Look up Jess in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Jess may refer to:

People[link]

First name[link]

• Jess Atkinson (born 1961), American football player
• Jess Cain (1926–2008), American radio host
• Jess Cates (born 1976), American songwriter
• Jess Collins (1923–2004), American visual artist, known only today by his first name Jess
• Jess Conrad (born 1936), British actor
• Jess H. Dickinson (born 1947), American judge
• Jess E. DuBois (born 1934), American painter
• Jess Hahn (1921–1998), American actor
• Jess Harnell (born 1963), American voice actor
• Jess Hartley (born 1967), American writer
• Jess Hill (1907–1993), American athlete and coach
• Jess Jackson (born 1980), British record producer
• Jess Stonestreet Jackson, Jr. (born 1930), American wine entrepreneur
• Jess Klein (born 1974), American singer/songwriter
• Jess Liaudin (born 1974), French mixed martial artist
• Jess Margera (born 1978), American drummer
• Jess Mowry (born 1960), American author
• Jess Nevins (born 1966), American author
• Jess Oppenheimer (1913–1988), American television writer
• Jess Robbins (1886–1973), American film director
• Jess Roden (born 1947), British musician
• Jess Row (born 1974), American writer
• Jess Stacy (1904–1995), American jazz pianist
• Jess Stearn (1914–2002), American journalist and author
• Jess Thomas (1927–1993), American opera singer
• Jess Vanstrattan (born 1982), Australian soccer player
• Jess von der Ahe (born 1966), American artist
• Jess Walter (born 1965), American author
• Jess Walton (born 1949), American actress
• Jess Weixler (born 1981), American actress
• Jess Willard (1881–1968), American boxer
• Jess Winfield (born 1961), American writer
• Jess Yates (1918–1993), British television presenter

Surname[link]

• Carl Jess (1884–1948), Australian general
• Eoin Jess (born 1970), Scottish footballer
• John Jess (1922–2003), Australian politician
• Marilyn Jess (born 1959), French porn actress
• Tyehimba Jess, American poet

Fiction[link]

• Jess, 1887 novel by Henry Rider Haggard
• Jess Bhamra, fictional character in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham
• Jess Mariano, fictional character in the television series Gilmore Girls
• Jess Mackenzie, fictional character in the television series Monarch of the Glen
• Jess Squirrel, fictional character in the Redwall novels by Brian Jacques
• Jess Tamblyn, fictional character in the Saga of Seven Suns novels by Kevin J. Anderson
• Jess the cat, fictional character in the Postman Pat universe
• Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr., fictional main character of Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.

Other uses[link]

• Jess programming language

See also[link]

• Jesse (disambiguation)
• Jesses (falconry)
• Jessica (given name)
• Jessilina
• Jesus (name)

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.

Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams performing with N.E.R.D in Pori Jazz 2010.
Background information
Also known as	Skateboard P, Pharrell, Sk8brd (mononym), Auto Goon
Born	(1973-04-05) April 5, 1973 (age 39)
Origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
Genres	Various
Occupations	Producer, musician, songwriter, singer, rapper, fashion designer
Instruments	Piano, keyboards, guitar, drums
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Star Trak, Interscope, i am Other
Associated acts	N.E.R.D, Chad Hugo, Clipse, Kelis, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, T.I, Lupe Fiasco, N.O.R.E., Child Rebel Soldier
Website	pharrellwilliams.com
Notable instruments
Piano, keyboards, drums

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of hip-hop band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley. He released his first single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his first album In My Mind in 2006.^[1]

As part of The Neptunes, Williams has produced numerous hit singles for various musicians.^[2] The two have earned three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Clothing. He is a member of the supergroup V.A. Playaz with Fam-Lay, Clipse, Skillz, Missy Elliott, and Timbaland & Magoo.

