Name	Love Is a Battlefield
Cover	Pat Benatar Love is a Battlefield.jpg
Artist	Pat Benatar
Album	Live from Earth
Released	October 24, 1983
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	1983
Genre	Rock, New Wave
Label	Chrysalis Records
Writer	Holly Knight, Mike Chapman
Producer	Neil Geraldo, Peter Coleman
Last single	"Anxiety (Get Nervous)"(1982)
This single	"Love Is a Battlefield"(1983)
Next single	"Lipstick Lies"(1984)
Misc

"Love Is a Battlefield" is a song written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman, after Pat Benatar asked Chapman to write her a hit song. It was released as a single from Benatar's album Live from Earth, which was popular in 1983 and 1984. The single has been certified gold and is her highest charting single in the United States, as it topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for four weeks and made number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the Australian singles chart for five weeks in 1984. The song was finally released in the United Kingdom in March 1985 and reached #17.

The music video, which depicted Benatar as a teenage runaway trying to survive the mean streets of New York City, was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video and was viewable on the DVD for the movie 13 Going on 30. The single was unlike most of Benatar's previous work, as it featured an electronic dance element, but guitars and drums were still present. The song won Benatar a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Chart performance

{|class="wikitable" !Chart (1983) !Peakposition |- |US Billboard Hot 100 |align="center"|5 |- |US Billboard Top Tracks |align="center"|1 |- !Chart (1984) !Peakposition |- |Australian Singles Chart |align="center"|1 |- |Dutch Top 40 |align="center"|1 |- !Chart (1985) !Peakposition |- |UK Singles Chart |align="center"|17 |}

Music video

The original music video features Benatar playing a teenage girl being kicked out of her house by her father (played by actor Trey Wilson), while her brother watches sadly from an upper-story window. She later becomes a prostitute to get by in the city, even though her father feels guilty about kicking her out. She writes to her little brother, but when a man, presumably her pimp, begins harassing another prostitute, Benatar rounds up the girls and leads a rebellion against him. The girls escape and strike out on their own, Benatar walking into the sunset. The music video has been credited as being the first to feature spoken word.

See also

List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s

List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1984

List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)

References

Category:1983 singles Category:1984 singles Category:Pat Benatar songs Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Category:Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one singles Category:Music videos directed by Bob Giraldi Category:Songs written by Mike Chapman Category:Songs written by Holly Knight

Name	Pat Benatar
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Patricia Mae Andrzejewski
Born	January 10, 1953
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals
Voice type	Mezzo-soprano
Genre	Rock, hard rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, Musician
Years active	1972–present
Label	Chrysalis Records, CMC International
Url	http://www.benatarfanclub.com}}

Pat Benatar (born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski January 10, 1953) is an American singer and four time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States. During the 1980s, Benatar had two RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum albums, five RIAA-certified Platinum albums, three RIAA-certified Gold albums and 19 Top 40 singles, including "Love Is a Battlefield", "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", "We Belong" and "Heartbreaker". Benatar was one of the most heavily played artists in the early days of MTV.

Life and career

Patricia Mae Andrzejewski was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to Andrew and Mildred Andrzejewski, a sheet-metal worker and a beautician. Her family moved to Lindenhurst, New York on Long Island, when she was 3 years old. "I have wonderful childhood memories of picking berries in the woods by our house, driving to the docks on the South Bay to get freshly harvested clams", she once recounted.

Patti (as she was known) became interested in theater and began voice lessons, singing at Daniel Street Elementary School her first solo, a song called “It Must Be Spring,� at age eight. She said, "As a kid, I sang at any choir, any denomination, anywhere I could." At Lindenhurst Senior High School (1967–71), Benatar participated in musical theater, playing Queen Guinevere in the school production of Camelot, marching in the homecoming parade, singing at the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, and performing a solo of "The Christmas Song" on a holiday recording of the Lindenhurst High School Choir her senior year.

Benatar was cut off from the rock scene in nearby Manhattan. Her parents were "ridiculously strict - I was allowed to go to symphonies, opera and theater but I couldn't go to clubs". Her musical training was strictly classical and theatrical. She said, "I was singing Puccini and West Side Story but I spent every afternoon after school with my little transistor radio listening to the Rolling Stones..."

Training as a coloratura with plans to attend the Juilliard School, Benatar surprised family, friends and teachers by deciding a classical career was not for her and pursued health education at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. At 19, after one year at Stony Brook, she dropped out to marry her high school sweetheart Dennis Benatar, an army draftee who trained at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then served with the Army Security Agency at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, before being stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia. Specialist (E-4) Dennis Benatar was stationed there for three years, and Pat worked as a bank teller in Richmond, Virginia.

In 1973, Benatar quit her job as a bank teller to pursue a singing career after being inspired by a Liza Minnelli concert she saw in Richmond. She got a job as a singing waitress at a flapper-esque nightclub named The Roaring Twenties and got a gig singing in lounge band Coxon's Army, a regular at Sam Miller's basement club. The band garnered enough attention to be the subject of a never-aired PBS special, and the band's bassist Roger Capps also would go on to be the original bass player for the Pat Benatar Band. The period also yielded Benatar's first and only single until her eventual 1979 debut on Chrysalis Records: "Day Gig" (1974), Trace Records, written and produced by Coxon's Army band leader Phil Coxon and locally released in Richmond. Her big break came in 1975 at an amateur night at the renowned comedy club Catch a Rising Star in New York. Her rousing rendition of Judy Garland's "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody" earned her a call back by club owner Rick Newman, who would become her manager. Benatar said: "I came in from Virginia one night. I had straight red hair and I wore a dress. I sang a Judy Garland song and I don’t know what happened, I never sang in New York before in my life, even though I grew up there, everybody just went crazy. I didn't do anything spectacular. I don’t know what happened, it was just one of those magical things. [Rick Newman] came right in and said, 'Let's talk about you playing here some more...' Newman said, 'It was 2:45 in the morning. We had 30 performers and she was about #27. I was on the other side of the room drinking with some friends--then I suddenly heard this voice!'

The couple headed back to New York following Dennis' discharge from the army, and Benatar went on to be a regular member at Catch A Rising Star for close to three years, until signing a record contract. Catch A Rising Star was not the only break Benatar got in 1975. She landed the part of Zephyr in Harry Chapin's futuristic rock musical, The Zinger. The production, which debuted on March 19, 1976, at the Performing Arts Foundation's (PAF) Playhouse in Huntington Station, Long Island, ran for a month and also featured Beverly D'Angelo and Christine Lahti. Benatar noted: "I was 22 by the time I started to sing rock, so at first I was very conscious of technique and I was overly technical. That proved to be inhibiting so it was a disadvantage until I began to sing intuitively. That’s the only way to sing rock – from your gut level feelings. It's the instinct that the best singers have."

Halloween 1977 proved a pivotal night in Benatar's early, spandexed stage persona. Rather than change out of the vampire costume she had worn to a Greenwich Village cafe party that evening, she went on-stage wearing black tights, black eyeliner and a short black top. Benatar has stated: “I was dressed as a character from this ridiculous B movie called Cat-Women of the Moon.� Despite performing her usual array of songs, she received a standing ovation. Benatar has said that "[T]he crowd was always polite, but this time they went out of their minds. It was the same songs, sung the same way, and I thought, 'Oh my god ... [i]t's these clothes and this makeup!'"

Between appearances at Catch A Rising Star and recording commercial jingles for Pepsi Cola and a number of regional concerns, she headlined New York City’s famous Tramps nightclub from March 29 - April 1, 1978, where her performance impressed representatives from several record companies. She was signed to Chrysalis Records by founder Terry Ellis the following week. Benatar recorded her first album, In the Heat of the Night, in June and July 1979.

She won an unprecedented four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Female Rock Performance from 1980 to 1983 for her second LP, Crimes of Passion, and the songs "Fire and Ice", "Shadows of the Night", and "Love Is a Battlefield". Of the ten Grammy Award ceremonies in the 1980s, Benatar was nominated for Best Female Rock Performance eight times, including for "Invincible" in 1985, "Sex as a Weapon" in 1986, "All Fired Up" in 1988 and in 1989 for "Let's Stay Together".

Benatar also earned Grammy Award nominations in 1985 for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female with "We Belong" and in 1986 for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Duo or Group as a member of Artists United Against Apartheid for their single, "Sun City". Benatar is also the winner of three American Music Awards: Favorite Female Pop/Rock Vocalist of 1981 and 1983, and Favorite Female Pop/Rock Video Artist of 1985.

Pat Benatar was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame at the Second Induction Award Ceremony and Fundraising Gala held October 30, 2008.

Family

Pat and Dennis Benatar divorced in 1979. Pat and band leader/lead guitarist Neil "Spyder" Giraldo married on February 20, 1982. They have two daughters, Haley Egeana (born February 16, 1985) and Hana Juliana (born March 12, 1994).

Discography

In the Heat of the Night

"I Need a Lover" was the first single to be released on August 27, 1979. However, both it and the next single, "If You Think You Know How to Love Me" (October 1979), were unsuccessful. Benatar's third single "Heartbreaker" was released in early December 1979 and became an immediate hit, climbing to #23 in the U.S. A fourth single "We Live for Love," which was written by her future husband Neil Giraldo, was released in February 1980, and reached U.S. #27.

Benatar's debut album In the Heat of the Night was released in October 1979, and reached #12 in the U.S. It established Benatar as a new force in rock. Producer Mike Chapman, who had worked with Blondie and The Knack, broke his vow not to take on any new artists when he heard Benatar's demo tape. Chapman personally produced three tracks on the album, while his long-time engineer and now independent producer, Peter Coleman (who also supervised Nick Gilder) oversaw the rest. In addition, Chapman and his partner, Nicky Chinn, wrote three songs that appear on the LP, "In the Heat of the Night" and "If You Think You Know How to Love Me" which were previously recorded by Smokey, as well as a rearranged version of a song they wrote for Sweet, "No You Don't". The album also featured two songs written by Roger Capps and Benatar as well as "I Need a Lover" written by John Mellencamp and "Don't Let It Show" written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson. The album would be Benatar's first RIAA certified platinum album.

Crimes of Passion

In August 1980, Benatar released her LP, Crimes of Passion, featuring her signature song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" along with the controversial song Hell is for Children, which was inspired by reading a series of articles in the New York Times about child abuse in America. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (U.S. #9) was her first single to break the U.S. Top 10 and eventually sold more than one million copies (at that time, gold status) in the United States alone. The album peaked for five consecutive weeks at U.S. #2 in January 1981 (behind Yoko Ono and John Lennon's Double Fantasy) and eventually sold over five million copies, and a month later, Benatar won her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" of 1980. Other singles released from Crimes of Passion were "Treat Me Right" (US #18) and the Rascals' cover, "You Better Run" (US #42), which gained some later notoriety when it was the second music video ever played on MTV, after the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star". The album also featured a changed-tempo cover of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights. Nominally produced by Keith Olsen, Crimes of Passion remained on the US album charts for 93 weeks and in the top 10 for more than six months, eventually becoming her second consecutive platinum certification by the RIAA. In October 1980, Benatar (along with future husband Neil Giraldo) graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Precious Time

In July 1981, she released her third LP, Precious Time. A month later the album hit #1 on the Billboard U.S. Top 200 LP chart. It was also her first to chart in the UK, reaching #30. The album's lead single, "Fire and Ice", was another big hit (US #17, AUS #30) and would win Benatar her second Grammy Award, this time for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" of 1981 and her third consecutive RIAA certified platinum album. "Promises in the Dark" (US #38) was also released.

In August 1981, Benatar's video You Better Run, was the second video aired by MTV.

Get Nervous

A hit single, "Shadows of the Night", (US #13, AUS #19) heralded a new LP, Get Nervous, released in late 1982. The album was another smash, reaching US #4, her fourth consecutive RIAA platinum certification, and the single would garner Benatar yet another Grammy, again for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" of 1982. The follow-up singles, "Little Too Late" and "Looking for a Stranger", were also successful, hitting US #20 and #39 respectively. The WWII-themed music video for "Shadows of the Night" featured then-unknown actors Judge Reinhold and Bill Paxton as an American fighter copilot and a German radio operator, respectively.

Live from Earth

By 1983, Benatar had established a reputation for singing about "tough" subject matters, with a significant amount of songs featuring a "battle" metaphor. This was best exemplified by one of the biggest hits of her career, "Love Is a Battlefield" (penned by noted hit songwriter Holly Knight with Mike Chapman), released in December 1983. By then, her sound had mellowed from hard rock to more atmospheric pop and the story-based video clip for "Love Is a Battlefield" was aimed squarely at MTV, even featuring Benatar in a Michael Jackson-inspired group dance number. This new pop direction was a huge commercial success, with the single peaking at #5 in the United States, and #1 in Australia for seven consecutive weeks. The song gained interest in the UK where it peaked at #49. The song would also net Benatar her fourth consecutive Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" of 1983. A live album, Live from Earth, which was recorded during Benatar's sold-out Get Nervous world tour of America and Europe in 1982 and 1983, contained two studio tracks, "Love Is a Battlefield" and "Lipstick Lies." The album peaked at U.S. #13 and became her fifth consecutive RIAA platinum winner.

Tropico

In October 1984, the single "We Belong" became another Top 5 smash in the US, and reached #7 in Australia. It was also Benatar's first ever UK top 40 hit, where it peaked at #22. In November, Benatar released her sixth album, Tropico (US #14, AUS #9, UK #31). A second single release, "Ooh Ooh Song," reached U.S. #36. It is also said by Benatar and Giraldo that this album is the first where they moved away from Benatar's famed "hard rock" sound and start experimenting with new, sometimes "gentler," styles and sounds. Despite not making the US Top 10, it earned her a sixth consecutive RIAA platinum certification.

After the chart success of We Belong in the UK, Love is a Battlefield was re-released in early 1985 and became her highest chart hit there, reaching #17.

Seven the Hard Way

Benatar would hit the U.S. Top 10 with the #10 single "Invincible" (the theme from the movie, The Legend of Billie Jean) in 1985. "Sex As a Weapon" would climb as high as #28 in January 1986, and "Le Bel Age" (#54) in February. The album Seven the Hard Way peaked at #26, earning an RIAA Gold certification.

The title of the album is based on a bet in the game of craps: "Rolls of 4, 6, 8, and 10 are called "hard" or "easy" (e.g. "Six the Hard Way", "Easy Eight", "Hard Ten") depending on whether they were rolled as a "double" or as any other combination of values, because of their significance in center table bets known as the "hard ways"." The album was the band's seventh release in seven years. Benatar is holding a pair of dice on the album cover with three and a half dots each.

