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Adult contemporary music (AC) is a broad style of popular music, ranging from 1950s and 1960s vocal music^[1] to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence.^[2] The term is also used to describe or categorize radio formats that play such music.

AC radio plays mainstream music, excluding "hip hop", "heavy metal", youth-oriented "hard rock", some "teen pop" music and rhythmic "dance tracks" as they are less popular amongst the target demographic of these radio stations, which is intended for an adult audience. Radio stations playing this format will often target the 18–54 age group, also the demographic that has received the most attention from advertisers since the 1960s^[3].

Over the years, AC has spawned numerous sub-genres: "hot AC", "soft AC" (also known as "lite AC"), "modern AC", "urban AC", "rhythmic AC", "smooth AC" (i.e., smooth jazz), and "Christian AC" (i.e., a softer type of Contemporary Christian music). Some radio stations play only "hot AC", whilst some play only "soft AC"; and then there are others that explicitly play a variety of sub-genres. Therefore, it is not usually considered a specific genre of music; it is merely an assemblage of selected tracks from musicians of many different genres.

Hot adult contemporary[link]

Hot adult contemporary, or hot AC, is a format designation given to various radio stations which play a variety of music from the previous thirty years or so, although classic hits predominate, compared to newer songs. In the Philippines, it is a very popular format. The exact playlist composition will vary from station to station.

Today, hot AC radio stations tend towards some soft rock, such as ballads from Goo Goo Dolls, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Aerosmith. They may play dance hits, such as those by Kylie Minogue and some of Madonna's more upbeat, dance-oriented songs, such as "Music" and "Ray of Light". Some Hot AC stations concentrate slightly more on alternative than soft AC, to target the Generation Y audience; examples of alternative or harder-edged artists played on hot AC but unlikely to be heard on soft AC stations include Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 30 Seconds to Mars, All-American Rejects, Linkin Park, Third Eye Blind and Fall Out Boy. However, the line between hot and soft AC continues to blur, as alternative and rock artists such as Kelly Clarkson ("Because of You"), Lifehouse ("You and Me"), Nickelback ("Far Away"), Avril Lavigne ("Complicated"), 3 Doors Down ("Here Without You"), and The Fray ("How to Save a Life") have all released singles which received substantial soft AC airplay, and somewhat blurred the line between the formats.

Since the 2000s, some hot AC stations have begun phasing out 80s music, for a more Generation Y centric audience than a Baby Boomer and Generation X centric audience; with some adding R&B and hip hop music to their playlists, to Universal Music's benefit also.

Hot AC is reasonably successful in the United States and Canada. WPLJ in New York City, KBIG in Los Angeles, KHMX in Houston, and WTMX in Chicago are four of the best-known hot AC stations in the US. The Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel The Pulse also offers the format.

Modern adult contemporary can be a variation of hot AC, and includes modern rock titles in its presentation. In 1997, Mike Marino of KMXB in Las Vegas described the format as reaching "an audience that has outgrown the edgier hip-hop or alternative music but hasn't gotten old and sappy enough for the soft ACs."^[4] The target audience was 25 to 39, and the format's artists included The Cranberries, Better Than Ezra, Alanis Morissette, Seal, The Wallflowers, Hootie & the Blowfish, Modern English, Counting Crows, No Doubt, Gin Blossoms, Blues Traveler, Sarah McLachlan, Jewel and Sheryl Crow.^[4] Unlike modern rock, which went after 18-34 men, modern adult contemporary appealed to women. Many of the stations played 80s music at first just to make people notice, but dropped the music later. Among the early modern AC stations were KTNP in Omaha, Nebraska, KBBT Portland, Oregon, and KPEK Albuquerque.^[5]

Another variation of hot adult contemporary is adult hits, also called variety hits.

Soft adult contemporary[link]

Termed "the acoustic equivalent to Prozac",^[6] soft AC, a more adult-oriented version of AC, was born in the late 70s and grew in the early 80s. Greater Media introduced "Magic" as an AC format name at WMGK in Philadelphia in 1975. WEEI-FM in Boston was the first station to use the term "soft rock", with ad slogans such as, "Fleetwood Mac...without the yack" and "Joni...without the baloney". The longest-running AC format in the top ten markets in America is "103.7 Lite FM" KVIL in Dallas-Fort Worth. "KVIL" in DFW first went on the air in 1962, and adopted its current format in 1969. In 1982, WMJX "Magic 106.7" in Boston made its debut with a soft adult contemporary format and within a few years became the most popular music-formatted station in the market. The following year, the "Lite" format made its debut in New York WLTW, Chicago WLIT, and many other major markets. KOST in Los Angeles, a onetime "Beautiful Music" station, also switched to soft AC that year. Other popular names for the format include "Warm", "Sunny", "Bee" (or "B") and (particularly in Canada) "EZ Rock". The format can be seen as a more contemporary successor to and combination of the middle of the road (MOR), beautiful music, easy listening and soft rock formats. Many stations in the soft AC format capitalize on its appeal to office workers (many of them females aged 25–54, a key advertiser demographic), and brand themselves as stations "everyone at work can agree on" (KOST originated that phrase as a primary tagline, and other soft AC stations have followed suit).

