- published: 08 Jul 2015
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Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.
Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in late 2008. Buoyed by the chart success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless attracted a crossover audience and became the top-selling album of 2009. The record won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Fearless also received Album of the Year plaudits at the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards, making it the most awarded album in country music history. In 2010, Swift released her third album, Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in its first week. She then embarked on the 111-date Speak Now World Tour, which was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has become one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Swift is currently recording her fourth studio album, due for release in the fall of 2012.
Albert "Andy" Gibson (November 6, 1913, Zanesville, Ohio - February 10, 1961, Cincinnati) was an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer.
Gibson played violin early on before settling on trumpet. While he played professionally in many orchestras, he did not solo and was utilized far more often as an arranger. His associations include Lew Redman (1931), Zack Whyte (1932–33), McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1934–35), Blanche Calloway, Willie Bryant, and Lucky Millinder. He quit playing in 1937 to arrange and compose full-time, working with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Charlie Barnet, and Harry James. He led a big band while serving in the Army from 1942-45.
Following his discharge he continued working with Barnet, but focused primarily on R&B music. He was musical director for King Records from 1955–60 and recorded four songs as a leader in 1959, which were released on a multi-artist LP on Camden Records. As a composer, he composed "I Left My Baby" (popularized by Count Basie), "The Great Lie", and "The Hucklebuck" (based on the Charlie Parker tune "Now's the Time").