Sharon Corr MBE
Sharon performing with The Corrs in Stuttgart in 2004
Background information
Birth name	Sharon Helga Corr
Born	(1970-03-24) 24 March 1970 (age 42)
Origin	Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
Genres	Pop, rock, Celtic
Occupations	Musician, television personality
Instruments	Violin, vocals, piano
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Rhino Warner Bros.
Associated acts	The Corrs
Website	www.sharoncorr.com

Sharon Helga Corr (born 24 March 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and television personality. She is best known as a member of the pop-rock band The Corrs, which she co-founded in 1990 with her elder brother Jim and younger sisters Caroline and Andrea. She plays the violin, piano and guitar, and sings backing vocals. She began learning the violin when she was six years old. She has played in national youth orchestras and is qualified to teach the violin.

The Corr siblings were awarded honorary MBEs in 2005 by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of both their musical talent and their charitable work raising money for Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, victims of the Omagh Bombing, and other charities.

In 2012, Sharon was revealed as one of the coaches on the first series of the RTÉ talent show The Voice of Ireland.^[1]

Career[link]

[edit] 2009–2012: Dream of You

In July 2009, Corr was voted into first place in the Ms Twitter UK competition.^[2]

On 15 July 2009, Sharon appeared on This Morning, having been booked by host Phillip Schofield via Twitter, to confirm the release of a new solo single and album. her debut single, "It's Not a Dream", was released on 29 August in Ireland and 31 August in the UK, with appearances at Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, and a number of other European music festivals. The album, Dream of You, was released on 13 September 2010 and comprises a number of self-penned tracks and select covers; Sharon plays violin throughout. She was joined by longtime Corrs' sidemen Anthony (Anto) Drennan on lead guitar, Keith Duffy on bass, and Jason Duffy on drums, with orchestral arrangements by Fiachra Trench, a collaborator on four Corrs' albums.

Corr embarked on the Dream of You Tour on 19 August 2011 in Aberdeen and continued through the UK and Europe, with an Australian leg added in January 2012. On the tour, she introduced a newly written track, "Edge of Nowhere", which will be included on her second album.

[edit] 2012–present: The Voice of Ireland and second album

Corr was a coach on the first series of the RTÉ talent show The Voice of Ireland.^[3]

In an interview with the Maitland Mercury in February 2012, Sharon revealed that she is piecing together her second solo record. "We're going to record it in May and hopefully have it out in September/October." Sharon is taking a new approach with the writing of this record, "Mostly my whole life I've written on my own. Some of the songs I wrote [for The Corrs], like So Young and Radio, I wrote myself. So [for the new album] I've been writing with other people and that's been brilliant."It's brought other angles to my music that perhaps wouldn't have been there."^[4]

Corr finished writing the album in March 2012 and she said it may be called Catch the Moon. The title comes from the idea "of when somebody comes into your life and they utterly change yours, that you would go to any lengths for them... so you would catch the moon."^[5]

Personal life[link]

In 2001, Corr married Belfast barrister Robert Gavin Bonnar, BL in Cratloe Church, County Clare. In a performance for BBC Radio 2, she stated, before performing the song, that she walked up to the aisle to "Along With The Girls", a traditional instrumental track that featured on The Corr's first album, "Forgiven Not Forgotten". The couple met when she was shooting the video for "Runaway". They had their first child, son Cathal Robert Gerard "Cal", in 2006, and their second child, daughter Flori Jean Elizabeth, in 2007.^[6]

Corr's paternal uncle, Peter Corr, was a professional footballer who played for Republic of Ireland, and several clubs including Everton.

Other recordings[link]

As well as "No Frontiers" with Caroline Corr, Sharon sings "Dimming of the Day" and the demo version of "Goodbye". In 1999 she recorded violin parts for the Jean Michel Jarre track "Rendez-vous à Paris", which was released in 2000 on the album Metamorphoses.

She also recorded two tracks in 2008 with the Welsh operatic singer Bryn Terfel, and "Amarrado a Ti" with the Spanish singer Alex Ubago in 2009.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Guest appearances[link]

• 1999: "Rendez-vous à Paris" (Jean Michel Jarre)
• 2008: "First Love - Songs from the British Isles" (Bryn Terfel)
• 2009: "Amarrado a Tí" (Alex Ubago)

References[link]

External links[link]

• SharonCorr.com — Sharon Corr official website
• Sharon Corr on YouTube
• Sharon Corr on Twitter
• The Corrs Official Website
• Corrsonline MB
• disfrutaloscorrs.es

Thomas 'Tom' Dunne is an Irish radio broadcaster with Newstalk. He presents The Tom Dunne Show on weekday mornings between 10:00am and midday. He used to have a show called Pet Sounds on Today FM but gave it up. He also sang in Something Happens but gave that up too.

Early life[link]

Tom Dunne graduated from University College, Dublin with a degree in engineering before becoming lead singer and songwriter for the band Something Happens until the mid 1990s.

Radio career[link]

Tom became involved in radio, initially presenting a show on 98FM before moving to Today FM in 1999, where he presented the Pet Sounds show from 7.00pm to 10.00pm Monday to Thursday. The show became known for playing a mix of alternative, indie rock and new music; and frequently aired songs before they entered mainstream radio airplay. Dunne also filled in on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show and The Ray D'Arcy Show.

