Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Edwin McCain
background	solo_singer
born	January 20, 1970Greenville, South Carolina, USA
genre	RockAlternative rockIndie rock
instrument	VocalsGuitar
years active	1991–present
label	Lava, Vanguard, 429 Records }}

Edwin McCain (born January 20, 1970 in Greenville, South Carolina) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter and musician.

Career

While his albums are released under his name, he does have a permanent band, referred to as the Edwin McCain Band. Members of the band include Larry Chaney (guitar), Pete Riley (guitar and vocals), Craig Shields (keyboards, saxophone and other wind instruments), Jason Pomar (bass guitar and vocals) and Tez Sherrard (drums and percussion).

Long time touring friends with Hootie and the Blowfish, the Edwin McCain band signed with same label, Atlantic Records. In 1994, he recorded his first major-label album, ''Honor Among Thieves'' under the Lava Records imprint (Matchbox Twenty, Kid Rock and Jewel). The record was then released in 1995. His second album, ''Misguided Roses'', spawned "I'll Be", a major hit single in 1998. This song is also featured on the charitable album, ''Live in the X Lounge'', along with a live version of "Solitude". It was also featured and included in the soundtrack of the 2004 teen flick, ''A Cinderella Story''. Two more albums (''Messenger'' and ''Far from Over'') followed, but at the end of 2001, he split from Lava. In 2003 he released a collection of acoustic versions of songs both old and new called ''The Austin Sessions'' via ATC Records, a Nashville-based independent record label (at which McCain was the first artist signed following its creation in 2001). Mid-2004 saw the arrival of his first studio album in three years, entitled ''Scream & Whisper'', which was released on another indie label, DRT Entertainment.

He has released two DVDs to date. The first was through ATC records in late 2002, called ''Mile Marker: Songs and Stories from the Acoustic Highway'', and it consisted of interviews, live performances, and other material. The other was in late 2004, ''Tinsel & Tap Shoes''. It was his first live concert DVD, recorded at The House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Co-written & performed with singer/songwriter Maia Sharp, McCain released a single, "Hold Out a Hand." This song, available for a 99 cent download on iTunes, gives all profits to the relief of the hurricane victims of 2005.

Edwin McCain Band's newest original material CD, titled, ''Lost in America,'' was released on April 11, 2006, on Vanguard Records. This was album #9 and is said to be a true "rock 'n roll" collection. There were three single releases from this CD: "Gramercy Park Hotel", "Truly Believe", and "The Kiss."

Edwin's next release, a collection of R&B; cover songs entitled "Nobody's Fault But Mine" was released June 24, 2008 under a one off deal with Saguaro Road Records. Edwin will start work on the proper Vanguard Records follow up to "Lost In America" in the fall following the promotional tour for the covers album.

On 17 May 2009, Edwin performed on board USS ''John C. Stennis'', while the carrier was on a Western Pacific deployment in the vicinity of Guam.

On 30 August 2011, his tenth album "MERCY BOUND" was released from 429 records, reconnecting with fellow singer songwriter Maia Sharp.

Band members

Members of the Edwin McCain Band include Larry Chaney, lead guitar; Pete Riley, rhythm guitar and background vocals; Craig Shields, saxophone and keyboards; Jason Pomar, bass guitar; and Tez Sherrard. drums.

Discography

Albums

{| class="wikitable" !Release date !Title !Label !Billboard Top 200 chart position |- |1991 |''Nomadic Logic'' |rowspan="2"|Independent Release |align="center"| - |- |1993 |''Solitude'' |align="center"| - |- |August 15, 1995 |''Honor Among Thieves'' |rowspan="4"|Lava/Atlantic Records |align="center"|107 |- |June 24, 1997 |''Misguided Roses'' |align="center"|73 |- |June 15, 1999 |''Messenger'' |align="center"|59 |- |June 19, 2001 |''Far from Over'' |align="center"|105 |- |February 25, 2003 |''The Austin Sessions'' |ATC Records |align="center"| - |- |June 22, 2004 |''Scream & Whisper'' |DRT Entertainment |align="center"|183 |- |April 11, 2006 |''Lost in America'' |Vanguard Records |align="center"| - |- |June 24, 2008 |''Nobody's Fault But Mine'' | Saguaro Road Records |align="center"| - |- |August 30, 2011 |''Mercy Bound'' |429 Records | - |}

