MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group (now Universal Music Group), of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003. MCA's country division, MCA Nashville Records, is a still active imprint of Universal Music Group Nashville.

Pre-history

MCA entered the recorded music business in 1962 with the purchase of the New York-based US Decca Records (established in 1934), including Coral Records and Brunswick Records. As American Decca owned Universal Pictures, MCA assumed full ownership of Universal and made it into the top film studio in town, producing hit after hit. In 1966, MCA formed Uni Records and in 1967 purchased Kapp Records which was placed under Uni Records management.

History

MCA Records formation outside North America

The U.S. and U.K. Decca companies were forced to sever their ties because of World War II. MCA's U.S. based Decca Records had the rights to the Decca name in North and South America and parts of Asia including Japan. U.K. Decca owned the rights to the Decca name in the rest of the world. After the war, British Decca formed a new U.S. subsidiary, London Records.

During this time U.S. Decca issued records outside North America on the Brunswick and Coral labels. In 1967, Brunswick and Coral were replaced by the MCA Records label to release U.S. Decca and Kapp label material outside North America. Initial activity under the MCA Records name was based in London. MCA Records in the UK was formally launched on February 16, 1968. The label signed only a few artists until the 1970-1971 period. Among the first artists were groups Wishbone Ash; Osibisa; Stackridge; and Budgie; and solo artists Tony Christie; Mick Greenwood; and Roy Young. Early MCA releases were distributed by U.K. Decca but moved to EMI from 1974 to 1979. Distribution then moved to CBS, while the last releases in the 1980s were self distributed. As the U.S. division of MCA Records was not established until 1972, the earliest U.K. MCA Records material was released in the U.S. on either Kapp or Decca.

MCA U.K. also issued American Brunswick material on the MCA label until MCA lost control of Brunswick in 1970 at which point American Brunswick material was issued in the UK on the Brunswick label. Uni label material was issued on the Uni label worldwide.

MCA Records formation in North America

In 1970, MCA reorganized its Canadian record company Compo Company Ltd. into MCA Records (Canada). In April 1970, former Warner Bros. Records president Mike Maitland joined MCA and initially served as Decca's general manager. Maitland was unsuccessful in his attempt to consolidate Warner Bros. Records with co-owned Atlantic Records which led to his departure from Warner.

In April 1971, Maitland supervised the consolidation of the New York based Decca and Kapp labels plus the California based Uni label into MCA Records based in Universal City, California with Maitland serving as president. The three labels maintained their identities for a short time but were retired in favor of the MCA label in 1973. ''Drift Away'' by Dobie Gray became the final Decca pop label release in the U.S in 1973. Beginning the same year the catalogs of Decca, Uni and Kapp were reissued in the U.S. on the MCA Records label under the supervision of veteran Decca producer Milt Gabler.

Early success

The first MCA Records release in the U.S. was former Uni artist Elton John's ''Crocodile Rock'' single in 1972. In December 1972, Neil Diamond, another Uni artist, reached superstar status with his first MCA release, the live multi-platinum Hot August Night. Elton John's double album ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' was released in October 1973 and was number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart for eight straight weeks. The management of former Decca artists The Who had formed their own label Track Records in the U.K. but were still under contract with MCA for U.S. distribution. The Who's double album ''Quadrophenia'' was released by Track/MCA also in October 1973. ''Quadrophenia'' peaked at number 2 as it was held back from the number 1 slot by ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.''

Other successful artists on MCA after the consolidation included former Kapp artist Cher, and Uni artist Olivia Newton-John. MCA released the highly successful soundtrack album to the 1973 film ''The Sting''. The soundtrack music was arranged and conducted by Marvin Hamlisch and won an Academy Award for Best Original Score (MCA issued many other soundtracks to films from Universal, along with some non-Universal films).

One of the most successful new MCA artists in this era was the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their song ''Free Bird'' peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in edited form, but the full length version became one of the most popular songs of all time on Album-oriented rock radio stations. On their second album, ''Second Helping'', the group recorded a song about their signing to the label, "Workin' for MCA." Three Lynyrd Skynyrd albums released by MCA reached the double platinum sales level and at least two others reached platinum or gold levels. Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit streak ended following a tragic 1977 plane crash in which three members of the group and one crew member were killed and others were severely injured.

During the 1970s and 1980s MCA profited from reissuing classic early rock and roll recordings made by artists who recorded for the numerous labels absorbed by MCA over the years. One notable example was the 1954 Decca recording ''Rock Around the Clock'' by Bill Haley & His Comets, which was featured as the lead track of MCA's No. 1-charting ''American Graffiti'' soundtrack album, and as a single returned to the American top 40 that year, 20 years after it was recorded.

Expansion and struggles

In 1977 MCA president Sidney Sheinberg set up the Infinity Records division, based in New York City with Ron Alexenberg as CEO. Alexenberg had previously been with the Epic division of CBS Records, now Sony Music Entertainment. The intention was to give MCA a stronger presence on the east coast. The only big hit the Infinity label had was ''Escape'' by Rupert Holmes which was #1 at the end of 1979. Infinity also had some success with Hot Chocolate, Spyro Gyra, New England and TKO. But MCA pulled the plug on Infinity after it failed to sell most of the 1 million advance copies of an album featuring Pope John Paul II in October 1979. Infinity was fully absorbed by the parent company in 1980.

