''Songwriter'' is a 1984 film, directed by Alan Rudolph.

The film concerns Doc Jenkins, (Willie Nelson), a country and western composer and the devious tricks he employs to extricate himself from his legal entanglement with a Nashville gangster entrepreneur who takes all the profits from his songs. Fed up with life touring, and making no money from recordings of his music, Doc has turned to managing the career of his old singing partner Blackie Buck, (Kris Kristofferson). Doc takes a further client - a woman singer, Gilda, (Lesley Ann Warren). He wants to get back with his ex-wife Honey (Melinda Dillon). He wants solid ground beneath his feet again.

The film is a satirical comedy about an artist seeking his freedom. The material is loosely based on Willie Nelson's own life, and legend, and finances. His song "Night Life", for example, which he sold in 1961 for $150, went on to be recorded by over 70 artists and sold more than 30 million copies.

The film is reviewed, favourably, by the critic Pauline Kael in her collection of movie reviews, ''Hooked''. "Playing a vain, laid-back sensualist, the silver bearded Kristofferson has a smiling glow; he has never been more at ease; Rip Torn is the pictures insurance against gentility. Everything he says sounds mean and dirty, and even when you can't understand his snarled out words he makes you laugh. Rhonda Dotson has something of Teri Garr's manic alertness and dippiness, too, but in a softer form. She's a romantic comedienne with awesome poise. Richard C. Sarafian has a whomping comic menace. Lesley Ann Warren's Gilda is spectacular. When we first see Gilda, she's a singer with no belief in herself and no class; she's an incredibly beautiful girl in a red dress [but] when Doc grooms her to go out as the opening act for Blackie, she begins to learn something about taste and musicianship, and her voice flowers. Besides being one of the great beauties of the screen, Warren can sing."

References[link]

External links[link]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088153/

Category:1984 films Category:Films directed by Alan Rudolph Category:TriStar Pictures films Category:Country music films

it:Songwriter - Successo alle stelle pt:Songwriter

name	Willie Nelson
alias	Red Headed Stranger
alt	A red Headed man with white beard smiling. He wears a red bandanna, a black shirt and a red, white and blue guitar strap.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Willie Hugh Nelson
birth date	April 30, 1933
birth place	Abbott, Texas, United States
instrument	Vocals, guitar
genre	Country, country rock, outlaw country, alternative country
occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, actor, activist
years active	1956–present
label	Liberty, RCA, Atlantic, Columbia, Island, Justice Records, Lost Highway
associated acts	Waylon Jennings, The Highwaymen, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson
website	www.willienelson.com
notable instruments	"Trigger" (Martin N-20) 200px|altA signature penned in black inkSignature of Willie Nelson }}

Willie Hugh Nelson (; born April 30, 1933) is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed at the end of the 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression, and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the ''Bohemian Polka'' as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. In 1960, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1962, he recorded his first album, ''And Then I Wrote''. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits during the end of 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, and the failure to succeed in music, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The rise of the popularity of Hippie music in Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as ''Shotgun Willie'' and ''Phases and Stages''. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album, ''Red Headed Stranger''. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, ''Wanted! The Outlaws'', along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid 1980s, while creating hit albums like ''Honeysuckle Rose'' and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho & Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. During 1990 Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, that claimed that he owed US $32,000,000. It was later discovered that his accountants, Price Waterhouse did not pay Nelson's taxes for years. The impossibility of Nelson to pay his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments made by him during the 1980s. Nelson released in 1991 ''The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'', the profits of the double album, destined to the IRS and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt by 1993. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. Nelson explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk. Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by other appearances in movies and on television.

Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the Advisory Board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.

Early life[link]

Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, during the Great Depression on April 30, 1933, to Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson. Nelson's ancestors were on his father's side English and Irish, while his mother's forebears were Irish and Cherokee. The Nelson family had moved from Arkansas in 1929, looking for work. Nelson's grandfather, William, worked as a blacksmith, while his father worked as a mechanic. His mother left soon after he was born, and his father remarried and moved away, leaving the grandparents to bring up Nelson and his sister Bobbie. The Nelson's, who taught singing in schools while living in Arkansas, initiated their grandchildren in music. Nelson's grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few chords; and with his sister Bobbie he sang gospel songs in the local church. He wrote his first song when he was seven, and played the guitar for the local band ''Bohemian Polka'' at age nine. During the summer, like most of Abbott's inhabitants, the family picked cotton. As Nelson didn't like picking cotton, starting at age thirteen and continuing through high school, he earned money by singing in local dance halls, taverns, and honky tonks. Nelson was influenced musically during his childhood by Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow , Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong .

Nelson attended Abbott High School where, as well as raising pigs for the Future Farmers of America organization, he was a halfback in the school football team, and also played basketball as a guard, and as a shortstop in baseball. While still at school he sang and played guitar in ''The Texans'', a band formed by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher. After leaving school in 1950 he joined the United States Air Force for eight to nine months, then worked as a disc jockey at local radio stations. He had short stints with KHBR in Hillsboro, Texas and later with KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas. In 1952, he married Martha Matthews, and from 1954 to 1956 studied agriculture at Baylor University. Nelson joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, but dropped out to pursue a future in music. Meanwhile, he held jobs as a tree-trimmer, saddle-maker, as well as selling door-to-door bibles, vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias.

Music career[link]

Beginnings (1956–1972)[link]

In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington to begin his formal musical career. His first record, "No Place For Me" included Leon Payne's "Lumberjack" on the b-side, but was not successful. Nelson continued working as a radio announcer and singing in Vancouver clubs. He sold the song "Family Bible" for US$50 to a guitar instructor, and the song turned into a hit for Claude Gray in 1960. Nelson moved to Nashville in 1960, but no label signed him. Although most of his demos were rejected, thanks to his songwriting and Hank Cochran's help, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music. After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life", Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bass player. While playing with Price and the ''Cherokee Cowboys'', Nelson's songs became hits for other artists, including "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison), and, most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), which became the biggest jukebox hit of all time.

Nelson signed with Liberty Records and was recording by August 1961 at Quonset Hut Studio. His first two successful singles as an artist were released by the next year, including "Willingly" (which became his first charting single and first Top Ten at #10) and "Touch Me" (his second Top Ten, stalling at #7), a duet with his soon-to-be second wife, Shirley Collie. He had not further hit singles. Nelson's tenure at Liberty yielded his first album entitled ''And Then I Wrote'', released in September 1962. Fred Foster of Monument Records signed Nelson in early 1964, but only one single was released, "I Never Cared For You".

By the fall of 1964, Nelson had moved to RCA Victor Records at the behest of Chet Atkins, signing a contract for US $10,000 per year. ''Country Willie – His Own Songs'' became Nelson's first RCA album, recorded in April 1965. That same year he joined the Grand Ole Opry. During his first few years on RCA, Nelson had no significant hits, but from November 1966 through March 1969, his singles reached the Top 25 in a consistent manner. "One In a Row" (#19, 1966), "The Party's Over" (#24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise's "Bring Me Sunshine" (#13, March 1969) were Nelson's best-selling records during his time with RCA.

After recording his final RCA single – "Mountain Dew" (backed with "Phases, Stages, Circles, Cycles and Scenes") in late April 1972, RCA requested that Nelson renew his contract ahead of schedule, with the implication that RCA would not release his latest recordings if he did not. Due to the failure of his albums to succeed, and particularly frustrated by the reception of ''Yesterday's Wine'', although his contract was not over, Nelson decided to retire from music. Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the burgeoning hippie music scene (see Armadillo World Headquarters) rejuvenated the singer. His popularity in Austin soared as he played his own brand of country music marked by country, folk and jazz influences. In March, he performed on the final day of the ''Dripping Springs Reunion'', a three-day country music festival aimed by its producers to be an annual event. Despite the failure to reach the expected attendance, the concept of the festival inspired Nelson to create the ''Fourth of July Picnic'', his own annual event, starting the following year. Nelson decided to return to the recording business, he signed Neil Rashen as his manager to negotiate with the RCA, who got the label to agree to end Nelson's contract upon repayment of US$14,000. Rashen eventually signed Nelson to Atlantic Records for US$25,000 per year, becoming the label's first country artist. By February 1973, Nelson was recording his acclaimed ''Shotgun Willie'' at Atlantic Studios in New York City.