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Album
		! width="50"	! width="50"	! width="50"
		72	—	25
	—	—	—
1997		—	—	—
	align="left"	5	6	—
	—	—	—
		37	3	—
	—	—	—
2000		—	—	—
		—	27	—
	—	—	—
	—	—	—
	—	—	—
		—	—	—
	—	—	—
		—	—	—
	—	—	—
2007		—	—	—
2008		—	—	—

References

External links

EdwinFans.com (Fan site dedicated to the artist; includes photos, biography, and forum.)

EMBHolyCity.com (Fan site which includes tabs for Edwin McCain's music, tour dates and more)

EdwinMcCainMusic.com (Edwin McCain Band fan site with forum, slideshows, tour dates & contests)

Other

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American rock guitarists Category:People from Greenville, South Carolina Category:Vanguard Records artists Category:Musicians from South Carolina

de:Edwin McCain

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Warren Haynes
background	solo_singer
born	April 06, 1960Asheville, North CarolinaUnited States
genre	Southern rock, hard rock, blues, blues-rock
instrument	Guitar, vocals
occupation	MusicianSongwriterRecord producer
label	Epic, Sony, Sanctuary, Evil Teen Records
years active	1982-present
associated acts	The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule, The Warren Haynes Band, Dickey Betts Great Southern Band, The Dead, Dave Matthews Band, David Allan Coe
website	Official website,
notable instruments	Gibson Les Paul }}

Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Haynes is best known for his work as a guitarist for David Allan Coe and The Dickey Betts Band early in his career, and later as a founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule , and as a long time member of The Allman Brothers Band. Haynes also is known for his associations with the remaining members of The Grateful Dead, including touring as a member of Phil Lesh and Friends, and with The Dead . In addition Haynes founded and manages Evil Teen Records .

Personal background and style

In addition to singing and playing acoustic and electric guitar, Haynes is also a songwriter. He spent his formative years in Asheville, North Carolina, where he lived with his two older brothers and his father, Edward Haynes. Warren began to play the guitar at age 12. His primary guitar is a Gibson Les Paul '58 Reissue Electric Guitar. His choice of a '58 is most likely because of Duane Allman's famed '58 Les Paul and the tone he achieved with that, rather than the more commonly used '59 Les Paul model, popularized by guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page).

Haynes has referred to himself as a "Gibson man", often playing Gibson Firebird and Gibson ES-335 models as well as the Les Paul models. This was acknowledged by the American guitar maker Gibson Guitar Corp. which has included a limited edition ''Warren Haynes signature Les Paul'' in its product line. Built according to Haynes' specifications and modeled on his '58 Les Paul. Haynes is married to Stefani Scamardo, a DJ for Sirius radio and the long-time manager of Gov't Mule.

Influences

In a 2006 interview with Gibson.com's ''Backstage Pass'' Haynes explains his early influences : "When I first started—chronologically speaking—Hendrix and Clapton and Johnny Winter were the first three people I got turned on to. That was the Cream era of Clapton. Then eventually, I heard the Allman Brothers and everybody else from that era that I stole something from (laughs). Of course, I would read interviews with all these people and find out who they listened to. And they all listened to B.B. King and Freddie King and Albert King and Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and Elmore James, so I would go back and discover that stuff."

During the same 2006 interview Haynes talked about his realization of how much the blues had influenced his one-time employer, David Allen Coe. "When I joined Coe’s band, I realized how much he loved blues. Whenever his voice was tired on tour, we would go out just the two of us and open up with a bunch of Jimmy Reed songs. Then segue that into the show. One by one, the drummer would walk on and the bass player would walk on, and eventually the whole band would be onstage. He was really influenced by Jimmy Reed and Lightnin’ Hopkins. That stuff was way back in his formative years, so whenever it came out, it was very genuine."

