Name	Fate
Background	group_or_band
Genre	Melodic hard rock, heavy metal
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Years active	1985 – 19932004 – present
Label	Capitol Records, EMI, MTM Records
Associated acts	Mercyful Fate, Freak Kitchen, Force Of Evil, King Diamond
Url	The Official Website For Fate
Current members	Pete SteinerSøren HoffJens BerglidMikkel HendersonDagfinn Joenson
Past members	See: Former members

Fate, Danish heavy metal band originally formed in 1984. They released four albums between 1984-1990 before disbanding in 1993. However after a one-off reunion at a German music festival in 2004, Fate was reformed and released a new album, V, in 2006.

Brief history

The story of Copenhagen-based Danish melodic rock band Fate began in 1985, when former Mercyful Fate guitarist Hank Shermann (René Krolmark), Maxim Reality singer Jeff "Lox" Limbo (Jens Meinert), bass / keyboard player Pete Steiner (Peter Steincke) and drummer Bob Lance (Bjarne Holm) met and found FATE. With producer Simon Hanhart (Bryan Adams, Asia, 21 Guns, Yngwie Malmsteen, Marillion) the band recorded Cruisin' For A Bruisin'' in 1988, which features the ultra-catchy "Lovers" (released as a single plus videoclip in 1988) and a new version of "Love on the Rox" from the band's debut.

Members

Current members

Pete Steiner (a.k.a. Peter Steincke) - Bass, Keyboards (1985-1993, 2004-present)

Jens Berglid - Drums (2008-present)

Mikkel Henderson (Evil Masquerade, Seven Thorns) - Keyboards (2008-present)

Dagfinn Joenson - Lead Vocals (2009-present)

Former members

Hank Shermann - Guitar (1985-1988)

Jeff "Lox" Limbo - Lead Vocals (1985-1989)

Mr. Moth (a.k.a. Jacob Moth) - Guitar (1988-1990)

Mattias "IA" Eklundh Guitar (1990-1992)

Bob Lance (a.k.a. Bjarne Holm) - Drums (1985-1993)

Rasmus Duedahl - Drums (2004)

Nicklas Burman Keyboards (2004)

Mikael Kvist - Drums (2005-2008)

Per Johansson (a.k.a Per Henriksen) - Lead Vocals (1990-1993, 2004-2009)

Søren Hoff - Guitar (1992-1993, 2004-2011)

Discography

1984 Fate

1986 A Matter of Attitude

1988 Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

1990 Scratch 'N' Sniff

2006 V

External links

Official Site

Category:Danish musical groups

Name	Jerry Garcia
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jerome John Garcia
Born	August 1, 1942San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	August 09, 1995Forest Knolls, California, U.S.
Occupation	Musician songwriter
Instrument	Guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo, vocals
Genre	Folk rock, jam, bluegrass, country rock, jazz, rock and roll, psychedelic rock, rhythm and blues, blues-rock
Years active	1960–1995
Label	Rhino, Arista, Warner Bros., Acoustic Disc, Grateful Dead
Associated acts	Grateful Dead, Legion of Mary, Reconstruction, Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage
Url	JerryGarcia.com
Notable instruments	Gibson SGsGuild Starfire1957 Gibson Les PaulGold-top Les Paul with P-90Fender Stratocaster "Alligator"Doug Irwin-modified Alembic "Wolf" Doug Irwin Custom "Tiger" Doug Irwin Custom "Rosebud"Stephen Cripe Custom "Lightning Bolt," Martin D-28, Takamine acoustic-electric guitars

Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead. Though he vehemently disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman" of the group.

One of its founders, Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire three-decade career (1965–1995). Garcia also founded and participated in a variety of side projects, including the Saunders-Garcia Band with longtime friend Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo, and Legion of Mary. Later in life, Garcia was sometimes ill because of his unstable weight, and in 1986 went into a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life. Although his overall health improved somewhat after that, he also struggled with heroin addiction, He was born in San Francisco, California, on August 1, 1942, to Jose Ramon "Joe" Garcia and Ruth Marie "Bobbie" (née Clifford) Garcia. His parents named him after composer Jerome Kern. Garcia was their second child, preceded by Clifford Ramon "Tiff" Garcia, who was born in 1937. Shortly before Clifford's birth, their father and a partner leased a building in downtown San Francisco and turned it into a bar, a move in response to Jose being blackballed from a musician's union for moonlighting.

Garcia was influenced by music at an early age, His father was a retired professional musician and his mother enjoyed playing the piano. while vacationing in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Garcia underwent amputation of two-thirds of his right middle finger. Garcia was given the chore of steadying wood while his elder brother chopped, when he inadvertently put his finger in the way of the falling axe. Garcia later confided that he often used it to his advantage in his youth, showing it off to other children in his neighborhood.

Garcia experienced several tragic events during his youth. Less than a year after losing the segment of his finger, his father died. While on vacation with his family near Arcata in Northern California in 1947, his father went fly-fishing in the Trinity River, part of the Six Rivers National Forest. Not long after entering he slipped on a rock underfoot, plunging into the deep rapids of the river. The incident was witnessed by a group of boys who immediately sought help, beckoning a pair of nearby fishermen. By the time he was pulled from the water, he had already drowned. Garcia later claimed to have seen his father fall into the river, but Dennis McNally, author of the book A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, asserts that he did not, instead forming the memory from hearing the story repeated many times. According to Garcia, it was around this time that he was opened up to country and to bluegrass by his grandmother, who he recalled enjoyed listening to the Grand Ole Opry. His elder brother, Clifford, however, staunchly believed the contrary, insisting that Garcia was "fantasizing all [that] ... she'd been to Opry, but she didn't listen to it on the radio." It was at this point that Garcia started playing the banjo, his first stringed instrument.

In 1953, Garcia's mother was remarried to a man named Wally Matusiewicz. Subsequently, Garcia and his brother moved back home with their mother and new stepfather. However, due to the roughneck reputation of their neighborhood at the time, the Excelsior District, Garcia's mother moved their family to Menlo Park. Clifford often memorized the vocals for his favorite songs, and would then make Garcia learn the harmony parts, a move to which Garcia later attributed much of his early ear training. Garcia would later reminisce about the first time he smoked marijuana: "Me and a friend of mine went up into the hills with two joints, the San Francisco foothills, and smoked these joints and just got so high and laughed and roared and went skipping down the streets doing funny things and just having a helluva time". During this time, Garcia also took up an art program at the San Francisco Art Institute to further his burgeoning interest in the visual arts.

In June of the same year, Garcia graduated from the local Menlo Oaks school. He then moved with his family back to San Francisco, where they lived in an apartment above the newly built bar, having previously been torn down to make way for a freeway entrance. Two months later, on Garcia's fifteenth birthday, his mother purchased him an accordion, greatly to his disappointment. Garcia's stepfather, who was somewhat proficient with instruments, helped tune his guitar to an unusual open tuning.

After a short stint at Denman Junior High School, Garcia attended tenth grade at Balboa High School in 1958, where he often got into trouble for skipping classes and fighting. Consequently, in 1959, Garcia's mother again moved the family to get Garcia to stay out of trouble, this time to Cazadero, a small town in Sonoma County, 90 miles north of San Francisco. Garcia did, however, join a band at his school known as the Chords. After performing and winning a contest, the band's reward was recording a song—they chose "Raunchy" by Bill Doggett.

Recording career

Relocation and band beginnings

Garcia stole his mother's car in 1960, and as punishment, joined the United States Army. He received basic training at Fort Ord. Garcia spent most of his time in the army at his leisure, missing roll call and accruing many counts of AWOL. As a result, Garcia was given a general discharge on December 14, 1960.