Early life[link]

Pharrell Williams was born on April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia,^[3][4] the eldest of three sons of Carolyn, a teacher, and Pharaoh Williams, a handyman.^[5] He met Chad Hugo in a seventh-grade summer band camp where Williams played the keyboards and drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Williams played the snare drum while Chad was student conductor.^[6][7] With Hugo, Williams attended Princess Anne High School where they played in the school band; there he got the name Skateboard P.^[8]

In the 1990s, Hugo and Williams formed a four-piece "R&B type" group, The Neptunes, with friends Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge. They later entered a high school talent show where they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was next to Princess Anne High School.^[9] After graduating from high school, the group signed with Riley.^[10]

Career[link]

1992–1997: Career beginnings[link]

Through working with Maddison Harper, Williams went on to write a verse for Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 hit "Rump Shaker".^[11] That same year, he also performed a small rap solo on SWV's second hit, "Right Here (UK Remix)". In 1994, Hugo and Williams had established themselves as a production duo under their old name "The Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from Blackstreet's self-titled album. Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally. Some of the results had little resemblance to the Neptunes sound of today. However, some like Mase's 1997 song "Lookin' at Me" from his album Harlem World, and the most definite beginning of the distinctive "Neptunes sound", came with N.E.R.D's "Superthug" in 1998, reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. In 1999, a friend introduced Pharrell to Kelis, they really vibed so the beginning result was producing her first album Kaleidoscope.

1998–2004: The Neptunes[link]

At this point The Neptunes were gaining a wide fanbase and audience. In 2001, The Neptunes produced Britney Spears' single, "I'm a Slave 4 U" gaining their first worldwide number one.^[12] The same year, N.E.R.D, consisting of Williams, Hugo and Haley, released their first album, In Search of..., in Europe, where the first Kelis album was better received. The album sounded very much like their previous production work; the group decided that they should make their work as N.E.R.D sound different, and re-recorded the album with the rock band Spymob. Williams and Hugo met rap duo Clipse in Virginia Beach in 1993, where they were signed to Arista Records through Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint.^[13][14]

Then in 2002 their re-produced album was released worldwide, and The Neptunes reached number one in the U.S. with Nelly's single, "Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. Clipse released their commercial debut album Lord Willin' in August 2002. The album started at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number four on the Billboard 200, fueled by its first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", which peaked at number 34 and number 19 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Neptunes released a self-credited album called The Neptunes Present... Clones in 2003, with songs and remixes from various artists. This topped the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The Neptunes and Williams specifically were also kept in public eye largely due to ties with Jay-Z, producing several hit singles for him and two tracks on his The Black Album. The track "Frontin'" was a big hit (the 34th biggest of 2003 according to Billboard). A survey in August 2003 found the Neptunes produced almost 20 percent of songs played on British radio at the time, a survey in the US had them at 43 percent.^[6] The same year, The Neptunes remixed the Daft Punk song Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger for the duo's poorly-received remix album Daft Club. The track also had a brief rap section performed by Williams.^[15]

N.E.R.D's second funk rock-oriented album, Fly or Die, released in March 2004. Williams' rock credentials were further bolstered by his appearance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, performing The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" on drums with Sting, Dave Matthews, and Vince Gill. Williams received two Grammy Awards that night, one for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and another for Best Pop Vocal Album for his work on Justin Timberlake's hit album Justified. They also gained their first UK number one, again with Nelly, and Flap Your Wings.

2005–2009: First album and collaborations[link]

Williams and Astronaut Leland Melvin present a montage to Quincy Jones

On September 9, 2005, Williams performed the opening single from his first solo album In My Mind, "Can I Have It Like That", featuring Gwen Stefani. The single did poorly in the US, reaching only number 48. It fared better in the UK, reaching number three. Between then and the July 25, 2006 release of "In My Mind", he released "Angel" (in Europe only), and later "Number One" with Kanye West. Several songs leaked to the internet before the album release, most notably "Mamacita" featuring Daddy Yankee, which was subsequently cut from the final version. "That Girl" featuring Snoop Dogg was the final single.

In 2006, Williams, with Chad Hugo, produced Clipse's second album Hell Hath No Fury. Most critics labeled the album Williams's best production in years, and put the duo back in the charts.^[16] A year later, Williams collaborated with Madonna, on the song "Hey You", which was available for download on the MSN website. 25 cents for each of the first one million downloads was donated to the Alliance for Climate Protection, in support of Live Earth.^[17] Later that year, Williams performed songs at the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007. Then, on July 7, 2007, he performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro.

