The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas, from left to right: Taboo, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Fergie
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Alternative hip hop, hip hop, R&B, pop, dance, electro, house, techno, trance, dance-pop
Years active	1995–present (hiatuses: 2007–08, 2011–present)
Labels	A&M, Interscope, will.i.am
Associated acts	Atban Klann, Wild Orchid, Richie Londres
Website	blackeyedpeas.com
Members
will.i.am apl.de.ap Taboo Fergie

The Black Eyed Peas are a American hip hop group (originally an alternative hip hop group, they have since added R&B, pop, dance, electro and techno influences). Though founded in Los Angeles, California in 1995, it was not until the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003 that the group found widespread acclaim and record sales. Since that time, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide.^[1] According to Nielsen SoundScan, The Black Eyed Peas are the second-best-selling artist or group for downloaded tracks, with over 42 million sales as of the end of 2011.^[2]

Their first major hit was the 2003 single "Where Is the Love?" from Elephunk, which topped 13 international charts. Another European hit single from the album was "Shut Up". Their fourth album Monkey Business, was an even bigger worldwide success, certified 4× Platinum in the U.S., and spawning two singles, "My Humps" and "Don't Phunk with My Heart". In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with their singles "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling"; which topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks. The album later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "Imma Be", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album before being followed with "Rock That Body" and "Meet Me Halfway" which managed to peak in the Top 10 of Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than 1 million downloads in the United Kingdom.^[3] The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on the Billboard's Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade.On the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony, which held in January, 2010 they won 3 awards out of 6 nominations.

In November 2010, they released the album The Beginning. In February 2011, the group performed at the Super Bowl XLV halftime show. The album's first two singles "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough" became international hits and topped the charts in many countries.

History[link]

[edit] 1988–2000: Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap

The Black Eyed Peas date back to 1988, when eighth-graders William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E manager, Jerry Heller's, nephew. Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio Atban Klann (ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation).^[4] Will 1X (aka will.i.am), apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 (aka Monroe Walker), and Dante Santiago formed Atban Klann. Their debut album, Grass Roots, was never released due to Ruthless records founder Eazy-E's death.^[4]

After Eazy-E died in 1995, Atban Klann reformed and changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and then Black Eyed Peas. Dante Santiago was replaced with Jaime Gomez (Taboo), and Kim Hill became a steady background singer. Unlike many hip-hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the "Gangsta Rap" sounds of Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, Behind the Front (1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. One of the singles from the album was "Joints & Jam", and was featured on the Bulworth soundtrack. Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which had the single "Request + Line" featuring R&B singer Macy Gray.

[edit] 2001–04: Addition of Fergie and Elephunk

Their third album Elephunk began development on November 2, 2001, but was not released until 2003. It was the first album to feature the vocals of current member Fergie. Nicole Scherzinger was originally approached to join the Peas, but was forced to decline because she was a member of Eden's Crush and was under contract. Dante Santiago then introduced will.i.am to Fergie, who joined the band in 2002. Elephunk is also the first album that indicated and demonstrated the new, polished pop sound designed to attract mass audiences. In a positive review of The Black Eyed Peas' new-found style, Rolling Stone noted that since 2002, when the group "hired a blond bombshell named Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson and gave up their pursuit of backpack-rapper cred, they have made a kind of spiritual practice of recording futuristic songs – a total aesthetic commitment that extends from their garish wardrobes to their United Colors of Benetton worldview."^[5]

From Elephunk came "Where Is the Love?", which became The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit, peaking at No.8 on the U.S. Hot 100, but topping the charts in several other countries, including seven weeks at No.1 in the United Kingdom, where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003. The single had similar results in Australia, staying at No.1 for six weeks. In an interview with TalkofFame.com, Taboo shared that Justin Timberlake's split with Britney Spears impacted the recording of "Where Is The Love?".^[6]

The album subsequently spawned "Shut Up", which peaked at No.2 in the UK and topped the charts in many success and went Gold and Platinum in the U.S., UK, Germany, and other European markets.

The third single from the album, although significantly restyled from the original Elephunk version, "Hey Mama" hit the top 5 in Australia and the top 10 in the UK, Germany and other European countries and reached No.23 in the U.S. The song received even more exposure in 2003 when it was featured in the first "silhouette" television commercial for the iPod.

Their fourth single from the album was titled "Let's Get It Started", which was re-titled from its original name of "Let's Get Retarded" to ensure radio play with no backlash for being considered as offensive to the mentally disabled. "Let's Get It Started" won a 2005 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and also received two nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rap Song.