Wide Awake in Dreamland

In July 1988, Benatar released her eighth album, Wide Awake in Dreamland (US #28, UK #11). A single lifted from the album, "All Fired Up" (written by Kerryn Tolhurst, ex-The Dingoes) reached #19 in both the US and the UK, and was a #2 smash in Australia, becoming one of the biggest hits of 1988 in that country. Other singles released from the LP are "Don't Walk Away" (UK #42), "Let's Stay Together", and "One Love" (UK #59). The album also earned an RIAA gold certification.

True Love

True Love (US #37) was a jump blues record, released in late April 1991, and featured the blues band Roomful of Blues, backing up Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo and Myron Grombacher. The album sold over 339,000 copies without any radio airplay and limited exposure on VH-1. "Payin' the Cost to Be the Boss," "So Long," and the title cut were released as singles. The album reached #40 in the UK.

Gravity's Rainbow

Gravity's Rainbow (US #85) was released in 1993 and was a return to the AOR genre. "Everybody Lay Down" was picked up by Album Rock radio and went all the way to #3. The single was never released to Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio and a music video was never produced. "Somebody's Baby" was instead released as the single to Top 40 radio and a music video produced.

A third track was scheduled and a video shot for "Everytime I Fall Back", but the single was never released and the music video was lost when Chrysalis was sold to EMI records. Benatar had become pregnant again and this may have had an effect on her label's support of the album. This was Benatar's last album recorded for Chrysalis records. With very little promotion from Chrysalis, Gravity's Rainbow failed to have the same commercial success as Benatar's previous works. The album sold approximately 200,000 copies in the US.

Innamorata

Innamorata (US #171) was released in 1997 on the CMC International record label. A single video was produced for "Strawberry Wine (Life is Sweet)".

Go

Benatar has released only one album of new material since 1997's Innamorata, which is 2003's Go (US #187). The album included the 9/11 charity single, "Christmas in America" as a bonus track. A compilation video was produced for the single "Have It All", but was never released, the only video from this album is for the bonus track.

Greatest hits collections

Best Shots (US #67) was first released in the UK in 1987 and in the US in November 1989. The US version included 15 tracks on 1 CD, 1 live version of "Hell is for Children" with Suffer the Little Children intro, "Painted Desert" (from Tropico) and a remixed version of "Outlaw Blues" (also from Tropico) and would be another certified RIAA gold (later platinum) album. Best Shots became Benatar's biggest selling album in the UK, where it reached #6 and achieved Gold sales status. The album was also a top 20 hit in Australia. Best Shots was the only official greatest hits compilation until 1994 when All Fired Up: The Very Best of Pat Benatar was released (2 CD). The box set Synchronistic Wanderings (3 CD) was released in 1999. "Classic Masters" was released in October 2002, and "Pat Benatar - Greatest Hits" was released in June 2005. The most recent collection, "Ultimate Collection" (2 CD set) was released in June 2008 under the Capitol Records label with forty 24 bit-digitally remastered tracks.

Recent activity

Many best of/greatest hits compilations have been released over the years by Benatar's former record company. 2008's Ultimate Collection included the version of "Everytime I Fall Back" from her appearance on The Young and the Restless. In 2009, Benatar teamed up with Blondie for the "Call Me Invincible" tour, which also features The Donnas.

Benatar undertook a tour with REO Speedwagon during the summer of 2010.

Band

Although billed as a solo artist, Benatar recorded and toured with a consistent set of band members over most of her career, who contributed greatly to the writing and producing of songs and are recognizable characters on album photos and in many of her music videos.

Neil "Spyder" Giraldo (incorrectly spelled as "Geraldo" in early liner notes/credits) is the distinctive lead guitarist of the band and has performed on all of Benatar's albums. Born in Cleveland on December 29, 1955, Giraldo began playing the guitar at 6-years-old and learned to play the piano at age 12. Giraldo performed in Rick Derringer's touring band before working with Benatar, appearing in a possible bootleg entitled Derringer Live At The Paradise Theater Boston, Massachusetts, July 7, 1978 (UPC 672627400428). Giraldo's appearance on the video for Benatar's "You Better Run" distinguished him as the first guitarist on MTV. The video, the second ever aired on MTV, followed The Buggles, who had no guitar player. In addition to playing lead guitar, Giraldo is credited with composing and producing much of Benatar's work. Giraldo's first outside production credit was on John Waite's debut album Ignition. He has also given a helping musical hand to artists such as The Del-Lords, Rick Springfield, The Cruzados, and Kenny Loggins. In addition, Giraldo was the musical composer for the 2005 movie Smile starring Beau Bridges, Linda Hamilton, Sean Astin and directed by Jeffrey Kramer. The soundtrack features an original song by Giraldo and Scott Kempner of The Del-Lords, appearing as The Paradise Brothers, titled "Beautiful Something." Proceeds from the movie go to Operation Smile. The Paradise Brothers also contributed a cover of "Light Of Day" for a Bruce Springsteen Tribute album.

Myron Grombacher, who played with Neil in Rick Derringer's touring band, is drummer on nine of Benatar's original albums and has numerous writing credits. Myron is easily recognizable in the music videos, particularly as the mad dentist in Get Nervous.

Charlie Giordano performed keyboard duties on five albums, and is identifiable by his glasses and distinctive array of berets, blazers and 80s-style ties. In 2007, he replaced the late Danny Federici in the E Street Band.

Mick Mahan is the band's bassist and has performed with Benatar since 1995. The original bassist, Roger Capps, was replaced by Donnie Nossov on Tropico, and then later by Frank Linx.

Scott St. Clair Sheets is credited on rhythm guitar on the first three albums.

Glen Alexander Hamilton played drums on the first album.

Other achievements

In the summer of 2005, the couple's older daughter Haley Giraldo starred in E!'s reality TV series .

Stage & screen, soundtracks, various credits

Benatar played the character Zephyr in Harry Chapin's futuristic rock musical The Zinger. Set in a recording studio sometime around the year 2000, the production, which debuted on March 19, 1976, at the Performing Arts Foundation's (PAF) Playhouse in Huntington Station, Long Island, renamed the Harry Chapin Center, ran for a month and also featured Beverly D'Angelo and Christine Lahti. Benatar said, "It was great. I had an afro wig with glitter on! It was so fabulous." Benatar performed the solo "Shooting Star" in honor of Chapin for the Harry Chapin Tribute, Carnegie Hall, December 7, 1987.

In 1980, Benatar portrayed the character "Jeanette Florescu" in Marcus Reichert's film noir Union City, which featured Chrysalis Records labelmate Deborah Harry of Blondie in the starring role.

In 1982, the song 'Treat Me Right' and, very briefly, the Crimes of Passion album cover too, featured in the 1982 movie, An Officer and a Gentleman'', starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger.

The soundtrack to Giorgio Moroder's 1984 restoration of Fritz Lang's 1926 classic Metropolis features Benatar performing two versions of the movie's love song "Here's My Heart," a pop version for the studio album and a classically-styled version used in the film.

In 1985, "Invincible" was the title track to the Helen Slater cult classic The Legend of Billie Jean.

Benatar is a performer on Sun City - Artists United Against Apartheid (1985).

Benatar contributed the original tune "Sometimes the Good Guys Finish First" to the 1987 Michael J. Fox film The Secret of My Succe$s soundtrack.

"Run Between the Raindrops" was featured on the soundtrack for The Stepfather (1987 film)

Benatar performs "Jimmy Says" on Marlo Thomas & Friends - Free To Be A Family (1988)

In April 1989 she appeared in an ABC Afterschool Special entitled "Torn Between Two Fathers" about a teenage girl who sues her natural father for the right to remain in her step-family's home following the accidental death of her natural mother. Pat played "Donna", the current wife of the teenager's natural father.

Benatar sings the traditional lullaby "Tell Me Why" for Disney For Our Children: To Benefit the Pediatrics AIDS Foundation (1991)

Benatar appears on "Yakety Yak- Take It Back", a Public Service Announcement produced by the Take It Back Foundation in 1991. The music video features several celebrities in an updated version of "Yakety Yak" retooled with a message about recycling. The music video premiered on MTV on April 10, 1991 (National Recycling Day), appeared as a trailer at AMC movie theaters, and was distributed on VHS and CD. It was later shown occasionally on Sesame Street during the 1990s, though it does not feature any Sesame Street characters.

Benatar performed an English-language version of "L'effet que tu me fais" (The Effect You Have on Me) for the Tribute to Édith Piaf (1993).

Benatar contributed a cover of the Fontella Bass hit "Rescue Me" to the 1994 Speed soundtrack.

The soundtrack to Disney's 2000 film An Extremely Goofy Movie features "Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades" by Benatar.

"Love Is a Battlefield" was featured twice on South Park, the first being the Season 2 episode "Ike's Wee Wee", but most notably in the episode "Red Man's Greed".

In 2003, "Love Is a Battlefield" was featured in the movie 13 Going on 30.

In 2003, Konami released a singing video game called "Karaoke Revolution" that featured the cover version of Benatar's song "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" as a part of the song list line-ups.

Benatar has made numerous TV appearances, mostly as herself. She appeared with her husband in the Charmed episode "Lucky Charmed" on which "Heartbreaker" was used and in an episode of Dharma & Greg as herself singing "We've Only Just Begun" at an impromptu wedding in an airport. In 2001, she also appeared as fictional rock star Anna Raines in the CBS TV drama Family Law with Dixie Carter and Christopher McDonald.

Benatar appeared in an episode of the short lived sitcom That '80s Show as herself as an old rival of the character Margaret. Her "Love Is a Battlefield" video appeared on an earlier episode of the show.

On February 14–15, 2008 Benatar and husband appeared as themselves on The Young and the Restless performing at the Indigo Club.

"Love Is a Battlefield" was featured in Christian Dior Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2006 by John Galliano.

In 2006, Benatar and her music were featured on "CMT Crossroads." The show was produced by and is shown on Country Music Television (CMT). The premise of the show is to feature a country artist with an artist from a different genre who was an influence. Benatar shared the stage with country artist, Martina McBride. McBride sang Benatar's hits while Benatar sang McBride's hits. The show includes interviews of both women.

In 2007-2008 Benatar's single "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" was put into the songlist for Guitar Hero 3 in the first tier of songs, also in Guitar Hero On Tour,and is available as a downloadable song in the video game Rock Band. Her song "Heartbreaker" is a playable song in the 2008 video game followup as well as also being downloadable content on Rock Band.

"Shadows of the Night" was covered in 2008 by Ashley Tisdale for the television movie Picture This.

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" was covered by one of Charlize Theron's friends in the 2005 motion picture North Country.

The original master recording of the song "Love Is a Battlefield" was featured in Konami's rebooted version of their singing video game "Karaoke Revolution".

In 2010, "We Belong" was covered by cast members Kristen Alderson, Brittany Underwood, Kelley Missal, and Meghann Fahy on One Life to Live during its "Starr X'd Lovers" musical episodes.

Advertising

In 2006, the song "We Belong" was part of a $20 million dollar ad campaign for Sheraton hotels, although the version used in the commercial was not Benatar's. Her version of the song is featured in the 2006 comedy , starring Will Ferrell and directed by Adam McKay.

Though she had earlier expressed dismay for rock stars endorsing products (including onetime cohort Debbie Harry, who had developed her modeling career simultaneously to her rock career), Benatar herself has now become a commercial spokeswoman for the Energizer company, and is currently being featured in an ad for Candies Vintage shoes for Kohl's department store. In 2007, her song "Passion" could be downloaded free from the official Jell-O web site.

References

Further reading

Fissinger,Laura Rock'n PopStars Pat Benatar. Creative Education 1983 ISBN 0-89813-101-4

Magee, Doug Pat Benatar. Proteus 1985 ISBN 978-0862762513

Benatar, Pat and Cox, Patsi Between a Heart and a Rock Place. Harper Collins 2010 ISBN 978-0-06-195377-4

External links

Official website

Pat Benatar fanclub website

EMI Artist Page

Sanctuary Records Artist Page

Chrysalis Music Group USA

Category:1953 births Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:Chrysalis Records artists Category:American rock singers Category:Female rock singers Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Long Island Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Music of Richmond, Virginia

Name	Selena Gomez
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Selena Marie Gomez
Born	July 22, 1992Grand Prairie, Texas,United States
Genre	Dance-pop, pop rock
Occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter, fashion designer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2002–present
Label	Hollywood
Associated acts	Selena Gomez & the Scene
Url

Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador who is best known for her contributions in the role of Alex Russo to the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place. She subsequently ventured into feature films and has starred in the television movies Another Cinderella Story, , and Princess Protection Program and made her theatrical film debut in Ramona and Beezus.

Enhancing her repertoire into the music industry, Gomez is the lead singer for the pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene who, together, have released two studio albums Kiss & Tell and A Year Without Rain. She has also contributed to the soundtracks of Tinker Bell, Another Cinderella Story and Wizards of Waverly Place after signing a record deal with Hollywood Records.

Early life

Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas Her father is Mexican American and her mother is of half Italian descent. Her birth parents divorced when she was five years old, and she was raised as an only child by her working mother. In 2006, Mandy remarried Brian Teefey. She is named after Tejano singer Selena. In a 2009 interview with People, Gomez mentioned that she developed an early interest in acting from watching her mother prepare for and act in theater productions.

Acting career

Gomez began her acting career at age seven, playing Gianna on Barney & Friends. She said that she learned "everything" about how to act while on the show. Season 7 of Barney & Friends, when Selena Gomez was on the show, was held up for some time. Because of this, the episodes featuring Gomez did not air until she was in 5th grade. This resulted in some mild controversy/confusion as to whether she was on Barney in the 5th grade or the 1st grade. She later had minor roles in and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire. In 2004, Gomez was discovered by the Disney Channel in a nation wide scouting. Gomez appeared as a guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and had a guest appearance – that later turned into a recurring role – on Hannah Montana from season's two to three. In early 2007 Gomez was cast in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place as one of the three main characters, Alex Russo.

