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Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.

Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise donations totaling more than 10 million dollars for HIV / AIDS relief and awareness around the world.

The Red Hot Organization Collection was donated to Fales Library in New York City in 2006.^[1]

Mission[link]

Red Hot is a not-for-profit production company that has produced 16 albums and dedicated more than 10 million dollars to worthy organizations, causes and pro-social projects around the world. Its mission is to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues. In 2010, donations from the proceeds of its latest album alone surpassed $1 million mark—with funds going to benefit: Partners In Health, Casey House, Citta, Camp AmeriKids, Out Youth, Housing Works, AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, A Loving Spoonful, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Old Town Clinic run by Central City Concern, After Hours^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Nebraska AIDS Project, Advocates for Youth, PSI Youth, UK THT / Crusaid, Breakthrough Cincinnati, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Bronx AIDS Services.

Red Hot is more of a creative production company than a traditional charitable organization. Overhead is kept to a minimum and production focused on making innovative projects that target hard to reach audiences by using popular culture and artful propaganda. Revenues from these projects are given to traditional charities, often in collaboration with the artists who have contributed their music or art.

"What is significant is their fund raising does not compete with local AIDS service organizations. They tap basically new money, and that's very important."^[2] Furthermore, the contracts Red Hot signs with artists guarantees that at least 80% of the profits generated from the album sales will be earmarked for AIDS efforts.^[3]

Early history[link]

First founded as King Cole, Inc. by Leigh Blake and John Carlin, Red Hot was established in 1989 in response to the devastation wrought by AIDS on a generation of New York artists and intellectuals. John Carlin, who first pursued a career as an Entertainment lawyer after receiving a degree in comparative literature from Columbia University, a Ph.D. from Yale in the same subject, and a law degree from Columbia had an “improbable dream: to create an AIDS charity album with pop stars singing Cole Porter songs.”^[4]

In 1990 the dream was realized when Red Hot + Blue was released, featuring such stars as David Byrne, Annie Lennox, Tom Waits, U2 and Erasure. Carlin, 43 at the time, couldn’t believe he pulled it off: "That CD was inspired by naïveté and sheer will."^[5] Red Hot + Blue ultimately sold over 1 million copies worldwide, and raised millions of dollars for AIDS charities such as AmFAR and ActUp. The release of Red Hot + Blue became the template for many charity projects that followed. Its one-and-a-half-hour TV special, hosted by Richard Gere, Carrie Fisher and Kyle MacLachlan aired on World AIDS Day during prime time on ABC.

The 1990s[link]

The 1990s were a hotbed of activity for Red Hot. In 1992, Red Hot produced the second in the series: Red Hot + Dance features remixes and original tracks by major club artists, remixed by some of the most influential DJs and producers in the world. It also contains three original tracks by George Michael, including the international smash hit “Too Funky,” and "Supernatural (Original Arms House Mix)" with Madonna. For the Dance project, Red Hot held club nights around the world spotlighting top dance performers and DJs. These parties were filmed for an AIDS awareness television special and released on home video.

In 1993, Red Hot released, No Alternative, produced by Paul Heck, which featured Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, a then-unknown band, Smashing Pumpkins and Soul Asylum and received an A+ by Entertainment Weekly. It features original tracks and covers from bands that went on to define the alternative rock scene of the 90s. An MTV special and home video featured live performances, music videos, and information about AIDS for an audience otherwise untargeted by other AIDS organizations.

Red Hot + Country was released in 1994 by Mercury Nashville. The album – which received an A- from Entertainment Weekly,^[6] features music from the classic country and classic rock genres performed by an assortment of seasoned old and new country music artists including Dolly Parton, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne and many others. The album received two Grammy nominations.^[7] A live show was held at the Ryman Auditorium, the ancestral home to the Grand Ole Opry. A recording of the live show was eventually released on home video.^[8]

In 1995: Time Magazine listed Red Hot’s “Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool” as its number one pick for the Best Music of 1994.^[9] One of the first projects to explore the impact of AIDS upon the African American community, the CD features collaborations between old school jazz performers and contemporary hip hop artists including: Donald Byrd, MC Solaar, Digable Planets, The Pharcyde, Don Cherry, Branford Marsalis, Alice Coltrane and many others. “The high concept: to match some of the most exciting performers in hip-hop with some of the finest performers in jazz… The result: a landmark album that brilliantly harnesses the fire of rap and the cool of jazz, transcending genres and generations.”^[9]

“The high concept: to match some of the most exciting performers in hip-hop with some of the finest performers in jazz… The result: a landmark album that brilliantly harnesses the fire of rap and the cool of jazz, transcending genres and generations.” ^[10]

A documentary film focusing on the impact of AIDS on communities of color was broadcast on PBS in tandem with the album release, and released on home video by PolyGram Video.

1995 brought Red Hot + Bothered -- an anthology of the indie rock scene from the 1990s. The recording initially appeared as a pair of 103 EP recordings ("Red Hot + Bothered, Volume I, Number 1" and "Red Hot + Bothered Volume I, Number 2,")bundled with limited edition fanzines, spoofing dating guides with advice from well-known artists and writers aimed at reaching the audience on a variety of issues, including relationships, love, sex and the impact of AIDS. The EP recordings were eventually followed-up by a full length CD including several tracks absent on the vinyl EPs.

Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip and America Is Dying Slowly (another acronym for AIDS) followed in 1996. Offbeat combines elements of ambient, spoken word, and hip hop to expand the ideas of artistic collage and spiritual transcendence of the Beat. The album is an offshoot of a larger project called The Beat Experience, which explored the legacy of the Beat movement. America Is Dying Slowly features collaborations from several hip hop acts, including Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Coolio, Biz Markie, Chubb Rock, The Lost Boyz, Pete Rock, and Wu-Tang Clan. Dubbed “a masterpiece” by The Source on its release, AIDS was one of the first of such efforts aimed at reaching out to African American men through pop culture.

1996: Red Hot + Rio is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa Nova sounds that has seduced people around the globe for decades, in particular the music of the great composer and arranger Antonio Carlos Jobim. This transcontinental pop record puts a modern spin on the magical ambiance and music that was Ipanema in the 1960s.

1997: Red Hot + Latin: Silencio = Muerte, originally released in 1997 on Jellybean Benitez' H.O.L.A Recordings, was the tenth album in the Red Hot series created to fund the fight against AIDS in Latin America and the Latino community. The pairing of artists like David Byrne and Café Tacuba reflected a cultural encounter far ahead of its time that continues to provide a music-without-language-barriers soundtrack for the multi-cultural American experience. When Red Hot + Latin was originally released, the album was the subject of an MTV special that received widespread critical praise and aired worldwide

1998: Like many epidemics, AIDS spread along major trade and travel routes. Onda Sonora (sound wave) follows the Portuguese travel routes by fusing elements from many cultures. It features 40 artists from 11 countries singing in 7 languages. Yet underlying these diverse origins is a common connection beyond their heritageña message of hope and love. This project was created in conjunction with the 1998 World Expo in Lisbon Portugal. A donation of $100,000 was made in Red Hot's name by Imperio Seguradora, helping Red Hot raise AIDS awareness in the Portuguese-speaking world, where reliable AIDS information is desperately needed.

1998: Red Hot + Rhapsody is a contemporary tribute to the classic George Gershwin songs that have seduced listeners for nearly a century. In the spirit of RED HOT + BLUE, this project brings together a diverse set of performers to reinterpret the Gershwins' music for new audiences.

1999: Optic Nerve is an interactive, CD-ROM showcasing the life and work of multimedia artist David Wojnarowicz. The disc includes film, interviews, music, performance, painting and writing from the artist. The release is the first entry in the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series with a non-musical focus. Production was handled by the Red Hot Organization (RHO) and Funny Garbage, in conjunction with the New Museum of Contemporary Art exhibit entitled "Fever: The Art of David Wojnarowicz."