In January 1961, Garcia drove down to East Palo Alto to see Laird Grant, an old friend from middle school. Garcia, using his final paycheck from the army, purchased some gasoline and an old Chevrolet car, which barely made it to Grant's residence before it broke down.

On February 20, 1961, Garcia entered a car with Paul Speegle, a 16-year-old artist and acquaintance of Garcia; Lee Adams, the house manager of the Chateau and driver of the car; and Alan Trist, a companion of theirs. Garcia was discharged through the windshield of the car into a nearby field with such force he was literally thrown out of his shoes and would later be unable to recall the ejection. It was at this time that Garcia began to realize that he needed to begin playing the guitar in earnest—a move which meant giving up his love of drawing and painting.

Garcia met Robert Hunter in April 1960. Hunter would go on to become a long-time lyrical collaborator with the Grateful Dead. Lesh would later write in his autobiography that Garcia resembled the "composer Claude Debussy: dark, curly hair, goatee, Impressionist eyes". Matthews went to high school and was friends with Bob Weir, and on New Year's Eve 1963, he introduced Weir and Garcia to each other. Soon thereafter, Garcia joined a local bluegrass and folk band called Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, whose membership also included Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, a rhythm and blues fan.

Around this time, the psychedelic LSD was beginning to gain prominence. Garcia first began experimenting with LSD in 1964; later, when asked how it changed his life, he remarked: "Well, it changed everything [...] the effect was that it freed me because I suddenly realized that my little attempt at having a straight life and doing that was really a fiction and just wasn't going to work out. Luckily I wasn't far enough into it for it to be shattering or anything; it was like a realization that just made me feel immensely relieved". The band's immediate reaction was disapproval. "Franklin's Tower",

When asked to describe his approach to soloing, Garcia commented: "It keeps on changing. I still basically revolve around the melody and the way it’s broken up into phrases as I perceive them. With most solos, I tend to play something that phrases the way the melody does; my phrases may be more dense or have different value, but they’ll occur in the same places in the song. [...]"

Garcia and the band toured almost constantly from their formation in 1965 until Garcia's death in 1995, a stint which gave credit to the name "endless tour". Periodically, there were breaks due to exhaustion or health problems, often due to unstable health and/or Garcia's drug use. During their three decade span, the Grateful Dead played 2,314 shows.

Other groups of which Garcia was a member at one time or another include the Black Mountain Boys, Legion of Mary, Reconstruction, and the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. Jerry Garcia was also an appreciative fan of jazz artists and improvisation: he played with jazz keyboardists Merl Saunders and Howard Wales for many years in various groups and jam sessions, and he appeared on saxophonist Ornette Coleman's 1988 album, Virgin Beauty. His collaboration with Merl Saunders and Muruga Booker on the Grammy-nominated world music album Blues From the Rainforest launched the Rainforest Band.

(1972), Garcia's début solo album. Several of the songs featured on the album eventually became concert staples of the Grateful Dead]]

Garcia also spent a lot of time in the recording studio helping out fellow musician friends in session work, often adding guitar, vocals, pedal steel, sometimes banjo and piano and even producing. He played on over 50 studio albums the styles of which were eclectic and varied, including bluegrass, rock, folk, blues, country, jazz, electronic music, gospel, funk, and reggae. Artists who sought Garcia's help included the likes of Jefferson Airplane (most notably Surrealistic Pillow, Garcia being listed as their "Spiritual Advisor"), Tom Fogerty, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young on their smash hit Teach Your Children , David Bromberg, Robert Hunter (Liberty, on Relix Records), Paul Pena, Peter Rowan, Warren Zevon, Country Joe McDonald, Ken Nordine, Ornette Coleman, Bruce Hornsby, Bob Dylan and many more. He was also one of the first musicians to really cover in depth Motown music in the early-1970s and probably the most prolific coverer of Bob Dylan songs. In 1995 Garcia played on three tracks for the CD Blue Incantation by guitarist Sanjay Mishra, making it his last studio collaboration.

Throughout the early-1970s, Garcia, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, drummer Mickey Hart, and David Crosby collaborated intermittently with MIT-educated composer and biologist Ned Lagin on several projects in the realm of early electronica; these include the album Seastones (released by the Dead on their Round Records subsidiary) and L, an unfinished dance work.

Garcia also lent pedal-steel guitar playing to fellow-San Francisco musicians New Riders of the Purple Sage from their initial dates in 1969 to October 1971, when increased commitments with the Dead forced him to opt out of the group. He appears as a band member on their début album New Riders of the Purple Sage, and produced Home, Home On The Road, a 1974 live album by the band. He also contributed pedal steel guitar to the enduring hit "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Garcia also played steel guitar licks on Brewer & Shipley's 1970 album Tarkio. Despite considering himself a novice on the pedal steel, Garcia routinely ranked high in player polls. After a long lapse from playing the pedal-steel, he played it once more during several of the Dead's concerts with Bob Dylan during the summer of 1987.

Having studied art at the San Francisco Art Institute, Garcia embarked on a second career in the visual arts. He offered for sale and auction to the public a number of illustrations, lithographs, and water colors. Some of those pieces became the basis of a line of men's neckties characterized by bright colors and abstract patterns. Even in 2005, ten years after Garcia's death, new styles and designs continued to be produced and sold.

Personal life

Garcia met his first wife, Sara Ruppenthal Garcia, in 1963.

Garcia was subjected to a handful of drug busts during his lifetime. On October 2, 1967, 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, where the Grateful Dead had taken up residence the year before, was raided after police were tipped off by an informant.

Death

On August 9, 1995, at 4:23 AM, Garcia's body was discovered in his room at the rehabilitation clinic. Garcia had long struggled with drug addiction, a site sacred to the Hindus. Then, according to Garcia's last wishes, the other half of his ashes were poured into the San Francisco Bay. Deborah Koons disallowed one of Garcia's ex-wives, Carolyn "Mountain Girl" Garcia, from attending the spreading of the ashes.

Musical equipment

Garcia played many guitars during his career, which ranged from Fender Stratocasters and Gibson SGs to custom-made instruments. During his thirty-odd years of being a musician, Garcia used about twenty-five different guitars.

In 1965, when Garcia was playing with the Warlocks, he used a Guild Starfire,

In 1972, Garcia used a Fender Stratocaster nicknamed Alligator for its alligator sticker on the pickguard.

In the late eighties Garcia, Weir and CSN (along with many others) endorsed Alvarez Yairi acoustic guitars. There are many photographs circulating (mostly promotional) of Jerry playing a DY99 Virtuoso Custom with a Modulus Graphite neck. He opted to play with the less decorated model but the promotional photo from the Alvarez Yairi catalog has him holding the "tree of life" model. This hand-built guitar was notable for the collaboration between Japanese luthier Kazuo Yairi and Modulus Graphite of San Rafael. As with most things Garcia, with his passing, the DY99 model is rendered legend and valuable among collectors.

Wolf was made with an ebony fingerboard and featured numerous embellishments like alternating grain designs in the headstock, ivory inlays, and fret marker dots made of sterling silver. The body was composed of western maple wood which had a core of purpleheart. Garcia later had former Alembic employee Doug Irwin replace the electronics inside the guitar, at which point he added his own logo to the headstock alongside the Alembic logo. The system included two interchangeable plates for configuring pickups: one was made for strictly single coils, while the other accommodated humbuckers. Shortly after receiving the modified instrument, Garcia requested another custom guitar from Irwin with the advice "don't hold back." The body of Tiger was of rich quality: the top layer was cocobolo, with the preceding layers being maple stripe, vermilion, and flame maple, in that order. It was similar to his previous guitar Tiger in many respects, but featured different inlays and electronics, tone and volume controls, and weight. Rosebud, unlike Tiger, was configured with three humbuckers; the neck and bridge pickups shared a tone control, while the middle had its own. Inside the guitar, a Roland GK-2 synthesizer was used in junction with GR-50 rack mount, producing the MIDI effects heard during live performances of this period. The guitar used Brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard and East Indian rosewood for the body, which, with admitted irony from Cripe, was taken from a 19th century bed used by opium smokers. The remaining Grateful Dead members disagreed—they considered his guitars to be property of the band, leading to a lawsuit between the two parties.