A second album, titled Out of My Mind, was recorded with his newly formed band "The Yessirs" featuring Questlove of The Roots. However, Williams' record label did not think that a companion album to the first would sell well.^[18] He also produced Beyoncé's version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". He then wrote and produced "Why Should I Be Sad" on Britney Spears' fifth studio album, Blackout. He also produced two songs from The Hives album, The Black and White Album, titled "Well All Right!" and "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.".

In April 2008, Madonna released her eleventh album, Hard Candy, which featured vocals from Williams and production from The Neptunes on several tracks. In June, an article in NME revealed that Williams was very interested in producing The Strokes' fourth album.^[19] Later that year, Williams worked on a remix album for Maroon 5's Call & Response.^[20]

Williams continued working with a variety of artists, including Shakira on the songs 'Did It Again', 'Why Wait', 'Good Stuff' and 'Long Time' for her sixth studio album, She Wolf. ^[21] In September 2009, Williams was credited as a co-writer and producer of the song "Fresh Out the Oven" for Jennifer Lopez.^[22] It was released as a buzz single from Lopez's seventh studio album Love? The following month, Williams made a guest appearance on French indie/electronic rapper Uffie's first album, which arrived in early 2010.^[23] In late 2009, Williams worked with the rapper Game on his fourth studio album, The R.E.D. Album.

2010–present[link]

In July 2010, Williams composed one of the soundtracks^{[dubious – discuss]} in the movie Despicable Me at the Hollywood Studio Symphony.^{[citation needed]} In October 2010, Williams and his group N.E.R.D supported Gorillaz on their Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour. On the tour, Damon Albarn recorded a song on his iPad with Williams but this was not featured on Gorillaz's album, The Fall, but it may appear on a future album.^[15] In late 2011, Williams worked on three tracks for Mike Posner's second album Sky High.^[24] In 2011, Williams collaborated with singer/composer Adam Lambert, co-writing two tracks for Lambert's album "Trespassing", which was released in May of 2012, including the title track and "Kickin' In".

In 2012, It was announced on Lupe Fiasco's website that he and Lupe will work on a collaborative album and work on Waka Flocka Flame's album Triple F Life: Friends, Fans and Family.^{[citation needed]}

Williams composed and produced the music for the 84th Academy Awards with composer Hans Zimmer.^[25]

2012: Pharrell is now collaborating with teen pop sensation, Miley Cyrus on her new album which is set for a release this year, with a single dropping this summer. Miley's new album has a slick genre of pop/hip-hop and R&B.

Musical style[link]

Pharrell did music for the Universal film Despicable Me. The film makers liked his genre of music for the movie. Williams has encompassed a broad range of genres, including hip hop, R&B, pop, rock, and funk.^[3][26] His lyrics often pertain to his childhood, family, religious faith and sexuality.^[27] In the review of Seeing Sounds by N.E.R.D, Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone said he learned nothing from his lyrics except that Williams was sexually aroused.^[28]

Williams has stated that he does not have any direct influences,^[29] but has expressed his admiration of several musicians, including Michael Jackson, J Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Rakim and Q-Tip.^[29][30] Williams explained that A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, caused a "turning point" in his life, which "made me see that music was art".^[30] His style of production includes very unusual sounds, which give a feeling of being extra terrestrial. His beats have heavy percussions and synths.

Business ventures[link]

Williams met Nigo, a Japanese record producer and creator of the clothing line A Bathing Ape, in Japan and bonded^[vague] through similar interests, where they began working together on their fashion lines.^[4] Williams later co-founded the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear. He has a store in New York City. In 2008, he co-designed a series of jewelry ("Blason") and glasses for Louis Vuitton.^[31] He has also worked on furniture with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and a French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès. One of his works, a molded plastic seat with human legs, was created because he "wanted to know what it was like to be in love." The chair depicts a sexual scene with a pair of female legs and male legs.^[32]

In 2009 Williams unveiled a collaborative sculpture with Takashi Murakami at Art Basel, which spoke to the metaphor of value.^[33]

In 2010 Williams founded Kidult, a news and entertainment website for teens. Inspired by his young fans, Williams believed they deserved a website that respected their intelligence and covered their diverse interests—from science to fashion.