Dunne moved to Newstalk in September 2008.^[1] Newstalk and Today FM are part of the Communicorp Group, owned by Denis O'Brien.

Newstalk had to issue an on-air apology to Mary Harney after Nell McCafferty's comments on The Tom Dunne Show in 2010. Nell McCafferty was unapologetic for her remarks.^[2]

Television career[link]

Dunne's first foray into TV presenting was on a short-lived youth-aimed music programme on RTÉ called Popscene. Dunne later took over the reins of Planet Rock Profiles from Dave Fanning, a programme that has aired on RTÉ, ITV, VH1, and many other TV stations throughout the world. He presented (along with Jenny Huston) RTÉ's coverage of the Electric Picnic music festival in 2006.^[3] Dunne also presents a mobile TV show called The Hive on the 3 Ireland mobile network.

Other media work[link]

Dunne occasionally contributes the voice of Bill Cullen to Today FM's Gift Grub. He writes a weekly column in the HQ Magazine city entertainment supplement of the Evening Herald. He has also published three collections of his favourite songs by Irish or Ireland-connected artists, known as the Tom Dunne Collections. In early 2006, he released The Definitive Tom Dunne Vol. 01: Pet Picks 2000-2006, a compilation of some of the most popular tracks from the Pet Sounds radio show.

Awards[link]

In 2002, Dunne scooped the double of the Best DJ title at the Meteor Music Awards and the same prize from Hot Press magazine. He has five PPI Awards.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tom Dunne at Newstalk
• Tom Dunne at the Internet Movie Database
• Tom Dunne singing "Parachute" on The Late Late Show in 2006

Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck at the Palais, Melbourne, Australia 26 January 2009
Background information
Birth name	Geoffrey Arnold Beck
Also known as	A.N. Other
Born	(1944-06-24) 24 June 1944 (age 68) Wallington, Surrey England, United Kingdom
Genres	Blues rock, jazz fusion, instrumental rock, hard rock, electronica, progressive rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Guitar, bass, backing vocals, contrabass
Years active	1964-present
Labels	EMI, Epic
Associated acts	The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group, The Honeydrippers, Beck, Bogert & Appice, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Big Town Playboys, Upp, Eric Clapton, Suzi Quatro, Duff McKagan, Tal Wilkenfeld
Website	www.jeffbeck.com
Notable instruments
Fender Jeff Beck Signature Model Stratocaster Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds (Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are the other two). Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice.

Much of Beck's recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sound and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Although he recorded two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck has not established or maintained the sustained commercial success of many of his contemporaries and bandmates.^[1][2] Beck appears on albums by Mick Jagger, Kate Bush, Roger Waters, Donovan, Stevie Wonder, Les Paul, Zucchero, Cyndi Lauper, Brian May and ZZ Top. In 1988, he made a cameo appearance in the movie Twins.

He was ranked 5th in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"^[3] and the magazine has described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock".^[4] MSNBC has called him a "guitarist's guitarist".^[1] Beck has earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of The Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009).^[5]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Beck was born in 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck at 206 Demesne Road, Wallington, England. As a ten year old Beck sang in a church choir. As a teenager he learned to play a borrowed guitar and made several attempts to build his own instrument, first by gluing and bolting together cigar boxes for the body and an unsanded fence-post for the neck with model aircraft control-lines and frets simply painted on. When fabricating a neck for his next try he attempted to use measurements for a bass guitar.

Beck has cited Les Paul as the first electric guitar player who impressed him.^[6] Beck has said that he first heard an electric guitar when he was six years old and heard Paul playing "How High the Moon" on the radio. He asked his mother what it was and after she replied it was an electric guitar and was all tricks, he said, "That's for me".^[7] Cliff Gallup, lead guitarist with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps was also an early musical influence, followed by B.B. King and Steve Cropper.^[8]

Upon leaving school he attended Wimbledon College of Art, after which he was briefly employed as a painter and decorator, a groundsman on a golf course and a car paint-sprayer. Beck's sister Annetta introduced him to Jimmy Page when both were teenagers.

Early career[link]

Beck began his career in the 1960s. He joined The Rumbles, a Croydon band, in 1963 for a short period as lead guitarist, playing Gene Vincent and Buddy Holly songs, displaying a talent for mimicking guitar styles. His first appearance on vinyl was as a session guitarist on a 1964 Parlophone single by The Fitz and Startz entitled "I'm Not Running Away", with B-side "So Sweet".

In March 1965, Beck was recruited by The Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton on the recommendation of fellow session man Jimmy Page, who had been their initial choice.^[9] The Yardbirds recorded most of their Top 40 hit songs during Beck's short but significant 20-month tenure with the band allowing him only one full album which became known as Roger the Engineer (titled Over Under Sideways Down in the U.S.), released in 1966. Beck was actually pictured on the cover of For Your Love which was released by the Yardbirds' American label in June 1965, however Clapton played guitar on most of the songs. From September to November 1966, Beck shared lead guitar duties with Page in the Yardbirds, who initially joined as bass player^[9] in June of that year. A clip of this iteration of the band can be seen in the 1966 British film Blow Up.