Safe Sex = Hot Sex[link]

In an effort to spread its message, Red Hot created a “Safe Sex is Hot Sex” campaign in 1992, consisting of postcards, flyers and posters, taken by famed photographers Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber. Images used include homosexual and heterosexual couples, interracial or not, engaged in intimate, erotic poses.

“Recognizing that traditional health education methods were frequently ineffective, the creators of this poster use the combination of visual and textual messages to normalize and eroticize safe sex. The carefully positioned subjects in the photographs are provocative and instructional--the educational goal is to influence individuals to adopt specific behaviors. The voyeuristic presentation works in conjunction with the message: sex can be enjoyable and safe for homosexual men. “ ^[11]

Also part of the campaign was the creation of several movies. Shot by Lance Acord on 16 MM in black and white, the videos portray young models, scantily clad, frolicking in a bucolic setting. Bennett Miller (director of Capote with Phillip Seymour Hoffman) was an assistant on the film.

The 21st century[link]

2000: Red Hot + Indigo, a tribute to the legacy of Duke Ellington, was the 13th album in the Red Hot AIDS benefit series. This project followed suit with Red Hot + Blue, Red Hot + Rio and Red Hot + Rhapsody by featuring modern acts reinterpreting the work of one of the 20th century's greatest songwriters.

2002: Red Hot + Riot is a tribute to the great songs of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. It combines contemporary musicians from across the African Diaspora ñ Urban America, Brazil, Cuba, Europe and West Africa ñ including his son, Femi Kuti, and drummer, Tony Allen, along with a cross-section of some of the most creative musicians in the world. The collaborations are not just musical, but also symbolic of how people need to work together to achieve the positive life force embodied in Fela's music and spirit.

2006: Red Hot released The Shout! Factory, a special two-disc set of the celebrated tribute to Cole Porter, Red Hot + Blue, which included a remastered version of the original album and a DVD with music videos directed by cinematic luminaries Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders and Jonathan Demme, among many others.

In 2009, Red Hot released its latest compilation Dark Was The Night, an indie rock album that generated donations of over $1 million. It features exclusive recordings by a number of independent artists and production by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National. The title is derived from the Blind Willie Johnson song “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground,” which is covered on this collection by the Kronos Quartet. On 26 October 2009, it was announced on 4AD’s website that profits raised by the compilation for the benefit of AIDS/HIV awareness and prevention amounted to £423,212 ($668,358), a sum that represents all the profits from worldwide sales for the first half of 2009. A Dark Was the Night Live concert followed at Radio City Music Hall on May 3, 2009. The concert was released as a DVD and included footage from the show, as well as exclusive rehearsal scenes, interviews and promotional performances featuring Andrew Bird, Dirty Projectors, The National, Colin Meloy, David Sitek and Yeasayer - plus more from David Byrne, Bon Iver, My Brightest Diamond, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Feist.

On December 3 and 4, 2010, The Red Hot series returned to the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) with Red Hot + New Orleans LIVE, saluting the music of the Crescent City in recognition of World AIDS Day (Dec 1) with part of the proceeds benefiting the New Orleans' AIDS Tasks Force. Directed by Grammy nominee Trombone Shorty, Red Hot + New Orleans featured Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, Ledisi, Marc Broussard, Ivan Neville, Partners-N-Crime, Mannie Fresh, Roger Lewis, Phil and Keith Frazier, with video Design by Yuki Nakajima and stage design by Alex Delaunay.

Red Hot is currently partnering with the non-profit organization Advocates for Youth (Advocatesforyouth.org) to sponsor a national film contest, RedHotAnd.us (RedHot+) that runs through August 31. The cause-related contest gives young artists and filmmakers an opportunity to explore and present their own unique experiences growing up and being impacted by HIV and AIDS. Through short films and PSA submissions, the RedHot+ contest serves as a catalyst (and soundtrack) to look at HIV and AIDS through a contemporary lens . Contest winners earn grand prize money and travel to NYC to participate in Red Hot special events in support of World AIDS Day in December 2011.

Red Hot + Rio 2[link]

RED HOT + RIO 2, produced by Béco Dranoff, John Carlin, and Paul Heck; with supervising musical producers Andres Levin, Mario Caldato Jr., and Kamal Kassin; in collaboration with U.S. label E1 Entertainment, is Red Hot Organization’s next entry into its series of tribute albums created to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Consisting of 34 original recordings featuring unique collaborations involving over 60 international and Brazilian stars, RIO 2 is a cutting-edge tribute to the influential Tropicália movement that rocked Brazil’s cultural and political landscape in the late-60’s. In addition, RIO 2 is a 15-year celebration of the first Red Hot + Rio project released to great acclaim in 1996.

Featuring world class performers such as John Legend, Caetano Veloso, Seu Jorge, Beirut, Bebel Gilberto, Of Montreal, Aloe Blacc, Marisa Monte and more, RIO 2 will create a sunny Brazilian groove by updating the sounds of the Tropicália era for a new generation of listeners. The project follows Red Hot’s latest successful benefit album, Dark Was The Night (Beggars Banquet, 2009), which features top indie-rock artists such as Arcade Fire, The National, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, David Byrne and many others and raised over $1 million dollars for AIDS relief.

RIO 2 follows the rich Brazilian musical journey from boss nova into the ‘Tropicalista’ universe envisioned by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Gal Costa, Os Mutantes – bringing its forward-thinking global message to today’s global youth and music lovers of all ages. Artists appearing on Rio 2 include:

Alice Smith, Almaz, Aloe Blacc, Angelique Kidjo, Apollo Nove, Atom, Bebel Gilberto, Beck, Beirut, Brazilian Girls, Carlinhos Brown, Caetano Veloso, Céu, Clara Moreno, Cults, Curumin, Devendra Banhart, DJ Dolores, Emicida, Fernanda Takai, Forró In The Dark, Fred 04, Garotas Suecas, Gogol Bordello, Isaar, Javelin, John Legend, José González, Joyce, Los Van Van, Marcos Valle, Marina Gasolina, Madlib, Marisa Monte, Mayra Andrade, Mia Doi Todd, Money Mark, Moreno Veloso, N.A.S.A., Of Montreal, Om'mas Keith, Orq. Contemporânea de Olinda, Os Mutantes, Otto, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Prefuse 73, Quadron, Rodrigo Amarante, Rita Lee, Secousse, Seu Jorge, Super Human Happiness, Tha Boogie, Thalma de Freitas, Thank Frank, Tom Zé, Toshiyuki Yasuda, Trio Mocotó, Twin Danger, and Vanessa da Mata.

Rio 2 was reviewed by critics to high acclaim. The Wall Street Journal noted that the album possessed "unusual collaboration and combinations" that would solidify Red Hot's place "in the musical landscape."^[12]

The Denver Post stated that the album was full of "summery, breezy songs" that alternately "surprises and triumphs" and ultimately deemed it "one of the most listenable records to come across our desk in months." ^[13]

The Huffington Post noted the success of Red Hot on a number of different letters by stating, "The Red Hot albums are really a double public service: they bring the world into your music player, and they keep hope alive." They concluded by urging readers to "Buy "Red Hot + Rio 2" now. It's cheaper than a ticket to South America, and it's more uplifting than reading the latest AIDS stats."^[14]

Staff[link]

John Carlin career began in the early 1980s as a Professor of Art and Popular Culture. During this period, he published numerous articles in the fields of art and literature, served as the lead art critic for Paper Magazine, and curated museum exhibitions related to pop culture at many venues, including the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 1987, John began practicing entertainment law at the New York firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, representing corporate clients ranging from EMI Music, SBK Records and Revlon to artists like Jonathan Demme, Richard Hell, Art Spiegelman and David Wojnarowicz. In 1990, John left the law firm to found the Red Hot Organization. Carlin also founded Funny Garbage, one of the leading interactive development companies in the world, whose clients include MTV Networks, Cartoon Network, Star Trek, Crayola, The Smithsonian Institution, PBS, The City of New York, The School of Visual Arts and many others.

