The center, colloquially known as the five or the pivot, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well. A typical NBA center is between 6'10" (2.08 m) and 7'3" (2.21 m).

In many cases, the center's primary role is to use his or her size to score and defend from a position close to the basket. A center who possesses size along with athleticism and skill constitutes an unparalleled asset for a team. The centers are also generally the players who are chosen to take jump balls.

There has been occasional controversy over what constitutes a "true center". For example, some would say that Tim Duncan, although listed throughout his career as a power forward, is actually a center, because of his size and style of play. Nonetheless, the judgment of whether a given player is a center or power forward is often highly subjective. Because there are currently so few people who meet the ideal size requirements of an NBA center, teams will sometimes find it necessary to play an individual at that position who would be more effective as a power forward.

It should also be noted that centers and power forwards often have low free throw percentages. Because of this, it is not uncommon for the opposing team to purposely foul and therefore send them to the line, especially late in games. This has been a common strategy used against certain centers who have continuously struggled with free throws; examples include Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, and Dwight Howard. The technique of fouling a poor free throw shooter in order to win back possession in the hope that the player will (as usual) miss his free throws is sometimes known as the Hack-a-Shaq strategy. Nevertheless, there are centers who are particularly accurate from the free throw line, such as retired Lithuanian great Arvydas Sabonis or his currently active countryman Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, the latter of whom is one of the few centers along with Yao Ming in the NBA regularly assigned to shoot free throws after technical fouls.

Centers are among the leaders in blocks and rebounds and are said to "anchor" defenses. It is common for centers to roam the paint, and therefore block a high numbers of shots, especially when their man does not have the ball.

The tallest player to ever be drafted in the NBA was the 7'8" (2.33 m) Yasutaka Okayama from Japan, though he never played in the NBA. The tallest players to ever play in the NBA, at 7'7" (2.31 m) are centers Gheorghe Mureşan and Manute Bol. Standing at 7'2" (2.18 m), Margo Dydek is the tallest player to have ever played in the WNBA.

History of the center position

Emergence of the Center

The center is considered a necessary component for a successful team, especially in professional leagues such as the NBA. Great centers have been the foundation for most of the dynasties in both the NBA and NCAA. The 6’10" (2.08 m) George Mikan pioneered the Center position, shattering the widely-held perception that tall players could not develop the agility and coordination to play basketball well, and ushering in the role of the dominant big man. He led DePaul University to the NIT title, then, after turning professional, won seven National Basketball League, Basketball Association of America and NBA Championships in his ten year career (1946–56), nine of them with the Minneapolis Lakers. Using his height to dominate opposing players, Mikan invented the hook shot and the shot block; as a consequence, the NCAA, and later NBA, adopted the goaltending rule, and, in 1951, the NBA widened the foul lane, a decision known as the 'Mikan rule.'

1960s: The era of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain

In the 1960s, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain further transformed basketball by combining height with a greater level of athleticism than previous centers. Following the retirement of George Mikan, the rivalry of the two big men came to dominate the NBA. Between the two of them, Chamberlain and Russell won nine of the eleven MVP awards in the twelve-year period between 1958 and 1969; played against one another in six Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals between 1959 and 1969. Many of the records set by these two players have endured today. Most notably, Chamberlain and Russell hold the top eighteen season averages for rebounds.

Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA Championships (1955, 56). He joined the Boston Celtics and helped make them one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, winning eleven championships over his thirteen-year career (1956–69) as well as five MVP awards. Russell revolutionized defensive strategy with his shot-blocking, rebounding and physical man-to-man defense. While he was never the focal point of the Celtics offense, much of the team's scoring came when Russell grabbed defensive rebounds and initiated fast breaks with precision outlet passes, primarily to point guard Bob Cousy. As the NBA's first African-American superstar, Russell struggled throughout his career with the racism he encountered from fans in Boston, particularly after the 1966–67 season, when he became the first African-American in any major sport to be named player-coach.

His principal rival, Wilt Chamberlain, listed at 7'1" (2.15 m), 275 pounds (124 kg), lacked Russell's supporting cast. Chamberlain played college ball for the Kansas Jayhawks, leading them to the 1957 title game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Although the Jayhawks lost by one point in triple overtime, Chamberlain was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Briefly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA in 1959, Chamberlain won two Championships, in 1967 with the Philadelphia 76ers and 1972 with the Los Angeles Lakers, although his teams were repeatedly defeated by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals. He also won seven scoring titles, eleven rebounding titles, and four regular season Most Valuable Player awards, including the distinction, in 1960, of being the first rookie to receive the award. Taller and stronger than any player of his era, he was usually capable of scoring and rebounding at will. Although he was the target of constant double- and triple-teaming, as well as fouling tactics designed to take advantage of his poor free-throw shooting, he set a number of records that have never been broken. Most notably, Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average more than 50 points in a season and score 100 points in a single game (both in 1961–62 as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors). He also holds the NBA's all-time records for rebounding average (27.2), rebounds in a single game (55), and career rebounds (23,924).

A lesser-known center of the era was Nate Thurmond, who initially played the forward position opposite Wilt Chamberlain for the San Francisco Warriors but moved to center after Chamberlain was traded to the new Philadelphia franchise. Although he never won a Championship, Thurmond was known as the best screen setter in the league, and his averages of 21.3 and 22.0 rebounds per game in 1966–67 and 1967–68, are exceeded only by Chamberlain and Russell.

Centers in the 1970s and 1980s

In contrast to the Celtics dynasty of the 1960s, the 1970s were a decade of parity in the NBA, with eight different champions and no back-to-back winners. At the college level, the UCLA Bruins, under Coach John Wooden, built the greatest dynasty in NCAA basketball history, winning seven consecutive titles between 1967 and 1973. UCLA had already won two consecutive titles in 1964 and 1965 with teams that pressed and emphasized guard play. After not winning in 1966, Wooden's teams changed their style when Lew Alcindor became eligible. He led UCLA to three championships-in 1967, 68' and 69'-while winning the first Naismith College Player of the Year Award. During his college career, the NCAA enacted a ban on dunking primarily because of Alcindor's dominant use of the shot. His entrance into the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969 was timely, as Bill Russell had just retired and Wilt Chamberlain was 33 years old and increasingly plagued by injuries. After leading the Bucks to the 1971 NBA championship, teamed up with legendary Point guard Oscar Robertson, Alcindor, who had converted to Islam, changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In 1975, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and, after the arrival of Point guard Magic Johnson in 1980, formed part of a new Lakers dynasty that won five NBA titles (1980, 82', 85', 87', 88'). In addition, Abdul-Jabbar won six regular-season MVP awards (1971, '72, '74, '76, '77, '80). At 7'2" (2.18 m), 235 pounds (106 kg), he lacked the strength of Chamberlain in his prime, but had a longer wingspan and ultimately proved more durable, adhering to a strict physical-fitness regime that enabled him to play for twenty years, the longest career in NBA history at the time. Offensively, he was best known for his trademark 'Skyhook' hook-shot, almost impossible to block because of his height and wingspan. His career record of 38,387 points has yet to be broken. Defensively, the 1973–4 season was the first in which the number of blocked shots were kept, and, over the next seven years, Kareem led the league in this statistic or finished second.