In 2004, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Elephunk Tour, hitting many countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

[edit] 2004–07: Monkey Business and hiatus

Their fourth album, Monkey Business, was recorded through 2004 and was released on June 7, 2005. Much of the pre-production writing was performed on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus while on The Black Eyed Peas tour of 2004. The album's first single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart", was a hit in the U.S., reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100. The spot the song reached was the highest peak yet of their career in the U.S. (this was later broken when "Boom Boom Pow" peaked at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100) and earned them another Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The song reached three in the UK, and five in Canada, and stayed at number one for three weeks in Australia. Some radio stations, concerned about complaints of obscenity, played an alternative version, "Don't Mess with My Heart". "Don't Lie", the second single from the album, saw success on the U.S. Hot 100, reaching #14, although becoming somewhat more successful in the UK and Australia, reaching a peak of No.6 in both countries. "My Humps", another song from the album, immediately achieved commercial success in the U.S. and fairly substantial radio play despite the sexually suggestive lyrics, reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100 and number one in Australia, making it their fourth Australian number one single. However, many mocked the song for its poor lyrical content; John Bush, writing for Allmusic, described it as "one of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium".^[7] Despite this, the album Monkey Business debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 295,000 copies in its first week and was later certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Their next and last commercially-released single from the album was "Pump It", which borrows much of its sound from "Misirlou", specifically Dick Dale's version; it peaked at number 8 in Australia but 18 in America.

In September 2005, The Black Eyed Peas released an iTunes Originals playlist of their greatest hits, as well as some that were re-recorded especially for purchase through iTunes. The playlist includes popular songs such as "Don't Lie", "Shut Up", and a new version of "Where Is the Love?" It has small stories containing info and commentary about the songs and how the group first met.

	"My Humps" (2005) noicon Third single from Monkey Business. "Pump It" (2006) noicon Last single from Monkey Business.
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

In autumn 2005, The Black Eyed Peas set off to tour with Gwen Stefani, as supporting act. In December 2005, they embarked on the "European Tour", which toured multiple countries in Europe. The European leg which opened in Tel Aviv, Israel, continued to Ireland, the UK, Italy and Germany. After heading to Europe and Asia, they toured the U.S. again, and South America. The Black Eyed Peas have starred in a series of web shorts for Snickers called Instant Def, appearing as a group of hip-hop superheroes.

On March 21, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas released a remix album, entitled Renegotiations: The Remixes to iTunes. It features remixed versions of "Ba Bump", "My Style", "Feel It", "Disco Club", "They Don't Want Music", "Audio Delite at Low Fidelity", and the standard version and video of "Like That". The following week, it was released on CD without the music video. Participants on the EP included DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Erick Sermon, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Large Professor. In March 2006, The Black Eyed Peas hit the road again as the featured headliner for the 6th Annual Honda Civic Tour with supporting bands Flipsyde and The Pussycat Dolls. They again brought the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus on the tour with them to craft new songs for Fergie's solo debut album. In 2006, they went on tour with The Pussycat Dolls.^[8][9]

In 2007, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Black Blue & You World Tour, visiting more than 20 countries, including Macau, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, Thailand, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina, Philippines, El Salvador and Brazil. This tour was presented by Pepsi, in conjunction with the new "Pepsi More" advertising campaign, featuring The Black Eyed Peas. They recorded the song "More" for the new Pepsi spot. On December 31, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas performed at the last stop on the Monkey Business tour, at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for more than 1 million people, being their biggest concert ever. The Black Eyed Peas performed at the UK leg of Live Earth on July 7, 2007 at Wembley Stadium, London. will.i.am performed a new song, "Help Us Out", at the event, which is now on his album, Songs About Girls, as "S.O.S. (Mother Nature)". They headlined the main Ocean Stage at the Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Japan on August 11, and Osaka, Japan on August 12, 2007. The act consisted of the band performing their hits, as well as Fergie singing solo tracks from The Dutchess. will.i.am again sang songs from his upcoming album. Already having produced the bulk of the Peas' albums, will.i.am has begun his solo career in earnest by producing and collaborating with a variety of musicians, most notably Michael Jackson and also including U2, Sérgio Mendes, Carlos Santana, Too Short, Kelis, Cheryl Cole, SMAP, John Legend, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Nas and Bone Thugs and Harmony.

[edit] 2007–10: The E.N.D

The Black Eyed Peas performing on October 7, 2009

The group's fifth studio album, The E.N.D. ("The Energy Never Dies"), was released on June 9, 2009. The overall sound of the album has a more electro hop beat rather than the usual hip pop/R&B feeling of their previous albums. Following its release, will.i.am remarked that the album had been inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically the sound of The Presets' "My People". "The energy on the Presets' small little stage was crazy energy. That song My People – that shit is wild," will.i.am said, "That's the reason why this record sounds the way it does – my three months in Australia."^[10] In its first week, the album sold 304,000 copies and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. In the United States, the album became the ninth album to top the one million mark in sales in 2009. The album has spent 38 weeks within the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The E.N.D. was the 7th best-selling album of 2009 in the U.S. It also debuted at number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand and three in the United Kingdom. Three additional singles, "Imma Be", "Alive", and "Meet Me Halfway", were released through the iTunes Store in the three weeks running up to the album's release.

