Boxing Day is traditionally a day following Christmas when people in the United Kingdom would box up their presents.^[1] Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations.

In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994. In Ireland it is recognized as St. Stephen's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Stiofáin) or the Day of the Wren (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín). In the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia, Czech Republic and Poland, 26 December is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.^[2]

In Canada, Boxing Day takes place on 26 December and is a federal public holiday.^[3] In Ontario, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday where all full-time workers receive time off with pay.^[4]

Etymology[link]

The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear, and there are several competing theories, none of which is definitive.^[5] The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the original immigrants^[who?] arriving in the colony^[where?] in boxes or baskets strapped together with hemp rope. The late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.^[6]

In the UK, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.^[7] This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663.^[8] This custom is linked to an older English tradition: Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

Date[link]

Boxing Day is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day, which is also St. Stephen's Day, a religious holiday.^[9][10][11] However, when 26 December falls on a Sunday, Boxing Day in many places is moved to 27 December. In the UK, where Boxing Day is a bank holiday, if Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, a substitute bank holiday is given on the following Monday, but if 26 December falls on a Sunday – which means that Christmas Day, another holiday, fell on a Saturday – then the Statutory Holiday for Christmas is moved to Monday 27 December and the Statutory Holiday for Boxing Day is moved to Tuesday 28 December. However, Boxing Day is still celebrated the day following Christmas Day for many British people.^[12]

In Scotland, Boxing Day has been specified as an additional bank holiday since 1974,^[13] by Royal Proclamation under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.^[14]

In Ireland – when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland – the Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St. Stephen as a non-movable public holiday on 26 December. Since the Irish War of Independence, the name 'Boxing Day' is used only by the authorities in Northern Ireland, which remains part of the UK. There, Boxing Day is a movable public holiday in line with the rest of the UK.

In the Australian state of South Australia, 28 December is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day and Boxing Day is not normally a public holiday. The holiday for Proclamation Day is observed on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday.^[15] Nowadays Boxing Day is popular in Australia as the first day of a Test cricket match held at the MCG. A Test match is also often held in South Africa starting on Boxing Day.

In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday^[16] that is always celebrated on 26 December. In Canadian provinces where Boxing Day is a statutory holiday, and it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week.^[16]

Shopping[link]

Boxing Day crowds shopping at the Toronto Eaton Centre in Canada

In Britain,^[17] Canada,^[18] New Zealand and some states of Australia,^[19] Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price reductions. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue. In the UK in 2009 it was estimated that up to 12 million shoppers appeared at the sales (a rise of almost 20% compared to 2008, although this was also affected by the fact that the VAT would revert to 17.5% from 1 January).^[20]

Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of 26 December, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers.^[18] Many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items.^[21] Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began queueing up, providing video of shoppers queueing and later leaving with their purchased items.^[22] The Boxing Day sales have the potential for customer stampedes, injuries and even fatalities.^[23] As a result, many retailers have implemented practices aimed at managing large numbers of shoppers. They may limit entrances, restrict the number of patrons in a store at a time, provide tickets to people at the head of the queue to guarantee them a hot ticket item or canvass queued-up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations.^[21]

In recent years, retailers have expanded deals to "Boxing Week", and some stores even have "half way to boxing day sales" on 26 June. While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers who hold Boxing Day Sales will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Year's Eve. Notably, in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy.^[24] Canada's Boxing Day has often been compared with the American Super Saturday, the Saturday before Christmas.

In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario (including Sault Ste. Marie^[25] and Sudbury), most retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day, either by provincial law or municipal bylaw, or instead by informal agreement among major retailers in order to provide a day of relaxation following Christmas Day. In these areas, sales otherwise scheduled for 26 December are moved to the 27th.^[26][27]

In Ireland, since 1902, most stores remain closed on St. Stephen's Day, as with Christmas Day. In 2009, some stores decided to open on this day, breaking a 107-year-old tradition. Some stores have also started their January sales on this day.