In 1995, Broadcast Programming introduced a syndicated format called AC45+. BP programmer and consultant Mike Bettelli said adult contemporary stations in recent years had dropped Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Anne Murray and Barry Manilow while adding Take That and Bon Jovi. Adult standards and easy listening were for older listeners, and women 45-54 were being left out. A sample hour of the format included Chicago, Olivia Newton-John, Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Bobby Darin, Christopher Cross, Vanessa L. Williams, Simon & Garfunkel, Manilow, Whitney Houston, Charlie Rich, Billy Joel, Maureen McGovern, and Lionel Richie. Some songs by Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey and Michael Bolton were also played.^[7]

One example of soft AC is Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel called Sirius XM Love (formerly Sirius Love) . Prior to the Sirius/XM channel merger on November 12, 2008, XM had its own soft AC channel called The Heart.

Some easy listening stations such as WDUV in the Tampa, Florida market are categorized as soft AC, though WDUV's playlist has evolved into a very soft version of AC which leans heavily toward older songs.

Mainstream adult contemporary[link]

In recent years, most "Soft Rock" or "Lite" stations, such as WMJX in Boston, KOSI in Denver, WLTW in New York City, WLIT in Chicago, WSB-FM in Atlanta, and KOST in Los Angeles have started to mix in more hot AC songs into their playlists and dropped the older, softer AC artists, such as Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow, who may be perceived as campy. The majority of these stations no longer play large amounts of 1960s music, and select stations play little or no 1970s music. This is somewhat common in markets with strong Classic Hits stations, which often focus on playing 1970s, taking away the audience for traditional AC formats, especially when both are owned by the same company. One such market is Dallas, where AC KVIL shares much of the same audience as Classic Hits KLUV, which is also owned by CBS Radio. Artists such as Daughtry, Nickelback, and Kelly Clarkson, who were played exclusively on hot AC as recently as 2006, are staples on what is now known as mainstream AC. These stations often have the highest ratings among adults 25-54. Some AC stations in Canada, such as CHQM-FM Vancouver, CFQR-FM Montreal, CHFM-FM Calgary and CJMJ-FM Ottawa have mixed in hot AC material to the playlist. In addition, the Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel The Blend is one of the examples of a mainstream AC format. Prior to the Sirius/XM channel merger on November 12, 2008, Sirius had a separate AC channel called StarLite.

During most of the 2000s, Canadian adult contemporary radio stations have been dropping in the ratings due to the recent addition of top 40 and hot AC content on the playlist. Stations such as CJEZ-FM Toronto and CFQR-FM Montreal dropped from the top spot and lost several listeners. Most recent adult contemporary stations in Canada have dropped the format entirely, including CJUK-FM in Thunder Bay (which moved to hot AC) back in 2006, and for 2007, CFLY-FM in Kingston (which also moved to hot AC, causing Corus to launch a new AC station for that market) and CJTN-FM in Trenton (which became classic rock, also causing My Broadcasting Corporation to launch another new AC station for that market). In addition, 2008 marked the flip of CKCL-FM Vancouver from adult contemporary to classic hits, leaving Vancouver as the largest Canadian market with only one adult contemporary station (which is CHQM-FM), as well as for CFQM-FM in Moncton (the market's only AC station) changing formats to classic hits for 2009. The final adult contemporary station in Canada of the 2000s to flip formats was CJEZ-FM in Toronto, which became adult hits CHBM-FM on Boxing Day 2009. CHFI-FM in Toronto remains the most-listened-to radio station in Canada, most likely because of its heritage adult contemporary format.

AC stations in the Canadian province of Quebec include the Rythme FM and RockDétente networks. The jocks are French-speaking, though English music may also be played, as on all music-based FM radio stations in Quebec, except Sur La Route, which excludes English music from their playlist. Satellite radio French AC equivalents are XM's Sur La Route and RockDétente's satellite radio counterpart on Sirius Canada called RockVelours. CFGL-FM, a Rythme FM station in Montreal is the most-listened to French-language station in North America.

Urban and rhythmic adult contemporary and related formats[link]

Urban AC is a form of AC music geared towards adult African-American audiences, and therefore, the artists that are played on these stations are most often African-American, such as Des'ree, whose album I Ain't Movin' was massively popular amongst both African American audience as well as the wider national audience. The urban AC stations resemble soft AC rather than hot AC; they play predominantly R&B and soul music with little hip-hop. This is reflected in many of the urban AC radio stations' taglines, such as "Today's R&B and classic soul", "The best variety of R&B hits and oldies" and "(City/Region)'s R&B leader". Some popular nicknames for urban AC stations include "Magic" (borrowed from Soft AC), "Mix" (borrowed from hot AC), and "Kiss" (borrowed from Top-40). Urban AC's core artists include Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, Kem, Whitney Houston, Regina Belle, Robin Thicke, Sade, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Brian McKnight, Teena Marie, Mary J. Blige, Gerald Levert and Mariah Carey. Examples of urban AC stations include WBLS in New York, WHUR in Washington D.C., and KJLH in Los Angeles. Sirius XM Satellite Radio features the format on its Heart & Soul channel.