J. Garcia neckties

J. Garcia is a line of neckties originally inspired by the paintings of Jerry Garcia. The line was introduced by Stonehenge, Ltd in 1992, with the name "J. Garcia" deliberately chosen to separate the ties' marketing and image from that of other Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia merchandise.

Legacy

In 1987, ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's came out with Cherry Garcia, which is named after the guitarist and consists of "cherry ice cream with cherries and fudge flakes".

Garcia was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead in 1994.

Famous guitar player and known Jerry fan Warren Haynes wrote the song "Patchwork Quilt" in memory of Jerry.

In the episode titled Halloween: The Final Chapter on the show Roseanne, aired shortly after his death on October 31, 1995, a tribute to Jerry Garcia was made, and the character name of the baby was Jerry Garcia Conner.

In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Jerry Garcia 13^th in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

On July 30, 2004, Melvin Seals was the first Jerry Garcia Band member to headline an outdoor music and camping festival called the Grateful Garcia Gathering. The festival is a tribute to the Grateful Dead's guitarist Jerry Garcia. "Jerry Garcia Band" drummer David Kemper, joined Melvin Seals & JGB in 2007. To date, other musicians and friends of Jerry's have also included Donna Jean Godchaux, Mookie Siegel, Pete Sears, G.E. Smith, Barry Sless, and Jackie Greene to name a few musicians.

On July 21, 2005, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission passed a resolution to name the amphitheater in McLaren Park "The Jerry Garcia Amphitheater." The amphitheater is located in the Excelsior District, where Garcia grew up. The first show to happen at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater was Jerry Day 2005 on August 7, 2005. Tiff Garcia was the first person to welcome everybody to the "Jerry Garcia Amphitheater." Jerry Day is an annual celebration of Jerry in his childhood neighborhood. The dedication ceremony (Jerry Day 2) on October 29, 2005 was officiated by mayor Gavin Newsom.

On September 24, 2005, the Comes a Time: A Celebration of the Music & Spirit of Jerry Garcia tribute concert was held at the Hearst Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. The concert featured Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Bruce Hornsby, Trey Anastasio, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, Michael Kang, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti, Mark Karan, Robin Sylvester, Kenny Brooks, Melvin Seals, Marty Holland, Stu Allen, Gloria Jones, and Jackie LaBranch.

Also in 2008, Georgia-based composer Lee Johnson released an orchestral tribute to the music of The Grateful Dead, recorded with the Russian National Orchestra, entitled "Dead Symphony: Lee Johnson Symphony No. 6." Johnson was interviewed on NPR on the July 26, 2008 broadcast of "Weekend Edition", and gave much credit to the genius and craft of Garcia's songwriter. A live performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Johnson himself, was held Friday, August 1.

Seattle rock band Soundgarden wrote and recorded the instrumental song "Jerry Garcia's Finger", dedicated to the singer, which was released as a b-side with their single "Pretty Noose".

Numerous music festivals across the United States and Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK hold annual events in memory of Jerry Garcia.

Punk band NOFX has a song "August 8th" that makes light of Garcia's death, calling it "such a beautiful day" and "like waking up from a real bad dream." After the release of the album containing "August 8th", "Heavy Petting Zoo", it was brought to the attention of singer/bassist Fat Mike that Garcia actually died August 9.

Jerry also appeared in the 1977 movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" as an extra during the scenes in India in a crowd shot

Discography

Jerry Garcia

*Garcia – 1972

*Compliments – 1974

*Reflections – 1976

*Run for the Roses – 1982

Jerry Garcia Band

*Cats Under the Stars – 1978

*Jerry Garcia Band – 1991

*How Sweet It Is – 1997

*Don't Let Go – 2001

*Shining Star – 2001

* – 2004

* – 2009

Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band

*Almost Acoustic – 1988

*Ragged but Right – 2010

Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders

*Heavy Turbulence – with Tom Fogerty – 1972 (LP)

*Fire Up – 1973 (LP)

*Live at the Keystone – Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt – 1973 (LP)

*Keystone Encores, Volume 1 – Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt – 1988 (LP)

*Keystone Encores, Volume 2 – Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt – 1988 (LP)

*Live at the Keystone Vol. 1 – Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt – 1988 (CD)

*Live at the Keystone Vol. 2 – Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt – 1988 (CD)

*Keystone Encores – Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt – 1988 (CD)

*Fire Up Plus – with John Kahn, Tom Fogerty and Ron Tutt – 1992 (CD)

*Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974 – Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders – 2004 (also listed under Pure Jerry series)

* – Legion of Mary – 2005

*Well Matched: The Best Of Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia – 2006 (also listed under Compilations)

New Riders of the Purple Sage

*New Riders of the Purple Sage – 1971

*Powerglide - 1972

*Before Time Began – 1986

*Vintage NRPS – 1986

Old and in the Way

*Old and in the Way – 1975

*That High Lonesome Sound – 1996

*Breakdown – 1997

*Live at the Boarding House – 2008

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman

*Garcia/Grisman – 1991

*Not for Kids Only – 1993

*Shady Grove – 1996

*So What – 1998

*The Pizza Tapes (featuring Tony Rice) – 2000

*Grateful Dawg – 2001

*Been All Around This World – 2004

Compilations

*All Good Things – 2004 (box set of studio albums Garcia, Compliments, Reflections, Cats Under The Stars, ''Run For The Roses', as well as outtakes, jams, and alternate versions)

*Garcia Plays Dylan – 2005

*The Very Best of Jerry Garcia – 2006

*Well Matched: The Best Of Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia – 2006

Pure Jerry — a series of live concert CDs licensed by the Garcia Family LLC.

*Theatre 1839, July 29 & 30, 1977 – Jerry Garcia Band – 2004

Lunt-Fontanne, New York City, October 31, 1987 – Jerry Garcia Band and Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band – 2004     (This album is one of 10 "live jam releases of this century" according to the August issue of Guitar One magazine.)

*Lunt-Fontanne, New York City, The Best of the Rest, October 15 – 30, 1987 – Jerry Garcia Band and Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band – 2004

*Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974 – Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders – 2004

*Merriweather Post Pavilion, September 1 & 2, 1989 – Jerry Garcia Band – 2005

*Warner Theatre, March 18, 1978 – Jerry Garcia Band – 2005

*Coliseum, Hampton, VA, November 9, 1991 – Jerry Garcia Band – 2006 (with Bruce Hornsby)

*Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium, February 28, 1986 – Jerry Garcia and John Kahn – 2009

*Bay Area, 1978 – Jerry Garcia Band – 2009

----

With other artists

*Déjà Vu – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 1970

*Blows Against the Empire – Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship – 1970

*Hooteroll? – Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia – 1971

*If I Could Only Remember My Name – David Crosby – 1971

*Sunfighter – Paul Kantner and Grace Slick – 1971

*Graham Nash / David Crosby – Graham Nash and David Crosby – 1972

*Excalibur – Tom Fogerty – 1972

*Ace - Bob Weir - 1972

*Keith & Donna – Keith Godchaux and Donna Jean Godchaux – 1975

*Virgin Beauty – Ornette Coleman – 1988

*Devout Catalyst – Ken Nordine – 1992

*Astronauts & Heretics – Thomas Dolby – 1992

*Blue Incantation – Sanjay Mishra and Jerry Garcia – 1994

*Trios – Rob Wasserman – 1994

*Side Trips, Volume One – Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia – 1998

*Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions – Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions – 1999

Notes and references

External links

Jerry Garcia Ties - Ties designed by Jerry Garcia

The Jerry Site

Official Grateful Dead Website

Jerry Garcia discography at deaddisc.com

Category:Culture of San Francisco, California Category:American banjoists Category:American rock guitarists Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:American musicians of Swedish descent Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Spanish descent Category:San Francisco Bay Area musicians Category:American amputees Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Deaths from diabetes Category:Grateful Dead members Category:History of San Francisco, California Category:Lead guitarists Category:Pedal steel guitarists Category:People from San Francisco, California Category:San Francisco Art Institute alumni Category:People from Sonoma County, California Category:United States Army soldiers Category:American Episcopalians Category:1942 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Sebastopol, California

Name	Sean Costello
Portrait	Yes
Background	group_or_band
Born	April 16, 1979
Died
Instrument	Guitar, Vocals
Genre	Blues, soul
Years active	1995–2008

Sean Costello (April 16, 1979 – April 15, 2008) was an American blues musician, renowned for his fiery guitar playing and soulful singing. He released five critically-acclaimed albums before his career was cut short by his sudden death at the age of 28. Tinsley Ellis called him ‘the most gifted young blues guitarist on the scene... he was a triple threat on guitar, vocals and as a songwriter’.

Career

Costello mastered traditional blues guitar at an early age and began his career while still in high school. His records became increasingly eclectic as his career progressed.

Early years

Born in Philadelphia, Costello moved to Atlanta at the age of 9. Obsessive about the guitar from a young age, he got hooked on the blues after buying Howlin’ Wolf's 'Rockin' Chair Album'. At 14 the young prodigy created a stir in a Memphis guitar shop, where an employee tipped his father off about a talent contest sponsored by the Beale Street Blues Society, which Costello duly entered and won. He formed his first band shortly after.

At sixteen, Costello recorded his first album, Call The Cops (1996), already ‘displaying a flawless command of 1950s blues guitar’, in the words of music historian Tony Russell. His lead guitar work on Susan Tedeschi's gold-selling album, Just Won't Burn, (1998), subsequently brought him national exposure. Costello's band later toured as Tedeschi's backing group. which was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for Best New Artist Debut. The follow-up, Moanin’ For Molasses, was equally well received; the Allmusic guide drew attention to Costello's "soulful voice" and his "ability to mesh blues, R&B; and soul". "Passionate... distinctive and often compelling... Costello's vocals are most astonishing," reported Blues Revue Magazine.

In concert

Costello honed his skills through almost constant performing, playing over 300 gigs a year and touring widely in the USA and Europe. His reputation as a brilliant live performer enabled him to play alongside blues luminaries such as B. B. King and Buddy Guy (Ma Rainey House benefit concert, Columbus, Georgia, June 1997), James Cotton (Cotton's 64th birthday concert in Memphis) and Hubert Sumlin (South by Southwest, Austin, Texas, March 2005). When not touring, Costello made a living playing small venues in his home town of Atlanta, Georgia, such as the Northside Tavern.

Later career

Through Amy Helm of Ollabelle, Costello met her father, Americana musician Levon Helm, formerly of The Band, whose eclecticism encouraged Costello to further develop his interests outside the blues: "he really blew it wide open for me. He’d play a Chuck Berry tune, then a blues, then a country tune or a rock number or whatever, and he didn’t even think twice about it." Costello’s guitar took a backseat to his voice, which by now "had acquired a ragged edge of considerable power" (Tony Russell). The following year Costello released what was to be his last album, We Can Get Together, acclaimed by many as his best work. His guitar playing on this record was described variously as "incendiary", Hal Horowitz of the Allmusic guide summed up We Can Get Together'' with the following:

The material is so strong and the ensemble playing of his band so effortless that he doesn't need to distract attention from the songs with the extended soloing he is capable of. Most importantly, he establishes a greasy groove that weaves through each cut, connecting them even when the styles differ. While Costello is clearly inspired by the blues greats, many of whom he has covered on previous collections, he slants more to '70s Southern soul, rock, and R&B; here, dousing these genres with a bucket load of swamp water and spearheaded by his whiskey-laced vocals. There's a thick, gooey atmospheric vibe that hangs over the album, gels its contents, and shows Costello to be a terrific singer and songwriter and guitar talent just hitting his peak. A medical report later determined that he died of an accidental drug overdose. Posthumously, Costello's family revealed that he had suffered from Bipolar disorder, and set up the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research in his honor.

Ancestry

Costello was a probable descendant of Jocelyn de Angulo (fl. 1172), ancestor to the Costello family of Connacht, Ireland.

Discography

Solo releases

Call The Cops (1996)

Cuttin' In (2000)

Moanin' For Molasses (2001)

Sean Costello (2005)

We Can Get Together (2008)

Sean's Blues: A Memorial Retrospective (2009)

Guest appearances

Pat Ramsey, It's About Time (1995)

Bobby Little, Featuring the Counts of Rhythm (1996)

Susan Tedeschi, Just Won’t Burn (1998)

Mikael Santana, In Transit (1998)

Mudcat, Mo' Better Chicken (2000)

Jody Williams, Return Of A Legend (2002)

Various Artists, Blues On Blonde On Blonde (2003)

Ollabelle, Ollabelle (2004)

Tinsley Ellis, The Hard Way (2004)

Kieran McGee, Anonymous (2004)

Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, I’m Not That Way Anymore (2004)

The Levon Helm Band, Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. 2 (2005)

The Cazanovas, "Borrowed Time" (2006)

Bill Sheffield, Journal On A Shelf (2006)

Nappy Brown, Long Time Coming (2007)

Joe McGuinness, From These Seeds (2008)

Kraft Quartet, Nervous Boogie (2008)

Maddy Moneypenny, Maddy Moneypenny (2008)

Jenni Muldaur, Dearest Darlin' (2009)

References

External links

Delta Groove Music

Sean Costello Memorial Fund

Sean Costello on MySpace

Video: Sean Costello performing "It's My Own Fault"

Video: Sean Costello performing a blues instrumental

Video: Sean Costello performing "No Half Steppin'"

Blues Babies (Sean was the first featured artist)

Category:1979 births Category:2008 deaths Category:American blues guitarists Category:People with bipolar disorder

Name	Robert Plant
Landscape	Yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Robert Anthony Plant
Born	August 20, 1948West Bromwich, Birmingham, England
Instrument	Vocals, harmonica, percussion, guitar
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock, folk rock, world, country rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1966–present
Label	Atlantic, Swan Song, Es Paranza, Sanctuary, Mercury, Universal, Rounder
Associated acts	Band of Joy, Led Zeppelin, The Honeydrippers, Page and Plant, Strange Sensation, Alison Krauss
Url	Official website

Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948), is an English rock singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Life and career

Early career

Plant was born in West Bromwich to parents Robert C. who worked as a civil engineer and Annie C. (Cain) Plant, but grew up in Halesowen, formerly in Worcestershire, now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. Plant gained an interest in singing and rock'n'roll music at an early age.

When I was a kid I used to hide behind the curtains at home at Christmas and I used to try and be Elvis. There was a certain ambience between the curtains and the French windows, there was a certain sound there for a ten year old. That was all the ambience I got at ten years old... I think! And I always wanted to be a curtain, a bit similar to that.

He left King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys in Stourbridge in his mid-teens and developed a strong passion for the blues, mainly through his admiration for Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and early rendition of songs in this genre.