In 1979, Bob Siner replaced Maitland as MCA Records president. Shortly afterwards, MCA acquired ABC Records along with its subsidiaries Paramount Records, Dunhill Records, Impulse! Records, Westminster Records, and Dot Records. ABC had acquired the Paramount and Dot labels when they purchased Gulf+Western's record labels, the Famous Music Group. Thus MCA now controlled the following material once owned by Paramount Pictures: the music released by Paramount's record labels, and the pre-1950 films by Paramount as well. Also included in the deal were recordings controlled by ABC, including albums by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers which were originally released by Shelter Records. Petty was furious about the re-assignment of his contract and refused to record for MCA. This led to a series of lawsuits, which resulted in his bankruptcy in 1980. Petty and other ABC/Shelter artists eventually had their contracts transferred to the Backstreet Records label, which was distributed by MCA. ABC Records' independent distributors sued ABC and MCA for $1.3 million in damages for being stuck with unsold ABC recordings they could not return to MCA. The better selling ABC Records catalog albums were reissued on the MCA label.

The combined effects of the Infinity Records failure, the purchase of ABC Records, rising vinyl costs and a huge slump in record sales produced tremendous losses for the company between 1979 and 1982. It was not until the mid 1980s that the record labels returned to significant profitability. In late 1980 MCA received negative publicity when it attempted to raise the list price of new releases by top selling artists from $8.98 to $9.98. This policy, known as "superstar pricing", ultimately failed. The ''Xanadu'' soundtrack album and former ABC artist Steely Dan's ''Gaucho'' were the first $9.98 list albums. Backstreet artist Tom Petty succeeded in his campaign to force MCA to drop prices back to $8.98 for his album ''Hard Promises'' released in May 1981.

Recovery, further expansion and MCA Music Entertainment Group formation

From 1983 to 1989, MCA Records was headed by Irving Azoff and is credited with saving the company from bankruptcy. Azoff resigned from MCA in 1989 to form his own record label, Giant Records, now defunct. Richard Palmese was named president of MCA Records after Azoff in 1990.

In the late 1980s, MCA formed Mechanic Records as a sub-label for releasing heavy metal music. Bands signed to Mechanic included Voivod, Dream Theater, Bang Tango, and Trixter.

The Chess Records catalog was acquired from the remnants of Sugar Hill Records in 1985. Motown Records was bought in 1988 (and sold to PolyGram in 1993). GRP Records and Geffen Records were acquired in 1990. Unlike most of MCA's previous acquisitions, the GRP (which began managing MCA's jazz holdings) and Geffen (which became a second mainstream subsidiary) labels kept their identities and MCA created a new holding company in 1989 called MCA Music Entertainment Group, headed by Al Teller, former President of United Artists Records, and Co-Chairman of Turf Classics, a concert production company, run by Producer Richard Flanzer; among several other music industry positions Teller held. with Palmese continuing to run the MCA label. In the same year, the MCA Inc. parent company was purchased by the Matsushita group.

MCA Music Entertainment Group becomes Universal Music Group

In 1995, Seagram Company Ltd. acquired 80% of MCA. On November of that year, Teller was fired and replaced by former Warner Music head Doug Morris. Palmese left MCA a week later. The following year, the new owners dropped the MCA name; the company became Universal Studios, Inc. and its music division, MCA Music Entertainment Group, was renamed Universal Music Group (UMG), headed by Morris.

In 1997, MCA Records adopted a new logo that featured the parent company's former full name. Many younger people had been unaware of what MCA had stood for in the past, hence the new logo.

In 1998 Seagram acquired PolyGram (owner of British Decca) from Philips and merged it with its music holdings. When Seagram's drinks business was bought by France-based Pernod Ricard, its media holdings (including Universal) were sold to Vivendi which became Vivendi Universal which was later renamed back to Vivendi SA after selling most of the entertainment division (which included Universal Pictures) to General Electric. Morris continued to head the combined company, still called Universal Music Group.

MCA label phaseout

In spring 2003, the MCA Records label was absorbed by sister UMG label Geffen Records. Today Universal Music Enterprises manages MCA's rock, pop, and urban back catalogues (including those from ABC Records and Famous Music Group) in conjunction with Geffen - UME and Geffen have re-released various albums from MCA in the years since, as well as several compilations. Its country music label, MCA Nashville Records is still in operation. MCA's jazz catalogue is managed by Verve Records (through either the GRP or Impulse! imprints, depending on if the release was acquired from ABC or not), while its classical music catalogue is managed by Deutsche Grammophon. MCA's musical theatre catalogue is managed by Decca Records on its Decca Broadway imprint.

Today, the only operation by MCA that lives is the MCA Nashville imprint.

MCA Music (Philippines)

The MCA name is still in use in the Philippines because of a trademark dispute with an unrelated label known as Universal Records, which holds the rights to the word "Universal" for recorded music in the Philippines. As a result, Universal Music Group is instead traded as MCA Music, Inc. Philippines in that country. However, the company has adopted the moniker "Universal Music Philippines" to simplify identification, even though no formal "Universal" branding is exercised.

Logos

Labels

MCA Records recording artists

See also

ABC Records

Chess Records

Decca Records

Dunhill Records

Geffen Records

Infinity Records

Kapp Records

MCA Nashville Records

Uni Records

Universal Music Group

Uptown Records

References

External links

The official website of MCA Music PHILIPPINES

MCA Music Philippines Facebook page

A collection of MCA record labels

MCA UK 45 RPM labels and sleeves 1967-1985

MCA US 45 RPM labels and sleeves 1972-1985

Category:American record labels Category:Defunct record labels Category:Film soundtrack record labels Category:Record labels established in 1934 Category:Record labels disestablished in 2003 Category:Vivendi subsidiaries

cs:MCA Records es:MCA Records it:MCA Records ka:MCA Records ja:MCAレコード pl:MCA Records ru:MCA Records sv:MCA Records uk:MCA Records

birth name	Richard St John Harris
birth date	October 01, 1930
birth place	Limerick, Irish Free State
death date	October 25, 2002
death place	London, England, UK
death cause	Hodgkin's Lymphoma
alma mater	London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
occupation	Actor, singer-songwriter, producer, director, writer
years active	1958–2002
spouse	Elizabeth Rees-Williams (1957–69)Ann Turkel (1974–82)
parents	Ivan John Harris,Mildred Josephine Harris }}

Richard St John Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer.