Outlaw country and success (1973–1989)[link]

''Shotgun Willie'', released in May 1973, earned excellent reviews but did not sell well. The album led Nelson to a new style, later stating that ''Shotgun Willie'' had "cleared his throat". His next album, ''Phases and Stages'', released in 1974, was a concept album about a couple's divorce, inspired by his own experience. Side one of the record is from the viewpoint of the man, while the other side is from the viewpoint of the woman. The album included the hit single "Bloody Mary Morning." Nelson then moved to Columbia Records, where he signed a contract that gave him complete creative control, made possible by the critical and commercial success of his previous albums. The result was the critically acclaimed, and massively popular 1975 concept album ''Red Headed Stranger''. Although Columbia was reluctant to release an album with primarily a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson and Waylon Jennings insisted. The album included a cover of Fred Rose's 1945 song "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", that had been released as a single previous to the album, and became Nelson's first number one hit as a singer.

As Jennings was also achieving success in country music in the early 1970s, the pair were combined into a genre called outlaw country, since it did not conform to Nashville standards. The album ''Wanted! The Outlaws'' in 1976 with Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser cemented the pair's outlaw image and became country music's first platinum album. Later that year Nelson released ''The Sound in Your Mind'' (certified gold in 1978 and platinum in 2001) and his first gospel album ''Troublemaker'' (certified gold in 1986). In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums, ''Waylon & Willie'', a collaboration with Jennings that included "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", a hit single written and performed by Ed Bruce. Though observers predicted that ''Stardust'' would ruin his career, it went platinum the same year. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including "Good Hearted Woman", "Remember Me", "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time", and "Uncloudy Day".

During the 1980s Nelson recorded a series of hit singles including "Midnight Rider", a 1980 cover of the Allman Brothers song which Nelson recorded for ''The Electric Horseman'', the soundtrack "On the Road Again" from the movie ''Honeysuckle Rose'', and a duet with Julio Iglesias titled "To All the Girls I've Loved Before". ''Pancho & Lefty'', a duet album with Merle Haggard, and ''WWII'', with Jennings, came out in 1982, while ''Take it to the Limit'' was released in 1983, also with Jennings.

In the mid-1980s, Nelson, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed The Highwaymen, who achieved platinum record sales and toured the world. Meanwhile, he became more involved with charity work, such as singing on ''We are the World'' in 1984. In 1985, Nelson had another success with ''Half Nelson'', a compilation album of duets with a range of artists such as Ray Charles and Neil Young. In 1980, Nelson performed on the south lawn of the White House. The September 13 concert featured First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Nelson in a duet of Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother". Nelson frequently visited the White House according to his biography, ''Willie Nelson: An Epic Life'', where he smoked marijuana on the White House roof.

IRS and later career (1990–present)[link]

In 1990, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized most of Nelson's assets, claiming that he owed US$32,000,000. It was later discovered that his accountants, Price Waterhouse, had not been paying Nelson's taxes for years. In addition to the unpaid taxes, Nelson's situation was worsened by the weak investments he had made during the early 1980s. His lawyer, Jay Goldberg, negotiated the sum to be lowered to US$16,000,000. Later, Nelson's attorney renegotiated a settlement with the IRS in which he paid US$6,000,000, although Nelson did not comply with the agreement. Nelson released ''The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' as a double album, with all profits destined for the IRS. Many of his assets were auctioned and purchased by friends, who donated or rented his possessions to him for a nominal fee. He sued Price Waterhouse, contending that they put his money in illegal tax shelters. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount and Nelson cleared his debts by 1993.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson toured continuously, recording several albums including 1998's critically acclaimed ''Teatro'', and performed and recorded with other acts including Phish, Johnny Cash, and Toby Keith. His duet with Keith, "Beer for My Horses", was released as a single and topped the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts for six consecutive weeks in 2003, while the accompanying video won an award for "Best Video" at the 2004 Academy of Country Music Awards. A USA Network television special celebrated Nelson's 70th birthday, and Nelson released ''The Essential Willie Nelson'' as part of the celebration. Nelson also appeared on Ringo Starr's 2003 album, ''Ringo Rama'', as a guest vocal on "Write One for Me."

Nelson headlined the 2005 Tsunami Relief Austin to Asia concert to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which raised an estimated US$75,000 for UNICEF. Also in 2005, a live performance of the Johnny Cash song "Busted" with Ray Charles was released on Charles' duets album ''Genius & Friends''. Nelson's 2007 performance with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center, was released as the live album ''Two Men with the Blues'' in 2008; reaching number one in ''Billboard's'' Top Jazz Albums and number twenty on the ''Billboard 200''. In 2009 Nelson and Marsalis joined with Norah Jones in a tribute concert to Ray Charles, which resulted in the ''Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles'' album, released in 2011. In 2010, Nelson released ''Country Music'', a compilation of standards produced by T-Bone Burnett. The album peaked number four in ''Billboard's'' Top Country Albums, and twenty on the ''Billboard 200''. It was nominated for ''Best Americana Album'' in the 2011 Grammy Awards. In 2011 Nelson participated in the concert ''Kokua For Japan'', a fundraising event for the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan which raised US$1.6 million. On February 2012, Legacy Recordings signed a deal with Nelson that included the release of new material, as well as past releases that would be selected and complemented with outtakes and other material selected by Nelson.

Other ventures[link]

Nelson's acting debut was in the 1979 movie, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by appearances in ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Thief'', and ''Barbarosa''. He played the role of Red Loon in ''Coming Out of the Ice'' in 1982 and starred in ''Songwriter'' two years later. He portrayed the lead role in the 1986 film version of his concept album ''Red Headed Stranger''. Other movies that Nelson acted in include ''Wag the Dog'', ''Gone Fishin''' (as Billy 'Catch' Pooler), the 1986 television movie ''Stagecoach'' (with Johnny Cash), ''Half Baked'', ''Beerfest'', ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', ''Surfer, Dude'' and ''Swing Vote''. He has also made guest appearances on ''Miami Vice'' (1986's "El Viejo" episode), ''Delta'', ''Nash Bridges'', ''The Simpsons'', ''Monk'', ''Adventures in Wonderland'', ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'', ''King of the Hill'', ''The Colbert Report'', ''Swing Vote'' and ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast''.

In 1988 his first book, ''Willie: An Autobiography'', was published. ''The Facts of Life: and Other Dirty Jokes'', a personal recollection of tour and musical stories from his career, combined with song lyrics, followed in 2002. In 2005 he co-authored ''Farm Aid: A Song for America'', a commemorative book about the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of Farm Aid. His third book, co-authored with long time friend Turk Pipkin, ''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart'', was published in 2006. In 2007 a book advocating the use of bio-diesel and the reduction of gas emissions, ''On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm'', was published. His next book, ''A Tale Out of Luck'', published in 2008 and co-authored by Mike Blakely, was Nelson's first fictional book.

In 2002, Nelson became the official spokesman of the Texas Roadhouse, a chain of steakhouses. Nelson heavily promoted the chain and appeared on a special on Food Network. The chain installed ''Willie's Corner'', a section dedicated to him and decked out with Willie memorabilia, at several locations. In 2008, Nelson reopened Willie's place, a truckstop in Hillsboro, Texas. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court allowed Nelson to invest in it. The establishment currently has about 80 employees and is used as a concert hall with a bar and a dance floor.

Nelson has practised different styles of martial arts, beginning with Kung Fu during the 1980s, as well as Tae Kwon Do, in which he holds a Black belt degree.