I suppose I was quite interested in my stamp collection and Romano-British history. I was a little grammar school boy and I could hear this kind of calling through the airwaves

He abandoned training as a chartered accountant after only two weeks to attend college in an effort to gain more GCE passes and to become part of the English Midlands blues scene. "I left home at 16", he said "and I started my real education musically, moving from group to group, furthering my knowledge of the blues and of other music which had weight and was worth listening to."

Plant's early blues influences included Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Skip James, Jerry Miller, and Sleepy John Estes. Plant had various jobs while pursuing his music career, one of which was working for the major British construction company Wimpey in Birmingham in 1967 laying tarmac on roads. He also worked at Woolworths in Halesowen town for a short period of time. He cut three obscure singles on CBS Records and sang with a variety of bands, including The Crawling King Snakes, which brought him into contact with drummer John Bonham. They both went on to play in the Band of Joy, merging blues with newer psychedelic trends. Though his early career met with no commercial success, word quickly spread about the "young man with the powerful voice".

Led Zeppelin

Early years

In 1968, the guitarist Jimmy Page was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Plant after being turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, who referred him to a show at a teacher training college in Birmingham— where Plant was singing in a band named Hobbstweedle. Page explained:

When I auditioned him and heard him sing, I immediately thought there must be something wrong with him personality-wise or that he had to be impossible to work with, because I just could not understand why, after he told me he'd been singing for a few years already, he hadn't become a big name yet. So I had him down to my place for a little while, just to sort of check him out, and we got along great. No problems.

According to Plant:

I was appearing at this college when Peter and Jimmy turned up and asked me if I'd like to join The Yardbirds. I knew The Yardbirds had done a lot of work in America - which to me meant audiences who would want to know what I might have to offer - so naturally I was very interested.

used in the Led Zeppelin IV album]] Plant and Page immediately hit it off with a shared musical passion and after Plant joined the band they began their writing collaboration with reworkings of earlier blues songs, although Plant would receive no songwriting credits on the band's first album, allegedly because he was still under contract to CBS Records at the time. Plant brought along John Bonham as drummer, and they were joined by John Paul Jones, who had previously worked with Jimmy Page as a studio musician. Jones called Page on the phone before they checked out Plant, and Page hired Jones immediately.

Initially dubbed the "New Yardbirds" in 1968, the band soon came to be known as Led Zeppelin. The band's self-titled debut album hit the charts in 1969 and is widely credited as a catalyst for the heavy metal genre. Plant has commented that it is unfair for people to think of Zeppelin as heavy metal, as almost a third of their music was acoustic.

In 1975, Plant and his wife Maureen (now divorced) were seriously injured in a car crash in Rhodes, Greece. This significantly affected the production of Led Zeppelin's seventh album Presence for a few months while he recovered, and forced the band to cancel the remaining tour dates for the year.

In July 1977 his son Karac died aged five of a stomach infection while Plant was engaged on Led Zeppelin's concert tour of the United States. It was a devastating loss for the family. Plant retreated to his home in the Midlands and for months afterward he questioned his future. Karac's death later inspired him to write the song "All My Love" in tribute, featured on Led Zeppelin's final studio LP, 1979's In Through the Out Door.

Lyrics

Plant did not begin writing song lyrics with Led Zeppelin until the making of Led Zeppelin II, in 1969. According to Jimmy Page:

Plant's lyrics with Led Zeppelin were often mystical, philosophical and spiritual, alluding to events in classical and Norse mythology, such as the "Immigrant Song", which refers to Valhalla and Viking conquests. However, the song "No Quarter" is often misunderstood to refer to the god Thor; the song actually refers to Mount Thor (which is named after the god). Another example is "The Rain Song".

Plant was also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, whose book series inspired lyrics in some early Led Zeppelin songs. Most notably "The Battle of Evermore", "Misty Mountain Hop", "No Quarter", "Ramble On" and "Over the Hills and Far Away" contain verses referencing Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Conversely, Plant sometimes used more straightforward blues-based lyrics dealing primarily with sexual innuendo, as in "The Lemon Song", "Trampled Under Foot", and "Black Dog".

Welsh mythology also forms a basis of Plant's interest in mystical lyrics. He grew up close to the Welsh border and would often take summer trips to Snowdonia. Plant bought a Welsh sheep farm in 1973, and began taking Welsh lessons and looking into the mythology of the land (such as Black Book of Carmarthen, Book of Taliesin, etc.) Plant's first son, Karac, was named after the Welsh warrior Caratacus. The song "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is named after the 18th Century Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur owned by a friend of his father; it later inspired the song "Bron-Yr-Aur". The songs "Misty Mountain Hop," "That's the Way", and early dabblings in what would become "Stairway to Heaven" were written in Wales and lyrically reflect Plant's mystical view of the land. Critic Steve Turner suggests that Plant's early and continued experiences in Wales served as the foundation for his broader interest in the mythologies he revisits in his lyrics (including those myth systems of Tolkien and the Norse).

The passion for diverse musical experiences drove Plant to explore Africa, specifically Marrakesh in Morocco where he encountered Umm Kulthum.

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That musical inspiration most eventually culminated in the classic track "Kashmir" (which is not in North Africa, but rather in India). Both he and Jimmy Page revisited these influences during their reunion album in 1994. In his solo career, Plant again tapped from these influences many times, most notably in the 2002 album, Dreamland.

Arguably one of Plant's most significant achievements with Led Zeppelin was his contribution to the track "Stairway to Heaven", an epic rock ballad featured on Led Zeppelin IV that drew influence from folk, blues, Celtic traditional music and hard rock among other genres. Most of the lyrics of the song were written spontaneously by Plant in 1970 at Headley Grange. While never released as a single, the song has topped charts as the greatest song of all time on various polls around the world.

Plant is also recognised for his lyrical improvisation in Led Zeppelin's live performances, often singing verses previously unheard on studio recordings. One of the most famous Led Zeppelin musical devices involves Plant's vocal mimicking of band mate Jimmy Page's guitar effects. This can be heard in the songs "How Many More Times", "Dazed and Confused", "The Lemon Song", "You Shook Me", "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "Sick Again".

He is also known for his light-hearted, humorous, and unusual on-stage banter, often referred to as "plantations." Plant often discusses the origin and background of the songs during his shows, and sometimes provides social comment as well. He frequently talks about American blues musicians as his inspiration, mentioning artists like Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Blind Willie Johnson, and Willie Dixon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the 2007 Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert with Led Zeppelin.

Stage persona

performing live]] Plant enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin throughout the 1970s and developed a compelling image as the charismatic rock-and-roll front man, similar to his contemporary in The Who, singer Roger Daltrey (who adopted the look in the late 1960s), Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, and his other fellow contemporary, Jim Morrison of The Doors who, while not displaying the same visual appearance, also exuded sexuality upon the stage. With his mane of long blond hair and powerful, bare-chested appearance, Plant helped to create the "god of rock and roll" or "rock god" archetype. On stage, Plant was particularly active in live performances, often dancing, jumping, skipping, snapping his fingers, clapping, making emphatic gestures to emphasise a lyric or cymbal crash, throwing back his head, or placing his hands on his hips. As the 1960s-1970s progressed he, along with the other members of Led Zeppelin, became increasingly flamboyant on-stage and wore more elaborate, colourful clothing and jewellery.

According to Classic Rock magazine, "once [Plant] had a couple of US tours under his belt, 'Percy' Plant swiftly developed a staggering degree of bravado and swagger that irrefutably enhanced Led Zeppelin's rapidly burgeoning appeal." In 1994, during his "Unledded" tour with Jimmy Page, Plant himself reflected tongue-in-cheek upon his Led Zeppelin showmanship:

I can't take my whole persona as a singer back then very seriously. It's not some great work of beauty and love to be a rock-and-roll singer. So I got a few moves from Elvis and one or two from Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin' Wolf and threw them all together.

