the music of The xx, The Doors, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Björk has influenced her latest work.

Public image

Apart from Vickers' musical style, she is well known for her unique and kooky boho-chic and hippie-influenced appearance. Vickers' trademark style includes messy, back-combed "bird's nest" hair and vintage inspired clothing where she is often seen wearing outfits from London's Brick Lane, Camden and Beyond Retro. Vickers' fashion icons are Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe. Vickers has encouraged dedicated fashion blogs documenting her latest attire and has been labelled a fashionista in the making by Grazia. On 29 October 2009, Vickers was awarded "Fashionista of the Week" in The Guardian and on 3 June 2010, Vickers was nominated for "Best Dressed Woman of The Year" at The Clothes Show Style Awards 2010.

Fashion lines

On 20 May 2011, Vickers launched an eight-piece clothing collection for Very.co.uk titled "Dee V". The debut collection ranged from £20 to £99 for items including sequin dresses adorned with blossom, bird and dog prints, cotton tees and wide leg jeans. After a best-selling debut range, Vickers launched a second collection for Very.co.uk on 13 July 2011. The second collection is inspired by the fashionable television series Mad Men and emphasises Vickers' uniquely iconic style.

Personal life

Vickers has been dating One Night Only frontman, George Craig. In July 2011, Vickers gave an interview in which she revealed how they got together: "We chatted at a party, then he tried to woo me. He was very persistent for about three months, sending me lovely texts. Then we were at another party, he picked up a guitar, we got talking and that was it."

Philanthropy

In March 2010, Vickers supported JLS for a charity performance in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London to raise money for teenagers who are suffering with cancer. In July 2010, Vickers performed at a charity event "Give Tilly a Hand", helping to raise funds in a charity evening for meningitis victim Tilly Lockley. For anti-bullying week 2010 in the UK, Vickers uploaded a video to her official website encouraging young people to stand up to bullies. In August 2010, Vickers wrote a column in The Sun newspaper opposing the use of drugs and legal highs after witnessing disturbing effects of people "out of control" at the UK summer festival circuit warning that, "just because a drug is legal, you cannot assume it is safe." In an interview with Now Magazine, Vickers announced that since rising to fame she has been offered drugs but will always say no to them concluding, "I've never tried them [drugs] and I'm very proud of that." On 28 September 2010, Vickers played an intimate gig as part of the month long "Oxjam Festival" which raised money in support of charity Oxfam.

On 10 March 2011, Vickers launched an eBay competition accredited on behalf of Comic Relief which encouraged people to place bids where the highest bidder at the end of the charity auction wins Vickers as a Twitter "best friend". The winning bidder gets followed and regularly mentioned on the social networking website by Vickers over a 90-day period where proceeds from the winning bid raises money for Red Nose Day to help vulnerable, poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa.

Discography

Studio albums

4

+ List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications

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Title

Album details

Peak chart positions

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''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree''

*Released: 30 April 2010

*Label: RCA Records

Music download>digital download

1

7

|

2

15

British Phonographic Industry>UK: Gold

Extended plays

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:16em;"| Album details ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|UK |- ! scope="row" |''iTunes Festival: London 2010'' | Released: 28 July 2010

Label: RCA

Format: digital download

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''TBA'' |

Released: 2011

Label: TBA

Format: digital download

| — |- |}

Singles

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center; |- ! rowspan="2" style="width:180px;"| Single !rowspan="2"|Year !colspan="5"| Peak chart positions !rowspan="2"| Certifications !rowspan="2"| Album |- !style="width:35px;font-size:85%"|UK !style="width:35px;font-size:85%"|IRE !style="width:35px;font-size:85%"|EU !style="width:35px;font-size:85%"|SCO !style="width:35px;font-size:85%"|KOR |- |align="left"| "Once" |rowspan="3"|2010 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 39 | UK: Silver | rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| ''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree'' |- |align="left"| "The Boy Who Murdered Love" | 36 | — | — | 28 | 16 | |- |align="left"| "My Wicked Heart" | 13 | 22 | 42 | 12 | — | | TBA |- ! colspan=9 | As featured artist |- | align=left| "Hero" with ''The X Factor'' finalists ||2008 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | UK: 2× Platinum | Single-only release |}

