Eros
The Eros Farnese, a Pompeiian marble thought to be a copy of the colossal Eros of Thespiae by Praxiteles[1]
God of love and attraction
Abode	Mount Olympus
Symbol	Bow, Arrows, Candles, Hearts, Cupids, Wings and Kisses
Consort	Psyche
Parents	Chaos or Aphrodite and Ares or Aphrodite and Hermes, or Iris and Zephyrus
Siblings	Gaia, Tartarus, Harmonia, Anteros, Himeros, Phobos, Adrestia and Deimos
Children	Hedone
Roman equivalent	Cupid

Eros (/ˈɪərɒs/, US: /ˈɛrɒs/; Greek: Ἔρως, "Desire"), in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire"). Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite.

The Shaftesbury Memorial in Piccadilly Circus, London, is popularly mistaken for Eros.^[2] In fact it represents Anteros.

Evolution of the cult and depiction of Eros[link]

Eros appears in ancient Greek sources under several different guises. In the earliest sources (the cosmogonies, the earliest philosophers, and the mysteries), he is one of the primordial gods involved in the coming into being of the cosmos. But in later sources, Eros is represented as the son of Aphrodite whose mischievous interventions in the affairs of gods and mortals cause bonds of love to form, often illicitly. Ultimately, in the later satirical poets, he is represented as a blindfolded child, the precursor to the chubby Renaissance cupid – whereas in early Greek poetry and art, Eros was depicted as an adult male who embodies sexual power.^[3][4]

A cult of Eros existed in pre-classical Greece but it was much less important than that of Aphrodite. However, in late antiquity, Eros was worshiped by a fertility cult in Thespiae. In Athens, he shared a very popular cult with Aphrodite, and the fourth day of every month was sacred to him.^{[citation needed]}

Primordial god[link]

According to Hesiod (c. 700 BC), one of the most ancient of all Greek sources, Eros was a primordial god, that is, he had no parents. He was the fourth god to come into existence, after Chaos, Gaia (the Earth), and Tartarus (the Abyss or the Underworld).^[5]

Homer, curiously, does not mention Eros. However, Parmenides (c.400BC), one of the pre-socratic philosophers, makes Eros the first of all the gods to come into existence.^[6]

The Orphic and Eleusinian Mysteries featured Eros as a very original god, but not quite primordial, since he was the child of Night (Nyx).^[3] Aristophanes (c. 400BC), influenced by Orphism, relates the birth of Eros and then of the entire human race:

At the beginning there was only Chaos, Night (Nyx), Darkness (Erebus), and the Abyss (Tartarus). Earth, the Air and Heaven had no existence. Firstly, blackwinged Night laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Darkness, and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Love (Eros) with his glittering golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated in the deep Abyss with dark Chaos, winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race, which was the first to see the light.^[7]

Son of Aphrodite[link]

This section requires expansion.

Eros depicted as an adult male, Attic red-figure bobbin (ca. 470–450 BC).

[Hera addresses Athena:] “We must have a word with Aphrodite. Let us go together and ask her to persuade her boy [Eros], if that is possible, to loose an arrow at Aeetes’ daughter, Medea of the many spells, and make her fall in love with Iason . . .” (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 3. 25 ff – a Greek epic of the 3rd century B.C.)

"He [Eros] smites maids’ breasts with unknown heat, and bids the very gods leave heaven and dwell on earth in borrowed forms." (Seneca, Phaedra 290 ff)

"Once, when Venus’son [Cupid, aka Eros] was kissing her, his quiver dangling down, a jutting arrow, unbeknown, had grazed her breast. She pushed the boy away. In fact the wound was deeper than it seemed, though unperceived at first. [And she became] enraptured by the beauty of a man [Adonis]." (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 525 ff)

"Eros drove Dionysos mad for the girl [Aura] with the delicious wound of his arrow, then curving his wings flew lightly to Olympos. And the god roamed over the hills scourged with a greater fire.” (Nonnus, Dionysiaca 48. 470 ff – a Greek epic of the 5th century AD)

Eros and Psyche[link]

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss in the Louvre, Paris.

The story of Eros and Psyche has a longstanding tradition as a folktale of the ancient Greco-Roman world long before it was committed to literature in Apuleius' Latin novel, The Golden Ass. The novel itself is written in a picaresque Roman style, yet Psyche retains her Greek name. Eros and Aphrodite are called by their Latin names (Cupid and Venus), and Cupid is depicted as a young adult, rather than a child.^[8]

The story tells of the struggle for love and trust between Eros and Psyche. Aphrodite was jealous of the beauty of mortal princess Psyche, as men were leaving her altars barren to worship a mere human woman instead, and so she commanded her son Eros, the god of love, to cause Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. But instead, Eros falls in love with Psyche himself and spirits her away to his home. Their fragile peace is ruined by a visit from Psyche's jealous sisters, who cause Psyche to betray the trust of her husband. Wounded, Eros leaves his wife, and Psyche wanders the Earth, looking for her lost love. Eventually she approaches Aphrodite and asks for her help. Aphrodite imposes a series of difficult tasks on Psyche, which she is able to achieve by means of supernatural assistance.

A Roman copy of Eros Stringing his Bow from the Capitoline Museum.

After successfully completing these tasks, Aphrodite relents and Psyche becomes immortal to live alongside her husband Eros. Together they had a daughter, Voluptas or Hedone (meaning physical pleasure, bliss).

In Greek mythology, Psyche was the deification of the human soul. She was portrayed in ancient mosaics as a goddess with butterfly wings (because psyche was also the Ancient Greek word for 'butterfly'). The Greek word psyche literally means "soul, spirit, breath, life or animating force".

Child god[link]

This section requires expansion.

In late antiquity the satyrical poets depicted Eros as a blindfolded child who shoots his arrows at unlikely targets, engendering farcical love affairs.

See also [link]

• Aphrodite
• Ares
• Cupid
• Eros (concept)
• Erotes
• Greek words for love
• Hermaphroditus
• Kamadeva
• Love at first sight
• Symposium (Plato)

References [link]

Further reading[link]

• Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Eros"

External links [link]

• Media related to Eros at Wikimedia Commons
• Eros: Greek Protogenos god of Procreation
• Eros: Greek god of Love
• Eros at Hellenistai Wiki

Tina Turner
Tina Turner performing in the GelreDome, 1985
Background information
Birth name	Anna Mae Bullock
Also known as	Tina Turner, Ann Bullock, Little Ann
Born	(1939-11-26) November 26, 1939 (age 72) Nutbush, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Origin	Brownsville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Genres	Rock, soul, R&B, pop
Occupations	Singer, dancer, author, actress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1958–present
Labels	EMI, United Artists, Capitol, Parlophone, Virgin
Associated acts	The Ike & Tina Turner Revue

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards.^[1][2] Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.^[3] Success followed with a string of hits including "River Deep, Mountain High" and the 1971 hit "Proud Mary". With the publication of her autobiography I, Tina (1986), Turner revealed severe instances of spousal abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce. After virtually disappearing from the music scene for several years following her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career, launching a string of hits beginning in 1983 with the single "Let's Stay Together" and the 1984 release of her fifth solo album Private Dancer.