Cyber Boxing Day[link]

In 2009, many retailers with both online and High Street stores launched their online sales on Christmas Eve and their High Street sales on Boxing Day.^[28][29]

Sport[link]

Traditional Boxing Day hunting

Boxing day hunt meet in Keswick 1962

Boxing day hunt meet in Tiverton 2009

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland it is traditional for the Premier League, Scottish Premier League and Irish Premier League respectively, as well as the lower divisions and rugby leagues, to hold a full programme of football and Rugby League matches on Boxing Day. Traditionally, matches on Boxing Day are played against local rivals. This was originally to avoid teams and their fans having to travel a long distance to an away game on the day after Christmas Day. It also makes the day an important one in the sporting calendar. In Australia and South Africa, much anticipated test matches are played on Boxing Day.

In horse racing, there is the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse in Surrey. It is the second most prestigious chase in England, after the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Boxing Day is a popular day in the UK and U.S. for mounted fox hunters. Despite fox hunting being banned by the Hunting Act in 2004, Boxing Day remains the biggest hunt of the year for most hunts in the UK by use of scent drag trails instead of live quarry.

Australia holds the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the start to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Several ice hockey contests are associated with the day. The IIHF World U20 Championship typically begins on 26 December, while the Spengler Cup also begins on 26 December in Davos, Switzerland; the Spengler Cup competition includes HC Davos, Team Canada, and other top European Hockey teams. The National Hockey League tends to have close to a full slate of games (11 were played in 2010), following the league-wide days off given for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

In some African Commonwealth nations, particularly Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania, prize fighting contests are held on Boxing Day. This practice has also been followed for decades in Guyana and Italy.^[30]

See also[link]

• St. Stephen's Day

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boxing Day

• Snopes: The Origins of Boxing Day
• Boxing Day Celebrations

Links to related articles v t e Public holidays in Australia New Year's Day Australia Day Good Friday Easter Saturday Easter Monday Anzac Day Queen's Birthday Labour Day Christmas Day Boxing Day v t e   Public holidays in Canada Nationwide statutory holidays New Year's Day · Good Friday · Canada Day · Labour Day · Christmas Day Statutory holidays for federal employees Easter Monday · Victoria Day · Thanksgiving · Remembrance Day · Boxing Day Other common holidays Family Day/Louis Riel Day/Islander Day · Quebec National Holiday · Memorial Day (Newfoundland and Labrador) · August Civic Holiday v t e Public holidays in Hong Kong New Year's Day · Lunar New Year (3 days)  · Ching Ming Festival · Good Friday · The day following Good Friday · Easter Monday · The Birthday of the Buddha · Labour Day · Tuen Ng Festival · Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day · The day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival · National Day · Chung Yeung Festival · Christmas Day  · The first weekday after Christmas Day Cancelled: Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen  · Liberation Day  · Double Ten Day  · Remembrance Day v t e Public holidays in New Zealand New Year's Day · January 2 · Waitangi Day · Good Friday · Easter Sunday · Easter Monday · Anzac Day · Queen's Birthday · Labour Day · Christmas Day · Boxing Day v t e   Public holidays in South Africa New Year's Day · Human Rights Day · Good Friday · Family Day · Freedom Day · Workers' Day · Youth Day · National Women's Day · Heritage Day · Day of Reconciliation · Christmas Day · Day of Goodwill v t e Public holidays in the United Kingdom New Year's Day 2nd January (Scotland only) St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) Good Friday (not Northern Ireland) Easter Monday (not Scotland) Easter Tuesday (Northern Ireland only) May Bank Holiday Spring Bank Holiday (not Scotland) Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) (Northern Ireland only) Summer Bank Holiday St Andrew's Day (Scotland only, optional) Christmas Day Boxing Day

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2009)

Atul Kochhar

Born	Birth date missing Jamshedpur, Eastern India
Rating(s) Michelin stars
Current restaurant(s) Benares Vatika Ananda
Previous restaurant(s) Tamarind Oberoi Hotel (New Delhi)
Official website
http://www.atulkochhar.com/

Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef. Born in Jamshedpur in northern India, Kochhar was trained and worked at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.

Biography[link]

In 1994, he was appointed head chef at the Tamarind restaurant, in Mayfair, London. By the age of 31, he became the first Indian chef to be awarded the Michelin star.^[1]

In 2002 Atul joined Marks and Spencers as a consultant chef and advised on their Indian food range. In the summer of the same year he left Tamarind to start his own restaurant.