Another product of John Wooden's UCLA program, Bill Walton, appeared poised to join the ranks of great centers. He led UCLA to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1972 and 1973, led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA championship in 1977, and won the NBA MVP the following year. However, his career was plagued with injuries, most infamously a broken bone in his left foot suffered during his MVP season that he never fully recovered from, and he spent most of the following decade on the bench, although he eventually did win a second NBA title as a backup for the Boston Celtics in 1986, when he received the Sixth Man Award. Willis Reed won two championship with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973, teamed with Point guard Walt Frazier; although undersized for the center position at 6'9", he had the strength to play inside, was a highly-skilled jump shooter, and was effective at setting picks, a key element in the Knicks motion-oriented offense. The undersized but scrappy Dave Cowens, drafted at the recommendation of Bill Russell, helped the Boston Celtics win two more NBA titles, in 1974 and 1976.

Leading centers of the late 1970s and early 1980s include Wes Unseld of the Baltimore/Washington Bullets, Artis Gilmore of the ABA Kentucky Colonels, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs; Moses Malone of the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers; Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz and Robert Parish of the Boston Celtics, who was acquired from the Golden State Warriors in 1980 for the top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Unseld led the Bullets to four NBA finals appearances and one championship, in 1978. Using his strength and determination to compensate for his lack of size (6'7", i.e. 2.00 m), he was famous for his rebounding, shotblocking, and bone-jarring picks. Artis Gilmore, often overlooked because of the mediocrity of his teams, established himself as the best low-post scorer in the league. He set the NCAA Division I record for career average in rebounds (25.2) at tiny Jacksonville University, and enjoyed an illustrious ABA career before joining the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1976, playing there until he was traded to San Antonio in 1982, for whom he played until his retirement in 1987. He remains the NBA's career leader in field goal percentage (minimum 2000 shots made) with a 59.9 percentage. Malone, the first high school player to turn professional, was drafted by the Houston Rockets after several years in the ABA, and won two MVP Awards and led Houston to its first NBA Finals in 1981, before joining the Philadelphia 76ers, where, teamed with Julius Erving and Bobby Jones, he won an NBA Championship in 1983, as well as a third League MVP. Never a dominant defender, his quickness and tenacity made him one of the best rebounders in NBA history, particularly on the offensive end; he led the league in rebounds six times in a seven-year period and still holds the NBA record for offensive rebounds.

In the mid-1980s, the 7'4" (2.23 m) Eaton was the most prolific shot-blocker in the league, and, although never a major offensive contributor, won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards while helping transform the lowly Utah Jazz into a playoff contender. Of all these players, none enjoyed the success of Robert Parish, who, with forwards Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, formed the legendary frontcourt of the Boston Celtics team that won three titles (1981, 1984 and 1986). The Celtics' fierce rivalry with the Lakers dominated the NBA during the decade and helped basketball reach an unprecedented level of popularity. Nicknamed "Chief" after a character in the film ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' because of his stoic demeanor, Parish was known for his trademark arching jump-shot—leading many experts to consider him the best medium-range shooting center of all time—and his ability to finish fast-breaks with his surprising speed. Playing until the age of 43, Parish broke Abdul-Jabbar's record for career games played.

Centers in the 1990s

Coach John Thompson, once a seldom-used backup to Bill Russell with the Celtics, developed the Georgetown Hoyas into a chief pipeline for talent at the Center position, producing a succession of great defensive big men in Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning. In 1984, Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, defeated the University of Houston, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, to win the NCAA championship. This matchup involved the two premier Centers of their generation.

The Nigerian-born Olajuwon, a former soccer goalkeeper who did not play basketball until age 15, was drafted by the Houston Rockets and paired with power forward Ralph Sampson in what was dubbed the 'Twin Towers' duo. In his second season, 1985–86, the Rockets upset the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. After Michael Jordan's first retirement, Olajuwon established himself as the NBA's most dominant player, leading the Rockets to two consecutive NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In the 1993–94 season he became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. In both Finals, Olajuwon outplayed two of the league's leading Centers, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic's young Shaquille O'Neal. Defensively Olajuwon broke Abdul-Jabbar's career record for blocked shots. Offensively, he was best known for his 'Dream Shake,' a series of fakes and spin moves regarded as the pinnacle of big man footwork.

Ewing, from Jamaica by way of the Boston area, was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1985, with whom he spent fifteen of his seventeen seasons in the NBA. An eleven-time All Star, Ewing was one of the best shooting centers in NBA history, possessing a nearly unstoppable baseline jump-shot, as well as a formidable shot blocker and rebounder. Ewing never won an NBA championship, but his Knicks represented the most formidable opponents of the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls dynasty in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Ewing's successor as the starting center at Georgetown, Dikembe Mutombo, who played most of his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks, was less adept offensively, but proved an even more dominant defender. Mutombo, who had not played basketball before arriving in the U.S. from his native Zaire on a USAID scholarship, was among the greatest shot blockers in NBA history, leading the NBA in blocked-shots five consecutive years, in the course of a career in which he ranked second in the history of the league in blocked shots, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon. He was also the recipient of four NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, tied for the record with Ben Wallace.

The other dominant center of the early 1990s was David Robinson. Playing college ball at the United States Naval Academy, his entry into the NBA was delayed by his military service, but he unanimously won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1990 and, in 1995, was voted the MVP. Offensively, Robinson excelled in fast-breaks, running the floor like no 7-footer (2.13 m and above) before or since, while also possessing an effective left-hand jumper. Defensively, his speed and agility helped him hold the distinction of being the only player in NBA history to rank among the top five in rebounds, blocks and steals in a single season.

Several European centers made an impact in the NBA in the 1990s, most notably Lithuanian Arvydas Sabonis of the Portland Trail Blazers, Serbian Vlade Divac of the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings and Dutchman Rik Smits. In keeping with its more perimeter-oriented style of play, European basketball strategy utilized centers as playmakers more than in the NBA, and Divac and Sabonis in particular distinguished themselves as the best passing centers in the league. The 7'3" (2.20 m) Sabonis, who led the Soviet Union to an upset victory over the U.S. en route to a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics, was considered by many experts to have been among the best centers in the world in the late 1980s, but did not enter the NBA until he was well past his prime and limited by injuries. He nonetheless played seven solid seasons in Portland before returning to his homeland to finish his career. In his next-to-last season, during which he turned 39, he earned MVP honors in both of the initial two phases of the 2003–04 Euroleague with the club of his youth, Žalgiris.