Music style[link]

Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music – a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar", and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the '80s and '90s".

Guitars[link]

In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and a three-cord pickup electric guitar. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, that was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for US$750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.

Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell's, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell also to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent got there, and bring it to him on Maui. Nelson then hid the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid in 1993.

In his book, ''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to Happiness in Your Heart'', Nelson described the influence of the guitar in his style: "One of the secrets to my sound is almost beyond explanation. My battered old Martin guitar, Trigger, has the greatest tone I’ve ever heard from a guitar [...] If I picked up the finest guitar made this year and tried to play my solos exactly the way you heard them on the radio or even at last night’s show, I’d always be a copy of myself and we’d all end up bored. But if I play an instrument that is now a part of me, and do it according to the way that feels right for me [...] I’ll always be an original".

Activism[link]

Nelson is active in a number of issues. Along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, he set up Farm Aid in 1985 to assist and increase awareness of the importance of family farms, after Bob Dylan's comments during the Live Aid concert that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers in danger of losing their farms through mortgage debt. The first concert included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Neil Young among many others, and raised over $9 million for America's family farmers. Besides organizing and performing in the annual concerts, Nelson is the president of the board of Farm Aid.

Nelson is a co-chair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advisory board. He has worked with NORML for years, fighting for marijuana legalization. In 2005 Nelson and his family hosted the first annual "Willie Nelson & NORML Benefit Golf Tournament", leading to a cover appearance and inside interview in the January 2008 issue of ''High Times'' magazine. After his arrest for possession of marijuana in 2010, Nelson created the TeaPot party under the motto "Tax it, regulate it and legalize it!".

Nelson supported Dennis Kucinich's campaign in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. He raised money, appeared at events, and composed the song "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?", criticizing the war in Iraq. He recorded a radio advertisement asking for support to put musician/author Kinky Friedman on the ballot as an independent candidate for the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election. Friedman promised Nelson a job in Austin as the head of a new Texas Energy Commission due to his support of bio-fuels. In January 2008, Nelson filed a suit against the Texas Democratic Party, alleging that the party violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution by refusing to allow co-plaintiff Kucinich to appear on the primary ballot because he had scratched out part of the loyalty oath on his application.

In 2004, he and his wife Annie became partners with Bob and Kelly King in the building of two Pacific Bio-diesel plants, one in Salem, Oregon and the other at Carl's Corner, Texas (the Texas plant was founded by Carl Cornelius, a longtime Nelson friend and the namesake for Carl's Corner). In 2005, Nelson and several other business partners formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel ("Bio-Willie"), a company that is marketing bio-diesel bio-fuel to truck stops. The fuel is made from vegetable oil (mainly soybean oil), and can be burned without modification in diesel engines.

Nelson is an advocate for better treatment for horses and has been campaigning for the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311) alongside the Animal Welfare Institute. He is on its Board of Directors and has adopted a number of horses from ''Habitat for Horses''. In 2008, Nelson signed on to warn consumers about the cruel and illegal living conditions for calves raised to produce milk for dairy products. He wrote letters to Land O'Lakes and Challenge Dairy, two of the major corporations that use milk from calves raised at California's Mendes Calf Ranch, which employs an intensive confinement practice that was the subject of a lawsuit and campaign brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Personal life[link]

Nelson lives in Maui, Hawaii, in a largely self-sustaining community where all the homes use only solar power. Neighbors include Kris Kristofferson, Woody Harrelson, and Owen Wilson.

Willie Nelson has married four times and fathered seven children. His first marriage was to Martha Matthews; it lasted from 1952 to 1962, and produced three children: Lana, Susie, and Billy. The last committed suicide in 1991. The marriage was marked by violence, with Matthews assaulting Nelson several times. Nelson's next marriage was to Shirley Collie in 1963. The couple divorced in 1971, after Collie found a bill from the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged to Nelson and Connie Koepke for the birth of Paula Carlene Nelson. Koepke and Nelson married the same year and had two daughters, Paula Carlene and Amy Lee. Following a divorce in 1988, he married his current wife, Annie D'Angelo, in 1991. They have two sons, Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah. Nelson traces his genealogy to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.

While swimming in Hawaii in 1981, Nelson's lung collapsed. All of his scheduled concerts were cancelled and he was taken to the Maui Memorial Hospital. Nelson temporarily stopped smoking cigarettes each time his lungs became congested, and resumed when the congestion ended. In 2008 he started to smoke with a carbon-free system to avoid the effects of smoke in his lungs. In 2004 Nelson underwent surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as he had damaged his wrists by continuously playing the guitar. On the recommendation of his doctor, he cancelled his scheduled concerts and only wrote songs during his recovery.

Nelson has been arrested several times for marijuana possession. The first occasion was in 1974, in Dallas, Texas. Twenty years later, in 1994, highway patrolmen found a marijuana cigarette in his car near Waco, Texas; the resulting court appearance caused him to cancel his appearance at the Grammy awards. While travelling to Ann W. Richards' funeral in 2006, Nelson, along with his manager and his sister, Bobbi, were arrested in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana and charged with possession of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Nelson received six months probation. On November 26, 2010, Nelson was arrested for possession of six ounces of marijuana found in his tour bus while travelling from Los Angeles to Texas. He was released after paying bail of US$2,500. Prosecutor Kit Bramblett supported not sentencing Nelson to jail due to the amount of marijuana being small, but suggested instead a US$100 fine and told Nelson that he would have him sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Judge Becky Dean-Walker stated that Nelson had to pay the fine but did not require him to perform the song, explaining that the prosecutor was joking. Nelson's lawyer Joe Turner reached an agreement with the prosecutor. Nelson was set to pay a US$500 fine to avoid a two-year jail sentence with a 30-day review period, which in case of another incident would end the agreement. The judge later rejected the agreement, claiming that Nelson was receiving preferential treatment for his celebrity status, when the offence normally carried a one-year jail sentence.

Legacy[link]

Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund risers to benefit farmers.

In 2003 Governor Perry signed bill #2582, introduced by State Representative Elizabeth Ames Jones and Senator Jeff Wentworth, which funded the ''Texas Music Project'', the state's official music charity. Nelson was named Honorary Chairman of the Advisory Board of the project. In 2005, Democratic Texas Senator Gonzalo Barrientos introduced a bill to name of the Travis County section of State Highway 130 after Nelson, and at one point 23 of the 31 state Senators were co-sponsors of the bill. The legislation was dropped after two Republican senators, Florence Shapiro and Wentworth, objected, citing Nelson's lack of connection to the highway, his fundraisers for Democrats, his drinking, and his marijuana advocacy.

An important collection of Willie Nelson materials (1975–1994) became part of the Wittliff collections of Southwestern Writers, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas. The collection contains lyrics, screenplays, letters, concert programs, tour itineraries, posters, articles, clippings, personal effects, promotional items, souvenirs, and documents. It documents Nelson's IRS troubles and how Farm Aid contributions were used. Most of the material was collected by Nelson's friend Bill Wittliff, who wrote or co-wrote ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Barbarosa'' and ''Red Headed Stranger''.

In April 2010, Nelson received the "Feed the Peace" award from The Nobelity Project for his extensive work with Farm Aid and overall contributions to world peace. On June 23, 2010 he was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Nelson is an honorary trustee of the Dayton International Peace Museum. In 2010, Austin, Texas renamed Second Street to Willie Nelson Boulevard. The city also unveiled a life-size statue to honor him, placed at the entrance of ''Austin City Limits''' new studio. The non-profit organization Capital Area Statues commissioned sculptor Clete Shields to execute the project. The statue was unveiled on April 20, 2012. The date selected by the city of Austin unintentionally coincided with the number 4/20, associated with cannabis culture. In spite of the coincidence and Nelson's advocacy for the legalization of marijuana, the ceremony was scheduled also for 4:20 pm. During the ceremony, Nelson performed the song "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die".