Professional career

The early years and David Allan Coe

Warren Haynes joined David Allan Coe's touring and recording band in 1980 when he was 20 years old. Coe's bass guitarist Mickey Hayes had first seen Haynes performing at a nightclub called "The Brass Tap" in Asheville. Coe and the band had just finished a movie called ''Lady Grey'', and Coe had decided to drop his current lead guitarist at the time, so Hayes went to Coe and told him of a promising guitarist he'd seen play, recommended Haynes be hired to join the band and fill the spot. Upon Hayes' advice, Coe called and asked Haynes to join the band. He joined that night and played his first gig with the band in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

After playing with Coe for four years, Warren Haynes and Mickey Hayes left Coe and relocated to Nashville, where they shared an apartment and worked together to form the band "Rich Hippies" which consisted of Dennis Robbins on slide guitar and backing vocals, Mickey Hayes on Bass guitar and backing vocals, Mark Dever on drums, Warren Haynes on lead guitar and lead vocals, and Tommy Irwin on steel guitar. The band lasted over a year from 1984 to late 1985, during which they performed in various clubs around Nashville.

After the Rich Hippies, Haynes got a gig with The Nighthawks, while continuing to play with local musicians and doing session guitar and vocal work. One notable achievement of this period is a song he co-wrote with Dennis Robbins and Bobby Boyd for the famed country-rock musician Garth Brooks, titled "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House", which was released on the album ''No Fences'' and remained the number 1 single on ''Billboard'''s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for twenty weeks.

Dickey Betts Band and The Allman Brothers Band

Around 1987, Warren got a call to perform back up vocals on a studio album by Dickey Betts, along with Dennis Robbins. Dickey decided to add Warren to his band as his guitarist after this meeting. With Matt Abts on drums and Johnny Neel on keyboards the now formed Dickey Betts Band released the 1988 album ''Pattern Disruptive''.

In 1989, The Allman Brothers Band decided to reunite, and Betts recruited Haynes to join the band. Also joining were Johnny Neel on keyboards and Allen Woody on bass guitar. Haynes has since played on four well-received studio albums, including the gold certified ''Where It All Begins'' (1994). He also has played on four official live releases from the band, including the 2003 DVD ''Live at the Beacon Theatre''. Haynes and Woody left the group in March 1997 to focus solely on their side project Gov't Mule. Shortly after Woody's untimely death on August 26, 2000, Haynes began appearing with The Allman Brothers Band again in 2000 alongside young guitar prodigy Derek Trucks. He returned to the band as a full time member a few months later.

Gov't Mule

In 1994, Haynes formed Gov't Mule with Abts and Woody. Haynes and Woody initially split time between Gov't Mule and The Allman Brothers Band, but after The Allman Brothers' last show of their 1997 run at New York's Beacon Theatre on March 26, 1997, both left the band to focus on Gov't Mule full-time. They released three albums and became known for their powerful live performances. Some of these performances have been released as official live albums (''Live At Roseland Ballroom'', ''Live With A Little Help From Our Friends'' and ''Mulennium'' – the latter two capture their annual New Year's Eve shows).

In August 2000 Woody died, and a decision was made to finish the tour acoustically as the "Smile at Half-Mast" tour. Gov't Mule released two studio albums (''The Deep End, Volume 1'' and ''The Deep End, Volume 2'') and a live album/DVD (''The Deepest End, Live in Concert'') featuring many of Woody's favorite bass players. In 2003 Andy Hess (bass) and Danny Louis (keyboard/organ) were added as permanent members to the group and in late 2004 they released their first studio effort, ''Deja Voodoo'', which later included an EP of newly recorded material titled ''Mo Voodoo''. After recording 2006's ''High & Mighty'', Gov't Mule also released a dub EP titled ''Mighty High'' and a DVD titled ''Tail of 2 Cities'' that contained two full performances recorded in 2004 and 2006. The two shows on the DVD captured the first show of the Deja Voodoo Tour and the last show of the High & Mighty Tour, serving to encapsulate what was created over those two years. In 2008, Andy Hess left Gov't Mule to pursue other projects and was replaced by relative unknown Jorgen Carlsson. ''By a Thread'', the first studio album from Gov't Mule with Jorgen, was released in 2009 on Haynes' own label, Evil Teen Records.