In May 2011 it was announced that Williams would serve as Creative Director of Karmaloop TV alongside founder and CEO Greg Selkoe and former AMC (TV channel) president Katie McEnroe.^[34]

On August 1, 2011, Williams launched his new record label, i am Other.^[35]

Personal life[link]

In 2005 Williams was voted "Best Dressed Man in the World" by Esquire.^[36] He is a fan of the science fiction series Star Trek,^[37] as indicated by his consistent use of the Vulcan salute to signify his label name, Star Trak. He also enjoys the works of the late astronomer and science lecturer Carl Sagan, whom he calls "a genius".^[38] Williams is a skateboarder and has a half-pipe inside his home.^[39] In April 2009, Williams underwent a skin procedure for tattoo removal.^[40]

Discography[link]

Pharrell and Lupe Fiasco are currently working on a collaboration album set to be released sometime in 2012.^[41]

TBA (with Lupe Fiasco) (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pharrell Williams

• Official website
• Pharrell Williams at the Internet Movie Database

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

Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers at his Le Crib Studios. (1999)
Background information
Birth name	Nile Gregory Rodgers
Born	(1952-09-19) September 19, 1952 (age 59) New York City, United States
Origin	New York City
Genres	Pop, rock, R&B, disco
Occupations	Producer, song-writer, musician, composer, arranger, guitarist
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Sumthing Else Musicworks
Associated acts	Chic, Sister Sledge, Madonna, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, David Bowie, Adam Lambert
Website	nilerodgers.com (Official Website) Official Facebook Artist Page

Nile Gregory Rodgers (born September 19, 1952, New York City) is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.

Biography[link]

Rodgers began his career as a session guitarist in New York, touring with the Sesame Street band in his teens, and then working in the house band at Harlem's world famous Apollo Theater, playing behind Screaming Jay Hawkins, Maxine Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Betty Wright, Earl Lewis and the Channels, Parliament Funkadelic, and many other legendary R&B artists.

1970s[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

Nile met bassist Bernard Edwards in 1970. Together they formed The Big Apple Band that backed R&B act New York City ("I’m Doing Fine Now"). The band’s one hit allowed them to tour extensively, even opening for The Jackson 5 on the American leg of their first world tour in 1973. The band dissolved after their second album failed to yield a hit, but Nile and Bernard joined forces with drummer Tony Thompson, and worked and recorded as a Funk Rock band called The Boys, which played numerous gigs up and down the East Coast. Despite major label interest in their demos, they could not get a record deal when the record companies discovered they were black, as they thought that black rock artists would be too hard to promote. The band continued playing mostly local bars.

Formation of Chic[link]

As The Big Apple Band, Rodgers and Edwards worked with Ashford & Simpson, Luther Vandross and many others. Since another New York artist, Walter Murphy, had a band also called The Big Apple Band, Rodgers and Edwards were forced to change their band’s name to avoid confusion. Thus, in 1977 the band was renamed as Chic. Rodgers has stated that a major inspiration was a Roxy Music gig he saw in London: "It was a totally immersive artistic experience – the crowd were fly, the band were fly, the music was textual, they were saying 'come into my world'."^[1]

Between gigs they recorded their first album with then-boss Luther Vandross, who provided background vocals on the group’s early recordings. The band scored numerous top ten hits and helped propel disco to new levels of popularity. Chic’s chart-topping songs "Le Freak", "I Want Your Love", "Everybody Dance", "Dance, Dance, Dance", "My Forbidden Lover", and "Good Times" became club/pop/R&B standards. "Le Freak" is Atlantic Records’ only triple platinum selling single and "Good Times" shot to the No. 1 spot in spite of the "Disco Sucks" backlash in 1979.

