- published: 31 Oct 2008
- views: 45711408
- author: bryanadams
Vimeo results:
Youtube results:
Loading...
Open Collage in a new Window
Email the Collage
- Loading...
Loading suggestions ...
- Adams (automobile)
- Adams (brig)
- Adams (constructor)
- Adams (lunar crater)
- Adams (retailer)
- Adams (surname)
- Adams Park
- Adams, California
- Adams, Ilocos Norte
- Adams, Massachusetts
- Adams, Minnesota
- Adams, Nebraska
- Adams, North Dakota
- Adams, Oklahoma
- Adams, Oregon
- Adams, Tennessee
- Adams, Wisconsin
- Adams-Farwell
- Cadbury Adams
- Help Disambiguation
- Jockstrap
- MSC.Adams
- USS Adams
-
Austria
Austria (
i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] (
listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: 
Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
wn.com/Austria -
Bangalore
Bangalore /ˈbæŋɡəlɔər/, also rendered Bengaluru,[needs IPA] is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City for its gardens and parks and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration. Bangalore is well known as a hub for India's information technology sector. It is among the top 10 preferred entrepreneurial locations in the world.
A succession of South Indian dynasties ruled the region of Bangalore until in 1537 AD Kempe Gowda—a feudatory ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire—established a mud fort considered to be the foundation of modern Bangalore. Following transitory occupation by Maratha and Mughal, the city remained under the Mysore kingdom. Bangalore continued to be a cantonment of the British and a major city of the Princely State of Mysore which existed as a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj. Following the independence of India in 1947, Bangalore became the capital of Mysore state, and later Karnataka.
wn.com/Bangalore -
Bangladesh
Coordinates: 23°N 90°E / 23°N 90°E / 23; 90
Bangladesh (i/ˈbɑːŋɡlədɛʃ/ or i/bæŋɡləˈdɛʃ/ (Anglicized pronunciation); Bengali: বাংলাদেশ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh) is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India and Burma and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. The capital (and largest city) is Dhaka, located in central Bangladesh. The official state language is Bengali. The name Bangladesh means "Land of Bengal" or "Country of Bengal" the in the Bengali language, from Bangla "Bengal" and desh holding a dual meaning of "land" and "country" as English "country," German land, French pays, etc.
The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal during the reign and demise of the British India. Its map was chartered by Sir Cyril Radcliffe during the creation of Pakistan and India in 1947, when the region became East Pakistan, part of the newly formed nation of Pakistan. Due to political exclusion and economic exploitation by the politically dominant West Pakistan, popular agitation grew against West Pakistan and led to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, after the Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence on 26 March 1971. With the intervention of the Indian Army, the war came to an end on 16 December 1971 with the surrender of the Pakistan Army at Ramna Race Course.
wn.com/Bangladesh -
Belfast
Coordinates: 54°35′49″N 5°55′48″W / 54.597°N 5.930°W / 54.597; -5.930
Belfast (from Irish: Béal Feirste, meaning "mouth of the shoal") is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the fourteenth largest city in the United Kingdom and second largest on the island of Ireland. It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. The city of Belfast has a population of 267,500 and lies at the heart of the Belfast urban area, which has a population of 579,276. The Larger Urban Zone, as defined by the European Union, has a total population 641,638. Belfast was granted city status in 1888.
Historically, Belfast has been a centre for the Irish linen industry (earning the nickname "Linenopolis"), tobacco production, rope-making and shipbuilding: the city's main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff, which built the well-known RMS Titanic, propelled Belfast on to the global stage in the early 20th century as the biggest and most productive shipyard in the world. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, establishing its place as a global industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. Industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast, if briefly, the biggest city in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century and the city's industrial and economic success was cited by Ulster unionist opponents of Home Rule as a reason why Ireland should shun devolution and later why Ulster in particular would fight to resist it.
wn.com/Belfast -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.
The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart" (German: Antifaschistischer Schutzwall) by GDR authorities, implying that neighbouring West Germany had not been fully de-Nazified. The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the "Wall of Shame"—a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt—while condemning the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the separate and much longer Inner German border (IGB) that demarcated the border between East and West Germany, both borders came to symbolize the "Iron Curtain" that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
wn.com/Berlin_Wall -
British Columbia
British Columbiai/ˌbrɪtɪʃ kəˈlʌmbiə/ (B.C. or BC) (French: la Colombie-Britannique, C.-B.) is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment"). Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858. In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.
As well as being the westernmost province of Western Canada, British Columbia is also a component of the Pacific Northwest, along with the US states of Oregon and Washington. The province has strong cultural and personal ties to the Prairie Provinces and Ontario as well as to the West Coast of the United States and to Alaska and the Yukon.
The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest. In 2009, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,419,974 (about two and a half million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The province is currently governed by the BC Liberal Party, led by Premier Christy Clark, who became leader as a result of the party election on February 26, 2011.
wn.com/British_Columbia -
Dhaka
Dhaka (Bengali: ঢাকা, pronounced IPA: [ˈɖʱaka]; formerly spelled Dacca, named Jahangirnagar during Mughal era) is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. It is located on the banks of the Buriganga River. Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 16 million in 2011, making it the largest city in Bangladesh. It is the 9th largest city in the world and also 28th among the most densely populated cities in the world. Dhaka is known as the City of Mosques and with 400,000 cycle rickshaws running on its streets every day, the city is also described as the Rickshaw Capital of the World.
Under Mughal rule in the 17th century, the city was known as Jahangir Nagar. It was a provincial capital and a centre of the worldwide muslin trade. The modern city, however, was developed chiefly under British rule in the 19th century, and became the second-largest city in Bengal after Calcutta (presently Kolkata). After the Partition of Bengal in 1905, Dhaka became the capital of the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam but lost its status as a provincial capital again after the partition was annulled in 1911. After the partition of India in 1947, Dhaka became the administrative capital of East Pakistan, and later, in 1971, the capital of an independent Bangladesh. During the intervening period, the city witnessed widespread turmoil; this included many impositions of martial law, the declaration of Bangladesh's independence, military suppression, devastation during war, and natural calamities.
wn.com/Dhaka -
England
Englandi/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
wn.com/England -
France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
wn.com/France -
Hamburg
Hamburg ( /ˈhæmbɜrɡ/; German pronunciation: [ˈhambʊɐ̯k], local pronunciation [ˈhambʊɪç]; Low German/Low Saxon: Hamborg [ˈhaˑmbɔːx]), officially Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second-largest city in Germany, the thirteenth largest German state, and the sixth-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to over 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighbouring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. Situated on the river Elbe, the port of Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe (after the Port of Rotterdam) and 11th-largest worldwide.
Hamburg's official name, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (German: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg), reflects Hamburg's history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and that Hamburg is a city-state and one of the sixteen States of Germany.
Hamburg is a major transport hub in Northern Germany and is one of the most affluent cities in Europe. It has become a media and industrial centre, with plants and facilities belonging to Airbus, Blohm + Voss and Aurubis. The radio and television broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk and publishers such as Gruner + Jahr and Spiegel-Verlag are pillars of the important media industry in Hamburg. In total, there are more than 120,000 enterprises.
wn.com/Hamburg -
Iceland
Icelandi/ˈaɪslənd/ (Icelandic: Ísland, IPA: [ˈislant]) is a Nordic European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The country has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior mainly consists of a plateau characterised by sand fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.
According to Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norse settler on the island. Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over winter. Over the following centuries, Norsemen settled Iceland, bringing with them thralls (slaves) of Gaelic origin. From 1262 to 1918 Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies. Until the 20th century, the Icelandic population relied largely on fisheries and agriculture, and the country was one of the poorest and least developed in the world. Industrialisation of the fisheries and aid from the Marshall Plan brought prosperity in the years after World War II, and by the 1990s it was one of the world's wealthiest countries. In 1994, Iceland became party to the European Economic Area, which made it possible for the economy to diversify into economic and financial services.
wn.com/Iceland -
India
India (i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
wn.com/India -
Jericho
Jericho ( /ˈdʒɛrɪkoʊ/; Arabic: أريحا ʼArīḥā [ʔæˈriːħɑː] ( listen)); Hebrew: יְרִיחוֹ Yeriẖo [jeʁiˈħo] ( listen) is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently inhabited site on earth. It is also believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Described in the Old Testament as the "City of Palm Trees", copious springs in and around Jericho have made it an attractive site for human habitation for thousands of years. It is known in Judeo-Christian tradition as the place of the Israelites' return from bondage in Egypt, led by Joshua, the successor to Moses. Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 20 successive settlements in Jericho, the first of which dates back 11,000 years (9000 BCE), almost to the very beginning of the Holocene epoch of the Earth's history.
wn.com/Jericho -
Karachi
Karachi ( Karācī (help·info), Urdu: کراچی; Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the largest city, main seaport and financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 13 million. Results in April 2012 of Pakistan's latest census initial tabulations show that the district is home to over 21 million people, at a density of nearly 6,000 people per square kilometer (15,500 per square mile). Karachi is the most populous city in the country, one of the world's largest cities in terms of population and also the 10th largest urban agglomeration in the world. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, economic activity and trade and is home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research. The city is a major hub of higher education in South Asia and the wider Muslim world.
wn.com/Karachi -
McCord Museum
The McCord Museum (in French, Musée McCord) is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history. The museum, whose full name is McCord Museum of Canadian History, is located at 690 Sherbrooke Street West, next to McGill University, in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The museum was founded in 1921 by David Ross McCord, based on his own family collection of objects. Since then the museum's holdings have increased substantially.
This collection of 15,800 objects documents many aspects of the ways of life, arts, cultures and traditions of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. It also includes a number of objects from communities living in Alaska and the northern United States.
In this collection there are more than 7,300 historical aboriginal objects, dating from the early 1800s to 1945 (clothing, accessories, headgear, domestic tools, baskets, hunting weaponry, etc.) and more than 8,500 archaeological objects dating from about 10,000 years ago to the 16th century (stone tools, potsherds).
wn.com/McCord_Museum -
Nepal
Nepal (नेपाल) (i/nɛˈpɔːl/ ne-PAWLNepali: नेपाल [neˈpal] ( listen)), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. Specifically, the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim border Nepal, while across the Himalayas lies the Tibetan Autonomous Region. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 27 million (and 2 million absentee workers living abroad), Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolis. Kathmandu Valley itself has estimated population of 5 million.
Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized.
wn.com/Nepal -
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann pronounced [ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ] ( listen), Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann or Norlin Airlan) is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. As of 2001, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is largely self-governing. According to the agreement, Northern Ireland co-operates with the rest of Ireland – from which it was partitioned in 1921 — on some policy areas, while other areas are reserved for the Government of the United Kingdom, though the Republic of Ireland "may put forward views and proposals".
Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter inter-communal conflict — the Troubles — which was caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the United Kingdom, and generally see themselves as British, while nationalists wish for it to be politically reunited with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule, and generally see themselves as Irish. Additionally, people from both sides of the community may describe themselves as Northern Irish. Since 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns.
wn.com/Northern_Ireland -
Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 45°13′N 62°42′W / 45.217°N 62.7°W / 45.217; -62.7 (Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia (pronounced /ˌnoʊvə ˈskoʊʃə/; French: Nouvelle-Écosse; Scottish Gaelic: Alba Nuadh) is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province of the four in Atlantic Canada. Located almost exactly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole (44º 39' N Longitude), its provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi), including Cape Breton and some 3,800 coastal islands. As of 2011, the population was 921,727, making Nova Scotia the second-most-densely populated province in Canada.
Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when French colonists established Port Royal, Nova Scotia, the first permanent European settlement in North America north of Florida in 1605. Almost one hundred and fifty years later, the first English and German settlers arrived with the founding of Halifax (1749). The first Scottish migration was on the Hector (1773) and then the first Black migration happened after the American Revolution (1783). Despite the diversity of the cultural heritage of Nova Scotia, much of the twentieth-century tourism efforts focused primarily on all things Scottish. Many recent tourism efforts embrace and showcase Nova Scotia's diversity.
wn.com/Nova_Scotia -
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (i/ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə/) (Pawnee: Uukuhuúwa , Cayuga: Gahnawiyoˀgeh ) is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Oklahoma is the 20th most extensive and the 28th most populous of the 50 United States. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people", and it is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State. Formed by the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans or, informally "Okies", and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.
A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agriculture, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth and gross domestic product growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living in their metropolitan statistical areas.
wn.com/Oklahoma -
Pakistan
Pakistan (
i/ˈpækɨstæn/ or i/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاکستان) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] (
listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a sovereign country in South Asia. It sits at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and it shares a marine border with Oman.
The territory of modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures, including the Neolithic Mehrgarh and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and has undergone invasions or settlements by Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures. Thus the area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and India's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of India where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.
wn.com/Pakistan -
Paris
Coordinates: 48°51′24″N 2°21′03″E / 48.8567°N 2.3508°E / 48.8567; 2.3508
Paris (i/ˈpærɨs/; French: [paʁi] ( listen)) is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region (or Paris Region, French: Région parisienne). As of January 2008 the city of Paris, within its administrative limits (the 20 arrondissements) largely unchanged since 1860, has an estimated population of 2,211,297 and a metropolitan population of 12,089,098, and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe. Paris was the largest city in the Western world for about 1,000 years, prior to the 19th century, and the largest in the entire world between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities. It hosts the headquarters of many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the International Chamber of Commerce or the European Space Agency. Paris is considered one of the greenest and most liveable cities in Europe. It is also one of the most expensive.
wn.com/Paris -
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( /ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə/) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States, with a population of 1,526,006 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Philadelphia is also the commercial, cultural, and educational center of the Delaware Valley, home to 6 million people and the country's fifth-largest metropolitan area. The Philadelphia metropolitan division consists of five counties in Pennsylvania and has a population of 4,008,994. Popular nicknames for Philadelphia are Philly and The City of Brotherly Love, the latter of which comes from the literal meaning of the city's name in Greek (Greek: Φιλαδέλφεια ([pʰilaˈdelpʰeːa], Modern Greek: [filaˈðelfia]) "brotherly love", compounded from philos (φίλος) "loving", and adelphos (ἀδελφός) "brother").
wn.com/Philadelphia -
Portugal
Portugali/ˈpɔrtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, IPA: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula . Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose Latin name was Portus Cale.
The land within the borders of the current Portuguese Republic has been continuously settled since prehistoric times: occupied by Celts like the Gallaeci and the Lusitanians, integrated into the Roman Republic and later settled by Germanic peoples such as the Suebi, Swabians, Vandals and the Visigoths. In the 8th century most of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by Moorish invaders professing Islam, which were later expelled by the Knights Templar under the Order of Christ. During the Christian Reconquista, Portugal established itself as an independent kingdom from León in 1139, claiming to be the oldest European nation state.
wn.com/Portugal -
Qatar
Qatar (i/ˈkɑːtɑr/ or i/kəˈtɑr/;Arabic: قطر [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ɡɪtˤɑr]), also known as the country or State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island state of Bahrain.
Qatar has been ruled as an absolute monarchy by Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling, it became independent in 1971, and has become one of the region's wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup d'état. The most important positions in Qatar are held by the members of the Al Thani family, or close confidants of the al-Thani family. Beginning in 1992, Qatar has built intimate military ties with the United States, and is now the location of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center.
wn.com/Qatar -
Reykjavík
Reykjavík (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈreiːcaˌviːk] ( listen)) is the capital and largest city in Iceland.
Its latitude, at 64°08' N, makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay. With a population of around 120,000 (and over 200,000 in the Greater Reykjavík Area), it is the heart of Iceland's economic and governmental activity.
Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have established around 870 C.E. Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the next decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities.
The first permanent settlement in Iceland by Norsemen is believed to have been established in Reykjavík by Ingólfur Arnarson around AD 870; this is described in Landnámabók, or the Book of Settlement. Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have decided the location of his settlement using a traditional Viking method; by casting his high seat pillars (Öndvegissúlur) into the ocean when he saw the coastline, then settled where the pillars came to shore. Steam from hot springs in the region is said to have inspired Reykjavík's name, which loosely translates to Smoke Cove (the city is often referred to as the Bay of Smokes or Bay of Smoke) The original name was Reykjarvík with an additional "r" that vanished around 1300.[citation needed]
wn.com/Reykjavík -
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941.
Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from several performance genres have appeared on its stage and it has become one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings. Each year it hosts more than 350 events including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet and opera, sports, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and banquets.
The hall was originally supposed to have been called The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the name was changed by Queen Victoria to Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences when laying the foundation stone as a dedication to her deceased husband and consort Prince Albert. It forms the practical part of a national memorial to the Prince Consort – the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens, now separated from the Hall by the road Kensington Gore.
wn.com/Royal_Albert_Hall -
Saatchi Gallery
Coordinates: 51°29′26″N 0°09′32″W / 51.4906°N 0.1589°W / 51.4906; -0.1589
The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art, opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 in order to exhibit his collection to the public. It has occupied different premises, first in North London, then the South Bank by the River Thames, and finally in Chelsea, where it currently is. Saatchi's collection, and hence the gallery's shows, has had distinct phases, starting with U.S. artists and minimalism, moving to the Damien Hirst-led Young British Artists, followed by shows purely of painting and then returning to contemporary art from America in USA Today at the Royal Academy in London. In 2008, an exhibition of contemporary Chinese art formed the inaugural exhibition in the new venue for the gallery at the Duke of York's HQ.
The gallery has been a major influence on art in Britain since its opening. It has also had a history of media controversy, which it has courted, and has had extremes of critical reaction. Many artists shown at the gallery are unknown not only to the general public but also to the commercial art world: showing at the gallery has provided a springboard to launch careers.[citation needed]
wn.com/Saatchi_Gallery -
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (i/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, or /sriːˈlæŋkə/;Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාව, Tamil: இலங்கை), is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon ( /sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.
As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia. It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times, being the nation where the Buddhist teachings were first written down as well as the oldest continually Buddhist country. Sri Lanka boasts a diverse range of cultures, languages and religions. The Sinhalese people form the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.
wn.com/Sri_Lanka -
Tbilisi
Tbilisi (Georgian: თბილისი [tʰb̥ilisi] ( listen)) is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi (ტფილისი) and it was officially known as Tpilisi (in Georgian) or Tiflis (in Russian) until 1936. The city covers an area of 726 km2 (280 sq mi) and has 1,480,000 inhabitants.
Founded in the 5th century by Vakhtang Gorgasali, the monarch of Georgia's precursor Kingdom of Iberia, Tbilisi has served, with various intervals, as Georgia's capital for nearly 1500 years and represents a significant industrial, social, and cultural center of the country. Located near the southeastern edge of Europe, Tbilisi's proximity to lucrative east-west trade routes often made the city a point of contention between various rival empires throughout history and the city's location to this day ensures its position as an important transit route for global energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's varied history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval, classical, and Soviet structures.
wn.com/Tbilisi -
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, officially Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew: תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ; Arabic: تل أبيب), is the second most populous city in Israel. It has a population of 404,400 within city limits, on a land area of 52 km2 (20 sq mi). The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in central-west Israel. In 2010, it was the largest and most populous city in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area of 3,325,700 residents, known as Gush Dan. The city is governed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, headed by Ron Huldai. Residents of Tel Aviv are referred to as Tel Avivim.
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 by the Jewish Community of Jaffa (Hebrew: יָפוֹ Yafo; Arabic: يافا Yāfā), on the outskirts of the ancient port city. The growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa, which had a majority Arab population at the time. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. Tel Aviv's White City, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, comprises the world's largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings.
wn.com/Tel_Aviv -
Thailand
Thailand (
/ˈtaɪlænd/ TY-land or /ˈtaɪlənd/;Thai: ประเทศไทย, RTGS: Prathet Thai), officially the Kingdom of Thailand (Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย, RTGS: Ratcha Anachak Thai; IPA: [râːt.tɕʰā ʔāːnāːtɕàk tʰāj] ( listen)), formerly known as Siam (Thai: สยาม; RTGS: Sayam), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
The country is a constitutional monarchy, headed by King Rama IX, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who, having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of Thailand is titled Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, the Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.
wn.com/Thailand -
Toronto
Toronto (/təˈrɒntoʊ/, colloquially /ˈtrɒnoʊ/) is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from the Mississaugas of the New Credit. The settlement was later established as the Town of York and proclaimed as the new capital of Upper Canada by its lieutenant-governor, John Graves Simcoe. In 1834, York was incorporated as a city and renamed to its present name. The city was ransacked in the Battle of York during the War of 1812 and damaged in two great fires in 1849 and in 1904. Since its incorporation, Toronto has repeatedly expanded its borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities, most recently in 1998.
With over 2.6 million residents, it is the fifth most populous city in North America. Its metropolitan area has over 5.5 million residents. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, which has a population of nearly 9 million people as of 2011. The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,583,064, and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 6,054,191 in the 2011 Census. Its cosmopolitan and international population reflects its role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, with about 49% of the population born outside Canada. Toronto is also consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.
wn.com/Toronto -
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
wn.com/United_Kingdom -
Vancouver
Vancouver (/vænˈkuːvər/) is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The 2011 census recorded more than 603,000 people in the city, making it the eighth largest among Canadian cities. The metropolitan area, with more than 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country and the most populous in Western Canada. With 5,249 people per square kilometre (13,590 per sq mile), the City of Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality among those with 5,000 residents or more. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada, with 52% for whom English is not their first language.
The original settlement, named Gastown, grew around the Hastings Mill logging sawmill and a nearby tavern, both established in 1867. Enlarging to become the townsite of Granville, with the announcement that the railhead would reach the site it was renamed "Vancouver" and incorporated as a city in 1886. By 1887, the transcontinental railway was extended to the city to take advantage of its large natural seaport, which soon became a vital link in a trade route between the Orient, Eastern Canada, and London. As of 2009, Port Metro Vancouver is the busiest and largest port in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second-largest industry. Major film production studios in Vancouver and Burnaby have turned Metro Vancouver into the third-largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the film industry nickname, Hollywood North.
wn.com/Vancouver -
Vienna
Vienna ( /viːˈɛnə/; German: Wien (help·info) [viːn]) is the capital and largest city of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million (2.4 million within the metropolitan area, more than 25% of Austria's population), and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 9th-largest city by population in the European Union. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was the largest German speaking city in the world, and before the first world war and the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian empire the city had 2 million inhabitants. Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations and OPEC. The city lies in the east of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. These regions work together in a European Centrope border region. Along with nearby Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
wn.com/Vienna
-
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born 21 February 1946) is an English actor of stage and screen. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His breakout performance was as the Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Rickman is known for his film performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, Éamon de Valera in Michael Collins, and Metatron in Dogma.
Rickman has also had a number of other notable film roles such as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply, P.L. O'Hara in An Awfully Big Adventure and Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. More recently, he played Judge Turpin in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Rickman was born in South Hammersmith, London, to a working class family, the son of Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett), a housewife, and Bernard Rickman, a factory worker. Rickman's mother was from Wales and a Methodist, and his father was of Irish Catholic background. He has one elder brother, David (b. 1944), a graphic designer, a younger brother, Michael (b. 1947), a tennis coach, and a younger sister, Sheila (b. 1949). Rickman attended Derwentwater Primary School, in Acton, a school that followed the Montessori method of education.
wn.com/Alan_Rickman -
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Ceclia Ewen Burke (born August 25, 1988) is a British R&B and pop recording artist, songwriter, dancer and model. Born and raised in Islington, London, United Kingdom. Burke was exposed to music from an early age, with her mother being the lead singer of Soul II Soul. Burke rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008. Burke currently stands as one of the most successful winners of The X Factor and she is currently signed to four record labels, Epic Records, RCA Records, Syco Music and Subliminal.
wn.com/Alexandra_Burke -
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
In 2007 she won a Brit Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award three times: once in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", once in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and once in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game".
wn.com/Amy_Winehouse -
Annie Lennox
Ann "Annie" Lennox, OBE (born 25 December 1954), is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s as part of the New Wave band The Tourists, she and fellow musician David A. Stewart went on to achieve major international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Lennox is the most recognized female artist at the Brit Awards, winning a total of eight awards. She has also been named the "Brits Champion of Champions".
Lennox embarked on a solo career in the 1990s with her debut album, Diva (1992), which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". To date, she has released five solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). She is the recipient of eight Brit Awards, four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard Magazine. In 2004, she won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
wn.com/Annie_Lennox -
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and pianist. In a recording career that has spanned over half a century, Franklin's repertoire has included gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, pop, rock and funk. Franklin is known as one of the most important popularizers of the soul music genre and is referred to as the Queen of Soul, a title she was given early in her career. Franklin, the daughter of prominent Baptist minister and activist C. L. Franklin, began her singing career singing in her father's church at the age of ten and started recording four years later. After several years in the gospel circuit and with her father's blessing, she formed a secular pop music career at the age of eighteen, signing with Columbia Records, where she was branded by its CEO John Hammond as his most important act since Billie Holiday. Franklin's Columbia period wasn't as successful as hoped and in late 1966, Franklin switched over to Atlantic Records, where she began recording a string of popular hits including "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Think", "Chain of Fools" and what later became her signature song, "Respect".
wn.com/Aretha_Franklin -
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher (/ˈkʊtʃər/; born February 7, 1978), best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model, and comedian, known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. He also created, produced and hosted Punk'd, and played lead roles in the Hollywood films Dude, Where's My Car?, Just Married, The Butterfly Effect, The Guardian, and What Happens in Vegas. He is also the producer and co-creator of the supernatural TV show Room 401 and the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek. Kutcher currently co-stars in the hit CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men as the character Walden Schmidt.
Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is the son of Diane (née Finnegan), a Procter & Gamble employee, and Larry M. Kutcher, a factory worker. His father is of Bohemian (Czech) descent and his mother is of Irish, German, and Bohemian ancestry. Kutcher was raised in a conservative Roman Catholic family, with an older sister, Tausha, and a fraternal twin, Michael, who had a heart transplant when the brothers were young children. Kutcher's twin brother also has cerebral palsy and is a spokesperson for the advocacy organization Reaching for the Stars.
wn.com/Ashton_Kutcher -
Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
wn.com/Austria -
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand (/ˈstraɪsænd/; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, writer, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, five Emmy Awards including one Daytime Emmy, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award.
She is one of the most commercially and critically successful entertainers in modern entertainment history, with more than 71.5 million albums shipped in the United States and 140 million albums sold worldwide. She is the best-selling female artist on the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) Top Selling Artists list, the only female recording artist in the top ten, and the only artist outside of the rock and roll genre. Along with Frank Sinatra, Cher, and Shirley Jones, she shares the distinction of being awarded an acting Oscar and also recording a number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
wn.com/Barbra_Streisand -
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle (born August 17, 1958) is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands of all time and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments. Topping the Billboard charts with the Go-Go's, she sold more than seven million albums in just three years and later went on to a successful solo career with hits "Mad About You", "Summer Rain", "I Get Weak", "Circle in the Sand", "Leave a Light On" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" among others, which were major successes in the United States and United Kingdom as well as internationally. Her autobiography, Lips Unsealed, published in June 2010, reached No. 27 on the The New York Times Best Seller list and received favorable reviews. On August 11, 2011, she received, as a member of the Go-Go's, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Belinda Carlisle was born in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles to Harold, a travelling salesman (he sold vacuum cleaners) and his wife Joanne, who raised the children at home. The first of seven siblings, with three brothers and three sisters, she was five years old when her father abandoned the family and upon her mother's second marriage, did not have a close relationship with her stepfather, Duke Kurczeski. Growing up in Ventura County's Thousand Oaks, a part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, she was a cheerleader at Newbury Park High School and, at the age of 19, left home.
wn.com/Belinda_Carlisle -
Bella Freud
Bella Freud (born 17 April 1961) is a London-based fashion designer with a number of celebrity clients.