The rhythmic adult contemporary format, often branded as "MOViN", is closer to hot AC. This variant focuses on uptempo hits such as disco, early hip-hop and R&B, and dance music, and it caters to African-American, Hispanic and white audiences. Noteworthy examples of Rhythmic AC stations include WKTU in New York, WISX in Philadelphia, and KQMV in Seattle (which pioneered the MOViN format).

A more elaborate form of urban AC is the rhythmic oldies format, which focuses primarily on "old school" R&B and soul hits from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Motown and disco hits. At its peak of nationwide popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the format was often referred to as "jammin'" or "groovin'" oldies. The concept of jammin' oldies was pioneered in 1997 by KCMG-FM "Mega 100" in Los Angeles (1). The format, which included white soul or disco artists such as ABBA and the Bee Gees in addition to Black artists, spread to many major markets, but its popularity has since cooled; the decline of jammin' oldies popularity is often attributed to overly tight playlists which increased listener burnout. Rhythmic oldies stations still exist today, but target African-Americans as opposed to a mass audience; examples include WRBO-FM in Memphis, TN, and WWWS-AM in Buffalo, NY.

A format called quiet storm is often included in urban adult contemporary, and is often played during the evening, blending the urban AC and soft AC styles of music. The music that is played is strictly ballads and slow jams, mostly but not limited to Black and Latino artists. Popular artists in the quiet storm format are Teena Marie, Whitney Houston, Angela Bofill, Miki Howard, Regina Belle, Howard Hewett, Freddie Jackson, Johnny Gill, Anita Baker, Sade, Patti LaBelle, Tamia, Lalah Hathaway, Vanessa L. Williams, Dru Hill, Toni Braxton, and En Vogue among others. Another of the genre's core artists, Keith Sweat, hosts a nightly syndicated "quiet storm" program titled The Keith Sweat Hotel which is featured on many urban AC stations.

History[link]

Early radio stations played top-40 hits regardless of genre; although, most were in the same genre until the mid-1970s when different forms of popular music started to target different demographic groups, such as disco vs. hard rock. This evolved into specialized radio stations that played specific genres of music, and generally followed the evolution of artists in those genres.

One big impetus for the development of the AC radio format was the fact that when rock and roll music first became popular in the mid-1950s, many more conservative radio stations wanted to continue to play current hit songs while shying away from rock. These stations also frequently included older, pre-rock-era adult standards and big band titles to further appeal to adult listeners who had grown up with those songs. In those days, middle of the road or "MOR" was the formatic term used to describe such stations, which included powerhouse broadcasters like WJR in Detroit, WGN and WBBM in Chicago, KGO in San Francisco, WNEW in New York, and WCCO in Minneapolis. Billboard magazine first published an adult-contemporary music chart in 1961, although it was not until 1979 that the chart took on the name "Adult Contemporary".

While most popular MOR stations were, like Top 40 stations of the day, on the AM dial, another big impetus for the evolution of the AC radio format was the popularity of easy listening or "beautiful music" stations, stations with music specifically designed to be purely ambient, listened to while at work or otherwise in the background. These stations were largely found on the FM dial alongside classical music stations because the music they played sounded better on FM. Whereas most easy listening music was instrumental, created by relatively unknown artists (except for occasional MOR vocal hits), and rarely purchased, AC was an attempt to create a similar "lite" format by choosing certain tracks (both hit singles and album cuts) of popular artists.

The growth of AC was also a natural result of the generation that first listened to the more "specialized" music of the mid-late 70s growing older and not being interested in the heavy metal, rap and hip-hop music that a new generation helped to dominate the top-40 charts (this effect has also altered the oldies format; as there are now two kinds of oldies stations, those who will not play songs from after the early 1970s vs. those who will play songs up to the early 1980s while still having occasional pre-1964 songs in rotation). Fans of harder rock music often derogatorily referred to AC stations in the early days of the format as "chicken rock".

Among the earliest examples of the Adult Contemporary format as it is known today (as opposed to MOR) included such stations as WHAS in Louisville, KY, and KDKA in Pittsburgh, former MOR stations which in the late 1960s and early 1970s began to play fewer standards and more contemporary music without venturing all the way into hard rock. WHAS in the mid-1970s called its format "Good and Gold" and also included many rock and roll oldies in its mix; the station also eventually moved into playing some harder rock songs on weekends. The mid-1970s also saw the emergence of so-called "mellow rock" stations on the FM band, such as WMGK in Philadelphia, WBBM-FM in Chicago, KNX-FM in Los Angeles, and WCCO-FM in Minneapolis, which mixed current AC chart hits with album tracks by singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Carole King, Janis Ian, Paul Simon, and Elton John. These stations pioneered the concept of "soft rock" or "lite rock" that would become an AC hallmark.