For many years, Nelson's image was marked by his red hair, often divided into two long braids partially concealed under a bandanna. In the April 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine Nelson was interviewed about his long locks. "I started braiding my hair when it started getting too long, and that was, I don't know, probably in the 70's." On May 26, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Nelson had cut his hair, and Nashville music journalist Jimmy Carter published a photograph of the pigtail-free Nelson on his website. Reportedly, he wanted a more maintainable hairstyle, as well helping him stay cool more easily at his Maui home.

Nelson's touring and recording group, the ''Family'', is full of longstanding members. The original lineup included his sister Bobbie Nelson, drummer Paul English, harmonicist Mickey Raphael, bassist Bee Spears, Billy English (Paul's younger brother), and Jody Payne. The current lineup includes all the members but Jody Payne, who retired, and Bee Spears, who died in 2011. ''Willie & Family'' tours North America in the bio-diesel bus ''Honeysuckle Rose IV'', which is fueled by Bio-Willie.

Discography and other works[link]

As well as recording over sixty studio albums, Nelson has appeared in over thirty films and TV shows. His acting debut was in the 1979 movie, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by appearances in ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Thief'', and ''Barbarosa''.

;Recordings

;Films

;Books

''Willie: An Autobiography'', Simon & Schuster, 1988, with Bud Shrake

''The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes'', Random House, 2002

''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart'', Gotham, 2006, with Turk Pipkin

''A Tale Out of Luck'' (a novel), Center Street, 2008, with Mike Blakely

''On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm'', Fulcrum Publishing, 2007

''Farm Aid: A Song for America'', 2005, Rodale Books, foreword by Willie Nelson

See also[link]

Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

List of country musicians

Music of Austin

List of best-selling music artists

References[link]

;Books ;Journals

;Further reading

''The Encyclopedia of Country Music'' ed. Paul Kingsbury, pp. 374–76 "Willie Nelson", Bob Allen, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998

External links[link]

[ Willie Nelson] at Allmusic

Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:People from Hill County, Texas Category:American activists Category:American actors Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:Artists from Louisiana Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:Baylor University alumni Category:American cannabis activists Category:Challenge Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Liberty Records artists Category:Musicians from Texas Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Gold Star Records artists Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:Lost Highway Records artists Category:The Highwaymen (country supergroup) members Category:Blue Note Records artists Category:Country musicians from Texas Category:Grammy Legend Award

ar:ويلي نيلسون be:Вілі Нельсан bg:Уили Нелсън ca:Willie Nelson cs:Willie Nelson da:Willie Nelson pdc:Willie Nelson de:Willie Nelson et:Willie Nelson es:Willie Nelson eu:Willie Nelson fa:ویلی نلسون fo:Willie Nelson fr:Willie Nelson ko:윌리 넬슨 hr:Willie Nelson id:Willie Nelson it:Willie Nelson lt:Willie Nelson nl:Willie Nelson ja:ウィリー・ネルソン no:Willie Nelson nn:Willie Nelson pl:Willie Nelson pt:Willie Nelson ru:Нельсон, Вилли simple:Willie Nelson sh:Willie Nelson fi:Willie Nelson sv:Willie Nelson tl:Willie Nelson tr:Willie Nelson uk:Віллі Нельсон

name	Willie Dixon
birth name	William James Dixon
background	solo_singer
birth date	July 01, 1915Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States
death date	January 29, 1992Burbank, California, United States
origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
instrument	Vocals, double bass, guitar
genre	Blues, rock and roll, Chicago blues, jump blues, rhythm and blues, gospel
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer, Boxer
label	Chess, Cobra, Columbia, Bluesville, Checker, Verve, MCA, Legacy, Columbia, Yambo
associated acts	Big Three Trio, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Lowell Fulson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Junior Wells, Otis Spann
website	www.willie-dixon.com
notable instruments	}}

William James "Willie" Dixon (July 1, 1915 – January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the upright bass and the guitar and as a vocalist, Dixon is perhaps best known as one of the most prolific songwriters of his time. He is recognized as one of the founders of the Chicago blues sound. Dixon's songs have been recorded by countless musicians in many genres as well as by various ensembles in which he participated. A short list of the man's most famous compositions includes "Little Red Rooster", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Evil", "Spoonful", "Back Door Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "I Ain't Superstitious", "My Babe", "Wang Dang Doodle", and "Bring It On Home". These tunes were written during the peak of Chess Records, 1950–1965, and performed by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter, influencing a worldwide generation of musicians.

Next to Muddy Waters, he was the most influential person in shaping the post World War II sound of the Chicago blues. He also was an important link between the blues and rock and roll, working with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley in the late 1950s. His songs were covered by some of the biggest artists of more recent times, including Styx, Bob Dylan, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Foghat, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Megadeth, The Doors, The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, and a posthumous duet with Colin James.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Dixon was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 1, 1915. His mother Daisy often rhymed the things she said, a habit her son imitated. At the age of seven, young Dixon became an admirer of a band that featured pianist Little Brother Montgomery. Dixon was first introduced to blues when he served time on prison farms in Mississippi as an early teenager. He later learned how to sing harmony from local carpenter Leo Phelps. Dixon sang bass in Phelps' group The Jubilee Singers, a local gospel quartet that regularly appeared on the Vicksburg radio station WQBC. Dixon began adapting poems he was writing as songs, and even sold some tunes to local music groups.

Adulthood[link]

Dixon left Mississippi for Chicago in 1936. A man of considerable stature, at 6 and a half feet and weighing over 250 pounds, he took up boxing; he was so successful that he won the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (Novice Division) in 1937. Dixon turned professional as a boxer and worked briefly as Joe Louis' sparring partner. After four fights, Dixon left boxing after getting into a fight with his manager over being cheated out of money.

Dixon met Leonard Caston at the boxing gym where they would harmonize at times. Dixon performed in several vocal groups in Chicago but it was Caston that got him to pursue music seriously. Caston built him his first bass, made of a tin can and one string. Dixon's experience singing bass made the instrument familiar. He also learned the guitar.

Dixon, whose initial attempts at his vocation as a boxer were now dubious, began performing around Chicago and with Caston, who convinced him to move towards a musical career. In 1939, was a founding member of the Five Breezes, with Caston, Joe Bell, Gene Gilmore and Willie Hawthorne. The group blended blues, jazz, and vocal harmonies, in the mode of the Ink Spots. Dixon's progress as he progressed on the Upright bass came to an abrupt halt during the advent of World War II when he resisted the draft as a conscientious objector and was imprisoned for ten months. After the war, he formed a group named the Four Jumps of Jive and then reunited with Caston, forming the Big Three Trio, who went on to record for Columbia Records.

Pinnacle of career[link]

Dixon signed with Chess Records as a recording artist, but began performing less, being more involved with administrative tasks for the label. By 1951, he was a full-time employee at Chess, where he acted as producer, talent scout, session musician and staff songwriter. He was also a producer for Chess subsidiary Checker Records. His relationship with Chess was sometimes strained, although he stayed with the label from 1948 to the early 1960s. During this time Dixon's output and influence were prodigious. From late 1956 to early 1959, he worked in a similar capacity for Cobra Records, where he produced early singles for Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy. He later recorded on Bluesville Records. From the late 1960s until the middle 1970s, Dixon ran his own record label, Yambo Records, along with two subsidiary labels, Supreme and Spoonful. He released his 1971 album ''Peace?'' on Yambo, as well as singles by McKinley Mitchell, Lucky Peterson and others.

Dixon is considered one of the key figures in the creation of Chicago blues. He worked with Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Joe Louis Walker, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Eddie Boyd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowell Fulson, Willie Mabon, Memphis Slim, Washboard Sam, Jimmy Rogers, Sam Lay and others. His double bass playing was of a high standard. He appears on many of Chuck Berry's early recordings, further proving his linkage between the blues and the birth of rock and roll.