Atul Kochhar now owns an elite restaurant, Benares. Its menu reflects his passion for food from all areas of India and a setting to rival the most elegant of restaurants in London.

Never complacent with the quality of his work, he returns to his homeland whenever possible to research new recipes and ingredients. His acclaimed cookbook "Indian Essence" is the product of one such trip and he is currently working on a second book on Indian vegetarian food. His recipes have appeared widely in magazines and newspapers, and he demonstrates regularly on food shows in the United Kingdom and abroad. He lives in west London with his wife and daughter. He also teaches Indian cookery at the nearby Thames Valley University.^[2]

Recently, he has represented South-East England in the BBC's Great British Menu. Kochhar beat renowned chef Gary Rhodes in order to represent the South-East in the final round. In The 2007 Series, Atul again triumphed in the heat against Stuart Gillies. Atul got through on the second series National final with a Spicy John Dory with mushy peas and a chutney, and a Main Course of a Spicy Rack of Lamb but failed to reach Paris.

In January 2007, Atul's new restaurant, Benares, won a Michelin star as well.

Atul competed again in the BBC's Great British Menu in 2008, losing out in the London and South-east heat to Jason Atherton.

In 2009, Atul opened two restaurants including Vatika in Wickham Vineyard, Hampshire, and Ananda in Dublin, Ireland.

Atul Kochhar has signed a deal with P&O Cruises to launch a fine-dining restaurant on board the company’s new superliner, the Azura, in 2010. The chef will operate a restaurant called Sindhu, which signifies the river Indus, and is sometimes taken to mean "meeting point" or "fusion" in Hindi, serving his signature modern British dishes with an Indian twist. Kochhar said that launching a restaurant aboard a P&O ship was a "Dream come true. My restaurant on Azura will be called Sindhu, and that’s what my cuisine is, an amalgamation of British and Indian, so it’s just the right name. I’m a great believer that good food is often simple food, so that will be the best thing to give".^[3]

On 20 March 2010 Atul Kochhar received the TMG Cordon Bleu Award at his restaurant in Mayfair, London for his educational contribution in bringing South Asian cuisine to the mainstream. The award was presented by Senior TMG Judge and Barrister Safina Haleema along with the TMG Committee.

In April 2010 he became the executive chef of Colony on Paddington Street.^[4] Atul Kocchar announced he was leaving the business in June 2011 to focus on other interests. The split was described as amicable.^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Benares Official site
• Vatika Official site
• Ananda Official site
• Tamarind Official site

This article reads like a review rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Please help improve this article to make it neutral in tone and meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (December 2007)

Robyn Hitchcock
Live @ Iron Horse., Northampton, MA 28 March 2005
Background information
Born	(1953-03-03) 3 March 1953 (age 59)
Genres	Alternative rock, Jangle pop, Psych folk
Occupations	Musician, actor
Instruments	Guitar, piano
Associated acts	Soft Boys Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians The Venus 3 I Was A King
Website	http://robynhitchcock.com

Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar.

Coming to prominence in the late 1970s with The Soft Boys, Hitchcock afterward launched a prolific solo career. Hitchcock's musical and lyrical styles have been influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Syd Barrett. Hitchcock's lyrics tend to include surrealism, comedic elements, characterisations of English eccentrics, and melancholy depictions of everyday life.

He was signed to two major American labels (A&M Records, then Warner Brothers) over the course of the 1980s and '90s, but mainstream success has been limited. Still, he has maintained a loyal cult following and has often earned strong critical reviews over a steady stream of album releases and live performances.

Biography[link]

Early life and recording career[link]

Born Robyn Hitchcock in London, England and educated at Winchester College,^[1] he began his recording career in 1976 with the Cambridge-based punk/New Wave band The Soft Boys, a local group with an interest in the odd concept of 'psychedelic punk'. After the group broke up in 1981, Hitchcock began recording as a solo artist.

