Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip hop, reggae, salsa, and bluegrass.^[3] To date, 99 Berklee alumni have received 221 Grammy Awards, popular music's highest honor.^[4]

Accreditation[link]

Berklee College of Music is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NEASC is the regional accreditation agency for schools and colleges located in the New England region of the United States.

History[link]

Schillinger House, 1945–1954[link]

In 1945, pianist-composer-arranger and MIT graduate Lawrence Berk founded Schillinger House, the precursor to the Berklee School of Music.^[5] Located at 284 Newbury St. in Boston’s Back Bay, the school specialized in the Schillinger System of harmony and composition^[6] developed by Joseph Schillinger. Berk had studied with Schillinger. Instrumental lessons and a few classes in traditional theory, harmony, and arranging were also offered.^[5] At the time of its founding, almost all music schools focused primarily on classical music, but Schillinger House offered training in jazz and commercial music for radio, theater, television, and dancing. At first, most students were working professional musicians. Many students were former World War II service members who attended under the G.I. Bill. Initial enrollment was fewer than 50 students,^[7] but by 1949 there were more than 500 students.^[8] In 1954, when the school’s curriculum had expanded to include music education classes and more traditional music theory, Berk changed the name to Berklee School of Music, after his son Lee Eliot Berk, to reflect the broader scope of instruction.^[9]

Berklee School of Music, 1954–1970[link]

Lawrence Berk placed great emphasis on learning from practitioners, as opposed to academics, and generally hired working musicians as faculty members. Several of the school’s best-known musician-educators arrived after the school’s name changed. In 1956, trumpeter Herb Pomeroy joined the faculty, remaining until his retirement in 1996.^[10] Drummer Alan Dawson and saxophonist Charlie Mariano became faculty members in 1957.^[11] Reed player John LaPorta began teaching in 1962.^[12] Like many of Berk’s ideas, this practice continues into the present. Although far more emphasis is placed on academic credentials among new faculty hires than in the past, experienced performers such as Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, and Danilo Perez have served as faculty over the years.

Another trend in the school’s history also began the mid-’50s. During this period, the school began to attract international students in greater numbers. For example, Japanese pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi arrived in 1956.^[13] Multiple Grammy-winning producer Arif Mardin came from Turkey to study at the school in 1958.^[14] The number of international students has grown steadily to 24.2 percent of total enrolment in 2010.^[1]

In 1957, Berklee initiated the first of many innovative applications of technology to music education with Jazz in the Classroom, a series of LP recordings of student work, accompanied by scores. These albums contain early examples of composing, arranging, and performing by students who went on to prominent jazz careers such as Gary Burton, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Ernie Watts, Alan Broadbent, Sadao Watanabe, and many others. The series, which continued until 1980, is a precursor to subsequent Berklee-affiliated labels. These later releases provided learning experiences not only for student composers and performers, but also for students in newly created majors in music engineering and production and music business and management.^[15]

Berklee awarded its first bachelor of music degrees in 1966.^[16] Members of the first graduating class to receive degrees included Alf Clausen, Stephen Gould and Michael Rendish. Gould taught film scoring at Berklee and is currently the Program Director for the Educational Leadership PhD program at Lesley University. During the 1960s, the Berklee curriculum began to reflect new developments in popular music, such the rise of rock and roll, soul and funk, and jazz-rock fusion.^[16] In 1962, Berklee offered the first college-level instrumental major for guitar. The guitar department initially had nine students. Today it is the largest single instrumental major at the college. Trombonist Phil Wilson joined the faculty in 1965.^[17] His student ensemble, the Dues Band, helped introduce current popular music into the ensemble curriculum, and later as the Rainbow Band, performed world music and jazz fusions.^[17] In 1969, new courses in rock and popular music were added to the curriculum, the first ever offered at the college level.^[16] The first college course on jingle writing was also offered in 1969.^[18]

Berklee College of Music, 1970–present[link]

The school became Berklee College of Music in 1970^[19] and bestowed its first honorary doctorate on Duke Ellington in 1971.^[20] Vibraphonist Gary Burton joined the faculty in 1971, helping to solidify the place of jazz-rock fusion in the curriculum.^[21] As Dean of Curriculum from 1985 to 1996,^[22] Burton led the development of several new majors, including music synthesis and songwriting, and facilitated the school’s transition to technology-based education.^[23] Curriculum innovations during the 1970s included the first college-level instrumental major in electric bass guitar in 1973,^[24] and the first jazz-rock ensemble class in 1974.^[25] In 1979, Berklee founder Lawrence Berk stepped down as president.^[26] The board of trustees appointed his son, Lee Eliot Berk, to replace him.^[27]

Under the leadership of Lee Eliot Berk, the school underwent further growth and diversification of its curriculum. The college offered the world’s first undergraduate degree program in film scoring starting 1980.^[28] Beginning in 1981, the string department curriculum expanded to include many idioms besides classical music.^[29] In 1986, the world’s first college-level major in music synthesis was offered,^[30] followed by the world’s first college songwriting major in 1987.^[31] Instrumental majors also expanded to include the first college hand-percussion major in 1988.^[32]