Paul Heck has been involved in the making of nearly a dozen Red Hot albums, including his first project, No Alternative (1993), which featured such prominent rock artists as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sarah McLachlan, and Patti Smith. He was also co-producer (with the Dessner twins of The National) of "Dark Was the Night" Red Hot's latest successful album and a concert involving upcoming indie rock bands. Paul also produces the series of Red Hot themed live concerts that appeared as a part of TheNext Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Paul also works as a music supervisor for film/TV and develops music strategies and solutions for international brands.

Béco Dranoff, recently named one of New York’s Most Influential Brazilians by Vogue Magazine, was born in São Paulo and has over 20 years of experience promoting Brazilian music around the world. He helped launch the international careers of artists such as Bebel Gilberto, Cibelle, Apollo Nove, DJ Dolores, earning his projects several Grammy nominations. He was co-producer of Red Hot’s first Rio album "Red Hot + Rio" and is part of the production team on the follow-up, "Red Hot + Rio 2", to be released in the Spring of 2011.

Discography[link]

• Red Hot + Blue (1990)
• Red Hot + Dance (1992)
• No Alternative (1993)
• Red Hot + Country (1994)
• Red Hot + Cool: Stolen Moments (1994)
• Red Hot + Bothered (1995)
• Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip (1996)
• America Is Dying Slowly (1996)
• Red Hot + Rio (1996)
• Red Hot + Latin: Silencio = Muerte (1997)
• Red Hot + Lisbon: Onda Sonora (1998)
• Red Hot + Rhapsody (1998)
• Optic Nerve (1999)
• Red Hot + Indigo (2000)
• Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti (2002)
• Dark Was The Night (2009)
• Red Hot + Rio 2 (2011)

Compilations[link]

• Red Hot On Impulse (1994)
• Nova Bossa: Red Hot On Verve (1996)
• By George (& Ira): Red Hot on Gershwin (1998)
• Twentieth-Century Blues: The Songs of Noel Coward (1998)

Filmography[link]

• Red Hot + Blue (VHS) (1990)
• No Alternative (VHS) (1993)
• Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool (VHS) (1994)

Red Hot + TV[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Red Hot Online Official site
• Red Hot + Riot Red Hot operated website provides additional information on the compilation to honour Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
• Dark Was The Night Website for Dark Was The Night, Red Hot 2009 charity album
• Guide to the Red Hot Organization's Papers at NYU's Fales Library

Look up red-hot or red hot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Red hot may refer to:

• Red hot, the glowing color of a heated object between about 500 °C and 800 °C; see Incandescence
• Red Hot (film), a 1993 Canadian drama film directed by Paul Haggis
• Red Hots, a small cinnamon-flavored candy
• Hot sauce, a spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients
  • Frank's RedHot, a hot sauce produced by Reckitt Benckiser
• Hot dog, especially one sold at baseball games
  • A Michigan hot dog, which is covered in a meat sauce
• Saveloy, a red, spicy sausage
• "Red Hot", a 1957 song by Billy Lee Riley
• "Red Hot", a song by Mötley Crüe from their 1983 album Shout at the Devil
• "Red Hot", a 1995 composition by Vanessa-Mae
• "Red Hot" (Debbie Gibson song)
• Red Hot (album), a 2004 album by RuPaul
• Red Hot (Transformers), a fictional character, member of the Micromasters
• Red Hot TV (UK), a softcore pornographic pay-per-view UK television network
• Red Hot TV (Canada), a pornographic television network in Canada
• Red Hot Organization, an international organization that works on AIDS awareness
  • Red Hot + Blue, the first of a series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization
• Redhot & Blue, Yale University's oldest coeducational a cappella group
• Red Hot & Blue, a 1990 recording from Lee Atwater
• Red Hot & Blue (restaurant), a barbecue restaurant franchise
• Red, Hot and Blue, a 1936 musical by Cole Porter, originally starring Ethel Merman, Jimmy Durante, and Bob Hope
• Red, Hot and Blue (film), a 1949 film based on the musical
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, an American funk rock band
  • The Red Hot Chili Peppers (album), their 1984 debut album

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.

Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti in 1970
Background information
Birth name	Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti
Also known as	Fela Anikulapo Kuti Fela Ransome-Kuti
Born	(1938-10-15)15 October 1938 Abeokuta, Nigeria
Died	2 August 1997(1997-08-02) (aged 58)
Genres	Afrobeat, Highlife
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, activist
Instruments	Saxophone, vocals, keyboards, trumpet, guitar, drums
Years active	1958–1997
Labels	Barclay/PolyGram, MCA/Universal, Celluloid, EMI Nigeria, JVC, Wrasse, Shanachie, Knitting Factory
Associated acts	Africa '70, Egypt '80, Koola Lobitos, Nigeria '70, Hugh Masekela, Ginger Baker, Tony Allen, Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Roy Ayers, Lester Bowie
Website	www.felaproject.net

Fela Anikulapo Kuti (15 October 1938 — 2 August 1997), or simply Fela ([feˈlæ]), was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life and career[link]

Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti^[2] in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria^[3] into a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a Protestant minister and school principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers.^[4] His brothers, Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both medical doctors, are well known in Nigeria. Fela was a first cousin to the Nigerian writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, the first African to win a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Fela was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a fusion of jazz and highlife.^[5] In 1960, Fela married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor, with whom he would have three children (Femi, Yeni, and Sola). In 1963, Fela moved back to Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He played for some time with Victor Olaiya and his All Stars.^[6]

In 1967, he went to Ghana to think up a new musical direction.^[4] That was when Kuti first called his music Afrobeat.^[4] In 1969, Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (now Izsadore)—a partisan of the Black Panther Party — which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria '70. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the U.S. without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The '69 Los Angeles Sessions.

1970s[link]

After Fela and his band returned to Nigeria, the band was renamed The Africa '70, as lyrical themes changed from love to social issues.^[5] He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel, named the Afro-Spot and then the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"),^[7] stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated.^{[citation needed]}

Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general.^[8] In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. During 1972, Ginger Baker recorded Stratavarious with Fela appearing alongside Bobby Gass.^[9] Around this time, Kuti was becoming more involved in Yoruba religion.^[10]

In 1977, Fela and the Afrika '70 released the album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela claimed that he would have been killed had it not been for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten. Fela's response to the attack was to deliver his mother's coffin to the Dodan Barracks in Lagos, General Olusegun Obasanjo's residence, and to write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" and "Unknown Soldier", referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.^[11]

Fela and his band then took residence in Crossroads Hotel as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978, Fela married twenty-seven women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic. Later, he was to adopt a rotation system of keeping only twelve simultaneous wives.^[12] The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song "Zombie", which led to Fela being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Fela's musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Fela was planning to use the entire proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.

Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party, which he called Movement of the People. In 1979, he put himself forward for President in Nigeria's first elections for more than a decade, but his candidature was refused. At this time, Fela created a new band called Egypt '80 and continued to record albums and tour the country. He further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT vice-president Moshood Abiola and then General Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot-selling 25-minute political screed titled "I.T.T. (International Thief-Thief)".

1980s and beyond[link]

In 1984, Muhammadu Buhari's government, of which Kuti was a vocal opponent, jailed him on a charge of currency smuggling which Amnesty International and others denounced as politically motivated.^[13] His case was taken up by several human-rights groups, and after 20 months, he was released from prison by General Ibrahim Babangida. On his release he divorced his twelve remaining wives, saying that "marriage brings jealousy and selfishness".^[12]

Once again, Fela continued to release albums with Egypt '80, made a number of successful tours of the United States and Europe and also continued to be politically active. In 1986, Fela performed in Giants Stadium in New Jersey as part of the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope concert, sharing the bill with Bono, Carlos Santana, and The Neville Brothers. In 1989, Fela and Egypt '80 released the anti-apartheid Beasts of No Nation album that depicts on its cover U.S. President Ronald Reagan, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African Prime Minister Pieter Willem Botha.