The success of Chic's first singles led Atlantic to offer Rodgers and Edwards the opportunity to produce any act on its roster. They chose Sister Sledge, whose 1978 album, We Are Family, peaked at No. 3 and remained on the charts well into 1979. The first two singles, "He's the Greatest Dancer" and the title cut "We Are Family" both reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, and No. 6 and No. 2, respectively on the Pop chart. "He’s the Greatest Dancer" was sampled in 1998 on Will Smith’s "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It".

As the Chic Organization’s tight sound became increasingly sought-after, Rodgers and Edwards began record production with numerous artists, together or individually.

1980s[link]

In 1980 Rodgers and Edwards wrote and produced the album Diana for Diana Ross, yielding the smash hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out". Chic’s song "Good Times" played a pivotal role in the explosion of hip hop music, as an interpolation of the song's bass line and the record’s string-section sample was the bedrock of The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", the first multiple-platinum Hip Hop single. The Chic Organization produced the smash hit "Spacer" for French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion and Deborah Harry’s 1981 solo album Koo Koo.

Chic dissolved in 1983 after its final contractual Atlantic album, Believer and Soup For One (a film soundtrack). At that time Rodgers began a solo career producing his first album Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove.

Rodgers produced the 1983 album Talkback, by Canadian New Wave/New Romantic band Spoons, which included the hits "Old Emotions" and "The Rhythm".

Rodgers produced David Bowie's biggest selling album Let's Dance with several hit singles including "China Girl", "Modern Love" and the title track, "Let’s Dance". He produced the single "Original Sin" by INXS. Duran Duran worked extensively with Rodgers after he co-produced their largest selling hit single, "The Reflex" in 1983 and followed up with "The Wild Boys" on their 1984 live album Arena.

That same year he produced Madonna's blockbuster album Like a Virgin, spawning her two signature hits "Material Girl" and the album's title track, "Like a Virgin". He also joined Robert Plant’s platinum selling studio band The Honeydrippers, on the album The Honeydrippers: Volume One. This period sparked Rodgers’ interest in soundtracks, the first of which were Alphabet City, Gremlins ("Out Out" – Peter Gabriel) Against All Odds ("Walk Through the Fire" – Peter Gabriel), That's Dancing ("Invitation to Dance" – Kim Carnes), White Nights (numerous songs) and The Fly ("Help Me" – Bryan Ferry).

In 1985 Rodgers produced albums for Sheena Easton, Jeff Beck, The Thompson Twins, Mick Jagger, and many others, while still finding time to perform at Live Aid. He was awarded No. 1 Singles Producer In the World in Billboard magazine to close out the year.

In 1986, he produced Duran Duran's Notorious album, which yielded a No. 2 title track hit, "Notorious". During a live set, Simon Le Bon introduced Rodgers by saying, "Well, this band went through a difficult time and it might not have made it if it weren't for this gentleman." Rodgers contributed to numerous other projects and appearances with members of the band throughout the 1980s. He also produced albums for Grace Jones, Earth Wind and Fire’s vocalist Phillip Bailey, and Al Jarreau. Rodgers performed on "Higher Love" with Steve Winwood, and records for Cyndi Lauper, Howard Jones, and David Sanborn. He then worked with Peter Gabriel on yet another soundtrack project, Laurie Anderson’s Home of the Brave.

Rodgers formed the short-lived experimental band Outloud in 1987, with David Letterman’s guitarist, composer and vocalist, Felicia Collins, and acclaimed French session musician, producer, composer and keyboardist, Philippe Saisse; they released a single album, Outloud, on Warner Brothers.

In 1988 Rodgers composed his first orchestral soundtrack for the film Coming to America (the second highest grossing film of the year) starring Eddie Murphy. Rodgers followed this with soundtracks for White Hot (the world’s first Hi-Def feature motion picture), and Earth Girls Are Easy. The latter would pair him with The B-52’s. In 1989 he co-produced their comeback multi-platinum album Cosmic Thing, which had the hit singles "Love Shack", "Roam", "Cosmic Thing" and "Deadbeat Club". That year he also produced Workin' Overtime, Diana Ross’ return to Motown, a deal that scored her an executive position at the label, along with releases by the Dan Reed Network, Slam, and Duran Duran’s compilation, Decade, which was appropriately titled. It was the most successful decade for Rodgers and also for many of the artists he worked with.

