Melinda Messenger
Messenger in 2008
Born	Melinda Jayne Messenger (1971-02-23) 23 February 1971 (age 41) Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Nationality	UK
Occupation	Presenter former glamour model
Years active	1997–present
Television	Eurotrash (TV series) Fort Boyard Celebrity Big Brother Live from Studio Five
Spouse	Wayne Roberts (1998–present)
Children	3
Parents	Terry and Avis

Melinda Jayne Messenger (born 23 February 1971) is an English ex-glamour model, Page 3 Girl and a former presenter on the magazine programme Live from Studio Five. She is currently co-broadcaster of the reality show Cowboy Builders.

Biography[link]

Messenger was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, the middle child between two brothers, Jamie and Warren. Her parents Terry and Avis divorced when she was aged five.^[1] After attending different schools, one of which, Dorcan Technology College, she spent six months working as a flight attendant for Britannia Airways. Messenger later joined a local marketing company, rising to become customer services manager, overseeing a staff of 50.^{[citation needed]}

Modelling career[link]

Deciding she wanted to become a model,^[2] Messenger was advised by her agent at the Jason Paul Modelling Agency to enhance her breasts, which she enlarged to a 34DD cup.^[3] She then took a job modelling for Gloucester-based double glazing company Glevum Windows, dressed only in knickers and a bra.^[4] After being put up as part of an advertising campaign with the slogan "Class Behind Glass", the posters quickly began disappearing from bus stops, taken by local lads. After a complaint at the lack of clothes on Messenger, the Advertising Standards Authority banned the campaign, claiming they were not as "classy" as they claimed to be.^[2]

After local newspapers picked up on the story, the Daily Star ran the story on 28 January 1997 as a photo-shoot of Messenger,^[4] under the headline, "Move Over Eva Herzigova".^[2] Soon after Messenger shot to fame, her mother Avis, publicly denounced her for her glamour career choice, and the two became estranged. It wasn't until the birth of Melinda's first son that the two were reconciled.^[1] Later in 1997 she won Rear of the Year.

Signed by modelling agent Yvonne Paul – who had earlier steered Samantha Fox to fame in the 1980s^[3] – Messenger's career took off. Posing for artistes including Vivienne Westwood, she was poached for exclusive appearance on the The Sun newspaper's Page Three, they later hailed her as the "Girl of the Thrillenium!".^[1] Her work for the newspaper entailed visiting the Spanish costas, as well as visits to English seaside resorts – an assignment known as "Mel's Big Bus Tour".^[2] She continued working for The Sun until readers voted to ban models with breast implants.

Move from modelling[link]

She appeared in a cameo role in 1999's Virtual Sexuality as Superbra Girl, and co-starred in the 2000 cult movie The Mumbo Jumbo in the role of Princess Vanilla. She worked on Channel 4 cult show Eurotrash and became a popular pantomime actress, taking on roles such as Cinderella (2004–2005) and Aladdin (with Bobby Davro and John Rhys-Davies; Woking – 2005–2006).

Mother and presenter[link]

Following the birth of her first child Morgan on 7 April 2000, which was by emergency caesarian section after she collapsed with pre-eclampsia,^[5] Messenger then concentrated on developing her career as a television presenter.

Messenger released the "Back Into Shape Workout" DVD after the birth of her first child. It was a six week fitness programme designed to get mothers back into shape after the birth of their baby. She appeared on "Noel Edmonds – Gotcha!" in which she was one of the subjects to receive the treatment from Noel and his team.

Messenger had her own issue of ‘At Home With…” magazine called 'At Home With Melinda Messenger", which was aimed at parents. She joined with chef Antony Worrall Thompson in May 2008 for the recipe book “The Sweet Life”, in which she contributed some recipes.

Television[link]

Messenger's TV career began in 1997 on Channel 4's Eurotrash. That same year she was given her own show on Channel 5 called Melinda's Big Night In.

From 1998, Messenger became assistant in Fort Boyard on Five which ran for five series. She initially joined ex-Eastender Leslie Grantham and later Catweazle star Geoffrey Bayldon in the game show which tested contestants' physical agility and brainpower on the identically named sea fortress in France.^[3]

In 2002, she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother where she was described as a "blonde Vulcan" by fellow contestant Sue Perkins, who questioned her apparent lack of range of emotions.^[4] She has since presented many TV programmes, including Loose Lips (with Richard Arnold), Baby Baby, Can We Still Be Friends, Beat The Dealer and Beat The Crusher.