The 1992 NBA Draft marked the entrance into the league of Shaquille O'Neal, who was drafted by the Orlando Magic. Immediately drawing comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain, the 7'1" (2.15 m), 325-pound (147 kg) O'Neal was billed as potentially the most physically dominating player ever and he quickly lived up to the hype. By his third season, he led the league in scoring and led the Magic to the NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Houston Rockets, with O'Neal out-played by the more experienced Olajuwon. After the 1995–96 season, he signed with the rebuilding Los Angeles Lakers. Former Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning, also drafted in 1992, established himself as a premier big man with the Charlotte Hornets and, later, the Miami Heat, winning two Defensive Player of the Year Awards thanks to his prolific shot blocking while also proving a reliable scoring threat.

Centers in the 21st century

The balance of power shifted to the Western Conference, and the NBA was dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won titles in 2000, '01, '02, '09, and '10, and the San Antonio Spurs, who won in '03, '05, and '07. The Lakers hired former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, and Shaquille O'Neal thrived in Jackson's triangle offense. The San Antonio Spurs were initially led by the 'Twin Towers' tandem of center David Robinson and power forward Tim Duncan. With the arrival of Duncan, the veteran Robinson modified his game by playing primarily in the high post to accommodate Duncan's strengths as a low-post scorer and defender.

In the 1990s, an increasing number of smaller forwards, most notably Dennis Rodman and Charles Barkley, excelled at the traditional Center functions of rebounding, shot-blocking and low-post defense, anticipating a trend towards relying on shorter and quicker post players that has continued into the 2000s, as exemplified by perennial Defensive Players of the Year Ben Wallace and Ron Artest. In the fast break oriented style of offense employed by a growing number of teams, the traditional role of the Center is diminished, if not done away with altogether. Many talented big men have elected to play the more versatile power forward position, giving them more room to run the floor and play outside the paint. The best example of this is Kevin Garnett, a 7-footer (2.13 m and above) who listed his height as 6'11" (2.10 m) in order to avoid playing Center. Under the influence of European basketball, the offensive role of big men has been redefined to include more emphasis on perimeter play, as exemplified by 3-point shooting big men like Dirk Nowitzki, Mehmet Okur, Andrea Bargnani and Channing Frye.

The 7'6" (2.28 m) Yao Ming was drafted by the Houston Rockets with tremendous hype in 2002; possessing unprecedented shooting touch and coordination for a player of his height, many experts predicted he would revolutionize basketball. Yao has proven a highly efficient rebounder and scorer, particularly with his mid-range jump shot, and shown the potential to be an elite defender. Another heralded young prospect, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, has used his exceptional vertical leap to become one of the top rebounders in the NBA, while his spectacular slam dunks have made him a staple of highlight reels.

Dominant big men continue to anchor the teams that have had the most success in the post-season. Two of the last three teams to win championships have had notable centers: Detroit Pistons/Ben Wallace (2004) and Miami Heat/Shaquille O'Neal (2006). However, O'Neal's playing time has been increasingly limited by injuries, benefiting in the Heat's Championship run from the presence of another veteran, Alonzo Mourning, as his backup. Defensive specialist Ben Wallace, listed at 6'9" (2.05), is considered by most experts as a Power Forward playing out of position, although his strength, leaping ability and uncanny timing has enable him to dominate taller players in the low-post, helping him tie Dikembe Mutombo's record of four NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards. The San Antonio Spurs have won 2 championships since the retirement of David Robinson, in 2005 and 2007, with Tim Duncan assuming an even greater share of the work as the primary rebounder, shot-blocker and low-post scorer, as well as taking most of the teams jump balls, although he continues to be listed primarily as a power forward. The entry into the NBA of Greg Oden, who won two national high school player of the year awards, led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the NCAA Finals, and is arguably the most physically skilled Center to come into the league since Dwight Howard, has caused many experts to predict a revival in the importance of the Center position.

Centers in women's basketball

In women's basketball, 7'0" (2.13 m) Iuliana Semenova pioneered the center position, helping the Soviet Union women's team win two Olympic Gold medals, in 1976 and 1980, and never losing a game in international competition. Semenova also led her club team, TTT Riga to fifteen European Champion's Cup titles. The 6'8" (2.03 m) Anne Donovan led the Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs to the 1979 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship, and was the first female Naismith College Player of the Year recipient in 1983, before enjoying a successful professional career in Japan and Italy.

With the formation of the WNBA, Lisa Leslie established herself as the premier center, and the league's most popular player. The first WNBA player to reach the 3,000 point milestone, she led the Los Angeles Sparks to consecutive titles in 2001 and 2002, and holds the distinction of being the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Other prominent centers in women's basketball include Australian Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm and Karl Malone's daughter Cheryl Ford of the Detroit Shock. Jackson can also be considered a forward-center because she is also a very good outside shooter, leading the WNBA in three-point shooting percentage in one season. Rebecca Lobo led the Connecticut Huskies to a NCAA Championship in 1995, but never recovered from a torn ACL and had a disappointing professional career. When at the University of Oklahoma, Courtney Paris was considered the next dominant female center after becoming the only NCAA player, male or female, to score 700 points, grab 500 rebounds and block 100 shots in a single season; however, she had a disappointing WNBA career and was waived before what would have been the start of her second season in 2010.

List of centers

See also

List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history

Notes

Further reading

Category:Basketball positions Category:Basketball terminology

bs:Centar (košarka) ca:Pivot cs:Pivot (basketbal) da:Center (basketball) de:Center (Basketball) el:Σέντερ es:Pívot eu:Pibota (saskibaloia) fr:Pivot (basket-ball) hr:Centar (košarka) id:Center is:Miðherji (körfuknattleikur) it:Centro (pallacanestro) he:שחקן ציר lv:Centrs (basketbols) lt:Vidurio puolėjas nl:Center (basketbal) ja:センター (バスケットボール) pl:Środkowy (koszykówka) pt:Pivô (basquete) ru:Центровой sl:Center (košarka) sr:Центар (кошарка) fi:Sentteri (koripallo) th:เซ็นเตอร์ (บาสเกตบอล) tr:Pivot zh:中鋒 (籃球)

name	Israel Houghton
background	solo_singer
birth date	May 19, 1971
birth place	Oceanside, California, United States
instrument	Guitar, piano
genre	Contemporary Christian, gospel, contemporary worship
occupation	Singer, songwriter, producer, arranger
years active	1997—present
label	Integrity
associated acts	Chris TomlinDarlene ZschechTobyMacCeCe WinansMichael W. SmithTommy Sims
website	israelhoughton.net
notable instruments	}}

Israel Houghton (pronounced, ''hoh’-tin'') (born May 19, 1971) is an American Christian singer and worship leader, mostly known for his cross-cultural style of Christian music that fuses elements from gospel, jazz and rock. Houghton is usually credited as Israel & New Breed and currently signed to Integrity Music. Houghton is a worship leader at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. "All Around" is on the Digital Praise PC game Guitar Praise.