The music video channel VH1 began as an AC version of MTV. Originally, it was strictly soft AC, as it strove to appeal to people who were in their 30s and 40s during its early years in the mid 1980s. For similar reasons as explained above with radio, in the mid 1990s, it reformed itself as something closer to hot AC, during which time it began to play videos by Hootie & The Blowfish, the Gin Blossoms, Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, the Spin Doctors, Amy Grant, Ace of Base, and some other artists that were slightly harder rock or more avant garde than they had previously played.

Mainstream AC itself has evolved in a similar fashion over the years; traditional AC artists like Barbra Streisand, the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Captain & Tennille, and Olivia Newton-John found it harder to have hits (on AC as well as top 40) as the 1980s wore on, and due to the influence of MTV, artists who were staples of the contemporary hit radio format, such as Madonna, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Tears for Fears, and Whitney Houston, began crossing over to the AC charts with greater frequency.

However, with the combination of MTV and AC radio, adult contemporary appeared harder to define as either, established soft-rock artists of the past (who were still charting pop hits), or the mainstream radio fare from newer artist at the time, such as Madonna, Sheena Easton, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston. In 1989, Linda Ronstadt recorded Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, described by critics as the first true adult contemporary album and featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville on four of the twelve tracks. It had duets including "Don't Know Much" (Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 2 hit) and "All My Life" (Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 11 hit), these singles were also equally long-running number 1 adult contemporary hits. With the mixture of radio friendly AC tunes with some rock and pop fare also landing on the pop charts, the album won over many critics in the need to define AC, and appeared to change the tolerance and acceptance of AC music into mainstream day to day radio play.

In recent years, VH1 has moved away from its AC format by playing artists such as Destiny's Child, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. With this popular rap, and R&B, VH1 resembles top 40 Rap radio. Led by Toronto powerhouse CHUM-FM, Canadian Hot AC radio has also taken steps towards a similar diverse and top 40-inclusive position.

Part of the reason why more and more hot AC stations are forced to change is that less and less new music fits their bill. Most new rock is too alternative for mainstream radio, including hot AC, and only gets played on modern rock radio; and most new pop is now influenced heavily by hard rock, in an attempt to become upbeat and rhythmic crossover hits, if not featuring guest vocals from singers. One example is that "Look What You've Done" by Jet is played on Hot AC stations, but other tracks like "Cold Hard Bitch" are played on modern rock stations. However, soft AC, which has never minded keeping songs in high rotation literally for years in some cases, does not appear necessarily to be facing similar pressures to expand its format. Soft AC includes a larger amount of older music, especially classic R&B, soul, and 60s and 70s music, than hot AC.

However, several soft AC stations have begun to add more guitar-driven (but still relatively quiet) music into their playlists, such as "Broken" by Seether, "You and Me" by Lifehouse, "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down, "Complicated" and "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne, "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling, "My Immortal" by Evanescence, "Home" and "It's Not Over" by Daughtry and "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith, somewhat resembling the Hot AC stations of the 1990s. Stations like WSB-FM in Atlanta play songs such as "Hella Good" by No Doubt, "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba, and "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind.

In this sense, the soft AC format may soon be facing the demographic pressures that the jazz and big band formats faced in the 1960s and 1970s and that the oldies format is starting to face today, with the result that one may hear soft AC less on over-the-air radio and more on satellite radio systems in coming years. Much of the music and artists that were traditionally played on soft AC stations has been relegated to the adult standards format, which is itself disappearing because of aging demographics. Some soft AC stations have found a niche by incorporating more oldies into their playlists and are more open to playing softer songs that fit the "traditional" definition of AC. Examples include the former WLTM-FM in Atlanta (which added many oldies titles to its playlist after the death of oldies sister station WLCL) and the former WSNI in Philadelphia with soft rock station WBEB.

In the meantime, such artists as Nick Lachey and Josh Groban have become successful thanks to a ballad heavy sound. So, adult contemporary may likely not go anywhere since it is still prevalent on recording artists' albums in almost every music style including dance music. Another popular trend of remixing dance music hits into adult contemporary ballads—mostly piano ballads but sometimes keyboard ballads—is now popular, especially in the US (for example, the "Candlelight Mix" versions of "Heaven" by DJ Sammy, "Listen To Your Heart" by D.H.T., and "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada).

Much as some hot AC and modern rock artists have crossed over into each other, so too has soft AC crossed with country music, more commonly among the female artists. Musicians such as Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride, Jewel, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, and Carrie Underwood have had success on both charts, as have male artists such as Rascal Flatts, Kid Rock (primarily a rock musician, though "All Summer Long" has been played on rock, AC, pop and country formats), co-ed trio Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, and Darius Rucker (who had pop and AC hits as lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish and is currently having a successful solo career as a country artist). This crossover has its roots in the countrypolitan/Nashville sound pop styles of years past.

