Tee Corine (1943–2006) was a lesbian visual artist notable for the portrayal of sexuality in her artwork.

Early life and education[link]

Corinne was born and grew up in Florida. Her mother introduced her to principles and techniques for making visual art. According to Corinne, "I have seldom succeeded in keeping a diary, but I have almost always carried a drawing pad, and since my eighth year, I have also had a camera."

With a B.A. in printmaking and painting (with minors in English and history) from University of South Florida, Corrine went onto get an M.F.A. in drawing and sculpture at Pratt Institute in 1968. After a few years of teaching and backpacking in Europe, she became attracted to the back-to-the-land movement and communal living. She was also, in her words, sliding into suicidal depression.

"Something didn't feel right. Nowadays they talk about over-achieving adult children of alcoholics and the problems they have with depressions . . . Around the age of thirty I realized that art could no longer solve my problems . . . I found therapy, separated from my husband, became involved with women and joined the Women's Movement. I felt better."^[1]

Career[link]

According to Completely Queer : The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia, "Corinne is one of the most visible and accessible lesbian artists in the world."^[2]

Corinne began exhibiting and publishing art and writing in the mid-1960s. She was a co-facilitator of the Feminist Photography Ovulars (1979–1981) and a co-founder of The Blatant Image, A Magazine of Feminist Photography (1981–1983). She was the author of one novel, three collections of short stories, four books of poetry and numerous artists books and small edition publications.

Family, her show of mixed media drawings about growing up in an alcoholic family, has been the subject of a video interview by Jane Scott Productions. Portfolios of her art have been published in Lesbian Subjects, Feminist Studies, Gallerie: Women's Art, The Advocate, Philadelphia Gay News, The Lesbian Inciter, I Am My Lover (first edition, 1979) and Femalia.

In the early 1980s, Tee Corinne developed strong personal and artistic connections to Oregon after she moved to southern Oregon and lived and became active in the many women's communities springing up in the area. As she notes in one of her manuscripts, "Slowly, in Oregon, I reconnected with the deep levels of creativity that run in me and began producing work which pleased me."

She became adept at representing lesbian sexuality in ways that would elude the male gaze. In 1982, she produced a series of photographs called Yantras of Womanlove. Concerned with protecting the privacy of her models, she used techniques involving multiple prints, solarization, images printed in negative, and multiple exposures. Tee consistently and conscientiously included women of color, fat women, older women, and women with disabilities as her subjects. Sometimes printers would refuse to print her works and art galleries would refuse to show it. In 1975, she self-published the Cunt Coloring Book, which is still in print today.

Corinne wrote about art for a variety of publications and, from 1987, was the art books columnist for Feminist Bookstore News. A co-founder and past co-chair of the Gay & Lesbian Caucus (an affiliated society of the College Art Association), she also co-founded the Women's Caucus for Art Lesbian & Bisexual Caucus. In 1989, Corrine received a Lambda literary award in the lesbian anthology category for her editing of Intricate Passions (published by Banned Books).^[3]

In 1991, she was chosen by Lambda Book Report as one of the fifty most influential lesbians and gay men of the decade, and in 1997 she received the Women's Caucus for Art President's Award for service to women in the arts.^[4]

Perhaps her best known work is the cover of the 1993 self-titled debut album of the English alternative rock band Suede.

Personal life[link]

In 1966, Corinne married the man she described as her 'best friend'.^[5] She came out in 1975^[6] at which time she was in a relationship with Honey Lee Cottrell. Over the years, Corrine embarked upon relationships with Caroline Overman (early 1980s), Lee Lynch (mid 1980's) and Beverly Anne Brown (1989–2005).^[7]

Death and legacy[link]

Corinne died on the 27th August 2006^[8] in Southern Oregon after a struggle with liver cancer. She was 62 years old. Her manuscript collection was donated to the University of Oregon Libraries, and is now housed in the library's Special Collections unit. The collection includes correspondence, literary manuscripts, artwork, photographs, artifacts, and other documents that reflect Corinne's life and work.^[9]