Her musical career led to film roles, beginning with a prominent role as The Acid Queen in the 1975 film Tommy, and an appearance in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. She starred opposite Mel Gibson as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, and her version of the film's theme, "We Don't Need Another Hero", was a hit single. She appeared in the 1993 film Last Action Hero.

One of the world's most popular entertainers, Turner has been called the most successful female rock artist^[4] and was named "one of the greatest singers of all time" by Rolling Stone.^[5] Her combined album and single sales total approximately 180 million copies worldwide.^[6][7][8][9] She is known for her energetic stage presence,^[2] powerful vocals, career longevity,^[8] and widespread appeal.^[10] In 2008, Turner left semi-retirement to embark on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.^[11][12] Turner's tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008–2009.^[7] Turner was raised a Baptist, but converted to Buddhism and credits the spiritual chants with giving her the strength that she needed to get through the rough times.^[13] Rolling Stone ranked her at 63 on their 100 greatest artists of all time and considers her the "Queen of Rock and Roll".^[14]

Early life[link]

Anna Mae Bullock was born in Nutbush, an unincorporated area in Haywood County, Tennessee, on November 26, 1939, the daughter of Zelma Bullock (née Currie), a factory worker, and Floyd Richard Bullock, a Baptist deacon, farm overseer, and factory worker.^[15][16] She long believed her mother had significant Native American ancestry,^[17] specifically Navajo and Cherokee; however, a DNA test showed her to be 66% African American, 33% European and 1% Native American.^{[18][19][20][21]} She attended Flag Grove School in Haywood County, Tennessee (the land for the school was sold below market value to the school trustees by her great great-uncle in 1889).^[21] Ann's older sister was named (Ruby) Aillene. For a time during World War II, their parents relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee to do factory work. By the time of their return to Nutbush, they separated and later divorced following an abusive marriage. Zelma Bullock later relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. Floyd Bullock moved to Detroit and later settled in California.

Ann and her sister relocated to Brownsville where they were raised by their grandmother. She recalled in her early years working with her parents at a farm as sharecroppers. She performed on several talent shows as a child and sang at her church choir. She was raised Baptist and lived most of her childhood as a tomboy participating in her high school's basketball team. When she was 14, she began work as a domestic for a family in Ripley. This continued until she was sixteen when her half-sister Evelyn was killed in a car crash followed by the death of her grandmother around the same time. After her mother returned from St. Louis to attend her funeral, she invited her daughter to move with her in St. Louis, where Anna and her sister reunited. In St. Louis, she attended Sumner High School.^[22] She eventually graduated from the school in 1958 and, following graduation, took work as a nurse aide at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Ike & Tina Turner[link]

Tina performing with Ike Turner in 1972.

Origins[link]

Ann became enthralled by St. Louis's thriving nightlife, and her sister often took her out to clubs, much to their mother's chagrin. Anna was introduced to Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm band at Club Manhattan in East St. Louis, where Aillene served as a barmaid and was then dating a Kings of Rhythm member. It was there that Ann also began dating one of the Kings of Rhythm band mates. Ann pursued Ike Turner for months asking him to let her sing with his band but Turner was reluctant to have her in his band. When she was seventeen, she sang during an intermission in the Kings of Rhythm show at Club Manhattan after she was giving a microphone by the band's drummer. Impressed by her vocals, Ike allowed her to join the band as an occasional lead and background vocalist.^[23] Ike gave Ann her first stage name, Little Ann, during this time and included her in his record, "Box Top", which was a local hit in St. Louis after its 1958 release on a St. Louis label titled Tune Town, Ann sung with a male vocalist named Carlson Oliver, that was a member of the Kings of Rhythm. In November 1959, when vocalist Art Lassiter failed to show up for a recording session for Ike's composition, "A Fool in Love", Anna was told to lay down a guide vocal. Ike intended to eventually have Lassiter record over Anna's take, for the final production.

Ike Turner met with Sue Records president Juggy Murray in New York, and played the demo for him. Upon hearing it, Murray insisted Turner keep Ann's vocals, and gave Ike a $25,000 advance, convinced the song would become a hit single.^[24] In response to this, Ike Turner decided to form a duo around him and Ann. In the process, he changed her name from Little Ann to Tina Turner, stating he got the name because he felt it "sounded good". Despite the early romanticized version of their story in the biopic, What's Love Got to Do with It, Ike Turner and Ann Bullock were not romantically involved until around the release of "A Fool in Love", which by then had been released under the billing Ike & Tina Turner,^[25] effectively starting the duo and launching Ann into show business. Ike Turner claimed later that he helped mold and shape Tina Turner's style and image.^[26]

Early success[link]

"A Fool in Love" was released in the spring of 1960 and by late summer the song had reached number two on the R&B chart and crossed over to number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 later going on to sell a million copies. After Ike and Tina Turner made their national television debut performing the song on American Bandstand in October 1960, she gave birth to Ike's child, Ronald Renelle. Ike and Tina's relationship started around 1959 shortly after Raymond Hill, a member of Ike's Kings of Rhythm, childhood friend of Ike's, and father of Tina's first-born son, left the band due to monetary complaints. Tina had moved into Ike's home after she had been kicked out of her mother's house following news of her pregnancy. The relationship started while Ike was still married to his wife, Lorraine, who was mother of two of his children. Both Ike and Tina felt strange about the relationship with Tina later saying she felt forced into a sexual relationship. Ike had felt the affair was incestuous, later telling an interviewer that "it felt like I was strewing (sic) my sister."^[27] Neither Ike nor Tina felt a strong attraction: Tina didn't think Ike was physically handsome while Ike felt Tina was "too skinny" to be his girlfriend since, according to Tina, he favored curvaceous women. Lorraine Taylor eventually left Ike with his children after a confrontation with Tina.

Sue Records followed the success of "A Fool in Love" with "I'm Jealous" but the record bombed. The couple quickly recovered with the release of the top 5 R&B single, "I Idolize You". Their second top 40 pop hit, "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", surpassed "A Fool in Love" on the pop charts reaching #14 and winning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock & Roll Performance. In 1962, this was followed by "Tra La La" and "Poor Fool" while "You Shoulda Treated Me Right" had milder success. With the arrival of Tina Turner, Ike Turner changed his band's name from The Kings of Rhythm to the Ike & Tina Turner Revue and featured a backing girl group he named The Ikettes. A strenuous touring schedule built up the band's reputation as one of the hottest R&B acts in the chitlin' circuit. By 1963, Ike Turner had upgraded their shows to include raunchy choreography for Tina and the Ikettes, with their energized shows only matched by James Brown and The Famous Flames. Ike Turner himself hated to be in front of the spotlight and chose to perform with his back mainly turned to the crowd though he occasionally would come out in front during skits with Tina. The success of their revue led to numerous other revue-led package shows from crossover R&B labels such as Motown and Stax. At a time when racially mixed audiences were still a controversy, Ike and Tina Turner were one of the few acts to perform openly for mixed audiences due to the money that they could bring to its venues, especially in the American South.^[28]

In 1962, Ann Bullock married Turner in Tijuana, Mexico.^[29] Following this, she began raising Turner's previous sons, Ike Turner, Jr. and Michael, while her eldest son Craig Bullock (born from her earlier relationship with Raymond Hill, a saxophone player in Ike's band), adopted Turner's last name after Ike adopted him as his own. Tina raised them and her only child with Ike, Ronald.^[30] The Turners' relationship with Sue Records ended in 1964. Between that year and 1969, Ike and Tina Turner recorded for a various number of labels, in part due to Ike Turner's demands for money and lucrative deals. They recorded over a dozen albums including several live recordings during that period and kept themselves in the public eye during the mid-1960s by appearing on shows such as American Bandstand, Hollywood A Go-Go, Shindig!, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Andy Williams Show where their brand of entertainment was given both critical and artistic raves. Their performing success kept the Turners in the public eye while their records plummeted.