Also in response to the pressure on Hot AC, a third kind of AC format has cropped up among American radio recently. The aforementioned urban adult contemporary format (a term coined by Barry Mayo) usually attracts a large number of African Americans and sometimes Caucasian listeners through playing a great deal of R&B (without any form of rapping), gospel music, classic soul and dance music (including disco).

A fourth AC format, "rhythmic AC", in addition to playing all the popular hot and soft AC music, past and present, places a heavy emphasis on disco as well as 1980s and 90s dance hits, such as those by Amber, C&C Music Factory and Black Box, and includes dance remixes of pop songs, such as the Soul Solution Mix of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart". The format also occasionally features popular 80s and early 90s rap songs that were popular mainstream, rhythmic, or club hits. New York City's WKTU and the now-defunct WNEW-FM are examples of this evolving format. The rapidly growing MOViN format, pioneered at Seattle's KQMV and now in use at stations such as WMVN St. Louis, and KMVQ San Francisco, is another example of rhythmic AC, and has spawned imitators such as WISX in Philadelphia.

In its early years of existence, the smooth jazz format was considered to be a form of AC, although it was mainly instrumental, and related a stronger resemblance to the soft AC-styled music than it did to what purists call "real jazz"^{[original research?]}. For many years, artists like George Benson, Kenny G and Dave Koz had crossover hits that were played on both smooth jazz and soft AC stations. In addition, David Sanborn had a saxophone solo on James Taylor's remake of the Marvin Gaye classic, "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"; and Grover Washington, Jr. teamed up with Bill Withers to perform a classic hit song, entitled "Just the Two of Us". This song has gone on to become one of the most-played radio hits of all time - in particular the most acclaimed and modern cover by Regina Belle/George Duke/Steve Cole - as it frequently shows up on soft AC, urban AC and smooth jazz playlists. Anita Baker, Sade, Regina Belle, and Luther Vandross are other examples of artists who appeal to mainstream AC, urban AC and smooth jazz listeners. Some soft AC and urban AC stations like to play smooth jazz on the weekends, in cities that currently do not have a full-time smooth jazz station. Warm 98 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Majic 95.5 in Austin, Texas, WCXT in South Haven, Michigan, 103.7 Lite FM in Dallas, Texas, WMAG in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Q101.9 in San Antonio, Texas are soft AC stations that also play smooth jazz; and V101.9 in Charlotte, North Carolina and Majic 104.9 in St. Louis, Missouri, are urban AC stations that play smooth jazz on the weekends as well. (However, a new smooth jazz station had served the Cincinnati area, under the call letters WCIN.) In recent years, the Smooth Jazz format has been renamed to Smooth AC, as an attempt to lure younger listeners, and some stations, like WLOQ in Orlando, Florida, have dropped the "Jazz" part from their nicknames; on the other hand, KWJZ in Seattle, Washington has completely abandoned the "Smooth Jazz" title in its branding.

Some soft AC (and a few urban AC) stations, like Sunny 99.1 in Houston, Texas and Magic 106.7 in Boston, Massachusetts, also have the smooth jazz format on their HD2 subchannels. This is far more common in recent years, as full-time smooth jazz stations are being discontinued in US markets where the format once thrived. In addition, these HD2 stations are basically expanded (24/7) versions of weekend programming as offered by their traditional FM/HD1 counterparts.

Contemporary Christian music (CCM) has several sub-genres, one being "Christian AC". Radio & Records, for instance, lists Christian AC among its format charts.^[8] Too, there has been crossover to mainstream and hot AC formats by many of the core artists of the Christian AC genre, notably Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Kathy Troccoli, Steven Curtis Chapman, Plumb, and more recently, MercyMe.

Since the mid 2000s, the mainstreaming of bands like Wilco and Feist have pushed indie rock into the adult contemporary conversation.^[9]

Christmas music[link]

In recent years it has become common for many AC stations, particularly soft AC stations, to play primarily or exclusively Christmas music during the Christmas season in November and December. While these tend mostly to be contemporary seasonal recordings by the same few artists featured under the normal format, most stations will also air some vintage holiday tunes from older pop, MOR, and adult standards artists – such as Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, The Carpenters, Percy Faith, Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams – many of whom would never be played on these stations during the rest of the year.

These Christmas music marathons typically start during the week before Thanksgiving Day (individual station practices vary) and end after Christmas Day, or sometimes extending to New Year's Day. Afterwards, the stations usually resume their normal music fare. Several stations begin the holiday format much earlier, at the beginning of November, with a few stations (KOSY-FM in Salt Lake City, and WNIC in Detroit, Michigan being among them, although neither was in 2010) having a reputation of regularly being among the "first in the nation" to change to the format. It is extremely rare for stations to change on or before Halloween (although WSMM in South Bend, Indiana switched a week before Halloween in 2010, and WEZW in Ocean City, New Jersey did so in 2011); stations that do so generally receive backlash from listeners, as this is generally recognized to be well outside the accepted Christmas and holiday season, though it is common as a stunt.