He appeared on stage and in many films, and is perhaps best known for his roles as King Arthur in ''Camelot'' (1967), as Oliver Cromwell in ''Cromwell'' (1970) and as Albus Dumbledore in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (2001) (Released in the United States as ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'') and ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002), his final film. He also played a British aristocrat and prisoner in ''A Man Called Horse'' (1970), Emperor Marcus Aurelius in ''Gladiator'' (2000), St. John The Apostle in ''Apocalypse Revelation'' (2002), and the gunfighter English Bob in Clint Eastwood's Western film ''Unforgiven'' (1992).

Harris had a top ten hit in Britain and the US with his 1968 recording of Jimmy Webb's song "MacArthur Park".

Early life and career

Harris, the fifth of nine children, was born in Limerick City, County Limerick, Munster, Irish Free State into a middle-class, staunchly Roman Catholic family. His parents were Ivan John Harris (b. 1896, son of Richard Harris, b. 1854, son of James Harris of St. Michael's, Limerick) and Mildred Josephine Harty Harris (b. 1898, daughter of James Harty, St. John's, Limerick, who owned a flour mill.) Harris' siblings include Patrick Ivan (born 1929), Noel William Michael (born 1932), Diarmid (Dermot, born 1939), and William George Harris (born 1942). He was schooled by the Jesuits at Crescent College. A talented rugby player, he was on several Munster Junior and Senior Cup teams for Crescent, and played for Garryowen. Harris might have become a provincial or international-standard rugby player, but his athletic career was cut short when he caught tuberculosis in his teens. He remained an ardent fan of the Munster Rugby and Young Munster teams then until his death, and attending many of its matches, and there are numerous stories of japes at rugby matches with the actors and fellow rugby fans Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton.

After recovering from tuberculosis, Harris moved to England, wanting to become a director. He could not find any suitable training courses, and he enrolled in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) to learn acting. He had failed an audition at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and had been rejected by the Central School of Speech and Drama because they felt he was too old at 24. While still a student, Harris rented the tiny "off-West End" Irving Theatre, and there directed his own production of Clifford Odets's play ''Winter Journey (The Country Girl)''. This show was a critical success, but it was a financial failure, and Harris lost all his savings in this venture.

As a result, Harris ended up temporarily homeless, sleeping in a coal cellar for six weeks. Accounts of Harris' contemporaries from his hometown of Limerick, however, indicate that Harris may have exaggerated these stories somewhat and that he actually stayed with a few aunts, sleeping on their living room sofas. After completing his studies at the Academy, Harris joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. He began getting roles in West End theatre productions, starting with ''The Quare Fellow'' in 1956, a transfer from the Theatre Workshop. Harris spent nearly a decade in obscurity, learning his profession on stages throughout the UK.

Career

Harris made his movie debut in 1958 in the film ''Alive and Kicking'', and played the lead role in ''The Ginger Man'' in the West End in 1959. He hated filming ''The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' so much that he refused to return to Hollywood for several years, turning down the role of Commodus in ''The Fall of the Roman Empire''. He had a memorable bit part in the movie ''The Guns of Navarone'' as a Royal Australian Air Force pilot who reports that blowing up the "bloody guns" of the island of Navarone is impossible by an air raid.

For his role in the film ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', despite being virtually unknown to film audiences, Harris reportedly insisted on third billing, behind Trevor Howard and Marlon Brando. He did not get along with Brando at all during filming.

Harris's first starring role was in the movie ''This Sporting Life'' in 1963, as the bitter young coal miner, Frank Machin, who becomes an acclaimed rugby league football player. For his role, Harris won the award for best actor in 1963 at the Cannes Film Festival. Harris followed this with a leading role in the Italian film, Antonioni's ''Il deserto rosso'' (1964), and he also won notice for his role in Sam Peckinpah's "lost masterpiece" ''Major Dundee'' (1965), as an Irish immigrant who became a Confederate cavalryman during the Civil Warl; again, he did not get along with co-star Charlton Heston at all.

Harris next performed the role of King Arthur in the film adaptation of the musical play ''Camelot''. Harris continued to appear on stage in this role for years, including a successful Broadway run in 1981–82. In 1966, Harris starred as Adam's son Cain in John Huston's film ''The Bible: In the Beginning''.

Harris recorded several albums of music, one of which ''(A Tramp Shining)'' included the seven-minute hit song "MacArthur Park" (Harris insisted on singing the lyric as "MacArthur's Park"). This song had been written by Jimmy Webb, and it reached #2 on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It also topped several music sales charts in Europe during the summer of 1968. "MacArthur Park" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. A second album, with music mostly composed by Webb, ''The Yard Went on Forever'', was published in 1969. Harris also wrote and arranged the orchestral accompaniment for one of the tracks, a scathing commentary on the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland delivered as a spoken-word poem written by Dr T James and entitled "There are Too Many Saviours on My Cross".

Some memorable movie performances followed this, among them a role as a reluctant police informant in the coal-mining tale ''The Molly Maguires'' (1970), starring with Sean Connery. Harris starred in the ''Man in the Wilderness'' in 1971, the ''Juggernaut'' in 1974 (a British suspense movie about the hijacking of an ocean liner), in 1976 in ''The Cassandra Crossing'', along with the actresses Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner, and in a B-movie, ''Orca'', in 1977. Harris achieved a form of cult status for his role as the mercenary tactician Rafer Janders in the movie ''The Wild Geese'' (1978).

