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| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Official name | City of Wilkes-Barre |
| Nickname | The Diamond City |
| Motto | Pattern After Us |
| Pushpin map | Pennsylvania |
| Pushpin label position | left |
| Pushpin map caption | Location in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates region | US-PA |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision type1 | State |
| Subdivision type2 | County |
| Subdivision name | United States |
| Subdivision name1 | Pennsylvania |
| Subdivision name2 | Luzerne |
| Leader title | Mayor |
| Leader name | Thomas M. Leighton (D) |
| Established title | Founded |
| Established title1 | Incorporated |
| Established title2 | |
| Established date | 1769 |
| Established date1 | 1806–Borough |
| Established date2 | 1871–City |
| Area total sq mi | 7.2 |
| Area total km2 | 18.6 |
| Area land sq mi | 6.9 |
| Area land km2 | 17.7 |
| Area water sq mi | 0.3 |
| Area water km2 | 0.9 |
| Population as of | 2000 |
| Population total | 43123 |
| Population metro | 624776 |
| Population density km2 | 2430.6 |
| Timezone | EST |
| Utc offset | -5 |
| Timezone dst | EDT |
| Utc offset dst | -4 |
| Coordinates display | display=inline,title |
| Elevation ft | 525 |
| Elevation m | 160 |
| Website | www.wilkes-barre.pa.us |
| Sister cities | Karlstad, Sweden |
Wilkes-Barre and surrounding Wyoming Valley are framed by the Pocono Mountains to the east, the Endless Mountains to the west and the Lehigh Valley to the south. The Susquehanna River flows through the center of the valley and defines the northwestern border of the city.
The initial settlers were aligned with Connecticut, which had a claim on the land that rivaled Pennsylvania's. Armed men loyal to Pennsylvania twice attempted to evict the residents of Wilkes-Barre in what came to be known as the Pennamite Wars. After the American Revolution, the conflict was resolved so that the settlers retained title to their lands but transferred their allegiance to Pennsylvania.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Wilkes-Barre attempted to repair the damage from Agnes by building a levee system that rises 41 feet; it has successfully battled less threatening floods of 1996, 2004, and 2006, and the Army Corps of Engineers has praised the quality of the levees.
The City of Wilkes-Barre celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2006. There were several events which were scheduled to commemorate this occasion over the July 4 weekend, including a free concert with the Beach Boys in the city's Kirby Park. However, due to extremely heavy rains, the Susquehanna River crested high enough that most of the city had to be evacuated on June 28, 2006, forcing the cancellation of the events. Afterwards, the city rescheduled their Blastoff, their Bicentennial Parade and the Bicentennial Gala to different dates throughout August. The Beach Boys rescheduled their concert and played a Kirby Park concert on Labor Day Weekend, Sunday September 3, 2006, attended by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.
Political corruption in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County became a major regional news story following nationwide publication of stories about the Kids for Cash scandal, a kickback scheme involving two local judges, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, charged with enriching themselves by investing in juvenile detention facilities to which they subsequently sentenced children under their judicial power. The judges were implicated by another county judge who was being investigated as part of an FBI probe of events at the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre and corruption generally in the county. In the following months over 30 persons were charged as a result of the corruption probe. In August 2010, former Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak, a former professional football notable and Wilkes-Barre native, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for accepting a bribe unrelated to his involvement with the for-profit juvenile detention center. Ciavarella and Conahan have withdrawn earlier guilty pleas, raising the possibility of a criminal trial.
The city is headed by a mayor, elected to a four-year term. The current mayor is Tom Leighton, a Democrat who was first elected to office in 2003.
The Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Wilkes-Barre. Its probation system is divided into two divisions; one for adults, and one for juveniles.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania sits at the Max Rosenn United States Courthouse in downtown Wilkes-Barre on South Main Street. The Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court, John J. Thomas, is son of Thomas C. Thomas, a prominent produce dealer whose terminal remains a prominent part of the Wilkes-Barre skyline.
The average household size was 2.20, and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The local accent of American English is Northeast Pennsylvania English.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²).6.8 square miles (17.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it is water. The total area is 4.60% water. While the Susquehanna River has a wide floodplain that has necessitated the construction of floodwalls to protect a large percentage of the city, the areas away from the river increase in elevation approaching Wilkes-Barre Mountain. The approximate elevation for the majority of the city is about 525 feet above sea level.
Public transportation is provided by the Luzerne County Transportation Authority. In addition to servicing the main arteries of the city, it provides transportation for the northern half of the county, as well as a connecting bus to Scranton via an interchange at Pittston with COLTS, the public transit authority of Lackawanna County.
Five international airlines fly from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in nearby Avoca. Smaller, private planes may also use the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort.
The city was at one time served by the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (later Erie Lackawanna Railway), Delaware and Hudson Railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad, and the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad (known as the Laurel Line). The Wilkes-Barre Traction Company formed a streetcar line from Georgetown to Nanticoke and over the river into Plymouth ceasing operations in the mid 1940s. At present, the Canadian Pacific Railway (successor to the Delaware and Hudson) and the Luzerne & Susquehanna Railroad (designated-operator of a county-owned shortline) provide freight service within the city.
Category:Cities in Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre Category:County seats in Pennsylvania Category:Populated places on the Susquehanna River Category:Populated places established in 1769 Category:Municipalities of the Anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania Category:Populated places in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | Adam Lambert |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Adam Mitchel Lambert |
| Born | January 29, 1982Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Origin | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Genre | Pop rock, pop The Times identified Lambert as one of the few openly gay mainstream pop artists to launch a career on a major label in the United States. |
| Name | Lambert, Adam |
| Alternative names | Glambert |
| Short description | Singer |
| Date of birth | January 29, 1982 |
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | David Archuleta |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | David James Archuleta |
| Born | December 28, 1990Miami, Florida |
| Origin | Murray, Utah, US |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter, student |
| Genre | Pop |
| Instrument | Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Label | Jive |
| Url | www.DavidArchuleta.com |
David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer-songwriter. At ten years old he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances. In 2007, at sixteen years old, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of American Idol. The album, released two months later, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart; it has sold over 750,000 copies in the U.S. and over 900,000 Worldwide. In October 2010 he released a second album, The Other Side of Down featuring lead single Something 'Bout Love.