Freud was born in London, England. She is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and artist Lucian Freud and great granddaughter of the inventor of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Her father Lucian Freud (born December 8, 1922) died July 20, 2011 age 88. Only four days later, her mother died on July 24, 2011 at age 68 of cancer.
Her only full sibling is her sister, writer Esther Freud, who wrote the memoir of their hippie childhood in Morocco, Hideous Kinky.
Freud started working for Vivienne Westwood during the 1980s before setting up her own design company. She also undertook consultancy work for the British fashion company Jaeger during the 1990s. She has been responsible for the relaunch and revamp of fashion house Biba.
Freud is married to James Fox, the author of the book White Mischief, and they have one son named Jimmy born around 2001.
Freud worked with John Malkovich in 1999 to produce three short films in forty-eight hours to document her fashion collection.
wn.com/Bella_Freud -
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X. He then embarked on a successful solo career, aided by a series of stylish[citation needed]music videos, making him one of the first MTV stars. Idol continues to tour with guitarist Steve Stevens and has a worldwide fan base.[citation needed]
Idol was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, the son of a salesman.. The name Billy Idol was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of Broad as "idle".
In 1958, when Idol was two years old, his parents moved to Patchogue, New York, on Long Island. The family returned to England four years later with Idol and a younger child Jane (who had been born in the US), settling in Dorking, Surrey. In 1971 the family moved to Bromley, southeastern London, where Idol attended Ravensbourne School for Boys. Idol (rather William Broad) also attended Worthing High School for Boys (later becoming Worthing College), in West Sussex. In October 1975, Idol went to the University of Sussex, near Brighton, to pursue an English degree and lived on campus (East Slope) but left after year one (1976). He then went on to join the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, a loose gang that travelled into town when the band played.
wn.com/Billy_Idol -
Bob Clearmountain
Bob Clearmountain is an award-winning American music engineer, mixer and producer. He has worked with many prominent names in music including Bruce Springsteen (he mixed Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A.), The Rolling Stones (he mixed their singles "Miss You" and "Out of Tears"), Bryan Adams (he has mixed almost all of his albums since Reckless), Robbie Williams (Intensive Care), Toto, Bon Jovi (These Days, Crush, Bounce), Altered State, Simple Minds, and 235 other artists.
He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and won a Latin Grammy Award in 2007 for Best Male Pop Vocal Album for his work with engineering Ricky Martin's "MTV Unplugged". He has also won an Emmy and he has won seven TEC Awards for "Best Recording Engineer", two others for "Best Broadcast Engineer", one special "Les Paul Award" and a Monitor Award for the Rolling Stone's Voodoo Lounge pay-per-view show.
Clearmountain also played bass on The Dead Boys' first album, Young, Loud and Snotty, before Jeff Magnum rejoined the group.
wn.com/Bob_Clearmountain -
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999, which became the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist. During her first decade in the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s, and became the 'best-selling teen aged artist of all time' before she turned 20, garnering her the honorific title of "Princess of Pop".
wn.com/Britney_Spears -
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, OC OBC (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. For his contributions to music, Adams has many awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations, 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.
Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.
Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards. In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career, and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.
wn.com/Bryan_Adams -
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in the United Kingdom. Ferry began his solo career in 1973, while still a member of Roxy Music, which continues to the present day.
Born in Washington, Tyne & Wear, England into a working class family (his father, Fred Ferry, was a farmer who also looked after pit ponies), Ferry attended Washington Grammar-Technical School (now called Washington School) on Spout Lane from 1957 and achieved nine O levels, then studied fine art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne under Richard Hamilton. His contemporaries included Tim Head and Nick de Ville. Ferry became a pottery teacher at Holland Park School in London. Ferry formed the band The Banshees, and later, together with Graham Simpson, the band the Gas Board.
wn.com/Bryan_Ferry -
Canadians
Canadians (singular Canadian) are the people who are identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be genetic, residential, legal, historical, cultural or ethnic. For most Canadians, several (frequently all) of those types of connections exist and are the source(s) of them being considered Canadians.
Aside from the Aboriginal peoples, who according to the 2006 Canadian Census numbered 1,172,790, 3.8% of the country's total population, the majority of the population is made up of Old World immigrants and their descendants. After the initial period of French and then British colonization, different waves (or peaks) of immigration and settlement of non-aboriginal peoples took place over the course of nearly two centuries and continues today. Elements of Aboriginal, French, British and more recent immigrant customs, languages and religions have combined to form the culture of Canada and thus a Canadian identity. Canada has also been strongly influenced by that of its linguistic, geographic and economic neighbour, the United States.
wn.com/Canadians -
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, CC OQ, (French pronunciation: [selin djɔ̃] ( listen); born March 30, 1968), is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record. In 1990, she released the English-language album Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.
Dion had first gained international recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Following a series of French albums in the early 1980s, she signed on to CBS Records Canada in 1986. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved worldwide fame after signing with Epic Records and releasing several English albums along with additional French albums, becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music history. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a hiatus from entertainment in order to start a family and spend time with her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer. She returned to the top of pop music in 2002 and signed a three-year (later extended to almost five years) contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada.
wn.com/Celine_Dion -
Cher
Cher ( /ˈʃɛər/) (born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer, and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes, and a Cannes Film Festival Award for her work in film, music, and television. She is the only person in history to receive all five awards. She began her career as a backup singer and came to prominence in 1965 as one-half of the pop rock duo Sonny & Cher with the success of their song "I Got You Babe". She subsequently established herself as a solo recording artist and became a television star in 1971 with The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, a variety show for which she won a Golden Globe. A well-received performance in the film Silkwood earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress of 1983. In the following years, she starred in a string of hit films including Mask, The Witches of Eastwick, and Moonstruck, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress of 1987.
wn.com/Cher -
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (born August 1, 1963), better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American Grammy Award winning musician, rapper, actor, and record producer. He is best known for the song "Gangsta's Paradise", and the theme song for Kenan & Kel a Nickelodeon show from 1996 to 2000.
He recorded two singles in the late 1980s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me". Neither single was successful, but Coolio had made connections in the Los Angeles rap scene, and ended up joining the group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. WC was the group's lead rapper, but Coolio was another rapper in the group. He had a few verses on the group's debut album, Ain't a Damn Thang Changed, including on the single "Dress Code". The album was regionally successful, but did not make much impact on a national scale.
Three years later in 1994, Coolio signed to Tommy Boy Records and released his debut solo album, It Takes a Thief. The lead single "Fantastic Voyage" was put into heavy rotation on MTV, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Fantastic Voyage" would become one of the biggest rap singles of the year. The album also contained a few minor hits in "County Line" and "I Remember". It Takes a Thief eventually peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 200, becoming certified Platinum. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.
wn.com/Coolio -
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 22, 1953 in Queens, New York) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and LGBT rights activist.
She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the debut solo album She's So Unusual in 1983, which spawned four Billboard Hot 100 top-five songs—"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night"—She's So Unusual was the first album in history to have four top five singles by a female. The album earned Lauper Best New Artist at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985.
Her success continued with the follow-up, True Colors in 1986, which spawned two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten songs—"True Colors" and "Change of Heart", and earned two nominations at the 29th Grammy Awards.
Since 1989 released from a nine studio albums acclaimed critical, A Night to Remember (1989), Hat Full of Stars (1993), Sisters of Avalon (1996), Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life (1998),Shine (2001), At Last (2003), The Body Acoustic (2005), Bring Ya to the Brink (2008).
wn.com/Cyndi_Lauper -
David McTaggart
David Fraser McTaggart (June 24, 1932 - March 23, 2001) was a Canadian-born environmentalist who played a central part in the foundation of Greenpeace International.
An excellent all-around athlete, as a young man he won three consecutive Canadian National Badminton Championships in men's singles (1956—1958) and represented that country in badminton's Thomas Cup (men's world team championship) competition. Prior to his involvement in Greenpeace he had prospered as a builder and developer.
In 1972, responding to an ad in the newspapers, he used his personal boat to protest the testing of nuclear weapons in the Pacific by the French Government. After getting his boat damaged and being physically hurt by the French Military, his protest succeeded in 1974 when the French announced the end of their atmospheric nuclear testing program. He became chairman and chief spokesman of Greenpeace in 1979, retiring in 1991 to live on an olive farm in Paciano, Umbria, Italy.
McTaggart continued to participate in Greenpeace forums after retirement for the rest of his life. Te Vaka dedicated its song "Sei Ma Le Losa" for McTaggart, who was killed in a car accident on March 2001 near his home in Italy.
wn.com/David_McTaggart -
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick (born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health.
Having been in a partnership with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest hit makers of the entire rock era (1955–1999), based on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Charts. Warwick ranks second only to Aretha Franklin as the most-charted female vocalist with 56 singles making the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998. She is also a cousin of Whitney Houston.
Warwick was born in East Orange, New Jersey, to Mancel Warwick (1911–1977), who began his career as a Pullman porter and subsequently became a chef, a gospel record promoter for Chess Records and later a Certified Public Accountant; and Lee Drinkard Warwick (1920–2005), manager of The Drinkard Singers (see below). Warwick had a sister Delia "Dee Dee" and a brother, Mancel Jr., who was killed in an accident in 1968 at the age of 21.[citation needed]. She has African American, Native American, Brazilian and Dutch ancestry.
wn.com/Dionne_Warwick -
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.
In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" has sold over 33 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling single in Billboard history. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 56 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, four No. 2 hits, and nine No. 1 hits. He has won six Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Having been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, John received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable services" in 1998.
wn.com/Elton_John -
George Harrison
George Harrison,MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian culture and mysticism, and introduced it to the other Beatles, as well as their Western audience. Following the band's break-up he was a successful solo artist, and later a founding member of the Traveling Wilburys. Harrison was also a session musician and a film and record producer. He is listed at number 11 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Although most of The Beatles' songs were written by Lennon and McCartney, Beatle albums generally included one or two of Harrison's own songs, from With The Beatles onwards. His later compositions with The Beatles include "Here Comes the Sun", "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". By the time of the band's break-up, Harrison had accumulated a backlog of material, which he then released as the triple album All Things Must Pass in 1970, from which two hit singles originated: a double A-side single, "My Sweet Lord" backed with "Isn't It a Pity", and "What Is Life". In addition to his solo work, Harrison co-wrote two hits for former Beatle Ringo Starr, as well as songs for the Traveling Wilburys—the supergroup he formed in 1988 with Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison.
wn.com/George_Harrison -
George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Greek: Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου); 25 June 1963) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Michael rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley. His first solo single, "Careless Whisper", was released when he was still in the duo and sold about six million copies worldwide.
As one of the world's best-selling music artists, Michael has sold more than 100 million records worldwide as of 2010. His 1987 debut solo album, Faith, has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and made several records and achievements in the United States. Michael has garnered seven number one singles in the UK and eight number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Michael the 40th most successful artist on the Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists list.
Michael has won numerous music awards throughout his 30-year career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male twice, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations.
wn.com/George_Michael -
Jann Arden
Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter.
Arden was born in Calgary and moved as a child to Springbank, Alberta, where she attended Springbank Community High School.
Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1993 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You". Her success grew with 1994's Living Under June, which featured her biggest hit to date outside of Canada, "Insensitive", which was released as a single from the soundtrack to the Christian Slater film Bed of Roses (number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100). Another single from that same album, "Could I Be Your Girl", has also had significant, and consistent airplay on Canadian adult contemporary radio since its release, and featured a dance remix version which circulated on pop radio at the time.
Subsequent albums include 1997's Happy?, 2000's Blood Red Cherry, and 2003's Love Is the Only Soldier. She also released a greatest hits album, Greatest Hurts, in 2001, and a live album, Jann Arden Live with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2002). In 2005, she released her eighth album (her sixth album of new material) titled simply Jann Arden.
wn.com/Jann_Arden -
Jaromír Jágr
"I didn't even know what anagram meant in English, how could I translate that into Czech?"
Jaromír Jágr (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjaromiːr ˈjaːɡr̩] ( listen); born February 15, 1972) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger and co-owner of the HC Kladno of the Czech Extraliga. He plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL) and he formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers. After leaving the Rangers, Jágr played for three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Avangard Omsk before returning to the NHL with the Flyers.
Jágr was the fifth overall selection in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He won two consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading point scorer five times, received the Lester B. Pearson Award as voted by the NHL Players' Association three times, and won a Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He has been named to seven NHL First All-Star Teams. Jágr is currently in the top 15 NHL players in career goals, assists and points (as of the end of the 2010–11 NHL season), and is the all-time leader among European trained players in all three categories, as well as the leading point scorer among active NHL players. Jágr was the Czech Republic's flag bearer for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
wn.com/Jaromír_Jágr -
Jim Vallance
James Douglas "Jim" Vallance, OC (born May 31, 1952 in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada) is a retired Canadian musician, songwriter, arranger and producer based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. He is best known as the former songwriting partner of Canadian international recording artist Bryan Adams. He began his professional career as the original drummer and principal songwriter for the Canadian rock group Prism under the pseudonym "Rodney Higgs." In addition to Adams, Vallance has written songs for many famous international artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Scorpions, Anne Murray and Joe Cocker. His most recognizable songs are "Spaceship Superstar" (Prism), "Cuts Like a Knife" (Bryan Adams), "Heaven" (Bryan Adams), "Summer of '69" (Bryan Adams), "Now and Forever (You and Me)" (Anne Murray) and "Edge of a Dream" (Joe Cocker.) He also co-wrote "Tears Are Not Enough" for Northern Lights for Africa, an ensemble of Canadian recording artists in support of the 1985 African famine relief. He has won the Canadian music industry Juno award for Composer of the Year four times (a record.) Vallance is a Member of the Order of Canada. He retired from the music industry in 2006.
wn.com/Jim_Vallance -
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson; November 7, 1943) is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto. In 1965 she moved to the United States and, touring constantly, began to be recognized when her original songs ("Urge for Going," "Chelsea Morning," "Both Sides, Now," "The Circle Game") were covered by notable folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her own debut album in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell and her popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock" helped define an era and a generation. Her more starkly personal 1971 recording Blue has been called one of the best albums ever made. Musically restless, Mitchell switched labels and began moving toward jazz rhythms by way of lush pop textures on 1974's Court and Spark, her best-selling LP, featuring her radio hits "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris."
wn.com/Joni_Mitchell -
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country. To date, he has sold over 24 million albums worldwide, and is the top selling classical artist of the 2000s in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Groban originally studied acting, but as his voice changed, it developed into a "significant instrument". Groban attended the Los Angeles High School for the Arts, a free public school where students received a conservatory-style education. His life changed 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, 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.Rosie O'Donnell immediately invited him to appear on her talk show. Foster asked him to sing at the California Governor's Gray Davis' 1999 inauguration. He was cast on Ally McBeal by the show's creator, David E. Kelley, performing "You're Still You" for the 2001 season finale.
wn.com/Josh_Groban -
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, the equally multiplatinum Mind Body & Soul, topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit "You Had Me", Stone's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date. Both album and single each received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004 was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart in history to have her first album at number one. In early 2009, she joined the eclectic supergroup SuperHeavy.
wn.com/Joss_Stone -
Keith Scott
Keith Douglas Scott (born July 20, 1954) is a Canadian guitar player. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with the singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. He has also worked with Cher, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry, Tom Cochrane, Craig Northey and other musicians.
Scott was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, where his father played jazz piano and his mother sang occasionally. His own introduction to music was playing flute in a school orchestra: anecdotally, it said that he chose the flute because he lived quite far away from the school and did not want to drag a large instrument case around with him. While still at school, he learned how to play the acoustic guitar and, by the time he was 17, he had acquired a used 1960s Fender Stratocaster, which was to become a trademark instrument. Many of his musical influences are also associated with this instrument: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, for example. During his career, he has used other instruments and recently the Gretsch company produced a "Keith Scott Nashville Gold Top" signature guitar, to Scott's specifications as a thank you to Scott for using his orange Gretsch for the video for "Everything I Do" filmed in Sherwood forest.
wn.com/Keith_Scott -
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards and has been nominated for three BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J. Dunbar in the film Dances with Wolves, Jim Garrison in JFK, Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Crash Davis in Bull Durham, Robert "Butch" Haynes in A Perfect World, Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard, Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell in No Way Out, and Eliot Ness in The Untouchables. Costner also founded the band Modern West, and has performed with the band since 2007.
Born in Lynwood, California, the youngest of three sons (the middle of whom died at birth). His mother, Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), was a welfare worker, and his father, William Costner, was an electrician and later utilities executive at Southern California Edison. Costner's patrilineal ancestry originates with German immigrants to North Carolina in the 1700s; he also has English and Irish ancestry, and has said that one of his ancestors had "married a Cherokee woman". Costner was raised Baptist. He attended Cabrillo Middle School and Villa Park High School. Costner was not academically inclined. Rather, he enjoyed sports, took piano lessons, wrote poetry and sang in the First Baptist Choir. He has stated that a viewing of the film How the West Was Won at the age of seven had "formed" his childhood.
wn.com/Kevin_Costner -
Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes (born July 20, 1945 Hollywood, California) is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice.
As a young singer, Kim Carnes joined in 1966 The New Christy Minstrels together with Kenny Rogers and Karen Black. After writing songs for many years, Carnes signed her first publishing deal in 1969 with famed producer Jimmy Bowen. During this period, she shared demo-recording time with Bowen's other writers, including Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and J.D. Souther. Carnes also sang "Nobody Knows", written by Mike Settle, which was featured in the end credits of the 1971 film, Vanishing Point. The film also featured Carnes' first selection as a songwriter, "Sing Out for Jesus", which was recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton.
In the early 1970s Carnes and husband Dave Ellingson co-wrote several songs with David Cassidy, then at the peak of his career as an international idol, and toured the world with him as part of his band. These songs appear on Cassidy's albums Rock Me Baby, Dreams are Nuthin' More than Wishes and Cassidy Live!, where Carnes' backing vocals can be heard to great effect.
wn.com/Kim_Carnes -
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒʌrməˈnɑːtə/ STE-fə-nee jurr-mə-NAH-tə; born March 28, 1986), known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She began performing in the rock music scene of Manhattan's Lower East Side, and was signed with Streamline Records by the end of 2007. During her employment as a songwriter for the record company, her vocal abilities captured the attention of recording artist Akon, who signed her to his label Kon Live Distribution.
Lady Gaga came to prominence as a recording artist following the release of her debut album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success that topped charts around the world and included the international number-one singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". After embarking on the The Fame Ball Tour, she followed the album with The Fame Monster (2009), which spawned the worldwide hit singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro". The album's success allowed her to embark on the eighteen-month long Monster Ball Tour, which later became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. Her most recent album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts of most major markets and generated more international chart-topping singles, including "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory". Besides her musical career, she involves herself with humanitarian causes and LGBT activism.
wn.com/Lady_Gaga -
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor and arranger, whose “retro” style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often plays all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion himself when recording. He is known for his elaborate stage performances and music videos.
He won the Grammy Award for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and most consecutive wins in one category for a male. He has been nominated for and won other awards, including American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, BRIT Awards and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. On December 1, 2011, Kravitz was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He played the role of Cinna in the film The Hunger Games.
wn.com/Lenny_Kravitz -
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor.
Lewis has released two albums to date, Spirit and Echo, in 2007 and 2009 respectively. A multi-platinum selling artist and three-time Grammy Award nominee, her most successful single, "Bleeding Love", reached number one in over thirty countries around the world, and was the best-selling single worldwide in 2008. Other notable singles include "Better in Time", "Happy" and "I Got You". She was proclaimed 'Top New Artist' by Billboard magazine in 2008.
Lewis's debut tour, The Labyrinth, took place in 2010, and her third album, Glassheart, is scheduled for release in 2012. It was preceded by "Collide", a single from the album, which became her seventh top-five hit in the United Kingdom. Lewis's net worth was estimated at £12 million in April 2012.
wn.com/Leona_Lewis -
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan ( /ˈloʊ.ən/; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, recording artist, and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Walt Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11. Lohan gained further fame with leading roles in the films Freaky Friday (2003), Mean Girls (2004), and Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005). In 2006 she appeared in independent films including Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion and Emilio Estevez's Bobby. In 2004, Lohan launched a second career as a recording artist with her debut album Speak, which was followed by A Little More Personal (Raw) in 2005.
In 2007, her career was interrupted when two driving under the influence (DUI) incidents and three visits to rehabilitation facilities led to the loss of several movie deals. Resuming her career, she guest starred in the TV series Ugly Betty in 2008, and starred in the TV comedy film Labor Pains in 2009. In 2010, she appeared in Robert Rodriguez's film Machete. She has attracted a great deal of publicity, particularly surrounding her personal life.
wn.com/Lindsay_Lohan -
Maltese people
The Maltese (Maltese: Maltin) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Included within the ethnic group defined by the Maltese people are the Gozitans (Maltese: Għawdxin) who inhabit Malta's sister island, Gozo.
Malta has been inhabited from around 5200 BC, since the arrival of settlers from the island of Sicily. A significant prehistoric Neolithic culture marked by Megalithic structures, which date back to c. 3600 BC, existed on the islands, as evidenced by the temples of Mnajdra, Ggantija and others. The Phoenicians colonized Malta from about 1000 BC, bringing their Semitic language and culture. They used the islands as an outpost from which they expanded sea explorations and trade in the Mediterranean until their successors, the Carthaginians, were ousted by the Romans in 216 BC with the help of the Maltese inhabitants, under whom Malta became a municipium.
wn.com/Maltese_people -
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947), better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor. He is noted for the Bat Out of Hell album trilogy consisting of Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose. Bat Out of Hell has sold more than 43 million copies. After more than 30 years, it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually and stayed on the charts for over nine years, making it one of the best selling albums of all time.
Although he enjoyed success with Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell and earned a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo for the song "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" on the latter album, Meat Loaf experienced some initial difficulty establishing a steady career within his native US. However, he has retained iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the UK, where he ranks 23rd for the number of weeks overall spent on the charts. He ranked 96th on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".
wn.com/Meat_Loaf -
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.
Kamen was born in New York City, USA. He was the second of four sons. His father Saul Kamen was a dentist, and his mother was a teacher.
While attending the The High School of Music & Art in New York City, Michael Kamen met and became friends with Martin Fulterman (later known as Mark Snow, who composed the theme music for The X-Files among other projects). While studying the oboe, he formed a rock classical fusion band called New York Rock & Roll Ensemble, together with classmates Fulterman and Dorian Rudnytsky. The group performed their music while dressed in tuxedos. In the middle of the concert, Fulterman and Kamen would play an oboe duet. The group backed up friend and classmate Janis Ian in a concert at Alice Tully Hall in late 1967.
After graduating high school, Kamen attended The Juilliard School, also in New York City.
wn.com/Michael_Kamen -
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the lead vocalist and a founder member of The Rolling Stones.
Jagger's career has spanned over fifty years. Allmusic has described Jagger as "one of the most popular and influential frontmen in the history of rock & roll". His distinctive voice and performance, along with Keith Richards' guitar style, have been the trademark of The Rolling Stones throughout the career of the band. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Rolling Stones.
Jagger gained much press notoriety for admitted drug use and romantic involvements, and was often portrayed as a counterculture figure. In the late 1960s Jagger began acting in films (starting with Performance and Ned Kelly), to mixed reception. In 1985, Jagger released his first solo album, She's the Boss, and was knighted in 2003. In early 2009, he joined the eclectic supergroup SuperHeavy.
Jagger was born into a middle class family at Livingstone Hospital, in Dartford, Kent, England. His father, Basil Fanshawe ("Joe") Jagger (13 April 1913 – 11 November 2006), and his grandfather David Ernest Jagger were both teachers. His mother, Eva Ensley Mary (née Scutts; 6 April 1913 – 18 May 2000), born in New South Wales, Australia, was a hairdresser and an active member of the Conservative Party. Jagger is the elder of two sons (his brother Chris Jagger was born on 19 December 1947) and was raised to follow in his father's career path.
wn.com/Mick_Jagger -
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.
Moby gained attention in the early 1990s with his electronic dance music work, which dabbled in the techno and breakbeat hardcore (also known as "rave") genres. With his fifth studio album, the electronica and house-influenced Play, he gained international success. Originally released in mid-1999 to an unflattering response, it re-entered the charts in early 2000 and slowly became an unexpected hit, producing eight singles and eventually selling over 10 million copies worldwide.
Moby followed the album in 2002 with 18, which was also successful, selling over 5 million copies worldwide and receiving mostly positive reviews, though some criticizing it for being too similar to Play. His next offer, 2005's mostly upbeat Hotel was a stylistic departure, incorporating more alternative rock elements than previous albums, and received mixed reviews. However, it still sold around 2 million copies worldwide. After 2008's dance-influenced Last Night (2008), he returned to the downtempo electronica of Play and 18 with 2009's mostly-ambient Wait for Me, finding higher critical acclaim and moderate sales. Moby's latest album, Destroyed., was released on May 13, 2011.
wn.com/Moby -
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey (born 22 May 1959), known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career, making the top ten of the UK Singles Chart on ten occasions. Widely regarded as an important innovator in indie music, Morrissey has been described by music magazine NME as "one of the most influential artists ever," and The Independent has stated "most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status he has reached in his lifetime."Pitchfork Media has called him "one of the most singular figures in Western popular culture from the last twenty years."
Morrissey's lyrics have been described as "dramatic, bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home." He is also noted for his unusual baritone vocal style (though he sometimes uses falsetto), his quiff haircut and his dynamic live performances. His forthright and often contrarian opinions have led to a number of media controversies, and he has also attracted media attention for his advocacy of vegetarianism and animal rights. Morrissey moved to Los Angeles, California in the early 1990s.
wn.com/Morrissey -
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her second studio album, Folklore, was released. It was less commercially successful in the US but produced three international singles: "Powerless (Say What You Want)", "Try", and "Força" (the theme of the 2004 European Football Championship). Her third studio album, Loose was her biggest success worldwide. It produced the number-one hits "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)". After a three-year break, she released her first full-length Spanish album, Mi Plan. For Mi Plan, Furtado received the Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. Furtado's fourth English-language studio album, The Spirit Indestructible, is set for release on September 18, 2012.
wn.com/Nelly_Furtado -
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]; born 18 July 1918) is a South African politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before being elected President, Mandela was a militant anti-apartheid activist, and the leader and co-founder of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mandela went on to serve 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to the establishment of democracy in 1994. As President, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, while introducing policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality in South Africa.
In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name; or as tata (Xhosa: father). Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades.
wn.com/Nelson_Mandela -
Nona Hendryx
Nona Hendryx (born October 9, 1944 in Trenton, New Jersey) is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.
Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art rock, and World music.
Hendryx was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1944 where she met fellow New Jersey native Sarah Dash and later met Philadelphia born singers Patricia Holte. After a short-lived tenure as a member of the Del-Capris, Hendryx and Dash formed a singing group with Holte once the lead singer of a girl group in Philadelphis called The Ordettes. In 1961, Cindy Birdsong, from Camden, New Jersey became the fourth member of the group, who became the 'Bluebelles' and signed their first deal with Newtown Records.