Berklee expanded its community outreach efforts in 1991 with the launch of City Music, a program designed to make music instruction available to underserved youth in the Boston area.^[33] On a more global scale, Berklee partnered with selected music schools around the world to form the Berklee International Network in 1993.^[34] Another new major, Music Therapy, was offered beginning in 1996. In 2002, the school began offering classes online through Berkleemusic.com.^[35] Other curriculum developments included the incorporation of a hip-hop course in 2004.^[36]

In 2004, Lee Eliot Berk stepped down as president of the school his father had founded and Roger H. Brown was installed as the college’s third president.^[37] Under Brown’s leadership the college's enrollment has grown and diversified, admission is now highly selective, while further expansion of the school’s academic offerings have continued. In 2006, mandolin and banjo were accepted as principal instruments for the first time. The college also initiated an Africana Studies program, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, and an American Roots Music Program.^[38][39][40]

Academics[link]

Students at Berklee are exposed to a range of instruments, musical styles, and career options, so they can explore possibilities and find their own paths. Toward that end, Berklee offers student musicians courses of study toward a fully accredited four-year baccalaureate degree or professional diploma. Students may combine many of Berklee's 12 majors, depending on the nature of the program. The dual major program requires a five-year course of study and is available to both degree and diploma candidates.

Majors offered in Berklee are Composition, Contemporary Writing and Production, Electronic Production and Design, Film Scoring, Jazz Composition, Music Business/Management, Music Education (degree only), Music Production and Engineering, Music Therapy (degree only), Performance, Professional Music, and Songwriting.^[41]

Starting Spring 2012, Berklee offers Global Studies Program students currently enrolled in Berklee College of Music in Boston. The program takes Berklee students to Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain to study courses that range in 2 areas: International Music Business and Mediterranean Music.^[42]

Admission[link]

Berklee's admission process is holistic. It focuses primarily on the audition, the interview and the applicant's previous academic record.^[43]

As part of the application to the college, applicants are required to complete a live audition and interview. An integral part of selecting the entering class is the audition and interview experience, designed to show applicants' strengths while helping the school to assess applicants' talent and potential to succeed in Berklee's dynamic environment. Although there is a general format for the audition and interview, each experience is unique. Berklee considers all applicants for both admission and scholarship through the audition and interview process.^[44]

The acceptance rate for the entering class of 2010 was 30%.^[45]

Demographics[link]

As of the 2010–2011 academic year, total enrollment at Berklee was 4,270. Of students enrolled in degree programs, 29% are female, 11% are African American, and 10% are Hispanic. Students from 80 countries outside the U.S. account for approximately 25% of the student population. South Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Italy are the top five countries of origin. In addition to students attending the Berklee campus in Boston, in the 2009–2010 academic year, approximately 2,500 students took online courses through Berkleemusic.com.^[1]

Facilities[link]

Berklee classroom building at 130 Massachusetts Avenue

Berklee remained at its original location at 284 Newbury Street from its founding in 1945 to 1966, when it moved into the larger 1140 Boylston St. building, the former Hotel Bostonian.^[46] Beginning in 1972 an era of more rapid expansion began with the purchase of the Fenway Theatre and the adjoining Sherry Biltmore Hotel at 150 Massachusetts Avenue. The theater was renovated and opened as the 1,227-seat Berklee Performance Center in 1976.^[47] The former Biltmore Hotel provided additional classroom and practice room spaces and residence halls. It also houses the library, which was renamed the Stan Getz Library and Media Center in 1998.^[48] The 150 Massachusetts Avenue building is also the site of the Berklee Learning Center, which when it opened in 1993, was the world’s largest networked computer learning facility for music education.^[49]

The Genko Uchida Center at 921 Boylston Street opened in 1997 and houses the offices for enrollment, admissions, scholarships and student employment, the registrar, financial aid, bursar, rehearsal and classroom space, and the 200-seat David Friend Recital Hall.^[50] At 939 Boylston Street, Café 939, the nation’s only student-run, all-ages night club, hosts a full program of student performers, local and national acts, and community programs.

As of 2011, Berklee occupies 21 buildings primarily in the Back Bay area of Boston, near the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue.^[1] Within these buildings are 13 recording studios, 5 film/video scoring and editing facilities, and 9 music synthesis facilities.^[51] The studios of the five-channel, commercial-free Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN), which launched in 2007, are also housed on campus.^[52] A new Liberal Arts building at 7 Haviland Street was dedicated in 2010. It houses the Liberal Arts, Music Therapy, and Music Business Departments, as well as the Africana Studies program.^[53]

In early 2011, Berklee College of Music announced its master plan of building 3 new buildings along the Massachusetts Avenue. First expected to be completed by Fall 2013 is the 16-story mixed-use building at 160 Massachusetts Avenue. This building will include 370 dorm rooms, a two-story cafeteria, a performance center, recording studios, and retail space. The second building is going to be built at the top of existing 130–136 Massachusetts Avenue (The Berklee Performance Centre). The new building is expected to house additional 450 students, as well as a state-of-the-art performing center, in its 24-story tall building. The third building is planned to be in 161–171 Massachusetts Avenue, which is expected to contain more academic and administrative space for the Berklee College of Music.^[54]

Berklee Valencia[link]

Berklee in Valencia is the college’s first international campus, with a unique curriculum. With Valencia, the college offers a new way for musicians around the world to join the global music community—as performers, as practitioners, and as leaders.

