The-Soul-SoundSystem: divas

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder (born Steveland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Steveland Hardaway Morris),[1] is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Wonder has recorded more than thirty Top 10 hits, won twenty-two Grammy Awards [2] (a record for a solo artist), plus one for lifetime achievement, he has won an Academy Award for Best Song and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. Opera star Luciano Pavarotti once referred to him in a concert as a "great, great musical genius". Blind from infancy, Wonder signed with Motown Records as an adolescent, and continues to perform and record for the label to this day. He has become one of the most successful and well-known artists in the world, with nine U.S. number-one hits to his name and album sales totaling more than 100 million units. Wonder has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and writes and produces songs for many of his labelmates and outside artists as well. A multi-instrumentalist, Wonder plays the drums, congas, bass guitar, organ, harmonica, piano and synthesizer. In his early career, he was best known for his harmonica work, but today he is better known for his keyboard skills. Contents[hide] 1 Early life 1.1 Early career, 1962–1971 1.2 Classic period, 1972–1976 1.3 Commercial period, 1979-1990 1.4 Later career, 1991-present 1.5 Impact 1.6 Personal life 2 Discography 2.1 U.S. and UK Top Ten singles 2.2 Top Ten U.S. and UK Albums 3 Pseudonymous work 4 Awards and recognition 5 Music sample 6 Cultural References 7 Notes 8 See also 9 External links // [edit] Early life Steveland Morris was born prematurely in Saginaw, Michigan to Lula Mae Hardaway on May 13, 1950 It is thought that he received excessive oxygen in his incubator which led to retinopathy of prematurity, a destructive ocular disorder affecting the retina, characterized by abnormal growth of blood vessels, scarring, and sometimes retinal detachment. Mrs. Hardaway instructed her other children (there would eventually be four boys and one girl in the home) to treat Steveland the same as any other child, and not to tease or over-assist him because of his blindness. As a result, Steveland had a balanced childhood. The family moved to Detroit, Michigan and Steveland began singing and playing instruments in church at an early age. He in particular took to the piano, congas, and harmonica at an early age. Wonder was educated at the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Michigan where he was trained in classical piano. [edit] Early career, 1962–1971 In 1962, at the age of 12, Steveland Morris was introduced to Ronnie White of the popular Motown act The Miracles. White brought Morris and his mother to Motown Records. Impressed by the young musician, Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Morris to Motown's Tamla label as Little Stevie Wonder. At the age of 13, Little Stevie Wonder had his first major hit, "Fingertips (Pt. 2)", a 1963 single taken from a live recording of a Motown Revue performance. The song, featuring Wonder on vocals, congas, and harmonica, and a young Marvin Gaye on drums, was a #1 hit on the US pop charts and launched him into the public consciousness. Dropping the "Little" from his moniker, Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "With a Child's Heart", and "Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan cover which was one of the first songs to reflect Wonder's social consciousness. He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his labelmates. By 1970, Wonder had scored more major hits, including "I Was Made to Love Her", "For Once in My Life", "My Cherie Amour", and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". Besides being one of the first songs on which Wonder serves as both songwriter and producer, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" is one of the main showcases for his backup group Wonderlove, a trio which included at various times Minnie Riperton, Deniece Williams, Lynda Laurence, and Syreeta Wright, whom Wonder married on September 14, 1970. Wonder and Wright divorced eighteen months later, but they continued to collaborate on musical projects. Besides Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder was one of the few Motown stars to contest the label's factory-like operation methods: artists, songwriters, and producers were usually kept in specialized collectives with little or no overlap, and artists had no creative control. Wonder argued with Berry Gordy over creative control a number of times. As a compromise, Motown released an album under the name "Eivets Rednow" (Stevie Wonder backwards). These arguments continued, and Wonder allowed his Motown contract to expire. He left the label on his twenty-first birthday in 1971. His final album before his departure was Where I'm Coming From, which Gordy had strongly fought against releasing. [edit] Classic period, 1972–1976 Wonder independently recorded two albums, which he used as a bargaining tool while negotiating with Motown. Eventually, the label agreed to his demands for full creative control and the rights to his own songs, and Wonder returned to Motown in March 1972 with Music of My Mind, an album which is considered a classic of the era. Unlike most previous artist LPs on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection of singles, b-sides, and covers, Music of My Mind was an actual LP, a full-length artistic statement, and began a string of five albums released over a period of less than five years, that make up what is generally considered Stevie Wonder's classic period. October 1972's Talking Book featured the #1 pop and R&B hit "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive examples of the sound of the clavinet. The song, originally intended for rock guitarist Jeff Beck, features a rocking groove that garnered Wonder an additional audience on rock radio stations. That audience was further exposed to Wonder when he opened for The Rolling Stones on their much-heralded 1972 American Tour. Wonder's pop