Promotional singles

! Year	Song	! Album	! Notes
2009	"Jumping Into Rivers"		Offered as free promotional download from Vickers' website in July 2009 after the album track leaked.
	"N.U.M.B"	A free demo version of the album track offered by Vickers' website to download when logging in with Twitter.
"More Than This"	TBA

Music videos

! Year	Title	! Director(s)
2008	"Hero"	Max & Dania
	"Once"	Harvey Brown
"The Boy Who Murdered Love"	James Copeman
"My Wicked Heart"	Sarah Chatfield

Tours

The X Factor Live Tour (2009)

Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour (2010)

Support act for JLS' Summer Tour (2010)

Awards and nominations

! Year	Nominated work	! Award	! Result	! Ref
2009	"Hero (X Factor song)
	"Little Voice" ([[The Rise and Fall of Little Voice)	Theatregoers' Choice Award for The London Newcomer of the Year
Diana Vickers	The Clothes Show Style Award for Best Dressed Woman of the Year
	The 2010 Popjustice £20 Music Prize
Diana Vickers	The Variety Club Showbiz Award for Inspirational Young Talent
Diana Vickers	4Music Video Honours: Hottest Girl of 2010
"Once"	4Music Video Honours: Best Video of 2010
Diana Vickers	4Music Video Honours: Box Biggest Breakthrough
Diana Vickers
"Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree"	Radio 1 Teen Awards for Best Album
"Once"	Music Reviews 10 Awards for Song of the Year
Diana Vickers	Music Reviews 10 Awards for Best Newcomer
"My Wicked Heart"	Music Reviews 10 Awards for Music Video of the Year
"Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree"	Music Reviews 10 Awards for Debut Album of the Year
Diana Vickers	Virgin Media Music Awards for Best Solo Female
Diana Vickers	Virgin Media Music Awards for Best Newcomer
"Songs From the Tainted Cherry Tree"	Virgin Media Music Awards for Best Album
Diana Vickers	3am Awards – The You Look Nice Award For Best-Dressed Celeb Of 2010
Diana Vickers	3am Awards – The Will You Be Our Best Friend Award For The Celeb We'd Most Like To Hang Out With Of 2010
	Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers	Glamour Women of the Year Awards for PANDORA Breakthrough
Diana Vickers	MTV Royalty Award for Princess of Pop

See also

List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 5)

References

External links

Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:English female singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English stage actors Category:People from Accrington Category:People from Blackburn Category:The X Factor (UK) contestants Category:People educated at Westholme School

da:Diana Vickers de:Diana Vickers es:Diana Vickers fr:Diana Vickers hy:Դայանա Վիկերզ it:Diana Vickers nl:Diana Vickers pl:Diana Vickers

''The Once and Future King'' is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941.

The title comes from the inscription that, according to ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', was said by "many men" to be written upon King Arthur's tomb: the internally rhymed hexameter ''Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus'' — "Here lies Arthur, king once, and king to be".

Plot introduction

T. H. White uses ''The Once and Future King'' as his own personal view of the ideal society. The book, most of which "takes place on the isle of Gramarye," chronicles the raising and educating of King Arthur, his rule as a king, and the romance between his best knight Sir Lancelot and his Queen Guinevere (which he spells Guenever). It ends immediately before Arthur's final battle against his illegitimate son Mordred. Though White admits his book's source material is loosely derived from Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' (''The Death of Arthur''), he reinterprets the epic events, filling them with renewed meaning for a world enduring the Second World War.

The book is divided into 4 parts:

''The Sword in the Stone'' (1938)

''The Queen of Air and Darkness'' (1939) (published separately in somewhat different form as ''The Witch in the Wood'')

''The Ill-Made Knight'' (1940) (which is the longest book and focuses mostly on the character Lancelot)

''The Candle in the Wind'' (First published in the composite edition, 1958)

A final part called ''The Book of Merlyn'' (written 1941, published 1971) was published separately (ISBN 0-292-70769-X) following White's death. It chronicles Arthur's final lessons from Merlyn before his death, although some parts of it were incorporated into the final editions of the previous books.

An often quoted passage from the book is the story that the badger calls his "dissertation," a retelling of the Creation story from Genesis.