The new campus is housed in the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, an iconic building designed for music and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, with an unparalleled faculty of inspiring educators and cutting-edge industry professionals. Students in Valencia also benefit from a city where music is essential to its history and its citizens, and that offers exposure to a panoply of cultures, audiences, and master musicians. Students are in direct connection to some of the richest musical cultures in the world—including South America, the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.^[55]

Berklee Valencia campus will be housed in a 27-story "Music Tower", which includes an auditorium seating more than 1,000 people, lecture halls, recording and editing studios, library, conference areas, multimedia centre, commercial area music sales, and residential area. The residential area will comprise 104 apartments including duplexes with 20 to 25% of these for both students and teachers. At the base of the building there will be a large water feature which can be emptied to provide an outdoor concert venue. There will also be a rooftop solarium dubbed the "beach" as well as numerous terraces and squares throughout the building.^[56]

Master's Degree Programs[link]

Berklee Valencia campus focuses primarily on graduate programs in the following areas: Contemporary Studio Performance; Contemporary Writing and Production; Electronic Production and Design; Global Entertainment and Music Business; Symphonic Band Studies; and Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games.

Global Music Studies[link]

Berklee Boston undergraduates will have the opportunity to spend a semester in the new Valencia campus starting in spring 2012. A program in International Music Business Studies and a program in Mediterranean Music Studies will be offered to students who seek to specialize in the global music industry and who want to develop their skills, competences, and mindset to become leaders at an international level. In its first year, the opportunity will be offered to music business, professional music and performance majors. All credits earned will apply towards graduation. Following the semester, students may complete an internship in their field of study.

The International Career Center[link]

This center expands international opportunities for Berklee students through a variety of initiatives that include internships for those candidates with the most talent and qualifications, and networking opportunities in the Valencia signature areas of study.

Mediterranean Music Institute[link]

Students, experienced Berklee educators, visiting musicians, and new faculty from Spain and beyond meet in Valencia to explore the many fusions of global music prevalent in and around the Mediterranean rim. The institute will help make Berklee in Valencia a hub for the study, evolution, and proliferation of the many musical genres associated with the Mediterranean region, including flamenco. Javier Limón serves as the Artistic Director of the Berklee College of Music's Mediterranean Music Institute.^[57]

Special Programs and Professional Certificates[link]

Berklee’s campus in Valencia regularly offers unique programs in contemporary music. These include clinics, workshops, and seminars as well as short, concentrated sessions in areas such as performance, flamenco, film scoring, music business, technology and production, and education.

Alumni[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Small, Mark, "All the Right Moves – Lee Eliot Berk", Berklee Today, Vol. 15, Issue 3, Spring 2004. Interview with Lawrence Berk's son, Lee Eliot Berk, the then retiring second president of Berklee College of Music.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Berklee College of Music

• Berklee College of Music official site
• The Music Business Journal at Berklee College of Music

Coordinates: 42°20′48″N 71°05′19″W / 42.34669°N 71.088705°W / 42.34669; -71.088705

Victor Wooten
Wooten playing at the Belly Up in 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Victor Lemonte Wooten
Born	(1964-09-11) September 11, 1964 (age 47) Mountain Home, Idaho, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, jazz fusion, funk
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, author
Instruments	Electric bass, upright bass, fiddle, cello, banjo
Years active	1980–present
Associated acts	Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Steve Bailey, Vital Tech Tones, SMV, Greg Howe, Dave Matthews Band, Chick Corea Elektric Band
Website	www.victorwooten.com
Notable instruments
Fodera Monarch Fodera Monarch Yin-Yang (4 string) Steinberger bass guitars

Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards.^[1]

Wooten has won the "Bass Player of the Year" award from Bass Player magazine three times in a row, and was the first person to win the award more than once.^[1] In addition to a solo career and collaborations with various artists, Wooten has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988.

In 2008, Wooten joined Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller to record an album. The trio of bassists, under the name SMV, released Thunder in August 2008 and began a supporting tour the same month.^[2]

Wooten was also a judge for the 4th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[3]

Early life[link]

Born to Dorothy and Pete Wooten, Victor is the youngest of the five Wooten Brothers, the other four being Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph Wooten, all of whom are musicians. His brother Regi began to teach Victor to play bass when he was two, and by the age of six, Victor was playing in front of crowds with his brothers in their family band, The Wooten Brothers Band, and toured supporting Curtis Mayfield, among others.^[1] When his family moved east, they continued to hone their skills. His brothers began a residency at Busch Gardens. When his brother Roy asked if Victor could learn the fiddle to play with them on quick notice, he complied, adding another instrument to his repertoire.

Instruments[link]

Wooten playing his Steinberger headless bass guitar at the Belly Up in 2006.

Wooten is most often seen playing Fodera basses, of which he has a signature model.^[4] His most famous Fodera, a 1983 Monarch Deluxe he refers to as "number 1," sports a Kahler Tremolo System model 2400 bridge. Fodera's "Yin Yang" basses (co-designed by and created for Wooten) incorporates the Yin Yang symbol—which Wooten uses in various media—as a focal point of the top's design and construction. The symbol is created from two pieces of naturally finished wood (Ebony and Holly, for example), fitted together to create the Yin-Yang pattern.^[5]

Though Wooten's basses receive much attention, his most frequent and consistent response when asked by his fans about his equipment (or equipment in general) is that "the instrument doesn't make the music ... you do".^{[citation needed]} He'll often go on to state that the most important features to look for in a bass are comfort and playability. During a question and answer session at a 1998 concert, Wooten stated that "If you take a newborn baby and put them on the instrument, they're going to get sounds out of it that I can't get out of it, so we're all the best."^[6] This philosophy seems closely related to Wooten's approach to music in general, which is that music is a language. According to Wooten, while speaking or listening, one doesn't focus on the mouth as it is forming words; similarly, when a musician is playing or performing the focus shouldn't be on the instrument.