following was not neglected, however, as "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" followed to #1 on the pop charts and has been a staple love song for the decades since. Between them, the songs won three Grammy Awards. Wonder's critical and popular acclaim only increased less than a year later, in August 1973, when Wonder released what is often called his best album, Innervisions. Political considerations were brought into greater focus than ever before, with the driving, percolating "Higher Ground" (#4 on the pop charts) followed by the memorable epic "Living for the City" (#8), which found Wonder more evocatively describing a time and place in American life than he would anywhere else in his career. Popular ballads such as "Golden Lady" and "All in Love Is Fair" were also present, in a mixture of moods that nevertheless held together as a unified whole. The album generated three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. On August 6, 1973, just days after the release of Innervisions, Wonder was in a serious automobile accident while on tour, when a log from a truck went through a passenger window and struck him in the head. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a permanent loss of his sense of smell. Despite the setback, Wonder eventually recovered all of his musical faculties, and reappeared in concert at Madison Square Garden in March 1974 in a performance that highlighted both up-tempo material and long, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as "Living for the City". The album Fulfillingness' First Finale then appeared in July 1974 with a more personal, introspective outlook, but nevertheless sent two hits high on the pop charts. The Album of the Year was again one of three Grammys won. On October 5, 1975, Wonder performed the historical Wonder Dream Concert in Kingston, Jamaica, a Jamaican Institute for the Blind benefit concert. Along with Wonder Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, the three original "Wailers", performed together for the last time. By 1975, in his 25th year, Stevie Wonder had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in 1974 for Innervisions and in 1975 for Fulfillingness' First Finale. The following year, singer songwriter Paul Simon won the Grammy for Album of the Year for Still Crazy After All These Years. In his Grammy acceptance speech, Simon jokingly thanked Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year. Simon's relief was short-lived, however; in 1977 Stevie Wonder re-took the best album Grammy Award for Songs In The Key Of Life. Wonder then focused his attentions on what he intended as his magnum opus, the double album-with-extra-EP Songs in the Key of Life, released in September 1976. Sprawling in style, unlimited in ambition, and sometimes lyrically difficult to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners to fully assimilate. Two tracks fairly jumped out of the radio with energy, however, becoming the #1 hits "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". "Isn't She Lovely" was a future wedding and bat mitzvah fixture, while songs such as "Love's in Need of Love Today" (which years later Wonder would perform at the post-September 11, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon) and the classical "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a far more pensive mood. "Pastime Paradise" would become an interpolation for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" (one of the most popular hits of the 1990s). Yet again Wonder was awarded Album of the Year, along with two other Grammys. Possibly exhausted by this concentrated and sustained level of creativity, Wonder was not heard from again for three years. Nevertheless his output during this stretch had left its mark: the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said that these albums "pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade"; Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time included four of the five, with three in the top 90; while in 2005 Kanye West said of his own work, "I'm not trying to compete with what's out there now. I'm really trying to compete with Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. It sounds musically blasphemous to say something like that, but why not set that as your bar?"[3] [edit] Commercial period, 1979-1990 It was in Wonder's next phase that he began to commercially reap the rewards of his legendary Classic period. The 80's saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecendent level of fame- evidenced by increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations, and television appearances. This period had a muted beginning, for when Wonder did return, it was with a soundtrack album for the film Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979). Mostly instrumental, the album was panned at the time of its release but has come to be regarded by some critics as an unusual classic. Hotter than July (1980) became Wonder's first platinum selling album, and its single "Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. The album also included "Master Blaster (Jammin')", his tribute to Bob Marley, and the sentimental ballad, "Lately", which was later covered by 1990s R&B act Jodeci. In 1982, Wonder released a retrospective of his '70s work with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium and included three more hit singles in his catalogue, including the ten-minute funk classic "Do I Do" (which included legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie), "That Girl" (one of the year's biggest singles to chart on the R&B side) and "Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many classic compositions. Wonder also gained a #1 hit that year in collaboration with Paul McCartney in their paean to racial harmony, "Ebony and Ivory". 