Mainstream success[link]

After several years touring the chitlin' circuit and other major rock and roll venues, Ike and Tina Turner began reaching the pinnacle of their success after the release of the pop-oriented ballad, "River Deep - Mountain High". While the song's initial release flopped at the time of its release in 1966, it led to modest international success in Europe. Upon hearing the track and another UK hit the group recorded, which was a cover of the Motown ballad, "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)"; Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones asked the couple to open for them on their 1966 UK tour, which they obliged. The single became a bigger success in the UK, reaching #3 there. After their successful opening spot on the Stones' tour, Ike Turner renegotiated contracts for Tina and The Ikettes and Ike & Tina on several successive labels. In 1968, Ike produced the number, "You Got What You Wanted (Now You Don't Want What You Got)" under the billing "Tina Turner with Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm", while recording the album, So Fine. That year, Ike and Tina signed with Blue Thumb where much of the musical focus was mainly on blues and blues rock material. The albums, Outta Season and The Hunter produced their best charted success in years with the releases of the songs, "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "The Hunter" and "Bold Soul Sister" respectively, with "Bold Soul Sister" later winning Tina Turner a solo Grammy nomination.

During performances of "I've Been Loving You Too Long", Ike choreographed Tina to perform suggestively to the microphone, a practice Tina later said she hated doing but did it because she felt she had no say in it as it was Ike Turner's band. Due to this success, the Turners were invited to perform in Las Vegas and their shows would be attended by the likes of David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley.^[31] This exposure also led to Tina Turner and Ike Turner being on the cover of the rock magazine, Rolling Stone three times between 1967 and 1971. In 1970, the group signed with Liberty Records and scored their first top 40 US hit in years with their cover of Sly & The Family Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher" and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Dick Cavett Show and the Mike Douglas Show. This success led to an extended run in Vegas and also more opportunities to perform for bigger venues though the couple still frequented predominantly black venues including The Apollo Theater. In 1971, they released the Workin' Together album, which led to their biggest successes with the former album producing a hit version of "I Want to Take You Higher" and the latter producing their biggest hit single, a frenzied cover of "Proud Mary", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1971, two months after it was released.^[32] The song later won the duo a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.^[33]

By 1972, the group had even made headlines by performing at Carnegie Hall, which was documented for a double live album. That year, they switched to United Artists Records and released ten albums between 1971 and 1978 (two albums were released posthumously following the duo's infamous 1976 split). In 1973, the group released their final hit with "Nutbush City Limits", culminating in the duo's full embrace of funk rock rhythms. Though the song was musically composed by Ike, Tina was solely credited to the song as its lyricist. The song peaked at number twenty-two on the Hot 100 and number four in the UK.^[34] In 1974, the Turners released several albums including The Gospel According to Ike & Tina, which later won the duo another Grammy Award nomination for Best Soul Gospel Performance, and Tina's first solo album, Tina Turns the Country On, which won Tina Turner another Grammy nod for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.

Decline in popularity[link]

By the mid-1970s, Tina's personal life and marriage had fallen apart. Ike's growing cocaine use led to increasingly erratic and physically abusive behavior. Ike Turner also played a hand in their professional career hitting the doldrums for refusing to accept any outside management and using all the money he earned to maintain his cocaine habit. This led to low ticket sales and lower record sales. By 1975, Ike Turner was so addicted to cocaine that he couldn't make it to rehearsals for scheduled TV appearances leading Tina Turner to be onstage without her partner. That year, Tina accepted an offer to appear in The Who's rock opera, Tommy. Tina's role in the film as the Acid Queen proved to be successful as critics raved of her appearance on the film.

Ike Turner responded by releasing Tina's second solo album, Acid Queen, which in turn became the last Ike & Tina associated album to be released and featured the duo's last charted single, "Baby Get It On". A non-album single, "Delilah's Power", was also released during the same time. Tina's increasing independence led to increasing fights between the couple. In July 1976, Tina and Ike had a violent fight before an appearance at the Dallas Statler Hilton, where Tina alleged that this is when she hit Ike back "for the first time". After arriving at the hotel, Tina left Ike, fleeing with nothing more than thirty-six cents and a Mobil gas station credit card in her possession. She spent the next few months hiding from Ike while staying with various friends.^[35][36] Following this, Tina filed for divorce on July 27 after fourteen years of marriage, ending the Ike & Tina Turner Revue for good.

Tina would later credit her new-found Nichiren Buddhist^[37] faith with giving her the courage to strike out on her own. By walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was legally responsible to tour promoters for the canceled tour. Needing to earn a living, she became a solo performer, supplementing her income with TV appearances on shows such as The Hollywood Squares, Donny and Marie, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Brady Bunch Hour.^[38] After a year in court, their divorce was made final on March 29, 1978. In the divorce, she completely parted ways with him retaining only her stage name and assuming responsibility for the debts incurred by the canceled tour as well as a significant IRS lien.^[39]

Life after the Revue[link]

After lying low for a year following her separation from Ike Turner, Tina Turner went back on the road in 1977 supporting herself with a cabaret act in Las Vegas. In 1978, Tina released her third solo album (and her first album since her separation from Ike) entitled Rough on EMI Records. The album was considered a departure from the blues rock sound of Ike & Tina. Choosing to focus on "happier music" and strong readings of hard rock songs, the album would yield four singles, none of which charted. In 1979, Turner released the disco-infused Love Explosion album, but it also failed to chart.^[40]

Due to the albums' performances, United Artists and EMI Records dropped Turner from her contract after her obligations ended with the companies. Turner supported herself by touring constantly, starting her first solo tour with The Wild Lady of Rock 'n' Roll in 1978. Following the end of the tour in 1979, she was invited to perform on Olivia Newton-John's musical variety show in Australia, where she met Newton-John's manager Roger Davies and pursued him to manage her career. Davies accepted Turner's offer after seeing her perform in San Francisco in 1980 and advised Turner to revamp her stage act. Despite her career downturn, Turner remained popular as a stage performer.^[41]

Return to prominence[link]