As well as playing electric bass (both fretted and fretless) and the double bass, Victor also played the cello in high school. He still plays cello occasionally with the Flecktones. This is the instrument to which he attributes his musical training.

Discography[link]

Religious beliefs[link]

While Wooten considers himself a spiritual individual, he is not a part of any particular religion. He believes that, "God is too big for any one religion."^[7]

Bibliography[link]

• The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music, ISBN 978-0-425-22093-1, Penguin Group, 2008

References[link]

External links[link]

• Victor Lemonte Wooten - official website
• Victor Lemonte Wooten Intervew with Anil Prasad of Innerviews
• Live performance photographs
• Interview from honesttune.com
• The Music Lesson website
• The Bass Vault
• Bass/Nature Camp
• Victor Wooten artist page at Guitar Video Channel

Robert Bruce Gillies was a member of New Zealand band Split Enz between 1973 and 1974, and later between November 1975 and late 1977, playing the saxophone and the trumpet. He also helped out bandmate Noel Crombie with the direction of the band's stage performances and music videos.

After leaving Split Enz, he later became a production designer becoming involved in Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as well as Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

External links[link]

• Split Enz biography
• Biographical notes about Robert Gillies
• Pacific Wave magazine interview
• Robert Gillies at the Internet Movie Database

This article about a New Zealand musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Annie Lennox OBE
Annie Lennox performing at the Rally for Human Rights during the International AIDS Conference 2010 in Vienna as part of her SING Campaign.
Background information
Birth name	Ann Lennox
Born	(1954-12-25) 25 December 1954 (age 57)
Genres	Pop, rock, blue-eyed soul, New Wave, pop rock, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, activist, humanitarian ambassador
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, accordion, harmoniumflute
Years active	1975–present
Labels	RCA, Arista (1981–2009) Island, Decca (2010–)
Associated acts	The Catch, The Tourists, Eurythmics
Website	www.annielennox.com

Ann "Annie" Lennox, OBE (born 25 December 1954), is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s as part of the New Wave band The Tourists, she and fellow musician David A. Stewart went on to achieve major international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Lennox is the most recognized female artist at the Brit Awards, winning a total of eight awards. She has also been named the "Brits Champion of Champions".^[1]

Lennox embarked on a solo career in the 1990s with her debut album, Diva (1992), which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". To date, she has released five solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). She is the recipient of eight Brit Awards, four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard Magazine.^[2] In 2004, she won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.^[3]

In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, notable for raising money and awareness for HIV charities in Africa. She also objected to the unauthorised use of the 1999 Eurythmics song "I Saved the World Today" in an election broadcast for Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in 2009.^[4] In 2011, Lennox was appointed to the OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes".^[2][5]

Known as a pop culture icon for her distinctive contralto vocals and visual performances, Lennox has been named "The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive" by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone.^[6] She has earned the distinction of "most successful female British artist in UK music history" due to her global commercial success since the early 1980s. Including her work within Eurythmics, Lennox is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 80 million records worldwide.^[7]

Early life[link]

Lennox was born on Christmas Day, 1954, in Summerfield Maternity hospital, Aberdeen. Her father worked at the shipyard, and her mother was a cook until she became a housewife. Lennox was an only child and the family lived in a small two-roomed apartment in a tenement with communal laundry facilities. Despite her family's financial status, Lennox had piano lessons at school from the age of seven years at the cost of £4.00 per term. She was interested in singing and, with plenty of time to herself, passed some of the time by singing along to the popular music of the time, including music by The Beatles. She was an unhappy teenager, partly because of a struggle over boundaries for her independence with her overprotective father.^[8] She attended Aberdeen High School for Girls, now Harlaw Academy.^[8][9] In 1964, her early talent was demonstrated when she came second in a talent contest at a Butlins holiday camp. She sang the song "Mairi's Wedding".^[10]

In the 1970s, Lennox won a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied the flute and classical music for three years. She lived on a student grant and worked at part-time jobs for extra money. Lennox was unhappy during her time at the Royal Academy partly because she was lonely and shy, and she missed many history-of-music lessons.^[8]

Lennox's flute teacher's final report stated: "Ann has not always been sure of where to direct her efforts, though lately she has been more committed. She is very, very able, however." Two years later, Lennox reported to the Academy: "I have had to work as a waitress, barmaid, and shop assistant to keep me when not in musical work." She also played and sang with a few bands, such as Windsong, during the period of her course. In 2006, the academy made her an honorary Fellow.^[11] Lennox also was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama that year.^[12]

Music career[link]

1976–1990: Dragon's Playground, The Tourists and Eurythmics[link]

Lennox in the mid-1980s

In 1976, Lennox was flautist with a band called Dragon's Playground, leaving before they appeared on TV's New Faces.^[13] Between 1977 and 1980, she was the lead singer of The Tourists (initially known as The Catch), a moderately successful British pop band and her first collaboration with Dave Stewart. During the time they were in The Tourists, Stewart and Lennox were involved in a relationship, though this had ended by the time they formed Eurythmics.