The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the beautiful music and easy listening stations of the 1960s and '70s. Until the early 21st century, however, radio stations typically began introducing only some Christmas music into their regular playlists around Thanksgiving, and moved to an all-Christmas playlist, if at all, only for 36 hours (sometimes 48 hours) around Christmas. Such all-Christmas programming usually was broadcast between Noon local time on Christmas Eve (sometimes starting as early as 00:00) and ending at 00:00 on December 26. The practice of moving to a 24/7 Christmas format as early as (or even before) Thanksgiving began at a few stations in the mid-1990s; becoming a widespread phenomenon in 2001, with many stations promoting their Christmas music marathons as a sort of musical comfort in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Some such stations may also extend their Christmas music format as late as New Year's Day, although in the US this is most commonly a stunt which signals that the station will relaunch in January with a different format than it held before going all-Christmas. (British broadcasters, by contrast, have a Christmas holiday schedule from First Monday of the school holidays to New Year's Day.) Stations that are not stunting may mix in some holiday songs, particularly those that do not explicitly mention Christmas (such as winter songs like "Let It Snow!" and "Jingle Bells") or that have mainstream appeal (such as "Same Old Lang Syne" and "Better Days"), into their regular format between Christmas and the new year.

Syndicated radio shows and networks carrying the adult contemporary format[link]

• Delilah - One of America's most popular radio shows, Delilah airs primarily in the evening.
• John Tesh Radio Show - Hosted by John Tesh, this show also airs evenings and also on weekends.
• Your Weekend with Jim Brickman - A weekly three-hour weekend radio show syndicated by Impact Radio Networks.
• American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest - One version of AT40 airs on hot AC stations, which is a little different from its Top-40/CHR counterpart.
• Rick Dees Weekly Top 40/Weekly Top 30 - Began offering Hot AC versions of the popular countdown show in June 1996. These shows feature the top 20 Hot AC songs in the nation along with about 10 past hits from the '80s, '90s and early 2000s. A softer "AC" version was added in July 2009 to try to fill in the void left by Casey Kasem ending his AC countdown.
• Backtrax USA with Kid Kelly - Weekend programs focusing on the 80s and 90s, targeted for hot AC stations.
• Absolutely 80s with Nina Blackwood - A three-hour weekend program, hosted by the former MTV VJ, that also takes requests, a fairly rare occurrence for a taped program.
• ABC and Dial Global both offer AC 24-hour networks programming soft and hot AC.
• Tom Joyner and Steve Harvey have popular morning shows that air on urban AC (and sometimes Hip-Hop) stations. Both shows are often heard on competing stations in the same city, such as St. Louis, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Joyner's show is syndicated by ABC Radio, and Harvey's show by Premiere Radio Networks.
• Retro Rewind with Dave Harris is weekend based radio show highlighting a massive playlist of songs from the 80s and 90s, interviews, spotlights and contests. The show is done LIVE across the nation on Saturday nights, taking audience requests. The show is targeted towards HOT AC and AC radio stations.
• The EZ Rock network is a brand/network of soft AC heard in Canada.
• Heart FM Network A radio network in the UK that grew throughout 2009 as more stations were rebranded as "Heart".
• Smooth Radio A UK wide radio network that formed from six regional Smooth Radio stations.

See also[link]

• Adult Contemporary, a chart appearing in Billboard since 1961. This chart is typically (but not exclusively) closer to soft AC.
• Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, a chart appearing in Billboard since 1996. This chart is typically (but not exclusively) closer to hot AC.
• Soft rock
• Easy Listening

References[link]

External links[link]

• StudioEast Recording Inc.
• Rebirth Music Productions
• GAD Music Company

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A group of adult people.

An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age. In human context, the term has other subordinate meanings associated with social and legal concepts; for example, a legal adult is a legal concept for a person who has attained the age of majority and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, and responsible (contrast with "minor"). Adulthood can be defined in terms of physiology, psychological adult development, law, personal character, or social status.

These different aspects of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory. A person may be biologically an adult, and have adult behavior but still be treated as a child if they are under the legal age of majority. Conversely one may legally be an adult but possess none of the maturity and responsibility that may define adult character.

An event relating to the oncoming of adulthood is Coming of age, which encompasses passing a series of tests to demonstrate that a person is prepared for adulthood, or reaching a specified age, sometimes in conjunction with demonstrating preparation. Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood.

Some propose that moving into adulthood involves an emotional structuring of denial, suggesting this process becomes necessary to cope with one's own behavior, especially in uncomfortable situations, and also the behavior of others.^{[citation needed]}

Biological adulthood[link]

Historically and cross-culturally, adulthood has been determined primarily by the start of puberty (the appearance of secondary sex characteristics such as menstruation in women, ejaculation in men, and pubic hair in both sexes). In the past, a person usually moved from the status of child directly to the status of adult, often with this shift being marked by some type of coming-of-age test or ceremony.^[1]

Most medical and general English dictionaries define childhood as the period from infancy to puberty, thus historically adulthood began with puberty. After the social construct of adolescence was created, adulthood split into two forms: biological adulthood and social adulthood. Thus, there are now two primary forms of adults: biological adults (people who have attained reproductive ability, are fertile, or who evidence secondary sex characteristics) and social adults (people who are recognized by their culture and/or law as being adults). Depending on the context, adult can indicate either definition.

