Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up

Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly. For these works and others, he is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically conscious African-American music.

He was also a multi-instrumentalist who played the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums. Curtis Mayfield is a winner of both the Grammy Legend Award (in 1994) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (in 1995),and was a double inductee into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted as a member of The Impressions into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He is also a 2 time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.

Mayfield has left a remarkable legacy for his introduction of social consciousness into R&B and for pioneering the funk style. Many of his recordings with the Impressions became anthems of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and his most famous album, Super Fly, is regarded as an all-time great that influenced many and truly invented a new style of modern black music.

Mayfield's solo Super Fly is ranked #69 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time) while The Impressions' album The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at #179 on the same list.

Along with his group The Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1999, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist making him one of the few artists to be a double inductee.

He was a winner of the prestigious Grammy Legend Award in 1994.He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

The Impressions' 1965 hit song, "People Get Ready", composed by Mayfield, has been chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs Of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hal David, and others, as reported to Britain's Mojo music magazine.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Mayfield #99 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

"Move on Up" is a song from his 1970 debut album Curtis. In 1971, the song spent ten weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart, but it did not chart in the United States.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

The Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin' Stone

The Temptations are an American vocal group that achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.

Formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1960 as The Elgins, the Temptations have always featured at least five male vocalists/dancers. Known for its recognizable choreography, distinct harmonies, and flashy onstage suits, the Temptations have been said to be as influential to soul as The Beatles are to pop and rock. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history. As of 2010, the Temptations continue to perform and record for Universal Records with its one living original member, Otis Williams, still in its lineup.

The original lineup included members of two local Detroit vocal groups: from The Distants, second tenor Otis Williams, first tenor Elbridge "Al" Bryant, and bass Melvin Franklin; and from The Primes, first tenor/falsetto Eddie Kendricks and second tenor/baritone Paul Williams (no relation to Otis). Among the most notable future Temptations were lead singers David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards (both later solo artists), Richard Street, Damon Harris, Glenn Leonard, Ron Tyson, Ali-Ollie Woodson, Theo Peoples, and G. C. Cameron. Like its "sister" female group, the Supremes, the Temptations' lineup has changed frequently over the years.

Over the course of their career, the Temptations have released four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 14 Billboard R&B number-one singles. Their material has earned them three Grammy Awards. The Temptations were the first Motown act to earn a Grammy Award. Six Temptations (Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Otis Williams, and Paul Williams) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Three classic Temptations songs, "My Girl", "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", are among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. Later in 1972, Whitfield, who also produced the song, took "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and remade it as a twelve-minute record for The Temptations, which was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammy Awards in 1973.

The Temptations' version of the song has been an enduring and influential soul classic. It was ranked #168 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the group's three songs on the list.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Stevie Wonder - Superstition

Stevland Hardaway Judkins (born May 13, 1950), name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris, known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist. Blind since shortly after birth, Wonder signed with Motown Records' Tamla label at the age of eleven, and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day.

He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a holiday in the United States.In 2009, Wonder was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five.

"Superstition" is a popular song written, produced, arranged, and performed by Stevie Wonder in 1972, when Wonder was twenty-two years old. It was the lead single for Wonder's Talking Book album. It reached number one in the USA, and number one on the soul singles chart. Overseas, it peaked number eleven in the UK during February 1973.

In November 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #74 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song deals with superstitions, and mentions several popular superstitious fables in its lyrics.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

This day in music history

1956, Elvis Presley signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures.

1968, Cliff Richard sang 'Congratulations' the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest held at the Royal Albert Hall London, winning second place behind the entry from Spain.

1968, Pink Floyd announced founder Syd Barrett had officially left the group. Barrett was suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use.

1968, Simon and Garfunkel went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Graduate.'

1968, The Beatles Apple Corps Ltd. record company, management and publishing firm, opened their offices in London.

1971, The Rolling Stones launched their own record label, 'Rolling Stones Records', with Atlantic Records.

1987, Roger Waters' lawyers issued a statement that Roger believed himself to be the creative driving force behind Pink Floyd and therefore he would contest the use of the name by anyone else and any former members of Pink Floyd.

1998, Wendy O. Williams former singer of The Plasmatics died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Williams was known for her wild stage theatrics which included blowing up equipment, near nudity and chain-sawing guitars. In January 1981 police in Milwaukee arrested her for simulating sex on stage, later that same year in Cleveland, Ohio Williams was acquitted of an obscenity charge for simulating sex on stage wearing only shaving cream.

2003, White Stripes went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Elephant’, the duo’s second album.

2003, Linkin Park started a two week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Meteroa’ the bands first US and UK No.1 album.

2008, R.E.M. went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Accelerate’ the bands fourteenth studio album.

1942, Born on this day, Christopher Franke, keyboards, Tangerine Dream, (1974 UK No.15 album 'Phaedra').

1947, Born on this day, Tony Conner, Hot Chocolate, (1975 US No.3 single 'You Sexy Thing' 1977 UK No.1 single 'So You Win Again' plus over 25 other Top 40 hits).

1951, Born on this day, Ralph Cooper, drums, Air Supply, (1980 UK No.11 single 'All Out Of Love', 1981 US No.1 single 'The One That You Love').

1962, Born on this day, Stan Cullimore, Housemartins, (1986 UK No.1 single 'Caravan Of Love').

1965, Born on this day, Frank Black, (born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) guitarist, singer, Pixies, (1990 UK No.28 single 'Velouria', 1998 album Surfer Rosa). Formed Frank Black and the Catholics in 1993, Pixies reformed in 2004. Has released over 10 solo albums.

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The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog

The Stooges (also known as Iggy and The Stooges) is an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003. Although they sold few records in their original incarnation and often performed for indifferent or hostile audiences, the Stooges are widely regarded as instrumental in the rise of punk rock, as well as influential to alternative rock, heavy metal and rock music at large.

During the psychedelic haze of the late '60s, the grimy, noisy and relentlessly bleak rock & roll of the Stooges was conspicuously out of time. Like the Velvet Underground, the Stooges revealed the underside of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, showing all of the grime beneath the myth. The Stooges, however, weren't nearly as cerebral as the Velvets.