In 2010 they went back to the vault and released Mulennium a 3 disc recording of a show from New Years Eve 1999 in Atlanta. This was the first official recording released of the original trio since the death of Allen Woody in 2000. It also featured an appearance by Little Milton, one of Warren's guitar heroes from his youth.

The Dead

Since the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, Warren has performed and toured with many of the remaining members of the Grateful Dead. In 1997 Warren and Matt came onstage to jam with Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman in a small club that was being filmed for Robert Mugge's film on Robert Johnson, ''Hellhound On My Trail.'' Then in 2000 Phil Lesh approached him to play lead guitar and sing for his solo group Phil Lesh & Friends, where he played for 3 years. In 2004 when The Dead (remaining members of the Grateful Dead) were in need of a new guitarist they called upon Haynes to come play lead and sing for that summer's "Wave That Flag Tour". His run with The Dead ended on a night where he came in with them, then performed a solo acoustic set, and then ended the night playing with The Allman Brothers Band and started out on his next tour with them. He played lead guitar for The Dead again in late 2008 when they performed at a benefit at Penn State for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and then toured with them in the Spring of 2009.

Solo artist and guest appearances

In 1993, Warren released his first solo album, ''Tales of Ordinary Madness'', which was produced by former Allman Brother keyboardist Chuck Leavell. He toured briefly in support of the record with various musicians.

In 2003 and 2004, Warren released two solo acoustic albums, ''The Lone EP'', a collection of live performances and ''Live From Bonnaroo'' which documents his solo performance at the 2003 Bonnaroo Music Festival. When not touring with one of his electric bands, Warren will often take time out to do solo acoustic shows which include a variety of well-known and rare covers along with his own material. In 2004, Warren Haynes performed five full-length solo acoustic shows, as well as opened 23 times for The Dead and once for The Allman Brothers Band.

He has also made 45 song appearances and 28 concert appearances with Dave Matthews Band, including on two released live albums: ''Live at Central Park Concert'' in which he performed "Cortez the Killer", and "Jimi Thing", and ''Live at Piedmont Park'' where he performed "What Would You Say".

In 2005 Warren performed a one time only show under the name Warren Haynes & Friends. The band included Abts on drums, Dave Schools of Widespread Panic on bass, John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood, and Skerik the avant-garde sax player of bands such as Critters Buggin' and Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. The group played a selection of blues songs, including songs of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Waits, and Gov't Mule standards. The band was also featured as the house band during a number of tapings of Carson Daly's late show in early February 2005. During one of these tapings, the scheduled musical act was absent, so Warren performed an acoustic rendition of U2's ''One''. The song also appeared on his ''Live from Bonnaroo'' album.

After recording Gov't Mule's ''By a Thread'' album, Haynes formed The Warren Haynes Band. The core of the group includes George Porter Jr. on bass, Ivan Neville on keys and Raymond Weber on drums. Also joining them on keys is Ian McLagan, as well as vocalist Ruthie Foster and Ron Holloway on tenor sax. The Warren Haynes Band made their debut performance at Haynes' annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, North Carolina on December 11, 2010. The album, Man in Motion, was released in May 2011.

Haynes has stated that his further solo efforts might take him into still other fields "There are other projects I want to do, too," he relates. "I'm interested in recording a singer-songwriter oriented album with more acoustic instruments, a jazzy instrumental CD and a straight-up blues record. But like Man In Motion, those albums will have to wait until the time is right."