1980s[link]

Hitchcock released his solo debut, Black Snake Diamond Röle in 1981, which more or less replicated the sound of his previous band, as it featured instrumental backing by several former Soft Boys. He followed it in 1982 with the generally critically maligned Groovy Decay, a record which he would ultimately disown.^[2] Following his solo acoustic album I Often Dream Of Trains in 1984, he formed a new band, The Egyptians, comprising former members of The Soft Boys (Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor, supplemented at first by early keyboardist Roger Jackson), resulting in their 1985 debut Fegmania!, which featured typically surrealist Hitchcock songs such as "My Wife and My Dead Wife" and "The Man with the Lightbulb Head". (A live album, Gotta Let This Hen Out!, was released at the end of that year.) Their popularity grew with the 1986 album Element of Light and they were subsequently signed to A&M Records in the U.S. The album Globe of Frogs, released in 1988, further expanded their reach, as the single "Balloon Man" became a college radio and MTV hit, followed in 1989 by "Madonna Of The Wasps" from their Queen Elvis album. In 1989 they also teamed up with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Peter Holsapple of The dB's, playing two gigs as Nigel and the Crosses, mostly covers.^[3][4] The Crosses also had their cover of "Wild Mountain Thyme" included on a Byrds tribute album, though Hitchcock always alluded to the Bryan Ferry version when performing it live with the Egyptians.^[5]

1990s[link]

At the beginning of the decade, Hitchcock took a break from the Egyptians and A&M Records to release another solo acoustic album, Eye, then resumed with the band's Perspex Island release in 1991. 1993's Respect, influenced a great deal by his father's death,^[6] marked the last Egyptians release and the end of his association with A&M Records. Early in 1994, after disbanding the Egyptians, he embarked on a short reunion tour with The Soft Boys. His work received a slight boost in 1995 when his back catalogue (including both solo releases and Egyptians albums) were re-packaged and re-issued in the United States by the respected Rhino Records label. For the rest of the decade he continued recording and performing as a solo artist, releasing several albums on Warner Brothers Records, such as 1996's Moss Elixir (which featured the contributions of violinist Deni Bonet and guitarist Tim Keegan), and the soundtrack from the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film Storefront Hitchcock in 1998. The 1999 release Jewels for Sophia, also on Warner, featured cameos from Southern California-based musicians Jon Brion and Grant-Lee Phillips, both of whom often shared the stage with Hitchcock when he played Los Angeles nightclub Largo. An album of outtakes from the Sophia sessions called A Star For Bram, released on Hitchcock's own label, followed, and his subsequent albums appeared on a variety of independent labels.

2000s[link]

In 2001, Hitchcock reunited and toured with Kimberley Rew, bassist Matthew Seligman, and Morris Windsor for the Soft Boys' re-release of their best-known album, 1980's Underwater Moonlight. The following year they recorded and released a new album, Nextdoorland, which was accompanied by a short album of outtakes, Side Three. The reunion proved to be short-lived, although they did re-form again in 2006 to perform a live concert of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd covers in London, benefiting Médecins Sans Frontières.

During a short tour with Grant-Lee Phillips of Grant Lee Buffalo, Hitchcock co-produced and co-starred in a concert film of the tour shot in Seattle titled Elixirs & Remedies.

The 2002 double album Robyn Sings comprised cover versions of Bob Dylan songs, including a live re-creation (performed in 1996) of Dylan's so-called Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1966 concert. Hitchcock celebrated his 50th birthday in 2003 with a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London at which his then-new solo acoustic album Luxor was given away as a gift to all those attending, and an original poem of his was read by actor Alan Rickman.^[7] He continued collaborating with a series of different musicians, as on the album Spooked, which was recorded with country/folk duo (and longtime Hitchcock fans) Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. In 2006 Olé! Tarantula was released with The Venus 3, a band which consisted of longtime friends and collaborators R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Young Fresh Fellows' frontman Scott McCaughey, as well as Ministry's Bill Rieflin (by then also R.E.M.'s full-time drummer). The song "'Cause It's Love (Saint Parallelogram)" was written with Andy Partridge of XTC.

In 2007, he was the subject of a documentary Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects directed by John Edginton,^[8] shown on the U.S. Sundance Channel and in the UK on BBC Four (and later released on DVD). "Food, sex and death are all corridors to life if you like. You need sex to get you here, you need food to keep you here and you need death to get you out and they’re the entry and exit signs."