Archuleta started singing at the age of six, inspired by a Les Misérables video. "That musical is what started all of this", he said. He started performing publicly at age ten when he participated in the Utah Talent Competition, singing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton; he received a standing ovation and won the Child Division. He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2, Losing the Junior Grand Champion title to Tiffany Evans. On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandréa Lushington, who became a "top 20" semi-finalist on American Idol alongside Archuleta. and led to appearances on CBS' The Early Show, The year after Star Search he found out he had partial vocal paralysis but declined risky surgery and has said he feels he is almost fully recovered.
He later recorded two songs written and composed by Merrick Christensen as a featured artist for the small demo titled Fear vs. Faith. It is available on iTunes.
During the 1970s themed week Archuleta sang the John Lennon song "Imagine", omitting the earlier verses in favor of the last one. Los Angeles Times columnist Ann Powers speculated that he wanted to avoid singing "no religion too" because of his faith. "As a Mormon, he's unlikely to espouse the song's agnostic ideal," she wrote. However, he did sing the entire song on Good Things Utah when he was thirteen. When asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn't sing the first verse, Archuleta said the third verse was his favorite because it has "a great message."
After his performance of "We Can Work It Out", which judge Simon Cowell called "a mess", Entertainment Tonight reported that Archuleta was feeling pressure from his father, Jeff Archuleta, who "reportedly yelled at" his son after a recording session the previous night. Jeff Archuleta, in an interview with Us Weekly, denied the claim. A May 2008 Associated Press article reported that Jeff Archuleta had his son add a lyric from the Sean Kingston song "Beautiful Girls" into an interpretation of "Stand by Me" (from which "Beautiful Girls" samples its bass line), increasing the costs for licensing, and that this had resulted in Jeff Archuleta being banned from American Idol backstage rehearsals. Archuleta defended his father calling him "a great guy" who keeps him .
During the Top 7 results show, the contestants were split into two groups. In one group was Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, and Kristy Lee Cook. In the other group was David Cook, Carly Smithson, and Jason Castro. Archuleta was the only one not sorted into a group. He was declared safe after the groups were formed, then was asked to choose the group he thought was safe. He refused, and sat down on the floor of the stage, much like Melinda Doolittle had done the previous season.
In the finale he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment" and "Imagine". Judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta won the evening and even David Cook, who ultimately won, thought Archuleta would win: "I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it", said Cook. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the finale show, identical commercials featuring Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook mimicked the Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business where he dances in his underwear playing an air guitar; they were promoting the game franchise Guitar Hero.
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Performances: !Week !Theme !Song(s) !Original artist |- ! Auditions | N/A | "Waiting on the World to Change" | John Mayer |- ! Hollywood | N/A | "Crazy" |- ! Top 9 | Songs of Dolly Parton(mentor: Dolly Parton) | "" | Dolly Parton |- ! Top 8 | Inspirational Songs | "Angels" | Robbie Williams |- ! Top 7 | Songs of Mariah Carey(mentor: Mariah Carey) | "When You Believe" | Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston |- ! Top 6 | Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber(mentor: Andrew Lloyd Webber) | "Think of Me" | The Phantom of the Opera |- ! Top 5 | Songs of Neil Diamond (mentor: Neil Diamond) | "Sweet Caroline""America" | Neil Diamond |- ! Top 4 | Music of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | "Stand by Me""Love Me Tender" | Ben E. KingElvis Presley |- ! Top 3 | Judge's Choice (Paula Abdul)Contestant's ChoiceProducers' Choice | "And So It Goes""With You""Longer" | Billy JoelChris BrownDan Fogelberg |- ! Finale | Clive Davis's ChoiceNew SongContestant's Choice | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me""In This Moment""Imagine" | Elton JohnWritten by Ryan GillmorJohn Lennon |}
Archuleta's first appearances on music ranking charts were with the three songs he performed in the American Idol finale; "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment", and "Imagine", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 7, 2008. "Imagine" entered at #36 (giving Archuleta his first top forty hit), "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" at #58, and "In This Moment" entered at #60. That same week he had three songs on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart as well, where his versions of "Longer", "Think of Me", and "Angels" debuted at #15, #19, and #24 respectively. In July 2008 So You Think You Can Dance, a dance competition reality show, Archuleta's cover of "Imagine" by John Lennon was the featured music for contestants Katee Shean and William Wingfield with their pas de deux performance.
Archuleta signed with Jive Records in June 2008. His self-titled album, David Archuleta, was released in November 2008. His first single "Crush" was released in August 2008 on Z100, a New York radio station. On August 12 "Crush" became available on iTunes. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, beaten only by Rihanna's "Disturbia". It was the best chart debut in more than 18 months. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads in the first week in the United States. It has sold 1.92 million digital copies in the US. while serving as Grand Marshal at the Krewe of Caesar Mardi Gras parade in Metairie, Louisiana on Valentines Day, 2009.]] Along with American Idol winner David Cook, Archuleta placed second on Forbes' list of "Breakout Stars of 2008". The two co-presented an award at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards in August 2008.
On April 22, 2009, Archuleta returned to the American Idol stage in its eighth season and performed the third single from his debut album, "Touch My Hand". On April 30, 2009 he made his first UK television appearance, on the Paul O'Grady Show, performing "Crush" and chatting about his album, which was released there in May. In May, Archuleta and fellow American Idol David Cook, visited the Philippines. Two days later he made live appearances on two of GMA-7's shows, Sis and Eat Bulaga. He also confirmed that month that he was working on two new albums, his sophomore pop album and a Christmas album. In August 2009, Archuleta won three Teen Choice Awards for Breakout Artist, Love Song, and the Music Tour category with Demi Lovato. In September he won the Year in Music – Rising Male Star award at the ALMA Awards and performed a cover of the standard "Contigo En La Distancia."
Archuleta's acting debut was when he appeared as himself for his acting debut on Nickelodeon's show iCarly titled "iRocked the Vote". The episode aired February 7, 2009. He had also made a special guest appearance in Season 3 of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana In the episode "Promma Mia" as himself and he sang a duet: "I Wanna Know You" with Miley Cyrus who plays the title character; the song was featured on the soundtrack, Hannah Montana 3.
On May 16, 2009, Archuleta and David Cook performed in the Mall of Asia: Concert Grounds for their Back-to-Back Concert in Manila, Philippines. On June 1, 2010, Archuleta released , a memoir which refers to "the partial vocal paralysis he suffered in 2004 but has now fully recovered from". He went on a book signing tour beginning in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The book was a bestseller.
Archuleta came back to the American Idol stage on April 7, 2010 on the show's ninth season and performed John Lennon's "Imagine", which David had performed previously when he was a contestant on the show. After his performance, he mentioned that he was working on his third studio album.