Taking their cue from the over-amplified pounding of British blues, the primal raunch of American garage rock, and the psychedelic rock (as well as the audience-baiting) of the Doors, the Stooges were raw, immediate, and vulgar. Iggy Pop became notorious for performing smeared in blood or peanut butter and diving into the audience. Ron and Scott Asheton formed a ridiculously primitive rhythm section, pounding out chords with no finesse -- in essence, the Stooges were the first rock & roll band completely stripped of the swinging beat that epitomized R&B and early rock & roll.

During the late '60s and early '70s, the group was an underground sensation, yet the band was too weird, too dangerous to break into the mainstream. Following three albums, the Stooges disbanded, but the group's legacy grew over the next two decades, as legions of underground bands used their sludgy grind as a foundation for a variety of indie rock styles, and as Iggy Pop became a pop culture icon.

The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a 1969 song featured on their self-titled debut album. Its memorable riff, composed of only three chords (G, F# and E), is played continuously throughout the song.

The 3-minute-and-9-second long song, with its raucous, distortion-heavy guitar intro, pounding, single-note piano riff played by producer John Cale and steady, driving beat, established The Stooges at the cutting edge example of the heavy metal and punk sound.

The lyrics have been described as evoking a sense of lubricity and self-loathing, a monument to a state of blue-collar tedium and alienation of their era, late 1960s industrial Michigan. This sense of working class disenfranchisement was widely echoed later by the Sex Pistols, Public Image Limited and Eminem. In 2004, the song was ranked number 438 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

" The above text is a mashup from AllMusic.com & Wikipedia."

Love - Alone Again Or

Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer, songwriter and guitarist Arthur Lee and the group's second songwriter, guitarist Bryan MacLean. One of the first racially diverse American pop bands, their music reflected different influences, combining elements of rock and roll, garage rock, folk and psychedelia.

Today, the band's critical reputation exceeds the limited success they experienced during their time, their 1967 album Forever Changes being held in particularly high regard. The band's influence extends beyond the realm of 1960s psychedelia to such punk and post-punk bands as Television Personalities and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Love have influenced many 1960s inspired Top 40 UK acts, including The Stone Roses, The Bluetones, Shack, The Stands, Primal Scream.

"Alone Again Or" is a song originally recorded in 1967. It was written by band member Bryan MacLean. It was the opening track on the album Forever Changes, and was also released as a single in the USA, UK, Australia, France and Holland.

Versions have subsequently been recorded by an eclectic variety of bands and singers including The Damned (1986), The Oblivians (1993), UFO (1977), Sarah Brightman (1990), The Boo Radleys (1991), Chris Pérez Band (1999), Calexico (2004), Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (2006), Les Fradkin (2007).

Released as a single at the beginning of 1968, "Alone Again Or" reached #99 on the US Billboard pop charts. Over the years it has become regarded as a classic of the era, being ranked #436 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Booker T & the MG's - Green onions

Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Lewie Steinberg (bass), and Al Jackson, Jr. (drums).

In the 1960s, as members of the house band of Stax Records, they played on hundreds of recordings by artists such as Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Bill Withers, Sam & Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor. They also released instrumental records under their own name, . As originators of the unique Stax sound, the group was one of the most prolific, respected, and imitated of their era. By the mid-1960s, bands on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to sound like Booker T. & the M.G.'s.

In 1965, Steinberg was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn, who has played with the group ever since. Al Jackson, Jr. was murdered in 1975. Since then, the trio of Dunn, Cropper and Jones have reunited on numerous occasions using various drummers, including Willie Hall, Anton Fig, Steve Jordan and Steve Potts.

The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Having two white members (Cropper and Dunn), Booker T. & the M.G.'s were one of the first racially integrated rock groups, at a time when soul music, and the Memphis music scene in particular, were generally considered the preserve of black culture.

"Green Onions" is a hit soul instrumental recorded in 1962.The tune is a 12-bar blues with a rippling Hammond organ line. Originally issued on the Volt 102 subsidiary of Stax Records in May 1962 as the B-side to "Behave Yourself", it was quickly reissued as the A-side of Stax 127; it also appeared on the album Green Onions.

The guitar used by guitarist Steve Cropper on "Green Onions", as was all of The M.G.'s instrumentals, was a Fender Telecaster. According to guitarist Steve Cropper, the name is not a marijuana reference, rather it is named after the Green Badger's cat, Green Onions, whose way of walking inspired the riff.

"Green Onions" entered the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending August 11, 1962 and peaked at No. 3 the week ending September 29, 1962. The single also made it to No. 1 on the soul singles chart, for four non consecutive weeks: an unusual occurrence in that, on the soul singles chart, "Green Onions" fell in and out of top spot, three times.

"Green Onions" was ranked No. 183 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The song is currently ranked as the 85th greatest song of all time, as well as the best song of 1962, by Acclaimed Music. British rhythm and blues singer Georgie Fame credited the single with being a main influence on his switch from piano to Hammond organ.In 1999 "Green Onions" was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

This day in music history

1978, Duran Duran made their live debut at The Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic.

1980, Genesis scored their first UK No.1 album when 'Duke' went to the top of the charts.

1980, R.E.M. played their first ever gig when they appeared at St Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia.

1981, Canned Heat singer Bob "The Bear" Hite died of a heart attack aged 36. (1970 UK No.2 & US No.26 single 'Let's Work Together'). Played at both the 1967 Montery Pop Festival and the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

1983, Danny Rapp, leader of 50's group Danny and the Juniors committed suicide in a hotel in Arizona by shooting himself. (1958 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'At The Hop').

1985, At 3:50pm GMT, over 5,000 radio stations worldwide aired the charity single by USA for Africa 'We Are The World'. The single went on to be a No.1 in the US & UK, and most Western territories.

1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at his home in Seattle. Cobain’s body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system, who initially believed that Cobain was asleep, until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found that said, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now". A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were found in Cobain’s body. His death was officially ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

1997, The Chemical Brothers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Block Rockin Beats.' Taken from their second album Dig Your Own Hole the song won a Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

1998, British drummer Cozy Powell was killed when his car smashed into crash barriers on a motorway in Bristol, England. Powell had worked with Whitesnake, ELP, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake, & Powell. Plus sessions with Donovan, Roger Daltrey, Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Gary Moore and Brian May.