In 1973, Harris published a widely-acclaimed book of poetry, ''I, In The Membership Of My Days'', which was later re-published as an audio recording of his reading his own poems. In 1989, Harris played the beggar King J.J. Peachum in ''Mack the Knife'', the third screen adaptation of ''The Threepenny Opera''.

By the end of the 1980s, Harris had gone for an extended time without a significant movie role. He was familiar with the stage plays of fellow Irishman John B. Keane, and had heard that one of them, ''The Field'', was being adapted for film by director Jim Sheridan. Sheridan was working with actor Ray McAnally on the adaptation, intending to feature McAnally in the lead role of Bull McCabe. When McAnally died suddenly during initial preparations, Harris began a concerted campaign to be cast as McCabe. The campaign succeeded, and the movie version of ''The Field'' was released in 1990. Harris earned an American Academy Award nomination for his performance, but lost to Jeremy Irons for ''Reversal of Fortune''. In 1992, Harris had a supporting but memorable role in the film ''Patriot Games'', as an Irish-American radical.

Later career

Harris appeared in two films which won the Oscar for Best Picture. First, as the gunfighter "English Bob" in the 1992 Western, ''Unforgiven''; second, as the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Ridley Scott's ''Gladiator'' (2000). He also played a lead role alongside James Earl Jones in the 1995 Darrell Roodt film adaptation of ''Cry, the Beloved Country''. In 1999, Harris starred in the film ''To Walk With Lions''. After ''Gladiator'', Harris gained further fame playing the supporting role of Albus Dumbledore in the first two of the ''Harry Potter'' films, and as Abbé Faria in Kevin Reynolds' 2002 film adaptation of ''The Count of Monte Cristo''. The film ''Kaena: The Prophecy'' (released in 2003) was dedicated to him posthumously as he had voiced the character Opaz before his death.

Concerning his role as Dumbledore, Harris had stated that he did not intend to take the part, at first, since he knew that his own health was in decline, but he relented and accepted it because his 10-year-old granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again if he did not take it. In an interview with the ''Toronto Star'' in 2001, Harris expressed his concern that his association with the ''Harry Potter'' movies would outshine the rest of his career. He explained by saying: "Because, you see, I don't just want to be remembered for being in those bloody films, and I'm afraid that's what's going to happen to me."

Personal life and death

In 1957, he married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, the daughter of David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore. Their three children are the actors Jared Harris, once married to Emilia Fox, the actor Jamie Harris, and the director Damian Harris, once married to Annabel Brooks and partner of Peta Wilson. Harris and Rees-Williams divorced in 1969, after which Elizabeth married Sir Rex Harrison. His maternal niece is actress Annabelle Wallis.

Harris' second marriage was to the American actress Ann Turkel, who was 16 years younger than he. This marriage also ended in a divorce.

Despite his divorces, Harris was a member of the Roman Catholic Knights of Malta, and was also dubbed a knight by the Queen of Denmark in 1985.

Harris often told stories about his haunted London home, The Tower House, which was sold later to the musician Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. According to Harris, the tower was haunted by an eight-year-old boy who had been buried in the tower. The boy often kept Harris awake at night until he one day built a nursery for the boy to play in, which calmed the disturbances to some extent.

Harris was a vocal supporter of the IRA from the early 1970s until the bombing of Harrod's in 1983, after which he disavowed them.

Harris was a longtime alcoholic until he became a teetotaler in 1981, although he did resume drinking Guinness a decade later. He gave up drugs after almost dying from a cocaine overdose in 1978. A memorable incident concerning his massive alcohol consumption was an appearance on ''The Late Late Show'' where he recounted to host Gay Byrne how he had just polished off two bottles of fine wine in a restaurant and decided that he would then be going on the wagon: "And I looked at my watch and it was... Well isn't that spooky! It was the same time it is now: 11:20!"

Harris is also attributed with an anecdote in which he was found lying drunk in a street in London. A passing policeman asked him what he was doing, and he replied that the world was spinning. The policeman inquired as to how lying in the street was going to help, and he said "I'm waiting for my house to go by." In a 1994 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Harris said he had his driver's licence permanently suspended for knocking over a double-decker bus in Dublin, Ireland.

Harris died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma on 25 October 2002, aged 72, two and a half weeks before the American premiere of ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets''. Harris was a lifelong friend of actor Peter O'Toole, and his family reportedly hoped that O'Toole would replace Harris as Dumbledore in ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''. There were, however, worries of insuring O'Toole for the 5 remaining films, and he was ultimately replaced as Dumbledore by the Irish-born actor Sir Michael Gambon.

For years, whenever he was in London, Harris resided at the Savoy Hotel. According to the hotel archivist Susan Scott, as Harris was being taken from the hotel on a stretcher, shortly before his death, he warned the diners, "It was the food!"

Harris's remains were cremated, and his ashes were scattered in The Bahamas, where he had owned a home.

Memorials

On 30 September 2006, Manuel Di Lucia, of Kilkee, County Clare, a long-time friend, organized a bronze life-size statue of Richard Harris, at the age of eighteen, playing rackets. The sculptor was Seamus Connolly and the sculpture (unveiled by Russell Crowe) stands in Kilkee, Ireland.

Another life-size statue of Richard Harris, as King Arthur from his film, ''Camelot'', has been erected in Bedford Row, in the center of his home town of Limerick. The sculptor of this statue was the Irish sculptor Jim Connolly, a graduate of the Limerick School of Art and Design.