Lennox and Stewart's second collaboration, the 1980s synthpop duo Eurythmics, resulted in her most notable fame, as the duo's alto, soul-tinged lead singer. Early in Eurythmics' career, Lennox was known for her androgyny, wearing suits and once impersonating Elvis Presley. Eurythmics released a long line of singles in the 1980s, including "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", "Love Is A Stranger", "Here Comes the Rain Again", "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves", "Who's That Girl?", "Would I Lie to You?", "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)", "Missionary Man", "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart", "Thorn in My Side", "The Miracle of Love" and "Don't Ask Me Why". Though Eurythmics never officially disbanded, Lennox made a fairly clear break from Stewart in 1990. Thereafter, she began a long and equally-successful solo career.

Lennox and Stewart reconvened Eurythmics in the late 1990s with the album Peace, their first album of new material in ten years. A subsequent concert tour was completed, with profits going to Greenpeace and Amnesty International.^[2]

Lennox (far right) and David A. Stewart (left) performing as Eurythmics in 1987.

Lennox has received eight BRIT Awards, the most of any female artist.^[14] Four of the awards were given during her time with Eurythmics, and another was given to the duo for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 1999.^[15]

The 1988 single with Al Green, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (a cover version of Jackie DeShannon's 1969 hit), was recorded for the soundtrack of the movie Scrooged. Though it was produced by Dave Stewart, it was credited to Lennox and Green. This one-off single peaked at No. 2 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a top 40 hit in the UK.^[16][17] Lennox performed the song "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye", a Cole Porter song, that same year for a cameo appearance in the Derek Jarman film Edward II. She then made an appearance with David Bowie and the surviving members of Queen at 1992's Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at London's Wembley Stadium, performing "Under Pressure".^[18]

[edit] 1992–1993: Diva

Lennox began working with former Trevor Horn protegé Stephen Lipson, beginning with her 1992 solo début album, Diva. It was a commercial and critical success, charting No. 1 in the UK, No. 6 in Germany, and No. 23 in the US where it went double platinum.^[19][20] Lennox's profile was boosted by Diva's singles, which included "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". "Why" won an MTV Award for Best Female Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, while the video for "Walking on Broken Glass" featured the actors Hugh Laurie and John Malkovich.^[21][22] "Little Bird" also formed a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire", a soundtrack cut for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula.^[23] The B-side of her single "Precious" was a self-penned song called "Step by Step", which was later a hit for Whitney Houston for the soundtrack of the film The Preacher's Wife.^[23] The song "Keep Young and Beautiful" was included on the CD release as a bonus track (the original vinyl album had only ten tracks).

The album entered the UK album chart at no.1 and has since sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK alone, being certified quadruple platinum.^[24] It was also a success in the US where it was a top 30 hit and has sold in excess of 2,700,000 copies.^[19] In 1993, the album was included in Q magazine's list of the "50 Best Albums of 1992". Rolling Stone magazine (25 June 1992, p. 41) described the album as "...state-of-the-art soul pop..." and it is included in Rolling Stone's (13 May 1999, p. 56) "Essential Recordings of the 90's" list. The album won Best British Album at the 1993 Brit Awards.^[25]

[edit] 1995–2000: Medusa and return to Eurythmics

Although Lennox's profile decreased for a period because of her desire to bring up her two children outside of the media's glare, she continued to record. Her second album, Medusa, was released in March 1995. It consisted solely of cover songs, all originally recorded by male artists including Bob Marley and The Clash. It entered the UK album chart at No. 1 and peaked in the US at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and selling over 2,000,000 to date in the United States.^[19] It has achieved double platinum status in both the UK and the US.^[24][26] The album yielded four UK singles: "No More I Love You's" (which entered the UK singles chart at No. 2, Lennox's highest ever solo peak),^[17] "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right". The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996,^[27] losing to Turbulent Indigo by Joni Mitchell, however, Lennox won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "No More I Love You's".^[28] Though Lennox declined to tour for the album, she did perform a large scale one-off concert in New York's Central Park, which was filmed and later released on home video.^[29]

Lennox also provided an extensive solo vocal performance (without lyrics) for the soundtrack score of the film Apollo 13 in 1995.

In 1997, Lennox re-recorded the Eurythmics track "Angel" for the Diana, Princess of Wales tribute album, and also recorded the song "Mama" for The Avengers soundtrack album. In 1998, following the death of a mutual friend (former Tourists member Peet Coombes), she re-united with Dave Stewart.^[30] Following their first performance together in eight years at a record company party, Stewart and Lennox began writing and recording together for the first time since 1989. This resulted in the album Peace. The title was designed to reflect the duo's ongoing concern with global conflict and world peace. The record was promoted with a concert on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior II, where they played a mixture of old and new songs. "I Saved the World Today" was the lead single, reaching number eleven on the UK singles chart.^[31] Another single, released at the beginning of 2000, "17 Again", made the UK top 40, and topped the US dance chart.^[32] In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard Magazine, with Editor-in-Chief Timothy White describing her as one of "the most original and unforgettably affecting artists in the modern annals of popular music."^[2]