2006, Gene Pitney was found dead aged 65 in his bed in a Cardiff hotel. The American singer was on a UK tour and had shown no signs of illness. Pitney helped the Rolling Stones break the American market with his endorsement of the band. Jagger and Richards wrote his hit That Girl Belongs to Yesterday which became the Stones duo's first composition to reach the American charts. He scored the 1962 US No.4 single 'Only Love Can Break A Heart'. and 1967 solo UK No.5 & 1989 UK No.1 single with Marc Almond 'Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart', plus over 15 other US & UK Top 40 hits.

2007, Former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John died from an apparent brain hemorrhage at the age of 51. St. John was Kiss' third official guitarist, having replaced Vinnie Vincent in 1984 and appeared on the album ‘Animalize’.

2008, Apple's iTunes overtook supermarket group Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US. Market research firm NPD said iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. iTunes had sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003.

1928, Born on this day, Tony Williams, The Platters, (1959 UK & US No.1 single 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes'). Died on 14th August 1992.

1929, Born on this day, Joe Meek, producer. Shot himself dead on 3rd February 1967 after killing his landlady. Produced 'Telstar' the 1962 UK and US No.1 single by The Tornadoes. The first British act to have a No.1 in the US. Also produced hits for John Leyton and The Honeycombs.

1935, Born on this day, Peter Grant, manager of Led Zeppelin. Died from a heart attack on 21/11/95 aged 60. Known as being one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history, Grant secured 90% of concert gate money and intimidated record store owners who dealt in bootlegs. The former wrestler, also worked as a film extra and bodyguard. During the early 60s Grant worked as a tour manager for Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and The Animals.

1942, Born on this day, Alan Clarke, vocals, The Hollies, (over 25 top 40 hits, 1972 US No.2 single 'Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress'), 1988 UK No.1 single 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', first released in 1969.

1948, Born on this day, Dave Holland, drummer, Judas Priest.

1950, Born on this day, Agnetha Faltskog, vocals, Abba, (first UK hit 1974 No.1 'Waterloo', followed by eight other UK No.1 singles and 9 UK No.1 albums, 1977 US No.1 single 'Dancing Queen').

1954, Born on this day, Stan Ridgeway, Wall Of Voodoo, solo, (1986 UK No.4 single 'Camouflage').

1965, Born on this day, Mike McCready, guitar, Pearl Jam, (1992 UK No.15 single 'Jeremy', 1993 US No.1 album 'Vs').

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Moondog

Moondog was the pseudonym of Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), a blind American composer, musician, poet, and inventor of several musical instruments. Moondog removed himself from society through his decision to make his home on the streets of New York for approximately twenty of the thirty years he spent in the city.

He could be found on the streets of New York wearing clothes he had created based on his own interpretation of the Norse god Thor. Because of his unconventional outfits, he was known for much of his life as "The Viking of 6th Avenue".

By all accounts he was a genial man and noted for his humour, when asked by passers by as to where he come from he would reply: "I would tell people I was born in Sasnak .... and when they would ask where it was, I would reply that it was a mysterious place. I left it for them to work out it was Kansas in reverse."

The music of Moondog of the 1940s and 50's, is said to have been a strong influence on many early minimalist composers. It is from this approach to his style of work that Philip Glass and Steve Reich hailed him as the originator of the concept of minimalism. However Moondog had his own opinion on the matter: "Bach was doing minimal in his fugues. So what´s new?"

His jazz influences were cultivated while on the streets, it was there that he met Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker, the latter remarking:
"You and I should make a record."
Sadly though this never happened for shortly afterwards Parker died unexpectedly. Moondog paid tribute to Parker later on with "Bird´s Lament".

By the early seventies still on the streets, it would be hard for most to imagine that this imposing street player had released albums on labels such as Mars, CBS and Prestige. The beat generation in the 60´s had welcomed Moondog with open arms seeing him as something of a rebellious icon. By this period he had performed a poetry reading with Allen Ginsberg, appeared on stage with Lenny Bruce, Tiny Tim and in films with William S. Boroughs.

He was adept at making music for films and TV commercials, one of his pieces was used for the soundtrack for "Drive. She said" starring Jack Nicholson.

In 1974 be was offered a chance to play in Europe for a few months which as it turned out led him to relocating to Recklinghausen to live until his death. The suddenness of his departure led many to believe that be had died.

Moondog did however return to America in 1989. At the invitation of the New Music American Festival in Brooklyn, he shared the stage with Glass and Reich asked to conduct as part of the celebration of legends from the 40´s and 50´s.
His conducting manner was unorthodox to say the least, taking his place at the side to play percussion. He later commented that: "I see my relationship with them [orchestra] as being first among equals, so that there are forty conductors, each in charge of his own part."

This return to the Big Apple marked a newly rediscovered interest in his work seeing it performed all over the world in some of the greatest settings, some of his work was even choreographed.

Moondog inspired other musicians with several songs dedicated to him. An example is Prefab Sprout’s song "Moondog" on their album Jordan: The Comeback released in 1990.

" The above text is a mashup from moondogscorner.de & Wikipedia."

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter (usually as Elias McDaniel), and inventor. He was also known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from the blues to rock & roll, influencing a host of acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Clash, The Yardbirds, and Eric Clapton.

He introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged guitar sound on a wide-ranging catalog of songs. Accordingly, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and a Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He was known in particular for his technical innovations, including his trademark rectangular guitar.

He only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but as Bo Diddley sang, "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover." You can't judge an artist by his chart success, either, and Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers. The Bo Diddley beat -- bomp, ba-bomp-bomp, bomp-bomp -- is one of rock & roll's bedrock rhythms.

Diddley's hypnotic rhythmic attack and declamatory, boasting vocals stretched back as far as Africa for their roots, and looked as far into the future as rap. His trademark otherworldly vibrating, fuzzy guitar style did much to expand the instrument's power and range. But even more important, Bo's bounce was fun and irresistibly rocking, with a wisecracking, jiving tone that epitomized rock & roll at its most humorously outlandish and freewheeling.

"Bo Diddley" is a rhythm and blues song first recorded and sung by Bo Diddley in 1955. It became an immediate hit single that stayed on the R&B charts for a total of 18 weeks, 2 of those weeks at #1, and seven more weeks than its flipside (the B-side, "I'm a Man").