The Christmas Jam

Starting in 1989, Haynes put together an annual charity benefit show, inviting musicians originally from his home town of Asheville who were home for Christmas, the only time of year they would all be in town at the same time. The first show, held at the ''45 Cherry'' club in Asheville on December 29, 1989, was dubbed "The Christmas Jam: Musician's X-Mas Reunion." Some of the artists at the first Christmas Jam were Warren Haynes, Mike Barnes, Crystal Zoo, The Stripp Band and the McBad Brothers Band.

In the initial years the proceeds from the concert were donated to various charities but eventually the organizers decided to focus on Habitat for Humanity , a charity that builds houses for the disadvantaged. In tribute to his financial support of Habitat for Humanity, a subdivision in Lower Hominy, North Carolina, a suburb of Asheville, North Carolina has a street named after Warren Haynes . In 2002, Haynes was presented the Key to the City of Asheville by Mayor Charles Worley. In 2003, Mayor Worley proclaimed December 18th "Warren Haynes Day."

The event has continued to grow every year and is now dubbed "Warren Haynes Presents: The Christmas Jam." Due to increasing audience demand the show was eventually moved to the Asheville Civic Center, and was now featuring many well known artists and friends Haynes played with over the years.

Some past performers include The Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Jackson Browne, Johnny Winter, Drive-By Truckers, DJ Logic, Peter Frampton, Gov't Mule, John Hiatt, Bruce Hornsby, Hot Tuna, John Paul Jones (musician), Ray LaMontagne, Phil Lesh & Friends, Umphrey's McGee, Little Feat, Living Colour, Branford Marsalis, Dave Matthews, Neville Brothers, New Orleans Social Club, North Mississippi Allstars, Phish's Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, John Scofield, Dr.Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, Taj Mahal Trio, Susan Tedeschi, The Derek Trucks Band,Bob Weir, Widespread Panic's John Bell, Dave Schools, John (Jo Jo) Herman, Todd Nance & Jimmy Herring, Kevin Kenney from Drivin' N Cryin', and Edwin McCain.

In 2008, for its twentieth anniversary, "The Christmas Jam" consisted of two nights of music; including "The Christmas Jam By Day," a series of events including daytime concerts, movie screenings, and art, photo, and poster exhibits taking place in downtown Asheville on the days leading up to the show. The event reverted to one night in 2009 but retained the "The Christmas Jam By Day," and included the new "Christmas Comedy Jam." The same format was repeated in 2010.

Instructional Videos

Haynes has recorded two instructional videos; ''Electric Blues & Slide Guitar'' and ''Acoustic Slide and the art of Electric Improvisation'' . He discusses his influences and shows an array of techniques such as "call and response", string bending, vibrato, slide guitar in standard tuning and some acoustic open tuning licks in G and E tunings. For the demonstrations of the Electric Improvisation section of the second video he is accompanied by Allen Woody and Matt Abts.

Taping policy

All of Warren Haynes' projects allow audio taping/trading/online distribution. He does not approve of video recording or photography of his performances and does not provide 'soundboard patches'. The Allman Brothers Band also allows pro-taping/trading, but discourages distribution of their shows via the internet via applications such as BitTorrent. In a 2005 ''USA Today'' article, Haynes stated that while widespread tape-trading may cut into band profits, "it does more good than harm. It brings more people into the fold"

Discography

Allman Brothers Band

''Seven Turns'', 1990

''Shades of Two Worlds'', 1991

''An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set'', 1992 (live)

''Where It All Begins'', 1994

''An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set'', 1995 (live)

''Hittin' the Note'', 2003

''Live at the Beacon Theatre''

''One Way Out'', 2004 (live)