Solo career (since 1982)

As a solo artist

After the break-up of Led Zeppelin in 1980 (following the death of John Bonham), Plant pursued a successful solo career beginning with Pictures at Eleven in 1982, followed by 1983's The Principle of Moments. Popular tracks from this period include "Big Log" (a Top 20 hit in 1983), "In the Mood" (1983), "Little by Little" (from 1985's Shaken 'n' Stirred), "Tall Cool One" (a #25 hit off 1988's Now and Zen) and "I Believe" (from 1993's Fate of Nations), another song written for and dedicated to his late son, Karac. In 1984, Plant formed a short-lived all-star group with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck called The Honeydrippers, who had a #3 hit with a remake of the Phil Phillips' tune, "Sea of Love" and a followup hit with a cover of Roy Brown's "Rockin' at Midnight". Although Plant avoided performing Led Zeppelin songs through much of this period, his tours in 1983 (with drummer Phil Collins) and 1985 were very successful, often performing to sold-out arena-sized venues.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, Plant co-wrote three solo albums with keyboardist/songwriter Phil Johnstone. Now and Zen, Manic Nirvana, and Fate of Nations (featuring Máire Brennan of Clannad). It was Johnstone who talked Plant into playing Led Zeppelin songs in his live shows, something Plant had resisted, not wanting to be forever known as "the former Led Zeppelin vocalist."

Although Led Zeppelin split in 1980, Plant and Page occasionally collaborated on various projects, including album in 1984 (there has never been a Volume 2). In the spring 2 years later Robert performed at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986. The pair again worked together in the studio on the 1988 Page solo effort, Outrider, and in the same year Page contributed to Plant's album Now and Zen. Also, on 15 May 1988 Plant appeared with Page as a member of Led Zeppelin (and in his own right as a solo artist) at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert.

As Page and Plant (1994-1998)

Page and Plant became a full-fledged performing act from 1994 through 1998, releasing the Unledded album in 1994 and following with an enormously successful tour in 1995. Page and Plant recorded their only post-Zeppelin album of original material on the 1998 album, Walking into Clarksdale, an effort that was unsuccessful commercially, leading Plant to return to his solo career. A song from this album, "Please Read the Letter", was re-recorded by Plant with Alison Krauss, winning the 2009 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

With Priory of Brion (1999-2000)

Starting in mid-1999, Plant performed until the end of 2000 at several small venues with his folk-rock band, named Priory of Brion.

In 1999, Plant contributed to the tribute album for Moby Grape co-founder Skip Spence, who was terminally ill. The album, (Birdman, 1999), with the album title referring to Spence's only solo album, Oar (Columbia, 1969), contained Plant's version of Spence's "Little Hands". Plant had been an admirer of Spence and Moby Grape since the release of Moby Grape's eponymous 1967 debut album.

In 2001, Plant appeared on Afro Celt Sound System's album . The song "Life Begin Again" features a duet with Welsh folksinger Julie Murphy, emphasising Plant's recurring interest in Welsh culture (Murphy would also tour in support of Plant).

With The Strange Sensation (2001-2007)

In 2002, with his then newly-formed band Strange Sensation, Plant released a widely acclaimed collection of mostly blues and folk remakes, Dreamland. Contrasting with this lush collection of often relatively obscure remakes, the second album with Strange Sensation, Mighty ReArranger (2005), contains new, original songs. Both have received some of the most favourable reviews of Plant's solo career and four Grammy nominations, two in 2003 and two in 2006.

As a former member of Led Zeppelin, along with Page and John Paul Jones, Plant received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and the Polar Music Prize in 2006.

From 2001 to 2007, Plant actively toured the US & Europe with The Strange Sensation. His sets typically included recent, but not only, solo material and plenty of Led Zeppelin favourites, often with new and expanded arrangements. A DVD titled , featuring his Soundstage performance (filmed at the Soundstage Studios in Chicago on 16 September 2005), was released in October 2006.

On 23 June 2006, Plant was the headliner (backed by Ian Hunter's band) at the Benefit For Arthur Lee concert at New York's Beacon Theatre, a show which raised money for Lee's medical expenses from his bout with leukaemia. Plant and band performed thirteen songs - five by Arthur Lee & Love, five Led Zeppelin songs and three others including a duet with Ian Hunter. At the show, Plant told the audience of his great admiration for Arthur Lee dating back to the mid-Sixties. Lee died of his illness six weeks after the concert.

An expansive box set of his solo work, Nine Lives, was released in November 2006, which expanded all of his albums with various b-sides, demos, and live cuts. It was accompanied by a DVD. All his solo works were re-released with these extra tracks individually.

In 2007, Plant contributed two tracks to the Fats Domino tribute album , "It Keeps Rainin'" with the Lil' Band O' Gold and "Valley of Tears" with The Soweto Gospel Choir.

With Alison Krauss (2007-2008)

, 5 May 2008]] From 2007-2008, Plant recorded and performed with bluegrass star Alison Krauss. A duet album, Raising Sand, was released on 23 October 2007 on Rounder Records. The album, recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and produced by T-Bone Burnett, includes performances of lesser-known material from R&B;, Blues, folk, and country songwriters including Mel Tillis, Townes Van Zandt, Gene Clark, Tom Waits, Doc Watson, Little Milton and The Everly Brothers. The song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from Raising Sand won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals in 2008. Raising Sand also won Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards. The album has been successful critically and commercially, and was certified platinum on 4 March 2008.

Plant and Krauss began an extended tour of the US and Europe in April 2008, playing music from Raising Sand and other American roots music as well as reworked Led Zeppelin tunes. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in July 2008. Also in 2008, Plant performed with bluegrass musicians at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. He appeared as a surprise guest during Fairport Convention's set at the 2008 Cropredy Festival, performing Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" with Kristina Donahue as a tribute to Sandy Denny.

In October 2008, it was reported that Plant collaborated on an album by original Fairport vocalist Judy Dyble, but the album has not materialized.

On 8 February 2009, Plant and Krauss won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Pop Collaboration with Vocals, Country Collaboration with Vocals, and Contemporary Folk/Americana Album.

In 2010, Plant realised a lifelong ambition by playing live at Molineux Stadium, home of the Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Plant performed with the amateur cover band No Rezerve.

With Band of Joy (2010)

at Birmingham Symphony Hall, 27 October 2010]]

In July 2010, Robert Plant embarked on a twelve-date (summer) tour in the United States with a new group called Band of Joy (reprising the name of his very first band in the 1960s). The group includes singer Patty Griffin, singer-guitarist Buddy Miller, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Darrell Scott, bassist-vocalist Byron House, and drummer-percussionist-vocalist Marco Giovino.

After a unique show in the United States on September 12, 2010 at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, another eleven-date autumn tour in Europe was announced to last from October to November 2010. North America tour dates were announced November 16, 2010, with the first show being January 18, 2011 in Asheville, North Carolina.

A new studio album called Band of Joy was released on September 13, 2010 on the Rounder Records label.

Led Zeppelin-related projects and reunion rumours

Plant performed with living members of Led Zeppelin both on 13 July 1985 for Live Aid (with Phil Collins and Tony Thompson on drums) and on 15 May 1988 for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary. At the 1988 reunion, Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham, played drums. Both sets featured only a few songs, performed with minimal rehearsal. Plant was unhappy with both performances, saying that "it was like sleeping with your ex-wife but not making love." At the 1990 Silver Clef Award Winners Concert at Knebworth, Plant was joined by Jimmy Page. Some of their set was released on the subsequent live album and video. In 1995, Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Plant performed at the induction show with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham, Neil Young, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, performing spirited versions of "Bring It On Home", "Honeybee", and "When the Levee Breaks."