In 2004, she appeared on Age Swap episode of Celebrity Swap as 83 year-old Margaret Doyle, supposedly Melinda’s old ballet teacher, disguised with prosthetic make-up, a black lycra suit, a red-white wig and fake teeth.^[6]

In 2006, Messenger recorded a pilot for a gameshow called Messenger of Doom. It was essentially a remake of The Crystal Maze, with contestants completing a series of challenges in exchange for "life candles." If a contestant failed to complete a challenge, a leather-clad Messenger appeared on screen with the words "I send you to your doom, foolish traveller!" The contestant then spent the next 20 minutes stripped to their underwear in an ice bath. The pilot was well received at test screenings, but the elaborate and expensive sets and costumes discouraged channels from commissioning a full series.

In 2008, Messenger has presented a host of programmes including for the BBC To Buy or Not to Buy, ITV1's Bingo Night Live,^[7] and A Garden For Eden for ITV Westcountry.

Messenger's show Cowboy Builders started on Five on 8 January 2009. Alongside this, Melinda was a contestant in the fourth series of Dancing on Ice, which began on 11 January 2009. This was confirmed on 5 January 2009, on This Morning. She was voted out in Week 7 after losing a surprise skate-off against Jessica Taylor. She had survived three previous skate-offs.

In 2009, Messenger, along with ex-footballer Ian Wright and The Apprentice runner-up Kate Walsh began presenting a new show on Five called Live from Studio Five. The show was first was broadcast on 14 September 2009 and ran continuously until cancelled in February 2011. In November 2009, she appeared on the BBC charity telethon Children in Need, where she acted as the assistant to illusion act The Twins in their Clearly Impossible sawing in half illusion.

It was announced on 29 January 2010 that Messenger was leaving her role on Live from Studio Five, to focus on other projects.^[8] Her last show was on 26 February 2010. A series of guest hosts then replaced her. Messenger later revealed that she had quit the show due to differences with Wright.^[9]

It was confirmed on 5th October 2011 that she would host the new Health Lottery Draws on ITV 1 and Channel 5.^[10] Health Lottery is run by Northern & Shell a British publishing and television group. The company is owned by Richard Desmond and along with several newspapers and magazines it also operates channel 5 and several porn TV channels.

Personal life[link]

Having dated since they met at his local Swansea night club,^[11] Messenger married Welshman Wayne Roberts in Bali, Indonesia, on 26 November 1998.^[3] The couple have three children: Morgan Kelly (born 7 April 2000), Flynn Jefferson (born 2002) and Evie Brooke (born December 2003).^[12] As she suffered from post-natal depression after the birth of her second and third children, although she planned a large family of five/six children she has decided not to have any more. In 2003, Messenger won Quality Street "Celebrity Mum of the Year".^[13] Roberts runs a Swindon-based electronics company, of which Messenger is a director.^[1]

In 2005, Messenger became concerned for the education of her children, and although the couple had just completed renovation of their Wanborough-based 25-room former rectory, Messenger insisted that they move closer to a Steiner-Waldorf school in Reading, Berkshire.^[1] This brought tensions into the couple's relationship, and, as a result, they separated on 15 April 2008,^[4] later re-uniting that same month to discuss their split for a photo-spread in Hello!^[14]

On 22 January 2009, Messenger was made an Ambassador to Barnardo's by its president, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Melinda Messenger

• Melinda Messenger at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Melinda Messenger Website Melinda's Official Website
• Video Diary of trip to Malawi for the charity ActionAid

Lisa Snowdon (born 23 January 1972) is an English fashion model, television personality and presenter. She was the host of the reality television show Britain's Next Top Model from 2006 until 2009. She currently co-presents Capital Breakfast on Capital London.