His album output slowed in the 1990s, and eventually he stopped releasing albums altogether. In 1993, he and four members of the Afrika '70 organization were arrested for murder. The battle against military corruption in Nigeria was taking its toll, especially during the rise of dictator Sani Abacha. Rumors were also spreading that he was suffering from an illness for which he was refusing treatment.

Death[link]

On 3 August 1997, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, already a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of Health, stunned the nation by announcing his younger brother's death a day earlier from Kaposi's sarcoma which was brought on by AIDS. More than a million people attended Fela's funeral at the site of the old Shrine compound. A new Africa Shrine has opened since Fela's death in a different section of Lagos under the supervision of his son Femi Kuti.

Music[link]

The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat, which is a complex fusion of Jazz, Funk, Ghanaian/Nigerian High-life, psychedelic rock, and traditional West African chants and rhythms. Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native "tinker pan" African-style percussion that Kuti acquired while studying in Ghana with Hugh Masekela, under the uncanny Hedzoleh Soundz.^[14] The importance of the input of Tony Allen (Fela's drummer of twenty years) in the creation of Afrobeat cannot be overstated. Fela once famously stated that "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat".

Afrobeat is characterized by a fairly large band with many instruments, vocals, and a musical structure featuring jazzy, funky horn sections. The "endless groove" is used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted West African-style guitar, and melodic bass guitar riffs are repeated throughout the song. Commonly, interlocking melodic riffs and rhythms are introduced one by one, building the groove bit-by-bit and layer-by-layer to an astonishing melodic and polyrhythmic complexity. The horn section then becomes prominent, introducing other riffs and main melodic themes.

Fela's band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones, whereas most groups were using only one of this instrument. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in funk and hip hop. Fela's bands at times even performed with two bassists at the same time both playing interlocking melodies and rhythms. There were always two or more guitarists. The electric West African style guitar in Afrobeat bands are paramount, but are used to give basic structure, playing a repeating chordal/melodic statement, riff, or groove.

Some elements often present in Fela's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. Fela's songs were also very long, at least 10–15 minutes in length, and many reaching the 20 or even 30 minutes, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside Africa. His LP records frequently had one 30-minute track per side. Typically there is an instrumental "introduction" jam part of the song, perhaps 10-15 minutes long, before Fela starts singing the "main" part.

His songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. Fela's main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, electric guitar, and took the occasional drum solo. Fela refused to perform songs again after he had already recorded them, which also hindered his popularity outside Africa.

Fela was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild. He referred to his stage act as the Underground Spiritual Game. Fela attempted making a movie but lost all the materials to the fire that was set to his house by the military government in power. Kuti thought that art, and thus his own music, should have political meaning.^[10]

Political views[link]

As a supporter of traditional religions and lifestyles, Kuti thought that the most important thing for Africans to fight is European cultural imperialism.^[10] The American Black Power movement also influenced Fela's political views; he was a supporter of Pan-Africanism and socialism, and called for a united, democratic African republic. He was a candid supporter of human rights, and many of his songs are direct attacks against dictatorships, specifically the militaristic governments of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a social commentator, and he criticized his fellow Africans (especially the upper class) for betraying traditional African culture. The African culture he believed in also included having many wives (polygyny) and the Kalakuta Republic was formed in part as a polygamist colony. He defended his stance on polygyny with the words: "A man goes for many women in the first place. Like in Europe, when a man is married, when the wife is sleeping, he goes out and fucks around. He should bring the women in the house, man, to live with him, and stop running around the streets!"^[16] His views towards women are characterized by some as misogynist, with songs like "Mattress" typically cited as evidence^[17] In a more complex example, he mocks the aspiration of African women to European standards of ladyhood while extolling the values of the market woman in his song "Lady".

Bypassing editorial censorship in Nigeria's predominantly state controlled media, Kuti began in the 1970s buying advertising space in daily and weekly newspapers such as The Daily Times and The Punch in order to run outspoken political columns.^[18] Published throughout the 1970s and early 1980s under the title Chief Priest Say, these columns were essentially extensions of Kuti's famous Yabi Sessions—consciousness-raising word-sound rituals, with himself as chief priest, conducted at his Lagos nightclub. Organized around a militantly Afrocentric rendering of history and the essence of black beauty, Chief Priest Say focused on the role of cultural hegemony in the continuing subjugation of Africans. Kuti addressed a number of topics, from explosive denunciations of the Nigerian Government's criminal behavior; Islam and Christianity's exploitative nature, and evil multinational corporations; to deconstructions of Western medicine, Black Muslims, sex, pollution, and poverty. Chief Priest Say was cancelled, first by Daily Times then by Punch, ostensibly due to non-payment, but many commentators^[who?] have speculated that the paper's respective editors were placed under increasingly violent pressure to stop publication.

The Fela revival[link]

In recent years there has been a revitalization of Fela's influence on music and popular culture, culminating in another re-release of his catalog controlled by Universal Music, off- and on-Broadway biopic shows, and new bands, such as Antibalas, who carry the Afrobeat banner to a new generation of listeners.

In 1999, Universal Music France, under the aegis of Francis Kertekian, remastered the 45 albums that it controlled and released them on twenty-six compact discs. These titles were licensed to other territories of the world with the exception of Nigeria and Japan, where Fela's music was controlled by other companies. In 2005, Universal Music USA licensed all of its world-music titles to the UK-based label Wrasse Records, which repackaged the same twenty-six CDs for distribution in the USA (replacing the MCA-issued titles there) and the UK. In 2009, Universal created a new deal for the USA with Knitting Factory Records and for Europe with PIAS, which included the release of the Fela! Broadway cast album.

Thomas McCarthy's 2008 film The Visitor depicted a disconnected professor (Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins) who wanted to play the djembe. He learns from a young Syrian (Haaz Sleiman) who tells the professor he will never truly understand African music unless he listens to Fela. The film features clips of Fela's "Open and Close" and "Je'nwi Temi (Don't Gag Me)".

In 2008, an off-Broadway production of Fela Kuti's life titled Fela! began with a collaborative workshop between the Afrobeat band Antibalas and Tony award-winner Bill T. Jones. The show was a massive success, selling out shows during its run, and garnering much critical acclaim. On November 22, 2009, Fela! began a run on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. Jim Lewis helped co-write the play (along with Bill T. Jones), and obtained producer backing from Jay-Z and Will Smith, among others. On May 4, 2010, Fela! was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Bill T. Jones, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Sahr Ngaujah, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Lillias White.^[19]

On August 18, 2009, award-winning DJ J.Period released a free mixtape to the general public via his website that was a collaboration with Somali-born hip-hop artist K'naan paying tribute to Fela, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, entitled The Messengers.