Beck with the Jeff Beck Group, 1968

Beck was fired in the middle of a US tour for being a consistent no-show -- as well as difficulties caused by his perfectionism and explosive temper.^[10] After leaving the Yardbirds, Beck recorded the one-off "Beck's Bolero" (with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Nicky Hopkins and Keith Moon) and two solo hit singles in the UK, "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and "Tallyman". He then formed The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano and, after a series of drummers, eventually Micky Waller in early 1967.

The group produced two albums for Columbia Records (Epic in the US): Truth (August 1968) and Beck-Ola (July 1969). Truth, released five months before the first Led Zeppelin album, features "You Shook Me", a song written and first recorded by Willie Dixon that was also covered on the Led Zeppelin debut. It sold well (reaching number 15 on the Billboard charts). Beck-Ola saw drummer Micky Waller replaced by Tony Newman, and, while well-received, was less successful both commercially and critically. Resentment, coupled with touring incidents, led the group to dissolve in July 1969.

Nick Mason recalls in his autobiography that during 1967 Pink Floyd had wanted to recruit Beck to be their guitarist after the departure of Syd Barrett^[11] but "None of us had the nerve to ask him".^[12] In 1969, following the death of Brian Jones, Beck was approached about joining the Rolling Stones.^[10]

After the break-up of his group, Beck took part in the Music from Free Creek "super session" project, billed as "A.N. Other" and contributed lead guitar on four songs, including one co-written by him. Next he teamed with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge, in September 1969, when Bogert and Appice came to England to resolve contractual issues, but when Beck fractured his skull in a car accident near Maidstone in December the plan was postponed for two-and-a-half years, during which time Bogert and Appice formed Cactus. Beck later remarked on the 1960s period of his life: "Everyone thinks of the 1960s as something they really weren't. It was the frustration period of my life. The electronic equipment just wasn't up to the sounds I had in my head."^[13]

In 1970, when Beck had regained his health, he set about forming a band with drummer Cozy Powell. Beck, Powell and producer Mickie Most flew to the US and recorded several tracks at Motown's famed Studio A in Hitsville U.S.A. with The Funk Brothers, Motown's in-house band, but the results remained unreleased. By April 1971 Beck had completed the line-up of this new group with guitarist/vocalist Bobby Tench, keyboard player Max Middleton and bassist Clive Chaman. The new band performed as the "Jeff Beck Group" but had a substantially different sound from the first line-up. Rough and Ready (October 1971), the first album they recorded, on which Beck wrote or co-wrote six of the album's seven tracks (the exception being written by Middleton), included elements of soul, rhythm-and-blues and jazz, foreshadowing the direction Beck's music would take later in the decade.

Beck playing in 1973

A second album Jeff Beck Group (July 1972) was recorded at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee with the same personnel.^[14] Beck employed Steve Cropper as producer^[15] and the album displayed a strong soul influence, five of the nine tracks being covers of songs by American artists. One, "I Got To Have A Song", was the first of four Stevie Wonder compositions covered by Beck. Shortly after the release of the Jeff Beck Group album the band was dissolved and Beck's management put out the statement that: "The fusion of the musical styles of the various members has been successful within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought."^[16]

Beck then started collaborating with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, who became available following the demise of Cactus but continued touring as Jeff Beck Group in August 1972, to fulfil contractual obligations with his promoter, with a line-up including Bogert, Appice, Max Middleton and vocalist Kim Milford. After six appearances Milford was replaced by Bobby Tench, who was flown in from the UK^[17] for the Arie Crown Theatre Chicago performance and the rest of the tour,^[18] which concluded at the Paramount North West Theatre, Seattle.^[19] After the tour Tench and Middleton left the band and the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice appeared: Appice took on the role of vocalist with Bogert and Beck contributing occasionally.^[19] They were included on the bill for Rock at The Oval in September 1972, still as the "Jeff Beck Group", which marked the start of a tour schedule of UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Another US tour began in October 1972, starting at the Hollywood Sportatorium Florida and concluding on 11 November 1972 at The Warehouse, New Orleans.^[20] In April 1973 the album Beck, Bogert & Appice was released (on Epic Records). While critics acknowledged the band's instrumental prowess the album was not commercially well received except for its cover of Stevie Wonder's hit "Superstition".

On 3 July 1973 Beck joined David Bowie on-stage to perform "The Jean Genie"/"Love Me Do" and "Around and Around". The show was recorded and filmed but none of the released editions included Beck. During October 1973 Beck recorded tracks for Michael Fennelly's^[21] album Lane Changer and attended sessions with Hummingbird, a band derived from The Jeff Beck Group, but did not to contribute to their eponymous first album.^[22]

Early in January 1974 the band played at the Rainbow Theatre, as part of a European tour. The concert was broadcast in full on the US show Rock Around the World in September of the same year. This last recorded work by the band previewed material intended for a second studio album, included on the bootleg At Last Rainbow. The tracks Blues Deluxe and BBA Boogie from this concert were later included on the Jeff Beck compilation Beckology (1991).^[23] Beck, Bogert & Appice dissolved in April 1974 before their second studio album (produced by Jimmy Miller) was finished. Their live album Beck, Bogert & Appice Live in Japan, recorded during their 1973 tour of Japan, was not released until February 1975 by Epic/Sony.