Early life[link]

Born Lisa Snawdon,^[1] in Welwyn Garden City, England to insurance salesman Nigel and hairdresser Lydia Snowdon, she has two younger sisters, Joanna and Lesley Anne.^[2] She moved to London to attend the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where her classmates included Naomi Campbell, and she auditioned for the Minipops.^[3] After her parents split up when she was 17, she stayed in London and worked briefly as a dance and yoga teacher.^{[citation needed]}

Modelling[link]

A fan of Christy Turlington from age 14, she never thought about becoming a model.^[4] Spotted by a Premier Model Management agent at age 19 while pole-dancing at a rave in London,^[5] she was auditioned and signed up and started working with renowned photographers and became one of Britain's Top Fashion Models. Snowdon is best known for her beauty commercials and high-fashion cover and spread modelling, including cover shots for Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle; she was also the face for Gucci.^{[citation needed]} She went on to be the "elevator girl" for Lynx deodorant (Axe in certain countries) in 2003,^{[citation needed]} appeared in advertisements for Mercedes-Benz, Dove soap, and Kelloggs Special K, and was the face of campaigns for Neutrogena and After Eight mint straws, the Taxiwise safety campaign and numerous catalogues.^{[citation needed]} Her modelling career led to appearances in Maxim, Arena, Loaded and GQ. She featured on FHM's List of FHM 100 Sexiest Women every year between 1996 and 2007 except for 1998.^{[citation needed]} Snowdon returned to modelling when she became the face and model of Avon lingerie, and is one of the models for the Marks & Spencer autumn 2010 campaign.^[5] As of 2010, she is the face of Belvita breakfast biscuits, having appeared in adverts for the biscuits with fellow Capital FM DJ Johnny Vaughan.

Acting[link]

Snowdon had a starring role in Channel 4's short film Man's Best Friend.^{[citation needed]} She also had a cameo role in the Channel 4 programme, Plus One.^[6]

Television[link]

Her first presenting role was on MTV UK's MTV Select. She would later host a number of other MTV shows before moving to do voice-overs on VH1 and host Lisa Snowdon's All Access for VH1.^{[citation needed]} She took over the role from Lisa Butcher as the "supermodel" judge and host on Britain's Next Top Model.^[4] Snowdon left the show to concentrate on her radio show and was replaced by Elle Macpherson as of season six.^[7] This later role led to a series of stand-in and guest presenting roles on British terrestrial television, where in June 2007 she guest-presented the BBC's Sunday morning show Something for the Weekend, and, in August, Channel 4's tea time show Richard & Judy alongside David Walliams.^{[citation needed]} In autumn 2007, she was announced as the new co-presenter of Through the Keyhole with Sir David Frost on BBC One. She was a guest panellist on Loose Women in November 2009.^{[citation needed]} She was a guest on the 4th episode of The Real Hustle: Celebrity Scammers where she performed a long con where she had to convinced someone that a cheap painting was worth a fortune. The scam was called The Art Attack.^{[citation needed]}

Radio[link]

At the end of August 2008, it was announced that Snowdon was to be the permanent replacement for Denise van Outen on the London station as co-host with Jonny Vaughan.^[8][9] In January 2010, the pair signed a two-year deal to continue presenting the show.^[10] On 1 December 2011 it was confirmed she would remain at Capital.^[11] She has been given the nickname 'Eggy' on the show by colleague Dave Berry after her penchant for boiled eggs and the smell they give in the studio.

[edit] Strictly Come Dancing

Snowdon took part in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC paired with Brendan Cole,^[12] competing against other celebrities. Despite pulling off a perfect score in the final three, she came third in the public votes and was knocked out of the show.^[13][14]

Charitable activities[link]

In 2005, Snowdon became an ambassador for the breast cancer care charity. On 3 September 2011 she appeared on ITV's All Star Family Fortunes as a contestant along with her family. Competing against actor Will Mellor, they eventually won £30,000 for Breast Cancer Care.^[15][16]

In 2008, she participated in a celebrity edition of The Apprentice as part of the BBC's biennial Sport Relief event. In 2010, Snowdon became an Ambassador of Capital FM's Help a Capital Child charity.^[17]

In November 2010, after turning on the Bond Street Christmas Lights, she was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with viral meningitis.^[18] As a result, she began raising money and acting as an ambassador for the Meningitis Trust.

Personal life[link]

Snowdon was in a five-year on/off relationship with actor George Clooney. The pair met when shooting an advertisement for Martini in 2000,^[19] with their relationship well reported in the tabloids on both sides of the Atlantic.^[2]

Snowdon lives in Epping Forest,^[2] and has a flat in Camden, North London, which she uses during the week.^[20]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Capital Breakfast at capitalfm.com
• Lisa Snowdon at the Internet Movie Database