In 2008, Gomez appeared in Another Cinderella Story, the direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2004 Hilary Duff film, opposite Drew Seeley. She also had a minor voiceover role as one the Mayor's ninety-six daughters in Horton Hears a Who! which released in March of that year. In April, Lacey Rose, of Forbes ranked Gomez as being fifth on their "Eight Hot Kid Stars To Watch" list; and Rose described Gomez as having been "a multitalented teen". In June, 2009, Gomez appeared in the made-for-television Disney Channel movie, Princess Protection Program with her then best friend Demi Lovato. On August 28, one month after appearing in Princess Protection Program, Gomez appeared in , a made-for-television film based on the show.

In 2009, Gomez did a guest appearance as herself in one episode, of Lovato's Disney Channel television show Sonny With a Chance, entitled "Battle of The Network Stars". Gomez, along with two cast members of Wizards of Waverly Place appeared in a television three-way cross-over episode with Hannah Montana and The Suite Life on Deck, entitled Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana. In February 2009, Gomez signed on to star as one of the two female leads in Ramona and Beezus, a film adaption of the children's novel series by Beverly Cleary. In March, 2010, Variety reported that Gomez was set to star as one of the three lead roles in Monte Carlo.

Music career

Solo career

In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "Cruella de Vil" -which included a music video for – for the compilation album DisneyMania 6. Gomez recorded three songs for the Another Cinderella Story soundtrack, which Gomez appears in. Gomez also recorded "Fly to Your Heart" for the 2008 animated film Tinker Bell. In July 2008 – before Gomez' sixteenth birthday, she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records, a music label owned by Disney. In 2009, Gomez recorded "One and the Same" for Princess Protection Program as a duet with Lovato – they both appear in the film. Gomez recorded four songs, one of which was a cover, for the Wizards of Waverly Place soundtrack, only one single (Magic) from the album was released. In May, of the same year, Gomez was featured – with Forever the Sickest Kids, on a duet version of the non-album song "Whoa Oh!".

Selena Gomez & the Scene

Formed in 2009, Selena Gomez & the Scene (aka Selena & The Scene) is a teen pop band which consists of Selena Gomez on vocals, Ethan Roberts on guitar, Joey Clement on bass, Greg Garman on drums and Dane Forrest on keyboards. Kiss & Tell is the band's debut studio album and was released on September 29, 2009 by Hollywood Records. On March 5, 2010, the album was certified Gold by RIAA. The album's single, "Naturally", was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 2010. In October 2008, Gomez participated in St. Jude's Children's Hospital "Runway For Life" benefit. Gomez is a spokesperson for Borden Milk; she is featured in the campaign's print and television ads. She is the ambassador of DoSomething.org after being involved with the charity Island Dog, which help dogs in Puerto Rico. She got involved while filming Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in Puerto Rico. Gomez is a spokesperson for State Farm Insurance, and is featured in their TV commercials; which air on the Disney Channel, to raise awareness of being a safe driver. Gomez is also involved with the charity RAISE Hope For Congo, the charity helps raise awareness about the violence against Congolese women, in the Congo.

In October 2008, Gomez was named UNICEF's spokesperson for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world.

In August 2009, a 17-year-old Gomez became the youngest UNICEF ambassador ever, passing fellow songstress Hayley Westenra, who had been 18. In her first official field mission, Gomez traveled to Ghana on September 4, 2009 for a week to witness first-hand the stark conditions of vulnerable children that lack vital necessities including clean water, nourishment, education and healthcare. Gomez explained during an interview with Associated Press that she wanted to use her star power to bring awareness to Ghana: “That’s why I feel very honored to have a voice that kids listen to and take into consideration [...] I had people on my tour asking me where IS Ghana, and they Googled it […] and because I went there, they now know where Ghana is. So it’s pretty incredible.� Gomez said of her role as ambassador that: "Every day 25,000 children die from preventable causes. I stand with UNICEF in the belief that we can change that number from 25,000 to zero. I know we can achieve this because every moment, UNICEF is on the ground providing children with the lifesaving assistance needed to ensure zero becomes a reality." Gomez, who raised over $700,000 for the charity in 2008, stated that she hopes to be able to raise 1 million dollars in 2009. and hosted a live web cast series on Facebook in support of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Gomez will return as the UNICEF spokesperson for the 60th anniversary of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign in 2010.

Gomez is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2009. The song debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty. Disney's Friends For Change will direct all of its proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. During her visit, Gomez gave the school an award, and gave them $1,000 worth of school supplies. Gomez spent the day with the students and talked about the importance of giving back to the community.

Entrepreneurship

Gomez was part of Sears back-to-school fashion ad campaign. As part of the campaign Gomez was featured in the television commercials. In August 2009, Gomez also hosted the "Sears Arrive Air Band Casting Call" – to select five people for the first-ever "Sears Air Band", which performed at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

In October 2008, Gomez launched her own production company, July Moon Productions, and partnered with XYZ Films to create star vehicles for Gomez. As part of the agreement Gomez will have the opportunity to be able option articles, hire writers and create talent packages to shop to studios. Also, as part of the deal, "XYZ Films will allow Gomez to star in and produce at least two films. The clothing line will consist of and feature bohemian dresses, floral tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, scarves and hats, all made from recycled or eco-friendly materials. and described the clothing as being "pretty, feminine, and bohemian," and: "With my line, I really want to give the customer options on how they can put their own looks together [...] I want the pieces that can be easy to dress up or down, and the fabrics being eco-friendly and organic is super important [...] Also, the tags will all have some of my inspirational quotes on them. I'm just looking to send a good message." Gomez, who has no background in fashion, teamed up with designers Tony Melillo and Sandra Campos, both who have worked with big-name fashion houses.

Personal life

Gomez began wearing a purity ring when she was 12 years old. She is the owner of five rescue dogs and describes herself as a "huge animal lover".

After Gomez and Lovato, whom she first met at the Barney & Friends auditions, posted a video blog on YouTube in March 2008, Miley Cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux uploaded a parody of that video, which caught the interest of entertainment media. Reports included the theory that Gomez and Lovato might replace Cyrus. Gomez clarified there was no feud, saying: "I'm not interested in being anybody but myself, and I'm not here to replace anyone. I think that she's a wonderful performer, and of course it's a compliment. But I would like to take a different route." In answering a question on Hispanic heritage, to stationery provider Scholastic's news service for kids and teens, Gomez said: "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except go to the park and have barbeques on Sundays after church."

In January 2011, Gomez began receiving death threats via Twitter from fans of Justin Bieber after pictures surfaced of the two kissing. Gomez however remained coy about their relationship stating, "We just like to hang out. They shouldn't be stopping us from going out to dinner and things like that".

Filmography

; Film {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2003 | |Waterpark Girl |Minor role |- |2005 |Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire |Julie |Television movie |- |2006 |Brain Zapped |Emily Grace Garcia |Television movie |- |2008 |Another Cinderella Story |Mary Santiago |Direct-to-videoMain role |- |2008 |Horton Hears a Who! |Helga |(Voice) |- |2009 |Princess Protection Program |Carter Mason |Disney Channel Original MovieMain role |- |2009 | |Alex Russo |Disney Channel Original MovieMain role |- |2009 |Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard |Princess Selenia |(Voice)(Replaced Madonna) |- |2010 |Ramona and Beezus |Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby |Main role |- |2011 |Monte Carlo |Grace |Main role |}

; Television {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2002 to 2003 |Barney & Friends |Gianna |Recurring role |- |2006 |The Suite Life of Zack & Cody |Gwen |"A Midsummer's Nightmare" (Season 2, episode 22) |- |2007 to 2008 |Hannah Montana |Mikayla |"I Want You to Want Me... to Go to Florida" (Season 2, episode 13)"That's What Friends Are For?" (Season 2, episode 18)"(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl" (Season 2, episode 22) (uncredited) |- |2009 |Sonny With a Chance |Herself |"Battle of the Networks' Stars" (Season 1, episode 13) |- |2009 |The Suite Life on Deck |Alex Russo |"Double-Crossed" (Season 1, episode 21) |- |2007 to present |Wizards of Waverly Place |Alex Russo |Main role |}

; Music videos {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Title !! Artist !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2008 |"Burnin' Up" |Jonas Brothers |Played Nick Jonas' love interest |}

Discography

Singles

Other songs

Music videos

{|class="wikitable" ! Year || Title |- | 2008 || "Cruella de Vil" |- | 2008 || "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" |- | 2008 || "Fly to Your Heart" |- | 2009 || "One and the Same" |- | 2009 || "Magic" |- | 2009 || "Send It On" |}

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Category:1992 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Actors from Texas Category:American bloggers Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American television personalities Category:American pop singers Category:American rock singers Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:American drummers Category:Living people Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American musicians of Mexican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American people Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Grand Prairie, Texas Category:UNICEF people Category:YouTube video producers

Name	Hilary Duff
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Hilary Erhard Duff
Born	September 28, 1987Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, fashion model, songwriter, fashion designer, film producer, spokesperson, author
Genre	Pop, pop rock, dance
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1997–present
Label	Buena Vista, Hollywood
Url

Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, Duff gained fame for playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She subsequently ventured into motion pictures and has many successful films to her credit including The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Cheaper by the Dozen, A Cinderella Story and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. She has most recently appeared in According to Greta and Stay Cool. As of December 2010, her upcoming films include, Bloodworth, The Story of Bonnie and Clyde and She Wants Me.

Duff has since expanded her repertoire into pop music with the release of three RIAA-certified platinum albums: Metamorphosis, her debut studio album, was certified triple platinum and was supplemented by a further two platinum albums, Hilary Duff and Most Wanted. In 2007, she released her third studio album, Dignity, which was certified gold later than year and spawned singles "With Love" — her highest charting US single to date — and "Stranger". Best of Hilary Duff, a compilation of her greatest hits, was released in the last quarter of 2008 producing her a third #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs with the single "Reach Out". Duff has sold over thirteen million records worldwide; her contributions to the music industry have gained her commercial and critical success worldwide while Billboard ranked her the 69th Artist of the 2000s decade.

Branching into the fashion industry, Duff has also launched her own clothing lines, Stuff by Hilary Duff and Femme for DKNY Jeans, and two exclusive perfume collections with Elizabeth Arden as well as having been signed on to modelling agency IMG Models. Other business ventures include writing a young adult novel Elixir and being accredited as an executive producer for According to Greta and a producer for the films Material Girls and Beauty & the Briefcase.

Early life

Duff was born in Houston, Texas as the second of two daughters of Susan Colleen (née Cobb), a homemaker, and Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of convenience stores. She has an elder sister, Haylie Duff, who is also an actress/singer. Duff's mother encouraged Hilary to take up acting classes alongside her elder sister, which resulted in both girls winning roles in various local theatre productions. At the ages of eight and six, respectively, the Duff sisters participated in the ballet, The Nutcracker Suite with Columbus BalletMet in San Antonio.

Career

1997–99: Career beginnings

Duff's early career was marked by playing minor roles, starting off with an uncredited appearance in Hallmark Entertainment's western miniseries True Women in 1997. She also served as an uncredited extra, in writer-director Willard Carroll's ensemble dramedy Playing by Heart in 1998. Her first major role was as a star of the 1998 film Casper Meets Wendy, a direct-to-video sequel to in which she plays the young witch Wendy, who befriends the animated character Casper. The film was released to mostly unenthusiastic reviews.

In 1999, Duff appeared in a supporting role in the television film The Soul Collector, which was based on a Kathleen Kane novel. Duff won a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress)" for her role in the movie.

2000–03: Lizzie McGuire, rise to fame and Metamorphosis

Duff first rose to fame when she was cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio in 2000. Her co-star, Michael Chiklis, stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'this young girl is going to be a movie star'. She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin." with critic Richard Huff of the New York Daily News calling her "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello". Duff also starred in the Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly (2002), which became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history. The film, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, follows a female naturalist, played by Patricia Arquette. Duff played the younger version of Arquette's character. The same year, Duff recorded a cover version of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait" for the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack, and "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" for the first DisneyMania compilation album. Her first album was Santa Claus Lane (2002), a collection of Christmas songs that included duets with her sister Haylie, Lil' Romeo, and Christina Milian. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)", it peaked at 154 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold.

In 2003, Duff received her first major role in a feature film when she was cast alongside Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks. The film received positive reviews and was successful enough to spawn a sequel, in which Duff did not participate. The same year, Duff reprised her role as Lizzie McGuire for The Lizzie McGuire Movie. It received mixed reviews, with certain critics calling it "an unabashed promotion of Duff’s image, just as Crossroads was for Britney Spears". Later that year, Duff played one of the 12 children of Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in the family film Cheaper by the Dozen, which remains her highest grossing film to date. She reprised her role in the sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), which failed to be as successful as the original film and was panned by critics.

Duff's first studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts and had sold over 3.7 million copies by May 2005. The lead single, "So Yesterday" (co-written and produced by The Matrix), was a top ten hit in several countries; its follow-up was the theme song "Come Clean". The third single, "Little Voice", was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Australia. In late 2003, Duff embarked on her first concert tour, the Metamorphosis Tour, and later the Most Wanted Tour. Most shows scheduled in the major cities were sold out.

Duff also made several guest appearances in television shows, her first as a sick child in the medical drama Chicago Hope in March 2000. In a 2003 episode of George Lopez, she had a role as a makeup salesperson; she later reappeared in the show in 2005 as Kenzie, a feminist poet friend of the character Carmen (Masiela Lusha). In the same year, she acted opposite her sister Haylie in American Dreams, while in 2005, she played a classmate and idolizer of the title character of Joan of Arcadia.

2004–06: Hilary Duff, A Cinderella Story and Most Wanted

, before her annual concert for military families.]]

Duff's second studio album was the self-titled Hilary Duff, for which she co-wrote some songs. It was released on her seventeenth birthday (in September 2004) and debuted at #2 in the U.S. and at #1 in Canada. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. in eight months with its only US single, "Fly". and critics were impressed by Duff's performance. Later that year, she starred in the film Raise Your Voice, her first role in a drama film. While some critics praised Duff for appearing in a more mature and serious role than her previous films, the film itself was heavily panned. Several reviews were indifferent towards her acting performance and were critical of Duff's vocals, with critics pointing out what appeared to be her digitally enhanced voice. The same year, Duff received her first Razzie nomination for worst actress for her roles in Raise Your Voice and A Cinderella Story.

In 2005, Duff starred in The Perfect Man, in which she played the eldest daughter of a divorced woman (Heather Locklear). In the same year, Duff was again nominated for a Razzie Award, for The Perfect Man and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Later that year, the Duff sisters lent their voices to the computer animated comedy Foodfight!, which was to be distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment, but has no scheduled release date. The director of the film, Larry Kasanoff, said that he was "absolutely thrilled to have the Duff sisters as part of the cast". She also starred in the 2006 satirical comedy Material Girls, in which she co-starred with her sister Haylie Duff. Duff along with her sister Haylie, received two more nominations for Razzie Awards for their role in the film.