After the release of their debut hit, 1962's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman", their name altered again to Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Hendryx's husky alto differed from Dash's sharp soprano, LaBelle's mezzo-soprano and Birdsong's second soprano. During this tenure, the group became known for their emotional live performances and their renditions of classic standards such as "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Over The Rainbow"and "Danny Boy". The group often found themselves competing against girl groups such as The Chantels, Shirelles and The Supremes. In 1967, Hendryx, LaBelle and Dash were shocked to discover that Birdsong, had secretly joined the Supremes after Florence Ballard was ousted from the group by Motown. Different members of the group were in touch with Birdsong over the years. Birdsong's relationships with the Bluebelles healed and they came together again for the ceremony when the group won an R&B Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
wn.com/Nona_Hendryx -
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990. For a time, she was known as Pamela Anderson Lee (or Pamela Lee) after marrying Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. She maintains dual American and Canadian citizenship.
Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, the daughter of Barry, a furnace repairman, and Carol (née Grosco) Anderson, a waitress. Her great-grandfather, Juho Hyytiäinen, was Finnish, a native of Saarijärvi, and left the Grand Duchy of Finland (which was a part of the Russian Empire at the time) in 1908, changing his name to Anderson when he arrived as an immigrant. Anderson also has Russian ancestry on her mother's side.
After graduating from Highland Secondary School in 1985, Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor. During the summer of 1989, Anderson went with her friends to a BC Lions game at BC Place, and during the game she was shown on the stadium screen wearing a Labatt's t-shirt, causing the crowd to cheer for the 21-year-old Anderson. She was taken down to the field to receive an ovation from the crowd. Her photographer boyfriend Dan Ilicic produced the Blue Zone Girl poster on his own. In October 1989 she appeared as the cover girl on Playboy magazine. At this stage in her modelling career, she had decided to live in Los Angeles to further pursue her career ambitions. She became a centrefold for Playboy when the magazine chose her to be their Playmate of the Month for their February 1990 issue. She then chose to get breast implants. Anderson has since appeared in Playboy several times in the 1990s and 2000s.
wn.com/Pamela_Anderson -
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well. His distinctive voice appears on some of his affiliated bands' best-known hits. He was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.
Carrack's recording career began with the jazz rock band Warm Dust, who released three albums of original material between 1970 and 1972. Carrack was the keyboard player for the band, occasionally playing other instruments, with Les Walker as the lead vocalist.
After Warm Dust broke up, Carrack and Warm Dust bassist Tex Comer helped to found the pub rock band Ace. Carrack both wrote and was vocalist on "How Long?", Ace's debut single – a hit in both the UK and US in 1975. However, no further Ace recordings enjoyed that same level of popularity.
In 1977 Ace disbanded, and Carrack began working as a backing musician for Frankie Miller. Subsequently, he was a member of Roxy Music, playing keyboards on their 1979 reunion album Manifesto. Carrack would also play on the next two Roxy Music albums, but as a session musician, not a band member.
wn.com/Paul_Carrack -
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. His 1986 album, So, is his most commercially successful, and the album's biggest hit, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, and the song is the most played music video in the history of the station.
More recently, Gabriel has focused on producing and promoting world music and pioneering digital distribution methods for music. He has also been involved in various humanitarian efforts. Gabriel has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1987, six Grammy Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2007 he was honoured as a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his “influence on generations of music makers.” Gabriel was also awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2009, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
wn.com/Peter_Gabriel -
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer from Lancashire. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing (2000), Phoenix Nights (2001), Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004), Britain's Got the Pop Factor... (2008) and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours. Kay has sold over 10 million DVDs, a UK record for a comedian.
wn.com/Peter_Kay -
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈplaθiðo ðoˈmiŋɡo]; born 21 January 1941), born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range. In March 2008, he debuted in his 128th opera role, and as of July 2011, his 136 roles give Domingo more roles than any other tenor.
One of The Three Tenors, he has also taken on conducting opera and concert performances, and he is the General Director of the Los Angeles Opera in California.
Plácido Domingo was born on January 21, 1941, in the distrito de Retiro section of Madrid, Spain, and in 1949 moved to Mexico with his family, who ran a zarzuela company. He studied piano at first privately and later at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City.
In 1957, Domingo made his first professional appearance, performing with his mother in a concert at Mérida, Yucatán. He made his opera debut performing in Manuel Fernández Caballero's zarzuela, Gigantes y cabezudos, singing a baritone role. At that time, he was working with his parents' zarzuela company, taking baritone roles and as an accompanist for other singers. Among his first performances was a minor role in the first Mexican production of My Fair Lady where he was also the assistant conductor and assistant coach. The company gave 185 performances, which included a production of Lehár's The Merry Widow in which he performed alternately as either Camille or Danilo.
wn.com/Plácido_Domingo -
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records. He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company.Frank Sinatra called Charles “the only true genius in show business.”
The influences upon his music were mainly jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and country artists of the day such as Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, Charles Brown, Louis Armstrong. His playing reflected influences from country blues and barrelhouse, and stride piano styles.
Rolling Stone ranked Charles number ten on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2004, and number two on their November 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In honoring Charles, Billy Joel noted: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley. I don't know if Ray was the architect of rock & roll, but he was certainly the first guy to do a lot of things . . . Who the hell ever put so many styles together and made it work?"
wn.com/Ray_Charles -
Rikrok
Ricardo George Ducent (born 17 June 1972, London, England) better known by his stage name Rikrok is an English singer. Rikrok is most famous for the single "It Wasn't Me" from Shaggy's Hot Shot album.
Rikrok's parents migrated from Jamaica to England in the mid 1960s in search of greater economic opportunities. Regarding his Jamaican influences during childhood, Rikrok noted "[when I was growing up it was pretty much Jamaican people who came over... My father was a big reggae fan, especially of Gregory Isaacs, John Holt and Dennis Brown. He had a big record collection and on Sundays he would play music all day at home".[citation needed]
Rikrok was eleven years old when he returned to Jamaica with his family. While attending Manchester High School in Mandeville, Jamaica, he discovered his singing talent and soon realized he had a flair for songwriting. "One day I was listening to Babyface’s Tender Lover album and I remember thinking, I could probably be a songwriter", Rikrok says. "So I wrote a song, put it down, came back to it and tried it again. Then I started writing more and more songs. I wasn’t really good at it first; some of them were really corny, really stupid. But it was just a hobby and I never thought anything would come from it because it seemed like a completely unreachable dream being in the music business".[citation needed]
wn.com/Rikrok -
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE (born 7 July 1940), better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He joined the Beatles in August 1962, taking the place of Pete Best. In addition to his drumming, Starr is featured on lead vocals on a number of successful Beatles songs (in particular, "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Yellow Submarine", and the Beatles version of "Act Naturally"). He is credited as a co-writer of the songs "What Goes On" and "Flying", and as the writer of "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden".
As drummer for the Beatles, Starr was musically creative, and his contribution to the band's music has received high praise from notable drummers in more recent times. Starr described himself as "your basic offbeat drummer with funny fills". Drummer Steve Smith said that Starr's popularity "brought forth a new paradigm" where "we started to see the drummer as an equal participant in the compositional aspect" and that Starr "composed unique, stylistic drum parts for The Beatles songs". In 2011, Starr was picked as the fifth-best drummer of all-time by Rolling Stone readers.
wn.com/Ringo_Starr -
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Plant is regarded as one of the most significant singers in the history of rock music, and has influenced contemporaries and later singers such as Freddie Mercury and Axl Rose. In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All-Time". In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers' pick placed Plant in first place of the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time".
Plant was born in the Black Country town of West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire now in West Midlands) to parents Robert C. who worked as a civil engineer and Annie C. (Cain) Plant, but grew up in Kidderminster, in Worcestershire. Plant gained an interest in singing and rock and roll music at an early age.
wn.com/Robert_Plant -
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer-songwriter, born and raised in North London, England, and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry.
With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with The Jeff Beck Group and then Faces. He launched his solo career in 1969 with his debut album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (US: The Rod Stewart Album). His work with The Jeff Beck Group and Faces influenced heavy metal genres.
With his career in its fifth decade, Stewart has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling artists of all time. In the UK, he has had six consecutive number one albums, and his tally of 62 hit singles include 31 that reached the top 10, six of which gained the number one position. He has had 16 top ten singles in the U.S, with four of these reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists". He was voted at #33 in Q Magazine's list of the top 100 Greatest Singers of all time, and #59 on Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Singers of all time. As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and was inducted a second time, as a member of Faces, in April 2012.
wn.com/Rod_Stewart -
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter and conceptual leader. The band subsequently achieved worldwide success in the 1970s with the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. Although Waters' primary instrument in Pink Floyd was the bass guitar, he also experimented with synthesisers and tape loops and played rhythm guitars in recordings and in concerts. Amid creative differences within the group, Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and began a legal battle with the remaining members over their future use of the group's name and material. The dispute was settled out of court in 1987, and nearly eighteen years passed before he performed with Pink Floyd again. It is estimated that as of 2010, the group have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million units sold in the United States.
wn.com/Roger_Waters -
RyanDan
RyanDan (born December 5, 1979) is a Canadian musical, songwriting and producing duo, consisting of identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, whose music is a mix of pop, opera, and classical.
They were originally part of the boy band b4-4 (renamed Before Four for European later releases) that also included Ohad Einbinder. They later on worked as a vocal duo as RyanDan. They have also produced for a number of mainly Canadian artists including Blake McGrath, Shawn Desman, Danny Fernandes, Tyler Medeiros, Mia Martina and Massari and others.
Identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky were born December 5, 1979. The youngest of five children in a Jewish family, they grew up in the Thornhill neighbourhood north of Toronto. Their father, Paul, a South African who attended King David Linksfield (a Jewish day school in Johannesburg, South Africa), is a talented operatic singer who frequently sang as a cantor in synagogues both in South Africa and after immigrating to Canada. Their mother Adele Gould was also instrumental in encouraging them. She was diagnosed later with Parkinson's disease in 2004. In high school, Ryan and Dan shared the lead role in their school's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
wn.com/RyanDan -
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2009, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards (out of four nominations) and four Juno Awards. In addition to her personal artistic efforts, she founded the Lilith Fair tour, which showcased female musicians. The Lilith Fair concert tours took place from 1997 to 1999, and resumed in the summer of 2010. Since 2006 she has also been known as a highly visible supporter of the ASPCA, as well as various other charities.
Sarah McLachlan was born on January 28, 1968, and adopted in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As a child, she took voice lessons, along with studies in classical piano and guitar. When she was 17 years old and still a student at Queen Elizabeth High School, she fronted a short-lived rock band called The October Game. One of the band's songs, "Grind", credited as a group composition, can be found on the independent Flamingo Records release Out of the Fog and the CD Out of the Fog Too. It has yet to be released elsewhere. Her high school yearbook predicted that she was "destined to become a famous rock star."
wn.com/Sarah_McLachlan -
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC ( /ʃəˌnaɪ.ə ˈtweɪn/; born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me (1995), brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and is the ninth best-selling album in the U.S. Her fourth album, Up!, was released in November 2002. To date it has sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Twain has won five Grammy Awards and 27 BMI Songwriter awards. She has had three albums certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and is the second best-selling artist in Canada, behind Céline Dion, with three of her studio albums certified double diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. She is the first (and currently only) female artist in history to have 3 consecutive albums reach diamond status, indicating sales of at least 10 million, certified by the RIAA. Sometimes referred to as "The Queen of Country Pop", Twain has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and is ranked 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. She was also ranked 72nd on Billboard's "Artists of the decade" (2000–10). Most recently, Twain has her own TV series, Why Not? with Shania Twain, that premiered on the OWN on May 8, 2011. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 2, 2011.
wn.com/Shania_Twain -
Shehzad Roy
Shehzad Roy (Urdu: شہزاد روئے) is a singer and humanitarian from Karachi, Pakistan. With five hit albums under his belt, including the 2008 Qismat Apney Haath Mein (Fate Lies in One’s Own Hands), he is also the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-profit charitable organization, that seeks to educate the underprivileged children of Pakistan.
In June 2004, Roy was honored as one of the youngest ever recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, which is one of the highest Civil Honors awarded in Pakistan for excellence in serving humanity. For his organization’s earthquake rehabilitation in Kashmir, he was awarded the Sitara-e-Eisaar. He was also selected to be a torch bearer for the 2008 Olympic Torch relay as the pride of Pakistan. Recently, Roy took the city of Chicago by storm when he was awarded the 2008 Patricia Blunt Koldyke Fellowship award for excellence in social entrepreneurship.
Roy got married in April 2009 to Salma Alam, an ex VJ at "MTV Pakistan"
Contact:www.zindgitrust.org
Roy has dedicated his life to the establishment of Zindagi Trust (founded in 2002), the non-for-profit charity helping the underprivileged children of Pakistan. He uses the proceeds from his concerts to fund the trust's operations.
wn.com/Shehzad_Roy -
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper, PC MP (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election. He is the first prime minister from the newly reconstituted Conservative Party, following a merger of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.
Harper has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Calgary Southwest in Alberta since 2002. Earlier, from 1993 to 1997, he was the MP for Calgary West. He was one of the founding members of the Reform Party, but did not seek re-election, and instead joined, and shortly thereafter led, the National Citizens Coalition. In 2002, he succeeded Stockwell Day as leader of the Canadian Alliance (the successor to the Reform Party) and returned to parliament as Leader of the Opposition. In 2003, he reached an agreement with Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay for the merger of their two parties to form the Conservative Party of Canada. He was elected as the party's first non-interim leader in March 2004.
wn.com/Stephen_Harper -
Tatjana Patitz
Tatjana Patitz (born 25 May 1966) is a German model and actress who rose to international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, representing top fashion designers, campaigns, and collections, and who continues to model today.
Patitz was born in Hamburg, Germany and raised in Skanör, Sweden. She began working as a model in Paris in the mid 1980s at the age of 17. She regularly worked with the likes of Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber and Peter Lindbergh. In 1985, she graced the cover of British Vogue for the first time. She remained in demand throughout the 2000s, periodically returning to runway for select designers, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Chanel.
Patitz has appeared on over 130 magazine covers in the course of her career. She was on the cover of British Vogue more than 11 times; American Vogue seven times; French, Italian, German, Spanish Vogues more than eight times.[citation needed]
In 1987, she appeared in the Duran Duran music video for the song "Skin Trade". She then moved to California to begin a career as an actress. Her first appearance was a brief one as a murder victim in Rising Sun (1993). Following this, Patitz made several appearances on television series, music videos, and films. Her largest role was in the 1999 thriller Restraining Order.
wn.com/Tatjana_Patitz -
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.
Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in late 2008. Buoyed by the chart success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless attracted a crossover audience and became the top-selling album of 2009. The record won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Fearless also received Album of the Year plaudits at the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards, making it the most awarded album in country music history. In 2010, Swift released her third album, Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in its first week. She then embarked on the 111-date Speak Now World Tour, which was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has become one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Swift is currently recording her fourth studio album, due for release in the fall of 2012.
wn.com/Taylor_Swift -
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards. Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Success followed with a string of hits including "River Deep, Mountain High" and the 1971 hit "Proud Mary". With the publication of her autobiography I, Tina (1986), Turner revealed severe instances of spousal abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce. After virtually disappearing from the music scene for several years following her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career, launching a string of hits beginning in 1983 with the single "Let's Stay Together" and the 1984 release of her fifth solo album Private Dancer.
Her musical career led to film roles, beginning with a prominent role as The Acid Queen in the 1975 film Tommy, and an appearance in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. She starred opposite Mel Gibson as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, and her version of the film's theme, "We Don't Need Another Hero", was a hit single. She appeared in the 1993 film Last Action Hero.
wn.com/Tina_Turner -
Tony Christie
Tony Christie (born Anthony Fitzgerald, 25 April 1943) is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his track, "Is This The Way To Amarillo", a double UK chart success.
Tony Christie has sold over 10 million albums Worldwide. He had two Top Twenty hits in the UK Singles Chart in 1971 with "I Did What I Did For Maria", which reached #2 and "Is This the Way to Amarillo", which peaked at #18. He also had a minor hit with "Avenues And Alleyways" which reached #37, the theme to the television series The Protectors. "Is This the Way to Amarillo" sold over one million copies by September 1972, and was awarded a gold disc. His early songs were dramatic big-voiced numbers, many of which were written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.
He recorded albums regularly throughout the 1970s and made infrequent appearances on the charts. His album With Loving Feeling sold well boosted by the hit single "Is This The Way to Amarillo". He recorded an album in the United States in 1973 with the record producer Snuff Garrett, which did little to stop his commercial slide. A live album followed which sold relatively better. But by the mid 1970s recorded work became rarer and stage work took preference.
wn.com/Tony_Christie -
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE (born George Ivan Morrison; 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely viewed as among the greatest ever made.
Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison started his professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria". His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968. Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.
wn.com/Van_Morrison -
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC (/ˈɡrɛtski/; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One", he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and the NHL itself. He is the leading point-scorer in NHL history, with more assists than any other player has points, and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons, 14 of them consecutive. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records. In addition to being its greatest scorer, Gretzky was the most gentlemanly superstar in the modern history of the NHL. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and performance five times, and he often spoke out against fighting in hockey.
wn.com/Wayne_Gretzky -
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all-time. Houston was one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. She released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African American female artists to follow in her footsteps.
Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits. She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston's 1985 debut album Whitney Houston became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone's best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
wn.com/Whitney_Houston -
Wikipedia Persondata
wn.com/Wikipedia_Persondata -
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise. His debut single, "Anything is Possible", was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the United Kingdom.
As a teenager, Young studied politics at the University of Exeter before moving to London, where he pursued a musical theatre degree at the Arts Educational School. Although enrolled in a three-year programme, Young put his studies on hold in late 2001 to become a contestant on Pop Idol. After winning the competition the following year, he released his debut album From Now On (2002) which went to straight to number one. Friday's Child (2003) followed one year later and enjoyed greater popularity, eventually going platinum five times in the UK and spawning three top five singles. Achieving similar success, the album's successors include the multi-platinum Keep On (2005) and platinum Let It Go (2008) with his most recent release Echoes (2011) becoming his third UK number-one album.
wn.com/Will_Young
Adams, Adam Filmography
- 'A Bit' Too Much Too Soon (1983)
- Campus Capers (1982)
- Purely Physical (1982)
- Touch Me in the Morning (1982)
Adam, Adam Filmography
- The Egg - 1776: The New Broadway Cast Recording soundtrack
- Piddle, Twiddle And Resolve - 1776: The New Broadway Cast Recording soundtrack
- Is Anybody There? - 1776: The New Broadway Cast Recording soundtrack
- The Egg - 1776 soundtrack
- Piddle, Twiddle And Resolve - 1776 soundtrack
- Is Anybody There? - 1776 soundtrack
Adams:
It's a masterpiece, I say!
They will cheer every word, every letter
Jefferson:
I wish I felt that way
Franklin:
I believe I can put it better
Now then attend, as friend to friend
On our Declaration Committee
For us I see immortality
All:
In Philadelphia City
Franklin:
A farmer, a lawyer, and a sage
A bit gouty in the leg
You know it's quite bizarre
To think that here we are
Playing midwives to an egg
All:
We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
Of an eaglet being born
We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator
Franklin:
God knows the temperature's hot enough
To hatch a stone, let alone an egg
All:
We're waiting for the scratch, scratch, scratch
Of that tiny little fellow
Waiting for the egg to hatch
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator
Adams:
God knows the temperature's hot enough
To hatch a stone
Jefferson:
But will it hatch an egg?
Adams:
The eagle's going to crack the shell
Of the egg that England laid
All:
Yes, so we can tell, tell, tell
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator
Franklin:
And as just as Tom here has written
Though the egg may belong to Great Britain,
The eagle inside belongs to us!
All:
And as just as Tom here has written
We say to hell with Great Britain!
The eagle inside belongs to us!
Adams:
I do believe you've laid a curse on North America
A curse that we now here rehearse in Philadelphia
A second flood, a simple famine
Plagues of locusts everywhere
Or a cataclysmic earthquake
I'd accept with some despair
But, no, you sent us Congress.
Good God, sir, was that fair?
I say it with humility in Philadelphia
We're your responsibility in Philadephia
If you don't want to see us hanging
From some far-off British hill
If you don't want the voice of independency
Forever still
Then God, sir, get thee to it
For Congress never will
You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Not one damn thing do we solve
Piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Nothing's ever solved in
Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy
Philadephia!
They may sit here for years and years in Philadelphia.
These indecisive grenadiers of Philadelphia.
They can't agree on what is right and wrong
Or what is good or bad; I'm convinced
The only purpose this Congress ever had
Was to gather here specifically
To drive John Adams mad!
You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Not one damn thing do we solve
Piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Nothing's ever solved in
Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy
Philadephia!
Congress:
Someone oughta open up a window!
Adams:
Oh good God!
Abigail:
John, John, is that you carrying on, John?
Just tell the Congress to declare independency
Then sign your name, get out of there and
Hurry home to me
Our children all have dysentery
Little Tom keeps turning blue
Little Abbey has the measles
And I'm coming down with flu
They say we may get smallpox
Adams:
Madam, what else is new?
Abigail:
There's one thing every woman's missed in
Massachusetts Bay
Don't smirk at me, you egotist; pay
Heed to what I say
We've gone from Framingham to Boston
And we cannot find a pin
"Don't you know there's a war on?"
Say the tradesmen with a grin
Well, we will not make saltpeter
Until you send us pins!
Both:
Till then, till then
I am as I ever was and ever shall be
Yours, yours, yours, yours, yours
Adams:
Saltpeter, John
Abigail:
Pins, Abigail
Congress:
For God's sake, John, sit down
Adams:
Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
They want to me to quit; they say
John, give up the fight
Still to England I say
Good night, forever, good night!
For I have crossed the Rubicon
Let the bridge be burned behind me
Come what may, come what may
Commitment!
The croakers all say we'll rue the day
There'll be hell to pay in fiery purgatory
Through all the gloom, through all the gloom
I see the rays of ravishing light and glory!
Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
I see fireworks! I see the pagaent and
Pomp and parade
I hear the bells ringing out
I hear the cannons roar
I see Americans - all Americans
Free forever more
How quiet, how quiet the chamber is
How silent, how silent the chamber is
Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
Adams:
It's a masterpiece, I say!
They will cheer every word, every letter
Jefferson:
I wish I felt that way
Franklin:
I believe I can put it better
Now then attend, as friend to friend
On our Declaration Committee
For us I see immortality
All:
In Philadelphia City
Franklin:
A farmer, a lawyer, and a sage
A bit gouty in the leg
You know it's quite bizarre
To think that here we are
Playing midwives to an egg
All:
We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
Of an eaglet being born
We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator
Franklin:
God knows the temperature's hot enough
To hatch a stone, let alone an egg
All:
We're waiting for the scratch, scratch, scratch
Of that tiny little fellow
Waiting for the egg to hatch
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator
Adams:
God knows the temperature's hot enough
To hatch a stone
Jefferson:
But will it hatch an egg?
Adams:
The eagle's going to crack the shell
Of the egg that England laid
All:
Yes, so we can tell, tell, tell
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator
Franklin:
And as just as Tom here has written
Though the egg may belong to Great Britain,
The eagle inside belongs to us!
All:
And as just as Tom here has written
We say to hell with Great Britain!
The eagle inside belongs to us!
Adams:
I do believe you've laid a curse on North America
A curse that we now here rehearse in Philadelphia
A second flood, a simple famine
Plagues of locusts everywhere
Or a cataclysmic earthquake
I'd accept with some despair
But, no, you sent us Congress.
Good God, sir, was that fair?
I say it with humility in Philadelphia
We're your responsibility in Philadephia
If you don't want to see us hanging
From some far-off British hill
If you don't want the voice of independency
Forever still
Then God, sir, get thee to it
For Congress never will
You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Not one damn thing do we solve
Piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Nothing's ever solved in
Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy
Philadephia!
They may sit here for years and years in Philadelphia.
These indecisive grenadiers of Philadelphia.
They can't agree on what is right and wrong
Or what is good or bad; I'm convinced
The only purpose this Congress ever had
Was to gather here specifically
To drive John Adams mad!
You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Not one damn thing do we solve
Piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Nothing's ever solved in
Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy
Philadephia!
Congress:
Someone oughta open up a window!
Adams:
Oh good God!
Abigail:
John, John, is that you carrying on, John?
Just tell the Congress to declare independency
Then sign your name, get out of there and
Hurry home to me
Our children all have dysentery
Little Tom keeps turning blue
Little Abbey has the measles
And I'm coming down with flu
They say we may get smallpox
Adams:
Madam, what else is new?
Abigail:
There's one thing every woman's missed in
Massachusetts Bay
Don't smirk at me, you egotist; pay
Heed to what I say
We've gone from Framingham to Boston
And we cannot find a pin
"Don't you know there's a war on?"
Say the tradesmen with a grin
Well, we will not make saltpeter
Until you send us pins!
Both:
Till then, till then
I am as I ever was and ever shall be
Yours, yours, yours, yours, yours
Adams:
Saltpeter, John
Abigail:
Pins, Abigail
Congress:
For God's sake, John, sit down
Adams:
Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
They want to me to quit; they say
John, give up the fight
Still to England I say
Good night, forever, good night!
For I have crossed the Rubicon
Let the bridge be burned behind me
Come what may, come what may
Commitment!
The croakers all say we'll rue the day
There'll be hell to pay in fiery purgatory
Through all the gloom, through all the gloom
I see the rays of ravishing light and glory!
Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
I see fireworks! I see the pagaent and
Pomp and parade
I hear the bells ringing out
I hear the cannons roar
I see Americans - all Americans
Free forever more
How quiet, how quiet the chamber is
How silent, how silent the chamber is
Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
Send this Playlist by SMS
Email this Page
Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:28
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Video director: Andrew Catlin Shot in Paris at Studio Guillaume Tell, 1993 twitter.com The dog in the video belonged to the studio owner, but liked BA and followed him during his stay there. Mutt and BA also wrote "All For Love" around the same time as this song.
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Please_Forgive_Me
Video director: Andrew Catlin Shot in Paris at Studio Guillaume Tell, 1993 twitter.com The dog in the video belonged to the studio owner, but liked BA and followed him during his stay there. Mutt and BA also wrote "All For Love" around the same time as this song.
Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:17
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
twitter.com Written by Adams, Kamen and Lange for the film "Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves". Available on the album "Waking Up The Neighbours", the video was shot on the coast of England (looking at Wales). Directed by Julian Temple.
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Everything_I_Do_I_Do_It_For_You
twitter.com Written by Adams, Kamen and Lange for the film "Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves". Available on the album "Waking Up The Neighbours", the video was shot on the coast of England (looking at Wales). Directed by Julian Temple.