The filmmaker eavesdrops on Hitchcock at work on his latest collection of songs with contributors including Nick Lowe, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Peter Buck and Gillian Welch. The film culminates with Hitchcock and the band taking the songs on the road in America. A live EP with The Venus 3, Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas, was released in conjunction with the documentary. The film also includes candid interviews with Hitchcock, who reveals much about the source of his work: "At heart I'm a frightened angry person. That's probably why my stuff isn’t totally insubstantial. I'm constantly, deep down inside, in a kind of rage."

Late in 2007, Hitchcock's music was again re-packaged and re-released in the U.S., as Yep Roc Records began an extensive reissue campaign with three early solo releases and a double-CD compilation of rarities, which would be available separately or as part of a new boxed set release, I Wanna Go Backwards.^[9]

In 2008, that boxed set was followed up with Luminous Groove, a boxed set of three early Egyptians releases and two further discs of rarities. In 2009, the electro-pop artist and remixer Pocket released an EP featuring Hitchcock called "Surround Him With Love", while Hitchcock released an entirely separate new album, Goodnight Oslo, with the Venus 3. At the end of the year, a live album called I Often Dream Of Trains In New York documented the late-2008 onstage re-creation of his acclaimed 1984 acoustic album (a limited-edition deluxe version also included the materials to construct a kind of moving-image generator called a phenokistoscope).

2010s[link]

Concurrent with the redesign of his official website in early 2010, Hitchcock began to offer an occasional series of "Phantom 45s" as downloads, each "45" being two newly-recorded songs that would initially be offered as a free download. He also released the Propellor Time album, containing new material partially based on the "Sex, Food, Death" sessions shown in the 2007 documentary, but mainly featuring the Venus 3. In 2011, he released Tromsø, Kaptein, an album of songs written in Norway, and released physically only in that country. Robyn was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform "I Often Dream Of Trains" at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, to be curated by Mangum in March 2012 in Minehead, England.^[10]

Interests[link]

Additionally, Hitchcock has an interest in acting, literature and art. He writes short stories, paints (often in a whimsical, surrealist style) and draws in the cartoon-strip mode. Many of Hitchcock's album covers bear his paintings or drawings, and his albums' liner notes sometimes include a printed short story. His live concerts usually include a considerable amount of story-telling, in the form of imaginative and surreal ad-libbed monologues in his lyrical style.

Hitchcock collaborated with director Jonathan Demme in 1998 for a live concert and film Storefront Hitchcock, and later appeared in Demme's 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate, in which he played double agent Laurent Tokar. He also appeared in Demme's Rachel Getting Married in 2008, singing and playing guitar in the wedding-party band.

In September 2008 Hitchcock joined the Disko Bay Cape Farewell expedition to the West Coast of Greenland. Cape Farewell is a UK based arts organisation that brings artists, scientists and communicators together to instigate a cultural response to climate change. Other voyagers on the trip included musicians Jarvis Cocker, KT Tunstall and Martha Wainwright.

Personal[link]

Robyn is the son of novelist Raymond Hitchcock and the brother of artist Lal Hitchcock. He is not related to Alfred Hitchcock.

Album discography[link]

Releases marked "with the Egyptians" are credited on the album as by "Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians". Similarly, releases marked "with the Venus 3" are credited on the album as by "Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3". Others are credited as solo albums, although they may contain some group recordings.

Original studio albums[link]

• Black Snake Diamond Röle, 1981
• Groovy Decay, 1982
• I Often Dream of Trains, 1984
• Fegmania!, 1985 (with the Egyptians)
• Element of Light, 1986 (with the Egyptians)
• Globe of Frogs, 1988 (with the Egyptians)
• Queen Elvis, 1989 (with the Egyptians)
• Eye, 1990
• Perspex Island, 1991 (with the Egyptians)
• Respect, 1993 (with the Egyptians)
• Moss Elixir, 1996
• Jewels for Sophia, 1999
• Luxor, 2003
• Spooked, 2004
• Olé! Tarantula, 2006 (with the Venus 3)
• Goodnight Oslo, 2009 (with the Venus 3)
• Propellor Time, 2010 (with the Venus 3)
• Tromsø, Kaptein, 2011

Compilations of rarities, demos, alternate takes and out-takes[link]