In 1981, Turner made headlines when she performed at the Ritz Theater in New York, leading to Turner performing with Rod Stewart, first on Saturday Night Live and then on his televised Los Angeles concert tour. That same year, Turner appeared onstage with her old 1960s acquaintances The Rolling Stones. In 1982, Turner teamed up with B.E.F. for a remake of the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion".^[42] The song became a hit in European dance clubs. Following this success, the producers asked her to incorporate a cover of Al Green's classic, "Let's Stay Together". Released in November 1983, just days before Turner's 44th birthday, the song became a hit single in the UK reaching number six on their charts and also became a hit in several other European countries.^[43][44] The success of "Let's Stay Together" in Europe convinced Turner's new company Capitol Records to release the song in the US in early 1984, with the song reaching number twenty six on the Billboard Hot 100^[45] while also peaking at the top five of the R&B and dance charts.^[46][47]

Following its success, Capitol quickly gave Turner a new three-album contract and had them do an album, with Turner later staging what Ebony magazine called an "amazing comeback".^[48] Done in two months, the album Private Dancer, was released in June 1984. That same month, Turner issued the album's second single, "What's Love Got to Do with It". It quickly reached the top ten within a month and in September had reached number one on the Hot 100 in the US, making it the first time in Turner's career that she had reached that position. Private Dancer peaked at the top five of the Billboard album charts later selling five million copies in the US and a total of eleven million copies worldwide,^[49][50][51] though some sources stated the album has sold over twenty million^[4] making it her most successful album. Private Dancer also featured two more top ten singles, the rock-oriented "Better Be Good to Me" and the seductive title track while another US single, "Show Some Respect", became a modest top forty hit. Turner's comeback was culminated in early 1985 when she won four Grammy Awards including Record of the Year for "What's Love Got to Do with It". In February of that year, she embarked on her second world tour supporting the Private Dancer album, where she toured to huge crowds. One show, filmed at Birmingham, England's NEC Arena, was later released on home video. During this time she also contributed on vocals to the USA for Africa benefit song, "We Are the World".

Turner's success continued in 1985 when she appeared in her first acting role in ten years in the film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, playing Aunty Entity, the ruler of Bartertown.^[52] Upon its release, the film grossed $36 million.^[53] Turner later received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress for her role in the film and also contributed songs to the film's soundtrack, two of which, "We Don't Need Another Hero" and "One of the Living", became hits, with "One of the Living" later winning Turner a Grammy for Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In July, Turner performed at Live Aid alongside Mick Jagger.^[54] Encouraged by a performance together during Tina's filmed solo concert in England, singer Bryan Adams released their duet single together, "It's Only Love", later resulting in a Grammy nod for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Subsequent releases[link]

Turner on tour with special guest Eric Clapton, June 17, 1987 in Wembley Arena, England

Turner returned with her next solo album, Break Every Rule, in 1986. The album quickly became platinum launching several hit singles including "Typical Male", "Two People" and "What You Get Is What You See" going on to sell two million copies in the United States and four million together worldwide. That same year, Turner published her autobiography, I, Tina, which she talked about her early life and volatile marriage to Ike Turner. She later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that summer. Turner's European Break Every Rule Tour, which culminated in March 1987 in Munich, contributed to record breaking sales and concert attendances. In January 1988, Turner made history alongside Paul McCartney when she performed in front of the largest paying audience (approximately 184,000) to see a solo performer in Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil earning her a Guinness World Record.^[55] The success of Turner's two live tours led to the recording of Tina Live in Europe, which was released that April. Turner lay low following the end of her Break Every Rule Tour emerging once again with Foreign Affair, which included one of Turner's signature singles, "The Best". She later embarked on an European-only tour to promote the album. While Foreign Affair would go gold in the United States, with its singles "The Best" and "Steamy Windows" becoming top forty hits there, it wasn't as successful as Turner's previous offerings, though it was hugely successful in Europe, where Turner had personally relocated.

In 1991, Ike and Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Phil Spector later accepted on their behalf. That same year, the ex-couple signed away their rights to have their lives dramatized in the semi-autobiographical film, What's Love Got to Do with It, later released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike, with the actors later winning Best Actress and Best Actor Academy Award nominations for their portrayals of the former husband-and-wife team. Turner contributed to the soundtrack for What's Love Got to Do with It, re-recording songs from her Ike and Tina days and recording several newer songs including what turned out to be her last top ten US hit, "I Don't Wanna Fight". Other than helping Bassett with her wardrobe and teaching her dance steps as well as providing songs for the soundtrack, she refused to be involved fully in the film, telling an interviewer "Why would I want to see Ike Turner beat me up again? I haven't dwelled on it; it's all in the past where it belongs." Following the film's and soundtrack's release, Turner embarked on her first US tour in seven years. Following the tour's end, Turner moved to Switzerland and took a year off from the road at the end of the tour.

Turner returned in 1995 with the U2 composition, "GoldenEye" for the James Bond film of the same name. Its huge success in Europe and modest success in her formerly native United States led Turner to record a new album, releasing the Wildest Dreams album in 1996. Though the album itself was not as hugely successful in the United States, thanks to a world tour and a much played Hanes hosiery commercial, the album went gold in the United States. The album reached platinum success in Europe where Turner had hits with "Whatever You Want", "Missing You", which briefly charted in the US, "Something Beautiful Remains", and the sensual Barry White duet "In Your Wildest Dreams". Following the tour's end in 1997, Turner took another break before re-emerging again in 1999 appearing on the VH-1 special Divas Live '99. In 1998 the duet with Italian superstar Eros Ramazzotti in "Cose della Vita" that became a European hit. Before celebrating her 60th birthday, Turner released the dance-infused song, "When the Heartache Is Over" and its parent album, Twenty Four Seven the following month in Europe, releasing both the song and the album in North America in early 2000. The success of "When the Heartache is Over" and Turner's tour supporting the album once again helped in the album going gold in the U.S. The Twenty Four Seven Tour became her most successful concert tour to date and became the highest-grossing tour of 2000 according to Pollstar grossing over $100 million. Later, Guinness World Records announced that Turner had sold more concert tickets than any other solo concert performer in music history.^[8][56] Afterwards Turner announced a semi-retirement.

Recent years[link]

In 2002, Tennessee State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway".^[57][58][59] In 2003, she teamed up with Phil Collins to record the song "Great Spirits" for the Disney film Brother Bear.

In 2004, Turner released a new compilation, All the Best, and released the single "Open Arms". The song became a modestly successful European hit and a modest R&B hit in America. In 2005, Turner briefly performed on shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and The View. All the Best became Turner's first album to go platinum in the U.S. in over eleven years.

U.S. President George W. Bush congratulates Turner during a reception for the Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House on December 4, 2005. From left, the honorees are singer Tony Bennett, dancer Suzanne Farrell, actress Julie Harris, and actor Robert Redford.