Archuleta sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Stand by Me" at the 30th anniversary of the annual A Capitol Fourth concert in Washington, D.C. on the Fourth of July. The show was aired on PBS at 8pm EST live and tape delay PT.
Archuleta sang live at the Tejano Music Awards covering Selena's songs, Como La Flor and No Me Queda Más at the event as a tribute on July 11, 2010.
In an interview with AOL's Something Pitchy, Archuleta revealed that the release of his next album is planned for Fall 2010 (he did mention a late September release, but then went back to the Fall). On June 24, 2010 Jive Records announced that his new single would be released on DavidArchuleta.com on July 13, and iTunes on July 20. However, on June 30, 2010 the full version of "Something 'Bout Love" became available to play on his website. His album The Other Side of Down was released on October 5, 2010.
On October 7, 2010, it was announced that David Archuleta would be the guest star at the annual Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Archuleta will sing in performances on December 16-19.
Archuleta was one of the many Latino singers who participated in Somos El Mundo, the Spanish version of We Are The World 25 for Haiti. The song and video premiered on the Cristina Show in March 2010, funds raised benefit Haiti relief.
On his American Idol "Fast Facts" page, Archuleta cited his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams. Like Elliott Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe.
;As supporting act
Category:1990 births Category:American child singers Category:American Idol participants Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American male singers Category:American pop keyboardists Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American tenors Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:American people of Honduran descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American people Category:Idol series runners-up Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Utah Category:Jive Records artists Category:People associated with the Boy Scouts of America Category:Musicians from Miami, Florida Category:People from Murray, Utah
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | Lisa Lampanelli |
| Caption | Lampanelli making fun of an audience member in 2007 |
| Pseudonym | Comedy's Lovable Queen of Mean |
| Birth name | Lisa Lampugnale |
| Birth date | July 19, 1961 |
| Birth place | Trumbull, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Nationality | American |
| Active | 1990–present |
| Genre | Insult comedy, improvisational comedy, black comedy, observational comedy |
| Subject | Race relations, human sexuality, everyday life |
| Influences | Dean Martin Roasts, |
| Website | InsultComic.com |
Lisa Lampanelli (born Lisa Lampugnale; is an American stand-up comedian and insult comic. She is noted for her racy and raunchy style of comedy, which frequently includes taboo subjects such as race and homosexuality.
Lampanelli released a comedy special on DVD entitled Take it Like A Man in 2005, appeared in the 2006 motion picture , and had a cameo appearance in the VH1 sitcom So NoTORIous. She also landed a deal with Fox for a sitcom pilot with the tentative title Big Loud Lisa, which was considered a candidate for the network's 2006-07 television season. Lampanelli taped her stand-up special Dirty Girl in the fall of 2006, which aired on Comedy Central on January 28, 2007. Her Dirty Girl CD and Dirty Girl .. No Protection DVD were released by Warner Bros./Jack Records on January 30, 2007. Lampanelli was also featured in the movie Delta Farce starring Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and D.J. Qualls, which was released early in 2007, and in Drillbit Taylor starring Owen Wilson.
Her style of humour was influenced most by the Dean Martin roasts that televised when she was growing up; she didn't start watching other stand-up comedians until she became one herself.
Racial / ethnic humor is a large part of her comedy routine. Lampanelli explains:
}}
She makes frequent references to her real-life relationships with black men. In an interview with AskMen.com, she explained:
On November 21, 2008, in Santa Rosa, California, Lampanelli taped her first one-hour HBO Special at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The special, "Lisa Lampanelli: Long Live the Queen," which aired January 31, 2009, was directed by Dave Higby, who also directed her "Dirty Girl" special.
Category:1961 births Category:American film actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:People from Connecticut Category:Syracuse University alumni Category:Women comedians
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | Josh Groban |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Joshua Winslow Groban |
| Born | February 27, 1981Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Instrument | Vocals, piano, drums, percussions, flute |
| Genre | Classical, pop, vocal, Operatic pop |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter, musician, actor, record producer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Label | 143, Reprise |
| Url |
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number one best selling artist in the United States.
Groban originally studied acting but as his voice changed, it developed into a "significant instrument". The event that changed Groban's life was when his vocal coach, Seth Riggs, submitted a tape of Josh singing, "All I Ask of You", from The Phantom of the Opera, to Riggs' friend, renowned producer, composer and arranger David Foster. Foster called him to stand in for an ailing Andrea Bocelli to rehearse a duet, "The Prayer," with Celine Dion at the rehearsal for the Grammy Awards in 1998. Groban, being shy, reluctantly agreed. Rosie O'Donnell was so impressed that she immediately invited him to appear on her daytime talk show. His name and career soared with the public recognition he received, after being cast on Ally McBeal by the show's creator David E. Kelley, who asked him to perform "You're Still You" for the show's 2001 season finale. and Jack Groban, a businessman. His father is of Jewish background and a descendant of Russian and Polish immigrants. His mother is Norwegian American, the daughter of immigrants from the eastern Norwegian district of Toten. His parents joined the Episcopal Church after his father's conversion from Judaism to Christianity. Chris, his younger brother, shares the same birthday four years later.
Groban debuted as a singer in seventh grade. His music teacher chose the curly-headed, skinny kid for a solo of "S'wonderful" at the school's Cabaret Night, and Josh sang alone on stage for the very first time. When his mother, Lindy, heard his voice from outside the auditorium, she didn't even recognize the voice, and when she realized it was her son singing, it brought her to tears. David E. Kelley, creator of the television series Ally McBeal, created a character, Malcolm Wyatt, for Groban in the season finale aired in May 2001. The character of Malcolm Wyatt was so popular, prompting 8,000 emails from viewers, Under Foster's influence, Groban's first album focused more on classics such as "Gira Con Me Questa Notte" and "Alla Luce Del Sole."
Groban performed "There For Me" with Sarah Brightman on her 2000–01 La Luna World Tour, and was featured on her "La Luna" concert DVD. He recorded "For Always" with Lara Fabian on the movie soundtrack to A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). Groban performed in many benefit shows, including: "The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event For Children," singing alongside Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, and Robin Williams; "Muhammad Ali's Fight Night Foundation" which honored Michael J. Fox and others; "The Family Celebration" (2001), which was co-hosted by President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and David E. Kelley and his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer; and Michael Milken's CapCure event, which raises funds for cancer research.
The singer's self-titled debut album Josh Groban was released on November 20, 2001. Over the next year, it went from gold to double-platinum.