The first single "Boom Boom Pow" was sent to U.S. radio on March 10, 2009 and was released on March 30, 2009 on iTunes. The single sold 465,000 downloads in its first week of digital release, the third-largest number of download sales in a single week overall, and the largest single-week and debut-download totals by a group in the history of digital-download sales, reaching No. 1 on the U.S. The single also reached the top spot in Billboard Hot 100 and Pop 100. beingc the group's first U.S. No. 1, holding the spot for twelve consecutive weeks. It also reached number 1 in Australia, Canada, and the UK. After the release of The E.N.D., the Black Eyed Peas released "I Gotta Feeling" (produced by David Guetta) as the official second single from the album. The single charted at number three and then went to number one on the UK Singles Chart. It debuted at number 2 on the Hot 100 behind "Boom Boom Pow" and later surpassed it, taking the number 1 spot.^[11] Moreover, it's considered that the collaboration of the Black Eyed Peas with the French dj is a significant reason of the recent success of the group."^[12] The Black Eyed Peas joined a very elite group of artists who have held the No.1 and 2 Spot on the Hot 100 simultaneously. From April 18, 2009, when "Boom Boom Pow" reached No. 1, through October 10, 2009, the last week "I Gotta Feeling" was at No. 1, the group was on top of the chart for 26 weeks, more consecutive weeks than any other artist. On July 30, Billboard announced that the Black Eyed Peas set a record for the longest successive No. 1 chart run by a duo or group in the Billboard Hot 100's history. "I Gotta Feeling" hit its fifth consecutive week at No. 1, following 12 weeks at the top by the Peas' "Boom Boom Pow". Boyz II Men reigned on the chart for two 16-week runs in the mid-'90s.^[13] "Meet Me Halfway" was released as the third single from the album in September 2009. The single reached number one in the UK and Australia, making it their third chart topper from The E.N.D. in both countries. It also peaked at seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it the group's third top-10 single from The E.N.D. "Imma Be" was released as the fourth single in the U.S. on December 15, 2009, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming the group's 3rd number one single on that chart. Heavy airplay in Canada caused "Imma Be" to reach number 5 on the Canadian Hot 100, their 4th consecutive top 5 hit from the album. "Rock That Body" was then released as the fifth single, and has so far reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In September 2009, the group embarked on The E.N.D. World Tour, with dates announced in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, which lasted well 2010. In October 2009, they also were the opening acts for 5 concerts of the U2 360° Tour North America leg. The Black Eyed Peas started 2010 performing "Rock That Body", "Imma Be", "Boom Boom Pow" and other hits from The E.N.D. in a New Year's Eve party and caused an increase in downloads of those songs. The group performed at the Grammys on January 31, 2010. They performed a mash-up of "Imma Be"/"I Gotta Feeling". In the same night, they won 3 out of the 6 awards they were nominated for including Best Pop Vocal Album for The E.N.D., Best Pop VocalPerformance by a Group for "I Gotta Feeling" and Best Short Form Video for "Boom Boom Pow". On March 30, 2010, The Black Eyed Peas tackled a major milestone in advanced technology. AEG in a Co-Production with 3ality Digital became the first concert to be broadcast LIVE in 3D.^[14]

The Black Eyed Peas' Live 3D performance of "Meet Me Halfway" won top honors at the 2010 Dimension 3 Expo in Paris for the Live 3D Category.^[15]

On July 27, 2010, The Black Eyed Peas released a remix album: The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour: Remix Collection. It was released on iTunes in Canada only, during the Canadian leg of The E.N.D. World Tour. It mostly features remixes of the singles taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. It also features a remix of "Let's Get It Started" taken from their third studio album, Elephunk, the remix was also a bonus track on the deluxe edition of The E.N.D.

[edit] 2010–present: The Beginning and second hiatus

Their sixth studio album: The Beginning was released on November 30, 2010, and received mixed to average reviews.^[16] The album's first single is called "The Time (Dirty Bit)",^[17] and was revealed on October 20, 2010, through will.i.am's Twitter account. The music video was directed by Rich Lee, who had previously directed the video for "Imma Be Rocking That Body".

"Just Can't Get Enough", the album's second single, was released in February 18, 2011. The music video was released in March 16, 2011 and it was filmed in Tokyo, one week before the earthquake and the tsunami. The video was directed by Ben Mor. The group's third single was "Don't Stop the Party" and it was released on May 10, 2011. On the same day, a music video for the song was released on iTunes, along with the single. The video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on stage and backstage footage of the group during The E.N.D. World Tour in 2009–2010. The video premiered on Vevo on May 12, 2011. On May 22, the group appeared on the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and won 1 of their 4 nominations, for "Top Duo/Group". They also performed "Just Can't Get Enough", "The Time (Dirty Bit)", "Boom Boom Pow", and "I Gotta Feeling". The performance received good reviews.