At the end of the year, Turner was recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and was elected to join an elite group of entertainers.^[60] President Bush commented on Turner's "natural skill, the energy and sensuality",^[61] and referred to her legs as "the most famous in show business".^[62] Several artists paid tribute to her that night including Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge (who performed "River Deep - Mountain High", Queen Latifah (who performed "What's Love Got to Do with It"), Beyoncé (who performed "Proud Mary"), and the Reverend Al Green (who performed "Let's Stay Together"). Winfrey stated, "We don't need another hero. We need more heroines like you, Tina. You make me proud to spell my name w-o-m-a-n,"^[63] and "Tina Turner didn't just survive, she triumphed." In November, Turner released All the Best - Live Collection and it was certified platinum by the RIAA.

In early 2006, the All the Invisible Children soundtrack was released. Turner sang "Teach Me Again" from the All the Invisible Children soundtrack with Elisa charted at No. 1 in Italy. In May 2007, Turner returned to the stage to headline a benefit concert for the Cauldwell Children's Charity at London's Natural History Museum. This was her first full show in seven years. Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released an album paying tribute to singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entitled River: The Joni Letters on September 25, 2007, on which Turner contributed her vocals to a version of "Edith and The Kingpin". On October 16, 2007, Carlos Santana released an album entitled Ultimate Santana which featured Turner singing "The Game of Love", a song originally intended for her to sing, but which was instead released by Santana with Michelle Branch due to demands from the recording label.

On December 12, 2007, Turner issued a brief statement through a spokesperson regarding the death of her former husband Ike Turner:^[64] "Tina hasn't had any contact with Ike in more than 30 years. No further comment will be made."^[65]

Turner performed with Beyoncé at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2008. It was Turner's first major public performance since her record-breaking Twenty-Four Seven Tour.^[66][67] In addition, she picked up a Grammy as a featured artist on River: The Joni Letters. On May 5, 2008, she performed in a televised concert and interview for the Oprah show at Caesar's Place in Las Vegas with long time friend Cher.

Turner embarked on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour on October 1, 2008,^[68] which began on in Kansas City, Missouri at the Sprint Center. The album, Tina!: Her Greatest Hits, was released in support of the tour.

In 2009, Turner participated in the Beyond singing project with fellow musicians Regula Curti, Seda Bagcan and Dechen Shak Dagsay. This CD combined Buddhist chants and Christian choral music along with a spiritual message read by Turner.^[69] The album was released only in Germany and a handful of other countries. It peaked at No. 7 in Switzerland. In 2011, Children Beyond followed and charted again in Switzerland.

A new live album was released by Parlophone in September 2009 entitled Tina Live. The double disc set included the full concert recorded in the Netherlands as part of her 50th Anniversary Tour on DVD and selected tracks on CD. It is only Turner's second live album with the first, Tina Live in Europe, being released twenty years previously in 1988.

In April 2010, Turner once again had a hit with her 1989 single The Best. It peaked at No.9 in the UK Singles Chart after an internet campaign by supporters of Glasgow Rangers Football Club.^[70]

Personal life[link]

Born in a farm in Nutbush, a town in Haywood County, Tennessee, Tina's parents subsequently abandoned her at a young age before reaching her teen years. She moved to Brownsville to stay with her close grandmother. After her grandmother died when she was sixteen, her mother moved her to St. Louis. Tina Turner had two sisters, Alline Selico and Evelyn Currie, both of whom are deceased. She was close to both sisters growing up and later credited Alline with introducing her to Ike Turner after taking her to Club Manhattan which Turner frequented. After Tina graduated from St. Louis' Sumner High School at 18, she became pregnant with musician Raymond Hill's child. Hill was a childhood friend of Ike Turner's and an original member of Ike's Kings of Rhythm band. After her mother kicked her out of her house after finding out about the pregnancy, Tina moved in Ike Turner's home in East St. Louis, where she remained until she and Ike relocated to Los Angeles in 1964.

Tina's accounts of her life with Ike Turner differ from his accounts: whereas Turner alleged in her memoirs, I, Tina that Ike Turner was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive towards her, Ike Turner alleged that he never beat her but did admit to "slapping her a few times" and "punching her to the ground without thinking" in his own memoirs, Taking Back My Name. In 1976, after years of alleged abuse, Tina left him after suffering a beating by Ike's hands while in Dallas.^[26] Ike Turner pursued her for half a year stopping his pursuits in 1977. Tina filed for divorce and left most of the monetary assets in Ike Turner's care while retaining the use of her stage name as a means to perform.^[39] Ike Turner later alleged that their marriage was illegal,^[26] and that Tina took his last name to discourage a former lover's attempt to reconcile with her, resulting in her full stage name of Tina Turner.^[71]

Turner was introduced to Buddhism by a friend of hers and Ike's in 1972. Turner wrote in her autobiography that she first used Buddhist chants (mainly nam myoho renge kyo) before performing at a recording session at Ike's Bolic Sounds studio and it resulted in Ike sending her money to go shopping, showing Buddhism as both a source of strength and a means of getting what she wanted. Two years later, she converted to Nichiren Buddhism and later credited the religion for getting her through the rough times especially during her post-Ike/Revue life and career.^[72] In 1985, she met her current companion, German-based music executive Erwin Bach, while at a record label party in London. They began dating a year later and have remained together since. Turner has been living in a lakehouse called Chateau Algonquin in Zurich^[73] since moving there in 1994.^[74][75] She also has had residences in London, Cologne and on the French Riviera.^[76]

Tina is a mother to four sons. His first son, Raymond Craig, was from her brief affair with Kings of Rhythm band mate Raymond Hill, born weeks before Tina's 19th birthday, in 1958. She had one more biological child, Ronald Renelle, with Ike Turner, born in October 1960. Following Tina's subsequent marriage to Ike, she raised two of Ike's eldest sons, Ike Turner, Jr. and Michael, from Ike Turner's marriage to Lorraine Taylor.

Awards and accolades[link]

Turner was listed on Rolling Stone's list "The Immortals — The Greatest Artists of All Time".^[5] Turner is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee,^[77] and three of her recordings, "River Deep - Mountain High" (1999), "Proud Mary" (2003) and "What's Love Got To Do With It" (2012) are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[78] Turner has won 8 Grammy Awards.^[8]

Bryan Adams, who toured with her on the Private Dancer Tour, praised Turner's live performances, saying, "I never saw Tina walk through a performance, she always put on a great show, and was gracious and grateful to her audience."

