Bill Lowery was born October 21, 1924 and died June 8, 2004.

Early successes

In The early 50's, Bill Lowery was the top country music disc jockey in America. He also was a pioneer TV host on Atlanta television. A diagnosis of cancer left Lowery wondering how to provide for his family. His first move was to go into the music publishing business. Although the music industry told Lowery that no music company could be based anywhere but New York, Chicago, Nashville, or Los Angeles, he never wavered in his belief that Atlanta could be a true music city. So, along with associate Dennis "Boots" Woodall, Lowery formed Lowery Music Company, and was involved in independent record production and promotion. Early hit songs published by Lowery Music included a string of country music hits for major labels, but two Lowery Music songs that really put the company on the map were early country-style, or rockabilly hits: "Be Bop A Lula" by Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, and "Young Love", recorded both by Sonny James and movie actor Tab Hunter. Lowery is credited with being involved in the earliest recordings of Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed for Capitol Records. By the way, he beat the cancer.

NRC days

In 1958, Lowery formed National Recording Corporation in Atlanta. To raise capital, sales of "founder's contracts" were made by a group headed by Ray Griggers. After initially recording at WGST Radio studios, stock sales allowed NRC to set up its record pressing plant, record distributorship, and recording studio, with Ray Stevens, Joe South and Jerry Reed as the staff band. Due to early hit records like "Robbin' The Cradle" by Tony Bellus, as well as manufacturing and distribution of other labels, NRC was making its mark in the music field, but behind the scenes, there was reportedly something going on with the stock sales, driving NRC into bankruptcy in April, 1961. Lowery called NRC "his only failure".

Continuing the dream

Lowery did not give up on his dream, continuing his publishing company, along with studio ownership, and artist management of a list of successful artists. Prior to his death, Lowery Music was sold to Sony/ATV Music Publishing. His work with the Friends of Georgia Music organization assured that Georgia-based artists would be honored in the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame. Artists with which Lowery was connected include (but are not limited to): Joe South, Jerry Reed, Ray Stevens, Mac Davis, Tommy Roe, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Dennis Yost & Classics IV, Backalley Bandits and Billy Joe Royal.

Lowery died Tuesday, June 8, 2004 after a four month battle with cancer.

External links

Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:American DJs Category:1924 births Category:2004 deaths Category:American record producers

Name	Mark Lowry
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mark Alan Lowry
Voice type	Baritone
Genre	Southern Gospel
Occupation	Singer, Songwriter, Comedian, Author
Years active	1980-present
Url	http://www.marklowry.com/

Mark Alan Lowry (born June 24, 1958) is a Christian comedian, songwriter, and singer, best known for co-writing the song “Mary, Did You Know?”. Lowry performed with the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988–2001 and, in January 2009, he re-joined the group along with other "GVB" alumni Michael English and David Phelps. Lowry has recorded twelve albums, both music and comedy.

Early life

Lowry was born in Houston, Texas to Charles, an attorney, and Beverly Lowry. He often uses anecdotes of his young life in his comedy, as well as speaking of his experience with hyperactivity and Attention Deficit Disorder in his performances. Lowry is the self-described “Poster Boy for Hyperactivity.”

Early career

While attending Liberty Baptist College (now known as Liberty University), Lowry joined a college evangelistic team made of Charles Hughes and David Musselman and began singing. Lowry's comedy career inadvertently began from here. There would be an elongated pause in his singing performance while he waited for the soundtrack to be changed. Lowry began to fill this pause with a monologue. Lowry soon realized that the audiences at his performances were laughing not at him but at his monologues.

In 1978, Lowry was badly injured in an car accident near Carlisle, PA, while touring with a college evangelistic team. He sustained eleven broken bones, and spent a good deal of time in physical therapy recovering from the accident.

Mary, Did You Know?

In 1984, Lowry wrote the lyrics to the song "Mary, Did You Know?. He was asked to write a script for a church Christmas play. Lowry wrote a series of questions that he would like to ask Mary, the mother of Jesus. These questions were used in between the scenes of the play. Over the next decade, Lowry tried to find the music that would complete the song. Twelve years after writing the lyrics, musician and songwriter Buddy Greene wrote the music to the song. The Christmas play script became the song.