Plot summary

The story starts in the last years of the rule of king Uther Pendragon. The first part, ''The Sword in the Stone,'' chronicles Arthur's raising by his foster father Sir Ector, his rivalry and friendship with his foster brother Kay, and his initial training by Merlyn, a wizard who lives through time backwards. Merlyn, knowing the boy's destiny, teaches Arthur (known as "Wart") what it means to be a good king by turning him into various kinds of animals: fish, hawk, ant, goose, and badger. Each of the transformations is meant to teach Wart a lesson, which will prepare him for his future life.

In fact, Merlyn instills in Arthur the concept that the only justifiable reason for war is to prevent another from going to war, and that contemporary human governments and powerful people exemplify the worst aspects of the rule of Might.

Note that neither the ant nor goose episodes were in the original ''Sword in the Stone'' when it was published as a stand-alone book. The original novel also contains a battle between Merlyn and sorceress Madam Mim that was not included in ''The Once and Future King'' but that was included in the Disney film.

In part two, ''The Queen of Air and Darkness'', White sets the stage for Arthur's demise by introducing the Orkney clan and detailing Arthur's seduction by their mother, his half-sister Morgause. While the young king suppresses initial rebellions, Merlyn leads him to envision a means of harnessing potentially destructive Might for the cause of Right: the Round Table.

The third part, ''The Ill-Made Knight,'' shifts focus from King Arthur to the story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenever's forbidden love, the means they go through to hide their affair from the King, and its effect on Elaine, Lancelot's sometime lover and the mother of his son Galahad.

''The Candle in the Wind'' unites these narrative threads by telling how Mordred's hatred of his father and Agravaine's hatred of Sir Lancelot caused the eventual downfall of King Arthur, Queen Guenever, Sir Lancelot, and the entire ideal kingdom of Camelot.

The book begins as a quite light-hearted account of the young Arthur's adventures, Merlyn's incompetence at magic, and King Pellinore's interminable search for the Questing Beast. Parts of ''The Sword in the Stone'' read almost as a parody of the traditional Arthurian legend by virtue of White's prose style, which relies heavily on anachronisms. However, the tale gradually changes tone until ''Ill-Made Knight'' becomes more meditative and ''The Candle in the Wind'' finds Arthur brooding over death and his legacy.

Characterization in the work

Perhaps most striking about White's work is how he reinterprets the traditional Arthurian characters, often giving them motivations or traits more complex or even contradictory to those in earlier versions of the legend. For example:

Lancelot is no longer the handsome knight typical in the romantic legends but is instead portrayed as the ugliest of that lot. He is also a sadist, a trait he represses, but which leads to bouts of self-loathing. He seeks to overcome his flaws through full devotion towards becoming Arthur's greatest knight.

Merlyn lives through time backwards, making him a bumbling yet wise old man who is getting younger.

Sir Galahad is not well liked by many of the Knights as he is truly perfect - to the point of being 'inhuman'.

White allows Thomas Malory to have a cameo appearance towards the end of the final book. Also of note is his treatment of historical characters and kings as mythological within the world that he creates. In addition, due to his living backwards, Merlyn makes many anachronistic allusions to events in more recent times; of note are references to the Second World War, telegraphs, tanks, and "an Austrian who … plunged the civilized world into misery and chaos" (i.e. Hitler).

Reception

Fantasy historian Lin Carter wrote, "...the single finest fantasy novel written in our time, or for that matter, ''ever'' written, is, must be, by any conceivable standard, T. H. White's ''The Once and Future King''. I can hardly imagine that any mature, literate person who has read the book would disagree with this estimate. White is a great writer."

Film, television and theatrical adaptations

Although they initially purchased the film rights to ''The Ill-Made Knight'' in 1944, when Walt Disney eventually produced an adaptation it was of ''The Sword in the Stone'', released in 1963. This movie reflects more the sense of humour of Disney's team of animators than White's. The movie adds a more comical side to the original story, including song and dance, as in most Walt Disney films. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1960 musical ''Camelot'' (which was made into a movie in 1967) is based mostly on the last two books of ''The Once and Future King'', and features White's idea of having Thomas Malory make a cameo appearance at the end, again as "Tom of Warwick".