In October 2009, Knitting Factory Records began the process of re-releasing the 45 titles that Universal Music controls, starting with yet another re-release of the compilation The Best of the Black President in the USA. The rest is expected to be released in 2010.^{[dated info]}

In addition, a movie by Focus Features, directed by Steve McQueen and written by Biyi Bandele about the life of Fela Kuti went into production in 2010. It was announced in 2010 that Chiwetel Ejiofor would play the lead role.^[20]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

• Fela in Concert, 1981, (VIEW)
• Music is the Weapon, 1982, Stéphane Tchal-Gadjieff and Jean Jacques Flori (Universal Music)
• Fela Live! Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the Egypt ’80 Band, 1984, Recorded Live At Glastonbury, England (Yazoo)
• Femi Kuti—Live at the Shrine, 2005, recorded Live At Lagos, Nigeria (Palm Pictures)

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• 'He was in a godlike state' - Guardian feature by Alex Hannaford, 25 July 2007.
• The Shrine Unofficial website for Fela Kuti and Afrobeat Music with news, bio's, tour dates, gig reviews, interviews, and lyrics.
• Fela Kuti discography at Discogs
• Fela Kuti article from the New Official Ginger Baker Archive and Drummers forum launched by the Baker family September 2010
• Fela Kuti biography at World Music Central, includes biography, discography and bibliography

v t e Pan-Africanism Proponents Politicians Nnamdi Azikiwe Amílcar Cabral Muammar Gaddafi Marcus Garvey David Comissiong Kenneth Kaunda Jomo Kenyatta Patrice Lumumba Thabo Mbeki Abdias do Nascimento Gamal Abdel Nasser Kwame Nkrumah Julius Nyerere John Nyathi Pokela Thomas Sankara Haile Selassie Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Ahmed Sékou Touré I. T. A. Wallace-Johnson Others Marimba Ani Molefi Kete Asante Steve Biko Edward Wilmot Blyden John Henrik Clarke Cheikh Anta Diop W. E. B. Du Bois Frantz Fanon John G. Jackson Leonard Jeffries Yosef Ben-Jochannan Maulana Karenga Fela Kuti Bob Marley Malcolm X Zephania Mothopeng George Padmore Motsoko Pheko Runoko Rashidi Paul Robeson Walter Rodney Burning Spear Henry Sylvester-Williams Stokely Carmichael Omali Yeshitela Concepts United States of Africa Afrocentrism Kwanzaa Pan-African colours Pan-African flag Négritude African nationalism African socialism African Century Africanization Kawaida Ujamaa Harambee Ubuntu Zikism Black nationalism Organizations African Union Organization of African Unity Uhuru Movement UNIA-ACL African Unification Front International African Service Bureau

Gilberto Gil
Born	Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (1942-06-26) June 26, 1942 (age 70) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Education	BBA, Universidade Federal da Bahia
Occupation	Musician
Political party	Partido Verde
Website
http://www.gilbertogil.com.br/

Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (born June 26, 1942), better known as Gilberto Gil (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒiɫˈbɛʁtu ʒiɫ]) or (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒiu̯ˈbɛɾtʊ ʒiu̯]), is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Gil's musical style incorporates an eclectic range of influences, including Rock music, Brazilian genres including samba, African music, and reggae.

Gil started to play music as a child and was still a teenager when he joined his first band. He began his career as a bossa nova musician, and then grew to write songs that reflected a focus on political awareness and social activism. He was a key figure in the Música Popular Brasileira and tropicália movements of the 1960s, alongside artists such as longtime collaborator Caetano Veloso. The Brazilian military regime that took power in 1964 saw both Gil and Veloso as a threat, and the two were held for nine months in 1969 before they were told to leave the country. Gil moved to London, but returned to state of Bahia in 1972 and continued his musical career, as well as working as a politician and environmental advocate.

Biography[link]

Early years (1942–1963)[link]

Gil was born in Salvador, an industrial city in the northeast of Brazil, though he spent much of his childhood in nearby Ituaçu. Ituaçu was a small town of fewer than a thousand, located in the sertão, or countryside, of Bahia.^[1] His father, José Gil Moreira, was a doctor; his mother, Claudina Passos Gil Moreira, an elementary school teacher.^[1][2] As a young boy, he attended a Marist Brothers school.^[3] Gil remained in Ituaçu until he was nine years old, returning to Salvador for secondary school.

Gil's interest in music was precocious: "When I was only two or two and a half," he recalled, "I told my mother I was going to become a musician or a president of my country."^[4] He grew up listening to the forró music of his native northeast,^[2] and took an interest in the street performers of Salvador.^[5] Early on, he began to play the drums and the trumpet, through listening to Bob Nelson on the radio.^[6] Gil's mother was the "chief supporter" in his musical ambitions; she bought him an accordion and, when he was ten years old, sent him to music school in Salvador which he attended for four years.^[1][4] As an accordionist, Gil first played classical music, but grew more interested in the folk and popular music of Brazil.^[1] He was particularly influenced by singer and accordion player Luiz Gonzaga; he began to sing and play the accordion in an emulation of Gonzaga's recordings.^[7] Gil has noted that he grew to identify with Gonzaga "because he sang about the world around [him], the world that [he] encountered."^[8]

During his years in Salvador, Gil also encountered the music of songwriter Dorival Caymmi, who he says represented to him the "beach-oriented" samba music of Salvador.^[8] Gonzaga and Caymmi were Gil's formative influences.^[1] While in Salvador, Gil was introduced to many other styles of music, including American big band jazz and tango.^[8] In 1950 Gil moved back to Salvador with his family. It was there, while still in high school, that he joined his first band, Os Desafinados (The Out of Tunes), in which he played accordion and vibraphone and sang.^[1] Os Desafinados was influenced by American rock and roll musicians like Elvis Presley, as well as singing groups from Rio de Janeiro.^[1] The band was active for two to three years. Soon afterwards, inspired by Brazilian star João Gilberto, he settled on the guitar as his primary instrument and began to play bossa nova.^[5]

Musical career (1963–present)[link]

Gil met guitarist and singer Caetano Veloso at the Universidade Federal da Bahia (Federal University of Bahia) in 1963. The two immediately began collaborating and performing together, releasing a single and EP soon afterwards.^[2] Along with Maria Bethânia (Veloso's sister), Gal Costa, and Tom Zé, Gil and Veloso performed bossa nova and traditional Brazilian songs at the Vila Velha Theatre's opening night in July 1964, a show entitled Nós, por Exemplo (Us, for Example).^[6] Gil and the group continued to perform at the venue and he eventually became a musical director of the concert series.^[9] Gil collaborated again with members of this collective on the landmark 1968 album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses, whose style was influenced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album Gil listened to constantly.^[10] Gil describes Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses as the birth of the tropicália movement.^[1] As Gil describes it, tropicália (or Tropicalismo) was a conflation of musical and cultural developments that had occurred in Brazil during the 1950s and 1960s—primarily bossa nova and the Jovem Guarda (Young Wave) collective—with rock and roll music from the United States and Europe, a movement deemed threatening by the Brazilian government of the time.^[11]

Early on in the 1960s, Gil earned income primarily from selling bananas in a shopping mall and trying composing jingles for television advertisements;^[5] he was also briefly employed by the Brazilian division of Unilever, Gessy-Lever.^[6] He moved to São Paulo in 1965 and had a hit single when his song "Louvação" (which later appeared on the album of the same name) was released by Elis Regina. However, his first hit as a solo artist was the 1969 song "Aquele Abraço".^[5] Gil also performed in several television programs throughout the 1960s, which often included other "tropicalistas", members of the Tropicalismo movement.^[6] One of these programs, Divina Maravilhoso, which featured Veloso, gained attention from government television censors after it aired a satirical version of the national anthem in December 1968.^[12]

In February 1969 Gil and Veloso were arrested by the Brazilian military government, brought from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, and spent three months in prison and another four under house arrest,^[1][11] before being freed on the condition that they leave the country. Veloso was the first to be arrested; the police moved to Gil's home soon afterward. Veloso had directed his then-wife Andréa Gadelha to warn Gil about the possibility of arrest, but Gil was eventually brought into the police van along with Veloso.^[13] They were given no reason or charge for their arrest.^[1] Gil believes that the government felt his actions "represent[ed] a threat [to them], something new, something that can't quite be understood, something that doesn't fit into any of the clear compartments of existing cultural practices, and that won't do. That is dangerous."^[14] During his prison sentence, Gil began to meditate, follow a macrobiotic diet, and read about Eastern philosophy.^[2] He composed four songs during his imprisonment, among them "Cérebro Electrônico" (Electronic Brain), which first appeared on his 1969 album Gilberto Gil 1969, and later on his 2006 album Gil Luminoso.^[15] Thereafter, Gil and Veloso were exiled to London, England after being offered to leave Brazil.^[16] The two played a last Brazilian concert together in Salvador in July 1969, then left to Portugal, Paris, and finally London.^[1] He and Veloso took a house in Chelsea, sharing it with their manager and wives.^[17] Gil was involved in the organisation of the 1971 Glastonbury Free Festival^[17] and was exposed to reggae while living in London; he recalls listening to Bob Marley (whose songs he later covered), Jimmy Cliff, and Burning Spear.^[1] He was heavily influenced by and involved with the city's rock scene as well, performing with Yes, Pink Floyd, and the Incredible String Band.^[1][5] However, he also performed solo, recording Gilberto Gil (Nêga) while in London. In addition to involvement in the reggae and rock scenes, Gil attended performances by jazz artists, including Miles Davis and Sun Ra.^[1]