After a few months Beck entered Underhill Studio and met with the group Upp, whom he recruited as backing band for his appearance on the BBC TV programme Guitar Workshop in August 1974. Beck produced and played on their self-titled debut album and their second album This Way Upp, though his contributions to the second album went uncredited. In October Beck began to record instrumentals at AIR Studios with Max Middleton, bassist Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey, using George Martin as producer and arranger. Blow by Blow (March 1975) evolved from these sessions and showcased Beck's technical prowess in jazz-rock. The album reached number four in the charts and is Beck's most commercially-successful release. Beck, fastidious about overdubs and often dissatisfied with his solos, often returned to AIR Studios until he was satisfied. A couple of months after the sessions had finished Martin received a telephone call from Beck, who wanted to record a solo section again. Bemused, Martin replied: "I'm sorry, Jeff, but the record is in the shops!"^[6]

Beck performing in Amsterdam; 1979

Beck put together a live band for a US tour, preceded by a small and unannounced gig at The Newlands Tavern in Peckham, London. He toured through April and May 1975, mostly supporting the Mahavishnu Orchestra, retaining Max Middleton on keyboards but with a new rhythm section of bassist Wilbur Bascomb and noted session drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. In a May 1975 show in Cleveland, Ohio (Music Hall), he became frustrated with an early version of a talk box he used on his arrangement of The Beatles' "She's a Woman," and after breaking a string, tossed his legendary Yardbirds-era Stratocaster off the stage. He did the same with the talk box and finished the show playing a Les Paul and without the box. During this tour he performed at Yuya Uchida's "World Rock Festival," playing a total of eight songs with Purdie. In addition he performed a guitar and drum instrumental with Johnny Yoshinaga and, at the end of the festival, joined in a live jam with bassist Felix Pappalardi of Mountain and vocalist Akira "Joe" Yamanaka from the Flower Travellin' Band. Only his set with Purdie was recorded and released.

He returned to the studio and recorded Wired (1976), which paired drummer and composer Narada Michael Walden and keyboardist Jan Hammer. The album used a jazz-rock fusion style which sounded similar to the work of his two collaborators. To promote the album, Beck joined forces with the Jan Hammer Group, playing a show supporting Alvin Lee at The Roundhouse in May 1976, before embarking on a seven-month long world tour. This resulted in the live album Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live (1977).

At this point, Beck was a tax exile and took up residency in the US, remaining there until his return to the UK in the autumn of 1977. In the spring of 1978, he began rehearsing with bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Gerry Brown towards a projected appearance at the Knebworth Festival, but this was cancelled after Brown dropped out. Beck toured Japan for three weeks in November 1978 with an ad-hoc group consisting of Clarke and newcomers Tony Hymas (keyboards) and Simon Phillips (drums) from Jack Bruce's band. Work then began on a new studio album at The Who's Ramport Studios in London and continued sporadically throughout 1979, resulting in There and Back in June 1980. It featured three tracks composed and recorded with Jan Hammer, while five were written with Hymas. Stanley Clarke was replaced by Mo Foster on bass, both on the album and the subsequent tours. Its release was followed by extensive touring in the USA, Japan and the UK.

1980s[link]

In 1981 Beck made a series of historic live appearances with his Yardbirds predecessor Eric Clapton at the Amnesty International-sponsored benefit concerts dubbed The Secret Policeman's Other Ball shows. He appeared with Clapton on "Crossroads", "Further On Up The Road", and his own arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Cause We've Ended As Lovers". Beck also featured prominently in an all-star band finale performance of "I Shall Be Released" with Clapton, Sting, Phil Collins, Donovan and Bob Geldof. Beck's contributions were seen and heard in the resulting album and film, both of which achieved worldwide success in 1982. Another benefit show, the ARMS Concert for Multiple Sclerosis featured a jam with Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. They performed "Tulsa Time" and "Layla". This is the only time all of the Yardbirds lead guitarists appeared on stage together.^{[citation needed]}

In 1985 Beck released Flash, featurng a variety of vocalists, but most notably former bandmate Rod Stewart on a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".

After a four year break, Jeff made a return to instrumental music with the album Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop (1989), the first album to feature Beck as a fingerstyle guitarist, leaving the plectrum playing style. It was only his 3rd album to be released in the 1980s. Much of Beck's sparse and sporadic recording schedule was due in part to a long battle with noise-induced tinnitus.

1990s[link]

Jeff Beck at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney

In the 1990s, Beck had a higher musical output. He is featured on lead guitar on Roger Waters' 1992 concept album Amused to Death, and on Kate Bush's 1993 album The Red Shoes.

He recorded the instrumental soundtrack album Frankie's House (1992), as well as Crazy Legs (1993), a tribute album to 50's rockabilly group Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and their influential guitarist Cliff Gallup.

Beck rehearsed with Guns N' Roses for their concert in Paris in 1992, but did not play in the actual concert due to ear damage caused by a Matt Sorum cymbal crash, causing Beck to become temporarily deaf.^[24] The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In Beck's acceptance speech he humorously noted that:

He accompanied Paul Rodgers of Bad Company on the album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters in 1993. Jeff's next release would not be until 1999, his first foray into guitar based electronica, Who Else! The album also marked Beck's first collaboration with a female musician, Jennifer Batten, in touring, writing, and recording as well as the first time he had worked with another guitarist on his own material since playing in The Yardbirds. Beck continued to work with Batten through the post-release tour of You Had It Coming in 2001.^[26]

2000s[link]

Jeff Beck won his third Grammy Award, this one for 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance' for the track "Dirty Mind" from You Had It Coming (2001).