- published: 30 Oct 2008
- views: 72226392
- author: bryanadams
blink-182 - Adam's Song
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:14
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by blink-182 performing Adam's Song. (C) 1999 Geffen Records
http://wn.com/blink-182_Adam's_Song
Music video by blink-182 performing Adam's Song. (C) 1999 Geffen Records
- published: 16 Jun 2009
- views: 28826656
- author: blink182VEVO
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:41
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Directed by Steve Barron. This song written by Adams and Vallance, has become a classic. The "69" reference is not about the year, it's about nostalgia and making love in the summer time. twitter.com
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Summer_of_69
Directed by Steve Barron. This song written by Adams and Vallance, has become a classic. The "69" reference is not about the year, it's about nostalgia and making love in the summer time. twitter.com
- published: 04 Nov 2008
- views: 17053207
- author: bryanadams
Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting - All For Love
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:36
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting performing All For Love. (C) 1994 A&M; Records
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams,_Rod_Stewart,_Sting_All_For_Love
Music video by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting performing All For Love. (C) 1994 A&M; Records
- published: 25 Dec 2009
- views: 11403586
- author: BryanAdamsVEVO
Bryan Adams - Heaven
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:12
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Filmed in London, England in 1985 Video directed by Steve Barron twitter.com
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Heaven
Filmed in London, England in 1985 Video directed by Steve Barron twitter.com
- published: 30 Oct 2008
- views: 21211211
- author: bryanadams
Bryan Adams - Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:57
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
twitter.com Video director: Anton Corbijn Shot in Spain at Casa las Pavos Reales, Malaga Starring Cecilie Thomsen and Amira
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Have_You_Ever_Really_Loved_A_Woman?
twitter.com Video director: Anton Corbijn Shot in Spain at Casa las Pavos Reales, Malaga Starring Cecilie Thomsen and Amira
- published: 31 Oct 2008
- views: 24038743
- author: bryanadams
Bryan Adams - Here I Am
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:18
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Bryan Adams - Here I Am twitter.com
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Here_I_Am
Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:33
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by Bryan Adams performing Please Forgive Me. (C) 1993 A&M; Records
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Please_Forgive_Me
Music video by Bryan Adams performing Please Forgive Me. (C) 1993 A&M; Records
- published: 17 Jun 2009
- views: 11555807
- author: BryanAdamsVEVO
Bryan Adams - Heaven - Acoustic Live
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:45
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Bryan Adams - Heaven, Acoustic Live
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Heaven_Acoustic_Live
Bryan Adams - Run To You
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:45
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by Bryan Adams performing Run To You. (C) 1984 A&M; Records
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Run_To_You
Music video by Bryan Adams performing Run To You. (C) 1984 A&M; Records
- published: 16 Jun 2009
- views: 4602307
- author: BryanAdamsVEVO
Kev'Adams VS. les profs !
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:11
- Updated: 27 Jan 2013
Kev'Adams a été traumatisé par ses profs de langue... Prof d'Allemand psychopathe ou prof d'Espagnol "muchas caliente"? .... Abonne-toi à youhumour www.youtube.com © 2009 - PVO Audiovisuel Multimédia - Auteurs : Kev ADAMS et Jonathan ELEDJAM - Interprète : Kev' Adams - Réalisateur : Christophe Franck - Musiques : "Toccata and fugue in D minor" de Jean-Sébastien BACH ; "Suavemente" d'Elvis CRESPO ; "Saxo" de Laurent WOLF ; "You're the one that I want" (John FARRAR) interprétée par John TRAVOLTA et Olivia NEWTON-JOHN BO du film "Grease" © 1978 RSO - Parodie de Kevin SMADJA - "Boulbi" (BOOBA) © 2006 Barclay - Utilisation du sample - Titre original : Les Profs .
http://wn.com/Kev'Adams_VS_les_profs_!
Kev'Adams a été traumatisé par ses profs de langue... Prof d'Allemand psychopathe ou prof d'Espagnol "muchas caliente"? .... Abonne-toi à youhumour www.youtube.com © 2009 - PVO Audiovisuel Multimédia - Auteurs : Kev ADAMS et Jonathan ELEDJAM - Interprète : Kev' Adams - Réalisateur : Christophe Franck - Musiques : "Toccata and fugue in D minor" de Jean-Sébastien BACH ; "Suavemente" d'Elvis CRESPO ; "Saxo" de Laurent WOLF ; "You're the one that I want" (John FARRAR) interprétée par John TRAVOLTA et Olivia NEWTON-JOHN BO du film "Grease" © 1978 RSO - Parodie de Kevin SMADJA - "Boulbi" (BOOBA) © 2006 Barclay - Utilisation du sample - Titre original : Les Profs .
- published: 16 May 2011
- views: 4345297
- author: Youhumour
Patch Adams
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 115:25
- Updated: 24 Jan 2013
Robin Williams is Patch Adams, a doctor who will do anything to make his patients laugh -- even if it means risking his own career -- in this inspiring comedy based on a true story.
http://wn.com/Patch_Adams
Robin Williams is Patch Adams, a doctor who will do anything to make his patients laugh -- even if it means risking his own career -- in this inspiring comedy based on a true story.
- published: 21 Nov 2011
- author: universalmoviesuk
Sam Adams - I Hate College
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:58
- Updated: 27 Jan 2013
http://wn.com/Sam_Adams_I_Hate_College
Bryan Adams - Somebody
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:45
- Updated: 26 Jan 2013
Music video by Bryan Adams performing Somebody. (C) 1984 A&M; Records
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Somebody
Music video by Bryan Adams performing Somebody. (C) 1984 A&M; Records
- published: 17 Jun 2009
- views: 2208506
- author: BryanAdamsVEVO
Bryan Adams & Luciano Pavarotti - 'O Sole Mio
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:27
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
As a tribute to Maestro Pavarotti on his 59th birthday on 12th October, Adams shares with you their performance of 'O Sole Mio filmed in Modena, Italy on 13th September 1994.
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_Luciano_Pavarotti_'O_Sole_Mio
As a tribute to Maestro Pavarotti on his 59th birthday on 12th October, Adams shares with you their performance of 'O Sole Mio filmed in Modena, Italy on 13th September 1994.
- published: 10 Oct 2009
- views: 3895983
- author: bryanadams
Bryan Adams - When You're Gone ft. Melanie C
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:25
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by Bryan Adams performing When You're Gone. (C) 1998 A&M; Records
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams_When_You're_Gone_ft_Melanie_C
Music video by Bryan Adams performing When You're Gone. (C) 1998 A&M; Records
- published: 17 Jun 2009
- views: 4015350
- author: BryanAdamsVEVO
Enrique Iglesias - Finally Found You ft. Sammy Adams
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:58
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
iTunes - www.smarturl.it Spotify - open.spotify.com Music video by Enrique Iglesias performing Finally Found You. © 2012 Universal International Music BV, under exclusive license to Universal Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
http://wn.com/Enrique_Iglesias_Finally_Found_You_ft_Sammy_Adams
iTunes - www.smarturl.it Spotify - open.spotify.com Music video by Enrique Iglesias performing Finally Found You. © 2012 Universal International Music BV, under exclusive license to Universal Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
- published: 23 Oct 2012
- views: 17880061
- author: EnriqueIglesiasVEVO
Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:37
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by Adam Lambert performing For Your Entertainment. (C) 2009 RCA/Jive Label Group, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment
http://wn.com/Adam_Lambert_For_Your_Entertainment
Music video by Adam Lambert performing For Your Entertainment. (C) 2009 RCA/Jive Label Group, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment
- published: 03 Dec 2009
- views: 17050579
- author: AdamLambertVEVO
Kev Adams : un ado comme les autres
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:52
- Updated: 27 Jan 2013
Le monde des ados revu et corrigé par Kev' Adams. www.facebook.com 2009 - PVO Audiovisuel Multimédia - Auteur ei interprète : Kev' Adams - Réalisateur : Christophe Franck - Musique : "Nanana MSN Riddim" de DJ Mert et Vyx Kartel - Décor : Yves Valente - Créateur lumières : Sébastien Debant - Ingénieur son : Pierre Buisson - Régisseur son : Philippe Blancheteau -Titre du sketch : "L'ado"
http://wn.com/Kev_Adams_un_ado_comme_les_autres
Le monde des ados revu et corrigé par Kev' Adams. www.facebook.com 2009 - PVO Audiovisuel Multimédia - Auteur ei interprète : Kev' Adams - Réalisateur : Christophe Franck - Musique : "Nanana MSN Riddim" de DJ Mert et Vyx Kartel - Décor : Yves Valente - Créateur lumières : Sébastien Debant - Ingénieur son : Pierre Buisson - Régisseur son : Philippe Blancheteau -Titre du sketch : "L'ado"
- published: 18 May 2011
- views: 1315022
- author: Youhumour
Matt Damon Interviews Gary Oldman, Amy Adams and Nicole Kidman
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:13
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Jimmy Kimmel Live - Matt Damon Interviews Gary Oldman, Amy Adams and Nicole Kidman Jimmy Kimmel Live's YouTube channel features clips and recaps of every episode from the late night TV show on ABC. Subscribe for clips from the monologue, the interviews, and musical performances every day of the week. Watch your favorites parts again, or catch-up on any episodes you may have missed. Website: www.jimmykimmellive.com Channel www.youtube.com Subscribe: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Matt_Damon_Interviews_Gary_Oldman,_Amy_Adams_and_Nicole_Kidman
Jimmy Kimmel Live - Matt Damon Interviews Gary Oldman, Amy Adams and Nicole Kidman Jimmy Kimmel Live's YouTube channel features clips and recaps of every episode from the late night TV show on ABC. Subscribe for clips from the monologue, the interviews, and musical performances every day of the week. Watch your favorites parts again, or catch-up on any episodes you may have missed. Website: www.jimmykimmellive.com Channel www.youtube.com Subscribe: www.youtube.com
- published: 25 Jan 2013
- views: 181842
- author: JimmyKimmelLive
Julian Assange | Sam Adams Awards | Oxford Union
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 21:10
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Julian Assange gives his address live via Videolink to the Oxford Union Society. Facebook @ fb.me Twitter @ www.twitter.com Oxford Union Website @ www.oxford-union.org Julian Assange begins his address by saying that in 2007-08 he was looking at what was happening in Iran. He says that a lot of people did good work, especially Thomas Fingar in: Trying to correct the movement towards war with Iran based on lies. He says one of the worst modern deceptions of the western world happened only in 2003 where we went to war with Iraq based on lies where over 100, 000 people were killed and millions of Iraqi refugees displaced as a result. In 2008 WikiLeaks published Iraq's classified rules of engagement for the US army. In those rules there was a section that permitted a border skirmish to start up that allowed US troops to go into Iran under a variety of circumstances. Because of the leak Iran held a press conference saying that in no way are the US allowed into their territory. After this a second rules of engagement was published omitting the border skirmish. Between 20% and 50% of all wars have started as a result of these border skirmishes. 45 hostile military bases surrounds Iran's borders, because of this there is a constant fear of being invaded making for a very tense atmosphere in the country. He makes the point that WikiLeaks is not against intelligence agencies but mentions that corruption within intelligence agencies is born out of secrecy. Intelligence analysts ...
http://wn.com/Julian_Assange_|_Sam_Adams_Awards_|_Oxford_Union
Julian Assange gives his address live via Videolink to the Oxford Union Society. Facebook @ fb.me Twitter @ www.twitter.com Oxford Union Website @ www.oxford-union.org Julian Assange begins his address by saying that in 2007-08 he was looking at what was happening in Iran. He says that a lot of people did good work, especially Thomas Fingar in: Trying to correct the movement towards war with Iran based on lies. He says one of the worst modern deceptions of the western world happened only in 2003 where we went to war with Iraq based on lies where over 100, 000 people were killed and millions of Iraqi refugees displaced as a result. In 2008 WikiLeaks published Iraq's classified rules of engagement for the US army. In those rules there was a section that permitted a border skirmish to start up that allowed US troops to go into Iran under a variety of circumstances. Because of the leak Iran held a press conference saying that in no way are the US allowed into their territory. After this a second rules of engagement was published omitting the border skirmish. Between 20% and 50% of all wars have started as a result of these border skirmishes. 45 hostile military bases surrounds Iran's borders, because of this there is a constant fear of being invaded making for a very tense atmosphere in the country. He makes the point that WikiLeaks is not against intelligence agencies but mentions that corruption within intelligence agencies is born out of secrecy. Intelligence analysts ...
- published: 25 Jan 2013
- views: 8651
- author: OxfordUnion
Enrique Iglesias - "Finally Found You" feat Sammy Adams (Lyrics)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:46
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Music video by Enrique Iglesias performing Finally Found You. (C) 2012 Universal International Music BV
http://wn.com/Enrique_Iglesias_Finally_Found_You_feat_Sammy_Adams_Lyrics
Music video by Enrique Iglesias performing Finally Found You. (C) 2012 Universal International Music BV
- published: 14 Sep 2012
- views: 7267127
- author: EnriqueIglesiasVEVO
photo: AP / Ronald Mendes-Agencia RBS
27 Jan 2013
Tweet. Police say at least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil. Around 117 others were injured after the blaze broke out while a band was performing at the Kiss club in the southern city of Santa Maria at about 2am (local time). Police earlier said more than 245 people had died in the fire. It is thought pyrotechnics being used for the concert may have caused the blaze ... ....(size: 2.6Kb)
photo: AP / Hossam Ali
26 Jan 2013
An Egyptian court has handed down 21 death sentences in connection with the deadly riot last year at a football stadium in Port Said located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The defendants sentenced on Saturday are mostly members of the "Ultras," die-hard football fans who support Port Said's al-Masry squad ... Al-Masry fans stormed the pitch after their team won, throwing stones, bottles and fireworks at al-Ahly supporters....(size: 17.2Kb)
photo: AP / Mohammad Hannon
25 Jan 2013
Republicans wanted nothing more than to summon Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Capitol Hill and grill her about the tragic fiasco in Benghazi. Sadly for them, they got their wish. Clinton’s smooth and confident performance at Wednesday’s Senate and House committee hearings was fun to watch. When her would-be inquisitors asked serious questions, she gave serious answers. But when Sen ... Fat chance ... Benghazi ... Perhaps not ... ....(size: 4.8Kb)
photo: US Army / Edward N. Johnson
25 Jan 2013
By Charles Armstrong, Special to CNN. Editor’s note. Charles Armstrong is the director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University. The views expressed are his own. Anyone who has followed North Korean affairs for the last several years (or the last two decades) could have predicted North Korea’s defiant response to the U.N ... sanctions not by giving up missiles and nukes, but ratcheting up the rhetoric ... More from GPS ... Post by ... ... ....(size: 15.8Kb)
The Examiner
28 Jan 2013
The Garden of Eden was where Adam, the first man lived, according to the BibleThe Garden of Eden was where Adam, the first man lived, according to the BibleThe Garden of Eden was where Adam, the first man lived, according to the BibleThe Garden of Eden was where ... The Garden of Eden was where Adam, the first man lived, according to the Bible Credit....(size: 4.8Kb)
noodls
28 Jan 2013
Edward Adams, professor of English at Washington and Lee University, has been awarded the 2013 Barbara Perkins and George Perkins Award by the International Society for the Study of Narrative (ISSN). The Perkins Prize, given for the best book published in the previous year, was awarded to Adams for "Liberal Epic ... Adams had originally planned to include film and video games but decided that would make the book too long....(size: 6.7Kb)
The Hollywood Reporter
28 Jan 2013
Adam Lambert is turning 31 years old on Tuesday, and the birthday boy has donated his special day to the We Are Family Foundation ... Adam Lambert Praises Anne Hathaway, Clarifies 'Les Miserables' Twitter Critique. Kelly Rowland on Performing with Adam Lambert. Adam Lambert Brings the Glam; Miley Cyrus Surfs Crowd, Grabs Crotch at 'VH1 Divas' ... Adam Lambert....(size: 3.9Kb)
Rocky Mount Telegram
28 Jan 2013
Anyone who would like to join or learn more about the organization is encouraged to attend, said Pat Adams, a member-at-large of the organization ... The members would like to hold more events this year, but first they hope to establish a local league with a core group of 18 to 20 paid members,
Adams said ... Adams said it’s important to bridge partisan divides....(size: 2.2Kb)
Irish Times
28 Jan 2013
Gerry Adams will not attend the funeral of Old Bailey bomber Dolours Price, it was confirmed today ... Mr Adams said ... Hundreds of republicans from across Ireland are expected to descend on St Agnes Catholic in Andersonstown — the heartland of Mr Adams’ former Westminster constituency ... In recent years she clashed with Mr Adams over her allegations that he had been her IRA Officer Commanding during the early 1970s....(size: 4.9Kb)
The Examiner
28 Jan 2013
26 the digital short "YOLO" featuring The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone) Adam Levine, and Kendrick Lamar premiered during an episode of the late night NBC program "Saturday Night Live" ... What do you think about the SNL digital short "YOLO" featuring Adam Levine, Kendrick Lamar, The Lonely Island, and Danny McBride? Let me know in the comments below or on our Facebook page....(size: 6.8Kb)
The Independent
28 Jan 2013
I knew very little about William Adams, an Englishman wrecked off the coast of Japan during Shakespeare's lifetime, but it sounded like a great subject for a play ... It turns out that Adams was big in Japan ... the Shogun and the English Samurai stars the great Japanese actor Masachika Ichimura as the Shogun, and RSC actor Stephen Boxer as Adams with seven British actors, and 17 Japanese....(size: 3.6Kb)
The Independent
28 Jan 2013
The biggest takeover in Britain last year was the £3.2bn purchase of Aegis by Japan's Dentsu, but there was a series of other deals, including the sale of Adam & Eve to Omnicom, BBH to Publicis and AKQA to WPP ... Mr Anselm cited the sale of Adam & Eve, on which he advised, as an example ... DDB, by merging them to form Adam & Eve/DDB....(size: 1.9Kb)
San Francisco Chronicle
28 Jan 2013
A naive listener, or simply an optimistic one, might have been forgiven for anticipating something exciting and even revelatory from the West Coast premiere of John Luther Adams' "Ilimaq," an expansive solo work unveiled on Saturday at Stanford's Bing Concert Hall by percussionist Glenn Kotche. Adams, for whom the landscapes of Alaska do double duty ......(size: 2.3Kb)
IMDb
28 Jan 2013
Scoop
28 Jan 2013
IMDb
28 Jan 2013
Chicago – When putting on an awards show in Chicago, getting local talent to hand out awards was as easy as calling the production of “Chicago Fire,” currently filming here ... - adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman). ....(size: 1.1Kb)
The Examiner
28 Jan 2013
Jennifer Lawrence attended the 2013 SAG Awards. Despite her recent bout with pneumonia, she ruled the red carpet. The Screen Actors Guild Awards took place in Los Angeles, Calif. on Jan. 27. Just Jared reprinted the photos of the young actress. Jennifer wore a strapless navy blue gown ... More from this writer. ... ©Chanel Adams, All rights reserved ... Chanel Adams, Celebrity Fashion and Trends Examiner. Chanel Adams has been writing for 6 years ... ....(size: 6.2Kb)
 |
Look up Adams in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Adams may refer to:
|
Places[link]
- The Moon
- New Zealand
- Philippines
- United States
- Adams, California
- Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California
- Adams, Decatur County, Indiana
- Adams, Morgan County, Indiana
- Adams, Massachusetts
- Adams, Minnesota
- Adams, North Dakota
- Adams, Nebraska
- Adams (town), New York
- Adams, Oklahoma
- Adams, Oregon
- Adams, Tennessee
- Adams, Wisconsin, city in Adams County
- Adams, Adams County, Wisconsin, town
- Adams, Green County, Wisconsin, town
- Adams, Jackson County, Wisconsin, town
Transportation[link]
- Vehicles
- Adams (1903 automobile), a British early 20th-century automobile
- Adams (automobile), a British early 20th-century automobile (1905-14)
- Adams-Farwell, a US-American automobile of the 19th and early 20th-century (1889-1912)
- Adams (constructor), a former racing car constructor
- Vessels
- Adams (brig), early 19th-century ship
- USS Adams, several ships
Other uses[link]
- Adams (retailer), a children's clothes retailer
- Adams' Grammar School, Newport, Shropshire, England
- Adams House (disambiguation), a reference to any of several historic houses
- Adams Park, a football stadium in Buckinghamshire, England
- MSC.Adams, engineering software
- Adams, a brand of jockstrap
- Adams Musical Instruments
- Cadbury Adams, confectionery company acquired by Cadbury from Pfizer in 2003
See also[link]
- All pages beginning with "Adams"
- All pages with titles containing "Adams"
- Adam (disambiguation)
- Adams County (disambiguation)
- Adams Township (disambiguation)
- Mount Adams (disambiguation)
- Adamsburg, Pennsylvania
- Adamsdale (disambiguation)
- Adamstown (disambiguation)
- Adamsville (disambiguation)
- Addams (disambiguation)
 |
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
http://wn.com/Adams
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Adams
http://cs.wn.com/Adams
http://es.wn.com/Adams
http://ru.wn.com/Адамс
http://nl.wn.com/Adams
http://pt.wn.com/Adams
http://pl.wn.com/Adams
http://fr.wn.com/Adams
http://de.wn.com/Adams
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For other people named Brian Adams, see Brian Adams (disambiguation).
| Bryan Adams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bryan Guy Adams |
| Born | (1959-11-05) 5 November 1959 (age 52) Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, photographer, actor, record producer, social activist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, harmonica |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Polydor |
| Website | bryanadams.com |
Bryan Adams, OC OBC (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. For his contributions to music, Adams has many awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations, 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.
Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.[1][2]
Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998,[3] and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards.[4] In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career,[5] and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.[6]
Contents |
Early life[link]
Adams was born in Kingston, Ontario, to parents Conrad and Jane, who had emigrated from England in the 1950s.[7] From his grandmother, he also inherited Maltese ancestry. Originally a soldier in England, Adams' father became a Canadian diplomat, latterly attached to the United Nations.[7] Adams grew up traveling around the world with his parents, with his father's diplomatic postings in Europe and the Middle East. He traveled through the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, and spent more than four years in Lisbon, Portugal and a year in Vienna, Austria. After his parents divorce,[7] in 1973 Adams and his mother returned to settle in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Music career[link]
Early career[link]
Around the age of 14-15, Adams worked as a dishwasher to save money for a proper guitar. He quit the job after a year and started auditioning as a guitarist while rehearsing his own band in his mother's rented basement in North Vancouver. Adams elected to sing until they found a singer, but they never found one, and his auditioning landed him a few jobs, with bands like Shock and Sweeney Todd, who in 1976 released If Wishes Were Horses with the 15-year-old Adams as the singer.[8] He quit school to play nightclubs and go on the road and upon his return he settled into the Vancouver studio scene, working as a background vocalist for the CBC and working with keyboardist Robbie King, whom Adams attributes as having given him his first paying session.
In 1978, at the age of 18, Adams met Jim Vallance introduced by a mutual friend in a Vancouver music store. Vallance was the former drummer and principal songwriter for Vancouver based rock band Prism and had recently quit that band to focus on a career as a studio musician and songwriter. They agreed to meet at Vallance's home studio a few days later, which proved to be the beginning of a partnership which still exists today. Later in 1978, Adams signed to A&M records for the paltry sum of one dollar.[9] Some of the first demos written in 1978 have surfaced over the years, most notably "I'm Ready" (recorded for both the album Cuts Like a Knife and later his release for MTV Unplugged) and "Remember," which was recorded on his first album. Both songs were covered by other artists even before his first album was released. Also recorded during this time was Adams' first single, "Let Me Take You Dancing," which made the Canadian RPM chart in March 1979 and it's B-Side Don't Turn Me Away, which has never appeared outside of the original 7" and 12" singles. An early version of "Straight From The Heart" was written during this period. The song was later recorded for Adams' third album "Cuts Like A Knife" in 1983 and released as a single, becoming Adams's first top ten record in the US in 1983.
1980s[link]
Adams' self-titled debut album was released in February 1980, and marked the beginning of what was to become a long songwriting partnership between Adams and co-writer Jim Vallance. With the exception of "Remember" and "Wastin' Time", most of the album was recorded from 29 October up until 29 November 1979 at Manta Studios in Toronto and co-produced by Adams and Vallance. The album was certified gold in Canada in 1986.[10]
Adams' second album, You Want It You Got It, was recorded in New York City in two weeks and it marked Adams' first album co-produced by Bob Clearmountain.[citation needed] It was released in 1981 and contained the FM radio hit "Lonely Nights," but it was not until his third album that he achieved international recognition, popularity and sales.
Adams also co-wrote many songs for other bands during this time including "War Machine" and "Rock and Roll Hell" for Kiss, and "No Way to Treat a Lady" for Bonnie Raitt.[citation needed]
Cuts Like a Knife, which was released in January 1983, was Adams' breakout album due mainly to the lead singles. "Straight from the Heart" was the most successful song, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.[11] Another single, "Cuts Like a Knife" charted at number 15. "This Time" also placed on the Hot 100. Music videos were released for four of the singles from the album. "Cuts Like a Knife" arguably became Adams' most recognizable and popular song from the album. Its music video received heavy airplay on music television channels. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved three times platinum status in Canada, platinum in the United States and gold in Australia.[10][11][12]
Adams' best-selling album, Reckless, co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was released in November 1984 and featured the singles, "Run to You", "Summer of '69", "Heaven", "One Night Love Affair", "Somebody", and "It's Only Love", a duet with Tina Turner. All the singles had accompanying music videos and all charted on the Billboard Hot 100 but only "Run to You", "Summer of '69", and "Heaven" peaked in the top ten. "Heaven" became the most successful single from Reckless at the time of its release on the pop charts, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the mainstream rock chart.[11] "It's Only Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In 1986, the song won an MTV award for Best Stage Performance.[13] After the release of the album, Adams was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance.[13] The album is Adams' best-selling album in the United States and was certified five times platinum.[14]
In December 1984, Adams and his touring band, which consisted of Keith Scott, Dave Taylor, keyboarder Johnny 'Blitz' Hannah and new drummer Pat Steward, played concerts in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia.[15] In early 1985, Adams started a tour throughout the United States, then later Japan, Australia, Europe and at last Canada.[15] After winning four Juno Awards, Adams started a Canadian tour through major cities across that country. Later he headed south towards the American West Coast, culminating with 2 dates at the studded Paladium in Los Angeles.[15]
After the tour in the United States, Adams took part of a grand ensemble of Canadian artists named Northern Lights, who recorded the song "Tears Are Not Enough" for the African famine relief effort. Adams later headed back to Europe for a fifty city concert tour with rock singer Tina Turner culminating in April with his return to London to headline three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon.[15] Adams began the first leg of his tour entitled "World Wide in '85" which started in Oklahoma and ended in October 1985.[15] Adams later visited Vancouver, Canada, and afterward returned to the American East Coast to play 2 sold-out concerts in New York.[15]
The follow-up album to Reckless was Into the Fire which was released in 1987. The album was recorded at Cliffhanger Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and mixed at AIR Studios in London and Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. This album contained the hit songs "Heat of the Night" and "Hearts on Fire" and hit the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.[citation needed]
In 1989 Adams did backup singing on Mötley Crüe's album Dr. Feelgood and also on Belinda Carlisle's song "Whatever It Takes" which appeared on her Album Runaway Horses.[citation needed]
1990s[link]
Adams' next album, Waking Up the Neighbours, co-produced by Adams and Mutt Lange, peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.[11] It was even more successful on the other side of the Atlantic, reaching number 1 on both big European markets, the UK and Germany. The album was released in September 1991 and featured "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", his second 1 hit single in Billboard Hot 100. This song was featured on the album and a movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman. The single topped the charts in numerous countries around the world including big markets such as the US, the UK, France, Australia and Germany. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved record-breaking sales in the US.[14][16][17] Canadian content regulations were revised in 1991 to allow radio stations to credit airplay of this album towards their legal requirements to play Canadian music.[17] Adams won a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.[18][19]
Adams further supported the album with his tour, Waking Up the World which started on 4 October 1991, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On 18 December 1991, Adams played two first-ever shows in Reykjavík, Iceland and then performed in the U.S. with a concert at the Ritz Theatre in New York City on 10 January.[15] It was a sell-out in less than twenty minutes.[15] In attendance were music legends Ben E. King and Nona Hendryx.[15] The Canadian leg of the Waking Up The World Tour kicked off in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 13 January 1992, and wrapped up with a standing room only concert in Vancouver, Canada, on 31 January. In February 1992, he started touring in New Zealand and Australia for seven dates—kicking off with a press conference in Sydney. On 21 February, the tour headed to Japan for approximately a dozen shows in six cities. The tour continued through several European countries in June 1992, including Italy, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, and in July 1992, Bryan performed for the first time in Hungary and Turkey (where he filmed his video for "Do I Have To Say The Words?"). During the long tour, further singles from the Waking Up the Neighbors album were released: In the US, the rocky "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" peaked at number 2, and "Do I Have to Say the Words?" reached number 11. In the UK, "Thought I Died and Gone to Heaven" was the most successful single behind "(Everything I Do) I Do it for You" by reaching the Top 10. In September through December 1993, the tour took place in the US. The Asian tour headed to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong in February 1993, before returning to the US during March through May.[15][19]
In November 1993 Adams released a compilation album entitled So Far So Good, that again topped the Charts in numerous countries such as the UK, Germany and Australia. It included a brand new song called "Please Forgive Me", that became another number 1 single in Australia as well as reaching the Top 3 in the US, the UK and Germany. In 1994 he collaborated with Rod Stewart and Sting for the single "All for Love" written for the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie Three Musketeers. The single topped the charts worldwide. It was followed in 1995 by, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (song released with the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie Don Juan DeMarco). It became another number 1 in the US and Australia as well as a Top 5 hit in the UK and Germany. Released in June 1996, the album 18 til I Die contained the UK Top 10 singles "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me" and "Lets Make a Night to Remember". The album peaked at number thirty-one on the Billboard 200 in the United States and held that position for three weeks.[11] It was more successful in Europe and Australia and reached the top spot on the UK charts for Adams' third number 1 in a row.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] The album has been certified platinum in the United States and is Adams last studio effort which has been certified by the RIAA.[14] 18 til I Die was certified three times platinum in Canada and Australia and two times platinum in the UK. On 27 July Adams performed at the Wembley Stadium in London in front of a crowd of about 70,000. It was his second sold-out concert there and it is often considered as his biggest concert ever as it went out live to 25 countries and fans from all over the world came up to watch the performance.It also received rave reviews from critics and fans alike.[10][12][30] In December 1997, Adams released MTV Unplugged with three new tracks: "Back to You", "A Little Love" and "When You Love Someone". "Back to You" was the first single, followed by "I'm Ready", an acoustic version of the Cut's Like A Knife track. The album was a top 10 success in Germany while both singles reached the top 20 in the UK.