Moonforce Media created the Tee A. Corinne Prize for Lesbian Media Artists in 2006 to annually honor Corinne as an artist with bold vision and a fierce dedication to encouraging and preserving lesbian art. The award is an unrestricted grant of up to $1,000 annually. The prize is dedicated to artists working in photography, film, video, digital media, new media, or any fusions of these forms and in any genre including documentary, narrative, experimental, or any other styles or combination of genres. The award furthers Corinne's wish that individual lesbian artists be financially supported to work independently and without censorship.^[10]

Bibliography[link]

• The Cunt Coloring Book. San Francisco: Pearlchild, 1975; San Francisco: Last Gasp, 1988. Also published as Labiaflowers. Tallahassee, FL: Naiad Press, 1981.
• Courting Pleasure. Austin: Banned Books, 1994.
• Family: About Growing Up In An Alcoholic Family. North Vancouver, BC: Gallerie, 1990.
• Lesbian Muse: The Women Behind the Words. Portland, OR: Chance Publications, 1989.
• The Sex Lives of Daffodils: Growing Up As An Artist Who Also Writes. Wolf Creek, OR: Pearlchild 1994, 1997.
• Twenty-Two Years, 1970-1992. Wolf Creek, OR: Pearlchild, 1992.
• Wild Lesbian Roses: Essays on Art, Rural Living, and Creativity, 1986-1995, Wolf Creek, OR, Pearlchild, 1997.
• Yantras of Womanlove. Tallahassee, FL: Naiad Press, 1982.
• The Little Houses on Women’s Land (2002)
• Drawing as a Problem-Solving Activity (2002)

References[link]

Additional sources[link]

• Corinne, Tee A. The Sex Lives of Daffodils: Growing Up as an Artist Who Also Writes. Wolf Creek, OR : Pearlchild, c1997 Sherman, Phillip and Samuel Bernstein, eds.
• Uncommon Heroes. Fletcher Press, c1994
• Queer arts.org. "Obscurely Famous," an interview with Tee Corinne. September 1998. (August 27, 2003).

External links[link]

• Guide to the Tee A. Corinne papers at the University of Oregon
• biography

Mark Montano
Interior designer, artist, columnist, and television host Mark Montano: author of the best-selling "The Big-Ass Book of Crafts" and "The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor", both published by SimonSpotlight.
Website
http://www.markmontano.com

Mark Montano is an American interior designer, artist, writer, and TV personality.

Television[link]

Mark Montano is perhaps best known for three series on the Style Network and The Learning Channel: 10 Years Younger, which he hosted, While You Were Out, on which he frequently appears as a designer,^[1] and My Celebrity Home on which he is both host and designer. Montano can currently be seen on WE TV's new show, "She's Moving In".^[2] Montano has a flamboyant design sense that homeowners on While You Were Out are sometimes less than enthused about at first, but he usually wins them over with his boisterous personality.

On My Celebrity Home, Mark tours a celebrity's home and gives their style to a fan. Mark is currently filming MY HOME 2.0 which will air on FOX and Fios channels nationwide starting in April 2010.

[edit] The Big-Ass Book of Crafts (2008) and other works

Mark Montano is the author of several successful books. "The Big-Ass Book of Crafts", published through SimonSpotlight, subsidiary of Simon & Schuster, owned by parent company CBS,^[3] was released on February 18, 2008 and is now the number 1 selling craft book in America. The Big-Ass Book of Crafts is currently in its 7th printing as of January 2009. The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor is on shelves starting April, 2010.^[4] For further tips from The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor, there is the companion website^[5] and his Typepad blog.^[6] In January 2011, Pulp Fiction: Perfect Paper Projects, was published and on October 11, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2 was officially on bookstore shelves everywhere.^[7]

Bibliography[link]