During their concert at Alton Towers in Staffordshire on the July 6, 2011, The Black Eyed Peas announced they are taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour, as they did between 2005 and 2009. Will.i.am later confirmed the news on Twitter, adding that the break does not mean they will "stop creating".^[18] On November 23, 2011 the group made their last performance for The Beginning Tour in Miami with opening acts such as Cee Lo Green, Queen Latifah and many others.

Appearances[link]

In November 2005, The Black Eyed Peas performed at the half-time show at the Canadian Football League's 93rd Grey Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia.

On May 11, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas performed at San Fernando High School at the football field.

On June 17, 2009 the Black Eyed Peas performed on the British TV chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man. The band was interviewed and performed their single "I Gotta Feeling".^[19] On July 8, 2009, they made an appearance at the Isle of MTV in Malta.^[20]

On September 8, 2009, the group performed live for Oprah Winfrey's 24th Season Kickoff Party, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. An estimated 21,000 dancers in the streets performed a flash mob to the live performance of "I Gotta Feeling".^[21]

The group performed at the American Music Awards of 2009 with the songs "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow". They also won 2 out of 3 categories in which they were nominated; Favorite Rock/Pop Group & Favorite R&B/Soul Group. They lost their last category, Best R&B/Soul Album (The E.N.D.), to Michael Jackson.

In June 2010, The Black Eyed Peas performed "Where is the Love?", "Pump It", "Meet me Halfway", "Boom Boom Pow", and "I Gotta Feeling" at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration concert in South Africa. The concert had over 700 million viewers world wide, making it the biggest event the group performed in. They also performed at T in the Park 2010 on the NME Stage on the Friday July 9 and Oxegen in Kildare, Ireland on Saturday July 10 on the Vodafone stage.

In July 2010 The Black Eyed Peas performed "Boom Boom Pow", "Rock That Body" and "I Gotta Feeling" in Central Park as part of Good Morning America's free summer concert series.

In December 2010 they appeared on the seventh series of The X Factor in the UK performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)".

In March 2011, the Black Eyed Peas appeared on the American Idol elimination show singing "Just Can't Get Enough". Will.i.am noted at the beginning of the song that the song was dedicated to "our friends in Japan". On April 2, the group appeared on the 24th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough". The appearance received very good reviews and in the same night the group won the blimp award of the Favorite Music Group category.^{[citation needed]}

Charity events[link]

On December 10, 2005, the Peas cover of the John Lennon classic "Power to the People", which was mostly recorded on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, was released by Amnesty International as part of the Make Some Noise campaign to celebrate human rights. The song was later released on the 2007 John Lennon tribute album, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The same day, The Black Eyed Peas performed their version live on the UK television program The Record of the Year together with John Legend and Mary J. Blige.

On September 3, 2011, the group performed a concert in Minot, North Dakota to benefit the victims of the 2011 Souris River flood that damaged over 4,000 homes and displaced over 12,000 people in Minot and along the Souris River.^[22] Fergie is married to Minot native, Josh Duhamel.

On September 30, 2011 the group performed a free concert, "Chase Presents The Black Eyed Peas and Friends", for over 50,000 people in New York City's Central Park,.^[23] The event raised over $4 million for the charity.^[24]

Other media[link]

In 2010 the group revealed in The Big Issue interview that they are working on a 3D film directed by James Cameron. The film will be a tour documentary with fiction inserted into it.

In June 2011 Ubisoft announced they are developing The Black Eyed Peas Experience, a dance video game for Kinect and Wii.^[25] On November 11, 2011, the video game was finally released internationally in association with Ubisoft.

Members[link]

• will.i.am – leader, main rapper, vocalist, producer, songwriter
• Fergie – main vocalist, sub-rapper, songwriter
• Taboo – lead rapper, songwriter
• apl.de.ap – lead rapper, sub-vocalist, songwriter, producer

Discography[link]

• Behind the Front (1998)
• Bridging the Gap (2000)
• Elephunk (2003)
• Monkey Business (2005)
• The E.N.D. (2009)
• The Beginning (2010)

Tours[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

	Book: The Black Eyed Peas
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (Canada)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
• List of UK Dance Chart number-one singles of 2010
• List of UK Official Download Chart number-one singles from the 2000s
• List of artists who have had number-one singles on the UK Official Download Chart
• List of best-selling music downloads in the United Kingdom
• List of best-selling singles in the United States
• List of best-selling singles of the 2000s (UK)
• List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one singles of 2000s in Romania
• List of number-one singles of 2009 (Australia)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Black Eyed Peas