It was the first recording to introduce African rhythms into rock and roll directly by using the patted juba beat. It was Bo Diddley's first recording and his first hit single. The song is featured on many of Bo Diddley's compilation albums including His Best.

The song was voted #62 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is also a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll List. In 1998 "Bo Diddley" was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

" The above text is a mashup from AllMusic.com & Wikipedia."

Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18, 1926) is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and considered one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Chuck Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music.

Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers.

Quite simply, without him there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, nor a myriad others. There would be no standard "Chuck Berry guitar intro," the instrument's clarion call to get the joint rockin' in any setting.

The clippety-clop rhythms of rockabilly would not have been mainstreamed into the now standard 4/4 rock & roll beat. There would be no obsessive wordplay by modern-day tunesmiths; in fact, the whole history (and artistic level) of rock & roll songwriting would have been much poorer without him.

Like Brian Wilson said, he wrote "all of the great songs and came up with all the rock & roll beats." Those who do not claim him as a seminal influence or profess a liking for his music and showmanship show their ignorance of rock's development as well as his place as the music's first great creator. Elvis may have fueled rock & roll's imagery, but Chuck Berry was its heartbeat and original mindset.

Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986, with the comment that he "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance."

Berry is included in several Rolling Stone "Greatest of All Time" lists, including being ranked fifth on their 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll included three of Chuck Berry's songs: "Johnny B. Goode", "Maybellene", and "Rock and Roll Music". Today - at the age of 84 - Berry continues to play live.

"Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Johnny B. Goode" at number 42 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2008, Rolling Stone placed it at #1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time. Guitar World rated the song #12 on the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos list.

" The above text is a mashup from AllMusic.com & Wikipedia."

This day in music history

1953, The Stargazers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Broken Wings.' The first record by any British group to reach No.1. Stargazers' member Fred Dachtler is the father of Clark Datchler of 80’s group Johnny Hates Jazz.

1960, RCA Victor Records announced that it would be release all Pop singles in mono and stereo simultaneously, the first record company to do so. Elvis Presley's single, ‘Stuck on You’ was RCA's first mono / stereo release.

1964, The Beatles held the top five places on the US singles chart, at No. 5 'Please Please Me', No.4 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', No.3, 'Roll Over Beethoven', No.2 'Love Me Do' and at No.1 'Can't Buy Me Love.' They also had another nine singles on the chart, bringing their total to fourteen singles on the Hot 100.

1970, Crosby Stills Nash & Young went to No.1 on the US album chart with Deja Vu. The first album which saw Neil Young joining Crosby, Stills and Nash featured three US Top 40 singles: 'Teach Your Children', 'Our House' and 'Woodstock.'

1981, Styx went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Paradise Theatre'.

1987, Starship started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Nothin's Gonna Stop Us', taken from the film 'Mannequin', also a No.1 in the UK.

1987, The charity record by Ferry Aid 'Let It Be' was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The single was recorded in aid of the 1986 Zeebrugge Ferry disaster, which killed almost 200 people. The song featured Paul McCartney, Boy George, Mark Knopfler, Kim Wilde, Nik Kershaw, Kate Bush and others.

1987, U2 entered the US album chart at No.7 with 'The Joshua Tree' making it the highest chart new entry in America for seven years.

1992, Bruce Springsteen scored his third UK No.1 album with 'Human Touch.'

1999, The Corrs album 'Talk On Corners' went to No.1 on the UK album chart for the 10th time. They also had the No.2 position with 'Forgiven, Not Forgotten.' Both albums had spent over a year on the chart. Talk on Corners was the UK's biggest selling album of 1998 and the 9th best selling album of 1999.

2004, Anastacia was at No.1 on the UK album chart with her self-titled album, ‘Anastasia’, the singers first UK No.1.

2008, Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker won back full royalty rights to the band's worldwide hit, ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, at London's Court of Appeal. The decision overturned a 2006 ruling that organist Matthew Fisher was entitled to a 40% portion of royalties on the 1967 hit after he argued he had written the song's organ melody. The court ruled there was an "excessive delay" in the claim being made - nearly 40 years after the song was recorded.

1915, Born on this day, Muddy Waters, US blues singer, guitarist, died 30th April 1983. Recorded 'I Just Want To Make Love To You', 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man', 'Got My Mojo Working.'

1940, Born on this day, Sharon Sheeley, US songwriter. Hits include 'Poor Little Fool' US No.1 for Ricky Nelson in 1958 and 1959 hit for Eddie Cochran 'Somethin' Else'. Sheeley became Cochran's girlfriend and survived the car crash that killed Cochran in 1960. She died on May 17th 2002 aged 62.

1952, Born on this day, Gary Moore, guitar, vocals, Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, (1973 UK No.6 single 'Whisky In The Jar'), solo, (1979 UK No.8 single 'Parisian Walkways'). Died on 6th February 2011 while on holiday in Spain.

1972, Born on this day, Magnus Sveningsson, bass, The Cardigans, (1997 UK No.2 single 'Lovefool')


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Art Tatum

Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. (October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso. Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Critic Scott Yanow wrote, "Tatum's quick reflexes and boundless imagination kept his improvisations filled with fresh (and sometimes futuristic) ideas that put him way ahead of his contemporaries ... Art Tatum's recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists."

Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio. He was nearly blind. From infancy he suffered from cataracts of disputed cause which left him blind in one eye and with only very limited vision in the other. A number of surgical procedures improved his eye condition to a degree but some of the benefits were reversed when he was assaulted in 1930 at age 20.

A child prodigy with perfect pitch, Tatum learned to play by ear, picking out church hymns by the age of three, learning tunes from the radio and copying piano-roll recordings his mother owned. He developed an incredibly fast playing style, without losing accuracy. As a child he was also very sensitive to the piano's intonation and insisted it be tuned often.

Tatum drew inspiration from the pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, who exemplified the stride piano style, and from the more 'modern' Earl Hines, six years Tatum's senior.

Tatum recorded commercially from 1932 until near his death. Although recording opportunities were somewhat intermittent for most of his career due to his solo style, he left copious recordings.

Numerous stories exist about other musicians' respect for Tatum. Perhaps the most famous is the story about the time Tatum walked into a club where Fats Waller was playing, and Waller stepped away from the piano bench to make way for Tatum, announcing, "I only play the piano, but tonight God is in the house."Fats Waller's son confirmed the statement.