Musical career

Recording career

He has been graced with two gold-selling albums, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards, a Soul Train Award, and four Grammy® Awards—for "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album" for ''The Power of One'', “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for ''A Deeper Level'', “Best Traditional Gospel Album” for ''Alive In South Africa'', and “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for ''Love God, Love People''.

Production career

Israel produced an album by Michael Gungor called "Bigger Than My Imagination". This album was acclaimed as "one of the year's best worship albums" in a 2003 ''Christianity Today'' review.

Other performances

He has served as worship leader for the Promise Keepers and Champions for Christ events, as well as the Hillsong Conference 2006—2010, and Hillsong Conference Europe 2008-2010. Israel currently serves as a worship leader (alongside of Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff, Steve Crawford and Da'dra Crawford-Greathouse) at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, pastored by Joel Osteen.

Israel and New Breed accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards for a performance of George Michael's "Freedom '90."

Israel and New Breed performed at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, taking part in a segment saluting Gospel music, alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans.

Israel also sang with Michael W Smith on his 2008 Album, "A New Hallelujah", recorded at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX.

Discography

Albums

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name Whisper It Loud | Released 1997 | Format CD | Label Warner Brothers | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	live | Name New Season | Released 2001 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name Nueva Generacion | Released 2001 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name Real | Released 2002 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks 1. Prelude, 2. Better, 3. Get Up, 4. 'Bout It 'Bout It, 5. Real, 6. Nothing Else Matters, 7. Go Back, 8. Taste And See, 9. Weight Of Your Glory, 10. Magnificent And Holy, 11. Don't Want To Leave/I Still Love You | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type

live | Name Live From Another Level | Released 2004 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks Disc 1: 1. Come In From The Outside, 2. Again I Say Rejoice, 3. Again I Say Rejoice (Reprise), 4. We Win, 5. All Around, 6. You’ve Made Me Glad, 7. I Hear The Sound, 8. Spoken Word by Bishop Garlington, 9. So Easy To Love You Disc 2: 1. Friend of God, 2. Spontaneous Worship, 3. Friend, 4. Friend Medley, 5. Rise Within Us, 6. Another Breakthrough, 7. Lord Of The Breakthrough, 8. Breath Into Me, 9. Awesome Medley, 10. Here I Am To Worship, 11. Holy, 12. Going To Another Level | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	live | Name Alive In South Africa | Released 2005 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name A Timeless Christmas | Released 2006 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	live | Name A Deeper Level | Released 2007 | Format CD | Label Integrity | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks | Bonus tracks | Singles | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name The Power of One | Released March 24, 2009 | Format CD/Digital Download | Label Integrity/Columbia | Writer | Producer | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks Fourteen | Bonus tracks "Others" (iTunes pre-order) | Singles "Just Wanna Say" | Other info }}

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name Love God, Love People | Released August 31, 2010 | Format CD/Digital Download | Label Integrity/Columbia | Writer | Bonus tracks "Love God Love People (Incorporated Elements Remix)" (iTunes) | Singles "You Hold My World" | Producer | Other info }}

Other recordings

"Champions for Christ" - Hi5 (Worship Leader, 2002)

"Where Are the Fathers?" from ''He-Motions'' (EMI Gospel, 2004)

"Send Me to the Nations" from ''A Wing & A Prayer'' (EMI Gospel, 2003)

''Lakewood Live: We Speak to Nations'' (Integrity, 2002)

''Lakewood Live: Cover the Earth'' (Integrity, 2004)

''Lakewood Live: The Gift''

''Lakewood Live: Free to Worship''

''Free Chapel Live: Moving Forward''

''Lakewood Live: Hope for Today Worship''

''Free Chapel Live: Power of the Cross'' (Integrity, 2009)

''New Breed Live: Generation Love'' (2009)

Awards

! Year	! Award-giving body	! Award
2005	Stellar Awards	Male Vocalist of the Year for ''Live from Another Level''
2005	Stellar Awards	Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for ''Live from Another Level''
2004	Dove Awards	CD of the Year for ''Live from Another Level''
2004	Dove Awards	Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year for "Again I Say Rejoice"
2006	Grammy Awards	Best Traditional Gospel Album for "Alive in South Africa"
2008	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for " A Deeper Level"
2010	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for "The Power Of One"
2011	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for "Love God. Love People."

Personal life

He is of mixed heritage, Jamaican and French-as told by him personally-and was raised in a Mexican-American neighborhood. He and his wife Meleasa, and his three children, Mariah, Israel 'Sonny Boy' and Milan 'Lillie' currently reside in Houston, Texas.

Notes

References

"Dove Award Recipients for 2005". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-02-06.

"Dove Award Recipients for 2006". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-02-06.

"38th Annual Dove Award Recipients". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 26 April 2007.

"49th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners List". Published by The Recording Academy. Retrieved 2007-02-13.

External links

Biography by Israel's Label

CBN Interview with Israel Houghton

Israel Houghton at the Two Days of Hope conference

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:American performers of Christian music Category:Hillsong musicians Category:Contemporary Christian music articles needing attention Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American gospel singers Category:Contemporary worship music Category:Promise Keepers

es:Israel Houghton nl:Israel Houghton

name	Suzanne Vega
background	solo_singer
birth name	Suzanne Nadine Peck
born	July 11, 1959Santa Monica, California, United States
origin	New York City, United States
instrument	vocals, guitar
genre	Alternative rockFolk rock
occupation	Singer, songwriter, record producer
years active	1982–present
label	A&M;Blue Note
website	SuzanneVega.com
notable instruments	}}

Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959) is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.

Two of Vega's songs (both from her second album ''Solitude Standing'', 1987) reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner". The latter was originally an a cappella version on Vega's album, which was then remade in 1990 as a dance track produced by the British dance production team DNA.