Gov't Mule

''Gov't Mule'', 1995

''Live at Roseland Ballroom'', 1996

''Dose'', 1998

''Live ... With A Little Help From Our Friends'', 1998

''Life Before Insanity'', 2000

''Wintertime Blues: The Benefit Concert'', 2000

''The Deep End, Volume 1'', 2001

''The Deep End, Volume 2'', 2002

''The Deepest End, Live In Concert'', 2003

''Deja Voodoo'', 2004

''Mo' Voodoo (EP), 2005

''High & Mighty'', 2006

''Mighty High'', 2007

''Holy Haunted House'', 2007 (Live)

''By a Thread'', 2009

''Mulennium'', 2010 (Live)

Dave Matthews Band

Live at Piedmont Park

The Central Park Concert

Live Trax Vol. 20

Warren Haynes

''Tales of Ordinary Madness'' - 1993

''The Lone EP'' - 2003 (live)

''Live at Bonnaroo'' - 2004 (live)

''Man in Motion'' - 2011

Phil Lesh & Friends

''There and Back Again'' - 2002

Garth Brooks

''No Fences'', writing credits on song "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" - 1990

David Allan Coe

''Live - If That Ain't Country...'' , 1997 (live)

Corrosion of Conformity

''America's Volume Dealer - Stare Too Long'' - 2000

The Derek Trucks Band

''Already Free'', writing credits on song "Back Where I Started" - 2009

''Out Of The Madness'', vocal obligato and lead guitar on "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "Forty-Four" and "Death Letter" - 1998

Compilation

''Freeway Jam: To Beck and Back Jeff Beck Tribute'' - 2007 - Track #7 "The Pump"

Kevn Kinney (Drivin' N Cryin')

The Flower & The Knife - Producer, Backup Vocalist and Guitarist on most of the tracks - 2000

References

External links

Warren Haynes

Category:American rock guitarists Category:American blues guitarists Category:Slide guitarists Category:The Allman Brothers Band members Category:Gov't Mule members Category:People from Asheville, North Carolina Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Lead guitarists

de:Warren Haynes es:Warren Haynes fr:Warren Haynes it:Warren Haynes nl:Warren Haynes pl:Warren Haynes pt:Warren Haynes sv:Warren Haynes

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Justin Bieber
background	solo_singer
birth name	Justin Drew Bieber
birth date	March 01, 1994
birth place	London, Ontario, Canada
origin	Stratford, Ontario, Canada
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, trumpet
genre	Pop, R&B;, teen pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
years active	2008–present
label	Island, RBMG
associated acts	Usher
website	justinbiebermusic.com }}

Justin Drew Bieber ( , born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian pop/R&B; singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid. Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP ''My World'', followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Bieber's first full-length studio album, ''My World 2.0'', was released in March 2010. It debuted at number one or within the top ten in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single, "Baby". The music video of "Baby" is currently ranked as the most viewed and most discussed YouTube video. Bieber followed-up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums ''My Worlds Acoustic'' and ''Never Say Never – The Remixes'', and the 3D biopic-concert film ''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never'' – which had an opening weekend gross that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend for a concert-film. Bieber released his second studio album, ''Under the Mistletoe'' in November 2011, which debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. Bieber has received numerous awards, including Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards – and has been nominated for numerous awards, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. To date Bieber has sold more than 8 million albums worldwide.

Life and career

1994–2007: Childhood and youth

Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario in St Joseph's Hospital, and was raised in Stratford, Ontario. Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant. Mallette, originally from Stratford, raised her son with the help of her parents, Bruce and Diane. Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children. Bieber's great-grandfather was from Germany. Bieber's mother's ancestry is French Canadian. Bieber attended a French immersion school called the Stratford school Jean Sauve.

During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself. As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second. Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B; songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew. Chris Hicks, Bieber's A&R; at Island/Def Jam, explained the young artist's huge online following to HitQuarters by saying:

"He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B; hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kind of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs – it was real. And you wanted to hear more."

2008–09: Discovery and ''My World''

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident. Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label! ... you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?" However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13, to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes. A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B; singer/songwriter Usher. Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher. Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher. Usher then sought assistance in finding a label home for the artist from then manager Chris Hicks, who helped engineer an audition with his contact Antonio L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group. Reid signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records) and appointed Hicks as executive Vice-President of Def Jam where he would be able manage Bieber's career at the label. At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun. Braun became Bieber's manager.