Victoria Pendleton

Pendleton at the Mayor of London's Sky Ride in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Victoria Louise Pendleton
Born	(1980-09-24) 24 September 1980 (age 31)[1] Stotfold, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight	62 kg (140 lb; 9.8 st)[1]
Team information
Current team	Britain
Discipline	Track
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Amateur team(s)
Mildenhall Cycling Club
Professional team(s)
??–2008 2008–Present	Science in Sport / Trek Sky Track Cycling
Medal record Competitor for  Great Britain Track cycling Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Sprint World Championships Gold 2005 Los Angeles Sprint Gold 2007 Palma de Mallorca Team Sprint Gold 2007 Palma de Mallorca Sprint Gold 2007 Palma de Mallorca Keirin Gold 2008 Manchester Team Sprint Gold 2008 Manchester Sprint Gold 2009 Pruszków Sprint Gold 2010 Ballerup Sprint Gold 2012 Melbourne Sprint Silver 2006 Bordeaux Sprint Silver 2008 Manchester Keirin Silver 2009 Pruszków Team Sprint Silver 2010 Ballerup Keirin Silver 2011 Apeldoorn Team Sprint Bronze 2009 Pruszków 500 m Time Trial Bronze 2011 Apeldoorn Sprint European Championships Gold 2011 Apeldoorn Team sprint Gold 2011 Apeldoorn Keirin Silver 2010 Pruszków Team Sprint Competitor for  England Track cycling Commonwealth Games Gold 2006 Melbourne Sprint Silver 2006 Melbourne 500m Time Trial
Infobox last updated on 26 March 2011

Victoria Louise Pendleton MBE (born 24 September 1980) is a British track cyclist who specialises in the sprint disciplines. Pendleton has represented Great Britain and England in international competition, winning nine world titles including a record six in the individual sprint competition. Pendleton is the reigning Olympic and World Champion for the sprint. In addition Pendleton is a former European and Commonwealth champion. Her father, Max, was also a British national grass-track cycling champion.

Early years[link]

Pendleton rode her first race, a 400m event on the grass track at Fordham at nine. Pendleton showed her promise at 13 and was spotted three years later by the assistant national track coach, Marshal Thomas. At that time she wanted to concentrate on her education, graduating from Fearnhill School in Letchworth Garden City, and later awarded a degree in Sport and Exercise Science by Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. She enjoyed some success on the track as a student before graduating and becoming a full-time cyclist.^[2]

Success on the track[link]

Pendleton at the 2008 Track World Championships

Pendleton won one bronze and three silver medals in the British National Track Championships in 2001, while still a student. In 2002, she qualified for the England Commonwealth Games team, finishing fourth in the sprint. She again came fourth in the sprint at the 2003 world championships in Stuttgart and the 2004 World Championships in Melbourne. She ranked 2nd overall in the World Cup for the sprint in 2004, winning the World Cup event in Manchester.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the time trial and ninth in the women's 200m sprint

At the 2005 World Championships, Pendleton won her first major medal with gold in the women's sprint. She became the third British woman to become a cycling world champion in 40 years.^[3]

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she won silver in the 500m time trial and gold in the sprint.

At the 2007 UCI Track World Championships, she won the team sprint with Shanaze Reade, the individual gold in the women's sprint, and a third gold in the women's Keirin.^[4] She crowned the year by being named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2007, becoming the first cyclist to win the award in its 20-year history.^[5] Pendleton was also voted Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain's sportswoman of the year for 2007.^[6]

During her build-up to the Olympics she won two gold medals at the 2008 UCI Track World Championships in the women's sprint, and the women's team sprint (again with Shanaze Reade); she was also second in the women's keirin. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Pendleton won the gold medal in the Women's Individual Sprint Event.

Pendleton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.^[7]

She retained her world sprint title at the 2009 UCI Track World Championships in Pruszków. Each sprint was so closely matched it required several photos, leaving Pendleton emotional but victorious over her Dutch opponent, Willy Kanis.^[8]

At the 2011 World Championships Pendleton won a silver and bronze medal in the team sprint and sprint and finished seventh in the keirin.^[9] Partnering Jess Varnish, Pendleton won the team sprint in her only event at the British Championships.^[10] At the European Championships Pendleton won the team sprint and Keirin titles, but only came eighth in the sprint.^[11][12][13]

In February 2012 Pendleton and Varnish set a new world team sprint record of 32.754 seconds, beating Kaarle McCulloch and Anna Meares of Australia at the Track World Cup in the London Olympic Velodrome.^[14] In the sprint and the keirin Pendleton came 4th and 5th respectively.^[15][16] In Pendleton's final World Championships in Melbourne she won her sixth World Sprint Championship. She fell in the first heat of the semi-final against Meares. In the second heat Meares was relegated for going outside her lane. In the decider Pendleton won in a photo finish before defeating Simona Krupeckaite, winning 2-0 with the second win coming from another relegation.^[17] Pendleton finished medalless in her other two events.^[18][19]