Early life

Suzanne Vega was born July 11, 1959 in Santa Monica, California. Her mother, Pat Vega, is a computer systems analyst of German-Swedish heritage. Her father, Richard Peck, is of Scottish-English-Irish extraction. They divorced soon after her birth. Her stepfather, Ed Vega, also known as Edgardo Vega Yunque, was a writer and teacher from Puerto Rico.

When Vega was two and a half, the family moved to New York City. She grew up in Spanish Harlem and the Upper West Side. At the age of nine she began to write poetry; she wrote her first song at age fourteen. Later she attended New York's prestigious High School of Performing Arts (now called LaGuardia High School). There she studied modern dance and graduated in 1977.

Career

While majoring in English literature at Barnard College, she performed in small venues in Greenwich Village, where she was a regular contributor to Jack Hardy's Monday night songwriters' group at the Cornelia Street Cafe and had some of her first songs published on ''Fast Folk'' anthology albums. In 1984, she received a major label recording contract, making her one of the first ''Fast Folk'' artists to break out on a major label.

Vega's self-titled debut album was released in 1985 and was well-received by critics in the U.S.; it reached platinum status in the United Kingdom. Produced by Lenny Kaye and Steve Addabbo, the songs feature Vega's acoustic guitar in straightforward arrangements. A video was released for the album's song "Marlene on the Wall", which went into MTV and VH1's rotations. During this period Vega also wrote lyrics for two songs on ''Songs from Liquid Days'' by composer Philip Glass.

Her next effort, ''Solitude Standing'' (1987), garnered critical and commercial success including the hit single "Luka", an international success. "Luka" is written about, and from the point of view of, an abused child—at the time an uncommon subject for a pop hit. While continuing a focus on Vega's acoustic guitar, the music is more strongly pop-oriented and features fuller arrangements. The a cappella "Tom's Diner" from this album was later a hit, remixed by two British dance producers under the name DNA, in 1990. The track was originally a bootleg, until Vega allowed DNA to release through her record company, and it became her all-time biggest hit.

Tom's Diner

Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner" was used as the reference track in an early trial of the MP3 compression system, thus earning her the distinction of being named "The Mother of the MP3". Because it is an ''a cappella'' vocal with relatively little reverberation, it was used as the model for Karlheinz Brandenburg's sound compression algorithm. Brandenburg heard “Tom's Diner” on a radio playing the song and was excited and at first convinced it would be “nearly impossible to compress this warm ''a cappella'' voice.”

"Tom's Diner" takes place in Tom's Restaurant at 112th Street and Broadway in New York City. Exterior shots of the same restaurant appear in the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' as Monk's, which is the eatery where Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer hang out. The DNA remix of the track was so popular that it inspired many cover versions—the best of which were eventually collected by Vega on an album titled ''Tom's Album''. A variant of this version was the inspiration of a remixed version of Julee Cruise's "Rocking back inside My Heart". Nick at Nite did a remake of the song in the mid-1990s for a commercial advertising ''I Dream of Jeannie'', in which the chorus is set to the theme from the show. The remixed version of "Tom's Diner" was later sampled by hip hop artist Nikki D in her hit single titled "Daddy's Little Girl", the title track of her debut album. Rapper Tupac Shakur sampled the track in "Dopefiend's Diner".

Luka

On a 1987 Swedish television special, Vega said this about her song "Luka": in real life I don't think he was. I think he was just different.}}

Also, in an ASCAP interview, she responded to a question about "Luka":

"Luka" was covered by The Lemonheads on the 1989 album ''Lick'', shortly before the band was signed by Atlantic Records, and was a minor college-airplay hit.

1990s

Vega's third album, ''Days of Open Hand'' (1990) continued in the style of her first two albums.

In 1992 she released the album ''99.9F°''. It consists of a mixture of folk music, dance beats and industrial music.

Her fifth album, ''Nine Objects of Desire'', was released in 1996. The music varies between a frugal, simple style and the industrial production of ''99.9F°''. This album contains "Caramel", featured in the movie ''The Truth About Cats & Dogs'' and, later, the trailer for the movie ''Closer''. A song not included on that album, "Woman on the Tier", was featured on the soundtrack of the movie ''Dead Man Walking''.

In 1997 she took a singing part on the concept album ''Heaven and Hell'', a musical interpretation of the Seven deadly sins by her colleague Joe Jackson, with whom she had already collaborated in 1986 on "Left of Center" from the ''Pretty in Pink'' soundtrack (with Vega singing and Jackson playing piano).

In 1999, Avon Books published Vega's book "The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writings Of Suzanne Vega"; a volume of poems, lyrics, essays and journalistic pieces.

2000s

September 2001 saw the release of a new album, ''Songs In Red and Gray''. Three songs deal with Vega's divorce from first husband Mitchell Froom.

At the memorial concert for her brother Tim Vega in December 2002, she began as the long-term subject of a direct cinema documentary, ''Some Journey'', by director Christopher Seufert of Mooncusser Films. This has not been completed.

In 2003, the twenty-one-song greatest hits compilation ''Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega'' was released. (The UK version of ''Retrospective'' included an eight-song bonus CD as well as a DVD containing twelve songs.) In the same year she was invited by Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, to play at the Century of Song concerts at the famed RuhrTriennale in Germany.

In 2003, she hosted the American Public Media radio series ''American Mavericks'', about 20th century American composers, which received the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

On August 3, 2006, Vega became the first major recording artist to perform live in the Internet-based virtual world, ''Second Life''. The event was hosted by John Hockenberry of public radio's The Infinite Mind.

On September 17, 2006, she performed in Central Park, as part of a benefit concert for The Save Darfur Coalition. During the concert she highlighted her support for Amnesty International, of which she has been a member since 1988.

In early October 2006, Vega took part in the Academia Film Olomouc (AFO) in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, the oldest festival of documentary films in Europe, in which she appeared as a main guest. She was invited there as the subject of the documentary film by director Christopher Seufert, that had a test screening at the festival. At the end of the festival she performed her classical songs, and added one brand new piece called "New York Is a Woman".

Vega is also interviewed in the book ''Everything Is Just a Bet'' which was published in Czech in October 2006. The book contains twelve interview transcriptions from the talk show called ''Stage Talks'' that regularly runs in the Švandovo divadlo (Švandovo Theatre) in Prague. Vega introduced the book to the audience of the Švandovo divadlo (Švandovo Theatre), and together with some other Czech celebrities gave a signing session.

She signed a new recording contract with Blue Note Records in the spring of 2006, and released ''Beauty & Crime'' on July 17, 2007. The album was produced by Jimmy Hogarth, which won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Her contract was not renewed and she was dropped in June 2008.

In 2007, Vega followed the lead of numerous other mainstream artists and released her track "Pornographer's Dream" as podsafe. The song spent two weeks at #1 during 2007 and finished as the #11 hit of the year on the PMC Top10's annual countdown. Vega joined the 10th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. She was also a judge for the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Independent Music Awards.