On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and by November, he had his own PBS special, "Josh Groban In Concert" (2002). In December 2002, he performed "To Where You Are" and sang "The Prayer" in a duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. He joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie, and others for a Christmas performance at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. In 2003, Groban performed at the David Foster concert for World Children's Day, singing "The Prayer" with Celine Dion and the finale song, "Aren't They All Our Children?" with artists including Yolanda Adams, Nick Carter, Enrique Iglesias, and Celine Dion.
Groban's second album Closer, produced and written by Foster, was released on November 11, 2003. Groban said that he believed that this second album was a better reflection of him, and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of his personality from listening to it. "What most people know about me, they know through my music. This time, I've tried to open that door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title." as well as on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Larry King Live, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Jay Leno Show, 20/20, The Today Show, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Super Bowl XXXVIII, the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, the Rockefeller Tree Lighting, and Glee (TV series).
During the first week of September 2006, Groban's single entitled "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" was released exclusively on AOL's First Listen. His third studio album Awake was officially released on November 7, 2006. Groban performed "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" as well as two other tracks from Awake at his recording session for Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios on 26 October 2006. On that album, Groban also collaborated with British musician and songwriter Imogen Heap, on the single "Now or Never". He performed two tracks with the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, "Lullaby" and "Weeping." Groban's "Awake" world tour visited 71 cities between February and August 2007, and travelled further to Australia and the Philippines with Lani Misalucha as his special guest in October 2007. He performed a duet with Barbra Streisand ("All I Know of Love") and with Mireille Mathieu ("Over the Rainbow"). As to his future, Groban is open to a plethora of possibilities. He said, "I am fortunate enough to have had many really big moments in my career. I think the mistake a lot of people in my position make is to always search for the next big thing. I am looking forward to playing some small theaters. I'm looking forward to writing more. I want to delve further into my acting career and explore some of the film and TV opportunities that I haven't had time for. My outlook is to expect the unexpected. And when the next step comes, I'm prepared to take it."
Groban has twice appeared on hit British TV Music Quiz show, Never Mind The Buzzcocks. His first appearance was as a guest on Noel Fielding's team and the second appearance was as the host/quiz master of an episode.
On April 14, 2007, Groban joined Idina Menzel for a PBS Soundstage taping. The next day, he held his own taping for the same PBS TV series at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall at Jazz in New York City.
In June 2007, Groban recorded a Christmas album in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Magdalen College Choir, which he discussed on the DVD from "The Making of Noël". It was released on October 9, 2007 and is titled Noël. The album has been highly successful in the US breaking numerous records for a Christmas album, as well as becoming the best selling album of 2007 in only its tenth week of release, at sales of 3.6 million.
On July 1, 2007, Groban performed with Sarah Brightman at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium; it was broadcast to over 500 million homes in 140 countries.
On August 23, 2007, Groban performed "You Raise Me Up" on Episode 14 of the talent show Last Choir Standing.
Groban was nominated for the 2008 Juno Award for International Album of the Year for Noël. In collaboration with French legend Charles Aznavour, he recorded Aznavour's signature song La Bohème as a duet in English and French. It is due to be released on Aznavour's next album, titled Duets.
On February 10, 2008, Groban performed at the 2008 Grammy Awards with Andrea Bocelli in a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti.
On May 12 and 13, 2008, Groban performed as Anatoly Sergievsky in "Chess in Concert" at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
On July 15, 2008, Groban performed "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at the 79th All-Star Game in New York City at Yankee Stadium.
On August 29, 2008, Groban appeared on the final episode of The Charlotte Church Show for a brief interview. The show ended as Groban performed "The Prayer" with host Charlotte Church.
On September 21, 2008, Groban performed a comical medley of well-known TV theme songs at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
In December 2008, Groban appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He performed a duet with Only Men Aloud! at the Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
On January 18, 2009, Groban performed as part of the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, performing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in duet with Heather Headley.
On January 20, 2009, Groban performed at the Warner Theatre - Heroes Red, White & Blue Inaugural Ball, Washington, DC
On March 28, 2009, Groban performed a duet of "Bridge over Troubled Water" with Jordin Sparks for the charity event Celebrity Fight Night.
In March 2009, Groban covered the hits of the late Casey Tatum and his brother on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. On September 14, 2009, Groban appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and surprised an audience member. Two days later he made a cameo appearance on Glee.
Groban was also featured in Nelly Furtado's song "Silencio", which was released on September 1, 2009. This song is from Nelly's first full length Spanish album Mi Plan.
At the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, he performed the Star Spangled Banner on Jan. 7, 2010 with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.
On November 30, 2010, Groban performed at the New York Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting.
On December 18, 2010, Groban performed at the Carols in the Domain in Sydney, Australia.
On December 21, 2010, Groban returned to BBC Two's Never Mind the Buzzcocks, this time as guest host and ending the show duetting with Michael Ball in a version of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.
Under the guidance of his mentor David Foster, Groban performed for many charity events that included VH1 Save the Music (2005), Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope (2005), Fifth Adopt-A-Annual Minefield concert (2005), 2nd Annual Grammy Jam (2005), Live 8 (2005), The Heart Foundation Gala (2005), and David Foster and Friends Charity Gala (2006). He also sang a solo on the recording of We Are The World 25 for Haiti (2010). Inspired by a visit with Nelson Mandela during a 2004 trip to South Africa, he established the Josh Groban Foundation to help children in need through education, healthcare and the arts. Mandela appointed Groban as an Official Ambassador for Mandela's Project 46664, a campaign to help raise Global awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. On April 25, 2007, Josh Groban performed with the African Children's Choir on American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" episode. Also on September 2, 2007, Groban donated $150,000 to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to fund music education. On February 28, 2008, he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program. In honor of his 27th birthday, his fans set out to raise $27,000 in a project called "Raise 27". They ended up raising a total of $44,227 for the Josh Groban Foundation, to benefit the Noah's Ark children's orphanage called Siyawela in South Africa. Groban has since referred to this donation as "the best birthday present ever". For those who could afford the $1500 ticket, Josh Groban performed at the The Angel Ball on October 21, 2010. Proceeds went to the Gabrielles Angel Foundation for cancer research.
He was named the #1 Best Selling Artist of All Time on Barnes & Noble in 2007. Groban has sold more than 20 million albums in less than ten years.
In 2002, Groban was listed as "100 Sexiest Newcomer" and in 2008, he became one of People's "100 Most Beautiful People".