Personal life[link]

In July 2009, Pendleton appeared on the cover of men's magazine FHM.^[20] Pendelton is engaged to Scott Gardner, a former sports scientist with the British Cycling coaching team. ^[21]

Palmarès[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Victoria Pendleton

• Official website
• @v_pendleton on Twitter
• Profile at British Cycling

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)

Ben Shepherd
Shepherd performing with Soundgarden in July 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Hunter Benedict Shepherd
Born	(1968-09-20) September 20, 1968 (age 43) Okinawa, Japan
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Alternative metal, grunge, alternative rock, heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass, guitar, vocals, drums
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Sub Pop, A&M, Burn Burn Burn
Associated acts	Soundgarden, Hater, Wellwater Conspiracy, The Desert Sessions, Mark Lanegan

Ben Shepherd (born Hunter Benedict Shepherd, on September 20, 1968) is an American musician, two-time Grammy Award Winner best known for playing bass in the grunge band Soundgarden from 1990 until the band's 1997 break-up. A Soundgarden reunion was announced on January 1, 2010, with Shepherd rejoining the band.^[1]

Early life[link]

Shepherd was born on an American military base in Okinawa, Japan. His family moved to Texas, then settled in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where Shepherd grew up, playing in numerous punk-rock bands with friends before he was a teenager. After graduating high school, he worked as a carpenter and a laborer. He became involved in the grunge scene when he worked as a roadie for Nirvana and played in Tic Dolly Row with Chad Channing. He was being considered for the open guitarist slot (after Jason Everman was fired) in Nirvana when he joined Soundgarden.

He first auditioned for the role of bassist in Soundgarden in 1989, immediately after Hiro Yamamoto left, but was turned down because he could not play the songs well enough. Jason Everman was hired as the band's new bassist, but for unknown reasons, was fired immediately after Soundgarden completed their promotional tour in mid-1990. Shepherd was then hired.

Soundgarden (1990–1997)[link]

In addition to his role as bass player, Shepherd's role as a singer and songwriter increased during his tenure with Soundgarden. On his first recording with the band, the studio album Badmotorfinger, Shepherd took part in writing the following songs: "Slaves & Bulldozers" (music, co-written), "Jesus Christ Pose" (music, co-written), "Face Pollution" (music), and "Somewhere" (music and lyrics).

In 1993, Shepherd and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron formed a side-project band called Hater. Shepherd sang vocals and played guitar in Hater, in addition to writing several songs on the band's first release, a self-titled album. A second album called The 2nd was recorded in 1995 after Superunknown tour's end, but was not released until 2005, ten years late. During the lengthy hiatus, Shepherd found time to complete the tracks that would become The 2nd between his collaborations with Wellwater Conspiracy (another side-project with Matt Cameron and John McBain) and several other artists. Shepherd was the lead vocalist on the first Wellwater Conspiracy album, Declaration of Conformity.

In 1994, Soundgarden released Superunknown, which featured Shepherd compositions "Half" and "Head Down". "Head Down" was heavily influenced by The Beatles, while "Half" was marked by an Indian flavor and was the first song on a Soundgarden album for which Shepherd sang lead vocals.

In 1996, Soundgarden released Down on the Upside, in which six of the sixteen album tracks were lyrically and/or musically composed by Shepherd. The tracks were: "Zero Chance" (music), "Dusty" (music), "Ty Cobb" (music), "Never Named" (music) "Switch Opens" (music) and "An Unkind" (music and lyrics). Shepherd once said he penned the music for "Never Named" at the age of sixteen. "Ty Cobb" was the first song Shepherd wrote that was made a single.

In 1997, soon after the release of Down on the Upside, the band broke up due to a clash of artistic differences between Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell. After completing many other projects, some being alongside Soundgarden's drummer, Matt Cameron, Soundgarden announced its reformation in February, 2010. Later that year, and into 2011, Ben played and plays with Soundgarden again as their bassist.

After Soundgarden (1997–present)[link]

In late 1997, Shepherd was part of the first, now rare, Desert Sessions collaboration (Volumes 1 & 2), on which he played bass.