Dixon is remembered mainly as a songwriter; his most enduring gift to the blues lay in refurbishing archaic Southern motifs, often of magic and country folkways and often derived from earlier records such as those by Charlie Patton, in contemporary arrangements, to produce songs with both the sinew of the blues, and the agility of pop. British R&B; bands of the 1960s constantly drew on the Dixon songbook for inspiration. In December 1964, The Rolling Stones reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart with their cover version of Dixon's "Little Red Rooster".

By the late sixties, Dixon's songwriting and production work began to take a back seat to his organizational abilities, which were utilised to assemble all-star, Chicago-based blues ensembles for work in Europe.

In his later years, Willie Dixon became a tireless ambassador for the blues and a vocal advocate for its practitioners, founding the Blues Heaven Foundation. The organization works to preserve the blues’ legacy and to secure copyrights and royalties for blues musicians who were exploited in the past. Speaking with the simple eloquence that was a hallmark of his songs, Dixon claimed, "The blues are the roots and the other musics are the fruits. It’s better keeping the roots alive, because it means better fruits from now on. The blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues."

Dixon's health deteriorated increasingly during the seventies and the eighties, primarily due to long-term diabetes. Eventually one of his legs had to be amputated. Dixon was inducted at the inaugural session of the Blues Foundation's ceremony, and into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1989 he was also the recipient of a Grammy Award for his album, ''Hidden Charms''.

Death and legacy[link]

Dixon died of heart failure in Burbank, California on January 29, 1992, and was buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. Dixon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "early influences" (pre-rock) category in 1994.

Actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer portrayed Dixon in ''Cadillac Records'', a 2008 film based on the early history of Chess Records.

Willie Dixon's grandson Alex Dixon recorded two Willie Dixon songs, ("Spoonful" and "Down in the Bottom"), on his release ''Rising from the Bushes''.

Songs[link]

Tributes[link]

French singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel refers to Dixon in the song "Cent Ans de Plus" on his 1999 album ''Hors-Saison''. Cabrel cites the artist as one of a number of blues influences, including Charley Patton, Son House, Blind Lemon, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Blind Blake and Ma Rainey.

Canadian rock musician Tom Cochrane wrote a song entitled "Willie Dixon Said" that appeared on his 1999 album ''X-Ray Sierra''.

Bob Dylan credited Willie Dixon for the music of the song "My Wife's Hometown" on his album ''Together Through Life'' and gave special thanks to Dixon's estate.

Discography[link]

''Willie's Blues'' ''Blues Every Which Way'' ''Songs of Memphis Slim and "Wee Willie" Dixon'' ''Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon at the Village Gate'' ''In Paris: Baby Please Come Home!'' ''I Am The Blues'' ''Willie Dixon's Peace?'' ''Catalyst'' ''What Happened To My Blues'' ''Mighty Earthquake and Hurricane'' ''Willie Dixon: Live (Backstage Access)'' ''Hidden Charms'' ''Ginger Ale Afternoon'' ''The Big Three Trio'' ''The Original Wang Dang Doodle: The Chess Recordings'' ''Crying the Blues: Live in Concert'' ''Good Advice'' ''I Think I Got the Blues'' ''Big Boss Men – Blues Legends of the Sixties''

	Year		Title		Label		Number		Comments
1959	|	Bluesville Records>Bluesville	BVLP-1003	with Memphis Slim
1960	|	Verve Records>Verve	MGV-3007	with Memphis Slim
1960	|	Folkways Records>Folkways	FW-2385
1962	|	Folkways Records>Folkways	FA-2386	live, with guest Pete Seeger
1963	|	Battle	BM-6122	with Memphis Slim, 1962
1970	|	Columbia Records>Columbia	PC-9987	with the Chicago All Stars; also released in 2003 on a DVD
1971	|	Yambo Records>Yambo	777-15	with the Chicago All Stars
1973	|	Ovation	OVQD-1433	quadraphonic pressing
1976	|	Ovation	OV-1705
1983	|	Pausa Records>Pausa	PR-7157
1985	|	Pausa Records>Pausa	PR-7183	with Sugar Blue and Clifton James, Montreux 1985
1988	|	Bug	C1-90593	Grammy Awards of 1989#Blues>Grammy-winning album
1989	|	Varèse Sarabande	VSD-5234	Ginger Ale Afternoon>movie of the same name
1990	|	Legacy Recordings>Legacy	C-46216	from 1947–1952
1995	|	MCA Records>MCA	9353	compilation (some unreleased) from 1954–1990
1996	|	Thunderbolt	CDTB-166	live with Johnny Winter & the Chicago All Stars, Houston 1971
1998	|	Wolf	120.700	live with the Chicago All Stars, Long Beach 1991
1998	|	Prevue	17
2001	|	Indigo (UK)	IGOXCD543	live, Houston 1971–72 (six tracks)

See also[link]

List of blues musicians

Chicago Blues Festival

List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Boogie-woogie

References[link]

Further reading[link]

Dixon, Willie; & Snowden, Don (1990). ''I Am the Blues: The Willie Dixon Story''. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-7043-0253-5

Dixon, Willie (1992). ''Willie Dixon – Master Blues Composer: With Notes and Tablature''. Hal Leonard. ISBN 0-7935-0305-1

1997 ''The Chess Box'' Snowden, Don "Willie Dixon" [CD booklet]. MCA Records, Inc.

External links[link]

Willie Dixon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Willie Dixon, Mississippi blues musician. The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project of Starkville High School.

Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation

Category:1915 births Category:1992 deaths Category:African American musicians Category:American blues musicians Category:American blues singers Category:American blues singer-songwriters Category:American conscientious objectors Category:American double-bassists Category:American record producers Category:American music arrangers Category:American session musicians Category:Songwriters from Mississippi Category:Blues Hall of Fame inductees Category:Blues musicians from Mississippi Category:Chicago blues musicians Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in California Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jive singers Category:Jump blues musicians Category:People from Vicksburg, Mississippi Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

bg:Уили Диксън cs:Willie Dixon da:Willie Dixon de:Willie Dixon es:Willie Dixon fr:Willie Dixon it:Willie Dixon he:וילי דיקסון nl:Willie Dixon ja:ウィリー・ディクスン no:Willie Dixon pl:Willie Dixon pt:Willie Dixon ru:Диксон, Вилли simple:Willie Dixon fi:Willie Dixon sv:Willie Dixon tr:Willie Dixon uk:Віллі Діксон

name	Laura Branigan
background	solo_singer
birth name	Laura Ann Branigan
birth date	July 03, 1957
Birth place	Brewster, New York, U.S.
death date	August 26, 2004
Death place	East Quogue, New York, U.S.
spouse	Larry Kruteck (1981 - 1996) (his death)
genre	Pop rock, pop, dance
occupation	Singer, musician, actress
years active	1973–2004
label	Atlantic
website	Official website
notable instruments	Piano }}

Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1957 – August 26, 2004) was an Italian-American singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" (an Italian love song recorded by Umberto Tozzi in 1979) and for the number-one single "Self Control" (The original version by the italian singer and writers Raffaele Riefoli "Raf"). Branigan is also remembered for the Top 10 "Solitaire" and for the number-one adult contemporary hit "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You", as well as four other US Top 40 hits.

Branigan also contributed songs to notable motion picture and television soundtracks, including the Grammy and Academy Award-winning ''Flashdance'' soundtrack (1983), the ''Ghostbusters'' soundtrack (1984), and the ''Baywatch'' soundtrack (1994), as well as having songs featured in the popular ''Grand Theft Auto'' video game series.

Her signature song "Gloria" stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, at the time a record for a female artist. The song holds a place in the top 100 singles of both 1982 and 1983.

Branigan died at her home in East Quogue, New York, on August 26, 2004, of a previously undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm.