[edit] 2003–2007: Bare and work in Africa

Annie Lennox on stage in 2004

In 2003, Lennox released her third solo album, Bare. The album peaked at No. 3 in the UK and No. 4 in the US – her highest charting album in the US to date.^[33] She embarked on her first tour as a solo artist to promote the album. The tour, simply titled Solo Tour, pre-dated the release of the album and visited both the US and Europe, with only a two-night stop in the UK at Saddler's Wells Theatre in London. The album has been certified Gold in both the UK and the US and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 46th Grammy Awards.^[34] The album was released with a DVD which included interviews and acoustic versions of songs by Lennox. The Japanese edition of the album features a version of Lennox's earlier hit "Cold" recorded live in Toronto.

In 2004, Lennox won the Academy Award for Best Song for "Into the West" from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,^[35] which she co-wrote with screenwriter Fran Walsh and composer Howard Shore. The song also won a Grammy award and a Golden Globe award. She had previously recorded "Use Well the Days" for the movie, which incorporates a number of quotations from Tolkien in its lyrics. This song was not used in the film, but it appears on a bonus DVD included with the "special edition" of the movie's soundtrack CD. In mid-2004, Lennox embarked on an extensive North American tour with Sting.^[2] In July 2005, Lennox performed at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London, along with Madonna, Sting, and other popular musicians.^[36]

In 2005, Lennox and Stewart collaborated on two new songs for their Eurythmics compilation album, Ultimate Collection, of which "I've Got a Life" was released as a single in October 2005. The promotional video for the song features Lennox and Stewart performing in the present day, with images of past Eurythmics videos playing on television screens behind them. The single peaked at number fourteen in the UK Singles Chart and was a number-one US Dance hit.^[16][17] On 14 November 2005, Sony BMG repackaged and released Eurythmics' back catalogue as 2005 Deluxe Edition Reissues.^[37]

[edit] 2007–2008: Songs of Mass Destruction and AIDS activism

Ending her long association with Stephen Lipson, Lennox's fourth solo album, Songs of Mass Destruction, was recorded in Los Angeles with veteran producer Glen Ballard (known for producing Alanis Morissette's album, Jagged Little Pill). It was released on 1 October 2007, and was the last studio album of Lennox's contract with BMG. It peaked at No. 7 in the UK and No. 9 in the US.^[16][17] Lennox stated that she believed the album consisted of "twelve strong, powerful, really emotive songs that people can connect to". If she achieves that, she says, "I can feel proud of [it], no matter if it sells ten copies or 50 million."^[38] Lennox described it as "a dark album, but the world is a dark place. It's fraught, it's turbulent. Most people's lives are underscored with dramas of all kinds: there's ups, there's downs – the flickering candle."^[39] She added, "Half the people are drinking or drugging themselves to numb it. A lot of people are in pain."^[39]

The album's first single was "Dark Road", released on 24 September 2007. Another song on the album, "Sing", is a collaboration between Lennox and 23 prominent female artists: Anastacia, Isobel Campbell, Dido, Céline Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Beth Gibbons, Faith Hill, Angelique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, Gladys Knight, k.d. lang, Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Beth Orton, Pink, Kelis, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Shingai Shoniwa, Joss Stone, Sugababes, KT Tunstall, and Martha Wainwright. The song was recorded to raise money and awareness for the HIV/AIDS organisation Treatment Action Campaign.^[40] Included among the group of vocalists are TAC activist members' own vocal group known as The Generics, whose CD of music inspired Lennox to make "Sing".^[40]

To promote Songs of Mass Destruction, Lennox embarked on a primarily North American tour called Annie Lennox Sings, which lasted throughout October and November 2007.^[41] The tour had 18 stops: London, San Diego, New York City (two dates), Boston. The venues generally were at medium-size theatres, except in New York, where one of the dates was a United Nations fundraiser at the Midtown restaurant Cipriani.

[edit] 2008–2009: The Annie Lennox Collection and departing from Sony

Finishing out her contract with Sony BMG, Lennox released the compilation album The Annie Lennox Collection. Initially intended for release in September 2008, the release date was pushed back several months to allow Lennox to recuperate from a back injury.^[42] The compilation was eventually released in the US on 17 February 2009, and in the UK and Europe on 9 March 2009. Included on the track listing are songs from her four solo albums, one from the Bram Stoker's Dracula soundtrack, and two new songs. One of these is a cover of Ash's single, "Shining Light". The other is a cover of a song by the English band Keane, originally the B-side of their first single in 2000. Lennox renamed the song from its original title "Closer Now" to "Pattern of My Life". A limited 3-disc edition of the album included a DVD compilation featuring most of Lennox's solo videos since 1992, and also featured a second CD of rarer songs including a version of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" with Alicia Keys and Lennox's Oscar winning "Into the West" from the third Lord of the Rings film. The album entered the UK Album Chart at No. 2 and remained in the top 10 for seven weeks.^[43]