Other references to The Once and Future King

The X-Men comics mention ''The Once and Future King'' several times, notably in the first issue of "The X-Tinction Agenda" story arc, which mentions that the book is Professor Charles Xavier's favorite, and that Xavier always saw himself as Merlyn, the teacher guiding the hero(es), rather than as a hero himself. In the ''Ultimate X-Men'' comics, the book is a metaphor for Magneto, an extremely powerful mutant terrorist. This is carried over into the 2003 film ''X2: X-Men United'', which begins one scene with Magneto reading an old copy of ''The Once and Future King'' in his prison cell. At the end of the film, Xavier is using the book as a teaching tool.

The television series ''One Tree Hill'' quotes the book in episode 202. The main character, Lucas, in a voiceover says, "T. H. White said perhaps we all give the best of our hearts uncritically, to those who hardly think about us in return."

The Once and Future King featured prominently in the film adaptation of Rodman Philbrick's "Freak the Mighty." Max Kane and Kevin Dillon bond through the book, and inspired by Dillon's fits of fancy, the two embark on a quest to embody the heroic qualities of King Arthur.

This book is referred to in the 2006 film Bobby. Edward Robinson, played by Laurence Fishburne, relates the novels depiction of King Arthur to the selfless and chivalrous qualities of Jose Rojas, as played by Freddy Rodriguez.

Lev Grossman's book ''The Magicians'' includes a long sequence where magicians-in-training are transformed into geese, a "direct and loving homage" to Wart's transformation in The Sword in the Stone.

The George Romero film ''Knightriders'' references ''The Once and Future King'' as the inspiration for a traveling Camelot of motorcycle riding knights aspiring to the code of chivalry.

See also

Totalitarian principle

References

External links

publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database website

''The Once and Future King'' Study Guide at Wikibooks

''NLS/BPH: Minibibliographies, The Once and Future King'' by T. H. White

Essay: "The Importance of the Second World War to T.H. White's ''Once and Future King''".

1958 review by Ken Slater

Category:1958 novels Category:Modern Arthurian fiction Category:British fantasy novels

de:Der König auf Camelot it:Re in eterno nl:The Once and Future King sv:Svärdet i stenen (bok)

name	Toby Keith
background	solo_singer
birth name	Toby Keith Covel
birth date	July 08, 1961
origin	Clinton, Oklahoma, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, guitar
genre	Country
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
years active	1993–present
label	Mercury Records NashvillePolydorA&M;DreamWorks NashvilleShow Dog-Universal (formerly of Show Dog Nashville)
associated acts	Carter's Chord, Scotty Emerick, Lindsey Haun, Mac McAnally, Bobby Pinson, Trailer Choir, Stephen Cochran, Willie Nelson
website	TobyKeith.com }}

Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's ''Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 1996's ''Blue Moon'' and 1997's ''Dream Walkin''', plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of Mercury Records before exiting in 1998. These albums all earned gold or higher certification, and produced several chart singles, including his debut "Should've Been a Cowboy", which topped the country charts and was the most played country song of the 1990s. The song has received three million spins since then, according to Broadcast Music Incorporated.

Signed to Nashville DreamWorks in 1998, Keith released his breakthrough single "How Do You Like Me Now?!" that year. This song, the title track to his 1999 album of the same name, was the Number One country song of 2000, and one of several chart-toppers during his tenure on DreamWorks Nashville. His next three albums, ''Pull My Chain'', ''Unleashed'', and ''Shock'n Y'all'', produced three more Number Ones each, and all of the albums were certified multi-platinum. A second Greatest Hits package followed in 2004, and after that, he released ''Honkytonk University''.

When Dreamworks closed in 2005, Keith founded his own label, Show Dog Nashville, which became part of Show Dog-Universal Music in December 2009. He has released five studio albums on this label: 2006's ''White Trash with Money'', 2007's ''Big Dog Daddy'', 2008's ''That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy'', 2009's ''American Ride'' and 2010's ''Bullets in the Gun'' as well as the compilation ''35 Biggest Hits''. He has also signed several other acts to the label, including Trailer Choir, Carter's Chord, Flynnville Train, Trace Adkins, Mac McAnally and Mica Roberts. Keith also made his acting debut in 2005, starring in the film ''Broken Bridges'' and co-starred with comedian Rodney Carrington in the 2008 film ''Beer for My Horses''.