Duff's third album, Most Wanted (2005), comprised songs from her previous two albums, remixes and three new songs which included "Wake Up" written by Joel Madden and his brother, Benji, both members of Good Charlotte. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became her third number one debut in Canada. It sold over two hundred thousand copies within its first week of release. An Italy-only compilation, 4Ever, was released in 2006. Duff recorded a cover version of Madonna's "Material Girl" with her sister for their movie, Material Girls.

2007–08: Dignity, Best of Hilary Duff and independent film roles

During her Still Most Wanted tour, she performed in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she filmed a brief appearance on the soap opera Rebelde. She was also the guest star on The Andy Milonakis Show for its third season premiere in 2007. In April 2008, Duff was offered the lead role of Annie Mills in the CW Network's Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff, but she turned it down because she was more interested in looking for projects outside the teen genre.

in 2007.]] Duff co-wrote the material for her third studio album Dignity, along with Kara DioGuardi, who co-produced the album with Rhett Lawrence, Tim & Bob, and Richard Vission. Duff stated that compared to her previous music, it is "more dancey" and makes use of more real instruments. She said, "I don't know exactly how to explain what we're doing, but it's fun and funky and different, something new for me. It's really cool". Duff also starred opposite John Cusack in War, Inc. which was released in theatres in Los Angeles and Manhattan, New York on May 23, 2008.

On September 7, 2007, Duff confirmed on MuchOnDemand, that she would be filming two independent films According to Greta, and What Goes Up. In June 2008, Duff joined the cast of the Polish brothers comedy Stay Cool. She co-starred alongside Winona Ryder, Mark Polish, Sean Astin, Chevy Chase, and Jon Cryer. In the film, she portrayed the character of Shasta O'Neil, described as a sexy high school senior, the film was released in 2009.

In November 2008, Duff's second greatest hits album, Best of Hilary Duff was released and the album's first single "Reach Out" which samples Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" was released in the previous month, the song became Duff's third #1 dance hit. She later announced to MTV that she would begin work on her new album in December 2008.

2009–present: Television appearances and Elixir

Duff appeared in an episode of Ghost Whisperer and of in April 2009. In July 2009, She attained a role in Gossip Girl as a recurring guest star. She played the character of Olivia Burke, a movie star who enrols at NYU in search of a traditional college experience. The following year, she the "Teen Choice Award" for "Best Female's Scene Stealer" in for her role as Olivia Burke.

In September 2009, Duff released a second clothing line with DKNY Jeans as Femme for DKNY in the objective of designing a clothing line for girls her own age.

Duff starred in Beauty and the Briefcase, a romantic comedy based on the book Diary of a Working Girl, by Daniella Brodsky and directed by Gil Junger. The film premiered on ABC Family on April 18, 2010. In the film, Duff plays a fashion magazine columnist who writes about her dating struggles in the city.

Simon & Schuster published Elixir, Duff's first novel, in hardcover on October 12, 2010. Elixir is the first in a series of books that Duff is committed in scribing. The book, aimed at young adults, has since been released internationally and has become a New York Times best-seller.

In November 2010, she appeared in an episode of the television comedy series, Community; playing the part of Meghan, the leader of a group of mean girls.

As of December 2010, Duff is scheduled to appear in three upcoming films: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, an adaptation of Bonnie and Clyde; Bloodworth, an adaptation of the novel Provinces of Night by William Gay, where Duff plays Raven Halfacre, a teenage daughter of a promiscuous, alcoholic mother; and She Wants Me, directed by Rob Margolies, in which, she plays a young Hollywood actress named Kim Powers.

Other work

Entrepreneurship

Duff launched her clothing line, "Stuff by Hilary Duff", in March 2004, with clothes distributed through Target in the United States, Kmart in Australia, Zellers in Canada, and Edgars Stores in South Africa. The company, initially started as a clothing line, has expanded its business into furniture, fragrances, and jewelry, targeted at the teen and preteen crowd. In 2007, the Internet website Stardoll.com previewed Duff's clothing line to customers by allowing them to dress up a paper doll on the website (which include Hilary Duff's own doll) with the clothes.

In February 2009, Duff and DKNY Jeans announced their new design partnership and the launch of their collaborative apparel line. Duff co-designed a collection of special pieces with DKNY Jeans brand called Femme for DKNY Jeans. The clothing line will debut in fine department and specialty stores nationwide in August 2009.

Playmates Toys released a celebrity doll of her in 2004. In late 2006, Mattel released a Hilary Duff Barbie doll. As a fashion designer, she had designed clothes for Barbie dolls in the past and with the release of her doll, she joined Reese Witherspoon, Beyoncé Knowles, and Lucille Ball who have their own celebrity dolls.

Duff and her pet dog Lola made an appearance in the Electronic Arts game , which was released on October 2006. In console versions of the game, Duff's character visits public areas and allows the players to let their Sims socialize with her and Lola. Animal rights' organization, "Animal welfare league" have criticized Duff and celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson for displaying their dogs as fashion accessories rather than pets.

Philanthropy

Duff is involved with various charities, is an animal rights enthusiast and a member of Kids with a Cause. She also donated $250,000 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In 2005, she donated over 2.5 million meals to Hurricane Katrina victims in the south. In August 2006, Duff traveled to a New Orleans elementary school and worked with USA Harvest to distribute meals. She has also served on the Advisory Board of the "Audrey Hepburn Child Benefit Fund" and the Celebrity Council of "Kids with a Cause". On October 8, 2008, Duff starred in a public service announcement for The Think Before You Speak Campaign by Ad Council and GLSEN, to prevent youth from using anti-LGBT vocabulary, such as the phrase "That's So Gay". In July 2009, Duff was named as a Youth Ambassador to the children of the Colombian capital, Bogota. As a Youth Ambassador, she will spend five days in the country, distributing backpacks filled with food to needy children.

Duff has stated numerous times that she’s a strong animal rights supporter and has commented, when asked what she would be doing if she weren’t a celebrity, "I always wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger, but then I figured out that animals actually die there, so that was not the job for me. Definitely something with kids or animals or something like that."

Personal life

In a June 2006 interview with Elle magazine, Duff was quoted as saying: "...(virginity) is definitely something I like about myself. It doesn't mean I haven't thought about sex, because everyone I know has had it and you want to fit in". Duff later told MuchMusic that she did not say the quotes attributed to her in the article and that the subject was "definitely not something that I would talk about..." She denied the quotes again in a 2008 interview with Maxim magazine.

Duff began dating singer Aaron Carter in 2001. They met on the set of Lizzie McGuire, during Carter's guest appearance in a Christmas episode. The relationship lasted two years. It was reported that Carter left Duff for Lindsay Lohan, but soon broke up with Lohan and resumed dating Duff. Carter later stated that he also cheated on Duff with her best friend, and that Duff "got her heart broken" and he was "sorry" for his actions.

Duff began dating Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden in 2004. Duff and Madden broke up in November 2006. The same year, Duff's parents separated after 22 years of marriage. She wrote about the pain caused by the separation in her songs "Stranger" and "Gypsy Woman".

In 2007, Duff began dating Canadian NHL player Mike Comrie. On February 19, 2010, Duff and Comrie announced their engagement. The couple married on August 14, 2010 in Santa Barbara, California.

Filmography

Films

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1998 | Casper Meets Wendy | Wendy | Direct-to-video film |- | 1999 | | Ellie | Television film |- | 2001 | Human Nature | Young Lila Jute | |- | 2002 | Cadet Kelly | Kelly | Disney Channel Original Movie |- | 2003 | Agent Cody Banks | Natalie Connors | |- | 2003 | | Lizzie McGuire / Isabella Parigi | |- | 2003 | Cheaper by the Dozen | Lorraine Baker | |- | 2004 | | Samantha "Sam" Montgomery | |- | 2004 | Raise Your Voice | Teresa "Terri" Fletcher | |- | 2004 | In Search of Santa | Crystal | Voice role |- | 2005 | | Holly Hamilton | |- | 2005 | Cheaper by the Dozen 2 | Lorraine Baker | |- | 2006 | Material Girls | Tanzania "Tanzie" Marchetta | Also producer |- | 2008 | War, Inc. | Yonica Babyyeah | |- | 2009 | What Goes Up | Lucy Diamond | |- | 2009 | According to Greta | Greta | Also executive producer |- | 2010 | Beauty & the Briefcase | Lane Daniels | ABC Family Original Movie |- | 2010 | Stay Cool | Shasta O'Neil | Direct-to-video film |- | 2011 | Bloodworth | Raven Halfacre | Premiered at the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival |- | 2011 | She Wants Me | Kim Powers | Filming |}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2000 | Chicago Hope | Jessie Seldon | "Cold Hearts" (Season 6, episode 17) |- | 2001–2004 | Lizzie McGuire | Lizzie McGuire | Lead role |- | 2003 | American Dreams | Shangri-Las | "Change a Comin" (Season 2, episode 8) |- | 2003 | George Lopez | Stephanie | "Team Leader" (Season 2, episode 22) |- | 2004 | Frasier | Britney | "Frasier-Lite" (Season 11, episode 12) |- | 2005 | Joan of Arcadia | Dylan Samuels | "The Rise & Fall of Joan Girardi" (Season 2, episode 14) |- | 2005 | George Lopez | Kenzie | "George's Grand Slam" (Season 4, episode 19) |- | 2006 | Rebelde | Herself | (Season 3, episode 104) |- | 2007 | | Herself | "Andy Moves to L.A." (Season 3, episode 1) |- | 2007 | | Herself | Two-part documentary on MTV |- | 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Morgan Jeffries | "Thrilled to Death" (Season 4, episode 19) |- | 2009 | | Ashlee Walker | "Selfish" (Season 10, episode 19) |- | 2009 | Gossip Girl | Olivia Burke | "Dan de Fleurette" (Season 3, episode 4) "Enough About Eve" (Season 3, episode 6) "How to Succeed in Bassness" (Season 3, episode 7) "The Grandfather: Part II" (Season 3, Episode 8) "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" (Season 3, episode 9) "The Last Days of Disco Stick" (Season 3, episode 10) |- | 2010 | Community | Meghan | "Aerodynamics of Gender" (Season 2, episode 7) |}

Discography

Santa Claus Lane (2002)

Metamorphosis (2003)

Hilary Duff (2004)

Dignity (2007)

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links

Official Hollywood Records Page

Category:1987 births Category:2010s singers Category:2000s singers Category:Actors from Texas Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American novelists Category:American pop rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American voice actors Category:American women writers Category:English-language singers Category:Hollywood Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Houston, Texas Category:People from Houston, Texas

Name	Pete Rock
Landscape	Pete Rock, October 2007
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Peter Phillips
Alias	Soul Brother #1The Chocolate Boy Wonder
Born	June 21, 1970New York City, New York, United States
Origin	Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Instrument	Turntable, sampler, keyboard, bass guitar
Genre	East Coast hip hop, jazz rap
Occupation	Music producer, disc jockey, rapper, singer
Years active	1987–present
Label	Elektra, Loud/RCA/BMG, Rapster/BBE, Nature Sounds/Caroline/Virgin/EMI
Associated acts	CL Smooth, Marley Marl, INI, Heavy D, The UN, YGz, DJ Premier, J Dilla, 9th Wonder, DJ Green Lantern, Rakim, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Pharoahe Monch, Krumbsnatcha

Peter Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. After the duo went their separate ways, Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect, though little in the way of mainstream success. Along with groups such as Stetsasonic, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots and Gang Starr, Rock played a major role in the merging of elements from jazz into hip hop music (also known as jazz rap). He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier and RZA as one of the mainstays of 1990s East Coast hip hop production. Pete Rock is also the older brother and younger cousin, respectively, of rappers Grap Luva and Heavy D.

Editors from About.com ranked him as #2 in their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. the sixth of seven children of Jamaican immigrant parents. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York when he was seven years old. During high school, he met his future recording partner CL Smooth. According to Rock, his father was also a part-time DJ who had an impressive record collection. Rock would often accompany his father to a cricket club called Wembley in The Bronx and watch as he spun records for the guests. His first job was as a paperboy, in his neighborhood. In addition, he and DJ Premier have announced that they are working on a joint album together, although further details are unknown. Recently in London he confirmed that Big Pooh & C.L. Smooth will be on his half of the VS album and he plans on dropping 5 albums in 2011 including reuniting with C.L. Smooth for a third album & drop his 4th album on Nature Sounds.

Affiliates

Proteges

Through the years, Rock has helped to jump-start the careers of several artists. His first project outside of Pete Rock & CL Smooth was the hardcore duo YG'z, who released an EP called Street Nigga in 1993, with four out of the six tracks produced by Rock; however, they were quickly dropped from their deal with Reprise Records. His next venture, INI, was a group featuring Rock, his younger brother Grap Luva, Rass and rapper Rob-O. They released a single, "Fakin' Jax", through Elektra Records in 1995, before their debut album, , was shelved by the label. The other two members continue to record solo material, albeit only sporadically. In an interview Rock elaborated on the situation:

Another mid-1990s artist, DeDa, also met the same fate with his album The Original Baby Pa, although both this and INI's album were eventually released as a double album package in 2003. Other associated artists include Meccalicious, who recorded a few songs under Pete Rock's guidance (sometime around 1997), before disappearing from the music scene altogether.

Rock has had some success, however, overseeing and jump-starting the career of hardcore underground favorites The UN, a group featuring four MCs, including former Flipmode Squad member Rock Marciano. Rock premiered the group on the single "Nothin' Lesser" from his PeteStrumentals album, and they went on to release the fairly successful album UN or U Out in July 2004, featuring production by Rock, Large Professor, and several others.

Relationship with CL Smooth

Since their split in 1995, Pete Rock's relationship with CL Smooth has been highly unpredictable. Although the pair briefly united for the reflective "Da Two" from Rock's Soul Survivor album in 1998, they avoided entertaining requests for a reunion album until 2001, when they once again teamed up for "Back on Da Block" from Rock's PeteStrumentals. In their interviews during this period, it appeared as though a new album was underway. As Rock would explain:

The pair went on a short international tour culminating in their well-received show at London's Jazz Cafe; however, soon after this they declined to comment any further on the new album, which never materialized (although Smooth did make three separate appearances on Soul Survivor II). Eventually, Smooth would confirm rumors of a rift in an interview with AllHipHop.com, in which he appeared angry and frustrated with his former partner, saying "I didn’t ask him to be a superhero" and "I’m not the problem." In an interview taken in December 2006, Rock ruled out any further collaborations with Smooth but stated that he holds no grudges against his former partner. He recently confirmed that he will be recording a third album with C.L. Smooth.