At the 2009 BAFTAs, Mickey Rourke dedicated his Best Actor award to Harris, calling him a "good friend, and great actor."

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

1963 – Nominated – Best Actor in a Leading Role – ''This Sporting Life''

1990 – Nominated – Best Actor in a Leading Role – ''The Field''

Golden Globes

1968 – Won – Best Motion Picture Actor – Musical/Comedy – ''Camelot''

1991 – Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama – ''The Field''

Grammy Awards

– Won – Best Spoken Word Recording for ''Jonathan Livingston Seagull'' – 1973

– Nominated – Album of the Year for ''A Tramp Shining'' – 1968

– Nominated – Contemporary Pop Male Vocalist for ''MacArthur Park''- 1968

– Nominated – Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording for ''The Prophet'' – 1975

Filmography

Discography

Albums

''Camelot'' (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1967)

''A Tramp Shining'' (1968)

''The Yard Went on Forever'' (1968)

''My Boy'' (1971)

''The Richard Harris Love Album'' (1972)

''Slides'' (1972)

''His Greatest Performances'' (1973)

''Jonathan Livingston Seagull'' (1973)

''The Prophet'' (1974)

''I, in the Membership of My Days'' (1974)

''Camelot'' (Original 1982 London Cast recording) (1982)

Singles

"Here in My Heart (Theme from ''This Sporting Life'')" (1963)

"MacArthur Park" (1968)

"Fill the World With Love" (1969)

"Ballad of ''A Man Called Horse''" (1970)

"Morning of the Mourning for Another Kennedy" (1970)

"Go to the Mirror" (1971)

"My Boy" (1971)

"Turning Back the Pages" (1972)

"Half of Every Dream" (1972)

"Trilogy (Love, Marriage, Children)" (1974)

"The Last Castle (Theme from ''Echoes of a Summer'')" (1976)

"Lilliput (Theme from ''Gulliver's Travels'')" (1977)

CD releases and compilations

''Camelot'' (Original 1982 London Cast Recording) (1988)

''Mack the Knife'' (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1989)

''Tommy'' (studio recording) (1990)

''Camelot'' (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1993)

''A Tramp Shining'' (1993)

''The Prophet'' (1995)

''The Webb Sessions 1968–1969'' (1996)

''MacArthur Park'' (1997)

''Slides/My Boy'' (2 CD Set) (2005)

''My Boy'' (2006)

See also

List of people on stamps of Ireland

Further reading

References

External links

Harris' Bar Limerick: A Bar in Limerick City Dedicated to Richard

The Round Table, The Richard Harris Fansite

Category:1930 births Category:2002 deaths Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Cancer deaths in England Category:Deaths from lymphoma Category:Garryowen Football Club players Category:European Film Awards winners (people) Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Irish film actors Category:Irish film directors Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish rugby union players Category:Irish stage actors Category:Knights of Malta Category:People from County Limerick Category:Racquets players Category:People from Limerick (city)

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name	Rose Royce
background	group_or_band
origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
genre	Soul, R&B;
years active	1975-1988
label	Whitfield Records
associated acts	Yvonne FairThe Undisputed Truth
website	Rose-Royce.com
current members	Gwen DickeyKenji BrownKenny CopelandFreddie DunnHenry GarnerLequeint "Duke" JobeMichael MooreMichael NashRose NorwaltTerral "Terry" Santiel
notable instruments	}}

Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B; band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".

Career

The Los Angeles-based group composed of Henry Garner (drums), Terral "Terry" Santiel (congas), Lequeint "Duke" Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Gwen Dickey (lead vocals), Kenny Copeland (trumpet, lead vocals), Kenji Brown (guitar, lead vocals), Freddie Dunn (trumpet), and Michael Nash (keyboards). The group began in the early 1970s, when members of several backup bands from the Watts and Inglewood areas of Los Angeles united under the name Total Concept Unlimited. In 1973, this collective toured England and Japan behind Motown soul star Edwin Starr. Starr introduced them to Norman Whitfield, Motown's 'psychedelic shaman' who was responsible for bringing a progressive funk-rock slant to the company, via such productions as Starr's "War", The Undisputed Truth's "Smiling Faces Sometimes" and The Temptations "Papa Was A Rolling Stone".

Whitfield, after a decade at Motown, wanted to start a company of his own. He took the T.C.U. octet under his wing and signed them to his label. The group, now called Magic Wand, began working with Yvonne Fair and became the studio and concert band for The Undisputed Truth. During a tour stop in Miami, Undisputed Truth leader Joe Harris stumbled upon a singer named Gwen Dickey, then a member of a local group called The Jewels. Harris informed Whitfield of his discovery and Dickey was flown to Los Angeles to audition. In Dickey, Whitfield found the ingredient he felt was missing in Magic Wand: a charismatic female singer. He gave her the stage name Rose Norwalt. The original band lineup, now complete, prepared their debut album.

During this time Whitfield was contacted by film director Michael Schultz, fresh from the success of his first feature Cooley High. Schultz offered Whitfield the opportunity to score his next picture ''Car Wash''. Whitfield would utilize the film to launch his new group, and began composing music based on script outlines. He and the band visited the film set, soaking up the atmosphere. This was one of the rare instances in Hollywood in which the music was composed concurrently with the picture instead of after the fact. In the spirit of the soundtrack, the band's name was changed one final time to 'Rose Royce'. The name not only referenced the movie's automotive theme, but it also placed Gwen "Rose" Dickey, front and center. Further, it hinted at a touch of class the band strove to bring to 1970s soul-funk.

The movie ''Car Wash'' and the soundtrack were great successes, bringing the group national fame. Released in late 1976, the soundtrack featured three Billboard R&B; Top Ten singles: "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," and "I'm Going Down." The first of these was also a number one single on the Billboard popular music charts, and "I Wanna Get Next to You" reached number ten.