Keith has released thirteen studio albums, two Christmas albums, and multiple compilation albums. He has also charted more than forty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including nineteen Number One hits and sixteen additional Top Ten hits. His longest-lasting Number One hits are "Beer for My Horses" (a 2003 duet with Willie Nelson) and "As Good as I Once Was" (2005), at six weeks each.

Early life

Toby Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, the son of Carolyn Joan (''née'' Ross) and Hubert K. Covel Jr. He has a sister, Tonni, and a brother, Tracy. The family lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, for a few years when Toby was in grade school, but moved to Moore, Oklahoma (a suburb of Oklahoma City) when he was still young. Before the family moved to Moore, he visited his grandmother in Fort Smith during the summers. His grandmother owned Billie Garner's Supper Club in Fort Smith, where Keith became interested in the musicians who came there to play. He did odd jobs around the supper club and started getting up on the bandstand to play with the band. He got his first guitar at the age of eight. After the family moved to Moore, Oklahoma, Keith attended Highland West Junior High and Moore High School, where he played defensive end on a football team.

Keith graduated from Moore High School and worked as a derrick hand in the oil fields. He worked his way up to become an operation manager. At the age of 20, he and his friends Scott Webb, Keith Cory and Danny Smith, with a few others, formed the band Easy Money, which played at local bars as he continued to work in the oil industry. At times, he would have to leave in the middle of a concert if he was paged to work in the oil field.

In 1982, the oil industry in Oklahoma began a rapid decline and Keith soon found himself unemployed. He fell back on his football training and played defensive end with the semi-pro Oklahoma City Drillers while continuing to perform with his band. (The Drillers were an unofficial farm club of the United States Football League's Oklahoma Outlaws; Keith tried out for the Outlaws but did not make the team.) He then returned to focus once again on music. His family and friends were doubtful he would succeed, but in 1984, Easy Money began playing the honky tonk circuit in Oklahoma and Texas. The band cut a single titled "Blue Moon", which received some airplay on local radio stations in Oklahoma.

Career

In the early 1990s, Keith went to Nashville, Tennessee, where he hung out and busked on Music Row and at a place called Houndogs. He distributed copies of a demo tape the band had made to the many record companies in the city. There was no interest by any of the record labels, and Keith returned home feeling depressed. He had promised himself to have a recording contract by the time he was 30 years old or give up on music as a career, and had already passed that age without any prospects for a contract.

Fortunately for Keith, a flight attendant and fan of his gave a copy of Keith's demo tape to Harold Shedd, a Mercury Records executive, while he was traveling on a flight she was working. Shedd enjoyed what he heard, went to see Keith perform live and then signed him to a recording contract with Mercury. His debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993), went to number 1 on the Billboard country singles chart, and his self-titled debut album was certified platinum. Other hit singles included "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action" and "Wish I Didn't Know Now".

Keith was moved to Polydor Records and released his next album, ''Boomtown'' (1994), then was moved to A & M Records Nashville, as those two labels merged and released ''Blue Moon'' (1996). The albums went gold and platinum, respectively. In 1996, Keith was also featured on the Beach Boys' now out-of-print 1996 album ''Stars and Stripes Vol. 1'' performing a cover of their 1963 hit "Be True to Your School" with the Beach Boys themselves providing the harmonies and backing vocals.

A & M decided to fold their country division and Keith moved back to Mercury Records (now called Mercury Nashville), and released his fourth album, ''Dream Walkin'''' (1997). The album featured a duet with Sting, "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying", which had previously been a hit for Sting himself.

The first single off ''How Do You Like Me Now?!'' failed to make the Top 40 on the country charts. However, the follow-up single, which was the album's title track, went on to spend five weeks at number one, helping boost the album's sales to double platinum.

In 2002, he released the ''Unleashed'' album which included hit singles, "Who's Your Daddy?", "Beer for My Horses", and "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue".

On November 9, 2004, Keith released a remake of James Taylor and Carly Simon's "Mockingbird", a duet with his daughter, Krystal. They performed the song on the 2004 Country Music Awards. The song reached top 25 on the charts.

Keith was the subject of the January 2005 issue of ''Playboy''s Playboy Interview. That year, Keith toured with rock guitarist Ted Nugent, whom Keith met in Iraq while they were both performing in USO-sponsored shows for the coalition troops.