Biography[link]

Early career[link]

In the early 1970s Branigan was a member of the band, Meadow, which recorded one album in 1973 called ''The Friend Ship''. The record was never re-released, and Branigan preferred not to discuss her involvement with Meadow publicly. During the years after Meadow broke up, she had various jobs, including a stint as one of Leonard Cohen's backup singers for his European tour.

In 1979 Branigan was signed by Ahmet Ertegun to Atlantic Records. The strength of her alto voice, with its five-octave range, ironically impeded her career for a couple of years while the label went through the process of categorizing her. She was finally categorized as a pop singer and a single called "Looking Out for Number One" made a brief appearance on the U.S. Dance chart. Two other early Atlantic singles, "Tell Him" and "Fool's Affair", followed. None of these three singles (or the B-side "When") were included on her first album or ever reissued on any compilation LP or CD to date. Her first solo album ''Branigan'' was released in 1982; the first single from this album was "All Night With Me," which hit #69 on the Billboard charts in early 1982. Her first reviews saw her voice compared to both Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand, both of whom had enjoyed iconic Disco hits.

''Branigan'', the nine-song debut album, alternated four energetic up-tempo songs with five ballads, including one of the few songs written solely by Branigan: "I Wish We Could Be Alone". "Gloria", an Italian love song recorded by Umberto Tozzi in 1979 (and successful in several European countries), was released as the album's second single. Branigan's version was reworked with Tozzi's own arranger, Greg Mathieson, who updated its production with fellow producer Jack White to give it what Branigan called "an American kick" to match the new English lyrics. American radio was initially unreceptive to "Gloria"; the song's combination of American and European sound predated the imminent second "British Invasion" of popular music by several months. Embraced by dance clubs, especially gay clubs, it eventually won over American radio stations and the song became one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. The album went Gold, and the single was eventually certified Platinum (for sales of more than two million U.S. copies). Branigan's vocal performance of "Gloria" was nominated for a Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award (alongside Linda Ronstadt, Olivia Newton-John, Juice Newton, and that year's winner, Melissa Manchester); "Gloria" marked Branigan's only solo nomination. The following year she received a second nomination as one of the various artists on the Flashdance original soundtrack album when it was nominated for Album of the Year. The album also won the Best Soundtrack Grammy but, as this award is given only to the composers, Branigan was not nominated.

In the spring of 1983 Branigan released her second album, ''Branigan 2''. By this time, the dramatic European synth-pop sound was on the rise, and Branigan's vocals propelled her English-language version of the French song "Solitaire" to the upper reaches of the U.S. charts. The original "Solitaire" was written and recorded in 1981 by French singer-songwriter Martine Clemenceau. In addition to cementing a place in pop history and ensuring she was not a one-hit wonder, her second album's two big hits began the careers for two then-unknowns, who themselves became industry legends. The English translation of "Solitaire" was the first major hit for songwriter Diane Warren, while the album's second hit single, the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," was the first major hit for its co-writer, Michael Bolton. Branigan's debut recording of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" reached #12 on the Hot 100 and spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

The 1983 film ''Flashdance'' contained two Laura Branigan songs, "Gloria" and a new song, "Imagination". The latter song was included on the Grammy Award winning Flashdance soundtrack, which reached #1 and sold more than six million copies in the U.S. alone.

Height of her career[link]

The year 1984 was the height of the European synth-pop era, and "Self Control", the title track of Branigan's third album, became her biggest hit internationally, topping the charts in over six countries, most notably {West Germany, where it spent six weeks at #1. The original version of "Self Control," recorded a few months earlier in 1984 by one of the song's co-writers Raffaele Riefoli (under the name Raf), held the West German number-two spot during this time period; outside of Raf's native Italy, Branigan's version enjoyed more success. It hit #4 in the U.S.

Other pop, dancefloor and adult contemporary hits from Branigan's ''Self Control'' album include "The Lucky One" (which won her a Tokyo Music Festival prize), the continental ballad "Ti Amo" (another Umberto Tozzi hit, and a #2 hit in Australia for Branigan) and the Dance hit "Satisfaction." The album also featured an understated version of Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"; as a counterpoint to all the dance productions, it was a bare-bones piano version. (In concerts and television appearances throughout her career, Branigan accompanied herself on the piano for the song.) That year Branigan's live show was recorded twice, for a syndicated radio concert series and a concert video. Branigan was also nominated for an award at the American Music Awards of 1985 for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist (though Cyndi Lauper won the award). Also in 1985 Branigan performed the main theme song for the highly rated television mini-series ''Hollywood Wives'', based on the novel by Jackie Collins.

By the time of Branigan's fourth album, 1985's ''Hold Me'', "Self Control" was a world-wide success. The hits continued with "Spanish Eddie," which was her sixth US Billboard Top 40 Pop hit in two and a half years. The subsequent single release "Hold Me" was a U.S. top 40 dance hit, and Branigan's introduction of the rock ballad "I Found Someone" (cowritten by Michael Bolton, and later a hit for Cher) scored even higher on the Adult Contemporary chart. However, neither song was supported by a music video and stalled in the lower reaches of the Hot 100 chart.

''Touch'', which was released in 1987, marked a change in Branigan's career. Under new management and using different producers, Branigan took a more active role in her work and in the studio. ''Touch'' saw her return to dancefloors with the Stock/Aitken/Waterman-produced "Shattered Glass", written by Bob Mitchell and Steve Coe. The album also included a return to the Billboard Top 40 with her cover of Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love," which was one of the top 20 bestselling singles in the United States during Christmastime. The album's third single, "Cry Wolf," a top 30 AC hit, did not capture attention at pop radio and stalled. The ballad was recorded two years later by Stevie Nicks, and more recently by writer Jude Johnstone.

During the height of her career, Branigan also made acting appearances, first in 1981 in ''An American Girl in Berlin'' for German television, and then after the success of "Gloria," guest appearances on American television series such as ''CHiPs'', ''Automan'' and Knight Rider. She would later do independent films such as ''Mugsy's Girls'' (aka ''Delta Pi'', 1985) with Academy Award winner Ruth Gordon, and the Australian film ''Backstage''. She sang on major national television and radio campaigns for products including Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola and Chrysler, which sponsored her 1985-1986 "Hold Me" tour.

Later years[link]

Branigan's 1990 self-titled album brought the singer back to the Hi-NRG charts and gay clubs with "Moonlight On Water", and she scored a Top-30 Adult Contemporary hit with "Never in a Million Years". Branigan added production to her list of credits with her cover of Vicki Sue Robinson's disco-era "Turn the Beat Around" and the atmospheric "Let Me In," a cover of an Eddie Money song. The album also included "Unison," which was the title track for Celine Dion's English debut CD in the same year. The album's closing track, a cover of Bryan Adams' "The Best Was Yet to Come," was produced and arranged by Branigan herself. The singer's 1990-1991 concert tour was filmed for a syndicated U.S. television show, ''SRO in Concert'', which was also released on videocassette and laserdisc (though not on DVD, to date.)

On Branigan's seventh and final studio album, 1993's ''Over My Heart'', the singer again produced (with Phil Ramone), wrote and arranged. The album included a cover of Roxette's song "The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye," and "Is There Anybody Here But Me?" (Pessis, Wells), a smooth mid-tempo number.

Branigan was married to Larry Kruteck, a lawyer 20 years her senior, in December 1981. Not long after the ''Over My Heart'' album's release, Branigan left the music industry in 1994 to spend more time with Kruteck following his diagnosis of colon cancer. He died on June 15, 1996.

During these years, Branigan's chart success cooled in the United States, though she was still in demand around the world and went on several global tours. Branigan had official hit collections released in South America, Japan, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. The United States collection was released in 1995: The 13-track ''The Best of Branigan'' and included two newly recorded covers: "Show Me Heaven" (written by Maria McKee) and the Donna Summer hit "Dim All the Lights", which Branigan released in several remixes.