• BlackEyedPeas.com – official website
• The Black Eyed Peas on Twitter
• Black Eyed Peas YouTube Channel
• Black Eyed Peas Dipdive channel
• Black Eyed Peas bio and discograph
• Black Eyed Peas website

The Black
(l-r): Yamal Said, Alan Schaefer, David Longoria
Background information
Origin	Austin, Texas, United States
Genres	Indie rock
Years active	2002 – present
Labels	K Woo
Associated acts	Pink Nasty, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Knife in the Water, Clint Newsom, The Sword, Voxtrot
Website	http://www.theblackmusic.com/
Members
David Longoria (vocals, guitar) Alan Schaefer (lead guitar) Matt Simon (drums[ Bryan Mammel(piono, keys)
Past members
Clint Newsom Nick Moulos Andy Morales Zach Hennard Adam Amparan Danica Newell Conrad Keely, Jason Reece, Kevin Allen, Danny Wood, Doni Schroader (...Trail of Dead) Trivett Wingo (The Sword) Jason Chronis, Matt Simon, Jared Van Fleet (Voxtrot)

The Black is a rock band from Austin, Texas that formed in 2002 when singer/songwriter David Longoria began collaborating with drummer Andy Morales. The two were later joined by renowned guitarist Alan Schaefer (son of famous guitar maker Ed Schaefer) and Nick Moulos of the Austin band The Crackpipes.

History[link]

The group began playing regularly at Emo's and house parties until Schaefer moved to France to teach English in 2004. Longoria joined major label act …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead during the band's hiatus, his first performance with them on The Late Show with David Letterman in January 2005. Schaefer joined the rest of the band to support Trail of Dead on their European Worlds Apart tour. During the tour Trail of Dead was the band's backing band for a handful of shows.

Their full-length album Tanglewood was recorded in 2004 and released the spring of 2005 on their own record label K Woo.

The band's next release, titled Donna, was released in the summer of 2007.

There are also two other bands with the same name which formed earlier : an Italian Doom Metal band formed in 1988 and a Swedish Black Metal band formed in 1991. Both are still active nowadays.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Tanglewood (20 April 2005)

Members[link]

Current[link]

• David Longoria - lyrics, vocals 2004–present
• Alan Schaefer - guitar 2004–present
• Matt Simon - drums present
• Bryan Mammel - Piano, keys present

Amy Hawthorne -bass

Previous[link]

Drummers

• Andy Morales - (2004)
• Yamal Said-(2005)(2007)

Bassists

• Clint Newsom - (2004)
• Nick Moulos - (2004–2005)
• Adam Amparan - (2005–2006)
• Zach Hennard - (2006–2007)
• Pink Nasty - (2007)

Pianists

• Danica Newell - (2004)
• Conrad Keely - (2005)
• Jared Van Fleet - (2006–2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Black

• Official website
• Official Myspace page

Jeff Tweedy
Jeff Tweedy performing with Wilco at the Primavera Sound Festival 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Jeffrey Scot Tweedy
Born	(1967-08-25) August 25, 1967 (age 44) Belleville, Illinois, United States
Genres	Alternative country, alternative rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Giant/Rockville, Sire, Reprise, Nonesuch, Drag City
Associated acts	Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Golden Smog, Loose Fur

Jeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy (born August 25, 1967 in Belleville, Illinois, United States) is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit. The Plebes changed their name to The Primitives in 1984, and subsequently to Uncle Tupelo. Uncle Tupelo garnered enough support to earn a record deal and to tour nationally. After releasing four albums, the band broke up in 1994 because of conflicts between Tweedy and Farrar.

In 1994, Tweedy formed Wilco with John Stirratt, Max Johnston, and Ken Coomer. Wilco has released eight albums and found commercial success with their albums Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album). The band also released two collaboration albums with Billy Bragg and one with The Minus 5. Jeff Tweedy has been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Album for A Ghost Is Born. Tweedy has also participated in a number of side groups including Golden Smog and Loose Fur, published a book of poems, and released a DVD of solo performances. He was originally influenced by punk and country music, but has later reflected more experimental themes in his music.

Tweedy has been afflicted with migraine headaches since childhood. Treatment for the migraines led to a dependency on painkillers, for which he underwent successful rehab in 2004. Tweedy also has been open about the fact that he suffers from clinical depression and panic attacks.