On August 31, 2005, Keith parted ways with Universal Music Group — which had since bought DreamWorks — and launched his own record label, Show Dog Nashville. Its first release was Keith's album ''White Trash with Money'', followed by the soundtrack to ''Broken Bridges''. ''Big Dog Daddy'', which featured his single "High Maintenance Woman", was released on June 12, 2007. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 charts, his third album to reach this feat, after ''Unleashed'' and ''Shock'n Y'all''.

He recorded a duet with Jimmy Buffett, "Piece of Work", which was featured on Buffett's album ''License to Chill''.

In 2008, Toby Keith completed his Biggest and Baddest Tour. On May 6, 2008, he released his ''35 Biggest Hits'' 2CD set. The set was certified Platinum in August 2008.

In July 2008, Toby Keith released his new single, "She Never Cried in Front of Me". A new album, ''That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy'', followed on October 28, 2008.

In 2009, Keith toured the U.S. with fellow country star Trace Adkins on a tour known as America's Toughest Tour. The concert series was kicked off on June 18, 2009 at PNC Bank Performing Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Keith did a free show earlier in the day at Asbury Park's famous Stone Pony.

Keith's thirteenth studio album, ''American Ride'', was released on October 6, 2009.

In 2010, Keith performed on another USO tour, this time in South Korea.

A new studio album, ''Bullets in the Gun'', was released on October 5, 2010.

Television appearances

Keith performed on a series of television advertisements for Telecom USA for that company's discount long distance telephone service 10-10-220. He also starred in Ford commercials, singing original songs such as "Ford Truck Man" and "Field Trip (Look Again)" while driving Ford trucks.

Keith made an appearance at the very first Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (then NWA-TNA) weekly pay-per-view on June 19, 2002, where his playing of "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" was interrupted by Jeff Jarrett. He would later enter the Gauntlet for the Gold main event, suplexing Jarrett and eliminating him from the match. A short video of the suplex is seen in the clip package when he goes onstage. He would appear the next week, on June 26, and help Scott Hall defeat Jarrett in singles action.

Toby Keith received the "Colbert Bump" when he appeared on Comedy Central's ''The Colbert Report''. He holds the distinction of being the only musical artist to have received a five star rating from Stephen Colbert on iTunes. Keith furthered this connection when he appeared in Colbert's 2008 Christmas Special as a hunter.

Acting

In the Autumn of 2005, he filmed ''Broken Bridges'', written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, and directed by Steven Goldmann. This feature film from Paramount/CMT Films was released on September 8, 2006. In this contemporary story set in small-town Tennessee, Keith plays Bo Price, a washed-up country musician. The movie also stars Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Tess Harper, and Lindsey Haun.

Keith wrote and starred in the 2008 movie ''Beer for My Horses'', which is based on the 2003 hit song of the same name recorded by Keith and Willie Nelson.

Other business ventures

In 2005, Keith opened Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now has restaurants in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Tempe, Arizona. Toby Keith does not actually own the new restaurants; the new restaurant is the first in a franchise under Scottsdale, Arizona-based Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises LLC, which purchased the master license agreement to build more Toby Keith restaurants nationwide. Capri Restaurant Group is owned by Frank Capri, who opened the restaurant in Mesa in the shopping center known as Mesa Riverview and is planning on opening multiple locations across the country. In 2009, Capri Restaurant Group announced that it will open another I Love this Bar & Grill location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's South Side Works shopping and entertainment district.

In February 2010 a new Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill opened in the Winstar World Casino, exit 1 on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma. The Capri Restaurant Group opened two locations in 2010 in Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Michigan and in the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Expected to open in late 2011 is the location at The Shops at Oyster Point in Newport News, Virginia.

Keith also established a line of clothing, "TK Steelman", in early 2009.

Toby Keith also supports Ally's House, a non-profit organization in Oklahoma designed to aid children with cancer. Of the charity, Keith said:

In 2011 Toby Keith also started showing his love for the flavors of Mexico by introducing a new drink named “Wild Shot". At first it was only available in Mexico, but now is sold and served in America. It is also a featured drink in his restaurant chain "I Love this Bar and Grill".

Political beliefs

Since 2002, Keith has made numerous trips to the Middle East to bring entertainment and encouragement to the men and women serving on or near the front lines. “My father was a soldier. He taught his kids to respect veterans,” said Keith. “It’s that respect and the thank-you that we have a military that’s in place and ready to defend our nation; our freedom.”