• Groovy Decoy (A re-worked version of Groovy Decay, featuring demo versions of many of that album's songs), 1985
• Invisible Hitchcock (Outtakes and rarities, 1980–1986), 1986
• Gravy Deco (A compilation of the Groovy Decay and Groovy Decoy sessions), 1995
• You & Oblivion (Outtakes and rarities, 1981–1987), 1995
• Mossy Liquor ("Outtakes and prototypes" from Moss Elixir), 1996
• A Star for Bram (Outtakes from Jewels for Sophia), 2000
• Obliteration Pie (Japan-only collection of live tracks, rarities, and new studio re-recordings), 2005
• I Wanna Go Backwards (Boxed set of reissues and rarities), 2007
• Shadow Cat (Outtakes and rarities, 1993–1999), 2008
• Luminous Groove (Boxed set of reissues and rarities), 2008

Live albums[link]

• Gotta Let This Hen Out!, 1985 (with the Egyptians)
• Give It To The Thoth Boys - Live Oddities, 1993 (Cassette only release sold on tour 1993) (with the Egyptians)
• The Kershaw Sessions, 1994 (with the Egyptians)
• Storefront Hitchcock, 1998
• Storefront Hitchcock L.P., 1998
• Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival, 1998 (with the Egyptians)
• Robyn Sings, 2002 (Double live album of Bob Dylan cover songs)
• This is the BBC, 2006
• Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas (Live EP), 2007
• I Often Dream of Trains in New York, (CD+DVD), 2009

Best-of compilations[link]

• Robyn Hitchcock, 1995
• Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians: Greatest Hits, 1996 (with the Egyptians)
• Uncorrected Personality Traits (Rhino Records best-of compilation of solo material), 1997

Compilation appearances[link]

• Time Between - A Tribute to The Byrds (Imaginary Records), 1989
• Pave The Earth (A&M Records), 1990
• More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album (Birdman Records), 1999
• Ernie: Songs of Ernest Noyes Brookings (Gadfly Records), 2001
• Listen To What The Man Said – Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney (Oglio Records), 2001
• Wig in a Box (Off Records), 2003
• Terry Edwards Presents Queer Street (Sartorial Records), 2004
• I Want You (She's So Heavy) – Abbey Road Now! (Mojo Magazine Free CD), Oct 2009
• Dark Globe – The Madcap Laughs Again! (Mojo Magazine Free CD), Mar 2010

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Robyn Hitchcock: I wanna go Backwards" — an article at Crawdaddy!.
• "The Barrett/Hitchcock Connection" — an article at Perfect Sound Forever.
• Interview with Robyn Hitchcock with Andy Carvin in 1993.

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (October 2011)

• The Museum of Robyn Hitchcock (official site)
• The Asking Tree: Robyn Hitchcock Discography and Gigography Database
• Otmoor Productions Documentary Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects
• fegMANIA! – Robyn Hitchcock news and information listserv
• The Glass Hotel – comprehensive site including "Glass Flesh" tribute project
• Robyn Hitchcock collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010)

Day26 is an American male R&B music group formed on August 26, 2007 by Sean "Diddy" Combs in a handpicked selection at the end of MTV's Making the Band 4. The group consists of Robert Curry, Brian Andrews, Willie Taylor, and Michael McCluney. The moniker is a tribute to the day when Andrews, McCluney, Curry, and Taylor went from unknowns to stars. The group released their first album, Day26, on March 25, 2008, one week after their then label mates and Making the Band 3 winners Danity Kane released Welcome to the Dollhouse. The album's first single, "Got Me Going", was released on the finale of Making the Band 4. The album went on to debut at number one on the billboard charts.

Career[link]

Making the Band 4 returned to MTV for another season and followed Day26, Danity Kane and Donnie Klang on the Making The Band tour. Season 3, Part 2 of Making The Band 4 debuted on February 12, 2009. The season followed Day26 as they recorded their second album, Forever in a Day, which was released April 14, 2009.

[edit] 2007–2008: Formation of group and Day26

Day26 was founded on the Making the Band 4 Season 1 finale on August 26, 2007. Brian Andrews, Michael McCluney, Qwanell Mosley, Robert Curry, and Willie Taylor were chosen to be a part of Diddy's brand new all-male R&B music group, while fellow cast member Donnie Klang was chosen as a solo artist for Bad Boy Records. The name Day 26 was selected from the day that they were picked which was August 26, 2007.