The song "Plan B," from the 2003 release Jeff, earned Beck his fourth Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and was proof that the new electro-guitar style he used for the two earlier albums would continue to dominate. Jeff Beck was the opening act for B.B. King in the summer of 2003 and appeared at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004.

Beck with Tal Wilkenfeld on the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival tour

In 2007, he accompanied Kelly Clarkson for her cover of Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)", during the Idol Gives Back episode of American Idol. The performance was recorded live and afterwards was immediately released for sale. In the same year, he appeared once again at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, performing with Vinnie Colaiuta, Jason Rebello, and the then 21-year-old bassist Tal Wilkenfeld.

Beck announced a world tour in early 2009 and remained faithful to the same lineup of musicians as in his tour two years before, playing and recording at Ronnie Scott's in London to a sold out audience. Beck played on the song "Black Cloud" on the 2009 Morrissey album Years of Refusal and later that year, Harvey Goldsmith became Beck's Manager.^[27]

Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 4 April 2009, as a solo artist.^[28] The award was presented by Jimmy Page.^[29] On 4 July 2009, David Gilmour joined Beck onstage at the Albert Hall. Beck and Gilmour traded solos on "Jerusalem" and closed the show with "Hi Ho Silver Lining".

2010s[link]

Beck's latest album, Emotion & Commotion, was released in April 2010. It features a mixture of original songs and covers such as "Over the Rainbow" and "Nessun Dorma". Joss Stone provides some of the guest vocals.^[30] Two tracks from Emotion & Commotion won Grammys in 2011: "Nessun Dorma" won the Best Pop Instrumental Performance and "Hammerhead" won the Best Rock Instrumental Performance".^[31] Beck collaborated on "Imagine" for the 2010 Herbie Hancock album, The Imagine Project along with Seal, P!nk, India.Arie, Konono N°1, Oumou Sangare and others and received a third Grammy in 2011 for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for this track.^[32][33]

Beck's 2010 World Tour band featured Grammy winning musician Narada Michael Walden on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass and Jason Rebello on keyboards. He has also released a live album titled Live and Exclusive from the Grammy Museum on October 25, 2010.

In 2011, Beck received two honorary degrees from British universities. On 18 July 2011, he was honoured with a fellowship from University of the Arts London in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to the field of Music".^[34] He was also presented with an honorary doctorate from University of Sussex by Sanjeev Bhaskar, the university's chancellor for “an outstanding musical career and celebrated the relationship between the university and the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM)" on 21 July 2011.^[35][36]

Influences[link]

One of the most influential guitarists in the history of rock music,^[4][37][38] Jeff Beck has cited his major influences as Les Paul,^[6] The Shadows, Cliff Gallup, Ravi Shankar, Roy Buchanan,^[39] Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Steve Cropper and Lonnie Mack.^[40] Of John McLaughlin, he said: "he has given us so many different facets of the guitar and introduced thousands of us to world music, by blending Indian music with jazz and classical. I'd say he was the best guitarist alive."^[41]

While Beck was not the first rock guitarist to experiment with electronic distortion, he nonetheless helped to redefine the sound and role of the electric guitar in rock music. Beck's work with The Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group's 1968 album Truth were seminal influences on heavy metal music, which emerged in full force in the early 1970s.^[42]

Technique and equipment[link]

Beck stopped regular use of a pick (plectrum) in the 1980s. He produces a wide variety of sounds by using his fingers and the vibrato bar on his signature Fender Stratocaster, and he frequently uses a wah-wah pedal both live and in the studio. As Eric Clapton once said, "With Jeff, it’s all in his hands".^[43] Along with Fender Stratocasters, Beck occasionally plays Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul models as well. His amplifiers are primarily Fender and Marshall. In his earlier days with the Yardbirds, Beck also used a 1954 Fender Esquire guitar (now owned by Seymour W. Duncan, and housed in the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame^[44]) through Vox AC30s. He has also played through a variety of fuzz pedals and echo-units along with this set-up and has used the Pro Co RAT distortion pedal. The Seymour Duncan JB model's name is an acronym for both Jazz & Blues and Jeff Beck, as it was designed in conjunction with the guitarist.

During the ARMS Charity Concerts in 1983 Beck used his battered Fender Esquire along with a 1954 Fender Stratocaster and a Jackson Soloist. On the Crazy Legs (1993) he played a Gretsch Duo Jet, his signature Fender Stratocaster and various other guitars. Recently^[when?] Fender created a Custom Shop Tribute series version of his beat-up Fender Esquire as well as his Artist Signature series Stratocaster.