The song has become a popular Christmas song performed by more than thirty artists including, Clay Aiken, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna Judd, Michael English, Daniel Childs, Natalie Cole, and Michael Crawford among others.

The Gaither Vocal Band

In 1988, Lowry was approached by Bill Gaither and asked to join the Gaither Vocal Band as the baritone. Lowry's career with the Gaither Vocal Band spanned thirteen years during his first stint with the group. During this time Lowry's on-stage antics became popular with audiences. As a result, Lowry became the co-host of the many concerts and shows performed by Gaither and the Vocal Band with Gaither playing the straight man to Lowry's antics.

In June 2001, Lowry resigned from the Gaither Vocal Band after performing longer with the group than any previous member except Bill Gaither himself. After that, Lowry released several solo albums, including I Love to Tell the Story, A Hymns Collection.

On January 14, 2009, it was announced that Lowry would be returning to the Gaither Vocal Band.

Videos

Lowry's first video was Mark Lowry: My First Comedy Video made in 1988. Next, he made Mark Lowry: The Last Word in 1992 at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, TN. Next, he taped Mark Lowry: Mouth in Motion in 1993 at Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland, Florida. The album won a Dove Award for Long Form Music Video of the Year at the 25th GMA Dove Awards in 1994. Then, after that, he made Mark Lowry: Remotely Controlled in 1995. Mark Lowry On Broadway was performed and captured to DVD at the Beacon Theatre in NYC in 2000, and Mark Lowry Goes to Hollywood was performed and captured to DVD at the Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA, in January 2005.

Current projects

Lowry continues to tour the United States performing his music and comedy concerts as well as recording music and comedy CD albums and videos. In addition, Lowry records and publishes several iPod podcasts; in particular, Saturdays with Mark and Tony, a weekly podcast with Tony Campolo. Lowry is also co-hosting "Bill Gaither's Homecoming Radio" with Bill Gaither and Phil Brower.

Family

Lowry is single and has no children. He has two siblings - an older brother Mike of Lynchburg, Virginia and a younger sister, Melissa also of Lynchburg. He refers to his siblings as "perfect" at different times ("my older brother Mike, who is perfect... Melissa came along and she was perfect, too...") He also has three nieces and two nephews.

References

External links

The "ReMARKable" Site - MarkLowry.com, Lowry's official website

Gaither.com - home of Gaither records and the Gaither Vocal Band

Category:American comedy musicians Category:American baritones Category:Southern gospel performers Category:Baptist ministers from the United States Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:American Christians Category:Liberty University alumni Category:Baptists from the United States

Name	Jerry Reed
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jerry Reed Hubbard
Born	March 20, 1937Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	September 01, 2008Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Instrument	Guitar
Genre	Country
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Actor
Years active	1956–2008
Spouse	Priscilla Mitchell (1959-2008) (his death) 2 children
Associated acts	Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, Buster B. Jones

Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Reed, and lovingly as the Snowman, was an American country music singer, country guitarist, session musician, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. As a singer, he was known for "(Who Was the Man Who Put) The Line in Gasoline"; "Lord, Mr. Ford (What Have You Done)"; "Amos Moses"; "When You're Hot, You're Hot," for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1972; and "East Bound and Down," the theme song for the film Smokey and the Bandit, in which he also co-starred.

Early life

Reed was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the second child of Robert and Cynthia Hubbard. Reed's grandparents lived in Rockmart, GA and he would visit them from time to time. He was quoted as saying as a small child, while running around strumming his guitar, "I am gonna be a star. I'm gonna go to Nashville and be a star." Reed's parents separated four months after his birth, and he and his sister spent seven years in foster homes or orphanages. Reed was reunited with his mother and stepfather in 1944. Music and impromptu performances helped ease the stressful times the new family was under.