Branigan's vocal coach was Carlo Menotti and she worked with Steve Lukather (Toto), Dann Huff (Giant) and Michael Landau; keyboardists Greg Mathieson, Harold Faltermeyer, Michael Boddicker and Robbie Buchanan; bassists Nathan East and Dennis Belfield (Rufus); drummer Carlos Vega; percussionists Paulinho Da Costa and Lenny Castro; and guest vocalists including Joe "Bean" Esposito and background vocalists including The Waters Sisters (Maxine & Julia), James Ingram, and Richard Page and Stephen George (Mr. Mister). As her stature grew, she attracted Grammy-winning producers including Phil Ramone, Richard Perry and David Kershenbaum. She performed duets with John Farnham as well as Latin pop artist Luis Miguel. She also appeared frequently on various television shows, including The Merv Griffin Show, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Solid Gold, and ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.

In 2001 Branigan's return to the stage was postponed when she broke both of her femurs in a fall. In 2002 she performed twice as the "singing" Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical ''Love, Janis'', before dropping out of the show. "I left ''Janis'' because the producers didn't file with Equity properly", she told the ''Sunday News'' in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "I was sort of relieved. My voice isn't anything like Janis Joplin's, and there were 19 of her songs in the show."

Also in 2002 her second official United States hits collection, ''The Essentials: Laura Branigan'', was released, including the long out-of-print hit "I Found Someone".

Death[link]

Branigan died in her sleep at her lodge in East Quogue, New York, on August 26, 2004. The cause was attributed to a previously undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm. It was reported in the media that she had been experiencing headaches for several weeks before her death but did not seek medical attention. Her ashes were scattered over Long Island Sound.

Legacy[link]

Other Half Entertainment, Branigan's management company at the time of her death, continues to oversee her career legacy through her official website, www.LauraBraniganOnline.com, her official MySpace and Facebook pages, by taking part in various media opportunities, as well as through relationships with Warner Music Group and other entertainment industry entities. Other Half Entertainment serves as the comprehensive, official voice for her legacy interests, while keeping her artistic visions and standards at the heart of its operations.

In 2005, Other Half Entertainment organized a memorial for Branigan's friends and fans, held on the anniversary of her death, near the Long Island home in which she was caring for her mother at the time of her death. Following its initial success, the "Spirit of Love Memorial Gathering" remains an annual event in celebration of her life and the legacy of her passionate vocal performances and the heartfelt connection she made with her fans, whom she consistently referred to as "my other half".

Between 2006 and the present, Branigan's management company worked regularly with Warner Music Group entities in the production and release of various new greatest hits compilations. ''The Platinum Collection'' is an 18-song compilation including all the major hits as well as tracks such as "Silent Partners", "Satisfaction", "All Night With Me" and "If You Loved Me", that were four relatively new additions to Branigan hits compilations. In 2007, the 1995 "The Best of Branigan" was re-released as part of Rhino's 2007 "Greatest Hits" series of CDs. In 2008, Rhino/WEA authorized the re-release of three out-of-print Branigan albums, ''Touch'', ''Laura Branigan'' and ''Over My Heart''. In June 2010, ''Shine On: The Ultimate Collection'' was released, which for the first time, incorporated a PAL, DVD featuring official Atlantic music videos to 10 of Branigan's songs in addition to an 18-track CD including ''Forever Young'' which made its return to the greatest hits compilations. The CD contains edited versions of most songs.

At Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, the Laura Branigan Memorial Scholarship is given annually to a senior for excellence in the Performing Arts.

Discography[link]

Studio albums

''Branigan'' (1982)

''Branigan 2'' (1983)

''Self Control'' (1984)

''Hold Me'' (1985)

''Touch'' (1987)

''Laura Branigan'' (1990)

''Over My Heart'' (1993)

Compilation albums

''The Best of Laura Branigan'' (1988)

''The Very Best of Laura Branigan'' (1992)

''The Best of Branigan'' (1995)

''The Essentials'' (2002)

''The Platinum Collection'' (2006)

''Shine On: The Ultimate Collection'' (2010)

Filmography[link]