Early life[link]

Jeff Tweedy was born in Belleville, Illinois on August 25, 1967 as the fourth child of Bob and Jo Ann Tweedy. Bob Tweedy worked at Alton & Southern Railroad in East St. Louis while Jo Ann was a kitchen designer.^[1] Jo Ann bought Tweedy his first guitar at age six, although he did not begin to play it seriously until he was eight.^[1] In 1981, when Tweedy was fourteen years old, he befriended Jay Farrar in an English class at Belleville Township High School West.^[2] All of the members of Farrar's family enjoyed playing music, causing Farrar to already have knowledge of the musical elements of rock and roll. By this time, Tweedy was a fan of The Ramones and country music while Farrar enjoyed The Sex Pistols.^[3]

Farrar was in a band called The Plebes with his brothers Wade and Dade, which Tweedy joined in order to qualify for a battle of the bands competition, which they won.^{[4] [5]}Tweedy pushed The Plebes away from the rockabilly music that they had been playing, which caused Dade Farrar to leave the band. The band renamed themselves The Primitives in 1984, taking their name from a song by garage rock band The Groupies.^[6][7] Wade Farrar sang lead vocals and played harmonica, Jay Farrar played guitar, Tweedy played bass guitar, and Mike Heidorn played drums. In late 1986, the band decided to change their name to Uncle Tupelo, because a more popular British band was also using the name "The Primitives".^[8] The Primitives went on hiatus in 1986 after Wade Farrar left the band to finish his engineering degree at Southern Illinois University.^[9] While waiting for Wade to return from campus, Jay, Tweedy, and Heidorn formed Uncle Tupelo.

Uncle Tupelo (1987-1994)[link]

At his parents' request, Jeff Tweedy enrolled at several universities, but dropped out of them so that he could concentrate on Uncle Tupelo. While moonlighting as a record store clerk at Euclid Records in St. Louis[1][2], Tweedy met Tony Margherita. After Margherita saw the band perform at an acoustic concert in 1988, he decided to become the band's manager. The band began playing regular shows at Cicero's basement bar in the Delmar Loop near Washington University with other bands playing in a similar style.^[8][10] Uncle Tupelo recorded a ten-track demo tape entitled Not Forever, Just For Now in 1989, attracting the attention of Giant/Rockville Records. The independent label signed the band, and Uncle Tupelo's first album, No Depression, was released the next year.^[8] The title song, originally performed by the Carter Family, became strongly associated with the alternative country scene, and became the name of an influential alternative country periodical.^[11]

During times when Uncle Tupelo was not touring, Tweedy and Farrar played as Coffee Creek, a short-lived cover band with The Bottle Rockets' Brian Henneman and Mark Ortmann.^[12] Around this time, Tweedy began developing problems with alcohol abuse, leading to tensions between Tweedy and Farrar. While he never refused to play a gig, Tweedy was forced to sit out in place of Henneman at some performances. Tweedy quit drinking entirely after meeting future wife Sue Miller, although he replaced this habit with smoking marijuana.^[13] After releasing Still Feel Gone, the band formed a friendship with Peter Buck of R.E.M., who produced their third album March 16–20, 1992 for free.^[13] Uncle Tupelo left the Rockville label in favor of Sire Records (Warner) later in 1992 because Rockville refused to pay the band any royalties for their albums.^[14] After the signing, Max Johnston and John Stirratt joined the band as Mike Heidorn was replaced by Bill Belzer who was later replaced by Ken Coomer.^[15] The five-piece band recorded Anodyne, which sold over 150,000 copies and debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, but was the last album Uncle Tupelo released.^[16][17]

Breakup[link]

In January 1994, Farrar called Tony Margherita to tell him that the band was breaking up, saying that he was not having any fun in the band anymore and was not getting along with Tweedy. Tweedy was enraged that Farrar decided to break up the band without notifying him, and this led to a series of harsh verbal exchanges. Farrar and Tweedy agreed to a final Uncle Tupelo tour, but the concerts were marred by the two not participating in each other's songs. The band decided to play Tweedy's "The Long Cut" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, which further distanced Farrar and Tweedy.^[18] Farrar began to assemble a new band named Son Volt with Mike Heidorn, bassist Jim Boquist, and his brother Dave Boquist. At the same time, Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco with Stirratt, Johnston, and Coomer.^[19]

Wilco (1995–present)[link]

Tweedy singing with Wilco in 2007

Wilco was signed to Reprise Records (Warner) and began recording A.M. almost as soon as the band was formed.^[20] After recording, Tweedy was introduced to Jay Bennett, who then joined the band. Also during this time, Tweedy quit smoking marijuana after a particularly bad experience with some cannabis brownies.^[21] A.M. did not fare as well commercially in comparison to Son Volt's first album, only reaching number 27 on the Heatseekers chart while Son Volt's debut Trace hit the Billboard 200.^[22][23] Dan Murphy of Soul Asylum invited Tweedy to join him in a supergroup named Golden Smog with Gary Louris and Marc Perlman of the Jayhawks, Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run, and Noah Levy of The Honeydogs. Under the pseudonym Scott Summit, Tweedy released Down by the Old Mainstream with Golden Smog in 1996.^[24]