By high school, Reed was already writing and singing music, having picked up the guitar as a child. At age 18, he was signed by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery to cut his first record, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise." At Capitol Records, he recorded both country and rockabilly singles to little notice, until label mate Gene Vincent covered his "Crazy Legs" in 1958. By 1958, Lowery signed Reed to his National Recording Corporation, and he recorded for NRC as both artist and as a member of the staff band, which included other NRC artists Joe South and Ray Stevens.

Reed married Priscilla "Prissy" Mitchell in 1959. They had two daughters, Charlotte Elaine "Lottie" Reed Stewart, and Seidina Ann Reed Hinesley, born April 2, 1960. Priscilla Mitchell was a member of folk group the Appalachians ("Bony Moronie," 1963), and was co-credited with Roy Drusky on the 1965 Country #1 "Yes Mr. Peters."

Career

In 1959, Reed hit the Billboard "Bubbling Under The Top 100" and Cashbox Country chart with the single "Soldier's Joy." After serving two years in the military, Reed moved to Nashville in 1961 to continue his songwriting career, which had continued to gather steam while he was in the armed forces, thanks to Brenda Lee's 1960 cover of his "That's All You Got to Do." He also became a popular session and tour guitarist. In 1962, he scored some success with the singles "Goodnight Irene" (as by Jerry Reed & the Hully Girlies, featuring a female vocal group) and "Hully Gully Guitar," which found their way to Chet Atkins, who produced Reed's 1965 "If I Don't Live Up to It."

"Guitar Man"

In 1967, Reed notched his first official country chart hit with "Guitar Man," which Elvis Presley soon covered. Presley had come to Nashville to record in 1967, and one of the songs he was working on was "Guitar Man" (which Reed had written and recorded earlier). "I was out on the Cumberland River fishing, and I got a call from Felton Jarvis (then Presley's producer). He said, 'Elvis is down here. We've been trying to cut 'Guitar Man' all day long. He wants it to sound like it sounded on your album.' I finally told him, 'Well, if you want it to sound like that, you're going have to get me in there to play guitar, because these guys (you're using in the studio) are straight pickers. I pick with my fingers and tune that guitar up all weird kind of ways.'"

Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session. "I hit that intro, and [Elvis'] face lit up and here we went. Then after he got through that, he cut [my] "U.S. Male" at the same session. I was toppin' cotton, son." Reed also played the guitar for Elvis Presley's "Big Boss Man" (1967), recorded in the same session. In January 1968 Reed worked on a second Presley session, during which he played guitar on a cover of Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business", as well as another Reed composition, "U.S. Male" (Reed's quoted recollection of "U.S. Male" being recorded at the same session as "Guitar Man" being incorrect). After Presley recorded "U.S. Male," the songwriter recorded an Elvis tribute, "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," which proved to be his first Top 20 hit.

Elvis also recorded two other Reed compositions: "A Thing Called Love" in 1970 and "Talk About The Good Times" in 1973 for a total of four.

Johnny Cash would also release "A Thing Called Love" as a single in 1971, which would reach #2 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart for North America. It would become the title track for a studio album that he released the following spring.

1970s

After releasing the 1970 crossover hit "Amos Moses", a hybrid of rock, country, funk, and Cajun styles, which reached No. 8 on the U.S. pop charts, Reed teamed with Atkins for the duet LP Me & Jerry. During the 1970 television season, he was a regular on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and in 1971 he issued his biggest hit, the chart-topper "When You're Hot, You're Hot", which was also the title track of his first solo album, reaching #9 Pop and #6 on Billboard's Easy Listening charts. Both "Amos Moses" and "When You're Hot, You're Hot" sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.

A second collaboration with Atkins, Me & Chet, followed in 1972, as did a series of Top 40 singles, which alternated between frenetic, straightforward country offerings and more pop-flavored, countrypolitan material. A year later, he scored his second number one single with "Lord, Mr. Ford" (written by Dick Feller), from the album of the same name.