On a Day Like Today was released in 1998 and was the first studio album since 1981's You Want It You Got It which wasn't certified by the RIAA.[14] This release coincided with his contract being sold to Interscope Records. Despite Interscope's involvement or lack of, On a Day Like Today enjoyed tremendous success internationally, entering the Top 5 in Germany and was certified platinum in the UK. It generated two British Top 10 singles: "Cloud Number Nine" and "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C of The Spice Girls.
To commemorate the millennium, Adams released The Best of Me, his most comprehensive collection of songs at that time, which also included two new songs, the title track "The Best of Me" and the UK number 1 track "Don't Give Up". The album reached the Top 10 in Germany and was certified three times platinum in Canada and Platinum in the UK. The single from the album, "The Best of Me" was a very successful hit with the exception of the US, where neither the single or the album were released by Interscope Records.
2000–present[link]
In 2000, Adams wrote and sang on a song for Chicane's album Behind the Sun[31] called "Don't Give Up". Even though his voice is somewhat altered electronically, it is still recognisable. An official music video was made of the song, in which Adams also appears.[32]
In 2002, Adams wrote and performed the songs for the DreamWorks animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The songs were included on the film's soundtrack. The most successful single from the soundtrack was "Here I Am", a British Top 5 and German Top 20 hit. The song also gave him his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Song from a Motion Picture.
In 2004, ARC Weekly released its chart of top pop artists since the last 25 years and Adams came up at number 13 in the chart with four number-one singles, ten top five hits and 17 top ten hits. Six years after the release of On a Day Like Today, Room Service was released in September 2004. It topped the charts in Germany and Switzerland and peaked at number four in the UK, selling 440,000 copies in its first week in Europe and thus debuted at number one on Billboard's European album chart. The single, "Open Road", was the most successful single from the album and peaked at number one in Canada and number twenty-one in the UK. In May 2008, the album was also released in the US but charted only at number 134 on the Billboard 200.
In 2005, Anthology, the first 2-disc compilation was released, containing two new tracks. The US release features a new version of "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C. Also in 2005, Adams re-recorded the theme song for the second season of Pamela's Fox sitcom Stacked.
In 2006, Adams wrote and performed the theme song "Never Let Go" which was featured in the closing credits of the film The Guardian starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Adams also co-wrote the song "Never Gonna Break My Faith" for the film Bobby. The song was performed by the R&B singers Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige and earned him a Golden Globe Nomination in 2007.[33]
Adams released his eleventh album internationally on 17 March 2008. It was appropriately called 11. The album was released in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club retail stores on 13 May 2008.[34] The first single released from the album was "I Thought I'd Seen Everything". Adams did an 11-day, 11-country European acoustic promotional tour to kick off the release of the album.[35] The album debuted at number one in Canada (making it his first album to reach that position since Waking Up the Neighbours in 1991) as well as reaching number two in Germany. In the United States, the album charted at number 80.[11] In May 2009, Bryan Adams announced on his Twitter account that he has started writing and recording a new album in Paris. Bare Bones is certified Gold in India.[36]
Adams was one of the four musicians who were pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series to be issued by Canada Post stamps on 2 July 2009.[37] The total estimated number of Bryan Adams stamps that were printed is one and one-half million.[38] In December 2009, Adams wrote, produced and performed the song "You've Been a Friend to Me" for the Disney film Old Dogs.[39]
In February 2010 he released "One World, One Flame" – a track used as a theme song by the German TV Station ARD for their Olympic coverage of Olympic Games in Vancouver.[citation needed]
On 12 February 2010, Adams performed a duet with Nelly Furtado. The song was called "Bang the Drum" and was co-written with Jim Vallance for the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in front of 60,000 spectators at BC Place Stadium.[citation needed]
Adams performed at a party that Wayne Gretzky and Jaromír Jágr attended during Olympics, this brought all three together once again, following Gretzky's final game in 1999 at Madison Square Garden, when Gretzky then played for the New York Rangers and Jagr was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Adams then sang the Canadian national anthem and ad-libbed a line to acknowledge Gretzky's departure, singing, "We're gonna miss you Wayne Gretzky."
Adams was one of several well known Canadian musicians to visit Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at his official residence. Originally the visit was meant to be Adams's plea to the Prime Minister to change the archaic copyright laws (http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/04/03/straight-from-the-heart/), instead Harper turned it into a photo op for himself and an informal "jam session".[40] His latest album, Bare Bones, has been certified gold in India, and he thanked all his Indians fans for giving him such support.[36]
,_Feb_2011.JPG)
On 19 February 2011 Bryan Adams and his band played in Kathmandu, Nepal making him the first ever international artist to rock Nepal which was organized by ODC Network (P) LTD.[41] Bryan Adams performed at the opening ceremony of ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 on 17 February in Dhaka, Bangladesh[42] and also performed in a solo concert in the next day.[43]
On 14 March 2011, Adams announced that he and co-founder of his foundation and girlfriend, Alicia Grimaldi, were expecting a baby and on 22 April 2011, Grimaldi gave birth to a daughter, Mirabella Bunny.[44]
On 10 September 2011, Taylor Swift covered Bryan Adams' song Summer of 69 at her concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. On 19 November 2011, Bryan recorded the music video for "Tonight In Babylon" in Southwark, London. On 20 November 2011, he performed on the UK X Factor with the remaining acts in the competition.
On 31 January 2012, Adams announced a 20-date concert tour across Canada between April and June, to be followed by a new studio album expected to be released late in the year.[45]
Social activism[link]
Most of Adams' philanthropic activity is dedicated to his foundation "The Bryan Adams Foundation", which aims to advance education and learning opportunities for children and young people worldwide, believing that an education is the best gift that a child can be given. The foundation is mostly funded by his photographic activities.
Since the 1980s, Adams has participated in concerts and other activities to help raise money and awareness for a variety of causes. His first high profile charity appearance came in 1985 when he opened the US transmission of Live Aid from Philadelphia.[46] In June of the next year, Adams participated in the two-week Amnesty International "A Conspiracy of Hope" tour alongside Sting, U2 and Peter Gabriel.[46] In 1986 Adams performed at The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert in Wembley Arena to celebrate first 10 years of the Trust and again in June 1987 at the 5th Annual Prince's Trust Rock Gala along with Elton John, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and others. The following year Adams performed at the Nelson Mandela birthday party concert at Wembley Stadium.
Adams helped commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall when, in 1990, he joined many other guests (including his songwriting partner Michael Kamen) for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin, Germany.[47] He performed the Pink Floyd songs What Shall We Do Now? and Young Lust during the performance of The Wall, and then joined Waters, Joni Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison, Paul Carrack and others to perform Waters' "The Tide Is Turning" to close the concert.[citation needed] His version of Young Lust, peaked at number 7 at Mainstream Rock Tracks.[citation needed]
During his tours of 1992-1994, Adams successfully campaigned for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with Greenpeace Chairman David McTaggart.[citation needed] The two of them distributed over 500,000 postcards at concerts around the world encouraging people to write to politicians of countries blocking the vote, encouraging them to vote yes for the creation of the sanctuary at the meetings of the International Whaling Commission. IWC officially created the sanctuary on 26 May 1994.[48]
On 24 April 1993, Adams joined Farm Aid VI alongside Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr.[citation needed]
On 29 January 2005, Adams joined the CBC benefit concert in Toronto for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Twenty years after performing at Live Aid in the USA, Adams played at Canada's Live 8 show in Barrie, Ontario.[49] Later that year, he performed in Qatar and raised £1.5M ($2,617,000) from the concert. He also auctioned a white Fender Stocaster guitar signed by many of the world's prominent guitarists. The guitar raised a total of 3.7 million US dollars for charity and thus set a record as the world's costliest guitar.[49] The money went to Qatar's "Reach Out to Asia" campaign to help the underprivileged across the continent.[49][50] Money raised also went to some of his own projects like rebuilding a school in Thailand and building a new sports center in Sri Lanka, both of which had been devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami.[49]
On 29 January 2006, Adams became the first Western artist to perform in Karachi, Pakistan after 11 September attacks, in conjunction with a benefit concert by Shehzad Roy to raise money for underprivileged children to go to school.[51] Some of the proceeds of that concert also went to victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.[51]
On 18 October 2007, Adams was billed to perform in Tel Aviv and Jericho as part of the OneVoice Movement concerts, hoping to aid in solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[52] The peace concert for supporters of a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel was called off because of security concerns.[52]
Adams supports the animal rights group PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) by shooting photos for them and writing letters. He's written to the CEO of KFC restaurants in Canada in November 2007, asking them to become leaders in using more modern and more humane methods of killing chickens.[53] Adams has been a vegan since 1989 and was also a nominee for PETA's "Sexiest Vegetarians of the Year".
On 25 May 2005, Adams raised £1.3M with cousin Johnny Armitage, from a concert and auction entitled Rock by the River for the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.[54] On 15 May 2006, Adams returned to London to attend the Hope Foundation's event (hosted by designer Bella Freud), helping to raise a portion of the £250,000 to support the Palestinian refugee children.[55] The following June, he offered individuals from the public the chance to bid to sing with him live in concert at three different charity auctions in London. Over £50,000 was raised with money going to the NSPCC, Children in Need, and the University College Hospital.[56] On 28 February 2008 he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program.[56]
To support the peace in Georgia, Adams played a special outdoor concert in Tbilisi, on 19 September 2008.[citation needed]
He played at The Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Born Free Foundation at "Wild and Live" on 14 November 2009.[citation needed] His foundation raised £170,000 for Kids Company, a UK based charity that helps underprivileged and abused children in London, England.[citation needed]
As a photographer[link]
Adams has had his photographs published in British Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Interview magazine and i-D, among others.[57] His other photographic efforts include founding Zoo Magazine, the fashion/art magazine based in Berlin, Germany which he shoots for regularly. On 1 June 2005, Calvin Klein published a book of his photos in the United States entitled American Women; proceeds from this book go to breast cancer research for programs at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.[57] Flare Magazine in Canada released a similar book of photos called Made In Canada in December 1999. Both these books were dedicated to his friend Donna, who died of the disease.[57]
As a photographer, Adams has worked with many of his musical peers, including Sting, Shania Twain, Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Take That, Joss Stone, Plácido Domingo, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Billy Idol, Moby, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, t.A.T.u., Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Lenny Kravitz, Die Antwoord, and Morrissey to name a few.[58] On 27 November 2000 Adams played onstage with The Who at the Royal Albert Hall. A DVD of the concert was issued. Adams photographed the band and his photos appear in the DVD booklet.
In 2002, Adams was invited, along with other photographers from the Commonwealth, to photograph Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee; one of the photographs from this session was used as a Canadian postage stamp in 2004 and again in 2005 (see Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamp (Canada)), another portrait of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.[59]
Adams supports the Hear the World initiative as a photographer in its aim to raise global awareness for the topic of hearing and hearing loss.[60]
He photographed Michael J. Fox and Tatjana Patitz in the 2011 Carl Zeiss AG company calendar in New York City in the summer of 2010. The focus was about the size difference of the subjects in a comedic presentation.[61]
His photographic exhibitions include:
- Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 1999
- McCord Museum, Montreal 2000
- Saatchi Gallery, London 2000
- Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany 2001
- ICA, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 2004
- Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 2004
- Calvin Klein, NYC, Dallas, Paris 2005
- Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London 2005-06
- Il Tempio Di Adriano, Rome, Italy, July 2006
- Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany, September 2006
- Leica Gallery, Vienna, Austria, November 2006
- Galerija Fotografija, Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 2006
- H.Stern exhibition, São Paulo, Brazil, March 2007
- PhotoEspana, Madrid, Spain, Fotografos Insospechados (Unsuspected Photographers) Mickey Rourke photographs, May–July 2007
- Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire, England, May–June 2007
- 401 Projects, New York City, September–November 2007
- The Hospital, Covent Garden, London, England, November 2007 (Modern Muses)
- The National Portrait Gallery, London, England, February–May 2008 (Modern Muses)
- Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany, May 2008 (Photos of the German National Football Team)
- 14th Street Gallery, New York City, May 2008 (Hear The World) (plus other exhibitions in Berlin and Zurich with the same show)
- Saatchi Gallery, London, July 2009 (Hear The World)
- Calvin Klein American Women 2010, New York City, September 2010
Personal life[link]
Adams never comments on his personal life:[7]
| “ | I just don't think it's anyone's business. I've always been very private: it suits me. | ” |
A vegan, he has homes in: Canada; Chelsea, London;[7] and Paris, France.[62]
Discography[link]
Main article: Bryan Adams discography
|
Studio albums
Live albums
|
Compilation albums
Soundtrack albums
|
Awards[link]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Bryan Adams
In addition to his success at the Junos and Grammys and other music awards, Adams was also nominated for his fifth Golden Globe in 2007 for songwriting on the film Bobby which was sung by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and has been nominated three times for Academy Awards for writing music in film.[33][63]
File sharing lawsuit[link]
Main article: Capitol v. Thomas
"Somebody" was one of 24 songs in the first file-sharing copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major record labels in the United States to be tried by a jury.
References[link]
- ^ "Bryan Adams to play Ipswich Regent". Ipswich Borough Council. 24 March 2010. http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/local/bryan_adams_tickets_to_go_on_sale_1_2098408.
- ^ "Bryan Adams tickets to go on sale". Londonderry Sentinel. 13 October 2009. http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/local/bryan_adams_tickets_to_go_on_sale_1_2098408.
- ^ "BRYAN ADAMS - 1998 INDUCTEE". Canada's Walk of Fame. http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductee/bryan-adams.
- ^ "Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees". Juno Awards. http://junoawards.ca/submissions/hall-of-fame/.
- ^ "Bryan Adams to receive the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award". CARAS. 13 January 2010. http://junoawards.ca/2010/01/13/bryan-adams-to-receive-the-allan-waters-humanitarian-award/. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ Performing Arts Awards Ceremony Governor General of Canada, 27 April 2010
- ^ a b c d e David Jenkins (30 March 2008). "The charmed life of Bryan Adams". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3672213/The-charmed-life-of-Bryan-Adams.html. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ Sorelle Saidman Bryan Adams Everything He Does, Random House, Toronto, 1993 ISBN 0-394-22300-4 Chapter 3: Sweeney Todd: In the Nick of Time p. 23 and ff
- ^ Saidman, page 47
- ^ a b c "CRIA Certifications". Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA). http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php?page=1&wclause=WHERE+artist_name+like+%27%25Bryan+Adam%25%27+ORDER+BY+cert_date%2C+cert_award+&rcnt=63&csearch=40&nextprev=1. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f "Artist Chart History – Bryan Adams". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3502. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b "ARIA Certifications". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-2004.htm. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Bryan Adams – June 20" (in (Danish)). Newmarket Racecourses. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080526041304/http://www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk/summer/12011668143572.html. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d "RIAA Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Lostprophets&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2007&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Life Of Bryan" (in (Danish)). skolarbete.nu. http://skolarbete.nu/skolarbeten/bryan-adams/. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Everything I Do". I Love 1991. BBC Cult. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/1991/music1.shtml. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Bryan Adams not Canadian?". Ruling the Airwaves: The CRTC and Canadian Content. 14 January 1992. http://archives.cbc.ca/economy_business/the_media/topics/1150-6306/. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Allmusic – Grammy Awards". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3502. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Bryan Adams". Live Daily. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080509110955/http://www.livedaily.com/artists/270.html. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Australian Chart". australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Austrian Chart". austriancharts.com. http://austriancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Finnish Chart". finnishcharts.com. http://finnishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "French Chart". lescharts.com. http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / BRYAN ADAMS / Longplay" (in German). musicline.de. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/ADAMS,BRYAN?type=longplay. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Irish Album Chart". irish-charts.com. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Dutch Chart". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl//showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Norwegian Chart". norwegiancharts.com. http://www.norwegiancharts.com//showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Swiss Chart". hitparade.ch. http://www.hitparade.ch//showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Belgian Chart (WAL)". Ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bryan%20Adams. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
- ^ "BPI Certifications". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080424073628/http://www.bpi.co.uk/index.asp. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Discogs music database". Discogs.com. 9 August 2006. http://www.discogs.com/Chicane-Behind-The-Sun/release/10961. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ Youtube[dead link]
- ^ a b "64th Golden Globe Awards Nominations". Golden Globe. 14 December 2006. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080327053001/http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/42. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
- ^ "Wal-Mart secures album exclusive". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003787034. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony; Gundersen, Edna; Keveney, Bill (20 March 2008). "Coming attractions: Bryan Adams is down to the '11' hour". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/2008-03-20-coming-attractions_N.htm. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Straight from the heart". Deccan Chronicle. 14 February 2011. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/straight-heart-570. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ Canada Post Stamp Details, July to September 2009, Volune XVIII, No. 3, p. 6
- ^ Vancouver Sun (12 January 2009). "Bryan Adams gets the stamp of approval". StampNews.com. http://www.stampnews.com/stamps/stamps_2009/stamp_1231781459_695809.html.
- ^ Bryan Adams - IMDb
- ^ "Bryan Adams jams with Stephen Harper". Toronto Star. 19 May 2010. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/811276--bryan-adams-jams-with-stephen-harper?bn=1. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ^ "Bryan Adams cuts history like a knife in Nepal - Detail News : Nepal News Portal". The Himalayan Times. http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Bryan+Adams+cuts+history+like+a+knife+in+Nepal&NewsID=277006. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Pallab (9 February 2011). "Bryan Adams to Perform at ICC World Cup Opening in Dhaka". Daily Star.net. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=173378. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ Sadique, Kazim Ibn (21 February 2011). "Bryan Adams Romances Dhaka". Daily Star.net. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=174837. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ "Bryan Adams Baby: He's A First Time Dad". People. 5 May 2011. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20487522,00.html. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ^ "Adams books big Canadian tour". Toronto Sun. 31 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/658nDDMpG. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b "1985: Was Live Aid the best rock concert ever?". BBC News. 13 July 1985. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/july/13/newsid_3041000/3041494.stm. Retrieved 29 January 2006.
- ^ "Pink Floyd – The Wall". h2g2. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5907332. Retrieved 29 January 2006.
- ^ "I was there: how the Southern Ocean Sanctuary came to be - Ocean Defenders - the weblog". Weblog.greenpeace.org. 14 December 2006. http://weblog.greenpeace.org/oceandefenders/archive/2006/12/i_was_there_how_the_south_1.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ a b c d "Reach Out to Asia". Qatar Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 February 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060221111524/http://www.qf.edu.qa/output/page1099.asp. Retrieved 29 January 2006.
- ^ "Gilmour signed guitar in charity auction". Brain Damage. 2006. http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/archive/gilmour-signed-guitar-in-charity-auction.html. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Bryan Adams performs to Karachi". BBC News. 29 January 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4659782.stm. Retrieved 29 January 2006.
- ^ a b "Adams' peace concerts called off". BBC News. 15 October 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7044614.stm. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
- ^ Bryan Adams Takes On KFC Canada People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 4 December 2007
- ^ "Bryan Adams rocks by the river". Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. http://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/RMH/info/newsevents/pressreleases/pr24052005.htm. Retrieved 29 January 2006.
- ^ "Ronnie Scotts" (PDF). Hoping Foundation. http://www.hopingfoundation.org/fundraising/RonnieScottsPR2.pdf. Retrieved 29 January 2006. [dead link]
- ^ a b "One Night Live". Sunnybrook. http://www.onenightlive.ca. Retrieved 29 January 2006.
- ^ a b c Jenkins, David (30 March 2008). "The charmed life of Bryan Adams". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/03/30/sv_bryanadams.xml. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ Richard Melville Hall (20 March 2007). "you want to hear a funny story?". Moby's journal. Moby. http://www.moby.com/journal/2007-03-20/you_want_to_hear_a_funny_story.html. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
- ^ "Press Releases – Bryan Adams attends the official unveiling of the new Queen stamp". Canada Post. 20 March 2007. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070313101338/http://www.canadapost.ca/business/corporate/about/newsroom/pr/archive-e.asp?prid=971. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
- ^ "Interview with Bryan Adams". Hear the World. 17 July 2009. http://www.hear-the-world.com/en/the-initiative/the-ambassadors/ambassadors-up-close/bryan-adams.html. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ Michael J. Fox proves he's still laughing in the face of Parkinson's disease as he hams it up for new calendar Mail Online, 18 September 2010
- ^ http://www.elledecor.com/celebrity-homes/articles/bryan-adams-paris-house
- ^ "Honours". thecanadianencyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1SEC885070. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
External links[link]
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bryan Adams |
 |
Book: Bryan Adams |
| Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bryan Adams |
| Preceded by Shania Twain |
Grey Cup Halftime Show 2003 |
Succeeded by The Tragically Hip |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Adams, Bryan Guy |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Canadian rock singer-songwriter |
| Date of birth | 5 November 1959 |
| Place of birth | Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Bryan_Adams
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://cs.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://id.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://es.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://ru.wn.com/Адамс, Брайан
http://nl.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://pl.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://fr.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://de.wn.com/Bryan Adams
http://hi.wn.com/ब्रायन एडम्स
http://pt.wn.com/Bryan Adams
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Adams
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Rod Stewart | |
|---|---|
 Stewart performing in Zaragoza, Spain, 5 November 2006. |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roderick David Stewart |
| Also known as | "Rod the Mod" |
| Born | (1945-01-10) 10 January 1945 (age 67) Highgate, North London, England[1] |
| Genres | Rock, pop, blues rock, soul |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Mercury, Warner Bros., RCA,[2] J |
| Associated acts | Shotgun Express, The Steampacket, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces |
| Website | RodStewart.com |
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945)[3] is a British singer-songwriter, born and raised in North London, England, and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English[4] ancestry.