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album. The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009, and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009 it had success in international markets. The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the US and Gold in Australia and New Zealand. Bieber's first release, an extended play entitled ''My World'', was released on November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promo singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100. "One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the US, being certified Gold in the latter. ''My World'' was eventually certified Platinum in the US and Double Platinum in both Canada and the UK. To promote the album, Bieber performed on several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program ''The Dome'', YTV's ''The Next Star'', ''The Today Show'', ''The Wendy Williams Show'', ''Lopez Tonight'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''It's On with Alexa Chung'', ''Good Morning America'', ''Chelsea Lately'', and BET's ''106 & Park'' with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of ''True Jackson, VP'' in late 2009.

Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for ''Christmas in Washington'', which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on U.S. television broadcaster TNT. Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009. Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World (a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version. On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.

2010–11: ''My World 2.0'' and ''Never Say Never'' film

"Baby", the lead single from his debut album, ''My World 2.0'', which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became his biggest hit thus far, charting at number five in the U.S. and reaching the top ten in seven other countries. Two promo singles "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada. According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews". It debuted at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963. ''My World 2.0'' also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries. To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including ''The View'', the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, ''Nightline'', ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', ''The Dome'' and ''106 and Park''. Bieber collaborated with Sean Kingston on his single "Eenie Meenie" which also appeared on Bieber's debut album. The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the top-twenty of most other markets. thumb|left|Bieber performing at the Conseco Fieldhouse, in August 2010 On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on ''Saturday Night Live''. On July 4, 2010, Bieber performed at the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City. The second single from ''My World 2.0'', "Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's mentor Usher. The single reached number ten in Canada, number fifteen in the United States, and the top twenty in multiple international countries.

On June 23, 2010, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, starting in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote ''My World'' and ''My World 2.0''. In July 2010, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched for celebrity on the Internet. That same month his music video, "Baby", surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" to become the most viewed, and most disliked YouTube video ever. In September 2010, it was reported that Bieber accounted for three percent of all traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.

Bieber began recording his second album in July 2010 in New York City. At this point, because of puberty, his voice was deeper than it was when he recorded his first album. In April 2010, the singer discussing his vocals remarked, "It cracks. Like every teenage boy, I'm dealing with it and I have the best vocal coach in the world. [...] Some of the notes I hit on "Baby" I can't hit anymore. We have to lower the key when I sing live."

Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', which aired on September 23, 2010. He played a "troubled teen who is faced with a difficult decision regarding his only brother", who is also a serial bomber. Bieber was also in a subsequent episode which aired on February 17, 2011, in which his character is killed. Bieber performed a medley of "U Smile", "Baby", and "Somebody to Love" and briefly played the drums at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. Bieber announced in October 2010 that he would release an acoustic album, called ''My Worlds Acoustic''. It was released on Black Friday in the United States and featured acoustic versions of songs from his previous albums, and accompanied the release of a completely new song titled "Pray".

A 3-D part-biopic, part-concert film starring Bieber entitled ''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never'', was released on February 11, 2011, directed by ''Step Up 3D'' director Jon Chu. It topped the box office with an estimated grossing of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters. It grossed $30.3 million for the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy ''Just Go With It'', which grossed $31 million. ''Never Say Never'' is said to have exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary. The film is accompanied by his second remix album, ''Never Say Never – The Remixes'', released February 14, 2011, and features remixes of songs from his debut album, with guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Kanye West, among others.

2011–present: ''Under The Mistletoe'' and ''Believe''

On February 27, 2011, Bieber attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with American actress and singer Selena Gomez, confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.

In June 2011, Bieber was ranked number 2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30. He is the youngest star and 1 of 7 musicians on the list raking in with $53 million earned in a 12 month period. On November 1, 2011, Bieber released ''Under the Mistletoe'', his second studio album. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 210,000 copies in its first week of release.