The group's follow-up album, ''Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom'', produced two Top Ten singles, "Do Your Dance" and "Ooh Boy". It also included "Wishing on a Star", which for Rose Royce was a top-10 hit only in the UK; it became notable elsewhere thru its cover versions, including The Cover Girls' Top Ten single in 1992.

During 1978, they released their third album, entitled ''Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!'', and it featured "I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Both singles entered the Billboard R&B; Top Five. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" also gained greater exposure thru its cover versions, most notably by Madonna in 1984 and 1995.

The group followed with a series of modest successes that reached the charts, but never gained the status that their previous songs did. Dickey left the group in April 1980 and the group disbanded. However, the remaining members kept the group somewhat popular in the UK and remain a marquee attraction there.

Rose Royce was featured in the TV One's seasonal series, ''Unsung'' during the spring of 2010. The story featured the successes, bickering and ultimate ending of the group. Dickey, Copeland, Jobe, Moore and Garner were the only members of the band who gave interviews throughout the program. Dickey now performs as a solo artist in the UK, but mentioned during the interview that she would not mind performing with the group once again.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Chart positions			UScertifications	Record label
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
	align="left"	14	2	59	Platinum	rowspan="1"
		9	1	18	Platinum	rowspan="5"
		28	4	7	Platinum
		74	22	72	—
		160	30	—	—
	210	—	—	—
		210	50	—	—	rowspan="1"
		—	—	69	—
		—	—	—	—
		—	50	—	—
		—	—	—	—

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Chart positions			Record label
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
		204	—	1	rowspan="1"
		—	—	—	rowspan="1"

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
	align="left"	1	1	3	9
		—	—	—	44
	10	3	—	14
align="left"	70	10	—	—
	39	4		30
	—	—	16
	72	3	—	46
		101	52	—	3
	—	5	—	51
	32	5	—	2
		—	65	—	—
	105	31	—	13
		—	60	—	—
		—	56	—	—
	—	—	8	52
		—	64	—	—
		—	77	—	56
		—	—	—	60
		—	22	—	—
		—	45	—	—
	—	69	—	—
		—	—	—	20
		—	—	—	18

Cover versions

"I'm Going Down" (Mary J. Blige, Y?N-Vee)

"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Morrissey-Mullen, Madonna, I'm Talking, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Nail, Patti LaBelle, Faith Evans, Dallas Green and Jully Black, Dallas Green)

"Wishing on a Star" (The Cover Girls, Teena Marie, Beyoncé, Randy Crawford, Paul Weller, Bic Runga, En Vogue, Jordin Sparks, Miriam Stockley)

"I Wanna Get Next To You" (Christion, Raja-Nee', Double Trouble)

"Car Wash" (Christina Aguilera)

In addition, Jay-Z recorded his own song, also called "Wishing on a Star", for which Gwen Dickey re-recorded some of her original lyrics and was credited as a featured artist.

References

External links

Rose Royce official website

Rose Royce on Soul Tracks

Rose Royce on Discoogle

Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:American soul musical groups Category:Motown artists Category:American funk musical groups

de:Rose Royce fr:Rose Royce nl:Rose Royce sv:Rose Royce uk:Rose Royce

name	Ralph Tresvant
background	solo_singer
birth name	Ralph Edward Tresvant Jr.
alias
born	May 16, 1968
origin	Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B;, New Jack Swing
occupation	Singer, actor, producer
years active	1980–present
label	Xzault Media GroupMCA RecordsGeffen RecordsInterscope Records
associated acts	New Edition, Heads of State
website	http://www.ralphtresvant.com
notable instruments	}}

Ralph Tresvant, aka Rizz (born Ralph Edward Tresvant, Jr. on May 16, 1968) is an American tenor singer, best known as one of the lead singers in New Edition.

Biography

New Edition

Tresvant () sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love". Tresvant led the group from 1983 to 1989.

Solo career

Despite the success of groupmates Bobby Brown, Bell Biv DeVoe, and Johnny Gill, Tresvant was cautious about his own solo career. Signing to MCA Records, Tresvant let his apprehension be known in several interviews.

Nevertheless, well-known producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were confident in his abilities after having worked with him on the album ''Heartbreak''. They wrote the song "Sensitivity" for him which hit #1 on the R&B; charts, #4 on the Hot 100 and it went gold. His self-titled album released shortly after in 1990 and went platinum as well, topping the R&B; charts. The album scored two more hits with "Stone Cold Gentleman" reaching #3 on the R&B; charts and "Do What I Gotta Do" which reached #2.

Tresvant appeared in the movie ''House Party 2'' in 1991, performing the song 'Yo Baby Yo' from the House Party 2 Movie Soundtrack. The following year, he scored his fourth and final solo top 3 R&B; hit to date, "Money Can't Buy You Love", from the ''Mo' Money'' soundtrack. In 1993, he released his second album, ''It's Goin' Down''. The album featured greater involvement from Tresvant as he produced many of the tracks himself. However, the album failed to perform as well as the debut.

In 1996, he reunited with the other members of New Edition for the release of ''Home Again'' which became a success. The album was released on September 10, 1996 and debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Pop and R&B; Charts.

In October 2004 "Sensitivity" appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on R&B;/Soul radio station CSR 103.9.

Ralph's third solo album, ''Rizz-Wa-Faire'', was released March 7, 2006. The first single and video from the album was "My Homegirl".

Heads of State

As of September 27, 2008, he began touring with Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill in a new group named Heads of State.