Category:1981 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:American Christians Category:American Episcopalians Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:Christians of Jewish descent Category:American male singers Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:Carnegie Mellon University alumni Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:American musicians of Norwegian descent Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:American musicians of Russian descent Category:Warner Music Group artists Category:American performers of Christian music
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| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | Joseph Arthur |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Born | September 28, 1971 |
| Origin | Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Instrument | Vocals, guitar, harmonica, bass |
| Genre | Alternative rock, folk rock |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Label | Lonely Astronaut Records |
| Associated acts | The Lonely Astronauts, Fistful of Mercy |
| Url | www.josepharthur.comwww.lonelyastronautrecords.com |
Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is a contemporary singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He combines poetic lyrics with a layered sonic palette, and has built his reputation over the years through critically acclaimed releases and constant touring; his unique solo live performances incorporate the use of a number of distortion and loop pedals, and his shows are recorded live at the soundboard and made available to concertgoers immediately following the show on recordable media. He was discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-'90s, and signed to Gabriel's Real World label as the first North American artist on the label's roster. Arthur released his debut album Big City Secrets (1997) and follow-up Come to Where I'm From (2000) on Real World before signing with various independent labels between 2002 and 2006. He established his own record label, Lonely Astronaut Records, in 2006.
Arthur is also an acclaimed painter and designer. His artwork has graced the sleeves of his entire discography; the sleeve design for his 1999 extended play Vacancy was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.
In 1996, Peter Gabriel's A&R; associate Harvey Schartz presented Gabriel with a demo of Arthur's first EP, Cut and Blind. Gabriel and Schwartz arranged a live audition at The Fez nightclub in New York City, and Arthur flew up from Atlanta. The night was a success; not only was Lou Reed a guest in the audience, but within a few months Arthur was officially signed, Arthur recorded his debut album at Gabriel's Real World Studios in England with producer Markus Dravs (Björk, Coldplay, Arcade Fire). The debut album Big City Secrets was released worldwide in spring 1997, and Arthur joined Gabriel's WOMAD tour in Europe. Big City Secrets displayed Arthur's often angsty and emotionally-wrought lyrics coupled with diverse instrumentation, which he himself described as "someone struggling to heal over experimental folk-rock", but went virtually unnoticed by the mainstream. Two years later, he recorded a mini-album called Vacancy, which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2000 for best recording package.
After releasing a series of four EPs called Junkyard Hearts, which were only available to purchase at his live shows, his third album, Redemption's Son, came out in May 2002 in the UK. The American release was delayed until November 2002 since Arthur had been dropped by EMI in North America, having been picked up by Universal Music Group imprint Enjoy Records. The double album furthered the themes of emotional and spiritual dislocation found on Come to Where I'm From, and was described by Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek as a "sleeper hit."
While on tour, Arthur regularly released recordings of his performances soon after each show. He also recorded an album with alternative rock side project Holding the Void, featuring himself on vocals and guitar, Pat Sansone on vocals and bass, and Rene Lopez on vocals and drums. In Summer 2003, he toured with Tracy Chapman in the US.
Arthur toured the US alone and with Joan Wasser to promote the album, and a new EP called And the Thieves Are Gone, which collected unreleased tracks from the Shadows recording sessions, came out in December. Shortly afterward, Arthur went on a brief tour of Europe with R.E.M.. Our Shadows Will Remain was picked up by 14th Floor Records for distribution in the United Kingdom in 2005, which yielded the release of four singles: "Can't Exist" in July, "Even Tho" in September, "Devil's Broom" in February 2006 to coincide with his first headlining appearance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, and a reissue of "Can't Exist" in May 2006, although none of the singles charted on the UK Singles Chart.
In August 2006, Joseph was invited to help launch the project A River Blue, where a group of young people in northern Uganda were brought together to participate in a music, drama, and art festival. Joseph also recorded the song "A River Blue" for the foundation.
Also in 2006, Arthur started the record label Lonely Astronaut Records with longtime professional partner Lauren Pattenaude. He released a book entitled We Almost Made It, a visual collection of his artworks, along with an accompanying instrumental CD titled The Invisible Parade in May 2006. In September 2006, Arthur released his fifth studio album, Nuclear Daydream, which was recorded in Berlin and Los Angeles. The album would be the first release on his new label. Joseph then embarked on a worldwide tour with his new backing band, The Lonely Astronauts.
His song "In the Sun" was covered by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Chris Martin of Coldplay in 2006 for a Hurricane Katrina relief EP. The EP includes six versions of the song, one featuring Arthur himself singing with Stipe and another remixed by Justin Timberlake, and is available only on iTunes. On March 26, 2007, Joseph's then-UK label 14th Floor Records released a re-recorded version of his 2002 song "Honey and the Moon" as a special single in the UK only. In April, he released his sixth studio album, Let's Just Be, and embarked on an extensive US tour. This was Joseph's first album with The Lonely Astronauts; the band recorded as many as 80 songs in late 2006, with only sixteen appearing on the album. The album was released to lukewarm critical reception, with Pitchfork Media calling the album "unfocused" and "sloppy," summarizing that the album "sounds like it came together on the fly, in jam sessions that didn't stem from any kind of solid idea."
Arthur recorded a cover of The Afghan Whigs's "Step Into the Light" from their 1996 album Black Love for the tribute album, Summer's Kiss: A Tribute to The Afghan Whigs. Following UK tour dates with The Lonely Astronauts in July, Arthur embarked on a solo tour of France in October 2009. A reissue of his 2006 album Nuclear Daydream with six previously unreleased bonus tracks was released during this tour.
Arthur, Ben Harper, and Dhani Harrison formed the supergroup trio Fistful of Mercy in 2010, and their debut album As I Call You Down was released on October 5, 2010. Arthur's first solo studio album since Nuclear Daydream is expected to be released in 2011.
He set up his personal art gallery The Museum of Modern Arthur in June 2007 as a brick and mortar location in Brooklyn's DUMBO District. According to an article on Stereogum.com, Joseph and the MOMAR were evicted from the building. Joseph held a record release party for Temporary People before the closing of the gallery in September 2008. The MOMAR gallery soon morphed into an online gallery.
The Lonely Astronauts are:
To incorporate his looping techniques, Arthur uses a myriad of rackmounted units of the Lexicon JamMan. He plays his guitars through an impressive floor of effects pedals. When performing solo live, he often records a sample of guitar, percussion, or vocals which he can then loop periodically throughout a song, allowing him to perform verses with the added effect of harmonizing with himself.
Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Songwriters from Ohio Category:1971 births Category:People from Akron, Ohio Authur, Joseph Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | John Mellencamp |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Alias | Johnny CougarJohn CougarJohn Cougar MellencampThe coug |
| Born | October 07, 1951Seymour, Indiana, U.S. |
| Instrument | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Genre | Rock, heartland rock, roots rock, folk |
| Occupation | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Label | MCA, Riva, Mercury, Columbia, Island, Universal Republic Records, Hear Music |
| Associated acts | Crepe SoulTrashMason BrothersMitch RyderJames McMurtryMe'Shell NdegeocelloChuck DIndia.ArieTrisha YearwoodLittle Big TownJoan Baez |
| Url | JohnMellencamp.com |
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, (born October 7, 1951) is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds in favor of organic instrumentation. He has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number-one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven, and has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His latest album, No Better Than This, was released on August 17, 2010 to widespread critical acclaim.
Mellencamp is also one of the founding members of Farm Aid, an organization that began in 1985 with a concert in Champaign, Illinois to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. The Farm Aid concerts have remained an annual event over the past 25 years, and as of 2010 the organization has raised over $39 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. The 25th anniversary Farm Aid concert was held at Miller Park in Milwaukee on October 2, 2010.
Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008 by Billy Joel. His biggest musical influences are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and The Rolling Stones.
He formed his first band, Crepe Soul, at the age of 14 DeFries insisted that Mellencamp's first album, Chestnut Street Incident, a collection of covers and a handful of original songs, be released under the stage name Johnny Cougar, suggesting that the bumpy German name "Mellencamp" was too hard to market. The album was a complete failure, selling only 12,000 copies.
Mellencamp recorded The Kid Inside in 1977, the follow-up to Chestnut Street Incident, but DeFries eventually decided against releasing the album and Mellencamp was dropped from MCA records (DeFries finally released The Kid Inside in early 1983, after Mellencamp broke through to stardom). He drew interest from Rod Stewart's manager, Billy Gaff, after parting ways with DeFries and was signed to the tiny Riva Records label. At Gaff's request, Mellencamp moved to London, England for nearly a year to record, promote and tour behind 1978's A Biography. The record wasn't released in the United States, but it yielded a hit in Australia with "I Need a Lover". In his second painting exhibition, at the Churchman-Fehsenfeld Gallery in Indianapolis in 1990, Mellencamp's portraits were described as always having sad facial expressions and conveying "the same disillusionment found in his musical anthems about the nation's heartland and farm crisis."
In 1993, he released Human Wheels, and the title track peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard singles chart. "To me, this record is very urban," Mellencamp told Billboard magazine of Human Wheels in the summer of '93. "We had a lot of discussions about the rhythm and blues music of the day. We explored what a lot of these (current) bands are doing — these young black bands that are doing more than just sampling."
Mellencamp's 1994 Dance Naked album included a cover of Van Morrison's "Wild Night" as a duet with Me'Shell NdegeOcello. The album also contained two protest songs in "L.U.V." and "Another Sunny Day 12/25", in addition to the title track, which hit No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1994. "This is as naked a rock record as you're going to hear," Mellencamp said of Dance Naked in a 1994 Billboard magazine interview. "All the vocals are first or second takes, and half the songs don't even have bass parts. Others have just one guitar, bass, and drums, which I haven't done since American Fool."
With guitarist Andy York now on board as Larry Crane's full-time replacement, Mellencamp launched his Dance Naked Tour in the summer of 1994, but a minor heart attack suffered after a show at Jones Beach in New York on August 8 of that year eventually forced him to cancel the last few weeks of the tour.
He returned to the concert stage in early 1995 by playing a series of dates in small Midwestern clubs under the pseudonym Pearl Doggy.
In September 1996, the experimental album Mr. Happy Go Lucky, which was produced by Junior Vasquez, was released to critical acclaim. "It's been fascinating to me how urban records use rhythm and electronics, and it's terribly challenging to make that work in the context of a rock band," Mellencamp told Billboard magazine in 1996. "But we took it further than an urban record. The arrangements are more ambitious, with programs and loops going right along with real drums and guitars."
Mr. Happy Go Lucky spawned the No. 14 single "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" (Mellencamp's last Top 40 hit) and "Just Another Day," which peaked at No. 46.
Issued a day before his 47th birthday in 1998, his self-titled debut for Columbia Records included the singles "Your Life is Now" and "I'm Not Running Anymore," along with standout album tracks such as "Eden Is Burning," "Miss Missy," "It All Comes True" and "Chance Meeting At The Tarantula." The switch in labels coincided with Dane Clark replacing Aronoff on drums. "On this record, we ended up quite a-bit away from where we started," Mellencamp told Guitar World Acoustic in 1998. "Initially, I wanted to make a record that barely had drums on it. Donovan made a record (in 1966), Sunshine Superman, and I wanted to start with that same kind of vibe—Eastern, very grand stories, fairy tales."
He released a book of his early paintings, titled Paintings and Reflections, in 1998.
In 1999, Mellencamp covered his own songs as well as those by Bob Dylan and the Drifters for his album Rough Harvest (recorded in 1997), one of two albums he owed Mercury Records to fulfill his contract (the other was The Best That I Could Do, a best-of collection).
The early 21st century found Mellencamp teaming up with artists such as Chuck D and India.Arie to deliver his second Columbia album, Cuttin' Heads and the single "Peaceful World". Cuttin' Heads also included a duet with Trisha Yearwood on a love song called "Deep Blue Heart." "He played me this song," Yearwood told Country.com, "and he said, 'I kind of have an idea of like when Emmylou Harris sang on Bob Dylan's record, just kind of harmony all the way through.'"
Mellencamp embarked on the Cuttin' Heads Tour in the summer of 2001, before the album was even released. He opened each show on this tour with a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and also played a solo acoustic version of the Cuttin' Heads track "Women Seem" at each show.
In 2003, he released Trouble No More, a quickly-recorded collection of folk and blues covers originally done by artists such as Robert Johnson, Son House, Lucinda Williams and Hoagie Carmichael. The album was also dedicated to Mellencamp's friend, Billboard magazine editor-in-chief Timothy White, who died from a heart attack in 2002. In October 2002, Mellencamp performed the Robert Johnson song "Stones In My Passway" at two benefit concerts for White. Columbia Records executives, who were in attendance at the benefits shows, were so impressed with Mellencamp's live renditions of "Stones In My Passway" that they convinced him to record an album of vintage American songs, which ultimately became Trouble No More. Mellencamp sang the gospel song "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" at White's funeral on July 2, 2002. Trouble No More spent several weeks at #1 on Billboard's Blues Album charts.