Gilberto Gil performing in 2007

When he went back to Bahia in 1972, Gil focused on his musical career and environmental advocacy work.^[18] He released Expresso 2222 the same year, from which two popular singles were released. Gil toured the United States and recorded an English-language album as well, continuing to release a steady stream of albums throughout the 1970s, including Realce and Refazenda. In the early 1970s Gil participated in a resurgence of the Afro-Brazilian afoxé tradition in Carnaval, joining the Filhos de Gandhi (Sons of Gandhi) performance group,^[19] which only allowed black Brazilians to join.^[20] Gil also recorded a song titled "Patuscada de Gandhi" written about the Filhos de Gandhi that appeared on his 1977 album Refavela. Greater attention was paid to afoxé groups in Carnaval because of the publicity that Gil had provided to them through his involvement; the groups increased in size as well.^[21] In the late 1970s he left Brazil for Africa and visited Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria. He also worked with Jimmy Cliff and released a cover of "No Woman, No Cry" with him in 1980, a number one hit that introduced reggae to Brazil.^[5]

In 1996, Gil contributed "Refazenda" to the AIDS-Benefit Album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization.

In 1998 the live version of his album Quanta won Gil the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. In 2005 he won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album for Eletracústico. In May 2005 he was awarded the Polar Music Prize by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in Stockholm,^[22] the prize's first Latin American recipient. On October 16 of the same year he received the Légion d'honneur from the French government, coinciding with the Année du Brésil en France (Brazil's Year in France).^[23]

In 2010 he released the album Fé Na Festa, a record devoted to forró, a style of music from Brazil's northeast. His tour to promote this album received some negative feedback from fans who were expecting to hear a set featuring his hits.^[24]

Political career (1987–present)[link]

Gil with former President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Gil describes his attitude towards politics thus: "I'd rather see my position in the government as that of an administrator or manager. But politics is a necessary ingredient."^[25] His political career began in 1987, when he was elected to a local post in Bahia and became the Salvador secretary of culture.^[26] In 1988, he was elected to the city council and subsequently became city commissioner for environmental protection. However, he left the office after one term and declined to run for the National Congress of Brazil.^[25] In 1990, Gil left the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party and joined the Green Party.^[27] During this period, Gil founded the environmental protection organization Onda Azul (Blue Wave), which worked to protect Brazilian waters.^[18] He maintained a full-time musical career at the same time, and withdrew temporarily from politics in 1992, following the release Parabolicamará, considered to be one of his most successful efforts.^[2] On October 16, 2001 Gil accepted his nomination to be a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, having promoted the organization before his appointment.^[28]

When President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January 2003, he chose Gil as Brazil's new Minister of Culture, only the second black person to serve in the country's cabinet. The appointment was controversial among political and artistic figures and the Brazilian press; a remark Gil made about difficulties with his salary received particular criticism.^[29] Gil is not a member of Lula's Workers' Party and did not participate in creating its cultural program.^[29] Shortly after becoming Minister, Gil began a partnership between Brazil and Creative Commons. As Minister, he has sponsored a program called Culture Points, which gives grants to provide music technology and education to people living in poor areas of the country's cities.^[30] Gil has since asserted that "You've now got young people who are becoming designers, who are making it into media and being used more and more by television and samba schools and revitalizing degraded neighborhoods. It's a different vision of the role of government, a new role."^[31] Gil has also expressed interest in a program that will establish an Internet repository of freely downloadable Brazilian music.^[14] Since Gil's appointment, the department's expenditures have increased by over 50 percent.^[32] In November 2007 Gil announced his intention to resign from his post due to a vocal cord polyp.^[33] Lula rejected Gil's first two attempts to resign, but accepted another request in July 2008. Lula said on this occasion that Gil was "going back to being a great artist, going back to giving priority to what is most important" to him.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Gil has been married four times. His fourth wife is Flora Nair Giordano Gil Moreira. The couple has five children, four of whom are still living. The fifth child – Pedro Gil, Egotrip's drummer – died in a car accident in 1990.^[35] Preta Gil, an actress and singer, is his daughter.

Gil's religious beliefs have changed significantly over his lifetime. Originally, he was a Christian, but was later influenced by Eastern philosophy and religion, and, later still, explored African spirituality. He is now an agnostic.^[35] He practices yoga and is a vegetarian.^[11]

Gil has been open about the fact that he has smoked marijuana for much of his life. He has said he believes "that drugs should be treated like pharmaceuticals, legalized, although under the same regulations and monitoring as medicines".^[36]

Musical style and influences[link]

	"Oslodum" noicon Gil recorded "Oslodum" for the 2004 compilation album The Wired CD, an album composed of songs licensed under the Creative Commons. The song is heavily influenced by samba, a major element of Gil's style.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Gil sings in the baritone or falsetto register, with lyrics and/or scat syllables. His lyrics are on subjects that range from philosophy to religion, folktales, and word play.^[37] Gil's musical style incorporates a broad range of influences. The first music he was exposed to included The Beatles and street performers in various metropolitan areas of Bahia. During his first years as a musician, Gil performed primarily in a blend of traditional Brazilian styles with two-step rhythms, such as baião and samba.^[4] He states that "My first phase was one of traditional forms. Nothing experimental at all. Caetano [Veloso] and I followed in the tradition of Luiz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro, combining samba with northeastern music."^[4]

As one of the pioneers of tropicália, influences from genres such as rock and punk have been pervasive in his recordings, as they have been in those of other stars of the period, including Caetano Veloso and Tom Zé. Gil's interest in the blues-based music of rock pioneer Jimi Hendrix, in particular, has been described by Veloso as having "extremely important consequences for Brazilian music".^[38] Veloso also noted the influence of Brazilian guitarist and singer Jorge Ben on Gil's musical style, coupled with that of traditional music.^[38] After the height of tropicália in the 1960s, Gil became increasingly interested in black culture, particularly in the Jamaican musical genre of reggae. He described the genre as "a form of democratizing, internationalizing, speaking a new language, a Heideggerian form of passing along fundamental messages".^[39]

Visiting Lagos, Nigeria, in 1976 for the Festival of African Culture (FESTAC), Gil met fellow musicians Fela Kuti and Stevie Wonder.^[1] He became inspired by African music and later integrated some of the styles he had heard in Africa, such as juju and highlife, into his own recordings.^[40] One of the most famous of these African-influenced records was the 1977 album Refavela, which included "No Norte da Saudade" (To the North of Sadness), a song heavily influenced by reggae.^[41] When Gil returned to Brazil after the visit, he focused on Afro-Brazilian culture, becoming a member of the Carnaval afoxé group Filhos de Gandhi.