1990s[link]

In September 1990, Epic Records released the Rodgers produced Vaughan Brothers album, Family Style, shortly after the untimely death of guitar virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan. Early in this decade he also produced projects for David Bowie, Eric Clapton, The B-52s, David Lee Roth, Ric Ocasek, The Dan Reed Network, Cathy Dennis, Patty Griffin,^[2] Jimmy Vaughan, The Stray Cats and many other artists, along with continuing soundtrack work on Thelma and Louise, Cool World and The Beavis and Butt-head Experience (co-writer of “Come to Butt-head”). After a 1992 birthday party where Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Paul Shaffer and Anton Fig played old Chic hits to rapturous response. Rodgers and Edwards reformed a new version of Chic. They recorded a fresh crop of material for the album Chic-Ism and performed live worldwide.

In 1996, Rodgers was honored as the JT Super Producer of the year. He performed with Edwards, Sister Sledge, Steve Winwood, Simon Le Bon and Slash in a series of commemorative concerts in Japan, which provided a career retrospective. Unfortunately, his longtime musical partner and close friend Bernard Edwards died of pneumonia during the trip, a blow that Rodgers took very hard. A year later Rodgers returned to Japan to pay homage to his fallen partner.

He started playing live concerts again while composing and producing music for film soundtracks: Beverly Hills Cop III, Blue Chips, The Flintstones and Feeling Minnesota (working with Bob Dylan) to name but a few.

In 1998, Rodgers founded Sumthing Else Music Works record label and Sumthing Distribution, an independent music label distributor. Sumthing focuses on distributing a fast-growing new genre: video game soundtracks. Its titles include the complete Halo and Resident Evil franchises and other well-known Triple-A game soundtracks like Gears of War and Borderlands.

2000s[link]

Rodgers focused on many soundtrack projects, film and video games alike. Among them were: Rush Hour 2, Snow Dogs and Semi-Pro starring Will Ferrell, who co-wrote the title song “Love Me Sexy” with Rodgers. In 2002–2003 he co-produced Astronaut, with the original five members of Duran Duran.

Also in 2002, Rodgers appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, Red Hot and Riot. The CD, a tribute to the music and positive social message of afropop pioneer, Fela Kuti, featured Rodgers on remakes of Kuti songs, "Water No Get Enemy" and "Zombie (Part Two)." He appeared on "Water No Get Enemy" alongside influential hip hop and R&B artists, D'Angelo, Macy Gray, and The Soultronics and on "Zombie (Part Two)" with famous jazz trumpeteer, Roy Hargrove. All proceeds of the CD were donated to charities working towards greater AIDS awareness.

The September 11 attacks prompted Rodgers to create the We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) to help promote the healing process. To begin, he organized a re-recording of the song he and Edwards wrote for Sister Sledge called "We Are Family" with more than 200 musicians, celebrities, and personalities. Director Spike Lee filmed the "We Are Family" music video and director Danny Schechter filmed a documentary depicting the recording sessions called The Making and Meaning of We Are Family. The film was chosen as a Sundance Film Festival Special Selection in 2002. Rodgers then produced another "We Are Family" music video involving more than 100 beloved children's television characters. The children's music video airs as a public service announcement on Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and PBS stations promoting a common humanity and celebrating the vision of a global family.

Rodgers received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) NY Chapter's Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Heroes Award. On September 19, 2005, he was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements as a producer, along with former bandmate Bernard Edwards.

Chic has been nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame four times – 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Rodgers served as co-musical director for the tribute concert to Ahmet Ertegün at the Montreux Jazz Festival in the summer of 2006. The concert included performances by Chic, Robert Plant, Steve Winwood, Stevie Nicks, Kid Rock, Ben E. King, Chaka Khan, George Duke (co-music director), Paolo Nutini and many other artists who were signed to Ertegün's Atlantic Records. A PBS documentary, Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built, uses footage from this show, as it was one of the last times Ertegün would be captured on video.