Her legs were noted specifically as she was honored by President George W. Bush.^[79]

Discography[link]

Tours[link]

	Book: Tina Turner
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• 1978–1979: Wild Lady of Rock Tour
• 1982–1984: Nice 'n' Rough Tour
• 1985: Private Dancer Tour
• 1987–1988: Break Every Rule Tour
• 1990: Foreign Affair Tour
• 1993: What's Love? Tour
• 1996–1997: Wildest Dreams Tour
• 2000: Twenty Four Seven Tour
• 2008–2009: Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tina Turner

• Tina Turner at the Internet Movie Database
• Tina Turner at AllRovi
• Tina Turner at Allmusic
• Tina Turner's Entry on the St. Louis Walk of Fame

Tina Turner links v t e Tina Turner Studio albums Tina Turns the Country On! Acid Queen Rough Love Explosion Private Dancer Break Every Rule Foreign Affair Wildest Dreams Twenty Four Seven Live albums Tina Live in Europe VH1 Divas Live '99 Tina Live Soundtracks Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome What's Love Got to Do with It Compilations Simply the Best The Collected Recordings – Sixties to Nineties All the Best Tina! The Platinum Collection Videography One Last Time Live in Concert All the Best – The Live Collection Tina Live Tours Private Dancer Break Every Rule Foreign Affair What's Love? Wildest Dreams Twenty Four Seven Tina!: 50th Anniversary Related articles Discography Awards Ike & Tina Turner I, Tina What's Love Got to Do with It (film) Book:Tina Turner v t e Tina Turner singles Acid Queen "Baby Get It On" (with Ike Turner) "Whole Lotta Love" "Acid Queen" Rough "Viva La Money" "Root, Toot Undisputable Rock 'n Roller" "Sometimes When We Touch" "Night Time Is the Right Time" Love Explosion "Love Explosion" "Back Stabbers" "Music Keeps Me Dancin'" Private Dancer "Let's Stay Together" "Help!" "What's Love Got to Do With It" "Better Be Good to Me" "Private Dancer" "I Can't Stand the Rain" "Show Some Respect" Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" "One of the Living" Break Every Rule "Typical Male" "Back Where You Started" "Two People" "Girls" "What You Get Is What You See" "Break Every Rule" "Paradise Is Here" "Afterglow" Tina Live in Europe "Nutbush City Limits (Live)" "Addicted to Love (Live)" "Tonight (Live)" (with David Bowie) "A Change Is Gonna Come (Live)" "634-5789 (Live)" (with Robert Cray) Foreign Affair "The Best" "I Don't Wanna Lose You" "Steamy Windows" "Look Me in the Heart" "Foreign Affair" "Be Tender with Me Baby" Simply the Best "Nutbush City Limits (The 90s Version)" "Way of the World" "Love Thing" "I Want You Near Me" "(Simply) The Best" (with Jimmy Barnes) What's Love Got to Do with It "I Don't Wanna Fight" "Disco Inferno" "Why Must We Wait Until Tonight" "Proud Mary (1993 Version)" Wildest Dreams "GoldenEye" "Whatever You Want" "On Silent Wings" "Missing You" "Something Beautiful Remains" "In Your Wildest Dreams" (with Barry White) Twenty Four Seven "When the Heartache Is Over" "Whatever You Need" "Don't Leave Me This Way" "Talk to My Heart" All the Best "Open Arms" "Complicated Disaster" Guest singles "Ball of Confusion" (with B.E.F.) "Tonight" (with David Bowie) "It's Only Love" (with Bryan Adams) "Tearing Us Apart" (with Eric Clapton) "It Takes Two" (with Rod Stewart) "Cose Della Vita" (with Eros Ramazzotti) "Teach Me Again" (with Elisa) Book:Tina Turner v t e Ike & Tina Turner Ike Turner Tina Turner Studio albums The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner Dance with Ike & Tina Turner's Kings of Rhythm Dynamite! Don't Play Me Cheap It's Gonna Work Out Fine Please Please Please River Deep - Mountain High Workin' Together Feel Good Nutbush City Limits Live albums Festival of Live Performances The Ike & Tina Turner Review Live Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show Compilations Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter The Ike & Tina Turner Story 1960-1975 Singles "A Fool in Love" "Whole Lotta Love" "I Idolize You" "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" "Poor Fool" "Tra La La La La" "River Deep - Mountain High" "A Love Like Yours" "I've Been Loving You Too Long" "Bold Soul Sister" "The Hunter "Come Together" "I Want To Take You Higher" "Proud Mary" "Nutbush City Limits" Videos Live in '71 Related topics Discography The Ikettes Albums Songs Book:Tina Turner

Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Ramazzotti, April 28, 2004
Background information
Birth name	Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti
Born	(1963-10-28) October 28, 1963 (age 48) Rome, Italy
Genres	Adult contemporary, pop, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1981–present
Labels	DDD, Ariola, Norte Records
Website	www.ramazzotti.com

Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti (born October 28, 1963), known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian musician and singer-songwriter.^[1] Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both Italian and Spanish.^[2]

Since 1984, he has released 11 studio albums, one EP, three compilation albums, three live albums, and 37 singles. Ramazzotti has sold over 40 million records in his 25-year career.^[3] His repertory includes duets with artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Patsy Kensit, Anastacia, Joe Cocker, Ricardo Arjona, Luciano Pavarotti, Laura Pausini, and Ricky Martin.^[3]

Ramazzotti first gained international success in 1993, with the release of Tutte storie, which amassed six million album sales and occupied the top five in every country where he had previously released albums.^[3] This success led to a BMG International record contract in 1994.^[3] His audience appeal comes from several factors, including his unique voice, which can be described as somewhat nasal but nevertheless forceful and resonant, and his energetic delivery of catchy, melodic tunes which are often passionate mid-tempo autobiographical ballads, with instrumentation that is rich in soft-rock influence.^[4] Most of his albums have been recorded in both Italian and Spanish.

Biography[link]

Childhood and early beginnings (1963–1981)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti was born on October 28, 1963 in Cinecittà, a suburb of Rome, Italy. He was named after Eros, the Greek god of love. He took up playing the guitar at age seven.^[5] As a teenager, he wrote songs with help from his father, Rodolfo, a construction worker and music lover who played piano. He wanted to attend a musical conservatory but failed the admission examination, and started training in bookkeeping, but dropped out.^[3] He occasionally appeared as an extra in films while spending most of his time dreaming of having a career as a pop-star.^[3]

In 1981, Ramazzotti took part in a music contest, Voci Nuove di Castrocaro (new voices of Castrocaro Terme) with the song "Rock 80", which he himself wrote, performing in front of various record label representatives.^[1] Although the contest was won by Zucchero and Fiordaliso, Ramazzotti reached the final and received two votes from Roberto Galanti and Baron Lando Lanni, who represented the recently launched Italian Label DDD (Drogueria di Drugolo). DDD gave Eros his first contract. He moved to Milan with his brother, Marco and his mother, Raffaella, and they initially lived in the same building as the record label company.^[3]

Career breakthrough (1982–1986)[link]

Ramazzotti's first single, "Ad un amico" (To a Friend), was released in 1982, and was not particularly well received.^[6] Soon after, Eros met Renato Brioschi,^[3] who mentored the young artist toward his first success in 1984 at the highly regarded Sanremo Festival. His song, "Terra promessa" (Promised Land) won the Newcomers' category, and was subsequently released widely throughout Europe.