Atkins, who frequently produced Reed's music, remarked that he had to encourage Reed to put instrumental numbers on his own albums, as Reed always considered himself more of a songwriter than a player. Atkins, however, thought Reed was a better fingerstyle player than he himself was; Reed, according to Atkins, helped him work out the fingerpicking for one of Atkins' biggest hits, "Yakety Axe." Reed, one of only four people to have the title of "Certified Guitar Player" (an award only bestowed to those who have completely mastered guitar), was given this title by Chet Atkins.

Reed was featured in animated form in a December 9, 1972 episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Phantom of the Country Music Hall" (prod. #61-10). He sang and played the song "Pretty Mary Sunlight." The song is played throughout the episode as Scooby and the gang search for Reed's missing guitar.

In the mid-1970s, Reed's recording career began to take a back seat to his acting aspirations. In 1974, he co-starred with his close friend Burt Reynolds in the film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. While he continued to record throughout the decade, his greatest visibility was as a motion picture star, almost always in tandem with headliner Reynolds; after 1976's Gator, Reed appeared in 1978's High Ballin and 1979's Hot Stuff. He also co-starred in all three of the Smokey and the Bandit films; the first, which premiered in 1977, landed Reed a Number 2 hit with the soundtrack's "East Bound and Down."

Reed also took a stab at hosting a TV variety show, filming two episodes of The Jerry Reed Show in 1976. The show featured music performances and interview segments, but did not contain the comedy skits that usually were a part of variety shows of the '70s. Guests included Tammy Wynette, Ray Stevens, and Burt Reynolds.

Scottish rockers the Sensational Alex Harvey Band band released a version of "Amos Moses" in 1976.

In 1978, he appeared as himself in the television show Alice.

In 1979, he released a record comprising both vocal and instrumental selections titled, appropriately enough, Half & Half. It was followed one year later by Jerry Reed Sings Jim Croce, a tribute to the late singer/songwriter. He starred in a TV movie in that year entitled The Concrete Cowboys.

1980s and 1990s

In 1982, Reed's career as a singles artist was revitalized by the chart-topping hit "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)," followed by "The Bird," which peaked at Number 2. His last chart hit, "I'm a Slave," appeared in 1983. That same year, he co-starred with Robin Williams and Walter Matthau in the Michael Ritchie comedy The Survivors. Reed guest-starred in the October 13, 1983 episode of Mama's Family, "The Return of Leonard Oates" (Episode 13, Season 2), as Naomi Harper's ex-husband Leonard Oates.

After an unsuccessful 1986 LP, Lookin' at You, Reed focused on touring until 1992, when he and Atkins reunited for the album Sneakin' Around before he again returned to the road.

Reed had a role as a Commander/Huey Pilot for Danny Glover's character in the 1988 movie Bat*21 starring Gene Hackman. He also acted as executive producer and screenwriter on this film.

Reed starred in the 1998 Adam Sandler film, The Waterboy, as Red Beaulieu, the movie's chief antagonist and the head coach for the University of Louisiana Cougars football team.

He teamed up with country superstars Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, and Bobby Bare in the group Old Dogs. They recorded one album, in 1998, entitled Old Dogs, with songs written by Shel Silverstein. (Reed sang lead on "Young Man's Job" and "Elvis Has Left The Building," the latter possibly in deference to Elvis' helping launch his career.)

In 1998, the American rock band Primus covered the Reed song "Amos Moses" on the EP entitled Rhinoplasty.

2000s

In October 2004, "Amos Moses" was featured on the , playing on fictional radio station K-ROSE. His latest recording was released in 2006, named Let's Git It On. In 2007, UK band Alabama 3 (Known as A3 in the USA) covered his hit "Amos Moses" on their album M.O.R.

In June 2005, American guitarist Eric Johnson released his album Bloom, which contained a track entitled "Tribute To Jerry Reed" in commemoration of his works.

Reed has appeared as a guest on the fishing television series Bill Dance Outdoors. In one memorable appearance, Reed caught a particularly big largemouth bass and planned to have it preserved and mounted by a taxidermist. Host Bill Dance objected to this plan, and freed the fish when Jerry wasn't looking. Reed became enraged when he discovered what had happened, and chased Dance off the boat and to shore. This incident was also mentioned in one of Jeff Foxworthy's standup comedy routines. He did guest appearances on the Bill Dance Fishing show. The song "Eastbound and Down" made a rather impressive setting in the movie Delta Farce, starring Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and DJ Qualls.