Personal life[link]

Beck has been married to Sandra Cash since 2005.^[45] Beck describes himself as a vegetarian. He has an interest in classic Ford hot rods, performing much of the work on the exteriors and engines of the cars by himself.^[46]

Discography[link]

See also[link]

• List of rock instrumentals

Bibliography[link]

• Carson, Annette. Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers. Backbeat books (2002). ISBN 0-87930-632-7
• Horjt, Chris and Hinman, Doug. Jeff's book : A chronology of Jeff Beck's career 1965-1980 : from the Yardbirds to Jazz-Rock. Rock 'n' Roll Research Press, (2000). ISBN 0-9641005-3-3
• Foster, Mo.17 watts?: The Birth of British Rock Guitar. Sanctuary (1997 and 2000). ISBN 978-1-86074-267-5

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeff Beck

• Official website
• Press conference and master class by Jeff Beck in Moscow 2010
• Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame: Jeff Beck FuseTV
• Jeff Beck at Epic Records
• Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood
• Jeff Beck unofficial website

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (January 2012)

Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Background information
Birth name	Ronan Patrick John Keating[1]
Born	(1977-03-03) 3 March 1977 (age 35) Swords, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Genres	Pop, dance pop, folk rock, electropop
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, television/radio personality, actor, composer
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Polydor
Associated acts	Boyzone
Website	www.ronankeating.com

Ronan Patrick John Keating^[1] (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and resulted in 9 albums. Keating gained worldwide attention when his single "When You Say Nothing at All" was featured in the film Notting Hill and peaked at number one in several countries. As a solo artist, Keating has sold over 22 million records worldwide,^[2] and in Australia he is best known as a judge on The X Factor.^[3]

Keating has worked as a charity campaigner most notably for the Marie Keating Foundation, a foundation that raises awareness for breast cancer. It is named after his mother, who died of the disease in 1998. Keating's fortune is around €15 million.^[4][5]

Life and career[link]

Early life, marriage and Boyzone: 1994–99[link]

Boyzone performing at the tour with Ronan Keating as the lead singer.

Ronan Keating was born on 3 March 1977, the youngest of five children. He grew up on the Northside of Dublin and Co Meath. His father Gerry Keating was a lorry driver; his mother Marie was a hairdresser and had her own salon in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath. He has one sister: Linda, and three brothers: Ciaran, Gerard and Gary.^[6] He was a track and field athlete and represented Ireland in several tournaments, winning the All Ireland under-13 200m title. He also worked as an assistant in a shoe shop just as his siblings emigrated to the United States.^[7]

Keating is also godfather to Mackenzie Bannatyne. Keating joined the band Boyzone on 1993. Keating, Keith Duffy, Richard Rock, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately were chosen as Boyzone members. Rock would later leave the group before being replaced by Mikey Graham. The group performed in various clubs and pubs before being signed by PolyGram in 1994 and released a cover version of "Working My Way Back to You" by The Four Seasons. The group also released a cover version of "Love Me for a Reason" which would peak on several charts. In 1998, his mother died at the age of 54^[8] from breast cancer,^[9][10] resulting in the establishment of the Marie Keating Foundation. Keating married Yvonne Connolly in April 1998 and together, the couple have three children: Jack (born 15 March 1999), Marie (born 18 February 2001) and Ali (born 7 September 2005).

From 1994–1999, Boyzone released 3 studio albums and 1 compilation album before disbanding in 2000.

[edit] Ronan and When You Say Nothing At All: 1999–2000

In 1999, while still a member of Boyzone, Keating recorded a version of "When You Say Nothing At All" for the motion picture Notting Hill. The single peaked at number one in the UK charts, leading to a successful solo career.^[11] Keating released his debut solo album entitled Ronan in 2000, peaking at number one in the UK Albums Chart. The album was given several negative reviews, however, it sold over 750,000 copies and became one of the top selling albums of the year in the United Kingdom. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and have been certified four-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 1.2 million copies. In the singer's native Ireland, the album debuted at number two. The album also became a commercial success in other European countries, where it charted within the top ten of eight countries. In 2001, Ronan was certified two-times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of two million copies inside Europe.^[12]

The album produced four UK and Irish top-ten singles: "When You Say Nothing at All" (originally recorded for the soundtrack of the 1999 film Notting Hill), "Life Is a Rollercoaster", "The Way You Make Me Feel", and "Lovin' Each Day", the latter of which was featured on the re-release edition of the album, and later on Keating's second album, Destination (2002).Also the song "Lovin each day" is from a movie "Summer catch".

Solo career: 2000–07[link]

After the successful debut album Ronan, Keating continued on with his solo career and since has released four more studio albums: Destination (2002), Turn It On (2003), 10 Years of Hits (2004) and Bring You Home (2006), four of which peaked at number one in the UK Albums Chart. Keating collaborated with several major stars, including Elton John, Lulu, LeAnn Rimes and the Bee Gees, for these albums.

Keating and Paul Brady co-wrote the 2001 hit single "The Long Goodbye",^[13] one of Keating's most loved hits amongst fans and a huge hit for Brooks & Dunn in the United States. Keating and Brady won the "BMI European song-writing award" for the single. In 2003, Keating was named Rear of the Year – an award given to celebrities with a notable posterior.^[14] In October 2007, Keating was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for being the only artist ever to have 30 consecutive top 10 singles in the UK chart, beating the likes of Elvis Presley. Keating also embarked on two world tours, won the Ivor Novello and BMI songwriting awards, released an autobiography, had a role as ambassador for Christian Aid and earnt sales in excess of 22 million albums worldwide. In 2007 he released 2 fragrances,the range consists of a female fragrance, Hope By Ronan, which is based upon musk and amber scents and a male scent, Believe by Ronan, based on Sicilian Lemon, Lavender and Clary Sage smells. All proceeds go to the Marie Keating foundation.