Tatum posthumously received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.

The first attached video includes his appearance in the 1947 movie The Fabulous Dorseys accompanying Dorsey's band in an impromptu song while the second one is his performance of "Someone to Watch Over Me" written by George Gershwin.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Lester Young

Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums.

Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument, playing with a cool tone and using sophisticated harmonies. He invented or popularized much of the hipster ethos which came to be associated with the music.

Young's playing style influenced many other tenor saxophonists. Perhaps the most famous and successful of these were Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon, but he also influenced many in the cool movement such as Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Gerry Mulligan. Paul Quinichette modeled his style so closely on Young's that he was sometimes referred to as the 'Vice Prez'.

Lester Young also had a direct influence on young Charlie Parker ("Bird"), and thus the entire be-bop movement. Indeed, recordings of Parker on tenor sax are similar in style to that of Young.

Charles Mingus dedicated an elegy, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", for Young only a few months after his death. Wayne Shorter, then of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, composed a tribute, called "Lester Left Town".

HD Jammin' the Blues is a 1944 short film in which several prominent jazz musicians got together for a rare filmed jam session. It features Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris, Sid Catlett, Barney Kessel, Joe Jones, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet, Marie Bryant, Archie Savage and Garland Finney. For some, this is their only known appearance in a theatrical film. Barney Kessel is the only white performer in the film. He was seated in the shadows to shade his skin, and for closeups, his hands were stained with berry juice. Lindy Hop legends Archie Savage and Marie Bryant do the Lindy Hop (Jitterbug) on this footage. Directed by Gjon Mili and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Blue Lester a recording from 1944 follows.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Coleman Hawkins

Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn". While Hawkins is most strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.

Lester Young, who was called "Pres", in a 1959 interview with The Jazz Review, said "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one."Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads." Hawkins was nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean".

Hawkins directly influenced many bebop performers, and later in his career, recorded or performed with such adventurous musicians as Sonny Rollins, who considered him as his main influence, and John Coltrane. He appears on the Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Riverside) record. In 1960 he recorded on Max Roach's We Insist! - Freedom Now suite.

In his later years, Hawkins began to drink heavily and stopped recording (his last recording was in late 1966). He died of pneumonia in 1969 and is interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

His version of "Body and Soul" in 1940 became his most famous record.The second video is the 1935 cover of I wish I were Twins, a tune recorded and made popular by Fats Waller in 1934.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

This day in music history

1956, Elvis Presley appeared on ABC-TV's 'The Milton Berle Show' live from the flight deck of the USS Hancock in San Diego, California. He performed 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Shake Rattle And Roll' and 'Blue Suede Shoes.' It was estimated that one out of every four Americans saw the show.


1964, Bob Dylan made his first entry on the UK charts with 'The Times They Are A-Changin'.

1969, The Doors' Jim Morrison turned himself in to the FBI in Los Angeles. He was charged on six charges of lewd behavior and public exposure at a concert in Miami on March 2nd, 1969. He was later released on $2000 bail.

1971, The Temptations scored their second US No.1 with 'Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)' a No.8 hit in the UK.

1990, American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan died of lung cancer. She had the 1954 US No.6 single 'Make Yourself Comfortable' and released over 50 albums. March 27, is "Sarah Lois Vaughan Day" in both San Francisco and Berkeley, California in honour of the singer.

1993, Depeche Mode went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Songs Of Faith And Devotion' their first UK No.1 and their 10th album release.

1994, Morrissey went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Vauxhall & I.'

1999, English composer Lionel Bart died from cancer aged 69. Wrote 'Living Doll' for Cliff Richard, 'Little White Bull' for Tommy Steele, composed the musical, 'Oliver' And wrote the theme song for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love.

2001, Robbie Williams won the award for the most radio plays in the UK for the third year running. The singer picked up the award at the Radio Academy awards in London.

2008, Mariah Carey smashed Elvis Presley's US chart record by scoring the 18th number one of her career with ‘Touch My Body’, from her new album E=MC2. Carey had now surpassed Elvis Presley's 17 number ones, The Beatles still held the record with 20 US No.1 hit singles.

1924, Born on this day, Doris Day, singer, actress, (1956 US No.2 & UK No.1 single 'Whatever Will Be, Will Be, (Que Sera, Sera, plus 17 other UK Top 40 singles).

1938, Born on this day, Jeff Barry, songwriter. Wrote 'Tell Laura I Love Her', 'Da Doo Ron Ron', 'Be My Baby', 'Baby I Love You', 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy.'

1943, Born on this day, Richard Manuel, The Band, (1969 US No.25 single 'Up On Cripple Creek', 1970 UK No.16 single 'Rag Mama Rag'). Manuel committed suicide on 6th March 1986.

1962, Born on this day, Simon Raymonde, Cocteau Twins, (1984 UK No.29 single 'Pearly Dewdrops' Drops').

1985, Born on this day, Leona Lewis, singer, winner of the third UK series of the The X Factor, 2006 UK No.1 single ‘A Moment Like This’. The download single set a world record, by being downloaded over 50,000 times within 30 minutes of being available online.

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Yann Tiersen - Amélie

Guillaume Yann Tiersen (born 23 June 1970) is a French musician and composer. His music is recognized by its use of a large variety of instruments in relatively minimalist compositions, often with a touch of either European classical music or French folk music, using primarily the piano, accordion or violin together with instruments like the melodica, xylophone, toy piano, ondes martenot, harpsichord and typewriter. His musical style is reminiscent of Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, Philip Glass and Michael Nyman.

Amélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Its original French title is Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain meaning "The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain". Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story of a shy waitress, played by Audrey Tautou, who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better, while struggling with her own isolation. The film was an international co-production between companies in France and Germany.
Amélie won best film at the European Film Awards; it won four César Awards (including Best Film and Best Director), two BAFTA Awards (including Best Original Screenplay), and was nominated for five Academy Awards. (See below for other awards and recognition.)

The soundtrack features both compositions from Tiersen's first three albums, but also new items, variants of which can be found on his fourth album, L'Absente, which he was writing at the same time. Beside the accordion and piano the music features parts played with harpsichord, banjo, bass guitar, vibraphone and even a bicycle wheel at the end of "La Dispute" (which plays over the opening titles in the motion picture).