In 1998, he quit Wellwater Conspiracy for unknown reasons. Matt Cameron took over lead vocals.

In 1999, he played bass on Mark Lanegan's album I'll Take Care of You.

In 2001, he co-wrote the song Blues For D ^[2] on Mark Lanegan's album Field Songs. He was also one of the largest instrumental contributors on this album alongside Mike Johnson.

In 2005, Shepherd formed a new band, Unkmongoni (the band's name was what Tarzan used to yell to the animals to run and be free), but the band no longer appears to be together. In that same year, the second Hater album, The 2nd, was released.^[1]

Shepherd has one daughter named Ione. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington and has a house on Bainbridge Island. Shepherd is also the partial owner of an upscale Seattle bar called Hazelwood.^[3]

In an August 2010 interview with Spin Magazine, Shepherd stated that he was "totally broke" and was sleeping on friends' couches.^[4]

In a February 2011 interview, Kim Thayil stated Ben Shepherd recorded a solo album that was never released.

Shepherd appeared as a special guest on The Mother's Anger 2011 concept album "Escape/Revolution" (Auntnest Music), playing bass on two tracks "Up In Smoke" and "Screwed".

Soundgarden Reunion (2010)[link]

On January 1, 2010, Chris Cornell confirmed that Soundgarden would re-unite again.

On February 15, 2011, it was announced on Soundgarden's homepage that they had written new material and hoped to release a new album at some point in 2011.

″ Over the past few months, we've been busy jamming, writing and hanging out together – exploring the creative aspect of being Soundgarden. It feels great. We have some cool new songs that we are going to record very soon. Thank you for all of the support! Loudest Love, Ben, Chris, Kim and Matt ″

On April 14, 2011, Soundgarden announced a summer tour consisting of four dates all in July with more dates to come. Three days later, Kim Thayil explained that the new album would sound quite different as the band did not want to "make another grunge or metal record". On April 29, 2011, drummer Matt Cameron told MTV that the album would be finished by "the end of May".However, Thayil told Reuters.com in May 2011 that it may not surface until 2012. He explained, "If we were to say, 'Let's get this record out by the fall', I think it would put a lot of pressure on us and the quality would at some point suffer. And the more we enjoy it, the more our fans should end up enjoying it."

Discography[link]

[edit] 600 School

• Live recording (circa 1982)

[edit] March of Crimes

• Fairweather Friend demo (recorded circa 1984)

[edit] Tic Dolly Row

• Live recording (1987)

[edit] Soundgarden

• Badmotorfinger (1991)
• Superunknown (1994)
• Songs from the Superunknown (1995)
• Down on the Upside (1996)
• A-Sides (1997)
• Telephantasm (2010)
• Live on I-5 (2011)

[edit] Hater

• Hater (1993)
• Hempilation: Freedom Is NORML (1995)
• The 2nd (2005)

[edit] Wellwater Conspiracy

• Declaration of Conformity (1997)

[edit] With Mark Lanegan

• Field Songs

Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals, Lap Steel Guitar (Wrote track 10: "Blues for D") (2001)

Solo project[link]

In the summer of 2010, Ben finished recording his latest solo project. It started out as an acoustic project, before morphing into a very electrified concept album in the end. The album was recorded by Dave French, at a few different studios including CHAOS in (Georgetown), The Studio With No Name (Interbay). The album was finished, mixed/mastered at Robert Lang Studios by Adam Kasper and contains a recording of frog ribbits. The album name yet to be revealed.

Featured musicians include:

• Ben Shepherd - Guitar, Bass guitar, Vocals, Mandolin, Drums
• Matt Cameron - Drums, percussion
• Matt Chamberlain - Drums, percussion
• Joseph Braley - Drums, percussion
• Greg Gilmore - Drums, percussion
• Klaus - Winds (Sax)

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

The Shamen were a Scottish electronic music and psychedelic-influenced band from Aberdeen. The founding members are Colin Angus (born 24 August 1961), Derek McKenzie (born 27 February 1964) and Keith McKenzie (born 30 August 1961) . Peter Stephenson (born 1 March 1962) joined shortly after to take over keyboards from Colin. Several other people were later in the band. Colin Angus then teamed up with Will Sinnott who together found credibility as pioneers of rock/dance crossover, before moving on to international commercial success when joined by Mr. C with "Ebeneezer Goode" and the Boss Drum 1992 album.