Keating performed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup opening party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, in front of an audience of nearly 250,000 people, and posed nude for Cosmopolitan magazine's 10 Years of Naked Centrefolds. On 9 May 2007, Keating became the first international number-one selling foreign artist to perform a concert in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Keating also performed at the Olympic Stadium Indoor Arena. Keating has dueted with Elton John at Madison Garden in New York and has sung for the Pope twice and performed for Prince Charles at the Prince's Trust 30th birthday, which took place at the Tower of London. He performed on stage for the Swedish Royal family at Crown Princess Victoria's birthday celebrations, and at the opening ceremony of the 19th European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

[edit] Back Again... No Matter What and Stephen Gately's death: 2007–10

On 5 November 2007, Keating confirmed that Boyzone would reunite for a special appearance on the BBC's annual fundraiser, Children in Need, performing a medley of hits, although had not yet commented on the possibility of a new tour or album. Soon, the Boyzone went on a 29-date tour. The tour, taking in cities such as Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, London at the O2 Arena and Wembley, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Edinburgh Castle and the RDS in Dublin. Stephen Gately, close friend and bandmate of Keating, died on 10 October 2009 of a pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. This left Keating devastated.

In 2009 Keating co-wrote the song "Believe Again" sung by Niels Brinck, who won the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow where it qualified for the final from the second semi-final and finished in 13th place with 74 points.^[15] Following the success of Ronan Keating's album Songs For My Mother,^[16] he has recorded another entitled Winter Songs. Teaming up again with Songs For My Mother producer Steve Lipson, Keating pulled together eleven songs that evoked memories of winter and Christmas for him. Winter Songs is a mix of traditional and modern festive classics, including tracks from artists such as Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell and Sugarland along with perennials "Silent Night" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". The album also includes two brand new songs, "Its Only Christmas" and "Scars".^[17] In March 2010 the new Boyzone album "Brother" was released and went to number one in UK and Ireland.

On 12 November 2010, Keating released his seventh studio album entitled, Duet in Australia and New Zealand.^[18] "Believe Again" was released as the lead single from the album and features guest vocals from Australian singer, Paulini

[edit] Brother tour and When Ronan Met Burt: 2011–present

He joined Boyzone on their tour of the UK and Ireland during February and March 2011 with a 21 date tour of the Ireland and UK with their arena-based Brother Tour.^[19] Bringing some Antipodean sunshine to proceedings were the soulful vocals of singer/songwriter Guy Sebastian, support act from Australia.^[20] On 21 March 2011 a new album from Ronan Keating was released worldwide named When Ronan Met Burt.^[21] In April he will make his film debut in Australia to shoot scenes for the top secret project.^[22]

He performed at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany in front of a 16,500 crowd.^[23]

2012 Tour and studio album[link]

Ronan Keating toured Australia and New Zealand in the beginning of 2012 at the state theatre in Sydney, Brisbane convention centre, Melbourne Regent Theatre, Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Canberra Royal Theatre, Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Adelaide festival theatre and at Perth Kings Park in front of 29,000 in all making 1.6 million pounds.^[24]

A new fifth studio album will be released on the 3rd September 2012 and a tour in the UK and Ireland later in the year will follow.^[25] Ronan said: "Now I have a new lease of life and I'm ready to write and record, i'm working on a new studio album, which I hope to release later this year, it will feature brand new songs".^[26] "It's not folk. It's a mix! It's a pop album. Gregg Alexander and I are working together again. It's got that 'Life is a Rollercoaster' feel again. I'm having fun with it again, it's been five years since I've done a studio album. I'm a little bit nervous, I just want to make a great record, for me, rather than for anyone else."

He will also be reuniting with his Boyzone bandmates Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch in 2013 to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a group, "Next year Boyzone will be 20 years gone, so we'll be doing something."^[27]

Charity work[link]

In October 2005, shortly after joining Christian Aid and the Trade Justice Campaign in 2004, Keating went to Rome where he was appointed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador via the Food and Agricultural Organisation.^[28]

Keating ran in the London Marathon on 13 April 2008 to raise money for Cancer Research, with a personal best time of 3hr 59min.^[29] He has also walked the length of Ireland twice, each time raising money for the Marie Keating Foundation, now linked to Cancer Research in the UK. Each year the foundation holds charity balls and various events, raising funds to keep their mobile units on the road.

In 2009, Keating climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief; joining him were Gary Barlow, Chris Moyles, Ben Shephard, Kimberley Walsh, Denise van Outen, Fearne Cotton, Alesha Dixon and Cheryl Cole.^[30]

In June 2009, Keating received a Special Achievement Award from Cancer Research UK – he was singled out for his work with them since 2006. He, along with the Marie Keating Charity, has helped to raise over £1.7 million for the UK charity. This money is used to fund three special mobile units which raise awareness throughout the UK.^[31]

In October 2009, he pulled out of the Chicago Marathon due to the sudden death of his bandmate Stephen Gately; he had intended to run in memory of his mother.^[32]

In September 2011, he swam the Irish sea 90 km stretch from Dublin to Holyhead with a team of celebrities to raise money for cancer charities and set a new Guinness World Record for open water swimming with a 11-member celebrity team. They raised £1 million for Cancer Research Britain and the Marie Keating Foundation.^[33]

Awards[link]

Over the years he has won Smash Hits Best Solo Male. He was given a tree in London's Hyde Park for performing for The Prince's Trust.^[34] He also has a World Music Award for the best selling Irish artist.^[35]

Other work[link]

Presenting[link]

On 3 May 1997, Keating presented the Eurovision Song Contest along with Carrie Crowley.^[36] He presented the MTV Europe Music Awards in 1997 and 1999, and co-presented the MTV Asia Awards in 2002 with Mandy Moore. He also hosted Miss World 1998.^[37]

In 1999 Keating presented BBC1 talent show "Get Your Act Together" for the full 9 episodes.