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Howard Leslie Shore - The Lord of the Rings

Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 40 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979. Shore is a three-time winner of the Academy Award, and has also won two Golden Globe Awards and four Grammy Awards.

The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during the Second World War. It is the second best selling novel ever written with over 150 million copies sold. The three volumes of this epic are entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King and have been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages, becoming one of the most popular and influential works in the field of 20th-century fantasy literature and the subject of several films.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the 2003 concluding film in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, following The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Two Towers (2002), directed by Peter Jackson and based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Released on 17 December 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King received rave reviews and became one of the greatest critical and box-office successes of all time. Notably, it won all eleven Academy Awards for which it was nominated, an Oscar record (tying Ben-Hur and Titanic). It also won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the only time a fantasy film has done so.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Thomas Newman - Road to Perdition

Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his many film scores. He is one of the most respected and recognized composers for modern film and has scored over fifty feature films in a career which spans nearly three decades. Newman has received a total of ten Academy Award nominations, although as of 2011, he has yet to win the award.

He has also won a BAFTA, two Grammys, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Newman was honored with the Richard Kirk award at the 2000 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music.

Road to Perdition is a 2002 American period drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self, from the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The film stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig. The plot, taking place during the Great Depression, follows a mob enforcer and his son as they seek vengeance against a mobster who murdered the rest of their family.

Road to Perdition was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Paul Newman), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall), Best Original Score (Thomas Newman), Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing. The sole award went to Hall for Cinematography.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

This day in music history

1964, The Beatles had their fourth UK No.1 single with 'Can't Buy Me Love.' With advanced sales of over 2.1 million, it holds the record for the greatest advanced orders for a single in the UK.

1964, The Beach Boys recorded their next single ‘I Get Around’, which became their first US No.1 in the summer of this year.

1965, The Who made their first radio appearance on the UK BBC's 'Joe Loss Pop Show.'

1969, Bruce Springsteen’s new group Child made their live debut at the Pandemonium Club in Wanamassa, New Jersey.

1971, Janis Joplin was at No.1 on the US album charts with 'Pearl.'

1977, Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their fifth No.1 'Knowing Me, Knowing You.' The song was also a Top 10 hit in over 15 countries.

1977, Fleetwood Mac went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Rumours.' Also on this day Fleetwood Mac kicked off a 7-date UK tour at the Odeon, Birmingham, England.

1977, Frank Sinatra scored his first ever UK No.1 album with 'Portrait Of Sinatra', his 46th album release.

1983, Pink Floyd scored their third UK No.1 album with 'The Final Cut.'

1987, One of the greatest jazz drummers of all time, Buddy Rich died aged 69 due to complications caused by a brain tumour. Rich worked with many acts including, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey's band, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. Rush’s Neil Peart organized a pair of ’90s tribute albums (titled Burning for Buddy), which also featured the work of Kenny Aronoff, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Max Roach, Steve Smith and Matt Sorum.

1998, Rob Pilatus, one half of pop duo Milli Vanilli was found dead in a Frankfurt Hotel room after taking a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol. Milli Vanilli won the 1989 best new artist Grammy after hits like 'Blame it on the Rain' and 'Girl, You Know It's True,' selling 30 million singles and 14 million albums. But in late 1990, the performers were stripped of the award after it was revealed that neither actually sang on the Milli Vanilli album.

2001, Mariah Carey signed the richest recording deal in history. The 31-year old singer signed a deal with Virgin for three albums worth £60m. The singer had sold over 120 million records worldwide, scoring 14 US No.1 singles.

2003, US soul singer Edwin Starr died at his British home in Nottingham aged 61. Formed The Future Tones in 1957, had the 1970 US No.1 and UK No.3 anti-Vietnam War protest song 'War', (which according to Starr was recorded in one take).

2006, Gnarls Barkley started an eight-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Crazy.' The American duo made chart history by becoming the first act ever to reach No.1 through computer downloads only. The single was not available to buy in shops until the following week.

1928, Born on this day, Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Had the 1969 UK No.1 single with Jane Birkin 'Je t'aime... Moi non plus' the only French language chart topper in the UK. The track was originally written for and sung with Brigitte Bardot in 1967, but that version was not released until
1986. Gainsbourg died of a heart attack on March 2nd 1991.

1939, Born on this day, Marvin Gaye, singer, songwriter who had a 1968 US No.1 &
1969 UK No.1 single with ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ and a 1982 US No.3 & UK No.4 single with ‘Sexual Healing’. He was shot dead by his father on April 1st 1984.

1941, Born on this day, Leon Russell, singer songwriter, mult-instumentalist. Worked with Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Glenn Campbell, wrote 'Delta Lady' a hit for Joe Cocker. Played on The Byrds 'Mr Tambourine Man.'

1946, Born on this day, Kurt Winter, Guess Who, (1970 US No.1 & UK No.19 single 'American Woman'). He died on 15th December 1997.

1953, Born on this day, David Robinson, The Cars, (1978 UK No.3 & US No.35 single 'My Best Friend's Girl', 1984 US No.3 & 1985 UK No.4 single 'Drive').

1963, Born on this day, Keren Woodward, Bananarama, (1984 UK No.3 single 'Robert De Niro's Waiting', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles, 1986 US No.1 single 'Venus').

1979, Born on this day, Jesse Carmichael, keyboards, Maroon 5, (2004 UK No.1 album ‘Songs About Jane’, 2004 US No.1 & UK No.4 single ‘She Will Be Loved’).

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Trevor Jones - The Last of the Mohicans

Trevor Alfred Charles Jones (born 23 March 1949) is a South African orchestral film score composer. Although not especially well known outside the film world, he has composed for numerous films and his music has been critically acclaimed for both its depth and emotion.

Jones' most popular success came in 1992 with his score for The Last of the Mohicans, and his soaring, passionate music belies the difficulties which afflicted its creation. Director Michael Mann initially asked Jones to provide an electronic score for the film, but late in the game, it was decided an orchestral score would be more appropriate for this historic epic. Jones hurried to re-fashion the score for orchestra in the limited time left, while the constant re-cutting of the film meant music cues sometimes had to be rewritten several times to keep-up with the new timings. Finally, with the release date looming, composer Randy Edelman was called-in to score some minor scenes which Jones did not have time to do. Jones and Edelman received co-credit on the film (thus making this very popular and acclaimed score ineligible for Oscar consideration).