Musical style

Production

Pete Rock builds his beats from samples, the majority of which are taken from obscure R&B;, funk, and jazz records. Early on in his career he would also sample drum breaks such as Black Heat's "Zimba Ku" for Heavy D & The Boyz's "Letter To The Future". Pete Rock heavily used the E-mu SP-1200 as well as the AKAI [S950]—later moving onto using the MPC—for his productions. Pete Rock tends to use the samples as palettes for his beats, chopping (cutting the sample into smaller parts), filtering (altering the frequencies of the sample), and layering several samples, often within the same song. While this technique was applied long before Rock (on De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising or the work of The Bomb Squad for example), Rock's work is distinctive for the way in which he uses samples to achieve a hazy, droning effect. He is also noted for his resonant basslines, horn samples, and gritty sounding drums. His beats often sound as though they were being played from an old vinyl record; he samples many of his sounds straight off these records.

Another trait of his, more so in the earlier part of his career, is the way he uses horn samples to supplement his grooves. With perhaps the most famous example being "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" (on which he uses a horn sample from Tom Scott's "Today"), Rock has also used horns on several other productions such as "Straighten It Out", Public Enemy's "Shut 'Em Down", Rah Digga's "What They Call Me", and A.D.O.R.'s "Let It All Hang Out".

Along with Gang Starr, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock played a large role in the fusing of jazz and funk music into Hip hop. The aforementioned "Reminisce..." withstanding, Rock used many jazz samples on his album Mecca and The Soul Brother, such as Cannonball Adderley's "Country Preacher", for the song "Return of the Mecca", or "Capricorn" for the song "In the House" from The Main Ingredient. Pete Rock's heavy use of intro and outro beats has also been widely influential. To introduce feature songs, he often plays a short instrumental excerpt, completely different from the rest of the song. Aside from their role as transitions, these are widely regarded as a way of displaying his large collection and as a challenge to other hip-hop producers to identify the records that the breaks come from. Mecca & the Soul Brother and The Main Ingredient use intro/outro beats on nearly every track to great effect, and the tradition continues to the present on Rock's recent releases.

Remixes

"Another Pete Rock Remix" is Pete Rock's trademark catchphrase, heard on countless singles which he has remixed. In addition to Hip-hop artists he has done remix work for artists from other genres such as his 1995 remix of "Before You Walk Out Of My Life" for R&B; singer Monica. In 1992 he collaborated with Mary J. Blige on the What's the 411? single "Reminisce", which utililized the same sample from his own single "T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)". Rock claims to have done several high profile remixes which remain unreleased including one of Madonna's "Secret".

Many other producers, including Kev Brown and Kanye West, have also found themselves compared to Pete Rock, with the latter glowingly referring to himself as "the new version of Pete Rock" on Slum Village's "Selfish" from the group's 2004 album Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit). Pete Rock has acknowledged his relevance to these artists, releasing an instrumental record with 9th Wonder (Class Is in Session), as well as recording his own remix of West's "Heard 'Em Say". Rock himself has named his main musical influences as being influential hip hop producer and close friend Marley Marl and legendary soul musician James Brown.

Discography

; Studio albums

Soul Survivor (1998)

PeteStrumentals (2001)

More PeteStrumentals (2003) (Unreleased)

(2003)

Soul Survivor II (2004)

(2005)

NY's Finest (2008)

TBA (Working title) (2011)

References

External links

Pete Rock — official website

Pete Rock discography at Discogs

Pete Rock at MySpace

Pete Rock Interview - February 2008

Pete Rock Interview Part 1

Pete Rock Interview Part 2

Riot Sound, Hip-Hop, Rap & Urban Culture - Pete Rock Interview

Interview with Pete Rock

Category:1970 births * Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:1990s rappers

Name	Jason Derülo
Birth name	Jason Joel Desrouleaux
Background	solo_singer
Born	September 21, 1989
Origin	Miami, Florida, United States
Genre
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actor
Years active	2007–present
Label	Warner Bros.Beluga Heights
Associated acts	Birdman, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas
Url

Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born , 1989), better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper Diddy, Derülo signed to minor recording label Beluga Heights. After Beluga Heights became part of the Warner Music Group, Derülo released his debut single, "Whatcha Say" in May 2009. The song became a huge digital hit, selling over five million digital downloads, gaining an RIAA certification of double platinum, and reaching number 1 in the US and New Zealand. Derülo released his second single, "In My Head", in December 2009. His debut album, Jason Derülo, was released in 2010.

Early life

Derülo was born in Miami, Florida, to Haitian parents. His birth name is Desrouleaux, but he changed the spelling for his stage name to make it easier to pronounce.

Derülo has been performing since the age of five. He wrote his first song, "Crush on You", at age eight and was heard singing part of the song on a Galaxy FM interview. Derülo spent his youth studying opera, theater, and ballet. He attended Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.

At age 12, Derülo met his future manager, Frank Harris, a law school student who was helping him improve his basketball skills. Jason was always a tall child and is currently measuring at 1 ft 2

Music career

2007–2009: songwriting and musical beginnings

Derülo has been writing songs for artists including Diddy, Danity Kane, Donnie Klang, Sean Kingston, Cassie, and Lil Mama since he was 16, intent on becoming a solo performer. After attending performing arts schools and honing his talents as a singer and dancer (plus acting in theatre productions like Ragtime and Smokey Joe's Cafe), Derülo won the grand prize on the 2006 season finale of the TV show Showtime at the Apollo. Derülo was discovered by music producer J. R. Rotem, who signed him to his record label Beluga Heights Records and Warner Bros. Records.

In a HitQuarters interview, Rotem highlighted Derülo's dedication to his art by saying, "Jason Derülo has one of the most impressive work ethics I've ever come across – he just keeps knocking out songs in the studio. That's an amazing quality."

Derülo's music career began in 2006, when he was featured on Birdman's song "Bossy", which was featured on his album, 5 * Stunna.

2009–present: Jason Derülo

On August 4, 2009, Jason released his debut single, "Whatcha Say". It was produced by J. R. Rotem with additional production by Fuego. The track samples the Imogen Heap song "Hide and Seek". In late August 2009, the song debuted at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number 1 in November 2009. The single's music video was released in September 2009; after the single became successful, Derülo began work on his debut album. He released the second single from his album, "In My Head", on , 2009. It debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number five.

Derülo's debut album, Jason Derülo, was released on , 2010. He spent six weeks promoting the album in his appearances as one of the opening acts for Lady Gaga's 2009–2010 The Monster Ball Tour. The third single of the album is "Ridin' Solo," which was released worldwide on , 2010. By July, the single had reached number nine in the Billboard Hot 100.

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!style="width:3em;font-size:75%;"|UK |- |2010 |align="left"| Jason Derülo

Released: March 2, 2010

Label: Beluga Heights / Warner

Formats: CD, digital download

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Singles

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !rowspan="2"| Year !rowspan="2" width="230"| Single !colspan="10"| Peak chart positions !rowspan="2"| Certifications !rowspan="2"| Album |- !style="width:3em;font-size:75%"|US

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!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"|NZ |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |align="left"| "Whatcha Say" | 1 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 |align="left"| US: 3× Platinum AUS: 2× Platinum NZ: Platinum CAN: 2× Platinum |align="left" rowspan="5"| Jason Derülo |- |align="left"| "In My Head" | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 1 |align="left"| US: 2× Platinum CAN: 2× Platinum |align="left"| |- |colspan="14" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes an item that failed to chart. |- |}

Music videos

Songwriter credits

"Bossy" from 5 * Stunna by Birdman

"My House" and "She Can't Love You" from Electro Love by Cassie

"Dr. Love", "Rain", and "Spank Me" from Just a Rolling Stone by Donnie Klang

"My Life" from The Boatlift by Pitbull

"First Come" and "First Serve" from The Introduction of Marcus Cooper by Pleasure P

"Danger" from Statlanta by Stat Quo

"Replay" from Replay by Iyaz

References

External links

Category:1989 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:African American musicians Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American male singers Category:American people of Haitian descent Category:American pop singers Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

Name	Chris Norman
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christopher Ward Norman
Born	October 25, 1950
Origin	Redcar, North Yorkshire, England
Genre	Pop, Pop rock, Soft rock, Glam rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1968–present
Label	BMG, Edel Records
Associated acts	Smokie
Url

Chris Norman (born Christopher Ward Norman, 25 October 1950, Redcar, North Yorkshire, England) is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the lead singer of Smokie, an English glam rock band from Bradford, which found success in Europe in the 1970s.

Life and career

His parents did not intend that he should pursue a stage career, but when he was just three years old, he decided to walk on stage and join the finale line-up for the show in which his parents were appearing.

This may have had an effect on him because with the advent of rock and roll, Norman acquired his first guitar at the age of seven. His early musical influences were Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Lonnie Donegan.

In these early years, Norman’s parents moved around the country a lot which resulted in him going to nine different schools, and living in various locations around England, such as, Redcar, Luton, Kimpton and Nottingham. By 1962 however the family had moved back to Norman's mother's home city of Bradford. Approaching his twelfth birthday, Norman started at St. Bede’s Grammar School where he was to meet Alan Silson and Terry Uttley, future members of Smokie.

As teenagers, influenced by the new era of groups such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and then folk singer, Bob Dylan, Norman and Silson began meeting up and spent nearly all their spare time learning new songs on their guitars. They managed to persuade Uttley to join them and, along with a drummer friend called Ron Kelly, they formed their first band. The Yen, Essence, and Long Side Down were just some of a variety of names they called themselves before settling on "The Elizabethans".

In 1968 "The Elizabethans" had turned professional following a stint at Butlins holiday camp in Skegness. Another name change was inevitable, but during the next seven years Norman and the band gained much experience playing around the country. They performed some live radio broadcasts, including Radio 1 Roadshows. They gained a recording contract with RCA, and then Decca Records, and released three singles under their new name of "Kindness".

During this period the band played many different styles and venues, and had a period as the backing group to Peter Noone, after he had just left Herman's Hermits.

When Ron Kelly left the group in 1973, an old friend called Pete Spencer was asked to take over on the drums, and the group, which was to become Smokie, was complete.

That same year the group took on a new manager, Bill Hurley. Hurley set about getting them out of their recording contract with Decca Records and managed to sign them to Mickie Most’s RAK record label with the songwriters Nicky Chinn / Mike Chapman as their production company.

By 1974 they had developed their own sound reflecting their close, three part, harmonies and Norman’s distinctive vocal sound. The band’s name was changed from Smokey to Smokie, and their debut album, Pass it Around was released in 1975.

By the summer of that year they had their first hit with "If You Think You Know How To Love Me". This was followed by a string of hit singles including "Living Next Door To Alice". Norman completed a successful duet with Suzi Quatro, "Stumblin' In" in 1978, which gave Norman his first taste of success outside of the group.

By now Smokie were enjoying success touring all over the world, but the strain and pressure of constantly being away from home and family was beginning to tell on Norman. By the early 1980s he decided to spend more time writing and working in the studio.

Norman together with Pete Spencer, now concentrated on songs for other artists including hits for Kevin Keegan and the England football team. He also worked with Agnetha Fältskog from ABBA (on her solo album), Donovan, and The Heavy Metal Kids.

In 1985 Smokie reconvened to appear in a charity show in aid of the Bradford City A.F.C. fire disaster. The show was successful and as a result the band decided to go back on the road. Tours of Germany and Australia followed, but in the latter part of that year, Norman recorded a project for a German TV movie and decided to once again concentrate on his solo career.

That part of his career took off in 1986 with the song, "Midnight Lady", which was a hit throughout Europe holding the number one spot in Germany for six weeks. Written by Dieter Bohlen, it sold 900,000 copies in Germany alone.

Further success followed by the songs "Some Hearts Are Diamonds", "No Arms Can Ever Hold You", "Broken Heroes", "Fearless Hearts", "Sarah" and "Baby I Miss You". In 1994 Norman was honoured by CMT Europe as their "International Video Star of the Year".

In 2004 he took part at "Comeback Show" on the German TV station PRO7 and he performed "Stumblin' In" as a duet with C.C.Catch. In the final episode of the show he was joined by Smokie for the final Song.

"With Smokie we had success all over the world, but our greatest success we always had in Germany", says Norman. "In Germany there has always been the highest interest in my solo albums".

Norman continues to this day to record and perform gigs throughout Europe and beyond.

Personal life

Norman met his wife Linda in 1967 in Elgin, Scotland and got married on 16 March 1970. They have five children (Brian, Sharon, Paul, Michael, Steven and Susan Jane). Chris and Linda Norman have lived on the Isle of Man for the last 23 years. He has 4 grandchildren, Danielle, the eldest, Jack, Tom, Ben. Danielle lives in the Isle of Man and Jack, Tom and Ben live in England.