After years of reunion rumours, Led Zeppelin performed a full two-hour set on 10 December 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert, with Jason again filling in on drums. Despite enormous public demand, Plant declined a $200 million offer to tour with Led Zeppelin after the 2007 show. In interviews following the 2007 show, Plant left the door open to possible future performances with Led Zeppelin, saying that he enjoyed the reunion and felt that the show was strong musically. Although Page, Jones, and Bonham have expressed the strong desire to tour as Led Zeppelin, Plant has consistently opposed a full tour and has responded negatively to questions about another reunion. In a January, 2008 interview, he stated that he does not want to "tour like a bunch of bored old men following the Rolling Stones around." In a statement on his web site in late 2008, Plant stated, "I will not be touring with Led Zeppelin or anyone else for the next two years. Anyone buying Led Zeppelin tickets will be buying bogus tickets."

Personal life

Robert Plant married Maureen Wilson on 9 November 1968. The couple had three children: daughter Carmen Jane (1968) (married to Charlie Jones, Plant's bass player for solo tours); and sons Karac Pendragon (1972–1977) (died of a virus; the reason Led Zeppelin's 1977 North American Tour was cut short), and Logan Romero (1979). The couple divorced in August 1983. Also, Plant has a younger son, Jesse Lee (1991), the son of Shirley Wilson, sister of Maureen.

On 14 August 2009, it was announced via the Wolverhampton Wanderers text message news service that "Rock Legend and lifelong Wolves fan Robert Plant is to become the club's third Vice President." Plant officially received the honour before kick off at the club's first match of the season against West Ham. Plant was five years old when he first visited Molineux. He recalled in an interview with his local paper Express & Star in August 2010: "I was five when my dad took me down for the first time and Billy Wright waved at me. Honest, he did. And that was it – I was hooked from that moment.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List Plant is worth £80 million as of 2009.

Legacy

Robert Plant is one of the most significant singers in rock music and has influenced the style of many of his contemporaries, including Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Sammy Hagar, and later rock vocalists such as Jeff Buckley who imitated his performing style extensively. Freddie Mercury of Queen also was influenced by Plant. Encyclopædia Britannica notes "Exaggerating the vocal style and expressive palette of blues singers such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, [Robert] Plant created the sound that has defined much hard rock and heavy metal singing: a high range, an abundance of distortion, loud volume, and emotional excess". Plant received the Knebworth Silver Clef Award in 1990.

In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant #1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All-Time, a list which included Rob Halford (2), Steven Tyler (3), Freddie Mercury (6), and Geddy Lee (13), Paul Stanley (18), all of whom were influenced by Plant. In 2008, Rolling Stone named Plant as number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time. In 2009, he was voted the "greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. Plant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his "services to popular music". He was included in the Q magazine's 2009 list of "Artists Of The Century" and was ranked at number 8 in their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in 2007. In 2009, Plant also won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the Q Awards. He was placed at no. 3 on SPIN's list of "The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen of All Time".

Solo discography

References

External links

Led Zeppelin Official Site

Official Robert Plant Homepage

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Official Site

2003 Afropop Worldwide Interview with Robert Plant in Mali

BBC interview with Robert Plant about the Led Zeppelin reunion

Interview from honesttune.com about collaboration with Allison Kraus

Led Zep Online at United Stations Radio Networks

Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:British harmonica players Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:English-language singers Category:English male singers Category:English songwriters Category:English tenors Category:English rock singers Category:English heavy metal singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Led Zeppelin members Category:Mercury Records artists Category:People from Halesowen Category:People from West Bromwich Category:Welsh-speaking people Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:Silver Clef Awards winners Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers

Name	Tank
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Durrell Babbs
Born	January 01, 1976Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Origin	Washington, DC, US
Genre	R&B;, pop, hip hop, dance, crunk&B;, reggae
Occupation(s)	Singer, dancer, actor, model, musician
Instruments	Vocals, keyboard, piano, drums
Years active	1996–present
Label	Blackground (2000-2009), Atlantic (2010-Present)
Associated acts	TGT, Tyrese, Ginuwine, The Underdogs, Aaliyah, Omarion
Url	www.TheRealTank.com

Tank (born Durrell Babbs on January 1, 1976 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American R&B; singer, songwriter and producer. Tank has sold over 900,000 albums in the US.

Career

Tank was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family as a child to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crossland High School and was offered the opportunity to play college football. However Tank decided to focus on music and his talent eventually led him to an opportunity to sing background vocals for Ginuwine during one of Ginuwine's tours. In 2001, following Ginuwine's successful tour Tank released his debut album Force of Nature which spawned the R&B; Top Ten-single "Maybe I Deserve".

In 2002, Tank released his second album One Man and a single of the same name. Later the same year he went on to co-produce Missy Elliott's smash hit single "One Minute Man".

Tank released his third solo album entitled "Sex, Love & Pain" on May 15, 2007. The lead single was intended to be "I Luv Dem Girls", but for unknown reasons the song was given to Marques Houston who renamed it "Strip Club" (intending to place it on his third solo album "Veteran"). However, "Strip Club" did not make "Veteran," and "Sex, Love & Pain"'s last track is the Timbaland remix to "I Luv Dem Girls". The first single from Tank's third album was "Please Don't Go". Later in the year Tank, Ginuwine and Tyrese Gibson formed a group called TGT. Their first single was a remix of "Please Don't Go" with an international tour entitled "The Shirts Off Tour" and search for a fourth member to follow. Tank has also just released his 4th studio album Now Or Never on December 14, 2010. Tank collaborated with other artists on this project like Chris Brown, Drake, Letoya Luckett and many other artists.

Tank's song writing and production credits include working with Dave Hollister, Marques Houston, Omarion, Jamie Foxx, Donell Jones and Monica amongst others. As an associate of production team The Underdogs, also Thomas Dudley Tedii from LOVEISREALBAND, and along with his team, Song Dynasty. He has worked with many different artists over the years and was also a contributor to the score of the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, in which he also had a cameo. He was also featured in the movie "The Preacher's Kid."

Personal life

Tank is the father to four children listed here in birth order: Jordan & Ryen Babbs, Zoey Babbs and Durrell Babbs Jr..

Discography

Albums

Singles

Production

JoJo - All I Want Is Everything (September, 2010)

* Break Out

* I Got My License

Writing Credits

Awards

Grammy Award Nominations

*2008, Best R&B; Male Vocal Performance: "Please Don't Go"

*2008, Best R&B; Album: Sex, Love & Pain

*2010, Best R&B; Song: "Under"

*2011, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group: "Take My Time" with Chris Brown

References

External links

Official website

 French Group dedicated to Tank on SoulRnB.com (Photos, Videos, Discussions, Etc.)

Category:African American singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American male singers Category:Living people Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:1976 births

Name	Mercyful Fate
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genre	Heavy metal, thrash metal, first wave black metal
Years active	1981–1985, 1992–1999 (on hold)
Label	Combat, Roadrunner, Metal Blade, Rave On
Associated acts	Fate, Black Rose, King Diamond, Brats, Force of Evil, Memento Mori, Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars, Metallica
Url	covenworldwide.org
Current members	King DiamondHank ShermannMike WeadBjarne T. HolmSharlee D'Angelo
Past members	Michael DennerTimi HansenKim RuzzSnowy Shaw

Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. They are cited as major influences by many artists in the black metal, thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal genres.