On 20 April 2009, Keating guest co-hosted The Morning Show in Australia alongside Kylie Gillies, while the show's regular male co-host Larry Emdur was on holiday.^[38] In addition, he has stood in for Steve Wright on his Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2.^[39] He currently presents a Sunday request show on Magic 105.4 FM.^[40]

In a section for the Jeremy Clarkson 2009 DVD Duel, Keating was invited to take part in an off-road race to find "the fastest off-road celebrity", along with newsreader Kate Silverton, Rugby player Matt Dawson, and Clarkson.^[41] He came third overall, after being forced to abandon the car with only 20 seconds left to complete the course to disarm the on-board time bomb.

Keating is a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor on the Seven Network in 2010. Season two has him mentoring the over 25's category. His fellow Boyzone bandmembers helped him in the judges' house selection of the contest. He was the winning mentor for the 2010 Season; his over 25 artist Altiyan Childs won the show.

In 2010 the edition of Miss Earth beauty pageant in Vietnam, Keating made a star appearance to sing his solo hits.

He appeared as a guest on episode 7, series 5 of Celebrity Juice along with Kimberley Walsh and Chipmunk.

Acting[link]

Keating has recently stated he would like to break into acting, but does not intend to stop working as a recording artist.^{[citation needed]} He recently auditioned for a role in the upcoming fantasy movie "The Hobbit" and was unsuccessful. The film is based on the J. R. R. Tolkien novel of the same name.^[42]

April 2011 Ronan will start shooting his first movie in Australia. It is a romantic musical comedy called Goddess, his co-star is British Actress Laura Michelle Kelly. The film's being directed by Mark Lamprell who wrote 'Babe – Pig in the city' and is due for release in 2012. ^[43]

Controversy[link]

Louis Walsh[link]

When Keating announced he wanted to take a break from Boyzone, Louis Walsh continued to manage his career. Keating achieved a number one hit with "Life is a Rollercoaster" in 2000 while his album sold 4.4 million copies. Keating and Walsh later agreed to part company and then had a bitter falling out.^[44][45] Walsh told the press: "[Keating] wasn't the most talented one – he's not a great singer and he's got no personality."^[46] Keating later told Closer magazine: "That man absolutely tried to ruin me and if he thinks we can ever hug and make up he can forget it. I haven't heard from him in three years and I wouldn't have a problem if I never saw him again. He's not a nice character."^[47]

The feud between the two men had apparently ended by March 2008^[48] and they helped in selecting the finalists in the Groups category in The X Factor, a reality show in the UK.^[49]

Thom Yorke[link]

Keating has criticised Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke several times in the press throughout late 2008 and early 2009, calling him a "muppet" and an "idiot" due to Yorke allegedly ignoring Keating at a hotel.^[50] Shortly after Keating's remarks, Kanye West and Miley Cyrus also complained about Yorke's alleged rudeness. In response to the accusations, Yorke left a blog on Radiohead's official site for those who were not among "those people I have managed to offend by doing nothing."^[51]

Personal life[link]

Keating married model Yvonne Connolly in April 1998 and together, the couple have three children – Jack (born 15 March 1999), Marie (born 18 February 2001) and Ali (born 7 September 2005).^[52] Following the death of his mother Marie in 1998 of breast cancer, the family home, which Keating had bought at the age of eighteen, was sold, rendering his father Gerry homeless and resulting in a bitter feud between father and son – Gerry was not invited to his son's wedding, which took place in Nevis. The two later reconciled after two years without communication.^[7]

Keating and his wife split in late 2011,^[53] after almost 14 years of marriage, and made their decision public in April 2012.^[54][55][56]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

• Ronan (2000)
• Destination (2002)
• Turn It On (2003)
• Bring You Home (2006)
• Fire's (2012)

Compliation and covers Albums[link]

• 10 Years of Hits (2004)
• Songs for My Mother (2009)
• Winter Songs (2009)
• Duet (2010)
• When Ronan Met Burt (2011)

See also[link]

• List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ronan Keating- The Official Britain and Ireland Website
• Marie Keating Foundation
• Ronan Keating "This is Who I Am" Interview Heat World, June 2009
• FAO Goodwill Ambassador website

Preceded by Robbie Williams Jenny McCarthy	MTV Europe Music Awards host 1997 1999	Succeeded by Jenny McCarthy Wyclef Jean
Preceded by Morten Harket & Ingvild Bryn	Eurovision Song Contest presenter (with Carrie Crowley) 1997	Succeeded by Terry Wogan & Ulrika Jonsson

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