• "The Big Ass Book of Crafts 2" (2011) ISBN 1451627807
• Pulp Fiction: Perfect Paper Projects (2011) ISBN 157421697X
• The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor (2010) ISBN 1584798254
• The Big-Ass Book of Crafts (2008) ISBN 1416937852
• Super Suite: The Ultimate Bedroom Makeover Guide for Girls (2002) ISBN 0789308118
• Window Treatments and Slipcovers for Dummies (2005) ISBN 0764584480
• Dollar Store Decor: 100 Projects for Lush Living That Won't Break the Bank (2005) ISBN 0789313030^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mark Montano on Twitter
• Blogspot.com
• Mark Montano designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Mark Montano on Etsy.com
• Mark Montano Facebook page
• Nest.com article
• Mark Montano Crescendoh blog

Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae at Divan du Monde, Paris, January 2009
Background information
Birth name	Corinne Jacqueline Bailey
Born	(1979-02-26) 26 February 1979 (age 33) Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Genres	Soul, R&B, jazz, blues
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2005–present
Labels	EMI, Capitol
Website	corinnebaileyrae.net
Notable instruments
Gibson Hummingbird[1]

Corinne Bailey Rae (born Corinne Jacqueline Bailey on 26 February 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, West Yorkshire. Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2006.^[2] She released her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, in February 2006, and became the fourth female British act in history to have her first album debut at number one.^[3][4] In 2007, Bailey Rae was nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards, and won two MOBO Awards. In 2008, she won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year (for her work as a featured artist in Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters).^[5]

Bailey Rae released her second album, The Sea, on 26 January 2010, after a hiatus of almost three years. It was produced by Steve Brown and Steve Chrisanthou (who produced her debut album in 2006).^[6][7] She was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year. In 2012, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance (for "Is This Love)".^[8] Bailey Rae was married to fellow musician Jason Rae from 2001 until his death in 2008, and as part of the grieving process, she channeled her emotions into her music.^[3][9] Her two albums have together sold over five million copies worldwide.

Early years[link]

Childhood[link]

Bailey Rae was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a Kittitian father and an English mother as the oldest of three daughters, including Candice Bailey and actress Rhea Bailey.

Bailey Rae began her musical career at school where she studied classical violin before she turned her attention to singing: "I started off singing in church, I suppose, but people think it must have been a gospel church because of the whole, you know, black assumption," she says in reference to her multiracial background. "But it wasn't gospel at all, it was just your regular Brethren church, very middle-class, where we would sing these harmonies every Sunday. It was always my favourite part of the service, the singing."^[10]

Bailey Rae later transferred to a Baptist church, where the youth leader was coaching rock bands in the local high school. The church young people wrote their own worship songs and sang covers by the likes of Primal Scream. "We changed the words though," Bailey Rae states on her website. "We didn't want to offend the regular churchgoers, now did we?"^[10] She recorded two albums with the youth group under the name of Revive.^[11]

Performing in church broadened Bailey Rae's musical horizons, and her love for making music was solidified after the church youth leader offered to lend her the money for her first guitar. In her mid-teens, she was highly influenced by Lenny Kravitz, and through him she discovered rock legends Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. "I loved that band during my teens; I wanted, somehow, to follow in their footsteps, and to create music of my own."^[10]

Bailey Rae formed an all-female (barring the drummer) indie group called Helen, which was inspired by similar acts such as Veruca Salt and L7. "It was the first time I'd seen women with guitars. They were kinda sexy—but feminist. I wanted to be like that, at the front of something."^[12]

The group raised eyebrows on several fronts; in the white male-dominated world of indie music, they were a mainly female group, fronted by a mixed-race singer from Leeds. The moniker "Helen" also drew attention, albeit for not all the right reasons: "What can I say? We were 15 years old, and thought that Helen was a cheeky, indie kind of thing to do. It seemed clever at the time. Admittedly, it seems less so now".^[10]

The group played many gigs around Leeds and whilst unable to attract offers from any UK labels eventually were approached by US based heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records, home to acts such as Slipknot, in 1998. This deal disappeared before it was even signed however after the bassist became pregnant and the group disbanded. "[Was I] Disappointed? I was gutted! I had no idea what to do next".