Discography

Soloalbums - Chris Norman

1982 Rock Away Your Teardrops

1986 Some Hearts Are Diamonds

1987 Different Shades

1989 Break the Ice

1991 The Interchange

1992 The Growing Years

1993 Jealous Heart

1994 The Album

1994 Screaming Love Album

1995 Every Little Thing

1995 Reflections

1997 Into the Night

1997 Christmas Together

1999 Full Circle

2000 Love Songs

2001 Breathe Me In

2003 Handmade

2004 Break Away

2005 One Acoustic Evening - CD & DVD (Live at the Private Music Club/Live in Vienna)

2006 Million Miles

2006 Coming Home

2007 Close Up

2009 The Hits! From His Smokie And Solo Years

2009 The Hits! Tour - Live at the Tempodrom, Berlin (Deutschland) DVD

2009 The Hits! Tour - Live at the Tempodrom, Berlin (Dänemark) DVD

Albums - Smokie

1975 Changing all the time

1975 Pass it around

1976 Bravo präsentiert: Smokie (Germany)

1976 Midnight Café

1976 Smokie

1977 Bright Lights & Back Alleys

1977 Greatest Hits

1978 The Montreux Album

1979 The Other Side of the Road

1980 Greatest Hits Vol. 2

1981 Smokie-The Very Best of Smokie

1981 Solid Ground

1982 Die großen Erfolge einer Supergruppe (Germany)

1982 Midnight Delight

1982 Strangers in Paradise

1990 Smokie Forever

1994 The Collection - Komplett 'B' platten 1975-78 (Germany)

1998 The Concert - Von 1978 Essen's Grugahalle (Germany) - Recorded "Live" for the Smokie film

Singles

1978 Stumblin' in

1982 Hey baby

1983 Love is a battlefield

1984 My girl and me

1986 Midnight lady

1986 Some hearts are diamonds

1987 No arms can ever hold you

1987 Sarah

1988 Broken heroes

1988 I want to be needed

1988 Ordinary heart

1988 Wings of love

1989 Back again

1989 Keep the candle burning

1991 If you need my love tonight

1992 I need your love

1993 Come together

1993 Goodbye Lady Blue

1993 Growing Years

1993 Jealous Heart

1994 As good as it gets

1994 I need your love

1994 Wild wild angel

1995 Goodbye Lady Blue

1995 Obsession

1995 Red hot screaming love (D)

1995 Red hot screaming love (UK)

1996 Fearless Hearts

1996 Reflections of my life

1996 Under your spell

1997 Baby I miss you

1997 Into the night

1999 Oh Carol

2000 Mexican Girl

2002 Ich Mache Meine Augen Zu

2003 Keep talking

2004 Amazing

2004 Only You

2004 Too Much /Without Your Love

2006 Without Your Love (UK)

2009 Endless Night

Trivia

Played with Robin Gibb along with Bonnie Tyler on 2 June 2007 at Peel Bay Festival, Isle of Man

External links

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:English male singers Category:English guitarists Category:English songwriters Category:English rock singers Category:Sony BMG artists Category:People from Redcar

Name	Carrie Underwood
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Carrie Marie Underwood
Born	March 10, 1983Muskogee, Oklahoma
Origin	Checotah, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
Genre	Country, country pop, CCM
Years active	2005–present
Label	19 / Arista Nashville (2005-current)Arista (2005-2009)
Associated acts	Brad Paisley, Randy Travis
Url

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer-songwriter who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol.

Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a multiple Grammy Award winner, a Grand Ole Opry inductee, a Golden Globe Award nominee, a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and a past winner of ACM Entertainer of the Year. She is the first ever female artist to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2009/2010).

Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum, and as of February 2006, was the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It was also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as of February 2008. Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs. Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007. It has sold over 3 million copies as of January 2010, and produced four number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Underwood released her third album, Play On, on November 3, 2009. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and has produced three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs so far. As of May 2010, Underwood has sold 20 million singles and over 16 million albums worldwide.

Having 10 #1 Hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs, Underwood is tied with Reba McEntire as the Female Country Artist with Most #1 Hits on such chart from 1990 to present. She's also the only solo Country Artist to have a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 Songs in the 2000 decade, as "Inside Your Heaven" reached the top of the chart on July 2005. Some Hearts, Underwood's debut album, was named the Best Country Album of the 2000 Decade by Billboard, and she's the only Female Artist to appear on the Top 10 of Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list, ranked at #10. She was also ranked #50 on the Artists of the Decade list by Billboard. In 2010, Underwood was #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Artists, #4 on the Top Country Album Artists and #23 on Top Artists of 2010.

Biography

Early life

Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma. She has two older sisters, Shanna Means and Stephanie Shelton. Her father worked in a sawmill, while her mother taught elementary school. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, and sang at the Free Will Baptist Church. She later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club. In 1996, Capitol Records was preparing a contract for Underwood but cancelled it when company management changed. She spent part of her summer as a page for Oklahoma State Representative Bobby Frame.

Education

Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. Underwood is a member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern State University's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.

American Idol

In the summer of 2004, Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri. After she sang "Could've Been" by Tiffany on the top 12 girls night, judge Simon Cowell commented that she would be one of the favorites to win the competition. During the top 11 finalists' performance on the March 22, 2005, Idol episode, Underwood sang a rendition of the number one 1980s rock hit "Alone", made famous by Heart, and Cowell predicted that Underwood would not only win the competition, but she would also outsell all previous Idol winners.

One of the show's producers later said she dominated the voting, winning each week handily. She gained a fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during the course of the show, and became the fourth season winner on May 25, 2005.

Performances and results

Underwood is one of very few contestants to have never landed in the Bottom 3 or Bottom 2 joining the ranks of Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, David Archuleta, Crystal Bowersox, and Lee DeWyze.

Post-Idol

Underwood came back the next season of American Idol to perform her single "Jesus Take the Wheel". She also appeared on the sixth season of American Idol. She sang her single "Wasted" on March 8, making this her fourth time performing on the show since winning the competition in 2005. Underwood also performed at the Idol Gives Back concert singing "I'll Stand By You", (a cover of The Pretenders hit). A video of Underwood's trip to Africa accompanied the song. Underwood sang the same song at American Idol's season finale on May 23, 2007. Underwood sang "Praying for Time", a former number one for George Michael, during the seventh season American Idol Gives Back mini-telethon. She also came back to perform "Last Name" on May 21, 2008, for the finale of the seventh season of American Idol.

On February 12, 2009, Underwood appeared with the other six American Idol winners at the inauguration of The American Idol Experience at Walt Disney World in Florida. She and the other Idol winners received a microphone-shaped trophy honoring them for winning American Idol. Underwood also took the stage to sing her hit single "All-American Girl" as well as perform a duet of "Go Your Own Way" with fellow winner David Cook.

She returned again for season 8 on Wednesday, March 18 to perform a duet with Randy Travis with her single "I Told You So", a song Randy Travis wrote for his 1987 album Always & Forever. Underwood was back again on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to perform the farewell song of Season 8, "Home Sweet Home".

On April 21, 2010, Underwood returned for Idol Gives Back to perform "Change" from her third studio album, Play On. She returned on the finale of American Idol Season 9 to perform "Undo It", her third single from the Play On album. She also sang Delta Goodrem's "Together We Are One" with all previous Idol winners that night as a farewell to Simon Cowell.

Career

2005–2007: Some Hearts

Underwood's debut album, entitled Some Hearts, was released on November 15, 2005, entering the Billboard 200 chart with 315,000 copies sold. The large first week sales of Some Hearts made it number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1991. Some Hearts has since been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA, and is the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era.

in 2006.|thumb|left|upright]] "Inside Your Heaven", Underwood's first single, was released on June 14, 2005 in the U.S., debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian Singles Chart, where it remained for one and seven weeks, respectively. It was the longest running single of 2005 in Canada. The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Pop Songs. In addition, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, Underwood's only single to receive significant airplay on Christian stations. It was certified gold by the RIAA and two times platinum by the CRIA.

The album's second single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was released to radio on October 18, 2005. It reached number one for six consecutive weeks. The songwriters, Gordie Sampson, Brett James and Hillary Lindsey, were awarded the 2006 Grammy award for Country Song of the Year.

Underwood's third single, "Some Hearts", was released to Pop, Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary stations in October 2005 and peaked in the Top 25 on the Hot AC format, while it made the Top 15 on the AC Charts. "Don't Forget to Remember Me", the second of Underwood's singles to be released to country radio, her fourth single overall, also proved successful, reaching number one on the Radio & Records Country Chart, number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and number forty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. "Don't Forget To Remember Me" was her second number one country single and third number one single overall.

"Jesus, Take the Wheel" won the Gospel Music Association's award for Best Country Single of the Year. Underwood performed "Jesus, Take the Wheel" on May 23, 2006, and received a standing ovation at the ACM Awards. At the same show, she won Best New Female Vocalist and Single of the Year for the "Jesus, Take the Wheel".

Later that autumn, Underwood's third country single,

Underwood also had her film soundtrack appearance with "Some Hearts" which was played during the ending credits of Aquamarine.

2007–2009: Carnival Ride

Underwood's second album, Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007. "So Small", the first single from the album, was released on July 31, 2007. On Carnival Ride, Underwood was more involved in the songwriting process than on her debut; she set up a writers' retreat at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium to collaborate with such Music Row tunesmiths as Hillary Lindsey, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, and Gordie Sampson. Carnival Ride was certified double platinum as of December 14, 2007.

Underwood made her second vocal performance in a film with "Ever Ever After" for the Disney's Enchanted. In the music video for the song, she appears as both animated and live action, much like the characters in the movie. Underwood's name was also mentioned in the Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana. She appeared on the holiday CD Hear Something Country Christmas 2007 with a rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?". Since then, the song has reached #2 on the AC Chart, and remained there for 3 consecutive weeks.

Underwood was named as Billboard's best country artist of the Billboard year 2007, and in December 2007 over 1,000,000 People magazine readers named "Before He Cheats" as the song of the year. "All-American Girl", her second single, also reached number 1 on the Billboard country charts.

In January 2008, Underwood embarked on a joint tour with Keith Urban named the Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour, with dates fixed nationwide that continued through April.

On May 19, 2008, Underwood opened the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards with her new single "Last Name" and later went on to win Top Female Vocalist for the second consecutive year. On May 21, she performed "Last Name" again on the season finale of American Idol. The single later reached number one on the Hot Country Song chart, making it the third single to reach #1 from Carnival Ride, her sixth consecutive number one on the Hot Country Chart and her seventh straight country single number one, and her eighth number one single overall. This made Underwood the first female artist to have two consecutive albums each release three number-ones on this chart since Shania Twain in 1998.

Her single, "Just a Dream" was released on July 21, 2008. For the chart week of November 8, 2008, the song became her ninth number one, her seventh consecutive number one on the Hot Country Chart, and her eighth straight number one country single overall. With that, Underwood became the third female artist in country music history to have released four consecutive Number Ones from the same album with Rosanne Cash's King's Record Shop and Shania Twain's "The Woman in Me" being the other two that have done so.

Underwood received two Country Music Association nominations for the 2008 CMA Awards, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year: Carnival Ride. At the show, she walked away with the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the third consecutive time and lost the Album of the Year award to George Strait's Troubadour.

Underwood co-wrote a song for Idol alum Kristy Lee Cook's major-label debut album Why Wait, called "Not Tonight".

On October 21, 2008, Carnival Ride was re-released as a Wal-Mart exclusive 2-pack with a Christmas CD containing 5 songs including her hit, "Do You Hear What I Hear?".

On October 22, 2008, Times Square got a double dose of Underwood as she unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York. The creation of Underwood’s figure began when a team of Madame Tussauds studio artists flew out to meet her on tour for her figure sitting. Underwood was an enthusiastic participant in the figure making process â€“ not only did she spend more than an hour with the studio artists, but she also generously donated a replica of the dress that she wore to the 2006 CMA Awards, when she was first named Female Vocalist of The Year, to Madame Tussauds for her figure to don. “We are thrilled that Carrie was able to join us today to help unveil her figure. Not only is she a bona fide superstar with fans around the world, but she is also an incredibly kind and generous young woman â€“ a true role model for young people today. We know that our guests will love her figure, and we can’t wait for them to see it,â€? said Janine DiGioacchino, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York and Madame Tussauds Washington D. C. Underwood's wax likeness is now part of the attraction's "VIP Room" and is posed in a standing position with hands on hips.

The fifth single "I Told You So" was officially released on February 2, 2009. On March 18, she performed the song live with Randy Travis, who originally recorded the song. It peaked at number two on the Billboard country charts.

On February 11, 2009, The nominees for the 44th Academy of Country Music Awards were announced, and Underwood was nominated for four major awards, including Top Female Vocalist, Video of the Year for "Just a Dream", Album of the Year for "Carnival Ride", and Entertainer of the Year. Underwood was the only female nominee for this year's Entertainer of the Year, alongside Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney and George Strait. On April 5, 2009 Underwood won the Academy Of Country Music Award for Female Vocalist Of the Year. Underwood also won the prestigious trophy for Entertainer of The Year, thus making her only the 7th female to take the award (previous female winners include Loretta Lynn in 1975, Dolly Parton in 1977, Barbara Mandrell in 1980, Reba McEntire in 1994, Shania Twain in 1999, and most recently Dixie Chicks in 2000) in the award show's four decade run.

Underwood was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 CMT Awards for "Just a Dream".

Also in 2009, Forbes reported that Underwood is the top earning American Idol alumni from June 2008 – May 17, 2009. She earned more than twice as much as the second place finisher, with estimated earnings of $14 million during this time period.

2009–present: Play On

Underwood released her third studio album on November 3, 2009 via Arista Nashville. USA Today revealed on August 30, 2009, that the album would be titled Play On, named after the final song on the album. Three promotional singles were made available to iTunes prior to the release of the album. The album debuted atop both Nielsen SoundScan's country and overall album charts, selling nearly 318,000 copies. It also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was rated as the highest first week sales for a female artist in 2009. Susan Boyle broke that record a few weeks later when her debut album sold 701,000 copies during its debut week, therefore making Underwood grab the second-highest female artist first week sales for 2009.

It was announced in August 2009 that Underwood was currently writing a song with pop/R&B; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for the album. Underwood later stated that she was not sure if the song fit within the context of the rest of the album, but was confident that "someone, somewhere, will definitely record this song".

The first single from the album, "Cowboy Casanova", co-written by Underwood, Brett James and hip hop producer Mike Elizondo, was released on September 14, but after a demo of the song was leaked to and played by a Seattle radio station on September 2, Underwood decided to release the song late that night. The song's official release was September 14. The song was digitally released on iTunes on September 22, 2009. The song has been established as the fastest-selling song in the past year of country music, as well as Underwood's fastest-selling song to date. According to a news release, “Cowboy Casanova� has become Underwood’s 11th No. 1 single and the first hit from Play On.

Underwood made a promotional stop in Singapore to promote her upcoming album, Play On, to the Asian media. The album was released on Nov. 2 in Singapore and various parts of Asia, followed by a November 3 release in the US.

Awards, in April 2010]] On November 10, Underwood and Brad Paisley played a free mini-concert in downtown Nashville for ABC's Good Morning America, one day before the CMA Awards. She performed "All-American Girl" (from her album Carnival Ride) and "Temporary Home" (from Play On). The show was open to the public. The pair co-hosted the 2009 CMA Awards on November 11 for a second time. She received two nominations: for Female Vocalist Of The Year and Musical Event Of The Year for I Told You So featuring the original artist Randy Travis. She performed "Cowboy Casanova" at the awards show.

It was announced on November 17, 2009, that Underwood's second single would be "Temporary Home". The single was released to country radio the week of December 14, 2009. On November 16, she performed "Temporary Home" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. On February 4, 2010, the video for Temporary Home made its premiere.