With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with The Jeff Beck Group and then Faces. He launched his solo career in 1969 with his debut album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (US: The Rod Stewart Album). His work with The Jeff Beck Group and Faces influenced heavy metal genres.[5][6]
With his career in its fifth decade, Stewart has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling artists of all time.[7] In the UK, he has had six consecutive number one albums, and his tally of 62 hit singles include 31 that reached the top 10, six of which gained the number one position.[8] He has had 16 top ten singles in the U.S, with four of these reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists".[9] He was voted at #33 in Q Magazine's list of the top 100 Greatest Singers of all time,[10] and #59 on Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Singers of all time.[11] As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and was inducted a second time, as a member of Faces, in April 2012.[12][13]
Contents
|
Early life[link]
Roderick David Stewart was born at 507 Archway Road, Highgate, North London, the youngest of the five children of Robert Stewart and Elsie Gilbart.[14] His father was Scottish and had been a master builder in Leith, Edinburgh, while Elsie was English and had grown up in Upper Holloway in North London.[15] Married in 1928,[15] the couple had two sons and two daughters while living in Scotland, then they moved to Highgate.[14] Stewart came after an eight-year gap following his youngest sibling; he was born at home during World War II, half an hour after a German V-2 missile warhead fell on the local Highgate police station.[14][15]
The family was neither affluent nor poor, and by all accounts Stewart was a spoiled child as the youngest;[14][15] Stewart has called his childhood "fantastically happy".[15] He had an undistinguished record at Highgate Primary School and failed the eleven plus exam.[16] He then attended the William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School in Hornsey.[17] His father retired from the building trade at age 65, then opened a newsagent's shop on the Archway Road when Stewart was in his early teens; the family lived over the shop.[14][15] Stewart's main hobby was railway modelling.[18]
The Stewart family was mostly focused on football;[19] Robert had played on a local amateur side and managed some as well, and one of Stewart's earliest memories were the pictures of Scottish players such as George Young and Gordon Smith that his brothers had on the wall.[20][21] Rod was the most talented footballer in the Stewart family and was a strong supporter of Arsenal F.C..[20][22] Combining natural athleticism with near-reckless aggression, he became captain of the school football team and played for Middlesex Schoolboys as centre-half.[20]
The family were also great fans of the singer Al Jolson and would sing and play his hits.[19][23] Stewart collected his records and saw his films, read books about him, and was influenced by his performing style and attitude towards his audience.[19][21][24] His introduction to rock and roll was hearing Little Richard's 1956 hit "The Girl Can't Help It" and seeing Bill Haley & His Comets in concert.[23] His father bought him a guitar in January 1959; the first song he learned was the folk tune "It Takes a Worried Man to Sing a Worried Song" and the first record he bought was Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody".[18] In 1960, he joined a skiffle group with schoolfriends called the Kool Kats, playing Lonnie Donegan and Chas McDevitt hits.[18][25]
Stewart left school at age 15[26] and worked briefly as a silk screen printer.[27] Spurred on by his father, his ambition was to become a professional footballer.[22][26] In 1961 he joined on as an apprentice with Brentford F.C.,[26][28][29] a Third Division club at the time.[30] However, he disliked the early morning travel to West London and the daily assignment to clean the first team's boots.[26] His playing effectiveness at centre-half was hindered by his slight build — 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) but only 9 stone (130 lb; 57 kg) — and he pushed himself so much that he sometimes vomited at the side of the pitch.[26] After up to two months of play in pre-season fixtures,[nb 1] Stewart left the team, to the great disappointment of his father.[26] Stewart later reflected that: "I had the skill but not the enthusiasm."[26] Regarding possible career options, Stewart concluded, "Well, a musician's life is a lot easier and I can also get drunk and make music, and I can't do that and play football. I plumped for music ... They're the only two things I can do actually: play football and sing."[19][26]
Music career[link]
1961–63: Early efforts[link]
Stewart worked in the family shop and as a newspaper delivery boy,[31] then as a grave digger at Highgate Cemetery,[32] partly to face a childhood fear of death.[31] He worked in a North Finchley funeral parlour[31] and as a fence erector and sign writer.[27] In 1961 he went to Denmark Street with The Raiders and got a singing audition with well-known record producer Joe Meek, but Meek stopped the session with a rude sound.[33] Stewart began listening to British and American topical folk artists such as Ewan MacColl, Alex Campbell, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and especially Derroll Adams and the debut album of Bob Dylan.[33][34] He became attracted to beatnik attitudes and left-wing politics, living for a while in a beatnik houseboat at Shoreham-by-Sea.[33] Stewart was an active supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at this time, joining the annual Aldermaston Marches from 1961 to 1963 and being arrested on three occasions when he took part in sit-ins at Trafalgar Square and Whitehall for the cause.[27][33] He also used the marches as a way to meet and bed girls.[33][35] In 1962 he had his first serious relationship, with London art student Suzannah Boffey (and a friend of future model and actress Chrissie Shrimpton); he moved to a bed-sit in Muswell Hill to be near her.[36] She became pregnant, but neither Rod nor his family wanted him to enter marriage; the baby girl was given for adoption and Rod's and Suzannah's relationship ended.[36]
In 1962, Stewart began hanging around folk singer Wizz Jones, busking at Leicester Square and other London spots.[37] Stewart took up playing the then-fashionable harmonica.[38] On several trips over the next 18 months Jones and Stewart took their act to Brighton and then to Paris, sleeping under bridges over the River Seine, and then finally to Barcelona.[37] Finally this resulted in Stewart being rounded up and deported from Spain for vagrancy during 1963.[29][37][39]
In early 1962, Stewart joined The Ray Davies Quartet, later known as the successful British band The Kinks, as their lead singer. He had known three of their members at William Grimshaw School[16][34] and at the time, Ray Davies was uncomfortable with the lead vocalist role.[40] He performed with the group on at least one occasion, but was soon dropped due to complaints about his voice from then-drummer John Start's mother as well as musical differences with the band and (as Pete Quaife later recalled) Davies' fear that Stewart would take over.[40][41]
In 1963, Stewart adopted the Mod lifestyle and look, and began fashioning the spiky rooster hairstyle that would become his trademark.[42] (It originated from large amounts of his sisters' hair lacquer, backcombing, and his hands holding it in place to protect it from the winds of the Highgate Underground station.[42][43]) Disillusioned by rock and roll, he saw Otis Redding perform in concert and began listening to Sam Cooke records; he became fascinated by rhythm and blues and soul music.[42]
After returning to London, Stewart joined a rhythm and blues group, the Dimensions, in October 1963 as a harmonica player and part-time vocalist.[28][44] It was his first professional job as a musician, although Stewart was still living at home and working in his brother's painting and picture frame shop.[45][46] A somewhat more established singer from Birmingham, Jimmy Powell, then hired the group a few weeks later, and it became known as Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions, with Stewart being relegated to harmonica player.[28][44] The group performed weekly at the famed Studio 51 club on Great Newport Street in London, where The Rolling Stones often headlined;[44] this was Stewart's entrée into the thriving London R & B scene,[47] and his harmonica playing improved in part from watching Mick Jagger on stage.[38] Relations soon broke down between Powell and Stewart over roles within the group[45] and Stewart departed.[nb 2]
1964–67: Long John Baldry, Steampacket, and "Rod the Mod"[link]
On or around 5 January 1964,[nb 3] Stewart was drunk and waiting on the Twickenham railway station platform, playing "Smokestack Lightnin'" on his harmonica after having seen a rhythm and blues show by Cyril Davies and the All Stars at Eel Pie Island.[28][48][49] All Stars singer Long John Baldry discovered him and invited him to sit in with the group (which passed into his hands and was renamed the Hoochie Coochie Men when Davies died of leukaemia on 7 January); when Baldry discovered Stewart was a singer as well, he offered him a job for £35 a week, after securing the approval of Stewart's mother.[48] Quitting his day job at age nineteen, Stewart gradually overcame his shyness and nerves and became a visible enough part of the act that he was sometimes added to the billing as "Rod the Mod" Stewart,[38][48][50] the nickname coming from his dandyish style of grooming and dress.[34] Baldry touted Stewart's abilities to Melody Maker magazine and the group enjoyed a weekly residence at London's fabled Marquee Club.[50] In June 1964, Stewart made his recording début (without label credit) on "Up Above My Head", the B-side to a Baldry and Hoochie Coochie Men single.[51]
While still with Baldry, Stewart embarked on a simultaneous solo career.[52] He made some demo recordings,[nb 4] was scouted by Decca Records at the Marquee Club and signed to a solo contract in August 1964.[53] He appeared on several regional television shows around the country and recorded his first single in September 1964.[52][53] Turning down Decca's recommended material as too commercial, Stewart insisted that the experienced session musicians he was given, including John Paul Jones, learn a couple of Sonny Boy Williamson songs he had just heard.[54] The resulting single, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", was recorded released in October 1964; despite Stewart performing it on the popular television show Ready Steady Go!, it failed to enter the charts.[53] Also in October Stewart left the Hoochie Coochie Men after having a row with Baldry.[53]
Stewart played some dates on his own in late 1964 and early 1965, sometimes backed by the Southampton R & B outfit The Soul Agents.[55] The Hoochie Coochie Men broke up, Baldry and Stewart patched up their differences (and indeed became lifelong friends),[56] and legendary impresario Giorgio Gomelsky put together Steampacket, which featured Baldry, Stewart, Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, Micky Waller, Vic Briggs, and Rick Brown; their first appearance was in support of The Rolling Stones in July 1965.[57] The group was conceived as a white soul revue, analogous to The Ike & Tina Turner Revue, with multiple vocalists and styles ranging from jazz to R & B to blues.[58] Steampacket toured with the Stones and The Walker Brothers that summer, ending in the London Palladium;[58] seeing the audience react to the Stones gave Stewart his first exposure to crowd hysteria.[59] Stewart, who had been included in the group upon Baldry's insistence, ended up with most of the male vocal parts.[58] Steampacket was unable to enter the studio to record any material due to its members all belonging to different labels and managers,[58][60] although Gomelsky did record one of their Marquee Club rehearsals.[nb 5]
Stewart's "Rod the Mod" image gained wider visibility in November 1965, when he was the subject of a 30-minute Rediffusion, London television documentary titled "An Easter with Rod" that portrayed the Mod scene.[29][61] His parallel solo career attempts continued on EMI's Columbia label with the November 1965 release of "The Day Will Come", a more heavily arranged pop attempt, and the April 1966 release of his take on Sam Cooke's "Shake", with the Brian Auger Trinity.[61] Both failed commercially and neither gained positive notices.[62] Stewart had spent the better part of two years listening mostly to Cooke; he later said, "I didn't sound like anybody at all ... but I knew I sounded a bit like Sam Cooke, so I listened to Sam Cooke."[46] This recording solidified that singer's position as Stewart's idol and most enduring influence; he called it a "crossing of the water."[34][46][58]
Stewart departed from Steampacket in March 1966,[61] with Stewart saying he had been sacked and Auger saying he had quit.[58] Stewart then joined a somewhat similar outfit, Shotgun Express, in May 1966 as co-lead vocalist with Beryl Marsden.[58][61] Amongst the other members were Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green (who would go on to form Fleetwood Mac), and Peter Bardens.[61] Shotgun Express released one unsuccessful single in October 1966, the orchestra-heavy "I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round", before disbanding.[58][61] Stewart later disparaged Shotgun Express as a poor imitation of Steampacket, and said "I was still getting this terrible feeling of doing other people's music. I think you can only start finding yourself when you write your own material."[61] By now, Stewart had bounced around without achieving much success, with little to distinguish himself among other aspiring London singers other than the emerging rasp in his voice.[47]
1967–69: Jeff Beck Group[link]
Guitarist Jeff Beck recruited Stewart for his new post-Yardbirds venture,[63] and in February 1967, Stewart joined the Jeff Beck Group as vocalist and sometime songwriter.[64] This would become the big break of his early career.[34] There he first played with Ronnie Wood[58] whom he had first met in a London pub in 1964;[53] the two soon became fast friends.[63] During its first year, the group experienced frequent changes of drummers and conflicts involving manager Mickie Most wanting to reduce Stewart's role; they toured the UK, and released a couple of singles that featured Stewart on their B-sides.[64][65] Stewart's sputtering solo career also continued, with the March 1968 release of non-hit "Little Miss Understood" on Immediate Records.[64] The Jeff Beck Group toured Western Europe in spring 1968, recorded, and were nearly destitute; then assistant manager Peter Grant booked them on a six-week tour of the United States starting in June 1968 with the Fillmore East in New York.[64][66][67] The first-time-in-America Stewart suffered terrible stage fright during the opening show and hid behind the amplifier banks while singing; only a quick shot of brandy brought him out front.[64] Nevertheless, the show and the tour were a big success,[34][67] with Robert Shelton of The New York Times calling the group exciting and praising "the interaction of Mr. Beck's wild and visionary guitar against the hoarse and insistent shouting of Rod Stewart,"[66] and New Musical Express reporting that the group was receiving standing ovations and pulling receipts equal to those of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.[64]
In August 1968, their first album Truth was released; by October it had risen to number 15 on the US albums chart but failed to chart in the UK.[64] The radical, groundbreaking, landmark album featured Beck's masterly guitar technique and manipulated sounds as Stewart's dramatic vocalising tackled the group's varied repertoire of blues, folk, rock, and proto-heavy metal.[47][65][68] Stewart also co-wrote three of the songs,[68] and credited the record for helping to develop his vocal abilities and the sandpaper quality in his voice.[46] The group toured America again at the end of the year to a very strong reception, then suffered from more personnel upheaval[64][69] (something that would continue throughout Beck's career). In July 1969, Stewart left, following his friend Wood's departure.[46][70] Stewart later recalled: "It was a great band to sing with but I couldn't take all the aggravation and unfriendliness that developed.... In the two and a half years I was with Beck I never once looked him in the eye – I always looked at his shirt or something like that."[64] The group's second album, Beck-Ola, was released in June 1969 in the US and September 1969 in the UK, bracketing the time the group was dissolving; it also made number 15 in the US albums chart and placed to number 39 in the UK albums chart.[34][70][71] During his time with the group, Stewart initially felt overmatched by Beck's presence, and his style was still developing; but later Stewart felt the two developed a strong musical, if not personal, rapport.[64][72] Much of Stewart's sense of phrasing was developed during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.[46] Beck sought to form a new supergroup with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert (of the similarly just-breaking-up Vanilla Fudge) joining him and Stewart, but Stewart had other plans.[73]
1969–71: Solo Career establishment[link]
Mercury Records A&R man Lou Reizner had seen Stewart perform with Beck, and in October 1968 signed him to a solo contract;[64] but contractual complexities delayed Stewart's recording for him until July 1969.[70][74] Meanwhile, in May 1969, guitarist and singer Steve Marriott left English band The Small Faces.[70] Ron Wood was announced as the replacement guitarist in June and in October 1969 Stewart followed his friend and was announced as their new singer.[70] The two joined existing members Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones, who soon decided to call the new line-up Faces.
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down became Stewart's first solo album in 1969 (it was known as The Rod Stewart Album in the US). It established the template for his solo sound: a heartfelt mixture of folk, rock, and country blues, inclusive of a British working-class sensibility, with both original material ("Cindy's Lament" and the title song) and cover versions (Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" and Mike d'Abo's "Handbags and Gladrags").
Faces released their debut album First Step in early 1970 with a rock and roll style similar to the Rolling Stones. While the album did better in the UK than in the US, the Faces quickly earned a strong live following. Stewart released his second album, Gasoline Alley that autumn (Elkie Brooks later achieved a hit with a version of the title track in 1983). Rod's approach was similar to his first album, as exemplified by the title track; and mandolin was introduced into the sound. He then launched a solo tour. Stewart sang guest vocals for the Australian group Python Lee Jackson on "In a Broken Dream", recorded in April 1969 but not released until 1970. His payment was a set of seat covers for his car. It was re-released in 1972 to become a worldwide hit.
[edit] 1971–74: Every Picture Tells a Story
Stewart's 1971 solo album Every Picture Tells a Story made him a household name when the B-side of his minor hit "Reason to Believe", "Maggie May", (co-written with Martin Quittenton) started receiving radio play. The album and the single hit number one in both the US and the UK simultaneously, a chart first, in September. A loss of innocence tale set off by a striking mandolin part (by Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne), "Maggie May" was also named in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, which is one of three songs by him to appear on that list. The rest of the album was equally strong, with "Mandolin Wind" again showcasing that instrument; "(I Know) I'm Losing You" adding hard-edged soul to the mix; and "Tomorrow Is a Long Time", a cover of a Bob Dylan song. But the ultimate manifestation of the early Stewart solo style was the Stewart-Wood-penned "Every Picture Tells a Story" itself: powered by Mick Waller's drumming, Pete Sears's piano, and Wood's guitar work in a largely acoustic arrangement; it is a fast, rocking, headlong romp relating the picaresque adventures of the singer.
The second Faces album, Long Player, was released in early 1971 and enjoyed greater chart success than First Step. The Faces also got their only US Top 40 hit with "Stay With Me" from their third album A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse released in late 1971.[75] This album reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic on the back of the success of Every Picture Tells A Story.[75][76] Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols regarded The Faces very highly and named them as a main influence on the British punk rock movement.[77]
The Faces toured extensively in 1972 with growing tension in the band over Stewart's solo career enjoying more success than the band's. Stewart released Never a Dull Moment in the same year. Repeating the Every Picture formula for the most part, it reached number two on the US album charts and number one in the UK,[78] and enjoyed further good notices from reviewers. "You Wear It Well" was a hit single that reached number 13 in the US and went to number one in the UK, while "Twisting the Night Away" made explicit Stewart's debt to Sam Cooke. For the body of his early solo work Stewart earned tremendous critical praise. Rolling Stone's 1980 Illustrated History of Rock & Roll includes this in its Stewart entry:[47]
Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely. Once the most compassionate presence in music, he has become a bilious self-parody — and sells more records than ever [...] a writer who offered profound lyricism and fabulous self-deprecating humour, teller of tall tales and honest heartbreaker, he had an unmatched eye for the tiny details around which lives turn, shatter, and reform [...] and a voice to make those details indelible. [... His solo albums] were defined by two special qualities: warmth, which was redemptive, and modesty, which was liberating. If ever any rocker chose the role of everyman and lived up to it, it was Rod Stewart.
The Faces released their final album Ooh La La, which reached number one in the UK and number 21 in the US in 1973.[75][76] The band toured Australasia, Japan, Europe and the UK in 1974[79] to support the album and the single "Pool Hall Richard".
[edit] 1974–75: Smiler and Faces tour
In late 1974 Stewart released his Smiler album. In Britain, it reached number one, and the single "Farewell" number seven, but only number 13 on the Billboard pop album charts and the single "Mine for Me" only number 91 on the Billboard pop singles charts. It was his last original album for Mercury Records. After the release of the double album compilation The Best of Rod Stewart he switched to Warner Bros. Records and remained with them throughout the vast majority of his career (Faces were signed to Warners, and Stewart's solo releases in the UK appeared on the Riva label until 1981).
In 1975 the Faces toured the US twice (with Ronnie Wood joining The Rolling Stones' US tour in between)[79] before Stewart announced the Faces' break-up at the end of the year.[80]
[edit] 1975–77: Atlantic Crossing and further releases
In 1975, Rod Stewart moved to Los Angeles, due in part to his love affair with Britt Ekland, and as a protest against the UK tax authorities who were taking approximately 83% of his income. He released the Atlantic Crossing album for his new record company, using producer Tom Dowd and a different sound based on the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Atlantic Crossing marked both a return to form and a return to the Top 10 of the Billboard album charts. The first single, a cover of the Sutherland Brothers song "Sailing", was a number one hit in the UK, but it only reached the Top 60 of the US charts. The single returned to the UK Top 10 a year later when used as the theme music for a BBC documentary series about HMS Ark Royal, and having been a hit twice over became, and remains, Stewart's biggest-selling single in the UK. His Holland-Dozier-Holland cover "This Old Heart Of Mine" was also a Top 100 hit in 1976.[75] Additionally in 1976 Stewart covered The Beatles' song "Get Back" for the ephemeral musical documentary All This and World War II.[81]
Later in 1976, Stewart topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and the Australian ARIA chart with the ballad "Tonight's the Night", with an accompanying music video featuring Ekland.[75] It came from the A Night on the Town album, which went to number two on the Billboard album charts and was Stewart's first album to go platinum. By explicitly marking the album as having a "fast side" and a "slow side", Stewart continued the trend started by Atlantic Crossing. "The First Cut Is the Deepest", a cover of a Cat Stevens song, went number one in the UK in 1977, and top 30 in the US.[78][75] "The Killing of Georgie (Part 1 and 2)", about the murder of a gay man, was also a Top 40 hit for Stewart during 1977.[75]
[edit] 1977–81: Blondes Have More Fun
Foot Loose & Fancy Free featured Rod's own band, the original Rod Stewart Group that featured Carmine Appice, Phil Chen, Jim Cregan, Billy Peek, Gary Grainger and John Jarvis, from 1977 continued Stewart's run of chart success, again reaching number two. "You're In My Heart" was the hit single, reaching number four in the US.[75] The rocker "Hot Legs" achieved a lot of radio airplay as did the confessional "I Was Only Joking". In appearance, Stewart's look had evolved to include a glam element, including make-up and spandex clothes. Stewart scored another UK number one and US number one single with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was a crossover hit reaching number five on the Billboard black charts due to its disco sound.[75] This was the lead single from 1978's Blondes Have More Fun...or do they?, which went to number one on the Billboard album charts and sold 4 million albums. It was to be Stewart's last number one album for 25 years.
A focal point of criticisms about this period was his biggest-selling 1978 disco hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was atypical of his earlier output, and disparaged by critics.[82] In interviews, Stewart, while admitting his accompanying look had become "tarty", has defended the lyrics by pointing out that the song is a third-person narrative slice-of-life portrayal, not unlike those in his earlier work, and that it is not about him. However, the song's refrain was identical to Brazilian Jorge Ben Jor's earlier "Taj Mahal" and a lawsuit ensued. Stewart donated his royalties from the song to UNICEF, and he performed it with his band at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in 1979.
Rod moved a bit to a more New Wave direction in 1980 by releasing the album Foolish Behaviour. The album produced one hit single, "Passion", which proved particularly popular in South Africa (reaching no. 1 on the Springbok Top 20 Charts and Radio 5 Charts in early 1981). It also reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Charts. Later in 1981, Stewart added further elements of New Wave and synth pop to his sound for the Tonight I'm Yours album. The title song reached #20 in the U.S., while "Young Turks" reached the Top 5 with the album going platinum.[75] In August 1981, MTV was launched in the US with several of Stewart's videos in heavy rotation. On 18 December 1981, Stewart played the Los Angeles Forum, along with Kim Carnes and Tina Turner. This show was broadcast around the world to a television audience of 35 million.
[edit] 1982–2001: Body Wishes, and continued success
Stewart's career then went into a relative slump, and his albums between Tonight I'm Yours (1981) and Out of Order (1988) received harsh criticism from many critics. He was also criticised for breaking the widely observed cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa by performing at the Sun City resort complex in the bantustan of Bophuthatswana as part of his Body Wishes (1983) and Camouflage (1984) tours. He only had four Top 10 singles between 1982 and 1988, "Young Turks" (#5,1982), "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (#10, 1984), "Infatuation" (#6, 1984) and "Love Touch" (#6, 1986), although "Baby Jane" became his sixth and final UK number one in 1983. It reached #14 in the US.[75] The corresponding Camouflage album went gold in the UK, and the single "Infatuation" (which featured his old friend Jeff Beck on the guitar) received considerable play on MTV. The second single "Some Guys Have All The Luck" reached #15 in the UK and #10 in the US.[75] A reunion with Jeff Beck produced a successful take on Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready", but an attempt to tour together fell apart after a few dates. He reached UK number two in 1986 with "Every Beat Of My Heart".[76]
In January 1985, he performed at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro before an estimated audience of over 100,000. In 1988, he returned with Out Of Order, produced by Duran Duran's Andy Taylor and by Bernard Edwards of Chic. "Lost in You", "Forever Young", "Crazy About Her", and "My Heart Can't Tell You No" from that album were all top 15 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and mainstream rock charts, with the latter even reaching the Top Five. "Forever Young" was an unconscious revision of Bob Dylan's song of the same name; the artists reached an agreement about sharing royalties. The song reached #12 in the U.S.[75] In September 1988, Stewart performed "Forever Young" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.[83]
In January 1989, Stewart set out on the South American leg of the Out of Order Tour playing to sell-out audiences throughout Americas. There were 80,000 people at his show at Corregidora Stadium, Querétaro, México (9 April), and 50,000 at Jalisco Stadium, Guadalajara, Jalisco (12 April). In Buenos Aires, the audience at the River Plate Stadium, which seats 70,000+, was at over 90,000, with several thousand outside the stadium. Firehoses were sprayed on the crowd to avoid heat prostration.
Stewart's version of the Tom Waits song "Downtown Train" went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.[75] This song was taken from a four-CD compilation set called Storyteller - The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990. The Vagabond Heart album continued his comeback with "Rhythm of My Heart" reaching #5 on Billboard, and "The Motown Song" reaching the top 10.[75] Also in 1990 he recorded "It Takes Two" with Tina Turner, which reached number five on the UK charts. In 1991 Stewart contributed guest lead vocals to the song "My Town" by the Canadian band Glass Tiger.
At the 1993 Brit Awards in London, Stewart picked up the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[84] Stewart brought back The Faces on stage for an impromptu reunion.[84] In 1993 Stewart recorded "All For Love" with Sting and Bryan Adams for the soundtrack to the movie The Three Musketeers; the single reached number one in the US and number two in the UK.[76] Also in 1993, Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood to record an MTV Unplugged special that included "Handbags and Gladrags", "Cut Across Shorty", and four selections from Every Picture Tells A Story. The show also featured an acoustic version of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately", which topped the Billboard adult contemporary chart and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.[75] A rendition of "Reason to Believe" also garnered considerable airplay. The resulting Unplugged...and Seated album reached number two on the Billboard 200 album charts.[75]
Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, presented by Jeff Beck.[78] On 31 December 1994, Stewart played in front on 4.2 million people on Copacabana beach in Rio, and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for staging the largest free rock concert attendance in history.[85]
By the early 1990s, Stewart had mostly abandoned creating his own material, saying that he was not a natural songwriter and that the tepid response to his recent efforts was not rewarding.[86] In 1995, Stewart released A Spanner in the Works containing a single written by Tom Petty "Leave Virginia Alone," which reached the Top 10 of the adult contemporary charts. The latter half of the 1990s was not so commercially successful, though the 1996 album If We Fall in Love Tonight managed to ship gold and hit #19 on the Billboard album chart, thanks in large part to an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.
When We Were the New Boys, his final album on the Warner Bros. label released in 1998, contained versions of songs by Britpop acts such as Oasis and Primal Scream, and reached number two on the UK album charts. In 2000, Stewart decided to leave Warner Bros. and moved to Atlantic Records, another division of Warner Music Group. In 2001, he released Human, his only album for Atlantic. Human only just reached the Top 50 in 2001 with the single "I Can't Deny It" going Top 40 in the UK and Top 20 in the adult contemporary.
Stewart then signed to Clive Davis' new J Records label. The Story So Far: The Very Best Of Rod Stewart, a greatest hits album compiled from his time at Warner Bros., went to the Top 10 in the UK and reached number one in places like Belgium and France in 2001.
[edit] 2002–09: The Great American Songbook releases
By 2002, Stewart had sold over 100 million records during his career.[87] Stewart then concentrated on singing 1930s and 1940s pop standards from the "Great American Songbook", written by songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and George and Ira Gershwin, with great popular success. These albums have been released on Clive Davis's J Records label and have seen Stewart enjoy album sales equal to the 1970s.
The first album from the songbook series, It Had to Be You: the Great American Songbook, reached number four on the US album chart, number eight in the UK and number ten in Canada when released in late 2002. The track "These Foolish Things" (which is actually a British, not American, song) reached number 13 on the Billboard adult contemporary charts and number two in Taiwan. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" went Top 20 on the world Internet charts and Top 30 on the adult contemporary charts.
The second series album, As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2, reached number two in the US, number four in the UK and number one in Canada. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", a duet with Cher, went Top 20 on the US adult contemporary charts and Top 5 in Taiwan. "Time After Time" was another Top 30 track on the US adult contemporary charts. A musical called Tonight's The Night, featuring many of Stewart's songs opened, 7 November 2003 at London's Victoria Palace Theatre. It is written and directed by Ben Elton, who previously created a similar production; We Will Rock You, with music by Queen.
In 2004, Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood for concerts of Faces material. A Rod Stewart and the Faces best of Changing Faces reached the Top 20 of the UK album charts. Five Guys Walk into a Bar..., a Faces box set compilation, went into the shops. Stewart has also mentioned working with Wood on an album to be entitled You Strum, I'll Sing. In late 2004, Stardust: the Great American Songbook 3, the third album in Stewart's songbook series, was released. It was his first US number one album in 25 years, selling over 200,000 albums in its first week. It also debuted at number one in Canada, number three in the UK and Top 10 in Australia. His version of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", featuring Stevie Wonder, made the Top 20 of the world adult charts. He also recorded a duet with Dolly Parton for the album - "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Stewart won his first ever Grammy Award for this album.