Death

Reed died in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 1, 2008, of complications from emphysema. In a tribute in Vintage Guitar Magazine, Rich Kienzle wrote that "Reed set a standard that inspires fingerstyle players the way Merle and Chet inspired him."

Discography

Albums

^AWhen You're Hot, You're Hot also peaked at #33 on the RPM Top Albums chart in Canada.

Singles

#"When You're Hot, You're Hot" also peaked at #6 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.

Guest singles

B-Sides

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film gross ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1975 | W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings | Wayne | |- | 1976 | Gator | Bama McCall | |- | 1977 | Smokey and the Bandit | Cledus Snow | USD$126,737,428 | |- | 1978 | High-Ballin' | Duke | |- | 1979 | Concrete Cowboys | J.D. Reed | | Made for TV movie |- | 1979 | Hot Stuff | Doug von Horne | |- | 1980 | Smokey and the Bandit II | Cledus Snow | $66,132,626 | |- | 1983 | Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 | Cledus Snow / 'Bandit' | $5,678,950 | Source of an urban legend |- | 1983 | The Survivors | Jack Locke | $14,000,000 | |- | 1985 | Stand Alone | Paramedic | |- | 1985 | What Comes Around | Joe Hawkins | |- | 1988 | Bat*21 | Col. George Walker |$3,184,348 |- | 1998 | The Waterboy | Coach Red Beaulieu | $185,991,646 |- | 2001 | Joe Dirt | Neighbor | | Cameo |}

References

Further reading

Goldsmith, Thomas. (1998). "Jerry Reed." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford Press. pp. 433–4.

External links

[ AMG Entry for Jerry Reed]. Retrieved Jan. 7, 2006. "Discography". AlabamaWildman.com. Retrieved October 13, 2004. "R2K Records". Jerry Reed's own label

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JerryReed.html

"Jerry Reed, Country Singer and Actor, Dies at 71" from The New York Times

Category:1937 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Deaths from emphysema Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American country guitarists Category:American country musicians Category:American country singers Category:Fingerstyle guitarists Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Grammy Award winners Category:National Recording Corporation artists Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists

Name	Joe South
Background	solo_singer
Born	February 28, 1940Atlanta, Georgia, US
Instrument	Guitar
Genre	Country, Folk, Rock
Occupation	Musician
Years active	1958–present
Label	Capitol
Url	www.joesouth.com

Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter, 28 February 1940, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Career

In 1959, South wrote two songs which were recorded by Gene Vincent: "I Might Have Known", which was on the album Sounds Like Gene Vincent (Capitol Records, 1959) and "Gone Gone Gone" which was included on the album The Crazy Beat of Gene Vincent (Capitol Records, 1963).

He had met and was encouraged by Bill Lowery, an Atlanta music publisher and radio personality. He began his recording career in Atlanta with National Recording Corporation, where he served as staff guitarist along with other NRC artists Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed. South's earliest recordings have been re-released by NRC on CD.

South had three hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, "Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home," "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", and his biggest single "Games People Play" (1968), which was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song, the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

South's compositions have been recorded by many artists. They include Billy Joe Royal's hits "Down in the Boondocks" and "Hush" (later a hit for Deep Purple and Kula Shaker), the Osmonds' hit "Yo-Yo," and Elvis Presley's Las Vegas-era version of "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", also recorded by Bryan Ferry and Coldcut. South's most commercially successful composition is Lynn Anderson's 1971 country/pop monster hit "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", which was a hit in 16 countries worldwide and translated into many languages. Lynn Anderson won a Grammy Award for her vocals and South won a Grammy Award for writing the song. South would go on to write more hits for Anderson such as, "How Can I Unlove You" (Billboard #1) and "Fool Me" (Billboard #3).

South was also a prominent sideman, playing guitar on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", and Tommy Roe's "Sheila," as well as appearing on Bob Dylan's album Blonde on Blonde.