Underwood hosted a Christmas special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, a two-hour variety show on Fox. Also featured were seventh-season American Idol champion David Cook, Dolly Parton, Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley and others. The show was broadcast on December 7, 2009.

On December 10, 2009, Underwood's 2010 tour was announced. The first leg of the tour started March 11, 2010 in Reading, Pennsylvania and ended May 30, 2010 in Spokane, Washington. The second leg of the tour started on September 25, 2010 in Portland, Oregon and ends December 19, 2010 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

On December 16, Underwood received the 2009 Harmony Award at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Underwood's image was one of three selected to appear on the cover of the 2010 edition of the World Almanac and Book of Facts. This makes her the second American Idol winner to make the cover of the annual publication, following David Cook.

Underwood performed a duet with Canadian singer Bryan Adams at the February 2010 CRS Radio Event in Nashville. She also performed a duet with country star Miranda Lambert at this same event, singing a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, "Travelin' Band".

Underwood appeared on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". That was her acting debut. Her character, Tiffany, is a pharmaceutical sales representative who becomes the love interest for another main character on the show. The episode, entitled "Hooked", was aired at 8pm on March 1, 2010.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, a truck driver in Underwood's crew was killed in a terrible crash on I-95 en route to her concert in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Underwood dedicated her hit single, "Temporary Home", to him, and she teared up towards the end of the song. The audience gave both Underwood and the driver a standing ovation after the performance.

On March 2, 2010, Underwood was nominated for 6 Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Play On, Female Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year for Cowboy Casanova(writer and artist), and Vocal Event for her duet with Randy Travis on "I Told You So". The ACMs took place in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 18, 2010. At the show, Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year, making her the only country female artist in history to win this award twice, let alone consecutively. Underwood opened the show with fellow artist Miranda Lambert with the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Travelin' Band. Brad Paisley played guitar while Charlie Daniels appeared on fiddle. A guest appearance was made by CCR lead singer John Fogerty. She also performed "Temporary Home" during the show.

Host Reba McEntire presented Underwood with the "ACM Triple Crown Award" signifying her winning Top New Artist, Top Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year during her career. She was only the 2nd Female to win the Coveted "Triple Crown Award", as the only other woman to win this award was Barbara Mandrell.

On Tuesday, March 30, 2010, it was announced that Underwood's single, "Temporary Home", from her junior album "Play On", has hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, thus spawning Underwood's 12th #1 single in her career. On April 6, 2010, Carrie Underwood was in Columbus, Ohio, when it was announced that she would film the audience for her music video for "Undo It".

On April 16, 2010, Underwood announced a second leg for her "Play On Tour". Her opening acts were confirmed to be Sons of Sylvia and Billy Currington. Tickets went on sale on April 24, 2010 for the second leg.

On April 20, 2010, Underwood was one of the first artists to be confirmed to perform at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The ceremony was be held live in Nashville, Tennessee on June 9, 2010. Underwood, was a 3-time nominee for Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova", Female Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova", and CMT Performance of the Year for her performance of "Temporary Home" on Underwood's very own CMT Invitation Only.

On May 24, 2010, "Undo It", Underwood's third single from "Play On", was released to radio.

In May, 2010, Underwood was selected on People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People List for 2010. This was the 4th year in a row that she was selected for this prestigious list.

On May 23, 2010, CBS aired a special PSA that Underwood had taped for a new charitable foundation that she organized with the Academy of Country Music Association to help the victims of the May 2010 Nashville Flood.

On June 9, 2010, the CMT Music Awards were held. Underwood walked away with the biggest award of the night for Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova". She also won CMT Performance of the Year for "Temporary Home" from CMT: Invitation Only presents Carrie Underwood. Underwood performed "Undo It" at the show. She was presented by American Idol judge and co-writer of the song Kara DioGuardi.

On June 22, 2010, Underwood participated in the Nashville Rising Benefit concert with other celebrities like Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, LeeAnn Rimes. She was the first to perform and her set list consisted of her current single "Undo It" then followed it up by a breathtaking performance of her first single "Jesus, Take the Wheel", transitioning into the classic hymn "How Great Thou Art". At the end of her performance the audience gave her a standing ovation. When asked why she decided to do it she responded "You hear everything from people losing possessions to entire houses being gone. I've heard of people living in tents in their backyard," she said. "You just hear the worst of the worst and hope that in some way there's something you can do about it. It is for a good cause so I feel like everyone [was happy to be] giving. You look out there and everybody's at their best." According to CMT the sold out concert was estimated to raise between 2-3 million dollars for the city of Nashville.

In June 2010, Underwood was nominated for four Teen Choice Awards, including Choice Country Artist Female, Choice Country Album for "Play On", Choice Country Single for "Undo It", and Choice American Idol Alum. All the awards were fan-voted at the show's official website.

On June 16, 2010, the RIAA certified Underwood's song, "Temporary Home", as Gold. On July 8, 2010, the RIAA certified Underwood's song, "Undo It", as Gold. The certifications gave Underwood her seventh and eighth Gold single to tag along with four platinum or multi-platinum singles.

On July 30, 2010, Underwood performed at The Today Show's Summer Concert Series. Underwood performed "Before He Cheats", "Cowboy Casanova", and "Undo It". Later on that day, she confirmed in an interview that the fourth single from Play On would be "Mama's Song".

On July 31, 2010, Underwood performed at the Greenbrier Classic PGA Tour event alongside Brad Paisley. An estimated 60,000 people attended the outdoor event and watched the two perform in the pouring rain.

On the week ending August 7, 2010, "Undo It" hit #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

On August 26, 2010, Underwood and Brad Paisley were announced as cohosts for the 44th Country Music Awards to be held in Nashville, November 10, 2010. This is the third year in a row that Underwood and Paisley hosted the CMAS. Underwood is also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year ("Play On").

In early September, 2010, Underwood gave a press conference in NYC where she was announced as the new face of "Olay" skincare products. She is the first ever North American ambassador for the product. As part of the campaign, Underwood will appear in television and print ads.

The 4th single from Play On, Mama's Song, was released to country radio on September 13, 2010. The music video premiered on VEVO on September 24. Underwood's real-life mother and husband Mike Fisher appeared in the video.

On September 16, 2010, Underwood taped a special concert at the Grand Ole Opry that aired on November 14, 2010, on the TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, and Keith Urban participated in rebuilding a school in Tennessee that was lost in the Nashville flood.

On October 2, Underwood sold out the prestigious Hollywood Bowl in LA and played with the Hollywood Bowl orchestra as part of her Play On Tour. Randy Travis and Orianthi joined her on stage to perform a few songs.

Underwood was honored by the CMT Artists of the Year special as one of the 5 top Artists of the year in 2010 in country music. The event aired on CMT on December 3, 2010.

On October 14, 2010, Underwood won an Inspirational Country Music Award for Video of the year for her song, "Temporary Home".

On October 23, 2010, Underwood won Female Vocalist of the Year, and Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova" at the French Country Music Awards.

Underwood co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "There's a Place for Us," the lead single from . It was released to iTunes on November 16, 2010. Underwood and songwriters, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey, received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Underwood co-hosted the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010 with Brad Paisley.

Underwood won her 6th American Music Award. She won "Favorite Country Album", for "Play On". That makes her the only artist in the American Music Award history to have all albums awarded in such a category.

Underwood was the American Country Awards' top winner with six wins, Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for (Play On), Female Artist Single of the Year for ("Cowboy Casanova"), Female Artist Video of the Year for ("Cowboy Casanova") and Touring Artist of the Year.

On December 14, 2010, Underwood was nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press for her first Golden Globes award, under the category Best Original Song from a Movie, for the song she co-wrote and recorded for the movie "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

Carrie was nominated for a Pollstar Touring Award on January 4, 2011, for her Play On Tour, for Most Creative Stage Production. The award ceremony will be held February 5, 2011, at the Nokia Center in LA.

Filmography

Underwood starred in and hosted a 2009 television special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, and, in 2010, made her dramatic acting debut in an episode of the television series, How I Met Your Mother. She performed a voice-over as 'Carrie Underworm', a parodied "worm" character, in an episode of the PBS children's television series, Sesame Street, and will portray Sarah Hill in the independent film, Soul Surfer, scheduled for release in 2011. On October 4, 2010, Underwood was featured in an episode on the second season of the MTV show The Buried Life, playing herself as one of the dream dates the members want to ask out on a date.

Personal interests

after performing in Tikrit, Iraq in December 2006.]] In addition to being a singer, Underwood is a guitarist and pianist, and has accompanied herself on guitar for some songs such as "Don't Forget to Remember Me" and "Inside Your Heaven" during live concert performances and on albums. She plays a McPherson guitar with an off-set sound hole.

Underwood is an animal lover and a vegetarian. She stopped eating meat at the age of thirteen because she couldn't stand the thought of eating one of her own animals. She was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA in 2007 for the second time, the first being in 2005 alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. In a 2007 interview with PETA, Underwood stated, "Ever since I was little I loved animals [...] If you told me I could never sing again, I'd say that was horrible, but it's not my life. If you told me I could never be around animals again, I would just die." Underwood is a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and has done several public service announcements for the organization. Underwood has also done a "Protect Your Pets" public service announcement for Do Something.

Aside from maintaining her physique through healthy eating habits, Underwood told Oprah Winfrey earlier this year that she makes healthy living and fitness a priority. In Nashville, Underwood's personal trainer incorporates a mix of running and kickboxing to keep her trim figure. She also uses a food log to keep track of her eating habits and even gives herself a reward for staying on the healthy eating track.

Underwood also lent her voice to benefit cancer research. She was featured on the 2008 song, "Just Stand Up". The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). As a result of their fund raising efforts, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award $73.6 million towards novel, groundbreaking research.

A native of eastern Oklahoma, she co-wrote a song dedicated to her hometown, "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore". In December 2005, Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today. Underwood performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season, to spread holiday cheer to the troops overseas. She follows a celebrity entertainment tradition started by Bob Hope that continues to this day. Several Internet sites have photos and video clips of Underwood's performances in Iraq, including photos of Underwood in military garb.

Underwood has also stated she has a great interest in sports. In 2005, she performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, and in 2006 at the NBA All-Star Game. She also performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers in 2006, as well as at the 2006 edition of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, the MLB All Star Game in Pittsburgh, P.A., and at Game 3 of the 2007 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies. In 2007 she was seen attending an NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets alongside fellow American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler, as well as another game between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.

On February 7, 2010, Underwood performed the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLIV.

In August 2009, Underwood formed the Checotah Animal Town and School (C.A.T.S.) Foundation to benefit her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma. On August 28, 2009, Underwood visited Checotah High School with ABC news anchor Robin Roberts, where she gave a presentation on stage, sang with a young girl in front of students and school faculty, and donated over $117,000 worth of musical instruments to three music programs at three of Checotah's schools. Underwood later mingled with fans, signing autographs and taking pictures, as well as being interviewed by several local news stations. The story aired on November 10, 2009 on a program called "In the Spotlight With Robin Roberts" on ABC.

On October 16, 2009, Underwood performed in Singapore; it is her first public appearance in an Asian country in line of a series of events for the grand opening of the newest shopping attraction in the heart of the city, ION Orchard.

Underwood has participated in the annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball tournament for charity for many years. The event takes place in Nashville, Tennessee and benefits research for life-threatening diseases. At this event in 2010, her then-fiance Mike Fisher also played for the Grand Ole Opry team and the two of them were given a "surprise bridal shower" and received gifts from Gloriana, Luke Bryan, David Nail and Josh Thompson among others.

Personal life

Underwood performed at halftime of the 2006 Thanksgiving Day football game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, and was friends with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. She attended his birthday party in April 2007, and on May 15, 2007, he escorted her to the Academy of Country Music Awards. They were rumored to be dating on and off throughout 2007. Although she denied the rumor when asked, Romo confirmed it by saying "[...] I'm dating Carrie Underwood" on his website. He also told an Illinois newspaper that they were dating.

In August 2007, Underwood began dating Chace Crawford of the American television series Gossip Girl. On October 4, 2007, People magazine reported that the two were seen holding hands in New York City, though according to further reports, they ended their relationship in the spring of 2008.

She became engaged in December 2009 to Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher, whom she began dating after they met at one of her concerts in 2008. Underwood and Fisher appeared together publicly for the first time in January 2010, at the Bell Sens Soiree, an annual fundraiser in Gatineau for the Ottawa Senators' official charity. After appearing together at the CMT Awards in June 2010, Underwood told reporters that Fisher was planning a surprise honeymoon for the two of them after their summer wedding.

On July 10, 2010, Underwood and Fisher wed at the Ritz Carlton Resort at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia, with more than 250 people in attendance. The couple gave People magazine the following statement, which they signed "Mike & Carrie Fisher": "We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!" According to People, Monique Lhuillier created a dress of Chantilly lace for Underwood and also designed the bridesmaids' dresses. The ceremony featured classical music and readings of the couple's favorite Bible verses. National Hockey League players, as well as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, American Idol contestants, and judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were in attendance

Discography

2005: Some Hearts

2007: Carnival Ride

2009: Play On

Tours

2005: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2005

2006:

2008: Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour (w/ Keith Urban)

2008: Carnival Ride Tour

2010: Play On Tour

Awards

Grammy Awards

On December 7, 2006, Underwood's album Some Hearts received four Grammy nominations. Underwood won her two Grammy Award nominations: Best New Artist, becoming the second of only three country artist to ever win this award after Leann Rimes, and was followed by Zac Brown Band in 2010, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take the Wheel", which also won Best Country Song for the songwriters Gordie Sampson, Brett James and Hillary Lindsey. The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year". Her nomination and victory in the Best New Artist category marked the first time that an American Idol winner or contestant had been nominated for such category. The award ceremony was held on February 11, 2007, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. She sang the Eagles song "Life in the Fast Lane" alongside Grammy nominees Rascal Flatts. She also sang the Eagles' "Desperado" to honour Don Henley of The Eagles. She also paid tribute to Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys by performing "New San Antonio Rose".

On February 10, 2008, Underwood was nominated for two Grammys: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Before He Cheats" and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for "Oh, Love" a duet with Brad Paisley. She won one Grammy Award that night, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and "Before He Cheats" also won Best Country Song for its songwriters. The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year". Underwood performed "Before He Cheats" at the ceremony, with a more powerful vocal ending.