History[link]

1980s[link]

The Shamen were preceded by Alone Again Or, the Love-inspired name under which they recorded their first psychedelic electronic pop singles. After their name change, further singles picked up airplay from John Peel. Released in June 1987, The Shamen's first album, Drop illustrated their love of 1960s psychedelia, with influences such as Love, Syd Barrett and the 13th Floor Elevators.

By mid-1987, frontman Colin Angus was discovering the sounds of early house-music pioneers, such as S-Express and M/A/R/R/S, and increasing his knowledge of the latest studio gadgetry. By September 1987, the Shamen were applying these techniques to their own music, mixing rock guitars, techno and hip-hop rhythms and sampled radio voices to create the prototype rock-dance sound which was to prove so influential to groups like Jesus Jones and EMF. However, the newfound sound proved too radical for co-founder and vocalist Derek McKenzie, who then left the band in late 1987 to study at university. The Shamen were suddenly one crucial player short. Help was at hand in the charismatic form of Will Sinnott (23 December 1960–23 May 1991), aka Will Sin, who joined the group in October 1987, on bass, freeing up Colin Angus to handle vocal and guitar chores. Sinnott's musical background was an extensive one. He had already made an impression as part of the Can/SAHB influenced improvisation troupe Edith And The Ladies, and his father, a master wood craftsman, had made guitars for the Incredible String Band and John Martyn.

"Knature of a Girl" was the first record by the Shamen to feature Sinnott, but it wasn't until June's "Jesus Loves Amerika" single that the techno influence began to show. By this stage, Angus and Sinnott had become hooked on the acid house movement taking place in London, and its music and clubs were to exert a massive influence on the pair. Keith McKenzie and Peter Stephenson were less impressed by these new developments, and left the group the following summer, after the January 1989 release of the In Gorbachev We Trust album, which saw the group further enhancing their sound.

Angus and Sinnott relocated to London, allowing them to start afresh, and plunge headfirst into the emerging rave scene. 1989 was to be a busy year. They set out on their legendary Synergy tour, a nightclub experience combined with live music from The Shamen and others like Orbital and with DJing from the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Mixmaster Morris.Mr C, and Evil Eddie Richards The tour was to last nearly two years. Synergy was innovative at the time, in being a touring rock dance club introducing live bands to clubber's and house, techno and ambient Dj's to rock fans. They also released the Phorward mini album, produced by ex-Fiction Factory singer/songwriter Kevin Patterson.

1990s[link]

Their third album, En-Tact, was released in 1990, and it spawned the hit singles "Move Any Mountain (Progen '91)", "Hyperreal" and "Make It Mine". Also notable was the appearance of rapper and DJ Mr. C (real name Richard West), as well as incorporation of a female vocal talent, Plavka Lonich – who was intended to become the focal point of the group. The transformation into a successful rave-music act was complete. Tensions had already begun to show, however. The band's barely concealed espousal of the then-fashionable New Psychedelics, the artistic pressures of altering direction from that of an acceptably skilled guitar band to an electro-pop group. As they continued their Synergy tour, their popularity in the United Kingdom began to rapidly expand.

In early 1991, with the expansion of the popularity of their band, Will Sin decided to release an EP entitled "U Make Me Feel" under the pseudonym Elsi Curry, and it was released in France, primary on vinyl, as a promotional record. In May 1991, The Shamen headed to Tenerife, to film a video for "Move Any Mountain". On 23 May, Will Sinnott drowned while swimming off the coast of La Gomera. Colin Angus later said:

"When it first happened, I was still reeling from the shock of Will's completely unexpected and tragic death, and I couldn't think about the Shamen at all, couldn't see how anything could continue. But as I came to terms with it and thought about the situation I realised that what the Shamen's about was positivity and that positivity is like the spirit of the music and positivity acknowledges the need for change. So for those reasons I elected to carry on and also I knew that the name Shamen really meant a lot to Will and that was one of the main attractions for joining the band for him."^[1]

The "U Make Me Feel" EP never got a promotional release after Will Sin's death. Soon afterwards, in July 1991, Plavka Lonich chose to leave the band.^[2]

With Mr C now a full member of The Shamen, and Jhelisa Anderson (who was chosen to replace Plavka) providing guest vocals, the Boss Drum album followed in 1992. Boss Drum featured a spoken-word collaboration, "Re:Evolution" with Terence McKenna, and The Shamen's biggest and most controversial hit: "Ebeneezer Goode". "Ebeneezer Goode" was accused of promoting drug use, owing to the refrain, "Ezer Goode, Ezer Goode" as homophonic with "E's are good" ("E" being slang for the dance drug Ecstasy), "These F'in E's are good" as "He's Ebenezer Goode", and to double entendre drug references throughout the song. This echoed similar references in previous songs such as "Synergy"'s "M D M A-zing... we are together in ecstasy". Despite – or maybe because of – the subsequent storm of publicity, the song stayed at the top of the UK charts for 4 weeks.