Lennox's recording contract with Sony BMG concluded with the release of Songs of Mass Destruction and the subsequent retrospective album The Collection, and much was made in the press in late 2007/early 2008 about the apparent animosity between Lennox and the record company. Lennox stated that while on a trip to South Africa in December 2007 to appear at the 46664 campaign in Johannesburg, the regional company office of the label failed to return phone calls and e-mails she made to them for three weeks, and had completely failed to promote the Sing project as planned. Upon her return to the UK, Lennox met with the head of Sony BMG UK, Ged Docherty, who was "mortified" by the problems she had encountered with the South African branch. However, the debacle (partly inflamed when Lennox's dissatisfaction with the South African office was made public on her blog) led to press reports falsely stating that she was being dropped by Sony BMG. The record company themselves quickly refuted the rumour stating that Lennox's contract with them had merely been fulfilled and that they hoped she would consider remaining with them. The British tabloid, Daily Mirror, subsequently printed a retraction of its story about her being dropped by the label.^[44]

[edit] 2010–present: Island Records and A Christmas Cornucopia

In August 2010, Lennox signed a new contract with Island Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US (both part of the Universal Music Group).^[45] Her first release was a Christmas album entitled A Christmas Cornucopia, issued on 15 November 2010. The album is a collection of Lennox's interpretations of traditional festive songs such as "Silent Night" and "The First Noel", along with one new composition, "Universal Child", which was released as a download-only single on 13 October 2010. Lennox had previously showcased the song on the American Idol Gives Back TV show in April 2010. She sang the song "Angels from the Realms of Glory" from the album for the TNT special Christmas in Washington.^[46]

A music video was produced for a second single from the album, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Lennox also performed the track on the UK chat show Loose Women in December 2010, and was also interviewed.^[47]

According to Metacritic, A Christmas Cornucopia has gained "generally favourable reviews".^[48] Ian Wade of BBC Music gave the album a very positive review, saying "this collection could find itself becoming as much a part of the holiday season as arguments with loved ones."^[49] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine awarded the album 3.5/5 and said "Lennox seems more inspired on A Christmas Cornucopia than she has in years."^[50] John Hunt of Qatar Today magazine gave the album 9/10 and said "in particular, the vocal work and musical arrangement of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' are impactful to the point of being intimidating."^[51]

Public image[link]

Charity and political work[link]

Lennox in 2009 in Hyde Park attending a demonstration for Gaza, January 2009.

In 1990, Lennox recorded a version of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" for the Cole Porter tribute album Red Hot + Blue, a benefit for AIDS awareness. A video was also produced.^[52]

HIV campaigners, Memory Sachikonye (l) and Annie Lennox (r) met with Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell

Lennox has been a public supporter of Amnesty International and Greenpeace for many years, and she and Dave Stewart donated all of the profits from Eurythmics' 1999 Peacetour to both charities.^[53]

In 2006, in response to her humanitarian work, Lennox became patron of the Master's Course in Humanitarian and Development Practice for Oxford Brookes University.^[2] In October 2006, Lennox spoke at the British House of Commons about the need for children in the UK to help their counterparts in Africa.^[2]

On 25 April 2007, Lennox performed "Bridge over Troubled Water" during the American Idol "Idol Gives Back" fundraising drive.^[54]

Lennox's 2007 song "Sing" was born out of her involvement with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), both of which are human rights groups which seek education and health care for those affected by HIV.^[2][40] In December 2007, Lennox established The SING Campaign, an organisation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women and children affected by HIV and AIDS.^[55]

On 11 December 2007, she performed in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with a variety of artists, which was broadcast to over 100 countries.^[56] She led a rally against the Gaza War in London on 3 January 2009.^[57]

Lennox opened the 2009 Edinburgh Festival of Politics with a stinging attack on Pope Benedict XVI's approach to HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. She said that the Pope's denunciation of condoms on his recent tour of Africa had caused "tremendous harm" and she criticised the Roman Catholic Church for causing widespread confusion on the continent. Lennox also condemned the media's obsession with "celebrity culture" for keeping the AIDS pandemic off the front page. In an attempt to counter this, during her address, she wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "HIV positive". Lennox wore similar T-shirts at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden on 30 October 2009,^[58] while appearing on The Graham Norton Show on 30 November 2009 (where she performed the new song "Full Steam", a duet with singer David Gray), also during a recorded performance for American Idol during a 21 April 2010 fund-raiser, Idol Gives Back, and most recently during a performance on the live Comic Relief show on 18 March 2011. In June 2010, she was named as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for AIDS.^[59]

Lennox also supports the Burma Campaign UK, a non-governmental organisation that addresses the suffering in Burma and promotes democratisation.^[60]

In December 2010, it was confirmed that Lennox was in the New Years Honours List and would become an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her humanitarian work. She received the award from Queen Elizabeth II on 28 June 2011.^[61][62][63]

Gay icon[link]

Lennox has garnered a significant following within the LGBT community. According to The Advocate, "her distinctive voice and provocative stage persona have made Lennox a longtime gay icon."^[64] With Eurythmics' music videos earning regular rotation on MTV in the 1980s, Lennox took part in the shaping of popular culture alongside other gay icons such as Boy George, Madonna, Morrissey, and Michael Stipe.^[65]

'The House of Annie Lennox' Exhibition 2011 - 2012[link]