2010s[link]

Rodgers autobiography Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny was published in late 2011.^[3]

He continues to tour and produce live events since the reunion of The Chic Organization.

In October 2011, Rodgers worked with singer Adam Lambert in New York on a song entitled "Shady" for Lambert's sophomore album, Trespassing. Both Rodgers and Lambert tweeted enthusiastically about the collaboration, and Rodgers also mentioned it on his blog Planet C.^[4]

In February 2012, Rodgers announced that he is collaborating with electronic band Daft Punk for their latest album, "teasing out their R&B influences".^[5]

Health Issues[link]

In January 2011, Rodgers revealed on his website he is fighting cancer, which was diagnosed in October 2010.^[6]

Selected discography[link]

Chic[link]

• Chic (1977)
• C'est Chic (1978)
• Risqué (1979)
• Real People (1980)
• Take It Off (1981)
• Soup For One (soundtrack, Chic/various artists) (1982)
• Tongue in Chic (1982)
• Believer (1983)
• Chic-Ism (1992)
• Live at the Budokan (1999)

Solo[link]

• Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove (1983)
• B-Movie Matinee (1985)
• Outloud (1987)
• Chic Freak and More Treats (1996)

Official production (partial)[link]

Soundtracks[link]

• Soup For One (1982)
• Alphabet City (1984)
• Coming to America (1988)
• Earth Girls Are Easy (1989)
• White Hot (1989)
• Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
• Blue Chips (1994)
• Public Enemy (1999)
• Rise of Nations (2003) Game
• Halo 2 (2004) Game
• Perfect Dark Zero (2005) Game
• Halo 3 Soundtrack (2007) Game

References[link]

Biographical reference work[link]

• Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco, by Daryl Easlea, Helter Skelter Publishing (Oct 24, 2004), ISBN 1-900924-56-0

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nile Rodgers

• Official Site
• Sumthing Distribution
• We Are Family Foundation
• chictribute.com
• Collected Facts

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, the introduction of this article may need to be rewritten. Please discuss this issue on the talk page and read the layout guide to make sure the section will be inclusive of all essential details. (November 2009)

Jesse & Joy is a Latin Grammy Award–winning Mexican pop duo formed in 2005 by brother and sister Jesse (born December 31, 1982, as Jesse Eduardo Huerta) and Joy (born June 20, 1986, as Tirzah Joy Huerta), from Mexico City.

History[link]

Their parents are from Mexico City (D.F.) and USA (Mexican father and American mother). In 2001, when they were 18 and 15 years of age, they began writing lyrics and songs with their father. They were signed under the Warner label on April 18, 2005. Jesse plays the piano, the guitar, and sings the chorus of the songs. Joy plays the guitar and is the lead voice. Their first appearance was on the Teletón-Mexico in 2005 when the Mexican-Argentine duo Sin Bandera presented them to the Mexican audience. This was followed by James Blunt's showcase tour in Mexico.^{[citation needed]}

"Espacio Sideral" was the first single to be taken from their first album and went to #1 on many radio stations. A video for the single was produced in Argentina and first shown on MTV on June 27, 2007. The second single was "Ya No Quiero", and the third "Volveré". Jesse & Joy were nominated in the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America in the category of Promising Artist (Artista Prometedor).^[1] Other nominees were the Argentine singer Axel Fernando, the Puerto Rican alternative-reggaetón duo Calle 13, the Colombian singer and Grammy Award–winning Fonseca and the Mexican rock group División Minúscula.