The main theme of the movie is taken from the tune The Gael by Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean.The historical epic film is set in 1757 during the French and Indian War. It is based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel of the same name, although it owes more to George B. Seitz's 1936 film adaptation than the source novel. The main cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig, Steven Waddington and Jodhi May.The film won an Academy Award for Sound. The main theme of the movie is taken from the tune.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

James Horner - Braveheart

James Roy Horner (born August 14, 1953) is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements. Horner is a two-time Academy Award-winner, and has received a total of 10 Oscar nominations. He has won numerous other awards, including the Golden Globe Award and the Grammy Award.

Horner's career spans over three decades and he has composed several of Hollywood's most famous film scores. His score to the 1997 film Titanic remains the best selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time.

In addition, Horner has scored over 100 films, frequently collaborating with acclaimed directors such as Mel Gibson, James Cameron and Ron Howard. Other scores he worked on include those of Braveheart, Willow, Apollo 13, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens, Glory, The Mask of Zorro, The Legend of Zorro, Enemy at the Gates, The Missing, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, The Land Before Time, The Rocketeer, A Beautiful Mind, The Perfect Storm, Avatar, and, most recently, The Karate Kid, which was released in June 2010.

His body of work is notable for including the scores to the two highest-grossing films of all time; Titanic and Avatar, both of which were directed by James Cameron.

Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a 13th century Scottish knight who gained recognition when he came to the forefront of the First War of Scottish Independence by opposing King Edward I of England, also known as "Longshanks" (Patrick McGoohan). The film won five Academy Awards at the 68th Academy Awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, and was nominated for an additional five.

The soundtrack for Braveheart was composed and conducted by James Horner, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The soundtrack, comprising 77 minutes of background music taken from significant scenes in the film, was noticeably successful, and album co-producer Simon Rhodes produced a follow-up soundtrack in 1997 titled More Music from Braveheart. International and French versions of the soundtrack have also been released.

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

Philip Glass - Kundun

Philip Morris Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American music composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public.
Glass is a prolific composer: he has written works for his own musical group which he founded, the Philip Glass Ensemble (with which he still performs on keyboards), as well as operas, musical theatre works, nine symphonies, ten concertos, solo works, chamber music including string quartets and instrumental sonatas, and film scores. Three of his film scores have been nominated for Academy Awards.

Kundun is a 1997 epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, a grand nephew of the Dalai Lama, stars as the adult Dalai Lama. "Kundun", meaning "presence", is a title by which the Dalai Lama is addressed. Kundun was released only a few months after Seven Years in Tibet, sharing the latter's location and its depiction of the Dalai Lama at several stages of his youth, though Kundun covers a period three times longer.

Martin Scorsese has said : «Philip Glass's score for Kundun is the realization of a long-cherished dream. For years, I had hoped to work with Glass, and in Kundun we found the ideal subject for a special collaboration. His Buddhist faith and deep understanding of Tibetan culture combine with the subtlety of his composition to play an essential role in our movie on the life of the Dalai Lama. Philip Glass is an artist of tremendous sensitivity whose music works from the inside of the film, from its heart, to produce a powerful emotional intensity which remains for days in the listener's head. The beauty, magic, grandeur, and spirituality of the score allow us to feel the pulse of the story as it unfolds. For me, the images in the film no longer stand on their own without Philip Glass's music. I consider myself fortunate, indeed blessed, to have worked with him on Kundun...»

" The above text is a mashup from Wikipedia."

This day in music history

1956, Elvis Presley was given a screen test at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, acting the role of Jimmy Curry in a scene from 'The Rainmaker.'

1966, Pye Records released David Bowie's first solo single, 'Do Anything You Say'. Bowie had previously recorded as David Jones and The Lower Third.

1966, The Troggs recorded ‘Wild Thing’ at Regent Sound Studio in London. The song went on to be a No.1 US and No.2 UK hit in June the following year. The track was recorded in one complete take (take two).

1969, The Beach Boys announced they were suing their record label Capitol for $2m in unpaid royalties.

1970, As an April Fool's joke, John Lennon and Yoko Ono issued a statement to the press that they were having dual sex change operations.

1984, Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father at his parent's home in Los Angeles, California. The argument started after his parents squabbled over misplaced business documents, Gaye attempted to intervene, and was killed by his father using a gun he had given him four months before. Marvin Sr. was sentenced to six years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Charges of first-degree murder were dropped after doctors discovered Marvin Sr. had a brain tumor.

1985, Tom Bailey singer with The Thompson Twins collapsed from exhaustion while staying at The Holiday Inn, Chelsea.

1985, David Lee Roth quit Van Halen shortly after releasing his version of The Beach Boys', ‘California Girls’, (which featured Carl Wilson on background vocals). He was replaced by Sammy Hagar later in the year.

1989, Madonna scored her third UK No.1 album with 'Like A Prayer.' Also a US No.1 the album spent 70 weeks on the UK chart.

1989, The Bangles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Eternal Flame', also a No.1 in the UK and the biggest selling single of 1989 in Australia.

2000, Santana started a nine week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with, 'Maria Maria.'

2004, Paul Atkinson guitarist with The Zombies died aged 58 due to liver and kidney disease. They scored the 1964 US No.2 & UK No.12 single 'She's Not There'. He later became an artists and repertoire executive, working for Columbia and RCA discovering and signing such bands as ABBA, Bruce Hornsby, Mr. Mister, Judas Priest, and Michael Penn.

1942, Born on this day, Alan Blakley, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, (1967 UK No.1 & US No.11 single 'Silence Is Golden'). He died of cancer 1st June 1996.

1942, Born on this day, Phil Margo, The Tokens, (1961 US No.1 & UK No.11 single 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight').

1945, Born on this day, John Barbata, The Turtles, (US No.1 single 'Happy Together', Jefferson Starship, (1987 UK & US No.1 single 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us').

1946, Born on this day, Ronnie Lane, bass player and vocalist with Small Faces. The Small Faces, had a 1967 UK No.3 & US No.16 single with ‘Itchycoo Park’ and a 1968 UK No.1 album with 'Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake'. As The Faces they had a 1972 UK No.6 & US No.17 single with ‘Stay With Me’. Ronnie then formed Slim Chance, who had a 1974 UK No.5 single with ‘How Come’. He died on June 4th 1997, aged 51, after a 20 year battle with multiple sclerosis.