In 2004, Keith called himself "a conservative Democrat who is sometimes embarrassed for his party". He endorsed the re-election of President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election and performed at a Dallas, Texas, rally on the night before the election. Keith also endorsed Democrat Dan Boren in his successful run in Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district and is good friends with former Democratic New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. In a January 2007 interview with ''Newsday'', Keith was asked whether he supported the Iraq War. He responded with "Never did," and said he favors setting a time limit on the campaign. He also said, "I don't apologize for being patriotic... If there is something socially incorrect about being patriotic and supporting your troops, then they can kiss my ass on that, because I'm not going to budge on that at all. And that has nothing to do with politics. Politics is what's killing America."

In April 2008, Keith said that Barack Obama "looks like a great speaker and a great leader. And I think you can learn on your feet in there, so I don't hold people responsible for not having a whole bunch of political background in the House and Senate." At the same time he remarked, "I think [John] McCain is a great option too." In August 2008, he called Obama "the best Democratic candidate we've had since Bill Clinton".

In October 2008, Keith told CMT that he had left the Democratic Party and has re-registered as in independent. "My party that I've been affiliated with all these years doesn't stand for anything that I stand for anymore," he says. "They've lost any sensibility that they had, and they've allowed all the kooks in. So I'm going independent." He also told CMT that he would likely vote for the Republican ticket, partially because of his admiration for Sarah Palin.

In March 2009, Keith received the Johnny "Mike" Spann Memorial Semper Fidelis Award during a New York ceremony held by the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. The trophy is named for the CIA operative (and former Marine Corps captain) who was the first U.S. casualty in the war in Afghanistan. "Spending time with our soldiers around the world is something I've always regarded as a privilege and honor," he said. "I'm certainly happy to accept this award, but I won't forget for a second who's really doing the heavy lifting to keep this country safe. And that's why I'll keep going back and spending time with those good folks every chance I get."

In April 2009, he voiced support for Obama on Afghanistan and other decisions: "He hired one of my best friends who I think should run for president someday...Gen. James Jones as a national security adviser. He's sending troops into Afghanistan, help is on the way there. And I'm seeing some really good middle range stuff. I'm giving our commander in chief a chance before I start grabbing. So far, I'm cool with it."

Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue

On March 24, 2001, Keith’s father, H.K. Covel, was killed in a car accident. That event and the September 11 attacks in 2001 prompted Keith to write the song "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue", a song about his father’s patriotism and faith in the United States. At first, Keith refused to record the song and sang it only live at his concerts for military personnel. The reaction was so strong that the Commandant of the Marine Corps James L. Jones told Keith it was his "duty as an American citizen" to record the song. As the lead single from the album ''Unleashed'' (2002), "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" peaked at number one over the Fourth of July weekend.

ABC invited Keith to sing "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" on a 2002 Fourth of July concert it was producing, then rescinded the invitation after host Peter Jennings heard the song and vetoed it. Jennings said the song “probably wouldn’t set the right tone.” "I find it interesting that he's not from the U.S.," Keith said of Jennings, who was Canadian. "I bet Dan Rather'd let me do it on his special."

Feud with the Dixie Chicks

Keith had a public feud with the Dixie Chicks over the song "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue", in 2003 as well as over comments they made about President George W. Bush on stage during a concert in London. The lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, publicly stated that Keith's song was "ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant." Keith responded by belittling Maines' songwriting skills, and by displaying a backdrop at his concerts showing a doctored photo of Maines with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. On May 21, 2003, Maines wore a T-shirt with the letters "FUTK" on the front at the Academy of Country Music Awards. While a spokesperson for the Dixie Chicks said that the acronym stood for "Friends United in Truth and Kindness," many, including host Vince Gill, took it to be a shot at Keith ("Fuck You Toby Keith"). In an October 2004 appearance on ''Real Time with Bill Maher'', Maines finally confessed that it was indeed a shot at Toby Keith, and that she "thought that nobody would get it."

In August 2003, Keith's representation publicly declared he was done feuding with Maines "because he's realized there are far more important things to concentrate on". Keith was referring specifically to the terminal illness of a former bandmate's daughter, Allison Faith Webb. However, he continues to refuse to say Maines' name, and claims that the doctored photo was intended to express his opinion that Maines' criticism was an attempt to squelch Keith's free speech.