Other work

Tresvant will portray Reverend Kenneth Winter in the 2011 film, ''Mama, I Want to Sing!'', starring Ciara who will play the main character Amara Winter, the daughter of Tresvant's character.

Personal life

On September 18, 2004 he married Amber Serrano. They live in Acworth, Georgia. He is currently signed to Geffen Records and Interscope Records.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions						! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"
		1990	align="left"	* Release date: November 27, 1990	* Label: [[MCA Records">Music recording sales certification
! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"
1990	align="left"	* Release date: November 27, 1990	* Label: [[MCA Records	17	1	42	22	37		Recording Industry Association of America>US: Platinum
1994	align="left"	* Release date: 1994	* Label: MCA Records	131	24	—	—	—
2006		* Release date: March 7, 2006	* Label: Xzault Records	—	88	—	—	—

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions							Album
		! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	CAN Dance	! width="30"	! width="30"
1990	align="left"	4	1	19	21	8	6	18		US">Music recording sales certification	Album
! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	CAN Dance	! width="30"	! width="30"
1990	align="left"	4	1	19	21	8	6	18		US: Gold
		34	3	28	—	—	25	78
	—	2	26	—	—	—	—
	—	69	—	—	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		align="left"
1992		54	2	—	—	—	—	—		align="left"
1993		—	35	—	—	—	—	—
1994		—	45	—	—	—	—	—
2006		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009		—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Guest singles

! Year	! Single	! Artist	! width="30"	! width="30"	! Album
1991	"Voices That Care"	Various			single only

Music videos

! Year	! Video	! Director
1991	"Voices That Care"(Various)	David S. Jackson

Filmography

1985: ''Krush Groove'' as New Edition

2004: ''Barbershop Blues Jake

2006 '' Triple Cross Sonny

2008 Behind RizzWaFaire

2009: ''Mama, I Want to Sing!''

References

External links

Ralph Tresvant Official Site

Official Myspace Page

Official Twitter Page

R&B; Haven

Ralph Tresvant 2006 Interview on ''Sidewalks Entertainment''

''Singersroom''

Category:African American singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American male singers Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:New Edition members Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Interscope Records artists Category:MCA Records artists

pt:Ralph Tresvant fi:Ralph Tresvant tr:Ralph Tresvant

name	Large Professor
background	solo_singer
birth name	William Paul Mitchell
alias	Large Pro, Large P., Extra P Large P
birth date	March 21, 1972
origin	Queens, New York City, United States
instrument	Turntable, sampler
genre	Hip Hop
occupation	MC, producer, DJ, musician
years active	1988–present
label	Wild Pitch//EMI RecordsGeffen/MCA RecordsMatador Records
associated acts	Pete RockNasMain SourceEric B. & RakimAkinyeleA Tribe Called Quest }}

Large Professor (born William Paul Mitchell on March 21, 1972, in the Harlem section of New York, New York. USA), also known as Large Pro and Xtra P, is a New York City-based hip hop record producer and emcee. He is also best known as a founding member of the influential underground hip hop group Main Source, and as a frequent collaborator with Nas. About.com ranked Large Professor #5 on its Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers list.

Biography

Early life and career

Mitchell moved in his early childhood to Flushing, Queens, where he was raised. His production career started early in his adolescence. As a young teenager, he would make pause tapes, in which he would pause a beat and blend it in with other sequences. Eventually, he managed to own a Casio SK-1 sampling keyboard that allowed him to make his beats in the comfort of his own home. He became a protégé of the late Paul C, a record producer and musician with whom he credits for teaching him virtually everything he knows about record production as well as the associated technology used for making hip-hop music. Paul C was doing production work with Eric B. & Rakim and Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud, and then, at age 17, Large was given the opportunity to program beats for Eric B. & Rakim's album ''Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em'' (1990) while still attending high school. While working with them, he discovered Nas, who got a management deal with Serchlite Publishing (headed by MC Serch from former group 3rd Bass) and produced three tracks on Nas's debut album, ''Illmatic'' (1994), after he was signed by Columbia Records. His work with Eric B. & Rakim eventually led him to work on Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's ''Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1990), producing (officially credited as a co-producer) the album's lead single and iconic hip-hop classic, “Streets of New York.”

Career with Main Source

In 1989, he joined the group Main Source, which also included K-Cut and Sir Scratch from Toronto. Main Source recorded one album with Large called ''Breaking Atoms'', which was released in 1991. It included hits such as "Just Hangin' Out", "Looking at the Front Door," and featured Nas' first public appearance on a track called "Live at the Barbeque", along with Akinyele and Joe Fatal. In 1992, their success allowed them to record "Fakin' the Funk", a track on the ''White Men Can't Jump'' motion-picture soundtrack. Because of business differences, Large and Main Source quietly parted ways and Large went on to sign with Geffen/MCA Records. During and after his tenure with Main Source, he worked with Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and he produced a number of tracks for Nas, Busta Rhymes, Masta Ace, The X-Ecutioners, Tragedy Khadafi, Big Daddy Kane, Mobb Deep, and others during the 1990s.

Solo career

In 1996, he released two singles for Geffen/MCA Records, "Ijuswannachill" and "The Mad Scientist", for which videos were produced for both tracks. He was to have his highly anticipated solo album ''The LP'' released around the same time, but it was never released because of label politics. Geffen and Large Professor eventually parted ways, and he signed with Matador Records, which generally specialized in marketing and promoting contemporary rock and alternative tracks as well as electronic music. Although his album for Matador, ''1st Class'' did not receive mainstream acceptance, it gained favorable reviews by fans and critics. The album included guest appearances by Nas, Busta Rhymes, and Q-Tip. The album also included the moderate street hit "Radioactive."