Tweedy and Wilco began to explore new styles and broke from the style of previous recordings on the seminal sprawling double album Being There in 1996. Tweedy did not write music for many of the songs ahead of time, and welcomed unexpected sounds into the recording. Wilco recorded nineteen songs for the double-CD album, and wanted the label to release it with a retail price comparable to a single-CD release.^[25] Being There was a commercial success, selling 300,000 copies and peaking in the top half of the Billboard 200.^[26] Reprise records invested $100,000 in the single "Outta Mind (Outtasite)", but received little radio exposure.^[27][28] While on tour, Tweedy began to spend time reading books by William H. Gass, Henry Miller, and John Fante. As he read their books, Tweedy decided to place more of an emphasis on writing.^[29] Representatives in the A&R department of Reprise wanted a radio single from Summerteeth, and Wilco reluctantly agreed to a re-working of "Can't Stand It". The single was a top five hit on adult album alternative radio stations, but failed to cross over to a larger audience.^[30]

Before the release of Summerteeth, the daughter of the late folk legend Woody Guthrie contacted folk rock singer Billy Bragg, who in turn contacted Tweedy about recording an album of unreleased Woody Guthrie songs. Tweedy was indifferent to the idea of working with Bragg, but Jay Bennett's enthusiasm about the idea convinced Tweedy to get the band involved in the project. As a result of Tweedy's feelings on the political nature of some of the lyrics, Bragg recorded mostly political songs while Wilco recorded more neutral songs. Almost all of the songs that appeared on Mermaid Avenue and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II were recorded over a six day period in December 1997.^[31] The first Mermaid Avenue album and a second Golden Smog album (Weird Tales) were released in 1998, Summerteeth was released in early 1999, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II was released in 2000. Tweedy received his first Grammy nomination when Mermaid Avenue was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1999.^[32]

[edit] Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Jeff Tweedy was invited to play at Chicago's Noise Pop festival, and was told that he could collaborate with a musician of his choosing. Tweedy chose Jim O'Rourke based on his fascination with O'Rourke's Bad Timing album. O'Rourke offered to bring drummer Glenn Kotche to the festival, and the trio formed a side project named Loose Fur. The other band members of Wilco had written a number of songs for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but Tweedy was unsatisfied with them because he believed that the songs did not sound like the ones he played with Loose Fur. Tweedy became such a fan of Kotche's playing style that he decided to dismiss Ken Coomer from the band in favor of Kotche.^[33] Tweedy had strong feelings about how songs should be sequenced, which clashed with Jay Bennett's focus on the songs themselves. Because Bennett was mixing the album, this led to a series of arguments about how the album should sound between songs. Tweedy asked O'Rourke to remix several songs on the album that had been mixed by Bennett, which caused tensions within the band to escalate. The album was completed in June 2001, and Tweedy was insistent that it was in its final form.^[34][35] Tweedy also fired Jay Bennett around this time, believing (according to Jay Bennett) that Wilco should only have one core member.^[34] The band maintains that the firing of Jay Bennett was a collective decision.

Reprise Record's parent company Time Warner merged with America Online in 2001, and the recording company was asked to cut costs. Howie Klein, the CEO of Reprise Records, considered Wilco to be one of the label's core bands, but was offered a lucrative buy-out by AOL Time Warner. Reprise did not consider the album commercially viable and was not interested in releasing the album. David Kahne (Head of A&R) agreed to release Wilco from Reprise records under the condition that Wilco got to keep all legal entitlements to the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album.^[34][36] After an article in the Chicago Tribune publicly described these managerial practices, CEO Gary Briggs quit.^[37] Shortly after leaving the label, Briggs remarked:

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was originally scheduled to be released on Reprise on September 11, 2001, prior to the band's departure from Reprise. Seven days later, Tweedy decided that he would stream the entirety of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on Wilco's official website.^[38] Over thirty record labels offered to release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot after the departure from Reprise was official.^[39] One of the thirty was Warner Brothers affiliate Nonesuch Records, who signed Wilco in November 2001. AOL Time Warner paid Wilco to make the album on Reprise, gave them the record for free, and then bought it back on the Nonesuch label.^[40] The album was released on April 23, 2002 to significant critical acclaim, including being named the best album of the year by The Village Voice.^[41][42] The album became the biggest hit of Jeff Tweedy's career and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over 500,000 copies.^[43]

[edit] A Ghost Is Born and side projects

Scott McCaughey contacted Tweedy about recording an album together for a The Minus 5 release. They scheduled a meeting for September 11, 2001, but were reluctant to enter the recording studio after the terrorist attacks. At night, McCaughey and Tweedy decided to begin recording songs as a way to calm down. A few more tracks were later added to the album with the rest of Wilco, and it was released with the name Down with Wilco in 2003.^[44]