In 1985, Ramazzotti again took part in the Sanremo Festival with his song "Una storia importante" (An Important Story), taken from his debut album Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts). While only placing sixth at the festival, "Una storia importante" was released as a single and became a huge hit in many European countries, including France where it sold a million units.^[3] His second album Nuovi eroi (New Heroes), released in 1986, earned two Platinum-awards in Switzerland with over 100,000 sales, and Gold status in Germany with over 250,000 sales.^[7][8] At his third Sanremo Festival appearance in 1986 his memorable single, "Adesso tu" (Now You) from Nuovi eroi won the overall competition.^[6]

Popularity established (1987–1994)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti in the early 1990s

In 1987, Ramazzotti went on a nine-month-long tour after releasing his third album In certi momenti (Sometimes), performing in front of more than a million people.^[1] In certi momenti went Gold in Germany with over 250,000 sales and Platinum in Switzerland with over 50,000 sales, and reached more than 3 million copies worldwide.^[1][7][8] As his career developed, he performed "La Luce Buona Delle Stelle" (The Good Light of the Stars) with Patsy Kensit on November 22, 1987, and released a seven-track mini-album Musica è (Music Is) in May 1988.

His fifth album, In ogni senso (In Every Sense), released in April 1990, attracted more than two hundred journalists from around the world to the album's press conference launch in Venice.^[3] An American record producer, Clive Davis, advised Ramazzotti to hold a concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City,^[3] and he became the first Italian artist to perform at the renowned concert hall, performing before a sell-out crowd. However, he was later disappointed to learn that most of his audience was of Italian descent, having hoped for a more widespread breakthrough.^[5] During that visit to the USA, Ramazzotti also performed on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.^[5] In ogni senso earned multiple Gold and Platinum album awards around the world, including a Platinum in Germany for over 500,000 sales,^[8] a triple Platinum in Switzerland for over 150,000 sales, and Platinum in the Netherlands for sales of over 100,000 units.^[9][10]

His 1991 double-CD release Eros in Concert was followed by another long tour, including a concert in Barcelona, Spain before 20,000 fans on 4 December, the day of his live CD's release.^[3]

In 1993, he released Tutte storie (All Stories), and he toured in Europe and 15 Latin American countries, where he has released his Spanish language albums. That November, Ramazzotti performed "Cose della vita" (Things of Life) at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin. Tutte storie entered the Top-5 album list in many countries in Europe including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.^[11] The album earned Ramazzotti four Platinums in Switzerland for sales of over 200,000 units, a Platinum in Germany for sales of over 500,000 units,^[8][9] and Platinum status in many other counties including the Netherlands, Sweden, Argentina and Austria.^{[12][13][14][15]} Tutte storie eventually sold six million copies worldwide which played a significant role in helping Ramazzotti get his contract with BMG International.^[3]

Worldwide commercial success (1995–2002)[link]

In the summer of 1995, Ramazzotti participated in the European summer festival along with Rod Stewart, Elton John and Joe Cocker. His seven-million-seller album, Dove c'è musica (Where There Is Music) was released on May 13, 1996,^[3] his first completely self-produced album.^[3] On December 5 of the same year, his companion of several years and future wife Michelle Hunziker (Swiss model and television host) gave birth to their daughter, Aurora Sophie.^[3]

In October 1997, he released Eros – Greatest Hits, which contained two new songs, "Quanto amore sei" (How Much Love Are You) and "Ancora un minuto di sole" (Just One More Minute of Sunshine), as well as reworked versions of previous hits including "Musica è" (duet with Andrea Bocelli) and "Cose della vita - Can't Stop Thinking of You" in a duet with Tina Turner. This collection entered the Top-5 in France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland, and reached No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, selling 1.2 million units in its first week of release according to BMG International.^{[16][17][18][19]} The album was certified five times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for selling well over five million units in Europe alone.^[20] The album also attained two Latin-type Platinum certifications by RIAA for sales of over 400,000 units in USA.^[21] That year, Ramazzotti was awarded "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[22]

In 1998, he released the live CD Eros Live, which included two duets recorded during the world tour, "Cose della vita-Can’t Stop Thinking of You" featuring Tina Turner, and "That's All I Need to Know-Difenderò" with Joe Cocker, performed in Munich. In 1999, Ramazzotti again collaborated with Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli, singing "Nel Cuore Lei" (In Your Heart) for Bocelli's album, Sogno (Dream). The album sold over 10 million albums worldwide, gaining more recognition for Ramazzotti. In 1999, he was again awarded as "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[23] Throughout his career, Ramazzotti has done duets with some very well known artists such as Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana, Tina Turner, Anastacia, Luciano Pavarotti, and Laura Pausini.^[3]

Ramazzotti gained a reputation as a seasoned producer with the album Come fa bene l’amore (Feels good to love) by Gianni Morandi in the beginning of 2000.^[3] That October, he delivered his eighth studio album Stilelibero (Freestyle), which contained a duet with the American diva, Cher, in the song "Più che puoi" (As Much As You Can). The album, the result of a collaboration of several producers including Celso Valli, Claudio Guidetti, Trevor Horn and Rick Nowels, reached the Top-5 album charts throughout Europe and was certified two times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for sales of over two million units in Europe alone.^[20][24] In the course of the international tour for Stilelibero, Ramazzotti also appeared in eastern European countries including Moscow, Russia where he gave a three-day sold out concerts at Kremlin Palace.^[3]

Continued success (2003–present)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti at Sommarkrysset 2009

On May 30, 2003, Ramazzotti released his ninth studio album, entitled 9. The first single, "Un'emozione per sempre" (An Emotion Forever) was released on 9 May, and was number one in Italy's official single chart for 14 consecutive weeks.^[3] The album, produced along with Claudio Guidetti and Eros’s longtime musical friend Celso Valli, stayed at the No. 1 position for nine weeks in Italy's official album chart.^[3] 9 went on selling 3.5 million copies, 1.1 million of which were sold in Italy alone.^[3] He began his world tour in Ancona, Italy which was set to have 100 dates in front of audiences of up to one million people (56 dates of which were done in Europe in front of 550,000 people).^[3]

On October 28, 2005, Ramazzotti's 10th album Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) was released on the day of his birthday, which he produced together with Claudio Guidetti. The album Calma apparente, which was certified Platinum within a period of just one month after its release for selling over one million copies in Europe,^[25] contains the duet hit single "I Belong to You" with American singer Anastacia, the single went No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany and Switzerland.^[26] Throughout the years, Eros has gained popularity especially in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, and most Spanish-speaking countries.^[4]

More than ten years after Ramazzotti's first compilation album Eros, which has sold total of 7.5 million copies worldwide and has reached No. 1 in many countries including Germany,^[3][19] Ramazzotti released a new double-CD compilation-album e² on October 26, 2007; the first CD contained four new tracks and 14 original songs in a remastered format, and the second CD had 17 redone tracks, and feature artists such as Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Steve Vai, Jon Spencer. The four unreleased pieces on the e² album include a new international duet "Non siamo soli" (We're Not Alone) which Eros sings along with Latin pop star Ricky Martin. This became the first single taken off the album, and was available for sale on October 5, 2007, reaching the top spot in Italy and entering the top-5 in Switzerland and Spain.^[27][28] In Spain, the Spanish-language version "No estamos solos" was certified four times Platinum for having been downloaded over 80,000 times in Digital format, whereas it was certified six times Platinum for having been downloaded 120,000 in Original Tone format (equivalent to US Master Ringtone).^[28] The single, available both in Italian and Spanish, was written by Ramazzotti and his longtime songwriting partner Claudio Guidetti.^[29]