In 2010(?), Lennox approached the Victoria and Albert Museum (V+A) and asked if they would be interested in displaying some of her collection of costumes, accessories, photographs, awards, ephemera from her political campaigns and personal items which she'd had in storage.^{[citation needed]} This collection, along with music videos and interviews, became 'The House of Annie Lennox' at the V+A from 15 September 2011 to 26February 2012.^[66] The exhibition was more than doubled in size when it was installed at The Lowry in Salford, Manchester, which opened on 17th March 2012, (and is due to close on 17th June).^{[67] [68]} The exhibition will then travel to Aberdeen.^{[citation needed]}

Music videos[link]

Both as part of Eurythmics and in her solo career, Lennox has made over 60 music promo videos. The 1987 Eurythmics album Savage and her 1992 solo album Diva were both accompanied by video albums, both directed by Sophie Muller.^[69] Actors Hugh Laurie and John Malkovich appeared in the music video for "Walking on Broken Glass", while the video for "Little Bird" paid homage to the different images and personas that have appeared in some of Lennox's previous videos.^[22] The clip features Lennox performing on stage with several lookalikes (male and female) that represent her personas from "Why", "Walking on Broken Glass", "Sweet Dreams", "Beethoven", "I Need a Man", "Thorn in My Side", "There Must Be an Angel", and even her stage image from the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

Personal life[link]

Both of Lennox's parents died of cancer.^[8] Her first marriage from 1984 to 1985 was to a German Hare Krishna devotee Radha Raman.^[70] From 1988 to 2000, she was married to Israeli film and record producer Uri Fruchtmann.^[71] They have two daughters, Lola (born 1990), and Tali (born 1993), who models for fashion chain Karen Millen.^[72] A son, Daniel, was stillborn in December 1988.^[73][74] Lennox describes herself as an agnostic^[75] and lives in Notting Hill, London.^[76]

Lennox was estimated to have a fortune of £30 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2010.^[77]

Discography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Lennox has received a variety of major awards during her career:^[78]

American Music Awards^[79]

• 2008 – AMA Award of Merit for her work and her humanitarian efforts

Academy Awards^[80]

• 2004 – Best Original Song ("Into the West")

Grammy Awards^[81]

• 1984 – Best New Artist (Eurythmics) (nominated)
• 1986 – Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Eurythmics, "Would I Lie to You?") (nominated)
• 1987 – Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Eurythmics, "Missionary Man") (Won)
• 1993 – Album of the Year (Diva) (nominated)
• 1993 – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (Diva) (nominated)
• 1993 – Best Music Video – Long Form (Diva) (Won)
• 1996 – Best Pop Album (Medusa) (nominated)
• 1996 – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ("No More I Love You's") (Won)
• 2004 – Best Pop Album (Bare) (nominated)
• 2005 – Best Song Written For a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media ("Into the West") (Won)

Ivor Novello Awards^[82]

• 1984 – Songwriter of the Year for Lennox and Dave Stewart
• 1987 – Songwriter of the Year for Lennox and Dave Stewart
• 1987 – Best contemporary song ("Its Alright, (Baby's Coming Back)")
• 1993 – Best Song ("Why")

BRIT Awards^[83]

• 1984 – Best British Female Artist
• 1986 – Best British Female Artist
• 1989 – Best British Female Artist
• 1990 – Best British Female Artist
• 1993 – Best British Female Solo Artist
• 1993 – Best British Album (Diva)
• 1996 – Best British Female Solo Artist
• 1999 – Outstanding Contribution to British Music (Eurythmics)

MTV Video Music Awards^[21]

• 1992 – Best Female Video ("Why")

Golden Globe Awards^[84]

• 2004 – Best Original Song – Motion Picture ("Into the West")

Honorary degrees and awards^[85]

• 1986 – Associate – Royal Academy of Music London
• 1997 – Fellowship – Royal Academy of Music London
• 2006 – Honorary Doctor of Music – The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
• 2006 – Fellowship – Edinburgh College of Art
• 2009 – Honorary Doctorate at the University of Edinburgh (awarded 20 October 2009), in recognition of her work in the field of HIV/AIDS, and her success as a recording artist.^[86]

Other awards / titles / ambassadorships^[87]

• 2002 – Billboard Century Award by Billboard
• 2008 – OUT magazine honoured Lennox for her work in the HIV and Aids field. The top 100 most influential people in Gay Culture.
• 2008 – The British Red Cross Services to Humanity Award
• 2008 – Glamour Magazine's Inspirational Woman of the Year Award
• 2008 – Honoured at the 2008 Youth AIDS Gala, for her contribution in helping the fight against HIV and AIDS
• 2008 – The German Sustainability "special achievement" award for her commitment in the fight against HIV and AIDS
• 2008 – Webby Award for official website www.annielennox.com^[88]
• 2009 – Save the Children "Amigo de los Niños" Award
• 2009 – Awarded the "Freedom of the City of London" by the British Red Cross for services to humanity in the field of HIV and AIDS
• 2009 – Nobel Peace Laureates for services to humanity
• 2010 – Patron of the Elton John Aids Foundation
• 2010 – Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Scotland
• 2010 – Ambassador for HIV/AIDS in London
• 2010 – UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador
• 2010 – Barclays Women of the Year Award
• 2010 – [International Service Award] for Global Defence of Human Rights
• 2010 – GQ Charity Woman of the Year Award
• 2010 – Harper's Bazaar Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2010 – OBE – Order of the British Empire for her work fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa

References[link]