Although few or no established dictionaries provide a definition for the two word term biological adult, the first definition of adult in multiple dictionaries includes "the stage of the life cycle of an animal after reproductive capacity has been attained".^[2][3] Thus, the base definition of the word adult is the period beginning at puberty. Although this is the primary definition of the base word adult, the two word term biological adult stresses or clarifies that the original definition, based on the beginning of puberty, is being used (that is, the organism has matured to the biologically important point of being able to reproduce).

Although there is no scientific agreement on when physical maturation completes, in modern society social adulthood somewhat corresponds to the completion of physical maturation. Because the term adult is most often used without the adjective social or biological, and since the term is frequently used to refer to social adults, some writers have taken the meaning of the two word phrase biological adult to begin at the end of physical maturation rather than the onset of puberty.

In modern developed countries, puberty and therefore biological adulthood generally begins around 10 or 11 years of age for girls and 12 or 13 years of age for boys, though this will vary from person to person. ^[4][5]

Legal adulthood[link]

Legally it means that one can engage in a contract. The same or a different minimum age may be applicable to, for example, parents losing parenting rights and duties regarding the person concerned, parents losing financial responsibility, marriage, voting, having a job, serving in the military, buying/possessing firearms (if legal at all), driving, traveling abroad, involvement with alcoholic beverages (if legal at all), smoking, sex, gambling (both lottery and casino) being a prostitute or a client of a prostitute (if legal at all), being a model or actor in pornography, etc. Admission of a young person to a place may be restricted because of danger for that person, concern that the place may lead the person to immoral behavior, and/or because of the risk that the young person causes damage (for example, at an exhibition of fragile items).

One can distinguish the legality of acts of a young person, and of enabling a young person to carry out that act, by selling, renting out, showing, permitting entrance, participating, etc. There may be distinction between commercially and socially enabling. Sometimes there is the requirement of supervision by a legal guardian, or just by an adult. Sometimes there is no requirement, but just a recommendation.

With regard to pornography one can distinguish:

• being allowed inside an adult establishment
• being allowed to purchase pornography
• being allowed to possess pornography
• another person being allowed to sell, rent out, or show the young person pornography, see disseminating pornography to a minor
• being a pornographic actor: rules for the young person, and for other people, regarding production, possession, etc. (see child pornography)

With regard to films with violence, etc.:

• another person being allowed to sell, rent out, or show the young person a film, a cinema being allowed to let a young person (under 18) enter

The legal definition of entering adulthood usually varies between ages 16–21, depending on the region in question. Some cultures in Africa define adult at age 13.

According to Jewish tradition, adulthood is reached at age 13 (the age of the Bar Mitzvah), for Jewish boys, for example, are expected to demonstrate preparation for adulthood by learning the Torah and other Jewish practices. The Christian Bible and Jewish scripture has no age requirement for adulthood or marrying, which includes engaging in sexual activity. The age of consent for sexual relations in the Vatican is 13,^{[citation needed]} the age when many girls achieve menses, and are thus reproductive and therefore physically capable of marriage and childbirth. However, the Vatican does not allow sex outside of marriage.^[6] The 1983 Code of Canon Law states, "A man before he has completed his sixteenth year of age, and likewise a woman before she has completed her fourteenth year of age, cannot enter a valid marriage".^[7] According to The Disappearance of Childhood by Neil Postman, the Christian Church of the Middle Ages considered the age of accountability, when a person could be tried and even executed as an adult, to be age 7.

In most of the world, including most of the United States, parts of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales), India and China, the legal adult age is 18 (historically 21) for most purposes, with some notable exceptions:

1. The United Kingdom: Scotland (16)
2. British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Yukon Territory in Canada; Nebraska and Alabama in The United States, and South Korea (19)
3. Indonesia and Japan (20)

See also[link]

References[link]

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (July 2010)

Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole performing in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Natalie Maria Cole
Born	(1950-02-06) February 6, 1950 (age 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B, soul, pop, soft rock, jazz, quiet storm, adult contemporary
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, pianist, actress
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1955–present
Labels	Capitol (1975–1981) Epic (1982–1984) Modern (1984–1986) EMI-Manhattan (1986–1990) Elektra (1991–2001) Verve (2001–2007) DMI / Rhino (2008–2010)
Associated acts	Nat King Cole
Website	www.nataliecole.com

Natalie Maria Cole (born February 6, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", "Inseparable" and "Our Love". After a period of failing sales and performances due to a heavy drug addiction, Cole reemerged as a pop artist with the 1987 album, Everlasting, and her cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable... with Love, which sold over seven million copies and also won Cole numerous Grammy Awards.