In 2008, the duo released the Esto Es Lo Que Soy EP which contains their hits "Espacio Sideral", "Ya No Quiero", "Volveré" and "Llegaste Tú" and a new song called "Esto Es Lo Que Soy". This song was used in the Mexican telenovela Las Tontas No Van Al Cielo starring Jaqueline Bracamontes and Jaime Camil. In 2009, their second album, Electricidad, was released. It entered the Mexican Albums Chart at #55 and reached a peak position of #21. Their single "Llegaste tu" was used in Televisa's 2007 soap opera Tormenta en el Paraiso. In 2012, their number one single "Corre" was used on Televisa's 2012 soap opera La que no podia amar.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

EPs[link]

Singles[link]

Certifications[link]

References[link]

1. ^ Rolling Stone Latinoamerica
2. ^ Billboard. "Esta Es Mi Vida". http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=jesse+%26+joy#/album/jesse-and-joy/esta-es-mi-vida/902619. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
3. ^ "Esto es lo que soy". Mexican Charts. Hung Medien. http://mexicancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Jesse+%26+Joy&titel=Esta+es+mi+vida&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Billboard. "Electricidad". http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=jesse+%26+joy#/album/jesse-and-joy/electricidad/1280982. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
5. ^ "Electricidad". Mexican Charts. Hung Medien. http://mexicancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Jesse+%26+Joy&titel=Electricidad&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Billboard. "Electricidad". http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/album/jesse-joy/con-quien-se-queda-el-perro/1527067. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Top 100 Mexico". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://www.centrodedesarrollodigital.com/amprofon3/Top100.pdf. Retrieved 2012-03-07. 
8. ^ "Esto es lo que soy". Mexican Charts. http://mexicancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Jesse+%26+Joy&titel=Esto+es+lo+que+soy&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Billboard. "Espacio Sideral". http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=jesse+%26+joy#/song/jessy-joy/espacio-sideral/8643734. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Billboard. "Llegaste Tú". http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=jesse+%26+joy#/song/jessy-joy/llegaste-tu/8643735. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Billboard. "Esto Es Lo Que Soy". http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=jesse+%26+joy#/song/jesse-joy/esto-es-lo-que-soy/11594967. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
12. ^ Billboard. "Chocolate". http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=jesse+%26+joy#/song/jesse-joy/chocolate/14114640. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Billboard. "Esto Es Lo Que Soy". http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/artist/jesse-joy/chart-history/852982?f=363&g=Singles. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
14. ^ ^{a b c} "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://www.amprofon.com.mx/certificaciones.php?artista=jesse+%26+joy&titulo=&disquera=&certificacion=todas&anio=todos&categoria=todas&Submitted=Buscar&item=menuCert&contenido=buscar. Retrieved 2010-05-01. 

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Jesse & Joy's Mini Site (Spanish)
• Jesse & Joy On Acceso Total Interview/Acoustic Set (At Hollywood, California)
• Jesse & Joy MTV Tr3s Descubre & Download
• Q&A Sessions: Jesse & Joy on nocheLatina

Jessie J
Jessie J at the O2 Arena in London in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Jessica Ellen Cornish
Also known as	Jessie J
Born	(1988-03-27) 27 March 1988 (age 24) Chadwell Heath, London, England, United Kingdom
Genres	pop, hip hop, R&B, dance-pop, soul
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Lava, Universal Republic, Island, Gut
Website	jessiejofficial.com

Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she studied at the BRIT School before signing with Gut Records and striking a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing where she wrote for artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus.

Signed with Universal, Jessie J came to prominence following the release of her debut single "Do It Like a Dude" which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Charts. After scoring her first number one in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and New Zealand with the song "Price Tag", she released her debut album Who You Are (2011) which charted at number two in the UK. Other releases from the album include "Nobody's Perfect", "Who's Laughing Now" and "Who You Are" which charted within the top 20 in the UK but the release of fifth single "Domino" spawned international chart success, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and becoming her second UK number one. Aside from her musical career, Jessie J is currently a coach and mentor on television show The Voice UK.

Citing various influences, Jessie J is recognized for an unconventional musical and performance style^[1][2] that mixes her soul voice with contemporary R&B, pop, and hip-hop influences. Jessie J has garnered various awards and nominations for her contributions to the music industry, including the 2011 Critics' Choice BRIT Award and the BBC's Sound of 2011. As of April 2012, Jessie has sold over 11 million singles and 2.5 million records worldwide.^[3][4]