After being signed as a group to Bad Boy, Day 26 began another season of Making the Band with label mates Danity Kane and Donnie Klang. Upon this season, Day 26's debut single "Got Me Going" was released to download in January 2008. "Got Me Going" eventually peeked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Day 26 later released their self-titled album Day26 on March 25, 2009. The next week, the album debuted at #1 on Billboard 200 selling 200,000 copies. This is the third feat. at #1 for Bad Boy winners. Album production includes Mario Winans, Danja, Bryan-Michael Cox, The Runners, and upon many others. The second single "Since You've Been Gone" was released on June 9, 2008. The song failed to reach Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at #52 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. A third single was planned, but was scrapped due to low album sales, and production on their next album. Overall, the album sold 387,000 copies.

On August 19, 2008, Day26 returned with another season of Making the Band. This season involved in Making the Band 4 - The Tour, which resolved to the break-up of Danity Kane.

[edit] 2009-present: Forever in a Day and departure of Qwanell Mosley

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Upon album release of their second studio album "Forever in a Day", season 3 of Making the Band 4 re-aired in February 2009. This time, the season focused around getting the album finished and also the personal problems of Qwanell. The production resulted a promo release of the song "Stadium Music" which later was up for discussion as the second official release for the album. The first official single "Imma Put It on Her", was released to iTunes on March 31, 2009. The single peaked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for the second hit single "Stadium Music" premiered on May 29, 2009, on 106 & Park. Day26 won the BET Award for Best Group at the 2009 BET Awards.

On June 7, Day26 performed at Hot 97's Summer Jam with Willie's cousin Jeremih.

On June 12, Qwanell confirmed via his official Twitter that "Your Heels" would be the next single released from the album, with a video being shot on June 29.^[1]

On August 25, they released a video album entitled Forever in Your Eyes consisting of music videos to eight of the songs from Forever in a Day. The album was released as a digital download only, exclusively to iTunes.

On November 24, 2009, Willie announced that Day26 were leaving Bad Boy for Atlantic Records.

On December 1, 2009, Que confirmed that Day26 had asked him to leave the group, and he was later removed from the group. He stated that all he wanted was an audit, and new management, but the group simply did not agree and was forced to remove him from the group. Que also stated that he did not want to leave.

It has been confirmed that the group has begun working on their third studio album solely on Atlantic Records, and did not move with Bad Boy to Interscope Records. On June 14, 2010, member Brian Andrews confirmed that the third album title will be called "A New Day", release date is not yet confirmed. According to Day26's Facebook page and day26online.com a new album will be released in 2011.^{[dated info]} On June 15, 2011, the group released their first buzz single for their upcoming album entitled "Let It Go" featuring Roscoe Dash.

On October 15, 2011, the group planned to release a single called "Make It To The Bed," but was pushed back to a later date. According to Day26's official Twitter, new music "and more" would be released on October 26, 2011.

On October 26, 2011, the official website of Day26 was open. Day26Online.com - which included their first single "Made Love Lately" and a trailer to a web series "A New Day."

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Video albums[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

• American Music Awards
  • 2009, Favorite R&B/Hip-Hop Band Duo or Group (Nominated)

• BET Awards
  • 2009, Best Group (Won)
  • 2008, Best Group (Nominated)
• Image Awards
  • 2010, Outstanding Duo or Group (Nominated)
• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2008, Choice Breakout Group (Nominated)
• Online Hip Hop Awards
  • 2008, Digital Download of the Year (R&B) for "Got Me Going" (Won)
• Urban Music Awards
  • 2009, Best Music Video: Imma Put It On Her (Nominated)
  • 2009, Best Male Act (Nominated)

Music videos[link]

• Got Me Going
• Since You've Been Gone
• Imma Put It On Her
• Stadium Music
• Girlfriend
• Truth Is A Lie
• So Good
• Then There's You
• Perfectly Blind
• Just Getting Started
• Made Love Lately

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Day26 Interview
• Day26 sex talk Interview