Conversely, his 1980s musical repertoire presented an increased development of dance trends, such as disco and soul, as well as the previous incorporation of rock and punk.^[39] However, Gil says that his 1994 album Acoustic was not such a new direction, as he had previously performed unplugged with Caetano Veloso. He describes the method of playing as easier than other types of performance, as the energy of acoustic playing is simple and influenced by its roots.^[42] Gil has been criticized for a conflicting involvement in both authentic Brazilian music and the worldwide musical arena. He has had to walk a fine line, simultaneously remaining true to traditional Bahian styles and engaging with commercial markets. Listeners in Bahia have been much more accepting of his blend of music styles, while those in southeast Brazil felt at odds with it.^[39]

Discography[link]

Awards, nominations, and positions[link]

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Crook, Larry (2005). Brazilian Music: Northeastern Traditions and the Heartbeat of a Modern Nation. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-287-8. 
• Veloso, Caetano (2003). Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81281-1. 
• Wald, Elijah (2007). Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music. New York City, New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-97930-7. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gilberto Gil

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Gilberto Gil

Latin American music portal

v t e Ministers of Culture (1985–2012) José Aparecido de Oliveira Aluísio Pimenta Celso Furtado Hugo Napoleão do Rego Neto José Aparecido de Oliveira Ipojuca Pontes Sérgio Paulo Rouanet Antônio Houaiss Jerônimo Moscardo Luiz Roberto do Nascimento e Silva Francisco Weffort Gilberto Gil Juca Ferreira

David Byrne
David Byrne speaking at the 2006 Future of Music Policy Summit hosted by the McGill University Schulich School of Music in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Background information
Born	(1952-05-14) May 14, 1952 (age 60) Dumbarton, Scotland, UK
Genres	New Wave, experimental pop, worldbeat, alternative rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, artist, singer, actor, director, film producer, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, flute, clavinet, slide guitar, harmonica, autoharp, harmonium, violin, accordion buildings[1]
Years active	1974–present
Labels	Luaka Bop, Nonesuch Records, Thrill Jockey
Associated acts	Talking Heads, Brian Eno, X-Press 2, Fatboy Slim, The BPA
Website	www.davidbyrne.com
Notable instruments
Fender Duo-Sonic Fender Stratocaster

David Byrne (born May 14, 1952) is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, and non-fiction. He has received Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe awards and been inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Early life[link]

Byrne was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, to Tom and Emma Byrne. He was the elder of two children. Two years later, his parents moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and then to Arbutus, Maryland, when he was 8 or 9 years old. His father worked as an electronics engineer. Before high school, David Byrne already knew how to play the guitar, accordion, and violin. He was rejected from his middle school’s choir because they claimed he was "off-key and too withdrawn." From a young age, Byrne had a strong interest in music. His parents say that he would constantly play his phonograph from age three and he learned how to play the harmonica at age five.^[2] In his journals he says, "I was a peculiar young man — borderline Asperger's, I would guess."^[3][4] As revealed by Tina Weymouth in the commentary for the concert film Stop Making Sense, Byrne is left handed but plays guitar right handed.

Music career[link]

Talking Heads: 1975–1991[link]

As part of Talking Heads in 1978 Photo: Jean-Luc Ourlin

He graduated from Lansdowne High School in southwest Baltimore County. Byrne started his musical career in a high school duo named Bizadi with Mark Kehoe. Their repertoire consisted mostly of songs such as "April Showers," "96 Tears," "Dancing On The Ceiling," and Frank Sinatra songs. Byrne then attended the Rhode Island School of Design (during the 1970-71 term) and the Maryland Institute College of Art (during the 1971-72 term) before dropping out and forming a band called "The Artistics" with fellow RISD student Chris Frantz.^[5] The band dissolved within a year, and the two moved to New York together with Frantz's girlfriend Tina Weymouth. Unable to find a bass player in New York, Frantz and Byrne persuaded Weymouth to learn to play the bass guitar.

After some practice and playing together they founded the group Talking Heads which had its first gig in 1975.^[6][7] Multi-instrumentalist Jerry Harrison joined the group in 1977. The band released 8 studio albums before going into hiatus in 1988. David Byrne desired to go solo, but it took 3 years to announce that the band were breaking up in 1991. A brief reunion for a single "Sax and Violins" in 1991 occurred before again dissolving. The band were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, when they reunited to play 4 tracks.

Solo album career: 1979–1981;1989–present[link]

Byrne at London's Royal Festival Hall in April 2009.

During his time in the band, Byrne took on outside projects, collaborating with Brian Eno during 1979 and 1981 on the album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which attracted considerable critical acclaim due to its early use of analogue sampling and found sounds. Following this record, Byrne took his attention on Talking Heads. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts was re-released for its 25th anniversary in early 2006, with new bonus tracks. In keeping with the spirit of the original album, two of the songs' component tracks were released under Creative Commons licenses and a remix contest site was launched.

Rei Momo (1989) was the first solo album by Byrne, after leaving Talking Heads, that features mainly Afro-Cuban, Afro-Hispanic, and Brazilian song styles including popular dances including merengue, Cuban Son, samba, mambo, cumbia, cha-cha-chá, bomba, and charanga. His third solo album Uh-Oh (1992) followed that featured a brass-section and was driven by catchy tracks such as "Girls on My Mind" and "The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)". His fourth solo album, titled davidenryb (1994), was a more proper rock record, with Byrne playing most of the instruments on it, leaving percussion for session musicians. "Angels" and "Back in the Box" were the two main singles released from the album. The first one entered the US Modern Rock Tracks chart, reaching #24. For his fifth studio effort the emotional Feelings (1997), Byrne employed a brass orchestra called Black Cat Orchestra. His sixth Look into the Eyeball (2001) continued the same musical exploration of Feelings, but was compiled of more upbeat tracks, like those found on Uh-Oh.

Grown Backwards (2004), released by Nonesuch Records, used orchestral string arrangements, and includes two operatic arias as well as a rework of X-Press 2 collaboration "Lazy". He also launched a North American and Australian tour with the Tosca Strings. This tour ended with Los Angeles, San Diego and New York shows in August 2005.

Byrne and Eno reunited for his eighth album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008).^[8] He assembled a band to tour worldwide for the album for a six-month period from late 2008 through early 2009 on the Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour.

Work in theatre and film: 1981–present[link]

In 1981, Byrne partnered with choreographer Twyla Tharp, scoring music he wrote that appeared on his album, The Catherine Wheel for a ballet with the same name, prominently featuring unusual rhythms and lyrics. Productions of The Catherine Wheel appeared on Broadway that same year. In Spite of Wishing and Wanting is a soundscape David Byrne produced for the Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus's dance company Ultima Vez.

In 1991, Byrne released a classical instrumental album The Forest, where some of the tracks were already featured as a score for 1988 Robert Wilson theatre piece of the same name.

His work has been extensively used in movie soundtracks, most notably in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su on Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 2004, Lead Us Not Into Temptation (music from the film "Young Adam") included tracks and musical experiments from his score to Young Adam. Byrne also wrote, directed, and starred in True Stories, a musical collage of discordant Americana released in 1986, as well as producing most of the film's music. Byrne also directed the documentary Île Aiye and the concert film of his 1992 Latin-tinged tour titled Between the Teeth. He was chiefly responsible for the stage design and choreography of Stop Making Sense in 1984. Byrne added "Loco de Amor" (Crazy for Love) with Celia Cruz to Jonathan Demme's 1986 film Something Wild.

Byrne wrote the Dirty Dozen Brass Band-inspired score for Robert Wilson's Opera The Knee Plays from The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down. Some of the music from Byrne's orchestral album The Forest was originally used in a Wilson-directed theatre piece with the same name. The Forest premiered at the Theater der Freien Volksbühne, Berlin in 1988. It received its New York premiere in December 1988 at BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The Forestry Maxi-single contained dance and industrial remixes of pieces from The Forest by Jack Dangers, Rudy Tambala, and Anthony Capel.

In late 2005 Byrne and Fatboy Slim began work on Here Lies Love, a disco opera or song cycle about the life of Imelda Marcos, the controversial former First Lady of the Philippines. Some music from this piece was debuted at Adelaide Festival of Arts in Australia in February 2006 and the following year at Carnegie Hall on February 3, 2007.

In 2008 Byrne released Big Love: Hymnal - his soundtrack to season two of Big Love. These two albums constituted the first releases on his personal independent record label Todo Mundo.