In 2005, Mellencamp toured with Donovan and John Fogerty. The first leg of what was called the Words and Music Tour in the spring of '05 featured Donovan playing in the middle of Mellencamp's set. Mellencamp would play a handful of songs before introducing Donovan and then duetting with him on the 1966 hit "Sunshine Superman." Mellencamp would leave the stage as Donovan played seven or eight of his songs (backed by Mellencamp's band) and then return to finish off his own set after Donovan departed. On the second leg of the tour in the summer of '05, Fogerty co-headlined with Mellencamp at outdoor amphitheaters across the United States. Fogerty would join Mellencamp for duets on Fogerty's Creedence Clearwater Revival hit "Green River" and Mellencamp's "Rain on the Scarecrow."
Mellencamp released Freedom's Road, his first album of original material in over five years, on January 23, 2007. "Our Country," the first single from the album, was played as the opening song on Mellencamp's 2006 spring tour, and the band that opened for him on that tour, Little Big Town, was called on to record harmonies on the studio version of "Our Country," as well as seven other songs on Freedom's Road. "Our Country" began being featured in Chevy Silverado TV commercials in late September 2006, and Mellencamp sang the song to open Game 2 of the 2006 World Series. "Our Country" was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance but lost out to Bruce Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere."
Mellencamp wrote and produced all 10 songs on Freedom's Road, and the record peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart by selling 56,000 copies in its first week on the market. In addition to "Our Country," Freedom's Road included "Jim Crow," a duet with Joan Baez, "Rural Route" and "Someday," which was the album's second single.
Mellencamp made a guest appearance at Billy Joel's July 16, 2008 concert at Shea Stadium in New York. Mellencamp sang "Pink Houses" in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 60,000 people., Australia on Nov. 29, 2008.]]
On September 3, 2008, Mellencamp made available on his website a home-video recording of his solo acoustic cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" as a sign that the 2008 Presidential Election is going to bring about change in America.
On September 23, 2008, Mellencamp filmed a concert at the Crump Theatre in Columbus, Indiana for a new A&E; Biography series called "Homeward Bound." The show features performers returning to small venues they performed at during the early stages of their careers. Mellencamp had last played at the Crump Theatre on October 4, 1976. The program aired on December 11, 2008 and also featured an in-depth documentary tracing Mellencamp's roots.
For the first time since 1992, Mellencamp toured Australia and New Zealand with opening act Sheryl Crow from November 15 – December 7, 2008. Crow joined Mellencamp on stage to duet on "My Sweet Love" during the last seven shows.
Mellencamp participated in a tribute concert for Pete Seeger's 90th birthday on May 3, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City which raised funds for an environmental organization founded by Seeger to preserve and protect the Hudson River. Mellencamp performed solo acoustic renditions of Seeger and Lee Hays' "If I Had a Hammer" and his own "A Ride Back Home."
In the Summer of 2009, Mellencamp embarked on a tour of minor league ballparks with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson that ran from July 2–August 15.
While he was on tour, Mellencamp recorded a new album, titled No Better Than This, that was again produced by T-Bone Burnett. The tracks for the album were recorded at historic locations, such as the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia as well as at the Sun Studio in Memphis and the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, where blues pioneer Robert Johnson recorded "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Crossroad Blues". Mellencamp recorded the album using a 1955 Ampex portable recording machine and only one microphone, requiring all the musicians to gather together around the mic. The album was recorded in mono. Mellencamp wrote over 30 songs for the record (only 13 made the final cut), and he wrote one song specifically for Room 414 at the Gunther Hotel. "It's called 'Right Behind Me'. I wrote it just for this room." Mellencamp told the San Antonio Express-News. "I could have done this in my studio. But I want to do it this way, and if I can't do what I want at this point, I'm not going to do it. If it's not fun, I'm not going to do it. I'm through digging a ditch." No Better Than This was released on August 17, 2010 and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, becoming the 10th Top 10 album of his career. No Better Than This is the first mono-only release to make the top 10 since James Brown's Pure Dynamite! Live At The Royal, which peaked at #10 in April 1964.
On December 6, 2009, Mellencamp performed "Born in the U.S.A." as a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, who was one of the honorees at the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors. "I was very proud and humbled to have been able to play 'Born in the U.S.A.' in a different fashion that I think was true to the feelings that Bruce had when he wrote it." Mellencamp said. He performed "Down By The River" on January 29, 2010 in Los Angeles in tribute to Neil Young, who was honored at the 20th annual MusiCares Person of the Year gala. Mellencamp sang the hymn "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" at "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" on February 9, 2010.
A career-spanning box set of album tracks and demos titled On the Rural Route 7609 was released on June 15, 2010, nine weeks before No Better Than This hit stores. "If you didn’t get deeper into the original albums and know these songs, it will be like discovering new material." Mellencamp said about On the Rural Route 7609.
Mellencamp, who co-headlined 11 shows in the summer of 2010 with Bob Dylan, launched the No Better Than This theater tour on October 29, 2010 in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. On this tour, which will run through late April 2011 and cover the entire United States, Mellencamp is opening each concert with a showing of a Kurt Markus documentary about the making of No Better Than This called "It's About You" before hitting the stage to play three different sets: a stripped-down acoustic set with his band, a solo acoustic set, and a fully electrified rock set. "It'll be like Alan Freed, like the old Moondog shows." Mellencamp told Billboard magazine. "When you went to see his shows, there was a movie, like 'The Girl Can't Help It' or something, and then three or four bands played. I'm gonna come out and play with upright bass and cocktail [drum] kits and a lot of acoustic instruments. I'll play for, like, 40 minutes that way. Then the band will leave and it'll just be me with an acoustic guitar for 40 minutes, and then there'll be 40 minutes of rock 'n' roll. You'll get three different types of John Mellencamp, and you'll get a movie." Mellencamp is playing for over two hours and including 24 songs in his setlist on the tour.
In November 2010, Mellencamp told the Chicago Tribune: "T Bone and I and Stephen King are working on a musical. All the music has been recorded. We had Kris Kristofferson, Neko Case, Elvis Costello, Taj Mahal, all singing different characters' roles. I wrote all the songs, 17 songs. (T Bone) produced. ... The play is called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, about two brothers who hate each other. ... They’re recording the dialogue now and we're putting out a record of the entire show before it comes out. Right now, Elvis Costello, Meg Ryan, Kris Kristofferson, and Matthew McConaughey are doing table readings like an old radio play. So you’ll get all the dialogue, all the sound effects, and all the songs sung by different people so you can follow the story. The CD will come out ahead of time, and then Liv Ullmann will be directing the play." He told the paper, "[I]t's our own money we’re putting into it".