The suicide of his brother, Tommy, drove South into a deep depression. Tommy had been his backing band's drummer and accompanied South not only in live performances, but also on recording sessions when South produced hits for other artists, including Billy Joe Royal, Sandy Posey, and Friend and Lover.

South was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979. On 13 September 2003 South was inducted into Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and played together with Buddy Buie, James B. Cobb, Jr. and Chips Moman at the induction ceremony.

In 1988 Dutch DJ Jan Donkers interviewed South for VPRO-radio. The radio show that aired the interview also played four new songs by South, but a new record was not released.

Discography

Albums

Singles

External links

Nashvillesongwriters Foundation

Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American record producers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:National Recording Corporation artists Category:Capitol Records artists Category:American session musicians

Big Bear or Mistahi-maskwa (c.1825 – 17 January 1888) was a Cree leader notable for his involvement in the North-West Rebellion and his subsequent imprisonment.

Early life and leadership

Big Bear was born in the Canadian Northwest, probably near Fort Carlton. Although he may have been Saulteaux, he was raised among the Plains Cree bands who wintered along the North Saskatchewan River.

By 1862, according to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) records, Big Bear was leading a large number of Cree near Fort Carlton, but soon moved to the area near Fort Pitt where he lived with a much smaller group.

He participated in the 1870 Battle of the Belly River, and would later find conflict again in 1873, this time with Métis leader Gabriel Dumont. Canadian government records indicate that as of 1874, Big Bear led 65 lodges (approximately 520 people).

Conflict with the Canadian government

In the 1870s, the newly created Canadian government began to investigate signing treaties with the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains, and sent gifts to encourage friendship. While some leaders accepted the gifts, Big Bear was not interested, declaring "when we set a fox-trap we scatter pieces of meat all round, but when the fox gets into the trap we knock him on the head; We want no bait; let your chiefs come like men and talk to us."

When representatives of Canadian government came to negotiate a series of numbered treaties for the return of land to the native peoples, Big Bear, one of the chief negotiators during Treaty 6, refused to sign, believing that the treaty was unfair and biased towards Canadian settlers. He campaigned against the Canadian government, preaching to other Native bands that the treaties were unfair.

Big Bear initially attempted to make alliances with other Natives, so that when the treaties were signed, they could all take their reserve land next to each other, effectively creating a First Nations country within Canadian borders. When the Canadian government heard of this plan, they immediately disallowed it, even though the treaties had previously stated that the Natives could take the reserve land wherever they wished. To further his cause, Big Bear even formed an uneasy alliance with his long time rival, Crowfoot, Chief of the Blackfoot people.

Despite his opposition to the treaty and his mistrust of the governments intentions and methods, the dwindling of the buffalo herds ultimately prevented his people from continuing to rely on this traditional food source and pushed the Cree to the point of starvation in less than a decade. This desperate circumstance compelled Big Bear to finally accept Treaty 6 in order to obtain minimal food supplies for his people from the Canadian government. to Big Bear, urging him to surrender]]

When the Métis initiated the North-West Rebellion of 1885 under Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont, Big Bear and his supporters played a minimal role in the overall uprising, but warriors from among Big Bear's people under the command of Wandering Spirit killed nine white men at Frog Lake in an incident that became known as the Frog Lake Massacre. Although Big Bear himself personally attempted to prevent the killings and subsequently expressed regret for the actions of the younger Cree warriors, the events at Frog Lake alarmed the Dominion Government. When 6,000 troops were sent to Batoche, Saskatchewan to smash the Métis resistance, the Canadian government used the Frog Lake Massacre as a reason to put down the Cree as well. Despite evidence of Big Bear's efforts to actually prevent the killings at Frog Lake, he was convicted for participation in the rebellion with a request from the jury for mercy. In 1885 the sixty year old chief was sentenced to three years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary, but was released from prison before serving his complete sentence as a result of failing health, and died shortly afterward.