On February 8, 2009, Underwood, for the third year in a row, won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Last Name", which she performed during the show, for a total of four Grammy awards in three years. "Ever Ever After", which she recorded for the soundtrack of the 2007 film Enchanted, was also nominated for a Grammy Award under the category Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

On December 2, 2009, Underwood received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her No. 1 song "Just a Dream" and a nomination for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis, the latter of which she won to score her the 5th Grammy of her career.

On January 30, 2010, Underwood performed at the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She performed a duet with Harry Connick Jr. of "All the Way", and a solo version of her hit "Cowboy Casanova".

Underwood performed at the Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010 for the fourth consecutive year, with Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson during the 3-D Michael Jackson tribute at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich stated that Michael Jackson greatly admired Carrie Underwood, which is why she was hand-picked to perform during his tribute.

On January 31, 2010, Underwood won her fifth Grammy Award. She won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis.

On December 1, 2010, Underwood was nominated for a Grammy award for the 8th time, for 'Best Female Country Vocal Performance' for Temporary Home. The awards will take place on February 13, 2011.

International awards

Underwood received her very first international award nomination in 2006. She was nominated for "World's Best Selling New Artist" at the 2006 World Music Awards. The award is given due to worldwide sales (who sells more is the winner). Among the six nominees, Underwood ranked #2, while British singer James Blunt ranked #1 and ended winning the award.

Also in 2006, Underwood's record "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won "SOCAN Song of the Year" at the Canadian Country Music Awards.

In 2008, Underwood won her first international award, which was "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the European Country Music Association Awards.

On October 23, 2010, Underwood won 2 awards from the 8th French Country Music Awards. She won "Best Female Vocalist of the Year (Meilleure Chanteuse)" and "Best Video of the year (Meilleure Video)" for "Cowboy Casanova". The ceremony was held by The French Association of Country Music.

On December 14, 2010, Underwood was nominated for a CMC Australian Country Music Award for International Artist of the Year.

References

Bibliography

Tracey, Kathleen. Carrie Underwood: American Idol IV. September 2005. Blue Banner Biography series (Juvenile) ISBN 1-58415-425-X

Footnotes

External links

Official site of Carrie Underwood from Arista Records

Carrie Underwood at Billboard.com

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American female singers Category:American country singers Category:American expatriates in Canada Category:American Idol winners Category:American vegetarians Category:Arista Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:People from Muskogee, Oklahoma Category:Northeastern State University alumni Category:Musicians from Oklahoma Category:American Christians Category:Baptists from the United States Category:American people of Native American descent Category:Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductees

Name	Brooke White
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Brooke Elizabeth White
Born	June 02, 1983Phoenix, Arizona
Origin	Mesa, Arizona, United States
Genre	Indie pop, folk-pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Years active	2005–present
Label	June Baby Records (2009-present)
Associated acts	Michael Johns
Url	www.RealBrookeWhite.com/

Brooke Elizabeth White (born June 2, 1983) is an American indie pop/folk-pop singer-songwriter and actress from Mesa, Arizona who was the fifth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005, White released her first studio album, called Songs from the Attic. White's first post-Idol album High Hopes & Heartbreak was released on July 21, 2009. The first single "Hold Up My Heart" was released on February 25, 2009, and the song debuted at #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single "Radio Radio" was released on June 23, 2009.

Biography

Early life

Brooke Elizabeth White was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in nearby Mesa, with three younger siblings (Katie, Tyler, and Quinn) and her parents, Brad and Kaylene, and is of English descent. She also has family members in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Personal life

White started singing at 16, when she tried out for the high school musical, Meet Me in St. Louis, and earned the lead role. White is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

American Idol

Overview

White auditioned for American Idol, in Philadelphia, where she sang "Like a Star" and received positive reviews from all of the judges. During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, which prompted Cowell to state that he could "bring her over to the dark side." During Hollywood week, White performed "Beautiful", by Carole King, and accompanied herself on piano. After that performance, judges commented that White reminded them of a young Carly Simon or Carole King.

In the live rounds of the competition, White accompanied herself on guitar for her performances of "You're So Vain", "Jolene", and "I'm a Believer" and on piano for "Let It Be", "Every Breath You Take", "Hero" and "I Am...I Said". Judge Simon Cowell chose White early as one of his four favorites in the competition when he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on March 17, 2008.

During the 1970s theme week, while White performed "You're So Vain", by Carly Simon, she stared at Simon Cowell. It caught the judges' attention and received good reviews from them. White performed an acoustic version of "Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar, in the next week to good reviews, as well. During the Lennon/McCartney week, she performed "Let It Be", a classic song by The Beatles. Randy Jackson said it was a very heartfelt performance and Simon Cowell said that it was believable and one of the best of the night and that he thought that Brooke had picked good song choices in the past three weeks.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who served as guest mentor for a show, based on his own music, was particularly impressed by White and predicted a big night for her. However, three lines into her performance of "You Must Love Me", White apologized, stopped the band and re-started the song from the beginning. She later explained, "I lost the lyric." Simon Cowell stated that he would have done the same thing, had he been in her situation. It was the first time in the show's history that a contestant restarted a performance from a point so far into the song. (White had previously restarted "Every Breath You Take", after a single odd note.) Despite this, she was the third contestant to be named safe on the subsequent results show, while Carly Smithson went home.

When White performed "I'm a Believer" and "I Am...I Said", during Neil Diamond week, she personalized the latter, at Diamond's own suggestion, by changing the lyrics from "I'm New York City born and raised" to "I'm Arizona born and raised."

White was in the bottom three three times, once on April 2 after performing Dolly Parton's song "Jolene", again on April 16 after performing Mariah Carey's "Hero", and when she was eliminated on April 30, 2008 after performing "I'm a Believer" and "I Am...I Said".

Performances/Results

{|class="wikitable" align="left" |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Week # |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Theme |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Song choice |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Original artist |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Order # |colspan="100" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Result |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"| Audition |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|N/A |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Like a Star" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Corinne Bailey Rae |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|N/A |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Hollywood |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|N/A |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Beautiful" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Carole King |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|N/A |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Hollywood |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|N/A |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"God Only Knows" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Beach Boys |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|N/A |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Advanced |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 24 (12 Women) |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|1960s |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Happy Together" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Turtles |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|6 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 20 (10 Women) |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|1970s |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"You're So Vain" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Carly Simon |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|3 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 16 (8 Women) |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|1980s |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Love Is a Battlefield" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Pat Benatar |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|7 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 12 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Lennon/McCartney |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Let It Be" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Beatles |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|7 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 11 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Beatles |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Here Comes the Sun" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Beatles |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|5 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 10 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Year They Were Born |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Every Breath You Take" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The Police |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|5 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 9 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Dolly Parton |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Jolene" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Dolly Parton |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|1 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Bottom 3 |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 8 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Inspirational Music |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"You've Got a Friend" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Carole King |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|8 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 7 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Mariah Carey |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"Hero" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Mariah Carey |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|4 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Bottom 2 |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 6 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Andrew Lloyd Webber |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"You Must Love Me" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Madonna |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|3 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe |- |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Top 5 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Neil Diamond |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|"I'm a Believer""I Am...I Said" |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|The MonkeesNeil Diamond |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|38 |colspan="100" align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Eliminated |} White was saved first from elimination. When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, White was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as the remaining contestant was eliminated.

Post-Idol

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, White stated that she will continue to focus on recording and that she received a call from Carly Simon. When asked about returning as a nanny of the twins, White said that the family joked that they would give her a raise, if she went back, and she said that she didn't mind babysitting every once in a while. After White's elimination, she made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 1, 2008, Live with Regis and Kelly and The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 5, 2008, The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet on May 6, 2008, Good Day L.A. and Access Hollywood. She also filmed an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live on May 6, 2008. While on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen DeGeneres cut White's husband David's hair, since he had vowed not to cut it until Brooke was eliminated from Idol. She performed "You're So Vain" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and Access Hollywood. White shot a video for the VH1 TV show Best Week Ever, called "Brooke White Starts And Stops The Classics". In the video, White mocks herself and starts and stops while singing some classic songs. White returned to the Idol stage for the season finale and performed, along with the other Top 12 contestants. She also sang "Teach Your Children", with Graham Nash. White filmed a commercial with fellow finalists, Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, she has become the spokeswoman for “Save The World Summer�, a campaign launched by Malaria No More and Idol Gives Back. White stated in an interview that she would not sign a record deal until the tour finished. "There are definitely certain things that I have to abide with in my American Idol contract. I won't sign anything, until three months after the show is over. That doesn't mean that I'm not looking ahead and preparing for the future. The point of doing the show was not just to be on TV but to launch into a real career." White completed the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008, which ran from July 1, 2008, to September 13, 2008. She performed "Let It Be" by the Beatles, "1234" by Feist and "Yellow" by Coldplay (which is also included on White's debut album Songs From the Attic. White was on the Fall 2008 cover of Eliza magazine. The cover was accompanied by an eight page fashion story and article. On September 27, 2008 (proclaimed by the mayor of Mesa to be "Brooke White Day"), Brooke White visited her hometown of Mesa, AZ, and signed autographs at Milano Music Center and performed at the Mesa Amphitheater. The performance was free to the public; however, donations to Malaria No More were accepted. The event was sponsored by the Mesa Convention Center, Milano Music Center, and Malaria No More. White also appeared at NAMM and did an impromptu performance of "You're So Vain" at the Gibson booth. She launched BrookeWhiteMusic.net as her official website, but later announced on her twitter that the new official site was RealBrookeWhite.com She sang "Dancing a Catchy Rhythm" with Jennifer Hudson for the Walt Disney World Paris parade. White also collaborated with Michael Johns for a song called, Life is Okay. White performed the song with Johns. She and fellow Idol alumn Michael Johns performed joint concerts, in September, 2009. She will appear solo at a concert in Washington, DC, on October 10, 2009. On November 10, 2009, an exclusive holiday EP by White was released on iTunes and contained the songs "Away in a Manger", "Blue Christmas" and "California Christmas".

Career

Songs from the Attic (2005)

White's debut album, Songs from the Attic, was released nationwide in the US by the independent record label New Millennium Records Group, in 2005, and was produced and co-written by Tim Simms. Songs from the Attic is a full length 11 song album which contains some of White's first songs that she ever wrote and recorded. The album also contains cover versions of Aerosmith's "Dream On" and Coldplay's "Yellow". White's first music video was from a song off Songs from the Attic, entitled , "Free", which was directed by Braden Barty and produced by Tim Simms. In the video, she acts out her story as a beauty school dropout who moves to Hollywood to pursue a singing career. Songs from the Attic was re-released, after White was eliminated from American Idol.

High Hopes & Heartbreak (2009-present)

On January 31, White announced that she signed with Sanctuary Artist Management, instead of earlier reported Sanctuary Records. She also announced that the title of her new album would be called High Hopes & Heartbreak.'' On February 25, 2009, White released her first single, "Hold Up My Heart," written entirely by White. The song featured a piano riff that repeated throughout with a mid-tempo beat. White returned to American Idol to perform her debut single, on the February 26 results show and played the keyboard to accompany the song. White announced, on May, 2009, that she started her own record label "June Baby Records", with Randy Jackson, and her first post-Idol album, High Hopes & Heartbreak, would be available July 21, 2009. The second single off the album "Radio Radio" was available on iTunes on June 23. The album was originally supposed to be dropped on June 2, 2009, but was postponed to release a little more than two months later, as said in White's blog entry for the 15th of May. White held a live webcast at 5PM PST, on the 9th of July, 2009, and announced that she had teamed up with iTunes and her album High Hopes & Heartbreak was to be exclusively digitally released from the iTunes Store on the July 14, as well as the music video of her second single Radio Radio to be available for downloads free on the same date. During the webcast, she performed 3 songs on her album, including her single "Radio Radio", her cover of Use Somebody originally by the Kings of Leon and the title track off her album, "High Hopes & Heartbreak", all performed with her on the keyboard. A 'backstage pass' was also released in connection with The Republic Project, which allows purchasers to receive and view behind-the-scenes videos of the making of High Hopes & Heartbreak. 10 lucky purchasers of the backstage pass were chosen to attend the live webcast, in Los Angelos, which streamed live on July 9 on Facebook and uStream. A Live Session EP was released on the October 13, 2009, exclusively on the iTunes Store. It consisted of five songs recorded live during her summer tour with fellow 'Idol' mate Michael Johns and Benton Paul. The five songs included three acoustic and piano versions from "High Hopes & Heartbreak", a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" and a personal song that White wrote, "Take it Away."

Musical influences

White cites her musical influences as the "soulful sounds of the 70s", such as the Carpenters, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the Eagles, America, Carly Simon, the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Phil Collins. When asked on American Idol with whom she would like to do a duet, she named John Mayer as her choice for a modern artist. She also says that, if she could choose a partner for a "dream duet", she would choose Carole King, whom she cites as one of her main influences. She also cites Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as her favorite former American Idol winners. Carly Simon, one of the singers who inspired White, said publicly that her favorite contestant on Idol was Brooke. She was impressed with White's performance of "You're So Vain" and said that she thought, "Oh my God, this girl is so talented and she sings the song so much better than I ever did or ever could."

Acting

White starred in a Fox TV movie titled "Change of Plans", which aired on January 8, 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

EP

Live Session EP (iTunes Exclusive)

iTunes exclusive Holiday EP from Brooke White (released November 10, 2009)

Singles

Other charted songs

Featured singles

"Life Is Okay" (Michael Johns featuring Brooke White)

Other releases

iTunes Exclusive "American Idol Live Performances" # "Happy Together" # "You're So Vain" # "Love Is a Battlefield" iTunes Exclusive "American Idol Studio Performances"¹ # "Let It Be" - 3:30 # "Here Comes the Sun" - 2:51 # "Every Breath You Take" - 3:54 # "Jolene" - 2:39 # "You've Got a Friend" - 5:08 # "Hero" - 3:54 # "You Must Love Me" - 2:40 # "I Am...I Said" - 3:31 Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) - EP # "Rhiannon" - 3:13 # "Hold Up My Heart" - 3:21 # "Radio Radio" - 3:23 # "High Hopes & Heartbreak" - 3:42 # "Take It Away" - 2:58

References

External links

Brooke White's official site

Brooke White's official Twitter

Brooke White Interview with FOX News Radio

Brooke White's Official Myspace

Category:1983 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:American Idol participants Category:American female guitarists Category:American pianists Category:American people of English descent Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American female singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Mesa, Arizona Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American pop keyboardists Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American folk singers Category:Performers of Christian music