Early life[link]

Natalie Cole was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of crooner Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Cole. Raised in the affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles;^[1] regarding her childhood, Cole has referred to her family as "the black Kennedys" and was exposed to many great singers of jazz, soul, and blues. At the age of six Natalie sang on her father's Christmas album and later began performing at age 11.

Cole grew up with older adopted sister Carole "Cookie" (1944–2009) (her mother Maria's younger sister's daughter); adopted brother Nat "Kelly" Cole (1959–95), and younger twin sisters Timolin and Casey (born 1961).^[2][3]

Her paternal uncle Freddy Cole is a singer and pianist with numerous albums and awards. Cole enrolled in Northfield Mount Hermon School, an elite New England preparatory school, at age 15 afer her father died of lung cancer in February 1965. Soon afterwards she began having a difficult relationship with her mother. She enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She briefly transferred to University of Southern California where she pledged the Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She later transferred back to the University of Massachusetts, where she majored in Child Psychology and minored in German, graduating in 1972.

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Following graduation, Cole, who grew up listening to a variety of artists from soul artists such as Aretha Franklin to psychedelic rock icon Janis Joplin, began singing at small clubs with her band, Black Magic. Initially welcomed to the clubs due to her being Nat King Cole's daughter only to be disappointed when she began covering R&B and rock numbers. While performing, she was noted by a couple of producers in the Chicago area, Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, who then approached her to do records. After cutting several records together, they passed off the music to several record labels. Most labels turned them down with one ironic exception. Capitol Records, her father's label, heard the records and agreed to sign her.

Cole, Yancy and Jackson went into studios in Los Angeles to polish the recordings they had shipped, resulting in the release of Cole's debut album, Inseparable, which included songs that reminded listeners of Aretha Franklin. In fact, Franklin later contended that songs such as "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", "I Can't Say No" and others were originally offered to her while she was recording the You album. Franklin turned most of the songs down but agreed to record the title track for her album. Cole also recorded "You". Released in 1975, the album became an instant success thanks to "This Will Be", which became a top ten hit and later winning Cole a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. A second single, "Inseparable", also became a hit. Both songs reached number-one on the R&B chart. Cole also won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards for her accomplishments. Due to the media's billing of Cole as the "new Aretha Franklin", it inadvertently started a rivalry between the two singers.

Initial stardom[link]

Becoming an instant star, Cole responded to critics of an impending sophomore slump with Natalie, released in 1976. The album, like Inseparable, became a gold success thanks to the funk-influenced cut, "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)" and the jazz-influenced "Mr. Melody".

Cole released her first platinum record with her third release, Unpredictable, mainly thanks to the number-one R&B hit, "I've Got Love on My Mind". Originally an album track, the album's closer, "I'm Catching Hell", nonetheless became a popular Cole song during live concert shows. Later in 1977, Cole issued her fourth release and second platinum album, Thankful, which included another signature Cole hit, "Our Love". To capitalize on her fame, Cole starred on her own TV special, which attracted such celebrities as Earth, Wind & Fire, and in 1978, released her first live album, Natalie Live!

In early 1979, the singer was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, she released two more albums, I Love You So and the Peabo Bryson duet album, We're the Best of Friends. Both albums reached gold status in the U.S. continuing her popularity.

Career detour and resurgence[link]

Following the release of her eighth album, 1980's Don't Look Back, Cole's career began to take a detour. While Cole scored an adult contemporary hit with the soft rock ballad "Someone That I Used To Love" off the album, the album itself failed to go gold. In 1981, Cole's personal problems including battles with drug addiction began to take public notice and her career suffered as a result. In 1983, following the release of her album, I'm Ready, released on Epic, Cole entered a rehab facility in Connecticut reportedly staying there for a period of six months.

Following her release, she signed with the Atco imprint, Modern Records, releasing Dangerous, which started a slow resurgence for Cole in terms of record sales and chart success. In 1987, she changed to EMI-Manhattan Records and released the Everlasting album, which returned her to the top of the charts thanks to singles such as "Jump Start (My Heart)", the top ten ballad, "I Live For Your Love" and her dance-pop cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". That success helped Everlasting reach one million in sales becoming Cole's first platinum album in ten years. In 1989, she released her follow-up to Everlasting, Good to Be Back, which produced the number two hit, "Miss You Like Crazy", which also achieved international success reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom.

Cole released her best-selling album with 1991's Unforgettable... with Love on Elektra Records, which saw Cole singing songs her famous father recorded, nearly 20 years after she initially had refused to cover her father's songs during live concerts. Cole produced vocal arrangements for the songs, with piano accompaniment by her uncle Ike Cole. Cole's label released an interactive duet between Cole and her father on the title song, "Unforgettable". The song eventually reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the R&B chart, going gold. Unforgettable...with Love eventually sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone winning several Grammys including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for the top song.