A partial cover version of her song "Tom's Diner" is used to introduce the 2010 British movie ''4.3.2.1'', with its lyrics largely rewritten to echo the plot. This musical hybrid was released as "Keep Moving".

Vega is currently included in the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse/David Lynch collaboration "Dark Night of the Soul". She wrote both melody and lyrics for her song, which is titled "The Man Who Played God", inspired by a biography of Pablo Picasso.

Suzanne is rerecording her back-catalogue, both for artistic and commercial (and control) reasons , in the Close-up series. Vol.1 (Love Songs) and Vol. 2 (People & Places) appeared in 2010 while Vol. 3 (States of Being) was released in July 2011 and 4 (Songs of Family) is planned for the near future.

Theater

Vega co-wrote (with Duncan Sheik) a play “Carson McCullers Talks About Love”, about the life of the writer Carson McCullers. In the play, which premiered in 2011, Vega alternates between monologue and songs.

Personal life

On March 17, 1995, Vega married Mitchell Froom, a musician and a record producer (who played in and produced 99.9F° and Nine Objects of Desire). They have a daughter, Ruby Froom (born July 8, 1994). The band Soul Coughing's ''Ruby Vroom'' album was named after her, with Vega's approval, though she requested a slight change. Recently Ruby sang with her mother on a couple of occasions. Vega and Froom separated in 1998.

On February 11, 2006, Vega married Paul Mills, a lawyer and poet. They originally met each other at Folk City on West 4th Street when singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky, a friend of both, introduced them. In the words of her website, "The couple met at Folk City on West 4th Street in 1981. Mr. Mills proposed to Miss Vega in May, 1983, and she accepted his proposal on Christmas Day, 2005."

Discography

Studio albums

!Year	!Album	!width="40"	!width="40"	!width="40"	!width="40"	!width="40"	!width="35"	!width="35"
1985	style="text-align:left"	11	91	23	9	54	-	-
1987		2	11	7	1	6	-	8
1990		7	50	74	24	16	-	19
1992		20	86	56	38	27	-	24
1996		43	92	-	-	43	25	23
2001		-	178	-	-	53	36	47
2007		-	129	-	-	81	52	79
2010		-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2010		-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2011		-	-	-	-	-	-	-

¹ Days of Open Hand made #2 in Norway albums chart

² Nine Objects of Desire made #20 in Finland, #23 in Switzerland, #39 in Sweden

³ Beauty & Crime made #9 in Estonia, #13 in Finland, #37 in Czech Republic, #49 in Poland, #74 in Italy

''Close-Up Vol. 2, People & Places'' Number 2 Top Purchased Album (Amazon.com) 11th October-13th October

Compilation albums

''Tried & True: The Best of Suzanne Vega'', 1998 – UK #46, AUS #96, GER #58

''Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega'', 2003 – UK #27 !width="25"|GER !width="25"|SWI !width="25"|AUT !width="25"|NZ !width="25"|CAN !width="25"|SWE !width="25"|FR !width="25"|NL |- |rowspan="3"| 1985 |"Marlene On The Wall" |85 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |rowspan="4"|''Suzanne Vega'' |- |"Small Blue Thing" |65 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |"Knight Moves" |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |rowspan="3"| 1986 |"Marlene On The Wall"(re-release) |21 |— |39 |9 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |27 |- |"Left Of Center"Feat.Joe Jackson |32 |— |35 |28 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— ||''Pretty in Pink (soundtrack)'' |- |"Gypsy" |77 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |rowspan="4"|''Solitude Standing'' |- |rowspan="3"| 1987 |"Luka" |23 |3 |21 |11 |— |— |9 |8 |5 |2 |24 |40 |- |"Tom's Diner" |58 |— |— |26 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |"Solitude Standing" |79 |94 |91 |— |— |— |— |45 |— |— |— |— |- |rowspan="4"| 1990 |"Book Of Dreams" |66 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |rowspan="3"|''Days of Open Hand'' |- |"Tired of Sleeping" |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |"Men in a War" |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |"Tom's Diner"(DNA remix) |2 |5 |8 |2 |1 |1 |1 |8 |— |— |16 |4 ||''Taste This'' |- |rowspan="3"| 1992 |"In Liverpool" |52 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |rowspan="4"|''99.9F°'' |- |"99.9F°" |46 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |"Blood Makes Noise" |60 |— |61 |— |— |— |— |42 |27 |— |— |— |- || 1993 |"When Heroes Go Down" |58 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |- || 1996 |"No Cheap Thrill" |40 |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |24 |20 ||''Nine Objects of Desire'' |}

"Rusted Pipe (DNA remix)", promotional, 1991

"Caramel", 1996

"Birth-day", promotional, 1997

"World before Columbus", 1997

"Headshots", promotional, 1997

"Book & a Cover", 1998

"Rosemary / Remember me", 1999

"Widow's Walk", promotional, 2001

"Last Year's Troubles", promotional, 2001

"Penitent", promotional, 2001

"(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May", promotional, 2002

"Frank & Ava", promotional, 2007

"Ludlow Street", promotional, 2007

"Unbound", promotional, 2007

"Pornographer's Dream", podsafe, 2007 – PMC #1

Other contributions

''Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films'' (1988) – "Stay Awake"

''One World One Voice'' (1990) – "One World, One Voice"

''Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead'' (1991) – "Cassidy" and "China Doll"

''DNA: Taste This (album)'' (1992) – "Tom's Diner (DNA Remix)"and "Salt Water"

''Hector Zazou: Songs From The Cold Sea (album)'' (1994) – "The Long Voyage" (with John Cale)

''Tower Of Song (album)'' (1995) – "Story Of Isaac"

''Dead Man Walking O.M.P.S. (album)'' (1995) – "Woman On The Tier (I'll See You Through)"

''The Smithereens: Blown To Smithereens (album)'' (1995) – "In A Lonely Place"

''Time And Love (album)'' (1997) – "Buy And Sell"

''Perfect Day (single)'' (1997)

Joe Jackson: ''Heaven & Hell'' (1997) – "Angel (Lust)"

''Mitchell Froom: Dopamine (album)'' (1998) – "Dopamine"

''Celebrate The Season (album)'' (1998) – "Coventry Carol"

''Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village in the 60's (album)'' (1999) – "So Long, Marianne" (with John Cale)

''Dan Zanes: Rocket Ship Beach (album)'' (2000) – "Erie Canal"

''Hear Music Volume 7: Waking'' (2002) – "Widow's Walk"