University life[link]

Bailey Rae studied English Literature at the University of Leeds where she graduated in 2000. While at University, she began work as a hat check girl on an evening in her local jazz club. Permitted to sing on stage with the jazz band when business was slow, it was there that she discovered a different type of music that sent her on a different musical path: "I kept hearing this jazz and soul stuff and I realised I loved music too".^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Corinne Bailey met Scottish-born Jason Rae in a jazz club in Leeds where she had a part-time job as a cloakroom attendant.^[13] She married him in 2001 at the age of twenty-two and changed her name to Bailey Rae.^[14] Jason Rae (born in 1976), a musician, played saxophone for the eight-piece group called Haggis Horns,^[15] and had recorded with Bailey Rae, The New Mastersounds and Martina Topley-Bird (Quixotic) albums. On 22 March 2008, Jason Rae was found dead in a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds.^{[16][17][18][19]} In December 2008, Leeds Coroner's Court gave a verdict of death by misadventure, and stated that Rae had died of an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol.^[20]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2004–2008: Career music development and Corinne Bailey Rae

Corinne Bailey Rae performing live at the V Festival on 18 August 2007

In the three years after she got married, Bailey Rae began working on solo material—this time steering away from her indie past and embarking on a more "soulful" path. She collaborated with Leeds-based funk group The New Mastersounds on the track "Your Love Is Mine," featured on their 2003 album Be Yourself, released via One Note Records. The following year she again worked with another Leeds-based group, Homecut Directive, on the song "Come the Revolution", which was the first single from the group's debut album.

In 2004, Bailey Rae got a breakthrough when she was signed by Global Talent Publishing and then approached by Craig David's mentor Mark Hill, from the duo The Artful Dodger, to appear on his new album better luck next time under his new alias, The stiX. The resulting collaboration, "Young and Foolish", was released in April 2005 and brought Bailey Rae to the attention of the major record label bosses.

Bailey Rae released her debut single, "Like a Star", in November 2005 and her first album, Corinne Bailey Rae, in February 2006. It debuted at number one in the UK and entered the top ten of the U.S.Billboard 200, peaking at number four and spending 71 weeks in the chart from 2006 to 2008. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album sold 1.9 million copies in the United States alone.^[21]

The lead single, "Like a Star" became a hit in the UK and US, and sold over 327,000 US downloads. Follow-up single "Put Your Records On", her biggest hit to date, rose to number two in the UK, and sold over 945,000 US downloads. "Trouble Sleeping" made the top forty, and "I'd Like To", the top seventy. In the middle of 2006, Bailey Rae embarked on her first international tour through Europe and North America with R&B singer John Legend, playing 55 shows including the festivals Rock in Rio Lisboa 2 and Live Earth. In early April 2006, Corinne Bailey Rae was certified 2x platinum by the BPI^[22] and platinum by the RIAA in December.^[23] In September 2006, Bailey Rae scooped two awards at the UK's MOBO Awards: "Best UK Newcomer" and "Best UK Female". Bailey Rae recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios in July 2006 for Live from Abbey Road.

Bailey Rae was the musical guest in a 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live with the host being Jaime Pressly. She performed "Put Your Records On" and "Like a Star". She also appeared on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on the episode "B-12", which aired in November 2006, with Howie Mandel. She performed "Like a Star" and "Trouble Sleeping". Also in 2006, Bailey Rae performed on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge with the songs "Like a Star", a cover version of Editors' "Munich", and a cover version of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack".^[24]

Bailey Rae also received three nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year (both for "Put Your Records On"), and Best New Artist. During the ceremony, she performed "Like a Star" and joined John Legend and John Mayer in a collaborative performance, providing accompanying vocals to Legend's "Coming Home" and Mayer's "Gravity".^[25]

Also in 2007, Bailey Rae accepted an invitation to participate Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records), where she contributed her version of Domino's "One Night (of Sin)". She also recorded John Lennon's "I'm Losing You" for Make Some Noise, Amnesty International's music venture. The song was also released on the 2007 John Lennon tribute album, "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur". In July of that year, Bailey Rae performed at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London.