Subsequent singles such as "Boss Drum" and "Phorever People" were chart hits, and they were voted "Best New Act" by Radio 1 listeners at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party in 1992, but after the unexpected success of Ebeneezer Goode some long-term fans believed they paled in comparison to earlier singles.^{[citation needed]} As Terence McKenna observed:

"Nothing ruins you for the underground like success. So when Boss Drum went double platinum, they were obviously 'establishment'... I've talked to Colin about this, and he agrees. It would have been wonderful to hit it big at 23. At 35 it becomes a pain in the ass, and you just have to manage the money and the image."^[3]

However, The Shamen's new mainstream popularity enabled them to release an unusually large number of remix singles, EPs, and LPs during the Boss Drum era, including the "Face EP", the "S.O.S. EP", and the On Air and Different Drum albums. On Air featured a series of popular tracks from En-Tact and Boss Drum as performed live on BBC radio; Different Drum was a remix album containing alternate versions of every track from Boss Drum. The tracks "Boss Drum", "LSI (Love Sex Intelligence)", "Phorever People", "Ebeneezer Goode", and "Re:Evolution" were all released as singles in their own right. It was however impossible for the band to fully escape the shadow that Will Sin's untimely exit had cast across them. At a time and in a scene when performers were very often both masked and anonymous, the emerging early 1990s Electrorock world had lost one of its more notable personalities.

Axis Mutatis was released in 1995, with new vocalist Victoria Wilson James replacing Jhelisa Anderson. Early special editions of this album featured a bonus disk, Arbor Bona Arbor Mala, an ambient album.

Always seeking to push out musical and communication boundaries, the Shamen saw themselves as an information band. Their Internet site Nemeton was amongst the first uk music sites to host to unique web based events, e.g. releasing the first ever UK band single and LP's on the net in 1995^[4] and it also features a remarkable piece of software devised by Colin to convert the DNA structures of human life into electronic music. "S2 Translation", a track on "Axis Mutatis", was generated using this software.^[5]

The Shamen continued recording into the late 1990s, releasing two additional LPs with an increasingly experimental bent. Their penultimate studio album, the instrumental Hempton Manor, followed an acrimonious split with their label One Little Indian. It is alleged to have been recorded in seven days to conclude the recording contract with One Little Indian, and the first letter of each track spells out "Fuck Birket", referring to label founder Derek Birket, who wanted the group to move back into more commercial territory.^[6] UV, in 1998, was their last album. UV was released independently on Moksha Recordings and marked a return to form, with both modern techno production and classic Shamen song structures.

Mr. C has since continued as a house music DJ and became a successful nightclub owner of the The End club. As of 2007, he was also recording as a member of the group called Sycophant Slags, with Francis Harris a.k.a. Adultnapper on his record label, Superfreq Records. Colin Angus worked in a project called Pablo Sandoz, from 2004 to 2008.

Band members[link]

• Colin Angus - Vocals, guitars, keyboards (1985–1999)
• Derek McKenzie - Vocals (1985–1987)
• Keith McKenzie - Drums (1985–1988)
• Allison Morrison -live Keyboards, backup vocals (1985–1986)
• Peter Stephenson - Keyboards (1986–1988)
• Will Sinnott - Bass, vocals, keyboards (1987–1991)
• Richard West (Mr C) - Vocals, keyboards (1989–1999)
• Plavka Lonich - Vocals (1990–1991)
• Cheryl Melder - live Vocals (1991–1992)
• Richard Sharpe - live Keyboards (1991–1992)
• Bob Breeks - additional live keyboards (1992–1999)
• Gavin Knight - live drums (1992–1999)
• Jhelisa Anderson - Vocals (1992–1993)
• Victoria Wilson James - Vocals (1994–1998)

Discography[link]

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• List of number-one singles from the 1990s (UK)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Shamen Facebook Page
• Official Shamen Twitter Feed
• Official Shamen YouTube channel
• Shamen website
• Shamen itunes
• Shamen amazon