''107.1 KGSR Radio Austin - Broadcasts Vol.10'' (2002) – "Widow's Walk"

''WYEP Live and Direct: Volume 4 - On Air Performances'' (2002) – "(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May"

''Vigil (album)'' (2004) – "It Hit Home"

''WFUV: City Folk Live VII'' (2004) – "Penitent"

''The Acoustic Album'' (2006, Virgin) – "Marlene On the Wall"

''Dar Williams: Promised Land'' (2008) – "Go To The Woods"

''Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse Present: Dark Night of the Soul (2009) – "The Man Who Played God"

''Pioneers For A Cure: Songs To Fight Cancer]] (2011) – "Streets of Laredo (song)"

References

External links

Suzanne Vega on A&M; Records

Suzanne Vega documentary clips

Love Songs Review – Love Songs Review by SLUG Magazine

Category:Fast Folk artists Category:American female singers Category:American folk singers Category:Songwriters from California Category:American female guitarists Category:Barnard College alumni Category:Musicians from New York Category:Female rock singers Category:Feminist musicians Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:A&M; Records artists Category:Blue Note Records artists

ca:Suzanne Vega cs:Suzanne Vega cy:Suzanne Vega da:Suzanne Vega de:Suzanne Vega es:Suzanne Vega fa:سوزان وگا fr:Suzanne Vega gl:Suzanne Vega ko:수잔 베가 hr:Suzanne Vega io:Suzanne Vega id:Suzanne Vega it:Suzanne Vega he:סוזן וגה csb:Suzanne Vega hu:Suzanne Vega nl:Suzanne Vega ja:スザンヌ・ヴェガ no:Suzanne Vega pl:Suzanne Vega pt:Suzanne Vega ru:Вега, Сюзанна szl:Suzanne Vega fi:Suzanne Vega sv:Suzanne Vega zh:苏珊娜·薇佳

background	solo_singer
birth name	Serj Tankian
born	August 21, 1967 Beirut, Lebanon
genre	Heavy metal, experimental, alternative metal, progressive rock, alternative rock, art rock, classical
occupation	Musician, singer–songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, political activist
years active	1992–present
instrument	Piano, keyboards, guitar, bass, synthesizer, violin, harmonica, melodica, bouzouki, dulcimer, theremin, sampler, drum machine
label	Serjical Strike, Reprise, American, Columbia, Axis of Justice
associated acts	System of a Down, Axis of Justice, The F.C.C.
website	www.serjtankian.com
notable instruments	}}

Serj Tankian (Armenian: Սերժ Թանգեան ; born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional live rhythm guitarist of the rock band System of a Down.

During his musical career, Tankian has released five albums with System of a Down, one with Arto Tunçboyacıyan (''Serart''), as well as two solo albums ''Elect the Dead'' and ''Imperfect Harmonies'' and a live orchestral version of the former incorporating the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra named ''Elect the Dead Symphony''. In 2002, Tankian and Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello co-founded a non-profit political activist organization, Axis of Justice. Tankian also founded the music label Serjical Strike Records.

Tankian is ranked 26th in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.

On August 12th, 2011, Tankian was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal for his contributions to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of music.

Biography

Early life

Tankian was born in Beirut, Lebanon on August 21, 1967. At age seven, Serj Tankian moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California. In his youth, he attended a school for Armenian-Americans, The Rose & Alex Pilibos School, which was also attended by Tankian's future System of a Down bandmates Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. Having achieved academic success in high school, and UK MTV. Tankian appeared on MTV's You Rock The Deuce to promote ''Elect the Dead''. A music video was directed and filmed for every song on the record, each by unique directors. Tankian explained, "I asked each of the directors for their visual interpretation of my work. They were asked not to write treatments and that they could make whatever they liked. The results have been overwhelmingly amazing!". Some music videos were initially released exclusively to those who purchased the limited edition of ''Elect the Dead'', while all of the music videos, except "Money", have since been publicly released on Tankian's website and YouTube channel. Some videos have alternative versions which were originally released as well, but later altered.

Three different promo versions of the album have surfaced to the public. The instrumental promotional version, issued by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records and intended for the music and movie industry, contains instrumental versions of the twelve album tracks. Another promotional version, issued by Reprise Records and made only for individual reviewers, features the album in final master form. This promotional CD-R, which was labeled "Smart Talk" as a codename for "Serj Tankian" to prevent leaking by unauthorized persons, also indicates that the album was finalized prior to . Before this a similar but undated promo, also under the name 'Smart Talk', was issued featuring the final versions of the songs, albeit not yet mastered. Whilst the printed track list on this version is identical the released album, tracks ten and eleven are in fact juxtaposed on the promo itself.

The official tour for ''Elect the Dead'' commenced on October 12, 2007 with a show at Chicago's Vic theater. Roughly one thousand people attended the first concert. Although Tankian had stated he would not be performing any material by his former band, System of a Down, he performed "Charades", a song co-written by Daron Malakian, the guitarist of System of a Down. Although it is originally a song restricted to piano and vocals, Tankian used his backing band, the Flying Cunts of Chaos (F.C.C.), to provide guitars, drums, and bass. The songs "Beethoven's Cunt", Empty Walls, and Sky Is Over are available as downloadable content for ''Rock Band'' . A portion of the song "Lie Lie Lie" is currently featured in the opening title sequence of NBC's ''Fear Itself'', a horror anthology show from the creators of ''Masters of Horror'', and can be viewed on the show's main website..

More recently, he sang with Les Rita Mitsouko on the song "Terminal Beauty". Also, he sang with the band Fair to Midland during a live improvisational version of their song "Walls of Jericho", from the album ''Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True'', which was a massive hit with fans. He often collaborates with his close friend, director Diran Noubar on various projects, including the voice-over of Noubar's ''Armenia, a Country Under Blockade''. Noubar played some guitar on Tankian's ''Elect the Dead'' album on the track "Saving Us" and directed the music video for "Baby". Tankian is also politically involved. Together with Tom Morello, he founded the organization Axis of Justice. Tankian is a New Zealand resident and has a secondary vacation dwelling there. There has been a misconception that he intends to stay in New Zealand until the Iraq War is over, but as stated in an interview, Tankian has no intention of doing so. He often speaks publicly against violence and injustice in the world. Tankian released a new song "Fears" in November 2008 exclusively in support of Amnesty International's Global Write-A-Thon.

On March 16, 2009, Serj performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand, an orchestral version of the album ''Elect the Dead''. The live performance was captured in a CD/DVD titled Elect the Dead Symphony which was released on March 9, 2010.

Tankian co-wrote a musical with the American playwright Steven Sater. It is based on the Ancient Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound. It will open at the American Repertory Theater on March 14, 2011.