In an announcement in April 2008, a commercial spot to promote Al Gore's "We Campaign" involving both the Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith was proposed. However, the idea was eventually abandoned due to scheduling conflicts.

Personal life

On March 24, 1984, Keith married Tricia Lucus. He is the father of three children; two daughters Shelley (born 1980, adopted by Toby in 1984) and Krystal (born 1985), one son, Stelen (born 1997) and has one granddaughter (born 2008; mother is Shelley). An avid University of Oklahoma sports fan, Keith is often seen at Oklahoma Sooners games and practices. He is also a fan of professional wrestling, being seen in the front row of numerous WWE shows that take place in Oklahoma, as well as performing "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)" live at the first ever TNA Wrestling show on June 19, 2002.

On March 24, 2001, Keith's father was killed in a car accident on Interstate 35. On December 25, 2007, the Covel family was awarded $2.8 million for the wrongful death of H.K. Covel. Elias and Pedro Rodriguez, operators of Rodriguez Transportes of Tulsa, and the Republic Western Insurance Co. were found liable as they failed to properly equip the charter bus with properly working air brakes.

Tours

Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus & Wild West Show 2001

Unleashed Tour 2002

Big Throwdown Tour 2004

Shock'N Y'all Tour 2005

White Trash With Money Tour 2006

Hookin' Up & Hangin' Out Tour 2007

*with Miranda Lambert

Big Dog Daddy Tour 2007

Biggest & Baddest Tour 2008-2009

*with Montgomery Gentry and Trailer Choir

America's Toughest Tour 2009

*with Trace Adkins Also Julianne Hough(Few Dates)

Toby Keith's American Ride Tour 2010

*with Trace Adkins & James Otto

Locked & Loaded Tour 2011

*with Eric Church

Discography

Studio albums

''Toby Keith'' (1993)

''Boomtown'' (1994)

''Blue Moon'' (1996)

''Dream Walkin''' (1997)

''How Do You Like Me Now?!'' (1999)

''Pull My Chain'' (2001)

''Unleashed'' (2002)

''Shock'n Y'all'' (2003)

''Honkytonk University'' (2005)

''White Trash with Money'' (2006)

''Big Dog Daddy'' (2007)

''That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy'' (2008)

''American Ride'' (2009)

''Bullets in the Gun'' (2010)

''Clancy's Tavern'' (2011)

Compilation albums

''Greatest Hits Volume One'' (1998)

''20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection'' (2003)

''Greatest Hits 2'' (2004)

''35 Biggest Hits'' (2008)

Christmas albums

''Christmas to Christmas'' (1995)

''A Classic Christmas'' (2007)

Number one singles

"Should've Been a Cowboy"

"Who's That Man"

"Me Too"

"How Do You Like Me Now?!"

"You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This"

"I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight"

"I Wanna Talk About Me"

"My List"

"Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)"

"Who's Your Daddy?"

"Beer for My Horses" (duet with Willie Nelson)

"I Love This Bar"

"American Soldier"

"Whiskey Girl"

"As Good as I Once Was"

"Love Me If You Can"

"She Never Cried in Front of Me"

"God Love Her"

"American Ride"

Notable awards

American Music Awards

2002 Favorite Country Album - "Unleashed"

2003 Favorite Country Album - "Shock'n Y'all"

2003 Favorite Country Male Artist

2005 Favorite Country Male Artist

Academy of Country Music

2000 Album of the Year - "How Do You Like Me Now?!"

2000 Top Male Vocalist

2002 Entertainer of the Year

2003 Album of the Year - "Shock'n Y'all"

2003 Entertainer of the Year

2003 Top Male Vocalist

2003 Video of the Year with Willie Nelson - "Beer for My Horses"

Country Music Association

2001 Male Vocalist of the Year

Billboard

Country Artist Of The Decade

American Country Awards

Visionary Artist Award at the Inagural American Country Awards, given out on Monday, December 6, 2010.

Notes

External links

Toby Keith official website

Category:1961 births Category:Actors from Oklahoma Category:American baritones Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American record producers Category:DreamWorks Records artists Category:Living people Category:Mercury Records artists Category:Musicians from Oklahoma Category:People from Custer County, Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Show Dog-Universal Music artists

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