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1985	''Mugsy's Girls''	Monica	Also known as ''Delta Pi''
1988		Kate Lawrence
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
	''Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade''	Herself	Performer of "Gloria"
''Saturday Night Live''	Herself	Performer of "Gloria" and "Living a Lie"
	''CHiPs''	Sarah	Guest star in "Fox Trap" (Season 6, Episode 16)
	Herself	Performer of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve''	Herself	Performer of "How am I Supposed to Live Without You" and "Solitaire"
	''Automan''	Jessie Cole	Guest star in "Murder MTV" (Season 1, Episode 9)
	Herself	Her concert live from Caesars Tahoe
''Rock Rolls On''	Herself	Co-host, Performer of "Self Control" and "The Lucky One"
1985	''Cover Story''	Herself	Biography
1986	''Disney's Living Seas''	Herself	Performer and composer of "If I Were a River"
1988	''Record Guide '88''	Herself	Interview
1990		Herself	Her concert live from Atlantic City
1991		Amanda Smith-Jones	Guest star in "A Face for Radio" (Season 3, Episode 19)
Theater
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002		Janis Joplin	Awards and nominations[link] Year ! Group ! Category ! Song ! Result 1982 Best Pop Vocal Performance — Female 1983 Album of the Year [[American Music Awards">Off Broadway Awards and nominations[link] Year ! Group ! Category ! Song ! Result 1982 Best Pop Vocal Performance — Female 1983 Album of the Year [[American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist Tokyo Music Festival Grand Prix Award for Best Vocal Performance ^ This nomination was not awarded to Laura Branigan alone. References[link] External links[link] Laura Branigan official website Category:1957 births Category:2004 deaths Category:Actors from New York Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American dance musicians Category:American pop singers Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Deaths from cerebral hemorrhage Category:Female rock singers Category:Hi-NRG musicians Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:Singers from New York be:Лора Брэніган cs:Laura Branigan de:Laura Branigan et:Laura Branigan el:Λόρα Μπράνιγκαν es:Laura Branigan eo:Laura Branigan fa:لورا برانیگن fr:Laura Branigan ko:로라 브래니건 hr:Laura Branigan io:Laura Branigan id:Laura Branigan it:Laura Branigan hu:Laura Branigan nl:Laura Branigan ja:ローラ・ブラニガン no:Laura Branigan oc:Laura Branigan pl:Laura Branigan pt:Laura Branigan ru:Брэниган, Лора simple:Laura Branigan fi:Laura Branigan sv:Laura Branigan th:ลอรา แบรนิแกน tr:Laura Branigan uk:Лора Бреніген This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community. http://wn.com/Laura_Branigan name Hubert Kah background group_or_band origin Germany genre Synthpop, New Wave years active 1982–present label Polydor, Blow Up, RCA, Da Music, Ariola, Curb Records, What's Up ?! website current members Hubert Kemmler past members Klaus HirschburgerMarkus Löhr }} Hubert Kah is a German synthpop band, led by Hubert Kemmler who was born 22 March 1961 in Reutlingen. Kemmler is a German musician, composer, songwriter and producer. Biography [link] Kemmler's career began as a trio under the name Hubert Kah (Hubert Kemmler: vocals, keyboards - Markus Löhr: guitars, keyboards and Klaus Hirschburger: bass) at the time of the New German wave 1982 commercial success with the singles ''"Rosemarie"'', ''"Sternenhimmel"'' and ''"Einmal Nur Mit Erika... (Dieser Welt Entfliehn)"'', and with the albums ''"Meine Höhepunkte"'' and ''"Ich Komme"''. The singer caused a stir, especially with TV appearances in nightdress or straitjacket. Before Kemmler's music career he studied law at the University of Tübingen. As of 1984, the band began working with producer Michael Cretu. After a German album ''"Goldene Zeiten"'' (1984), the band recorded English language albums ''"Tensongs"'' (1986) and ''"Sound of My Heart"'' (1989), which were partly successful internationally. Together with Michael Cretu, Kemmler wrote and produced songs for other artists, including ''"Dancing Into Danger"'' by Inker & Hamilton, ''"Love at First Sight"'' by the band Münchener Freiheit and a number of tracks by Sandra such as ''"Maria Magdalena"'', ''"Heaven Can Wait"'', when wife Susanna Kemmler was partly responsible for the background vocals. Hubert Kemmler fell ill in the latter 1980s with depression and withdrew from music completely. After his recovery he appeared with a new version of the band in 1996 with the self titled ''"Hubert Kah"'' and the single ''"C'est La Vie"'' and ''"Sailing"''. The production with classic elements was not commercially as successful as hoped for by Kemmler. In 1998, a new single ''"Love Chain"'' and a best-of CD. Then Kemmler became ill again and had to again undergo medical treatment. In 2005, Kemmler began his second comeback with the album ''"Seelentaucher"''. The first single was called ''"No Rain"''. The album featured a mixture of English and German language tracks. In the spring of 2007, Hubert Kah went as Ice King Kini with the musical "Princess Lillifee" on tour in Germany. On 26 May 2007, he was one of four guests of honor at the acoustic concert the band ASP on the Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2007 in Leipzig. Kemmler currently lives in Mannheim and is working on a new album. Discography [link] Singles [link] 1982: Rosemarie 1982: Sternenhimmel 1983: Scary Monster 1983: Einmal nur mit Erika (...dieser Welt entflieh'n) 1984: Engel 07 1984: Wenn der Mond die Sonne berührt 1985: Goldene Zeiten 1985: Angel 07 (Japan und USA) 1986: Limousine 1986: Something I Should Know 1986: Love Is So Sensible 1987: Military Drums 1989: Welcome, Machine Gun 1990: So Many People 1990: Cathy/The Picture 1995: C'est la vie 1996: C'est la vie (New version) 1996: Sailing (Away From Me) 1998: Der NDW Kult Mix 1998: Love Chain (...Maria)/Rosemarie '98 2005: No Rain 2005: Psycho Radio 2005: Sekunden (Promo) 2007: Ich seh' den Stern am Himmel Albums [link] 1982: Meine Höhepunkte 1982: Ich komme 1984: Goldene Zeiten 1985: Angel 07 (Japan Mini-Album) 1986: Tensongs 1989: Sound of My Heart 1990: Best of Dance Hits 1996: Hubert Kah 1998: Best of Hubert Kah 2005: Seelentaucher References [link] Links [link] http://www.hubert-kah.com. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Hubert+Kah Category:German pop music groups Category:German New Wave musical groups Category:Synthpop groups cs:Hubert Kah de:Hubert Kah es:Hubert Kah fr:Hubert Kah pl:Hubert Kah pt:Hubert Kah ru:Hubert Kah This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community. http://wn.com/Hubert_Kah 3:03 Takeaways - Sweet & Sour (1984) nzoz1984 Takeaways - Sweet & Sour (1984) Music from Australia and New Zealand in the year 1984: Takeaways' promo-video for the hit single 'Sweet & Sour' taken from the 1984 album 'Sweet & Sour' - soundtrack album to the popular ABC-TV series of same name. Note: The Takeaways were a fictitious band that was the centre of an ABC-TV series tiled 'Sweet & Sour'; a tale about a young band seeking fame and fortune in the music industry. The Takeaways did not play their own instruments on this track, but instead left the music to professional musicians. The vocals on this track is performed by Deborah Conway of Do Re Mi. The song was written by the brilliant Kiwi songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The show was created by Tim Gooding and Johanna Pigott (ex-XL Capris/Scribble). Incidently, David Reyne (who plays Martin Kabel on guitar) was once a member of Australian Crawl with brother James. en.wikipedia.org Sweet_and_Sour_%28TV_series%29 ------------------------------------------- NZOZ NZOZ1984 1984 Australia Mid Eighties 1980's 1980s 80's 80s Extended Tags: David Reyne, Australian Crawl, Deborah Conway, Do Re Mi, Johanna Pigott, Sharon O'Neill Musical Terms: New Wave, Pop, Synth, Dance, Aussie, Old Australian Band 3:52 Odette Quesada - Breakin' In Two (©1984 Vicor/Blackgold Records) KulasPeroKalbo Odette Quesada - Breakin' In Two (©1984 Vicor/Blackgold Records) B-Side of Ms. Quesada's breakout hit "Friend Of Mine" from her Vicor/Blackgold debut "Hopeless Romantic." Prior to recording her own compositions, she has already made a name for herself as a hit songwriter. She has written songs for Kuh Ledesma (Til I Met You), Sharon Cuneta (To Love Again), and Gary Valenciano (Growing Up) to name a few. 3:50 Footloose - Kenny Loggins ( Original Music Video ) HD / HQ 1984 lineusan Footloose - Kenny Loggins ( Original Music Video ) HD / HQ 1984 Kenny Loggins - Footloose ( HQ / HD ) "Footloose" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was released in January 1984 as the first of two single by Loggins from the 1984 film of the same name. The song spent three weeks at number one, March 31—April 14, 1984 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was the first of two number-one hits from the motion picture, Footloose. The song was very well received, and is one of the most recognizable songs recorded by Loggins. When the American Film Institute released its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, "Footloose" reached the 96th position. The song was covered by country music artist Blake Shelton for the 2011 remake of the 1984 film. 6:05 SADE ADU 1984 INTERVIEW egoggles SADE ADU 1984 INTERVIEW Sorry! that's how it ended at the time! i ran out of tape but the interview ended very shorty after that. Helen Folasade Adu OBE (born 16 January 1959; better known as Sade), is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade. Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.Her middle name, Folasade, means honour confers your crown. Her parents, Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics of Yoruba background, and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse, met in London, married in 1955 and moved to Nigeria. Later, when the marriage ran into difficulties, Anne Hayes returned to England, taking four-year-old Sade and her older brother Banji to live with her parents. When Sade was 11, she moved to Holland-on-Sea to live with her mother,and after completing school at 18 she moved to London and studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. While in college, she joined a soul band, Pride, in which she sang backing vocals. Her solo performances of the song "Smooth Operator" attracted the attention of record companies and in 1983, she signed a solo deal with Epic Records taking three members of the band, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul Denman, with her. Sade and her band produced the first of a string of hit albums. Their debut album Diamond Life was in 1984. She is the most successful solo female artist in British <b>...</b> 3:09 Saves the Day - 1984 - 14th Street subwaysessionsdotcom Saves the Day - 1984 - 14th Street Saves the Day performs 1984 for Subway Sessions at 14th Street. 5:54 Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights 1984 Video stereo 16:9 widescreen sheerfolly2 Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights 1984 Video stereo 16:9 widescreen "No More Lonely Nights" is a song from the 1984 soundtrack album, "Give My Regards to Broad Street", by English singer-songwriter, musician and composer Paul McCartney. The soundtrack album is from the motion picture of the same name. While the film was not very successful, the album was, with the worldwide hit single "No More Lonely Nights" garnering much of the acclaim. The single was released on Parlophone in the UK and on Columbia Records in N. America. The single peaked at #2 in the UK and #6 in the US "No More Lonely Nights" was written by Paul McCartney and produced by George Martin. The track features a great guitar solo bridge by David Gilmour. Lyrics Link: www.lyricsmode.com show more add to playlist clear Video Suggestions Youtube Vimeo Dailymotion Yahoo Blip The World News (WN) Network, has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to user privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for wn.com, as well as e-mail newsletters. 1. Personal Information Collection and Use We do not collect personally identifiable information about you, except when you provide it to us. For example, if you submit an inquiry to us or sign up for our newsletter, you may be asked to provide certain information such as your contact details (name, e-mail address, mailing address, etc.). When you submit your personally identifiable information through wn.com, you are giving your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Policy. 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