Ryan D'Agostino of Esquire stated in a review of a New York rehearsal of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County in the fall of 2007, "Musicals aren't usually a guy thing. This one, though, is not only tolerable, it's good. It may be the first-ever musical written by men for men. There's no orchestra, just two twangy acoustic guitars, an accordion, and a fiddle. The songs are both haunting and all-American."
In 1980, Mellencamp turned down the lead role in the movie The Idolmaker because, as he told the Toledo Blade in 1983, "I was afraid that if I made too much money, I'd have no motivation to make records anymore."
Mellencamp told VH1 that he was originally offered the Brad Pitt role in Thelma and Louise: "You know they used to want me to be an actor all the time and I used to get more movie role offers. That's when I was – believe it or not, I used to not be as ugly as I am now. And they gave me this script called Thelma & Louise and they said, 'The guy wrote the part with you in mind, John, you really gotta do this part.' And I read the script and I thought, 'Yeah, I get it but I don't want to take my shirt off.' So Brad Pitt took his shirt off and look what happened to Brad Pitt. I was that close."
In April 2007, Mellencamp was a "guest critic" on At the Movies, filling in for Roger Ebert.
In 2000, he gave the Indiana University commencement address, in which he advised graduates to "play it like you feel it!" and that "you'll be all right." Following the delivery of his address, Indiana University bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate of Musical Arts.
Mellencamp was critical of Ronald Reagan through his music in the 1980s and wrote numerous songs about him, including "Country Gentleman," where he sang: "He ain't-a gonna help no poor man/He ain't-a gonna help no children/He aint-a gonna help no women/He's just gonna help his rich friends."
In 2003, Mellencamp became one of the first entertainers to speak out against the Iraqi War when he released the song "To Washington", which was also critical of the 2000 U.S. Presidential elections. "When the song first came out I was in the car one day and we were driving to the airport and I had my kids with me and a radio station was playing 'To Washington' and having callers call in." Mellencamp said. "Some guy comes on and says, 'I don't know who I hate the most, John Mellencamp or Osama bin Laden.'"
In an "Open Letter to America" on his website, Mellencamp stated: }}
On his 2007 album Freedom's Road, Mellencamp included a hidden track called "Rodeo Clown," which was a direct reference to George W. Bush ("The bloody red eyes of the rodeo clown").
In April 2007, Mellencamp performed for wounded troops at the Walter Reed Medical Center. His original intent was to duet on the Freedom's Road track "Jim Crow" with singer and activist Joan Baez. However, Army officials barred Baez from performing. He told Rolling Stone magazine: "They didn’t give me a reason why she couldn't come. We asked why and they said, 'She can't fit here, period.' Joan Baez is a 66-year-old woman and the sweetest gal in the world."
According to a February 8, 2008, Associated Press report, Mellencamp's camp asked that the campaign for presidential candidate Sen. John McCain stop using his songs, including "Our Country" and "Pink Houses," during their campaign events. McCain's campaign responded by pulling the songs from their playlist. Mellencamp's publicist, Bob Merlis, noted to the Associated Press that "if [McCain is] such a true conservative, why [is he] playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as an ardent leftist?" Merlis also noted that the same songs had been used, with Mellencamp's approval, by John Edwards's campaign; in response, the McCain campaign ceased using the songs.
Mellencamp performed "Small Town" at a Barack Obama rally in Evansville, Indiana on April 22, the night of the 2008 Pennsylvania primary. Mellencamp also performed "Our Country" at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 3, 2008, although he never came out in support of either Obama or Clinton during the primaries. "Neither candidate is as liberal as he would prefer, but he's happy to contribute what he can," Merlis said.
On January 18, 2009, Mellencamp performed "Pink Houses" at the at the Lincoln Memorial.
In 2010, Mellencamp's music was used by the National Organization for Marriage at events opposing same-sex marriage. In response, Mellencamp instructed Merlis to pen a letter to NOM stating "that Mr. Mellencamp’s views on same sex marriage and equal rights for people of all sexual orientations are at odds with NOM's stated agenda" and requesting that NOM "find music from a source more in harmony with your views than Mr. Mellencamp in the future."
Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2008. The induction ceremony took place in New York City on March 10, 2008, and Mellencamp was inducted by good friend Billy Joel, who asked Mellencamp to induct him into the Rock Hall back in 1999 (Mellencamp had to opt out because of another commitment, so Ray Charles inducted Joel). During his induction speech for Mellencamp, Joel said:
}}
Category:Living people Category:1951 births Category:American Lutherans Category:American male singers Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American rock singers Category:Songwriters from Indiana Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Indiana Democrats Category:Musicians from Indiana Category:People from Seymour, Indiana Category:People with spina bifida Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| Name | John Cena |
| Names | John CenaMr. P |
| Weight | |
| Billed | Classified (UPW) (; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor, rapper, and professional wrestler employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its Raw brand. He is currently inactive, due to injury. |
| - style | "text-align:center;" |
| Filename | John Cena and Tha Trademarc - The Time Is Now.ogg |
| Title | "The Time is Now" by John Cena & Tha Trademarc (2005) |
| Description | Sample from "The Time Is Now" by John Cena & Tha Trademarc. |
| Format | Ogg}} |
Cena's debut album, You Can't See Me, was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. It features, amongst other songs, his entrance theme, "The Time is Now", and the single "Bad, Bad Man", for which a music video was made that parodied 1980s culture, including the television show The A-Team. A video was also made for the second single, "Right Now," and premiered on the August 8 Raw. Cena and Tha Trademarc were later featured on a track by The Perceptionists named "Champion Scratch." Promotion for the album lead to Cena being the only professional wrestler to ever perform on BBC Two's long running Top of the Pops.
;Albums
While promoting his 2009 film, 12 Rounds, Cena announced his engagement to his girlfriend Elizabeth Huberdeau. They were married on July 11, 2009.
Category:1977 births Category:American film actors Category:American football offensive linemen Category:Springfield Pride football players Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American professional wrestlers of Italian descent Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Drifting drivers Category:Formula D drivers Category:Living people Category:People from Essex County, Massachusetts Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Rappers from Florida Category:Springfield College - Massachusetts alumni
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 3°9′0″N101°46′12″N |
|---|---|
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 – 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 – 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,” 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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