In 2009, Tankian collaborated with the band Viza (previously known as Visa) for their track "Viktor". Viza is signed to Tankian's Serjical Strike label.

On February 15, 2010, Serj Tankian released a new single, "The Charade." The song is available as a digital download on iTunes.

''Imperfect Harmonies'' (2010–present)

Tankian's third solo album was originally due in 2009. It is said to be more of a jazz and orchestral based sound. Said Tankian of the second album, "I'm structuring the next record kind of like a jazz orchestral. I've got a full orchestra interested, so I want this giant electric guitar in the air to be played by a full orchestra. I want the orchestra to be the electric guitar. I want to make an orchestra do what it's never done before, like a GG Allin type orchestra. Think of that." The album had the working title ''Music Without Borders'', however, the final album title is ''Imperfect Harmonies''. On June 23, 2010, a promo single from his upcoming album ''Imperfect Harmonies'' was released called "Borders Are." The first radio single from'' Imperfect Harmonies'', "Left Of Center", was released on July 13, 2010. A third single, "Disowned Inc." was released on August 9, 2010. ''Imperfect Harmonies'' was released on September 21, 2010. Preceding the album's release, two contests were announced (one consisting of brainteasers related to the album/song titles, the other an art contest) in which fans could win prizes such as Tankian's autograph and merchandise. On August 22, 2010, a music video for ''Left Of Center'' was released on Tankian's MySpace account.

The premiere date for Tankian and Sater's ''Prometheus Bound'' at the American Repertory Theater is February 25, 2011. The singer has said that collaborating on the show has been a great learning experience for him. “I’ve been using a lot of my archives, a lot of different types of music that I had already put together for underscoring and what not,” he said. “It’s quite diverse, from noise to jazz to electronic stuff to hip-hop songs to rock songs to cool, piano dark underscores, and that’s a whole different bag of tricks there because it’s always evolving. Unlike a film score that’s very linear and you get a scene to score for, this is something where you do another workshop and one song is gone, that underscore changes to 20 seconds and they need something else on the spot. Everything’s always changing until the show comes, so it’s quite interesting.”

In January 2011 Tankian released a music video for his song ''Reconstructive Demonstrations'' from his album ''Imperfect Harmonies''. Tankian also announced on his Facebook page, during the video's release, that a new EP entitled ''Imperfect Remixes'' will be released sometime within 2011. On February 3, Serj uploaded a photo of him singing into a microphone onto his Facebook fan page, accompanied with the description "New music video coming soon..." On March 1 Serj released ''Imperfect Remixes'' and the music video for ''Goodbye'', a remix of ''Gate 21'' from ''Imperfect Harmonies''.

System of a Down Reunion (2011)

On November 29, 2010, following several weeks of internet rumors, System of a Down officially announced that they will play shows In Europe during Festivals and in North America, mostly in US. Dates are between May and July 2011. Among the announced tour dates included UK's Download Festival, Switzerland's Greenfield Festival, Germany's Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Sweden's Metaltown, Austria's Nova Rock Festival and Finland's Provinssirock. In their reunion statement posted on their website, the band was unclear as to the extent of their reformation. It read, "We have no master plan of sorts -- we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans." Dates have been announced in the official System of a Down website.

Animal rights

In recent years Tankian has taken a stance supporting animal rights. He also has become a vegetarian who has strong feelings against the establishment of industrial slaughterhouses. In an interview with PETA, he also claimed his change due to "touring and its variety of edible crap," and also he felt it was "instinctive somewhat." Furthermore, he also feels the need for respect towards 'mother earth'.

In July 2009, Serj signed a PETA petition against the slaughtering methods of chickens in KFC slaughterhouses.

The F.C.C.

The F.C.C. (Flying Cunts of Chaos) was Serj's backing band when he played live up until 2009.

;Final line-up

Mario Pagliarulo  — bass, vocals

Erwin Khachikian  — keyboards, piano, synthesizers, vocals

Troy Zeigler  — drums, vocals

Dan Monti  — guitar, vocals

Jeff Mallow  — guitar, vocals (2008–present)

;Past members

Larry "Ler" LaLonde  — guitar, vocals (2007–2008)

Discography

;Solo

''Elect the Dead'' (2007)

''Imperfect Harmonies'' (2010)

''Imperfect Remixes'' (2011)

;With System of a Down

''System of a Down'' (1998)

''Toxicity'' (2001)

''Steal This Album!'' (2002)

''Mezmerize'' (2005)

''Hypnotize'' (2005)

;With Serart

''Serart'' (2003)

;With Buckethead and various artists

''Enter The Chicken'' (2005)

;With Tony Iommi

''Iommi'' (2000)

;With Wyclef Jean

''Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant'' (2007)

Bibliography

''Cool Gardens'' (2001)

''Glaring Through Oblivion'' (2011)

Awards and nominations

System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which has won one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song ''B.Y.O.B.''. The band has also been nominated for several Kerrang! and MTV awards.

;Grammy Awards |- | || "Chop Suey!" || Best Metal Performance || |- | || "Aerials" || Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | || "B.Y.O.B." || Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | || "Lonely Day" || Best Hard Rock Performance ||

General

In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards

In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "Question!"

In 2006, System of a Down's song "Toxicity" was #14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list

References

External links

Serj Tankian's official Flash-based website

Serjical Strike official website

System of a Down's official website

Category:1967 births Category:People from Beirut Category:Lebanese Armenians Category:American activists Category:American anti–Iraq War activists Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American essayists Category:American experimental musicians Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American poets Category:American rock pianists Category:American songwriters Category:American vegetarians Category:American musicians of Armenian descent Category:American people of Armenian descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Armenian rock musicians Category:Living people Category:Melodica players Category:System of a Down members

ar:سيرج تانكيان an:Serj Tankian bs:Serj Tankian bg:Серж Танкян ca:Serj Tankian cs:Serj Tankian da:Serj Tankian de:Serj Tankian et:Serj Tankian es:Serj Tankian fa:سرج تانکیان fr:Serj Tankian gl:Serj Tankian ko:세르이 탄키안 hy:Սերժ Թանգյան hr:Serj Tankian is:Serj Tankian it:Serj Tankian he:סרג' טנקיאן lt:Serj Tankian hu:Serj Tankian mk:Серж Танкијан nl:Serj Tankian ja:サージ・タンキアン no:Serj Tankian uz:Serj Tankian pl:Serj Tankian pt:Serj Tankian ro:Serj Tankian ru:Танкян, Серж simple:Serj Tankian sk:Serj Tankian fi:Serj Tankian sv:Serj Tankian tr:Serj Tankian uk:Серж Танкян zh:塞尔日·坦基扬