Ramazzotti's 11-track album, Ali e radici (Wings and Roots), was released on May 22, 2009, produced by Eros himself as well as his long time musical partner Claudio Guidetti; in addition, six tracks on the album are co-produced by Michele Canova who has previously worked with artists such as Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro and Jovanotti.^[30] The first single "Parla con me" ("Talk to Me"), released on 17 May 2009, off his 11th studio album, is a catchy pop song which has peaked at No. 1 in Italy and No. 8 in Switzerland.^[31] The album was available both in a standard-edition as well as in a deluxe-edition, which includes 64-page booklet of photographs, and it entered the Top-5 in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and was number-one in Italy and Switzerland.^[19][32]

During his 25 year career he has sold over 40 million records worldwide.^[3]

Personal life[link]

In his personal life, Ramazzotti remains with only few good friends, mostly due to his conspicuous personality.^[33] Ramazzotti had a poor childhood, and recalls having had limited access to books and general guidance as he grew up:

As a child growing up, there were no books in my parents' home, no suggestions were ever made how to even have a decent conversation, no guidance was provided in search of oneself. The only source of information that I would get from my father was the inappropriate photos of women. The first thing as a support that I received from my father was a guitar after he recognized my passion for music. Nowadays, I try to self educate myself by purchasing good books which I almost never read because I become lazy after glancing at a football game on TV.^[33]

Ramazzotti recalls being extremely shy in the early 1980s before achieving fame:

When I went to Milan to further develop my musical skills, I remember being so shy at the time that I would simply get terrified of going to restaurants all by myself, so I would go without eating throughout my time in Milan.^[33]

Ramazzotti was married from 1998 to 2002 to Swiss model and actress Michelle Hunziker. They have a daughter together, Aurora, who was born on December 5, 1996. His 320-page autobiography, co-written by Luca Bianchini, was published April 13, 2006.^[34]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts) (1985)
• Nuovi eroi (New Heroes) (1986)
• In certi momenti (At Certain Times) (1987)
• Musica è (Music Is) (1988)
• In ogni senso (In Every Sense) (1990)
• Tutte storie (All Stories), (1993)
• Dove c'è musica (Where Music is) (1996)
• Stilelibero (Freestyle) (2000)
• 9 (2003)
• Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) (2005)
• Ali e radici (Wings and Roots) (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Eros in Concert (1991)
• Eros Live (1998)
• 21.00: Eros Live World Tour 2009/2010 (2010)

Compilation albums[link]

• Eros (1997)
• e² (2007)

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] Echo Awards

[edit] Italian Music Awards

Premio Italiano della Musica[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ali e Radici.com
• erosramazzotti.TV international website
• German Official Website
• Eros Ramazzotti Fan Page (USA~Unofficial)
• Biography of Eros Ramazzotti, from RAI International
• Eros Ramazzotti Polish/English Site
• Eros Ramazzotti Russian Site
• Eros Ramazzotti photos and videos
• CZ & SK fanclub
• Label Website

Late Night Alumni is a US house group composed of Ryan Raddon (Kaskade), Finn Bjarnson, John Hancock, and vocalist Becky Jean Williams. They are primarily known for mixing dance music with strings and soft trance-like vocals from lead singer Becky Jean Williams.^[1]

Biography[link]

Finn Bjarnson stumbled upon Becky Jean Williams (sister to R. John Williams, the lead singer of Faded Paper Figures) in the summer of 2003. “I had just been given a local Christmas CD that I had produced a couple tracks for,” Finn recalls, “and as I was listening through the tracks, there she was! Her beautiful voice and style immediately struck me.” A couple of phone calls later and they were in the studio together for the first time. “I had worked up this song called ‘Empty Streets’ and wanted to try her voice out on it...” Finn continues, “and it took off from there!”

Finn had already been working in the studio with Ryan Raddon (aka Kaskade), and soon Finn, Ryan, and Becky formed Late Night Alumni. In 2004, Hed Kandi made an offer to license and release a full length Late Night Alumni album. “At that point,” Finn says, “I knew the band was not ready. We were missing an element.” That missing element turned out to be John Hancock; a talented local producer with whom Finn had been trying to “find an excuse” to work with for years. The band was complete and hard at work at the debut Late Night Alumni album; mixing electronic and organic elements for a unique brand of chill that is easily distinguishable in today’s down tempo house music scene.

Empty Streets was released in September, 2005. Around the same time, Hed Kandi was bought out by Ministry of Sound and the album got shelved. However, despite lack of support from the group's record label, it soon grew into an underground classic.

The single of the same name received massive support in both clubs and on radio, getting Top Ten Radio Play in the UK and U, and reaching #1 in Spain. “Empty Streets” has also been licensed to commercials including a spot for the Toyota IQ. In addition, more than a dozen dance compilations have licensed the track, and it remains the most popular and downloaded song on Tiesto’s “In Search Of Sunrise” compilation.

Also, two of Late Night Alumni's songs, "Uncharted" and "You Can Be the One" have been featured in a new Steve Carell movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. which released on 29th June, 2011.

Of Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Etc. (2009 Album)[link]

Of Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Etc., the follow-up album to Empty Streets, was released as a digital download on November 3, 2009, with the physical CD released on February 2, 2010 on Ultra Records. On September 1, 2009, the group released "You Can Be The One," their first single from the album, which was available on Beatport & iTunes.^[2] This single was followed up with a remix by Sultan & Ned Shepard, which was released on September 23, 2009.

A music video for a live rendition of "You Can Be The One" was recorded at Velour in Utah. It features four violinists along with the four members of Late Night Alumni. Fans are comparing the video to Kaskade's live version of "4AM," which also features Becky Jean Williams on lead vocals and Finn Bjarnson on guitar.^[3]

An acoustic version of a song titled, "Golden," on their upcoming album was posted on their YouTube channel. Another live version of a new track, "What's In A Name," was also posted onto their channel.^[4]

Haunted (2011 Album)[link]

Haunted was released as a digital download on February 8, 2011. During the recording process, the group hoped to create a different dynamic by physically working together through most of the process rather than being isolated and using electronic communication methods to collaborate.^[5] The name of the album was inspired by ideas of being haunted by nostalgia and memories from the past while dealing with change in the present, although the old character of the undisclosed location in Salt Lake City where they recorded may have also influenced the title.^[6]

Two singles have been released so far, It's Not Happening and Main Street.

The song In The Ashes was also well received, and is a fan favorite.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2005 - Empty Streets
• 2009 - Of Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Etc.
• 2011 - Haunted

Singles/EPs[link]

Collaborations[link]

• 2012 - How Long with Kaskade

References[link]

http://www.youtube.com/user/LNAmusic

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Official Myspace
• Artist Page at Ultra Records
• Hed Kandi
• Kaskade
• Official Facebook Page