In late 2011, Bieber began recording his third studio album, entitled ''Believe''. Kanye West and Drake are confirmed to be featured on the album. On February 22, 2012, Bieber announced via Twitter that the first single off ''Believe'' will be released in March 2012. The following week, Bieber appeared on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' to announce that the first single will be called "Boyfriend" and was released on March 26, 2012. The song was co-written by Mike Posner.

Image

Justin Bieber has a higher score on the Klout online "influence" scale than Barack Obama or The Dalai Lama. According to Jan Hoffman of ''The New York Times'', part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, ''My World'', in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views. Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun. Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly; his account was reported in November 2010 to have over 6 million followers. Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day. The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube. Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image. After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of ''The Los Angeles Times'' comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."

Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as ''Tiger Beat'', and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob". Bieber has released a collection of nail varnishes to raise awareness for charity. Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London. His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time; one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.

Bieber has been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention. He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube. Nick Collins of ''The Daily Telegraph'' speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".

Personal views

Bieber is a Christian, and said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".

Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in ''Rolling Stone'' sparked controversy. Asked about abstinence, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He said he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby". He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision." Bieber has contributed to the It Gets Better Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.

Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship and has criticized America's health care system. Praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", he cited its health care system as a model example.

Twitter

, Bieber's Twitter account (@justinbieber) is the second most popular celebrity account behind that of Lady Gaga. By mid-April 2012, he had over 20 million followers. His follower acquisition is one new follower every other second. His popularity on Twitter at one point accounted for three percent of all Twitter related traffic, with a Twitter employee commenting that "racks of servers are dedicated" to Bieber. This resulted in over 180 million page views for the service each month. Bieber was frequently a trending topic on Twitter when the feature first launched because his fans frequently discussed him on the network. and was named the top trending star on Twitter in 2010; Klout gave his account a score of 100.

The size of Bieber's and Gaga's follower bases are cited as a reason why marketers should pay attention to Twitter: with an ability to reach millions of people with a single tweet. 8.3% of tweets mentioning "bieber" were semi-automated and probably Twitter related spam. Research done about Twitter and the 2011 Egyptian revolution includes Bieber as he made tweets about the topic at a time when he had roughly 8 million followers. His multiple tweets resulted in 32,000 responses each, which made Bieber's Twitter account one of the single largest nodes for discussion about the uprising one of the largest on Twitter.

In March 2012, Bieber fans launched an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Lady Gaga as the most popular celebrity on Twitter. Neither Bieber nor Lady Gaga discussed their mutual fanbase's campaigns on Twitter.

Discography

''My World 2.0'' (2010)

''Under the Mistletoe'' (2011)

''Believe'' (2012)

Tours

2009: Urban Behavior Tour

2010–2011: My World Tour

Filmography

rowspan="4" ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' Himself

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
rowspan="2"	2009	''True Jackson, VP''	>rowspan="3"| Guest star
''My Date With...''
	Silent Library (MTV series)>Silent Library''
''School Gyrls (film)	School Gyrls''	Cameo
''Saturday Night Live''
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Jason McCann
''Hubworld''	Guest star
''The X Factor (UK)''	Performer
rowspan="9"	2011	|	Guest star
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Jason McCann
''Khloé & Lamar''	|Episode:The Father In Law (uncredited) Himself playing the NBA Celebrity All Star Game
''Saturday Night Live''
''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never''	Himself
''Dancing With The Stars''	Guest star
''So Random!''	Himself
''Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade''	Guest star
''The X Factor (UK)''	Performer

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links

Category:1994 births Category:Canadian child singers Category:Canadian Christians Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Category:Canadian Internet personalities Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian people of French descent Category:Canadian people of German descent Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian rhythm and blues singers Category:Child pop musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Island Records artists Category:Musicians from Ontario Category:People from Stratford, Ontario Category:Living people

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