Biography

Formation (1981-1982)

Mercyful Fate were founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1981 from the remaining members of Hank Shermann's band Brats and King Diamond's band Black Rose. In early 1981 they helped out Michael Denner with demos for his band Danger Zone. Soon, Shermann, Denner, Diamond, and Denner's bass player Timi Grabber realized their potential as a unit and started performing as Mercyful Fate. The band experienced the usual member changes for a new band, as Denner left (and later returned). In addition, the drummer position was a revolving door, but Kim Ruzz finally established himself as the drummer.

Main career and disbandment (1982-1985)

In early 1982, Mercyful Fate contributed to the Ebony Records sampler Metallic Storm. Later on in the year, the band recorded their first material, The Mercyful Fate EP, on vinyl for the Dutch label Rave On. The EP was released in 1982 and included material that would later inspire the black metal genre.

Continuing the EP, the band released their debut studio album, Melissa, in 1983 and their follow-up album, Don't Break the Oath, in 1984. Both are now considered by many to be classics in both the heavy metal, power metal, and first wave black metal genres. Following the tour in support of Don't Break the Oath, which saw them play in the United States for the first time, King Diamond split ways with the band in April 1985 as a result of frustration over creative differences with Hank Shermann. With him, Diamond brought band mates Hansen and Denner to found a new band under his own name. Mercyful Fate disbanded shortly after. Diamond's new venture continued the tradition of Mercyful Fate, but with a more progressive, conceptual twist to it. In response, Shermann formed the band Fate, which pursued a more melodic rock direction.

Reunion (1992-1999)

Mercyful Fate reformed in July 1992 and signed a contract with Brian Slagel's Metal Blade Records. All the original members without Kim Ruzz (replaced by Morten Nielsen) reformed and released their third studio album, In the Shadows, in 1993. The album featured a re-recording of "Return of the Vampire", with Metallica drummer, Mercyful Fate enthusiast and fellow Dane Lars Ulrich playing on the track. In the years since, the band has released four other studio albums, with the last being 9. Similar to the band's first run, members have left and been replaced; Michael Denner left and was replaced by Mike Wead, Nielsen was later replaced by Snowy Shaw who was then replaced by Bjarne Holm, Timi Hansen left quickly and was replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo. The lineup remained the same for Time, The Bell Witch EP, and Into the Unknown. Snowy Shaw was then replaced by Bjarne Holm on drums.

Unfortunately, Michael Denner had also parted ways with the band at this point, to stay with his wife and family. His replacement was Mike Wead, who recorded with the band on Dead Again and 9, and has proven to be a sufficient replacement for Denner.

Hiatus (1999-present)

Following the release of 9, King Diamond put Mercyful Fate on hold and continued his solo career. Shermann, Denner, Holm and (King Diamond Bass player) Hal Patino formed Force of Evil, which incorporates many of the themes of the original Mercyful Fate. In a March 2008 interview, King Diamond stated that Mercyful Fate is currently "hibernating", but had never split up. Though he does not know when the band will become active again, he stated "It's definitely not finished, at least in my book."

In 2008, King Diamond was approached for the use of Mercyful Fate's songs (and his own image) on the musical video game (as Metallica themselves cite the band as an influence and even recorded a medley of their songs simply titled "Mercyful Fate" on their cover album Garage Inc.). After King agreed, he later found out that the original master recordings of the chosen songs in question ("Evil" and "Curse of the Pharaohs") were lost. So instead of searching on the unlikeliest places, King decided to bring the almost-original lineup back together (Hank Shermann, Michael Denner and Timi Hansen with Bjarne T. Holm sitting in on drums) and they re-recorded the songs specifically for the game (though "Curse of the Pharaohs" was cut from the final game due to gameplay reasons). Around the release date of the game, a promotional single featuring both re-recordings was released by their label Metal Blade.

Asked in June 2010 what are upcoming plans for Mercyful Fate, guitarist Hank Shermann replied, "We have a DVD coming out with the early years, likely sometimes in early 2011! Should be interesting with a lot of never-before-seen footage and how it all started. I'm sure we'll record a new Mercyful Fate album in the future; we just need to get the timeframe framed and then some patience."

Melissa

"Melissa" is the name of a skull King Diamond used to carry on stage, and also a fictional deceased witch that appears in three songs. Before the recordings of the album Melissa, King Diamond had acquired a human skeleton that he named "Melissa". He used the femur bones to make his trademark microphone handle. The skull was apparently stolen during a show in the Netherlands in the mid-1980s. In August 2006, it was rumored that the skull had been returned, but these rumours were proved false.

The skull was inspiration behind the album Melissa, and the title track of the album is very different from the rest of the album, as it is much slower than the other songs (which are speedier and more aggressive). The lyrics tell of a male protagonist (usually identified as King Diamond himself by fans) who lost the love of his life, who was a witch who was burnt at the stake by a Catholic priest. The story builds itself up around the emotions of the protagonist, who first feels sadness and uncertainty, hope for her to still be alive, and then rage over his loss. He swears revenge on the priest who burnt her, proclaiming he must die in the name of hell. The song ends with a whisper that hints Melissa's spirit is still with the protagonist. The other songs contain themes and events that hint and relate to Melissa's burning, in effect gathering every song in a loose concept & overall context.

The second song Melissa appears on is on the album Don't Break the Oath in the song "Come to the Sabbath", once again at the climax of the album. The lyrics tell about a Satanic coven holding a sabbath, in which the protagonist emerges to perform a ritual to "put an evil curse on the priest who took the life of Melissa". Though she is not the focus of the lyrics this time, because of her mention the song is known as a "Melissa song". Additionally, one of the main characters on the King Diamond album "Them" was named "Missy", which is a common diminutive of Melissa.

The final song Melissa appears in is on Mercyful Fate's reunion album In the Shadows on the song "Is That You, Melissa?". The lyrics tell of the protagonist once again in sorrow about the loss of his love. He begins to hear her voice and goes to the coven to have them perform a ritual to speak with her ghost. The coven objects, saying it is against the rules. The protagonist is visited by Melissa's spirit who shares a kiss with the protagonist. The subject of the song is argued by some; one side says the lyrics are not a continuation of the Melissa story but a tribute by the band to their past, while the other side sees it as the end of the Melissa story. She is the girl on the album cover of "In the Shadows" facing the old oak tree. After In the Shadows, Melissa has not been mentioned any more in both lyrics and artwork.

Members

Current members

King Diamond - vocals, keyboard (1981–1985, 1992–present)

Hank Shermann - guitar (1981–1985, 1992–present)

Mike Wead - guitar (1996–present)

Bjarne T. Holm - drums (1994–present)

Sharlee D'Angelo - bass (1993–present)

Former members

Michael Denner - guitar (1982–1985, 1992–1996)

Timi Hansen - bass (1981–1985, 1992–1993)

Kim Ruzz - drums (1981–1985)

Tommie "Snowy Shaw" Helgesson - drums (1993–1994)

Session members

Lars Ulrich - drums (1993)

Old Nick - drums (1992)

Morten Nielson - drums (1993)

Discography

Studio albums

Melissa (1983)

Don't Break the Oath (1984)

In the Shadows (1993)

Time (1994)

Into the Unknown (1996)

Dead Again (1998)

9 (1999)

Compilation albums

The Beginning (1987)

Return of the Vampire (1992)

A Dangerous Meeting (1992)

The Best of Mercyful Fate (2003)

Extended plays

The Mercyful Fate EP (1982)

The Bell Witch (1994)

References

External links

Category:Danish heavy metal musical groups Category:Danish black metal musical groups Category:Speed metal musical groups Category:Danish musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1981 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Category:1980s music groups Category:1990s music groups Category:Musical quintets