In November 2003, Wilco began recording a fifth studio album. Unlike their previous albums, all of the songs were originally performed in the studio and then later adapted for playing at concerts. Wilco released A Ghost Is Born on June 22, 2004, and it attained a top ten peak on the Billboard 200.^[45] The album was awarded with Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package in 2005.^[46] A few weeks before the album's release, Tweedy released a book of forty-three poems entitled Adult Head on Zoo Press.^[47] The following year, the band released their first live album, a two-disc set entitled Kicking Television: Live in Chicago, recorded at The Vic Theater.^[48] Wilco recorded twelve tracks for a sixth studio album entitled Sky Blue Sky, which was released on May 15, 2007.^[49] Sky Blue Sky debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, the band's highest debut yet. It sold over 87,000 copies in its first week of release.^[50]

Jeff Tweedy has performed several solo tours, on which he typically plays acoustic music. He also does The Song Simple Twist of Fate on the Soundtrack to I'm Not There.^[51] On October 24, 2006 Nonesuch Records released Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest, a live DVD by Tweedy. The disc includes performances and conversations gathered over five nights on Tweedy’s February 2006 solo acoustic tour, with footage from concerts at Seattle’s Moore Theater, Portland’s Crystal Ballroom, Eugene’s McDonald Theatre, Arcata’s Humboldt State University, and The Fillmore in San Francisco. The DVD was directed by Christoph Green and Fugazi’s Brendan Canty, the creators of the documentary series Burn to Shine.^[52]

Tweedy performed at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on October 30, 2010 in Washington, D.C. with collaborator Mavis Staples.

Musical style[link]

Jeff Tweedy's musical style has varied over his music career. Tweedy's vocal style is considered nasal, emotional, and scratchy, and has been compared to that of Neil Young.^[3][53] His first exposure to music was through gramophone records that his siblings left behind when they attended college, and he particularly liked The Beatles' White Album. Tweedy would frequently read issues of magazines such as Rolling Stone, and began to purchase punk rock albums such as The Clash's London Calling and X's Wild Gift. Belleville crowds did not respond well to punk music, so while Tweedy was a member of The Primitives they played covers of country songs at much faster tempos.^[54] When Uncle Tupelo formed, the band began composing its own songs influenced by Jason & the Scorchers and The Minutemen.^[10] Wilco's first album shared many musical similarities with the four previous Uncle Tupelo albums, but on Being There, Tweedy began introducing more experimental themes into his music. He claims that he wanted to rebel against the belief spread by the No Depression magazine that Wilco was primarily a country band.^[55] One of the most influential albums for Tweedy was Bad Timing by Jim O'Rourke, which helped to inspire Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born.^[56] Tweedy uses a 1957 Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar, as well as a 1965 Fender Jazzmaster, and three different Telecasters, but his primary electric guitar is the Gibson SG Standard. He has vintage SGs from ’62 and ’65 as well as a 2007 Custom Shop model and a 2008 Custom Shop Vintage Original Spec (V.O.S.) that are all rigged with Maestro tremolo bars.^[57] He also has been known to use a Breedlove 000^[58] and even designed a limited edition 000 for Breedlove in 2007.^[59] His amplifier of choice is a Vox AC30.

Personal life[link]

Tweedy has been prone to chronic migraines throughout his entire life, forcing him to miss forty days of elementary school in one year.^[34][60] These chronic migraines caused Tweedy to become dependent on painkillers.^{[citation needed]} While he attempted to regulate his use of painkillers, he was never able to stop their use for more than five weeks. Tweedy attributes this to comorbidity with major depressive disorder and severe panic attacks.^[61] In 2004, he entered a dual diagnosis rehabilitation clinic in order to receive treatment for an addiction to prescription painkillers.^[62][63] Tweedy quit smoking the next year; John Stirratt claimed afterward that this significantly improved the focus of the band.^[64]

Tweedy is married to former talent booking agent Sue Miller. Tweedy first met Miller when he was trying to get Uncle Tupelo booked at Cubby Bear, where Miller worked. Miller opened a club in Chicago named Lounge Ax in 1989, and booked Uncle Tupelo for 16 shows over four years. Miller and Tweedy began dating in 1991 and they were married on August 9, 1995.^[65] Their son Spencer: Spencer Tweedy (born December 16, 1995) has been the drummer for pre-teen rock band The Blisters, not to be confused with Chicago powerpop band The Blissters, since December 2003. Spencer has also recently formed a new band called Tully Monster with friends Hayden Holbert and Henry Mosher. The band has played major events such as Lollapalooza, which Jeff and Wilco headlined, and also at the opening of Millennium Park in Chicago.^[66] On December 16, 2008 Spencer Tweedy joined Wilco on stage at Madison Square Garden to play drums on their song "The Late Greats," while opening for Neil Young. Before the song, the entire crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Spencer Tweedy, as it was his 13th birthday.^[67] He also has a younger son, Sam Tweedy.

In early May 2009, former Wilco member Jay Bennett sued Tweedy for breach of contract.^[68] Bennett died later that month of an apparent accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.^[69]

Selected discography[link]

Uncle Tupelo[link]

Wilco[link]