In 2008, Like a Star was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year. Bailey Rae won in two categories for Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Jazz Album for her collaboration on River: The Joni Letters. Also in 2008, she recorded a live session of "River" with Hancock at Abbey Road Studios in for Live from Abbey Road for Channel 4 which was broadcast on Series 2.^[26]

During the American and European tour, Bailey Rae recorded her first DVD with the title Live in London & New York. The DVD was filmed in London and the bonus CD was recorded in New York.

[edit] 2009–2011: The Sea and The Love EP

Rae performing at Le Divan du Monde, 2010

Corinne Bailey Rae performing live in 2006

Corinne Bailey Rae released her new album titled The Sea on 26 January 2010.^[27] -- 4 years after the release of her first album and almost two years following the death of her husband Jason Rae.^[28] Lead single I'd Do It All Again premiered on 25 November in 2009 on the Jools Holland program Later.^[29] Follow up single "Closer" was added to Smooth Jazz Radio on 25 January, Urban AC on 1 February and AC radio in late February. The album's second single "Paris Nights and New York Mornings" went to Triple A radio on 15 February.^[30][31] Around the release of the second album, Corinne did a run of promotional shows in the UK, Europe and US, she embarked on her second world tour, The Sea Tour, with 82 concerts, and had a gross profit of $ 19 million. The tour visited UK, Europe, US (Spring and Summer) Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Middle East. The tour began on 27 February 2010 in London and his last show on 10 March 2011 in Korea. Her summer concert in London at Somerset House sold out, and she returned to London again in October to perform in Royal Festival Hall with Pete Lawrie as a supporting act.

In December 2009, Bailey Rae recorded a live performance in New York City that was broadcast in the summer of 2010 on the US television program Live From the Artists Den.^[32]

On 2 June 2010, Bailey Rae appeared with Herbie Hancock, singing "Blackbird" in a concert honouring Paul McCartney in the East Room of the White House.^[33]

On 25 January 2011, Bailey released an EP, The Love EP, with five recordings of love songs, including Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover", Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and Paul McCartney & Wings' "My Love". The EP debuted at number eighty-six in the Billboard 200 and still managed the Top 20 in Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The EP has sold 15,000 copies in the U.S. The first single, "Is This Love", won Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at 54th Grammy Awards.

Bailey Rae made an appearance as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 28 October 2010, covering the Bob Marley song "Is This Love".

On 14 July 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Leeds where she had studied as an undergraduate.

During an interview for the 2011 Mercury Awards, Corinne revealed she is writing a follow-up album to her critically acclaimed "The Sea".

Soundtrack inclusions[link]

"Like a Star" is part of the soundtracks of several films, series and soap operas, such as Cashmere Mafia, 27 Dresses, Men in Trees, Nancy Drew, Perfect Stranger, Medium, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Venus, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Sete Pecados.

In the film Venus, six songs from the debut album were included on the soundtrack of the film, which are "I'd Like To", "Another Rainy Day", "Choux Pastry Heart", "Put Your Records On", " Like a Star", " Breathless".

The song "I'd Like To", from Bailey Rae's debut album, was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie He's Just Not That Into You (2009). It can also be heard on an episode of CSI:NY.

Public service[link]

Bailey Rae is the special ambassador for the charity CORD.^[34] She is also the central ambassador for the international water and sanitation charity Pump Aid.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

Rae at the 2009 MOJO Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bailey Rae has won two awards from six nominations. She won Album of the Year as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters.^[5]

Others awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Corinne Bailey Rae

	Book: Corinne Bailey Rae
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Main reference sites[link]

• Corinne Bailey Rae — official website
• Corinne Bailey Rae at Allmusic
• Corinne Bailey Rae at the Internet Movie Database
• Corinne Bailey Rae discography at Discogs
• Corinne Bailey Rae discography at Musicbrainz
• Works by or about Corinne Bailey Rae in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Interviews and others[link]

• Corinne Bailey Rae interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 2010
• musicOMH.com interview
• The Guardian interview 2005
• The Guardian interview 2009
• HiphopRnbSoul.com Audio Interview
• aol.co.uk videos from AOL Sessions, live performances, official releases and interviews
• theartsdesk.com interview 2010