Large's publishing company is named Paul Sea Productions as an homage to his late mentor.

For many years, people thought that Large Professor directly taught DJ Premier how to use the Emu SP-1200 sampling drum machine, which Large used to help program many of his beats during the 1990s. However, according to Large Professor, he just showed DJ Premier to enhance what he already had. This is an excerpt from the November/December issue of Scratch Magazine:

Large Professor DJs at clubs, parties, and events worldwide and still engages in music production. He released an instrumental LP in 2006 called ''Beatz Vol. 1''. Its sequel, ''Beats Vol. 2'', was released in 2007.

His latest album, ''Main Source'', was released in 2008 and features production by him and others including Marco Polo and verses from Big Noyd, Styles P, Jeru the Damaja, AZ and Lil Dap.

Discography

Albums

2002: ''1st Class''

2006: ''Beatz Volume 1'' (instrumentals)

2007: ''Beatz Volume 2'' (instrumentals)

2008: ''Main Source''

2009: ''The LP''

Production

1990: "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" (Various songs on album by Eric B. & Rakim)

1990: "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (Various songs on album by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo)

1991: "Breaking Atoms" (Main Source)

1992: "Peer Pressure" with DJ Premier for Mobb Deep

1992: "Halftime" (from the Nas song from the soundtrack Zebrahead)

1993: ''Vagina Diner'' (Album by Akinyele)

1993: "Hey Girl" (from the Apache album ''Apache Ain't Shit'')

1993: "Keep It Rollin" (from the A Tribe Called Quest album ''Midnight Marauders'')

1993: "Niggaz Never Learn" (from the Big Daddy Kane album ''Looks Like a Job For…'')

1994: "Stress (Remix)" (from the Organized Konfusion 12" ''Stress'')

1994: "One Time 4 Your Mind", "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (from the Nas album ''Illmatic'')

1995: "Resurrection '95" Extra P Remix (from the Common 12" ''Resurrection'')

1995: "Resurrection '95" Large Professor Remix (from the Common 12" ''Resurrection'')

1996: "Extra Abstract Skillz" (from the Mad Skillz album ''From Where???'')

1999: "I Sparkle" (Slick Rick from the Wild Wild West Soundtrack)

2000: "The Heist" (from the Busta Rhymes album ''Anarchy'')

2001: "You're Da Man", "Rewind" (from the Nas album ''Stillmatic'')

2002: "The Come Up" (from the Cormega album The True Meaning)

2002: "We Are the Future," "It's Us," and "Drug Music" (from the Non Phixion album ''The Future Is Now'')

2003: "Exotic's Raw" album, (Neek the Exotic)

2004: "What They Want" (from The UN album ''UN Or U Out'')

2006: "World Wide" (from the Boot Camp Clik album ''The Last Stand'')

2006: "Right 2 Know" (From the Prince Po album ''Prettyblack'')

2006: "I Be Thuggin'" b/w "Mack of the Year" (Grand Daddy IU Single)

2007: "I'm Up Now" (from the Mic Geronimo album ''Alive'')

2008: "L.E.O (Love Equals Omnipotence) - Spiritual Intelligence / All tracks produced by Large Professor.

2008: "Conquer Mentally" Large Professor Remix (Presto album ''State of the Art'')

2008: "The Hardest" (AZ album ''Undeniable'')

2008: "Stages" (Reks album ''Grey Hairs'')

2009: "No Problems" (Earatik Statik album ''Good, Bad & Ugly'')

2009: "New Classic" (U-God album ''Dopium'')

2009: "Same Old Drama" (Grand Puba album ''Retroactive'')

2009: "Journey" (Cormega album '' Born & Raised'')

2010: "Ohh" (Joell Ortiz album '' Free Agent")

2011: "Still On The Hustle" (Neek The Exotic Large Professor'')

Vocal appearances

1990: "Money In The Bank" (Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album ''Wanted: Dead or Alive'')

1993: "Keep It Rollin'" (A Tribe Called Quest album ''Midnight Marauders'')

1994: "Stress (Remix)" (Organized Konfusion "Stress" 12")

1995: "Extra Abtract Skillz" (Mad Skillz album ''From Where???'')

2000: "The Last Shall Be First" (Cella Dwellas album ''The True Meaning'')

2002: "XL" (The X-Ecutioners album ''Built from Scratch'')

2002: "Hip Hop On Wax" (Rob Swift album ''Sound Event'')

2002: "The Come Up" (Cormega album ''The True Meaning'')

2004: "Sugar Ray and Hearns" (Cormega album ''Legal Hustle'')

2004: "Out Da Box" (Tony Touch album ''The Piece Maker 2'')

2006: "United" (MF Grimm album ''American Hunger'')

2007: "The Radar" (Marco Polo album ''Port Authority'')

2007: "The Purist" (Polyrhythm Addicts album ''Break Glass'')

2008: "Conquer Mentally" (Presto album ''State of the Art'')

2009: "Fans" (Masta Ace & Edo G album ''Arts & Entertainment'')

2009: "New Classic" (U-God album ''Dopium'')

2009: "Sweet 16s" (feat. Neek The Exotic, Mikey D, Sadat X, Large Professor and Father D) (Satchel Page album ''Young Patriarch'')

2009: "Like This" ([DJ JS-1 feat Large Professor[)"No Sellout: Ground Original 2"(album)

References

External links

Large Professor's MySpace page

Biography Sketch at Matador Records website

Large Professor's at Beatbuggy

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:American hip hop record producers Category:African American rappers Category:American DJs Category:People from Queens Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Musicians from New York Category:Geffen Records artists

de:Large Professor es:Large Professor fr:Large Professor it:Large Professor pl:Large Professor tr:Large Professor