In 2010, David Byrne songs were featured on the soundtrack of Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Byrne and Brian Eno provided the soundtrack for the film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.^[9]

Other musical contributions: 1990–present[link]

Byrne has contributed songs to five AIDS benefit compilation albums produced by the Red Hot Organization: Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter, Red Hot + Rio, Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin, Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon, and Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip. Byrne appeared as a guest vocalist/guitarist for 10,000 Maniacs during their MTV Unplugged concert, though the songs in which he is featured were cut from their following album. One of them, "Let the Mystery Be", appeared as the fourth track on 10,000 Maniacs' CD single "Few and Far Between". Byrne worked with the "Queen of Tex-Mex", Tejano superstar Selena, writing, producing and singing a song ("God's Child (Baila Conmigo)"), included on Selena's last album, "Dreaming of You", before her death. Byrne was the host of Sessions at West 54th during its second of three seasons and collaborated with members of Devo and Morcheeba to record the album Feelings in 1997.

Byrne playing; Austin City Limits, in 2008

In 2001 a version of Byrne's single “Like Humans Do”, edited to remove its drug reference, was selected by Microsoft as the sample music for Windows XP to demonstrate Windows Media Player (not included in SP2 installs).^[10][11]

In 2002, he co-wrote and provided vocals for a track, "Lazy" by X-Press 2, which reached number 2 in the United Kingdom and number 1 on the U.S. Dance Charts. Byrne said in an interview in BBC Four Sessions's coverage of his Union Chapel performance that “Lazy” was number 1 in Syria.

In 2006, his singing was featured on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" on The Cosmic Game by Thievery Corporation.

He is featured on the tracks "Money" and "The People Tree", on N.A.S.A.'s 2009 album The Spirit of Apollo. Also in 2009, David Byrne appeared on HIV/AIDS charity album Dark Was the Night for Red Hot Organization. He collaborated with Dirty Projectors on the song "Knotty Pine". In the same year, Byrne performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. He also was a signator of a letter protesting the decision of the Toronto International Film Festival to choose Tel Aviv as the subject of its inaugural City-to-City Spotlight strand.^[12]

In 2007, David Byrne provided a cover of The Fiery Furnaces' song "Ex-Guru" for a compilation to celebrate the 15th birthday of Thrill Jockey, a Chicago-based label.

In 2008, Byrne and his production team programmed the Battery Maritime Building, a 99-year-old ferry terminal in Manhattan, to play music.^[13] Essentially Byrne took the old New York City building, hooked the entire structure - pipes, heaters, pillars and all, electronically to an old pipe organ, and made a playable musical instrument of it, for a piece called "Playing the Building".^[1] This project was also installed in 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden,^[14] and at the London Roundhouse in 2009. It bears similarities to a series of installations performed by New Zealand and Detroit based artists Alastair Galbraith and Matt De Genaro, recorded on their 1998 record Wire Music and 2006 follow-up Long Wires in Dark Museums, Vol. 2. Byrne says that the point in this project was to allow people to experience art first hand, by creating the music with the organ, rather than simply looking at it.^[15]

In April 2008, Byrne took part in the Paul Simon retrospective concert series at BAM performing "You Can Call Me Al" and "I Know What I Know" from Simon's Graceland album.^[16]

In 2008 Byrne collaborated with The Brighton Port Authority, composing the music and singing the lyrics for "Toe Jam".

In May 2011 Byrne contributed backing vocals to the Arcade Fire track "Speaking in Tongues" which appeared on the 2011 edition of their album The Suburbs.^[17]

Other work[link]

Byrne founded the world music record label Luaka Bop in 1990. It was originally created to release Latin American compilations, but it has grown to include music from Cuba, Africa, the Far East and beyond, releasing the work of artists such as Cornershop, Os Mutantes, Los De Abajo, Jim White, Zap Mama, Tom Zé, Los Amigos Invisibles and King Chango.^[18][19]

In 2005, Byrne initiated his own internet radio station, Radio David Byrne.^[20] Each month, Byrne posts a playlist of music he likes, linked by themes or genres. Byrne's playlists have included African popular music, country music classics, Vox Humana, classical opera, and film scores from Italian movies.

In 2006, Byrne released Arboretum, a sketchbook facsimile of his Tree Drawings, published by McSweeney's. Byrne is also a visual artist whose work has been shown in contemporary art galleries and museums around the world since the 1990s. Represented by the Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York, he has also created public art installations, many of them anonymously. In 2010 his original art work was in the exhibition The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.^[21]

Personal life[link]

While working on the film True Stories, Byrne met costume designer Adelle Lutz whom he married in 1987. They have a daughter, Malu Abeni Valentine Byrne, born in 1989. Byrne and Lutz divorced in 2004. Byrne began a relationship with the artist Cindy Sherman in 2007.^[22]

Although a resident of the United States since childhood, Byrne is a British citizen,^[23] and has never applied for U.S. citizenship. He lives in New York City.

Cycling[link]

Byrne is known for his activism in support of increased cycling, and for having used a bike as his main means of transport for most of his life, especially cycling around New York. He has a regular cycling column in the New York Times.

He says that he cycled when he was in high school and returned to it as an adult in the late 1970s. He likes the freedom and exhilarating feeling cycling gives him. He has written widely on cycling, including a 2009 book, Bicycle Diaries.^[24] In August 2009, he auctioned his Montague folding bike in order to raise money for the London Cycling Campaign.

In 2008, Byrne designed a series of bicycle parking racks in the form of image outlines corresponding to the areas in which they were located, such as a dollar sign for Wall Street and an electric guitar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Byrne worked with a manufacturer that would construct the racks in exchange for the chance to sell them later as artworks, and the racks remained on the streets for about a year.^[25]

Views[link]

Byrne also posts personal comments on the music and, occasionally, on the state of the recorded music industry. In July 2007, Byrne posted the following comment:

There was another piece in the Times today about yet another 20 percent drop in CD sales. (Are they running the same news piece every 4 months?) Jeez guys, the writing's on the wall. How long do the record execs think they'll have those offices and nice parking spaces? (Well, more than half of all record A&R and other execs are gone already, so there should be plenty of parking space). They, the big 4 or 5, should give the catalogues back to the artists or their heirs as a gesture before they close the office doors, as they sure don't know how to sell music anymore. (I have Talking Heads stuff on the shelf that I can't get Warner to release.) The "industry" had a nice 50-year ride, but it's time to move on. Luckily, music remains more or less unaffected — there is a lot of great music out there. A new model will emerge that includes rather than sues its own customers, that realizes that music is not a product in the sense of being a thing — it's closer to fashion, in that for music fans it tells them and their friends who they are, what they feel passionately about and to some extent what makes life fun and interesting. It's about a sense of community — a song ties a whole invisible disparate community together. It's not about selling the (often) shattered plastic case CDs used to come in.^[26]

Works by David Byrne[link]

Solo studio albums[link]

• My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno) (1981)
• Rei Momo (1989)
• Uh-Oh (1992)
• David Byrne (1994)
• Feelings (1997)
• Look into the Eyeball (2001)
• Grown Backwards (2004)
• Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (with Brian Eno) (2008)

Talking Heads[link]

• Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
• More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
• Fear of Music (1979)
• Remain in Light (1980)
• Speaking in Tongues (1983)
• Little Creatures (1985)
• True Stories (1986)
• Naked (1988)

Books[link]

• True Stories (1986)
• Strange Ritual, Chronicle Books (1995)
• Your Action World (1999)
• The New Sins (Los Nuevos Pecados) (2001)
• David Byrne Asks You: What Is It? Smart Art Press (2002)
• Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information with DVD (2003)
• Arboretum, (2006)
• Bicycle Diaries (2009)

^[27]

Film[link]

• Stop Making Sense - concert movie from Talking Heads tour (1984)
• True Stories (1986)
• Ile Aiye (The house of life) - Documentary (1989)
• Here Lies Love - concept album in collaboration with Norman Cook (released 2010)
• Ride, Rise, Roar - music documentary of his concert tour with Brian Eno (released 2010)^[28]
• This Must Be the Place - 2011

References[link]