1948, Born on this day, Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer, songwriter, (1969 UK No.6 & US No.25 single 'Wonderful World Beautiful People', 1970 UK No.8 version of Cat Stevens 'Wild World').

1952, Born on this day, Billy Currie, keyboards, Ultravox, (1981 UK No.2 single 'Vienna', plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles).

1954, Born on this day, Jeff Porcaro, drums, Toto, (1983 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Africa'). Porcaro died on 5th August 1992.

1961, Born on this day, Mark White, guitar, keyboards, ABC, (1982 UK No.4 & US No.18 single 'The Look Of Love', plus nine other UK Top 40 singles).

1961, Born on this day, Susan Boyle, Scottish singer, debut 2009 album 'I Dreamed a Dream' was the biggest selling album in the world in 2009.

For more musical feats & facts, you can visit thisdayinmusic.com

Vangelis Papathanassiou - Chariots of Fire

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (born 29 March 1943) is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis.

He is best known for his Academy Award winning score for the film Chariots of Fire, and scores for the films Blade Runner and 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Vangelis began his professional musical career working with several popular bands of the 1960s such as The Forminx and Aphrodite's Child, with the latter's album 666 going on to be recognized as a psychedelic "classic".

Throughout the 1970s, Vangelis composed music scores for several animal documentaries, including L'Apocalypse Des Animaux, La Fête sauvage and Opéra sauvage; the success of these scores brought him into the film scoring mainstream. In the early 1980s, Vangelis formed a musical partnership with Jon Anderson, the lead singer of progressive rock band Yes, and the duo went on to release several albums together as Jon & Vangelis.

In 1981, he composed the score for the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire. The soundtrack's single, "Titles", won Vangelis the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score and also reached the top of the American Billboard.

In a career spanning 50 years, writing and composing more than 52 albums, Vangelis is regarded by some music critics as one of the greatest living composers of electronic music.

Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice.
The film was written by Colin Welland and directed by Hugh Hudson. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture. It is ranked 19th in the British Film Institute's list of Top 100 British films.

The film's title was inspired by the line, "Bring me my chariot of fire," from the William Blake poem adapted into the popular British hymn Jerusalem; the hymn is heard at the end of the film. The original phrase "chariot(s) of fire" is from 2 Kings 2:11 and 6:17 in the Bible.

Although the film is a period piece, set in the 1920s, the Academy Award-winning original soundtrack composed by Vangelis uses a modern 1980s electronic sound, with a strong use of synthesizer and piano among other instruments. This was a bold and significant departure from earlier period films, which employed sweeping orchestral instrumentals. The title theme of the film has become iconic, and has been used in subsequent films and television shows during slow-motion segments.

Director Hugh Hudson originally wanted Vangelis's 1977 tune "L'Enfant",from his 1979 Opera Sauvage album, to be the title theme of the film, and the beach running sequence was actually filmed with "L'Enfant" playing on loudspeakers for the runners to pace to.

Vangelis finally convinced Hudson he could create a new and better piece for the film's main theme — and when he played the now-iconic "Chariots of Fire" theme for Hudson, it was agreed the new tune was unquestionably better. But the "L'Enfant" melody still made it into the film: When the athletes reach Paris and enter the stadium, a brass band marches through the field, and first plays a modified, acoustic performance of "L'Enfant". Vangelis's electronic "L'Enfant" track eventually was used prominently in the 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously.

Some pieces of Vangelis's music in the film did not end up on the film's soundtrack album. One of them is the background music to the race Eric Liddell runs in the Scottish highlands. This piece is a version of "Hymn", the original version of which appears on Vangelis's 1979 album, Opéra sauvage. Various versions are also included on Vangelis's compilation albums Themes, Portraits, and Odyssey.

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Michael Laurence Nyman - Drowning by Numbers

Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano.

Nyman has stated his preference for writing opera to other sorts of music. His operas include The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Letters, Riddles and Writs, Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, Facing Goya, Man and Boy: Dada, Love Counts, and Sparkie: Cage and Beyond, and he has written six concerti, four string quartets, and many other chamber works, many for his Michael Nyman Band, with and without whom he tours as a performing pianist.

Drowning by Numbers is a 1988 British film directed by Peter Greenaway. It was
entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. The film's plot centers on three women — a grandmother, mother and daughter — each named Cissie Colpitts. As the story progresses each woman successively drowns her husband. The three Cissie Colpitts are played by Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson, and Joely Richardson.

The musical score by Michael Nyman is at Greenaway's specific request, entirely based on themes taken from the slow movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364, bars 58-61 of which are heard in their original form immediately after each drowning. Nyman was alerted to the potential of this piece by Greenaway in the late 1970s and had previously used it as material for part of the score for Greenaway's The Falls and for "The Masterwork" Award Winning Fish-Knife and Tristram Shandy.

The album is the tenth by Nyman, and the seventh to feature the Michael Nyman Band.

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Peter Brian Gabriel - The Last Temptation of Christ

Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. More recently he has focused on producing and promoting world music and pioneering digital distribution methods for music. He has also been involved in various humanitarian efforts.

In 2007 he was honoured as a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his “influence on generations of music makers.”Gabriel was also awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2009 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.

In 1989, Gabriel released Passion, the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's movie The Last Temptation of Christ. It is his second soundtrack and eighth album overall.For this work he received his first Grammy Award, in the category of Best New Age Performance. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture. The film's score is seen as a landmark in the popularisation of world music.

Gabriel worked with several musicians around the world to create music meant to enhance the mood of the film, but also added a modern ambient musical touch to the original pieces, producing a musical work that has influenced many musicians in the years since its release. Passion introduced many listeners to such artists as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N'Dour, L. Shankar, and Baaba Maal.

The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the controversial 1960 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. The film was shot entirely in Morocco.

Like the novel, the film depicts the life of Jesus Christ, and its central thesis is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust. The movie includes a disclaimer explaining that it departs from the commonly-accepted Biblical portrayal of Jesus' life, and that it is not based upon the Gospels.

The film received an Academy Award nomination for Martin Scorsese as Best Director. Barbara Hershey's performance as Mary Magdalene earned her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress nomination.

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