The year 2005 saw the release of the fourth songbook album, Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook 4; it included duets with Diana Ross and Elton John. Within weeks of its release, the CD made it to number two on the Top 200 list. In late 2006, Stewart made his return to rock music and his new approach to country music with the release of Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time, a new album featuring rock and southern rock milestones from the last four decades, including a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", which was released as the first single. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts with 184,000 copies in its first week. The number one debut was helped by a concert in New York City that was on MSN Music and an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. He performed tracks from his new album Live from the Nokia Theater on 9 October. Control Room broadcast the event Live on MSN and in 117 movie theatres across the country via National CineMedia. In November 2006, Stewart was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.[88]
On 12 December, he performed for the first time at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Coliseum in front of HRH Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, singing another Cat Stevens number, "Father and Son", and Glasgow singer/songwriter Frankie Miller's song It's a Heartache, made famous by Bonnie Tyler. On 22 December 2006 Stewart hosted the 8th Annual A Home for the Holidays special on CBS at 8:00 pm (PST). In 2007, Rod's son Sean starred in the A&E television show Sons of Hollywood, in which Rod's role as a parent is a major theme. On 1 July 2007, Rod Stewart performed "Sailing", "Baby Jane" and "Maggie May" at the memorial concert for Princess Diana at Wembley Stadium in London.[89] On 11 June 2008, Stewart announced that the Faces had discussed a reunion for at least one or two concerts.[90]
[edit] 2009–present: Songbook
On 20 May 2009, Stewart performed "Maggie May" on the grand finale of American Idol season 8. On 2 July 2009 Stewart performed his only UK date this year at Home Park, Plymouth. On 29 September 2009 a 4-CD, 65-track compilation entitled Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 was released; it is composed of previously-unreleased tracks and outtakes from the bulk of his career. Stewart has also mentioned plans for a compilation of covers of soul classics, the possible release of another edition of the Great American Songbook album and a country covers album.[91]
On 14 November 2009, Stewart recorded a TV program in the UK for ITV that was screened on 5 December 2009. The music in the programme featured tracks from his new album and some old favourites. On 14 Jan 2010, Rhino records released Stewart's "Once in a Blue Moon" a "lost album" originally recorded in 1992, featuring ten cover songs including the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", Dylan's "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar" and Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back", as well as Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues." On 19 October 2010, Stewart released another edition of his Great American Songbook series titled "Fly Me to the Moon...The Great American Songbook Volume V" on J Records.
Stewart performed with Stevie Nicks on The Heart & Soul Tour. Starting 20 March 2011 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour visits arena concerts in North America – with performances in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa and Montreal confirmed.[92]
Stewart headlined the Sunday show at the 2011 Hard Rock Calling Festival on 26 June at London's Hyde Park.[93] Stewart signed on to a two year residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, commencing on 24 August.[94][95] Performing his greatest hits, the residency also sees him perform selected tracks from his upcoming, untitled blues album.[95]
On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Stewart (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.[96]
Personal life[link]
In May 2000, Stewart was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, for which he underwent surgery in the same month. It had been previously reported he suffered from a benign vocal cord nodule.[97] Besides being a major health scare, the resulting surgery also threatened his famous voice, and he had to re-learn how to sing.[98] Since then he has been active in raising funds for The City of Hope Foundation charity to find cures for all forms of cancer, especially those affecting children.[97]
Stewart plays for his LA Exiles team made up of mostly English expatriates plus a few celebrities, including Billy Duffy of The Cult, in a senior soccer league in Palos Verdes, California,[99] He still kicks footballs into the audience during concerts. He is a well-known supporter of Celtic F.C., which he mentions in his hit "You're in My Heart", and the Scotland national team. Stewart also follows Manchester United as his English side, and he explains his love affair with both Celtic and Man United in Frank Worrall's book Celtic United.[100]
Stewart is a keen model railway enthusiast. His 23 x 124-foot HO scale layout in his Los Angeles home is modelled after the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroads during the 1940s. Called the Three Rivers City, the layout was featured in the cover story of the December 2007 and December 2010 issues of Model Railroader Magazine. In the 2007 article Stewart said that he would rather be in a model railroad magazine than a music magazine.[101] He has a second layout at his UK home. That layout is based on Britain's East Coast Main Line. Stewart's home is located in Epping, Essex, on part of the Copped Hall estate [102]
A keen car enthusiast, Stewart owns one of the 400 Ferrari Enzos. In 1982, Stewart was car-jacked on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard, while he was parking his $50,000 Porsche.[103] The car was subsequently recovered.
On 11 October 2005, Stewart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard (star number 2093). On 18 April and 19 April 2006 Stewart was the guest artist and celebrity vocal coach on American Idol, leading the remaining seven finalists in singing entries from the Great American Songbook.
In July 2007, Stewart collected his CBE for "services to music" at Buckingham Palace, commenting; "It's a marvellous occasion. We're the only country in the world to honour the common man."[104] Stewart was estimated to have a fortune of £115 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2011, making him one of the 20 richest people in the British music industry.[105]
Relationships and family[link]
Stewart is known for his liaisons with women (had eight children with five of them):
| Length | Name | Child(ren) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–1964 | Art student Susannah Boffey[106] |
Sarah Streeter (born 1963)[107] | Sarah was raised by adoptive parents.[108] |
| 1971–1975 | Model Dee Harrington |
||
| 1975–1977 | Actress Britt Ekland |
||
| First marriage 1979–1984 |
Alana Hamilton (ex-wife of actor George Hamilton) |
Kimberly Stewart (born 21 August 1979) | On 21 August 2011, Kimberly gave birth to her first child, daughter Delilah Genoveva, with Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro.[109][110] |
| Sean Stewart (born 1 September 1980) | |||
| 1983–1990 | Model Kelly Emberg |
Ruby Stewart (born 17 June 1987) | |
| Second marriage 1990–2006 |
Model Rachel Hunter |
Renée Stewart (born 1 June 1992) | They separated in 1999 and eventually divorced in 2006. |
| Liam McAlister Stewart (born 5 September 1994)[111] | |||
| Third marriage 2007–present |
Model Penny Lancaster-Stewart |
Alastair Wallace Stewart (born 27 November 2005 in London) | The couple married on 16 June 2007 on board the yacht Lady Ann Magee moored in the Italian port of Portofino.[112] |
| Aiden Stewart (born 16 February 2011)[113] |
In reference to his divorces, Rod Stewart was once quoted as saying, "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house."[114]
Awards and recognition[link]
File:Rod Star.JPG
Rod Stewart's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, February 2006
- Awarded CBE in 2007 New Year's Honours.[104]
- Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, 2005, Stardust ... The Great American Songbook Volume III
- Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, 1993[84]
- Diamond Award of World Music Awards show for over 100 million records sold worldwide, 2001.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1994 (as a solo artist)[12]
- Inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, 2006[88]
- According to Stewart, soul singer James Brown called him music's "best white soul singer" in September 2006.[115]
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2012 (as a member of Faces}[13]
List of bands[link]
During his career, Rod Stewart has been a member of a number of groups including:
- Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions (1963)
- The Hoochie Coochie Men (1964–1965)
- Soul Agents (1965–1966)
- Shotgun Express (1966)
- The Jeff Beck Group (1966–1969)
- Faces (1969–1975)
Discography[link]
Main article: Rod Stewart discography
Stewart's album and single sales total have been variously estimated as more than 100 million,[116] or at 200 million,[87] in either case earning him a place on the list of best-selling music artists.
UK/US number one albums[link]
- 1971 Every Picture Tells a Story (UK / US)
- 1972 Never a Dull Moment (UK )
- 1973 Sing It Again Rod (UK )
- 1974 Smiler (UK )
- 1975 Atlantic Crossing (UK )
- 1976 A Night on the Town (UK )
- 1978 Blondes Have More Fun (US )
- 1979 Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (UK )
- 2004 Stardust: the Great American Songbook 3 (US )
- 2006 Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (US )
UK/US number one singles[link]
- 1971 "Maggie May" / "Reason to Believe" (UK/US)
- 1972 "You Wear It Well" (UK)
- 1975 "Sailing" (UK)
- 1976 "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" (US)
- 1977 "I Don't Want to Talk About It" / "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (UK)
- 1978 "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (UK, US)
- 1983 "Baby Jane" (UK)
- 1993 "All for Love" (US) (featuring Bryan Adams and Sting, first appearing on the official soundtrack from the movie "The Three Musketeers")
See also[link]
- Best selling music artists
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (US)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- Coronet Apartments
- Crooner
Notes[link]
- ^ The precise extent of Stewart's involvement with Brentford F.C. is unclear. The 2005 Ewbank and Hildred biography states he was there for two months including pre-season fixtures. The 1981 Nelson and Bangs biography gives an undated Stewart quote saying he was there for three weeks, paid £8 per seven-day week, but never played in any form. In the 2004 Rolling Stone interview, Stewart says he went three or four times a week and did play. The 1995 Will Birch Mojo article quotes Brentford Deputy President Eric White as saying, "He trained with us for a week or two, and he may even have kicked a ball around with the juniors, but there is no record of Rod Stewart ever having signed to Brentford. Unfortunately, nobody at the club remembers his time here." All accounts agree that Stewart was not pleased by having to clean the first team's boots.
- ^ Contrary to legend, during this time Stewart likely did not play harmonica on Millie Small's 1964 hit "My Boy Lollipop". That was probably Peter Hogman of the Dimensions, although Powell has also claimed credit. See Ewbank and Hildred, p. 33, and the Birch Mojo article. While Powell did record and release a single during this period, Stewart did not appear on it. See Gray, p. 7.
- ^ Per the Birch Mojo article. Some sources give the date of the Stewart–Baldry rail station meeting as 7 January, but that may be confusing it with the date of Cyril Davies' death. Other sources give no specific date.
- ^ The demo recordings with were later released in 1976, against Stewart's wishes. See Gray p. 10.
- ^ These later surfaced in 1971 as part of Gomelsky's Rock Generation releases on BYG Records; the poorly recorded material has been repackaged as Rod Stewart and Steampacket many times since. See Nelson and Bangs, p. 61, and the Allmusic entry for Steampacket.
References[link]
- ^ Stewart revealed during his interview with Piers Morgan, that he was born in North London.
- ^ "RCA's Peter Edge, Tom Corson on the Shuttering of Jive, J and Arista". Billboard.biz. 2011-10-07. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/rca-s-peter-edge-tom-corson-on-the-shuttering-1005394732.story. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^ The Times 10 January 2009, Retrieved 9 January 2010
- ^ "ABOUT SMILER - Frequently Asked Questions". Rodstewartfanclub.com. http://www.rodstewartfanclub.com/about_smiler/faq/index.php. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Truth: Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1564. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Faces: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4218. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ Stewart show backed by public cash BBC News Retrieved 28 March 2011
- ^ UK Top 40 Hit Database (Rod Stewart) everyHit.com
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-artists-20.shtml. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
- ^ Q - 100 Greatest Singers Q Magazine (April 1997) Retrieved 18 January 2011
- ^ 100 Greatest Singers Of All Time: Rod Stewart Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 August 2011
- ^ a b Rod Stewart: Inducted in 1994 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Retrieved 18 January 2011
- ^ a b Rod Stewart: 'I'll Definitely Make Myself Available' for a Faces Reunion Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 December 2011
- ^ a b c d e Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 53.
- ^ a b c d e f Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 2–3.
- ^ a b Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, p. 7.
- ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1996). Q Encyclopedia of Rock Stars. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7513-0393-3.
- ^ a b c Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 9–10.
- ^ a b c d Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b Moritz (ed.), Current Year Biography 1979, p. 374.
- ^ a b Crandall, Bill (19 May 2004). "Football and Fancy Free". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rodstewart/articles/story/6055929/football_and_fancy_free. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ a b Scaggs, Austin (7 October 2003). "As Time Goes By: Rod Stewart". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rodstewart/articles/story/5936449/as_time_goes_by. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
- ^ Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 4.
- ^ Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b c Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 5.
- ^ a b c d Birch, Will (May 1995). "Rod Stewart – The Graveyard Shift". Mojo. http://www.willbirch.com/Rod%20Stewart%20-%20The%20Graveyard%20Shift.htm. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ a b c "Enduring career of Rod the Mod". BBC News. 29 October 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3964169.stm.
- ^ "Brentford FC: History". Brentford F.C.. http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/page/History/0,,10421,00.html. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 12–13.
- ^ "20 Worst Pre-Rock Star Jobs: No. 7". Spinner.com. 2007. http://www.spinner.com/2007/04/27/20-worst-pre-rock-star-jobs-no-7/. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 14–16, 20.
- ^ a b c d e f g Moritz (ed.), Current Year Biography 1979, p. 375.
- ^ Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 57.
- ^ a b Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 17–19.
- ^ a b c Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 24–28.
- ^ a b c Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 58.
- ^ Pareles, Jon; Romanowski, Patricia (1983). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Rolling Stone Press/Summit Books. p. 530. ISBN 0-671-43457-8.
- ^ a b Hinman, The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night, p. 9.
- ^ "'Laugh? We Nearly Died'". Mojo. March 2006.
- ^ a b c Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 21–23.
- ^ Wooldridge, Rock 'n' Roll London, p. 109.
- ^ a b c Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 7.
- ^ a b Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 29–32.
- ^ a b c d e f Herbst, Peter (1989). The Rolling Stone Interviews: 1967-1980 (reissued ed.). Macmillan Publishing. pp. 118–126. ISBN 0-312-03486-5.
- ^ a b c d Marcus, "Rod Stewart", in Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll, p. 377.
- ^ a b c Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, pp. 33–39.
- ^ Wooldridge, Rock 'n' Roll London, pp. 65–66.
- ^ a b Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 8.
- ^ Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 9.
- ^ a b Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 59.
- ^ a b c d e Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, pp. 10–12.
- ^ Tremlett, The Rod Stewart Story, as quoted extensively in Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, pp. 60–61.
- ^ Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 13.
- ^ Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, p. 41.
- ^ Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 61.
- ^ Pidgeon, Rod Stewart and the Changing Faces, as quoted in Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, p. 61.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Steampacket: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p20741. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, pp. 15–17.
- ^ Ewbank and Hildred, Rod Stewart: The New Biography, p. 56.
- ^ a b Carson, Jeff Beck, pp. 71–72.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, pp. 18–21.
- ^ a b Carson, Jeff Beck, pp. 75, 78, 83–86.
- ^ a b Shelton, Robert (15 June 1968). "Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut" (fee required). The New York Times: p. 38. http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F40711FD38541B7B93C7A8178DD85F4C8685F9.
- ^ a b Carson, Jeff Beck, pp. 81–82.
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "Truth: Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1564. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ Carson, Jeff Beck, p. 89.
- ^ a b c d e Gray, Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary, p. 22.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Beck-Ola: Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1566. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ The New Rolling Stone Record Guide, p. 34.
- ^ Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, pp. 74, 76.
- ^ Nelson and Bangs, Rod Stewart, pp. 96–97, 100.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rod Stewart Album & Song Chart History Billboard. 23 August 2011
- ^ a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
- ^ The Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones: 'I lost everything, hit bottom, and had to work my way back up.'
- ^ a b c Rod Stewart: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 23 August 2011
- ^ a b Zentgraf, Nico. "Woodworks 1957-1975". http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
- ^ McPherson, Ian. "The Rolling Stones Chronicle: 1975". http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1975.html. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
- ^ All This and World War II Allmusic. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- ^ Mason, Stewart, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" from Allmusic.com
- ^ 1988 MTV Video Music Awards MTV.com. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- ^ a b c Brit Awards 1993 Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- ^ "Largest free rock concert attendance". Guinness World Records. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-11000/largest-free-rock-concert-attendance-/. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Young, Kevin (23 December 2006). "Stewart goes beneath the covers". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6193284.stm. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b Taylor, Matthew (30 December 2006). "Five decades of rocking and 62 hits". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/dec/30/uk.monarchy2. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ a b Led Zeppelin make UK Hall of Fame BBC. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- ^ Old and new stars celebrate Diana BBC. Retrieved 4 September 2011
- ^ "It's Official: Faces Reunion". Mix 100.7 WMTX-FM. http://www.tampabaysmix.com/pages/nancyandchris.html?feed=278505&article=3814388. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
- ^ "Rod Stewart living the good life". The Vancouver Sun. http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Stewart+living+good+life/1872044/story.html. Retrieved 9 August 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Rod Stewart & Stevie Nicks Announce The Heart & Soul 2011 North American Tour". http://iknowjack.radio.com/2011/01/13/rod-stewart-stevie-nicks-announce-the-heart-soul-2011-north-american-tour/.
- ^ Hard Rock Calling Glamour. Retrieved 23 August 2011
- ^ Rod Stewart Announces Two-Year Las Vegas Residency Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 August 2011
- ^ a b Rod Stewart To Begin Two-Year Las Vegas Residency In August Billboard. Retrieved 23 Augiust 2011
- ^ RCA's New Executive Team Named Under CEO Peter Edge Amid Layoffs (Update) Billboard. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- ^ a b "Rod Stewart faces thyroid cancer". USA Today. 22 February 2001. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-02-22-stewart-thyroid.htm. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ Rod Stewart's cancer battle - CNN.com
- ^ http://www.palosverdesrealty.net/462020.html%7C Palos Verdes Football ground
- ^ Worrall, Frank (2008). "Celtic United". Mainstream Publishing, 2008
- ^ Reynolds, Nigel (24 October 2007). "Rod Stewart is a model railway enthusiast". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3668740/Rod-Stewart-is-a-model-railway-enthusiast.html. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Dont stop til you get Rods gaff". The Sun (London). 10 March 2009.
- ^ "ABOUT ROD - News, April 22, 2005: SAGA MAGAZINE". Rodstewartfanclub.com. http://www.rodstewartfanclub.com/about_rod/article/EEEukplkykxYNuyRiZ.php. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^ a b Stewart rocks up to collect CBE BBC. Retrieved 8 December 2011
- ^ "The top 50 richest people in music". http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/celebrity/article.html?in_article_id=532417&in_page_id=181.
- ^ Gannon,Louise. "Rod Stewart: I burst into tears when Penny said she was pregnant", Daily Mirror, 1 November 2010.
- ^ "Rod Stewart and Daughter Reunite After 47 Years" Liquida Nov 2010.
- ^ "Rod Stewart fathers eighth child", BBC News, 17 February 2011.
- ^ Garvey, Marianne (19 September 2011). "Benicio Del Toro & Kim Stewart Newborn's Future Secured". E! News. http://www.eonline.com/news/kimberly_stewart_benicio_del_toros_baby/264719. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Kimberly Stewart Gives Birth to Baby Girl!". Us Weekly. 21 August 2011. http://www.usmagazine.com/momsbabies/news/kimberly-stewart-gives-birth-to-baby-girl-2011218. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ Anderson, Craig (5 October 2011). "Young players key for Scottish ice hockey". BBC Sport (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/ice_hockey/15186524.stm. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ Rod and Pen wed on his yacht
- ^ It's a Boy for Rod Stewart People. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ Smithies, Grant (28 October 2007). "Rod Stewart". Sunday Star Times. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/profiles/43421/Rod-Stewart. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
- ^ Brown Names Stewart 'best White Soul Singer'
- ^ "Stewart show backed by public cash". BBC News. 11 April 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1922965.stm.
Bibliography[link]
- Bradley, Lloyd (1999). Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story: The Illustrated Biography. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-657-0.
- Burton, Peter (1977). Rod Stewart: A Life on the Town. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-03429-1.
- Carson, Annette (2001). Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0-87930-632-7.
- Coleman, Ray (1994). Rod Stewart – The Biography. Pavilion Books. ISBN 1-85793-586-1.
- Cromelin, Richard (1976). Rod Stewart: A Biography in Words & Pictures. Sire Books.
- Ewbank, Tim; Hildred, Stafford (2005). Rod Stewart: The New Biography. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2644-0.
- Giuliano, Geoffrey (1993). Rod Stewart: Vagabond Heart. Carroll & Graf Publishers.
- Gray, John (1992). Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-2906-8.
- Heilemann, Wolfgang; Thomas, Sabine (2005). Rod Stewart: Live, Private, Backstage: Photos 1970–1980. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf. ISBN 3-89602-647-X.
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night: Day-By-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961-1996. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0-87930-765-X.
- Jasper, Tony (1977). Rod Stewart. Octopus Books. ISBN 0-7064-0666-4.
- Marcus, Greil (1980). "Rod Stewart". In Miller, Jim (paperback). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated ed.). Random House/Rolling Stone Press. pp. 377–380. ISBN 0-394-73938-8.
- Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John, eds. (1983). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
- Melly, Jim (2003). 'Last orders, please': Rod Stewart, the Faces and the Britain we forgot. Ebury Press. ISBN 0-09-188618-X.
- Moritz, Charles (ed.) (1980). Current Biography Yearbook 1979. New York: H. W. Wilson Company.
- Nelson, Paul; Bangs, Lester (1981). Rod Stewart. New York: Delilah Books. ISBN 0-933328-08-7.
- Pidgeon, John (1976). Rod Stewart and the Changing Faces. Panther Books. ISBN 0-586-04650-X.
- Tremlett, George (1976). The Rod Stewart Story. Futura Publications. ISBN 0-86007-351-3.
- Wooldridge, Max (2002). Rock 'n' Roll London. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-30442-0.
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rod Stewart |
- Official website
- Rod Stewart at the Internet Movie Database
- BBC Derby profile
- Rod Stewart at the Open Directory Project
- Five audio interview clips from 1981
- Q magazine's "100 Greatest Singers" list
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Stewart, Roderick David |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | English singer, songwriter |
| Date of birth | 10 January 1945 |
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Rod_Stewart
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://cs.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://id.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://es.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://ru.wn.com/Стюарт, Род
http://nl.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://pt.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://pl.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://fr.wn.com/Rod Stewart
http://de.wn.com/Rod Stewart
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For the 1998 film, see Patch Adams (film).
| Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams | |
|---|---|
 Adams in Anaheim, California, May 15, 2008 |
|
| Born | (1945-05-28) May 28, 1945 (age 67) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Alma mater | George Washington University |
| Home town | Arlington, Virginia |
| Spouse | Linda Edquist (1975–98; divorced) |
| Children | Atomic Zagnut Adams Lars Zig Edquist Adams |
Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945, in Washington, D.C.) is an American physician, social activist, citizen diplomat and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he organizes a group of volunteers from around the world to travel to various countries where they dress as clowns in an effort to bring humor to orphans, patients, and other people.[1]
Adams is currently based in Urbana, Illinois. In collaboration with the institute, he promotes an alternative health care model, not funded by insurance policies.[1]
Contents |
Early life[link]
Adams had a difficult childhood. His father, an officer in the United States Army, had fought in Korea, and died while stationed in Germany when Adams was still a teenager.[1] After his father's death, Adams returned to the United States with his mother and brother. Upon his return, Adams has stated that he encountered institutional injustice which made him a target for bullies at school. As a result, Adams was unhappy and became actively suicidal. After being hospitalized three times in one year for wanting to end his life, he decided "you don't kill yourself; you make revolution."[citation needed]
Early career[link]
After graduating (1963) from Wakefield High School,[2] Adams completed pre-med coursework at the George Washington University. He began medical school without an undergraduate degree, and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree at Virginia Commonwealth University (Medical College of Virginia) in 1971. In the late 1960s one of his closest friends (a man, not a woman as depicted in the Patch Adams film) was murdered. Convinced of the powerful connection between environment and wellness, he believes the health of an individual cannot be separated from the health of the family, community, and the world. While working in an adolescent clinic at MCV, in his final year of med school, he met Linda Edquist, a fellow VCU student who volunteered in the clinic. Soon after graduation, Patch, Linda, and friends founded the Gesundheit! Institute (originally known to many as the Zanies), which ran as a free community hospital for 12 years.
Adams and Edquist married in 1975 and had two sons, Atomic Zagnut "Zag" Adams and Lars Zig Edquist Adams. The couple divorced in 1998.[3]
Gesundheit! Institute[link]
Main article: Gesundheit! Institute
A revamped Gesundheit! Institute, envisioned as a free, full-scale hospital and health care eco-community, is planned on 316 acres (128 ha) in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Its goal is to integrate a traditional hospital with alternative medicine, with the organization developing educational programs in sustainable systems design targeted to medical students and the general public.
Since the 1990s Adams has supported the Ithaca Health Alliance (IHA),[4] founded as the Ithaca Health Fund (IHF) by Paul Glover. In January 2006 IHA launched the Ithaca Free Clinic, bringing to life key aspects of Adams' vision. Adams has also given strong praise to Health Democracy, Glover's book written and published the same year.
In October 2007, Adams and the Gesundheit Board unveiled its campaign to raise $1 million towards building a Teaching Center and Clinic on its land in West Virginia. The Center and Clinic will enable Gesundheit to see patients and teach health care design.
Adams urges medical students to develop compassionate connections with their patients. His prescription for this kind of care relies on humor and play, which he sees as essential to physical and emotional health. Ultimately, Adams wants the Gesundheit! Institute to open a 40-bed hospital in rural West Virginia that offers free, holistic care to anyone who wants it.[5]
Adams was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award on January 29, 1997.[6]
In 2008, Adams agreed to become honorary chair of the "International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment" or IAACM. In a number of his speeches and essays, Martin Luther King, Jr. had called for such an IAACM, but none was ever created. MindFreedom International, a nonprofit coalition that Gesundheit! belongs to as a sponsor group, launched the IAACM to support "creative maladjustment" and social change.[7]
In media[link]
The 1998 film Patch Adams was based on Adams' life and views on medicine. Adams has criticized the film, saying it eschewed an accurate representation of his beliefs in favor of commercial viability. He said that out of all aspects of his life and activism, the film portrayed him merely as a funny doctor.[8] Patch Adams also said of Robin Williams in an interview, "He made $21 million for four months of pretending to be me, in a very simplistic version, and did not give $10 to my free hospital. Patch Adams, the person, would have, if I had Robin's money, given all $21 million to a free hospital in a country where 80 million cannot get care."[9]
However, in another interview, Adams did clarify that he did not hate Williams[10], and Williams has actively supported St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for several years.[11]
As a speaker, Dr. Adams travels around the globe lecturing about his medicine methods. [12].
Bibliography[link]
- Adams, Patch; Maureen Mylander (1998). Gesundheit! : bringing good health to you, the medical system, and society through physician service, complementary therapies, humor, and joy. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press. ISBN 978-0-89281-781-8. http://lccn.loc.gov/99187488. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- Adams, Patch; Maureen Mylander (1993). Gesundheit! : bringing good health to you, the medical system, and society through physician service, complementary therapies, humor, and joy. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press. ISBN 978-0-89281-442-8. http://lccn.loc.gov/92007008. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- Adams, Patch; Maureen Mylander (1998). Gesundheit! [sound recording]. Los Angeles, California: NewStar Media. ISBN 978-0-7871-1828-0. http://lccn.loc.gov/00717433. Retrieved 2008-12-16. 4 sound cassettes (ca. 6 hr.) : digitally mastered, Dolby processed.
- Adams, Patch (1998). House calls. cartoons by Jerry Van Amerongen. San Francisco, California: Robert D. Reed Publishers. ISBN 978-1-885003-18-8. http://lccn.loc.gov/98034266. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- Bourque, Judith (1999). The real Patch Adams (videorecording) / a film by Judith Bourque. Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films. ISBN 978-1-56029-811-3. http://lccn.loc.gov/2003389123. Retrieved 2008-12-16. 1 videocassette (53 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in.
- Graham, John (1999). It’s up to us. foreword by Patch Adams. Langley, Washington: Giraffe Project. ISBN 978-1-893805-00-2. http://lccn.loc.gov/99097193. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
References[link]
- ^ a b c "Doctor in a Clown Suit Battles Ills of His Profession". New York Times. 1998-12-15. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/19981215tuesday.html.