References

Literature

Hugh A. Dempsey, Big Bear : The End of Freedom, Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1984. ISBN 0-88894-506-X

Blair Stonechild and Bill Waiser. Loyal Till Death: Indians and the North-West Rebellion (1997)

Rudy Wiebe, The Temptations of Big Bear, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1995. ISBN 0771034547

External links

Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

Category:1825 births Category:1888 deaths Category:People of North-Western Territory Category:First Nations history Category:Cree people Category:North-West Rebellion people Category:Pre-Confederation Saskatchewan people Category:Aboriginal leaders in Saskatchewan Category:National Historic Persons of Canada

Name	Alicia Bridges
Background	solo_singer
Born	July 15, 1953
Origin	Lawndale, North Carolina, U.S.
Genre	Disco
Occupation	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1977–present
Url	www.aliciabridges.com

Alicia Bridges (born July 15, 1953) is an American singer who co-wrote and performed her international hit "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" in 1978.

Early years

Alicia Bridges was born in Lawndale, North Carolina, a small town in Cleveland County. She sang from a very young age and learned to play guitar at the age of 10. At the age of 12 she had her own radio program, The Alicia Bridges Show, broadcast every Saturday on station WADA in Shelby, North Carolina. Occasionally she would sing on the show but has said what she is most proud of is that she "ran all the dials, the turntables, cued the records and made all the announcements live on the air".

Discovery and fame (1970s)

In 1977 she was signed to Polydor Records. Her 1978 hit single "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also appeared on Billboard's "Hits of the World" chart. The song was also in the #5 position on the Record World and Cash Box charts. It was also a "crossover" hit, receiving play even on country music stations. The cover of the 1978 self titled LP features an early skyline picture of Atlanta, Ga.

In 1978 Bridges was a Grammy Nominee and was the opening act, performing "I Love the Nightlife". Bridges' self-titled LP, Alicia Bridges, was also rising on the Billboard, Cash Box and Record World charts and the LP remained on the charts for up to 35 weeks. Both the LP and the single release were international successes, and "I Love the Nightlife" went top 40 in the UK and Germany, Spain and other European countries. Bridges' music was especially popular in Japan as well. She received an RIAA Certified Gold Record for the sale of over one million copies of her hit single in the USA, as well as a gold record from Canada.

Contrary to the impression created by her success with "I Love the Nightlife", Alicia was primarily a singer of rock, blues and love songs. "I Love the Nightlife" has a definite back beat and organ similar to early 1970s R&B;; the original intention was for "I Love the Nightlife" to be an R&B; song, but when publishing mogul Bill Lowery first heard the song, he envisioned it as a disco dance tune. Soon after, Jim Burgess created a 12" single remix. Ultimately this mix became a worldwide hit. The song has been featured in several movies, including Love At First Bite, The Last Days of Disco and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Bridges' second single, "Body Heat", was a rock song with strong electric guitar rhythms. It was a "rock/dance" song released at a time when there was some rivalry between disco fans and rock fans; this time period began to see more songs which mixed the genres of rock and disco to create a "rock/disco" flavor.

Recent years

Alicia Bridges Music Publications was founded in 2006 and has produced three albums.

In November 2006 Bridges released a remixed and remastered compilation of her songs titled "This Girl Don't Care".

In 2007 she released "Say It Sister".

Her third CD was released in 2008; this included a remix of "I Love The Nightlife".

Bridges is currently active in the music community as a producer and DJ. Her works, digital versions of her recordings, a blog and videos can be found on her official web sites, aliciabridges.com, discoround.com and ilovethenightlife.com.

Personal

Alicia Bridges is a vegetarian, uses only organic products, and is a strong supporter of animal issues. All of her pets are "rescues", either from animal shelters or from people who have abandoned their care.

Bridges has been publicly lesbian since her early teen years. As a teenager Alicia realized she was "different from the rest", as she states in her self descriptive song "Diamond In The Rough". The issue was also publicly discussed during a 1998 interview for "The Advocate". }}

External links

Official site

Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:American pop singers Category:American disco musicians Category:American vegetarians Category:Lesbian musicians Category:People from Cleveland County, North Carolina