- ^ "Alumni News Wakefield High School" (PDF). Fall 2008. p. 5. http://www.wakefieldalumni.org/efnewsletters/AlumniNews2008.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ Foege, Jason (February 1, 1999). "The Doctor Is Out There". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20127473,00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- ^ "G! { Links }". Archived from the original on Dec 10, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061210043633/http://www.patchadams.org/links/. Retrieved 2008-12-16. "* Ithaca Health Fund * Member-owned Non-profit Mutual Health Security * www.ithacahealth.org"
- ^ Marsh, Jason (Spring 2008). "Playing Doctor: An interview with Patch Adams". Greater Good Magazine (Berkeley, California: Greater Good Science Center) IV (4). Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20080617105611/http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/2008spring/Q_A054.html. Retrieved 2008-12-16. "Adams has been raising money for the hospital for nearly three decades. In the meantime, he continues to lecture and lead workshops, often urging medical students to develop an ethic of care built on forming compassionate connections with their patients. His prescription for this kind of care relies on humor and play, which he sees as essential to physical and emotional health"
- ^ "The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Recipients List". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. http://www.peaceabbey.org/awards/cocrecipientlist.html. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- ^ "MindFreedom International launches IAACM". http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/events/2008-events/patch-adams-iaacm. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- ^ Real Patch Adams - Movie True Story. chasingthefrog.com. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ^ Riccardi, Katia. "Il sorriso serio di Patch Adams 'Non chiamatela clownterapia'". la Repubblica May 4, 2010
- ^ http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/patchadams.php
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/patch-adams
External links[link]
|
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Patch Adams |
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Patch Adams |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Adams, Patch |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Physician, activist, diplomat, author |
| Date of birth | 1945-05-28 |
| Place of birth | Washington, D.C. |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Patch_Adams
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Patch Adams
http://nl.wn.com/Patch Adams
http://pt.wn.com/Patch Adams
http://de.wn.com/Patch Adams
http://it.wn.com/Patch Adams
http://pl.wn.com/Patch Adams
http://es.wn.com/Patch Adams
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Adams
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor, who also crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time. He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, and established himself as one of the finest tenors of the 20th century.[1] He was one of The Three Tenors and became well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others.
Pavarotti began his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy. That same year, he made his first international appearance in La traviata in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.[2] He sang in opera houses in addition to Italy, in the Netherlands, Vienna, London, Ankara, Budapest and Barcelona. The young tenor earned valuable experience and recognition while touring Australia at the invitation of soprano Joan Sutherland in 1965. He made his United States debut in Miami soon afterwards, also on Sutherland's recommendation. His position as a leading lyric tenor was consolidated in the years between 1966 and 1972, during which time he first appeared at Milan's La Scala and other major European houses. In 1968, he debuted at New York City's Metropolitan Opera as Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème. At the Met in 1972, in the role of Tonio in Donizetti's La fille du régiment he earned the title "King of the high Cs" when he sang the aria "Ah mes amis ... pour mon âme". He gained worldwide fame for the brilliance and beauty of his tone, especially into the upper register.[3] He was at his best in bel canto operas, pre-Aida Verdi roles and Puccini works such as La bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. The late 1970s and 1980s saw Pavarotti continue to make significant appearances in the world's foremost opera houses.
Celebrity beyond the world of opera came to Pavarotti at the 1990 World Cup in Italy with performances of Puccini's "Nessun dorma", sample (help·info) from Turandot, and as one of The Three Tenors in their famed first concert held on the eve of the tournament's final match. He sang on that occasion with fellow star tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, bringing opera highlights to a wider audience. Appearances in advertisements and with pop icons in concerts furthered his international celebrity.
His final performance in an opera was at the Metropolitan Opera in March 2004. Later that year, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) inducted him into its Italian American Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime of work. During a ceremony held at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala just four days after his 69th birthday, singer Faith Hill presented Pavarotti with a birthday cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to the opera legend.
The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, saw Pavarotti on stage for the last time, where he performed "Nessun dorma", with the crowd serving as the aria's chorus, and he received a thunderous standing ovation.[4]
He died from pancreatic cancer on 6 September 2007.
Contents |
Earlier life and musical training[link]
Luciano Pavarotti was born in 1935 on the outskirts of Modena in Northern Italy, the son of Fernando Pavarotti, a baker and amateur tenor, and Adele Venturi, a cigar factory worker.[5] Although he spoke fondly of his childhood, the family had little money; its four members were crowded into a two-room apartment. According to Pavarotti, his father had a fine tenor voice but rejected the possibility of a singing career because of nervousness. World War II forced the family out of the city in 1943. For the following year they rented a single room from a farmer in the neighbouring countryside, where the young Pavarotti developed an interest in farming.
After abandoning the dream of becoming a football goalkeeper, Pavarotti spent seven years in vocal training. Pavarotti's earliest musical influences were his father's recordings, most of them featuring the popular tenors of the day - Beniamino Gigli, Giovanni Martinelli, Tito Schipa and Enrico Caruso. Pavarotti's favourite tenor and idol was Giuseppe Di Stefano.[6] He was also deeply influenced by Mario Lanza, saying, "In my teens I used to go to Mario Lanza movies and then come home and imitate him in the mirror".[7] At around the age of nine he began singing with his father in a small local church choir.
After what appears to have been a normal childhood with a typical interest in sports — in Pavarotti's case football above all, he graduated from the Scuola Magistrale and faced the dilemma of a career choice. He was interested in pursuing a career as a professional football goalkeeper, but his mother convinced him to train as a teacher. He subsequently taught in an elementary school for two years but finally allowed his interest in music to win out. Recognising the risk involved, his father gave his consent only reluctantly.
Pavarotti began the serious study of music in 1954 at the age of 19 with Arrigo Pola, a respected teacher and professional tenor in Modena who offered to teach him without remuneration. Not until he began these studies was Pavarotti aware that he had perfect pitch.[citation needed]
In 1955, he experienced his first singing success when he was a member of the Corale Rossini, a male voice choir from Modena that also included his father, which won first prize at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. He later said that this was the most important experience of his life, and that it inspired him to become a professional singer.[8] At about this time Pavarotti first met Adua Veroni. They married in 1961.
When his teacher Arrigo Pola moved to Japan, Pavarotti became a student of Ettore Campogalliani, who at that time was also teaching Pavarotti's childhood friend, Mirella Freni, whose mother worked with Luciano's mother in the cigar factory. Like Pavarotti, Freni was destined to operatic greatness; they were to share the stage many times and make memorable recordings together.
During his years of musical study, Pavarotti held part time jobs in order to sustain himself – first as an elementary school teacher and then as an insurance salesman. The first six years of study resulted in only a few recitals, all in small towns and without pay. When a nodule developed on his vocal cords, causing a "disastrous" concert in Ferrara, he decided to give up singing. Pavarotti attributed his immediate improvement to the psychological release connected with this decision. Whatever the reason, the nodule not only disappeared but, as he related in his autobiography, "Everything I had learned came together with my natural voice to make the sound I had been struggling so hard to achieve".
Career[link]
1960s–1970s[link]
Pavarotti began his career as a tenor in smaller regional Italian opera houses, making his debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Teatro Municipale in Reggio Emilia in April 1961.
Very early in his career, on 23 February 1963, he debuted at the Vienna State Opera with the same role. In March and April 1963 Vienna saw Pavarotti again as Rodolfo and as Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto. The same year saw his Royal Opera House debut, where he replaced an indisposed Giuseppe di Stefano as Rodolfo.[9]
While generally successful, Pavarotti's early roles did not immediately propel him into the stardom that he would later enjoy. An early coup involved his connection with Joan Sutherland (and her conductor husband, Richard Bonynge), who in 1963 had sought a young tenor taller than herself to take along on her tour to Australia.[10] With his commanding physical presence, Pavarotti proved ideal.[11] The two sang some forty performances over two months, and Pavarotti later credited Sutherland for the breathing technique that would sustain him over his career.[12]
Pavarotti made his American début with the Greater Miami Opera in February 1965, singing in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor opposite Joan Sutherland on the stage of the Miami-Dade County Auditorium in Miami. The tenor scheduled to perform that night became ill with no understudy. As Sutherland was traveling with him on tour, she recommended the young Pavarotti as he was well acquainted with the role.
Shortly after, on 28 April, Pavarotti made his La Scala debut in the revival of the famous Franco Zeffirelli production of La Bohème, with his childhood friend Mirella Freni singing Mimi and Herbert von Karajan conducting. Karajan had requested the singer's engagement. After an extended Australian tour, he returned to La Scala, where he added Tebaldo from I Capuleti e i Montecchi to his repertoire on 26 March 1966, with Giacomo Aragall as Romeo. His first appearance as Tonio in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment took place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 2 June of that year. It was his performances of this role that would earn him the title of "King of the High Cs".
He scored another major triumph in Rome on 20 November 1969 when he sang in I Lombardi opposite Renata Scotto. This was recorded on a private label and widely distributed, as were various recordings of his I Capuleti e i Montecchi, usually with Aragall. Early commercial recordings included a recital of Donizetti (the aria from Don Sebastiano were particularly highly regarded) and Verdi arias, as well as a complete L'Elisir d'Amore with Sutherland.
His major breakthrough in the United States came on 17 February 1972, in a production of La Fille du Régiment at New York's Metropolitan Opera, in which he drove the crowd into a frenzy with his nine effortless high Cs in the signature aria. He achieved a record seventeen curtain calls.
Pavarotti sang his international recital début at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, on 1 February 1973, as part of the college's Fine Arts Program, now known as the Harriman-Jewell Series. Perspiring due to nerves and a lingering cold, the tenor clutched a handkerchief throughout the début. The prop became a signature part of his solo performances.
He began to give frequent television performances, starting with his performances as Rodolfo (La Bohème) in the first Live from the Met telecast in March 1977, which attracted one of the largest audiences ever for a televised opera. He won many Grammy awards and platinum and gold discs for his performances. In addition to the previously listed titles, his La Favorita with Fiorenza Cossotto and his I Puritani (1975) with Sutherland stand out.
In 1976, Pavarotti debuted at the Salzburg Festival, appearing in a solo recital on 31 July, accompanied by pianist Leone Magiera. Pavarotti returned to the festival in 1978 with a recital and as the Italian singer in Der Rosenkavalier in 1983 with Idomeneo, and both in 1985 and 1988 with solo recitals.
In 1979, he was profiled in a cover story in the weekly magazine Time.[13] That same year saw Pavarotti's return to the Vienna State Opera after an absence of fourteen years. With Herbert von Karajan conducting, Pavarotti sang Manrico in Il Trovatore. In 1978, he appeared in a solo recital on Live from Lincoln Center.
1980s–1990s[link]
At the beginning of the 1980s, he set up The Pavarotti International Voice Competition for young singers, performing with the winners in 1982 in excerpts of La Bohème and L'Elisir d'Amore. The second competition, in 1986, staged excerpts of La Bohème and Un Ballo in Maschera. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his career, he brought the winners of the competition to Italy for gala performances of La Bohème in Modena and Genoa, and then to China where they staged performances of La Bohème in Beijing (Peking). To conclude the visit, Pavarotti performed the first ever concert in the Great Hall of the People before 10,000 people, receiving a standing ovation for nine effortless high Cs. The third competition in 1989 again staged performances of L'Elisir d'Amore and Un ballo in Maschera. The winners of the fifth competition accompanied Pavarotti in performances in Philadelphia in 1997.
In the mid-1980s, Pavarotti returned to two opera houses that had provided him with important breakthroughs, the Vienna State Opera and La Scala. Vienna saw Pavarotti as Rodolfo in La Bohème with Carlos Kleiber conducting and again Mirella Freni was Mimi; as Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore; as Radames in Aïda conducted by Lorin Maazel; as Rodolfo in Luisa Miller; and as Gustavo in Un Ballo in Maschera conducted by Claudio Abbado. In 1996, Pavarotti appeared for the last time at the Staatsoper in Andrea Chenier.
In 1985, Pavarotti sang Radames at La Scala opposite Maria Chiara in a Luca Ronconi production conducted by Maazel, recorded on video. His performance of the aria "Celeste Aïda" received a two-minute ovation on the opening night. He was reunited with Mirella Freni for the San Francisco Opera production of La Bohème in 1988, also recorded on video. In 1992, La Scala saw Pavarotti in a new Zeffirelli production of Don Carlo, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Pavarotti's performance was heavily criticized by some observers and booed by parts of the audience.
Pavarotti became even better known throughout the world in 1990 when his rendition of Giacomo Puccini's aria, "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot was taken as the theme song of BBC's TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. The aria achieved pop status and remained his trademark song. This was followed by the hugely successful Three Tenors concert, held on the eve of the World Cup final at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome with fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and conductor Zubin Mehta, which became the biggest selling classical record of all time. A highlight of the concert, in which Pavarotti hammed up a famous portion of di Capua's "O Sole Mio" and was mimicked by Domingo and Carreras to the delight of the audience, became one of the most memorable moments in contemporary operatic history. Throughout the 1990s, Pavarotti appeared in many well-attended outdoor concerts, including his televised concert in London's Hyde Park, which drew a record attendance of 150,000. In June 1993, more than 500,000 listeners gathered for his free performance on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park, while millions more around the world watched on television. The following September, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, he sang for an estimated crowd of 300,000. Following on from the original 1990 concert, the Three Tenors concerts were held during the Football World Cups: in Los Angeles in 1994, in Paris in 1998, and in Yokohama in 2002.
In 1995, Pavarotti's friends, the singer Lara Saint Paul (as Lara Cariaggi) and her husband showman Pier Quinto Cariaggi, who had produced and organised Pavarotti's 1990 FIFA World Cup Celebration Concert at the PalaTrussardi in Milan,[14] produced and wrote the television documentary The Best is Yet to Come, an extensive biography about the life of Pavarotti.[15] Lara Saint Paul was the interviewer for the documentary with Pavarotti, who spoke candidly about his life and career.[16]
Pavarotti's rise to stardom was not without occasional difficulties, however. He earned a reputation as "The King of Cancellations" by frequently backing out of performances, and his unreliable nature led to poor relationships with some opera houses. This was brought into focus in 1989 when Ardis Krainik of the Lyric Opera of Chicago severed the house's 15-year relationship with the tenor.[17] Over an eight-year period, Pavarotti had cancelled 26 out of 41 scheduled appearances at the Lyric, and the decisive move by Krainik to ban him for life was well-noted throughout the opera world, after the performer walked away from a season premiere less than two weeks before rehearsals began, saying pain from a sciatic nerve required two months of treatment.
On 12 December 1998, he became the first (and, to date, only) opera singer to perform on Saturday Night Live, singing alongside Vanessa L. Williams. He also sang with U2, in the band's 1995 song "Miss Sarajevo", and with Mercedes Sosa in a big concert at the Boca Juniors arena La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1999.
In 1998, Pavarotti was presented with the Grammy Legend Award. Given only on special occasions, as of 2007 it has been awarded only 15 times since its first presentation in 1990.
2000s[link]
In 2004, one of Pavarotti's former managers, Herbert Breslin, published a book, The King & I.[17] Seen by many as bitter and sensationalistic, it is critical of the singer's acting (in opera), his inability to read music well and learn parts, and of his personal conduct, although acknowledging their mutual success. In an interview in 2005 with Jeremy Paxman on the BBC, Pavarotti rejected the allegation that he could not read music, although he acknowledged he did not read orchestral scores.
He received an enormous number of awards and honours, including Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. He also holds two Guinness World Records: one for receiving the most curtain calls (165)[18] and another for the best-selling classical album (In Concert by The Three Tenors). (The latter record is thus shared by fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.)
In late 2003, he released his final compilation - and his first and only "crossover" album, Ti Adoro. Most of the 13 songs were written and produced by the Michele Centonze who had already helped produce the "Pavarotti & Friends" concerts between 1998 and 2000.[19] The tenor described the album as a wedding gift to Nicoletta Mantovani.
Pavarotti began his farewell tour in 2004, at the age of 69, performing one last time in old and new locations, after more than four decades on the stage. Pavarotti gave his last performance in an opera at the New York Metropolitan Opera on 13 March 2004, for which he received a long standing ovation for his role as the painter Mario Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca. On 1 December 2004, he announced a 40-city farewell tour. Pavarotti and his manager, Terri Robson, commissioned impresario Harvey Goldsmith to produce the Worldwide Farewell Tour. His last full-scale performance was at the end of a two-month Australasian tour in Taiwan, in December 2005.
In March 2005, Pavarotti underwent neck surgery to repair two vertebrae. In early 2006, he underwent further back surgery and contracted an infection while in the hospital in New York, forcing cancellation of concerts in the U.S., Canada and the UK.[20]
On 10 February 2006, Pavarotti sang "Nessun Dorma" at the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin, Italy, at his final performance. In the last act of the opening ceremony, his performance received the longest and loudest ovation of the night from the international crowd. Leone Magiera, who directed the performance, revealed in his 2008 memoirs, Pavarotti Visto da Vicino, that the performance was prerecorded weeks earlier.[21] "The orchestra pretended to play for the audience, I pretended to conduct and Luciano pretended to sing. The effect was wonderful," he wrote. Pavarotti's manager, Terri Robson, said that the tenor had turned the Winter Olympic Committee's invitation down several times because it would have been impossible to sing late at night in the sub-zero conditions of Turin in February. The committee eventually persuaded him to take part by pre-recording the song.
Other work[link]
Film and television[link]
Pavarotti's one venture into film, a romantic comedy called Yes, Giorgio (1982), was roundly panned by the critics. He can be seen to better advantage in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's adaptation of Rigoletto for television, released that same year, or in his more than 20 live opera performances taped for television between 1978 and 1994, most of them with the Metropolitan Opera, and most available on DVD.
Humanitarianism[link]
Pavarotti annually hosted the "Pavarotti and Friends" charity concerts in his home town of Modena in Italy, joining with singers from all parts of the music industry, including Andrea Bocelli, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Bono, James Brown, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Céline Dion, Elton John, Deep Purple, Meat Loaf, Queen, George Michael, Sting and the Spice Girls, to raise money for several UN causes. Concerts were held for War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in Bosnia, Guatemala, Kosovo and Iraq. After the war in Bosnia, he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Centre in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills. For these contributions, the city of Sarajevo named him an honorary citizen in 2006.[22]
He performed at benefit concerts to raise money for victims of tragedies such as the Spitak earthquake that killed 25,000 people in northern Armenia in December 1988,[23] and sang Gounod's Ave Maria with legendary French pop music star and ethnic Armenian Charles Aznavour.
He was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. They raised money for the elimination of land mines worldwide. He was invited to sing at her funeral service, but declined to sing, as he felt he could not sing well "with his grief in his throat". Nonetheless, he attended the service.
In 1998, he was appointed the United Nations Messenger of Peace, using his fame to raise awareness of UN issues, including the Millennium Development Goals, HIV/AIDS, child rights, urban slums and poverty.[24]
In 1999, Pavarotti performed a charity benefit concert in Beirut, to mark Lebanon's reemergence on the world stage after a brutal 15 year civil war. The largest concert held in Beirut since the end of the war, it was attended by 20,000 people who travelled from countries as distant as Saudi Arabia and Bulgaria.[25]
In 2001, Pavarotti received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees for his efforts raising money on behalf of refugees worldwide. Through benefit concerts and volunteer work, he has raised more than any other individual.[26]
Other honours he received include the "Freedom of London Award" and The Red Cross "Award for Services to Humanity", for his work in raising money for that organization, and the 1998 "MusiCares Person of the Year", given to humanitarian heroes by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.[27][28]
He was a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity.[29]
Death[link]
 |
Wikinews has related news: Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti dies at age 71 |
While undertaking an international "farewell tour," Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006. The tenor fought back against the implications of this diagnosis, undergoing major abdominal surgery and making plans for the resumption and conclusion of his singing commitments.[30] He died at his home in Modena on 6 September 2007. Within hours of his death, his manager, Terri Robson, noted in an e-mail statement, "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness".[31][32][33]
Pavarotti's funeral was held in Modena Cathedral. Romano Prodi and Kofi Annan attended.[34] The Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, flew overhead, leaving green-white-red smoke trails. After a funeral procession through the centre of Modena, Pavarotti's coffin was taken the final ten kilometres to Montale Rangone, a village part of Castelnuovo Rangone, and was buried near his parents' grave. The funeral, in its entirety, was also telecast live on CNN. The Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival Hall flew black flags in mourning.[35] Tributes were published by many opera houses, such as London's Royal Opera House.[36] The Italian football giant Juventus F.C., of which Pavarotti was a lifelong fan, was represented at the funeral and posted a farewell message on its website which said: "Ciao Luciano, black-and-white heart" referring to the team's famous stripes when they play on their home ground.
Personal life[link]
On 13 December 2003, he married his former personal assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani (born 1969), with whom he already had a daughter, Alice. A second child, Riccardo, did not survive, because of complications at the time of birth in January 2003. Pavarotti is also survived by three other daughters by his first wife Adua, to whom he was married for 34 years: Lorenza, Cristina, and Giuliana. At the time of his death, he had one granddaughter.
Settlement of estate[link]
His first will was opened the day after his death and a second will, within the same month of September.[37] He left an estate outside his native Modena, a villa in Pesaro, a flat in Monte Carlo, and three flats in New York City.[38]
Pavarotti's widow's lawyers Giorgio Bernini, Anna Maria Bernini, and manager Terri Robson announced on 30 June 2008 that his family amicably settled his estate – 300 million euros ($ 474.2 million, including $15 million in U.S. assets). Pavarotti drafted two wills before his death: one divided his assets by Italian law, giving half to his second wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, and half to his four daughters; the second gave his U.S. holdings to Mantovani. The judge confirmed the compromise by the end of July 2008. However, a Pesaro public prosecutor, Massimo di Patria, investigated allegations that Pavarotti was not of sound mind when he signed the will.[39][40][41] Pavarotti's estate has been settled "fairly", a lawyer for Pavarotti's widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, said in statements after reports of a dispute between Ms. Mantovani and his three daughters from his first marriage.[42]
See also[link]
Notes and references[link]
- ^ The Times Obituary: Luciano Pavarotti, 6 September 2007
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Warrack, John and Ewan West (1996). "Luciano Pavarotti." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. (3rd Ed.), ... an excellent technique, and a conquering personality.")
- ^ Kington, Tom (7 April 2008). "Pavarotti mimed at final performance". The Guardian (London). http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/story/0,,2271470,00.html. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ Luciano Pavarotti Biography (1935-2007)
- ^ YouTube - Luciano Pavarotti talks about his idol Giuseppe di Stefano
- ^ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5e2_1189060061 Originally from MSNBC article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20607839/
- ^ "Pavarotti eisteddfod career start". BBC Online. 6 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/6981188.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
- ^ Paul Arendt, "It Was All About the Voice," The Guardian,(Italy), 7 September 2007
- ^ Joan Sutherland quoted in Paul Arendt, "It Was All About the Voice," The Guardian, (London), 7 September 2007: "The young Pavarotti was a revelation to the opera world. He made his debut in the United States with us in Miami in 1965. He then came as part of our company to Australia, where he sang three times a week for 14 weeks, and we went on to make countless recordings together.
- ^ Richard Dyer, "Opera star Luciano Pavarotti dies: Epic career spanned 40 years, The Boston Globe, 6 September 2007
- ^ Ariel David, "World Mourns Italian Tenor Pavarotti," WTOPnews.com, 6 September 2007
- ^ Time Cover Archive, Sept 24th, 1979
- ^ Pavarotti, Luciano: The Event, The World Cup Celebration Concert (1990) Pavarotti, Luciano
- ^ The New York Public Library: Luciano Pavarotti, The Best is Yet to Come Pavarotti: The Best is Yet to Come: LEO - the New York Public Library Catalogue[dead link]
- ^ The Best is Yet to Come Pavarotti: The Best is Yet to Come, Interviewed by Lara Saint Paul: Penrith City Library Catalogue
- ^ a b Herbert H. Breslin, The King and I: The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti's Rise to Fame by His Manager, Friend and Sometime Adversary, New York: Doubleday Publishing, 2004 ISBN 978-0-385-50972-5 ISBN 0-385-50972-3
- ^ Block, Mervin (15 October 2004). "'60 Minutes' Story About Singer Hits False Note". Poynter Online. http://www.mervinblock.com/?q=node/34. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- ^ Pavarotti & Friends concert series at Amazon.com
- ^ "Pavarotti 'will return to stage'". BBC News Online. 25 July 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5212832.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ Kington, Tom (7 April 2008). "Pavarotti mimed at final performance". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/apr/07/classicalmusicandopera.italy. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
- ^ "Sarajevo authorities name Pavarotti honorary citizen", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 22 February 2006; retrieved on 2007-09-06
- ^ Alessandra Rizzo, "Italian tenor Pavarotti dies at age 71" on yahoo.com[dead link]; retrieved on 2007-09-06
- ^ "Luciano Pavarotti to Promote UN Causes During Series of Concerts, 2005 - 2006", U.N. Press release, 5/4/2005, retrieved on 6 September 2007
- ^ Pavarotti breaks a different kind of sound barrier; 14 June 1999; retrieved on 2007-10-12
- ^ Crossette, Barbara (30 May 2001). "United Nations: Honor For Tenor With Midas Touch". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE5D8133CF933A05756C0A9679C8B63. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ "Freedom of London for Pavarotti". Entertainment (BBC News). 13 September 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/4236980.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Parker, Lyndsey (31 February 1997). "Pavarotti Is The Person". Yahoo! Music News (Yahoo!). http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12044059. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Delta Omicron
- ^ "Singer Luciano Pavarotti recovering from pancreatic cancer surgery". Fox News. 7 July 2006. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202530,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ "Tenor Luciano Pavarotti dead at 71" on cnn.com, 6 September 2007; retrieved on 2007-09-06
- ^ Pavarotti dead at 71: manager; retrieved on 2007-09-06
- ^ "Pavarotti Dead At Age 71". CBS News. 7 September 2007. http://www.webcastr.com/videos/news/pavarotti-dead-at-age-71.html.
- ^ People gather at Modena Cathedral to say farewell to Pavarotti|
- ^ "Black flag flies over Vienna Opera House for Pavarotti". Agence France-Presse. 2007-09-06. http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n121376. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Castonguay, Gilles (2007-09-06). "Luciano Pavarotti dead at 71". Reuters. http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=24dd10ff-8048-45bb-9fde-b362693e5ac8&k=84681&p=1. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Hooper, John (19 September 2007). "Pavarotti's will leaves US property to his second wife". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,2172193,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ Owen, Richard (11 September 2007). "Pavarotti's manager on his last days". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2433004.ece. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ^ ap.google.com, Pavarotti widow, daughters agree on inheritance[dead link]
- ^ uk.reuters.com, Pavarotti's widow and daughters reach inheritance deal
- ^ independent.co.uk, Widow settles dispute with Pavarotti's daughters over will
- ^ Lee, Felicia R. (1 July 2008). "Pavarotti's Daughters and Widow Reach Deal". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/arts/01arts-PAVAROTTISDA_BRF.html. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
External links[link]
|
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Luciano Pavarotti |
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Luciano Pavarotti |
- Official website
- Luciano Pavarotti at the Internet Movie Database
- Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
- Luciano Pavarotti discography at MusicBrainz
- The Times obituary
- Review of The King and I at theage.com.au
- The Pavarotti Story Decca Records
- Pavarotti Video Biography by National Italian American Foundation NIAF
- History of the Tenor - Sound Clips and Narration
- Funeral Mass of Luciano Pavarotti
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pavarotti, Luciano |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Opera singer |
| Date of birth | 12 October 1935 |
| Place of birth | Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Date of death | 6 September 2007 |
| Place of death | Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
http://wn.com/Luciano_Pavarotti
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://cs.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://id.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://es.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://ru.wn.com/Паваротти, Лучано
http://pl.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://fr.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://de.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://pt.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
http://nl.wn.com/Luciano Pavarotti
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano_Pavarotti
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