1984 saw the release of Wonder's soundtrack album for The Woman in Red. The lead single, "I Just Called to Say I Love You", was a #1 pop and R&B hit in both the US and UK, where it was placed 13th in the all-time list of best-selling singles in the UK issued in 2002. It went on to win an Academy Award for "Best Song" in 1985. The following year's In Square Circle featured the #1 pop hit "Part-Time Lover". He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", alongside Melle Mel, playing his signature harmonica, which was a huge hit. In roughly the same period he was also featured on harmonica on Eurythmics' single, "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)." By 1985 Stevie Wonder was an American icon, the subject of good-humored jokes about blindness and affectionately impersonated by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live. Thus it was only natural that he was in a featured duet with Bruce Springsteen on the all-star charity single for African famine relief, "We Are the World", and that he was part of another charity single the following year, the AIDS-targeted "That's What Friends Are For". Also in 1985, Wonder performed "Go Home" from his album In Square Circle, at the Grammy awards ceremony in Los Angeles in the infamous synthesizer jam along with Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones and Herbie Hancock. In 1986, Stevie Wonder appeared in The Cosby Show as himself. In 1987 Wonder appeared on the duet Just Good Friends for Michael Jackson's Bad album. [edit] Later career, 1991-present After 1987's Characters LP, Wonder continued to release new material, albeit at a slower pace. He recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in 1991, and released both Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder during the same decade. In 1996, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life was selected as a documentary subject for the Classic Albums documentary series. This series dedicates 60 minutes to one, groundbreaking record per feature. Stevie Wonder also performed in a unique remix of Seasons Of Love from the Jonathan Larson musical Rent which can be found on disc two of the cast original Broadway cast recording. In December 1999, Wonder announced that he was interested in pursuing an intraocular retinal prosthesis to partially restore his sight. [1] In March 2002, Wonder performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time.[4] Wonder's first new album in ten years, A Time to Love, was released on October 18, 2005, after having been pushed back from first a May, and then a June release. The album was released electronically on September 27, 2005, exclusively on Apple's iTunes Music Store. The first single, "So What the Fuss", was released in April and features Prince on guitar and background vocals from En Vogue. A second single, "From the Bottom of My Heart" was a hit on adult-contemporary R&B radio. The album also featured a duet with India Arie on the title track "A Time to Love". Wonder performed at the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in Detroit in early 2006, singing various hit singles (with his four-year-old son on drums) and accompanying Aretha Franklin during "The Star Spangled Banner". In March 2006, Wonder received new national exposure on the top-rated American Idol television program. Each of 12 contestants were required to sing one of his songs, after having met and received guidance from him. (Some of the contestants idolized Wonder, while others showed little familiarity with his work.) Wonder also performed "My Love Is on Fire" live on the show itself. Most recently, in June 2006, Stevie Wonder made a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' new album, The Big Bang on the track "Been through the Storm" he sings the refrain and plays the piano on the Dr. Dre and Sha Money XL produced track. He appeared again on the last track of Snoop Dogg's new album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations". The song is a remake of "Have a Talk with God" from Songs in the Key of Life. It is also rumored that he will appear on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's new album, Strength and Loyalty. Stevie Wonder also performed at the Nation's Capitol's 2006 "A Capitol Fourth" celebration, which was hosted by actor star Jason Alexander. [edit] Impact Wonder's success as a socially conscious musical performer was significantly influential to both R&B and pop music. Among the musicians and performers who list Wonder as one of their major influences are Gloria Estefan, Alicia Keys, Avia, Mariah Carey, Tim Foreman (Switchfoot), Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, George Michael, Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson, Nik Kershaw, Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, John Legend, Jason Kay (Jamiroquai), Donell Jones, and the members of Jodeci, Maroon 5, the Neptunes, Dru Hill, Babyface, Beyoncé Knowles, Nicholas Jonas (Jonas Brothers) and Aaliyah. Wonder's songs are renowned for being hard and demanding to sing. There are many 9th, 11th and 13th chords. His melodies make abrupt, unpredictable changes. His songs are melismatic, meaning that a syllable of a word is sung over different notes. In the American Idol Hollywood Performances, judge Randy Jackson repeatedly stated the difficulty of Wonder's songs. Some of his best known and most frequently covered songs are in unusual keys for bands. For example, Superstition, Higher Ground and I Wish are all in the key of E flat, and all feature distinctive riffs that can be played mostly on the black notes of a keyboard. [edit] Personal life Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, was born on May 13, 2005, and is the second child of Wonder and his current wife, fashion designer Kai Milla Morris. He is an active supporter of the United States Democratic Party. Stevie Wonder was a social activist during the Civil Rights Movement. Stevie Wonder was born in 1950, and when he was in high school the desegregation laws were already taking effect. Therefore he never took part in any major protests or sit-ins promoting the desegregation of schools, businesses, and restaurants in the US. [edit] Discography Main article: Stevie Wonder discography [edit] U.S. and UK Top Ten singles Thirty-four of Stevie Wonder's singles, listed below, reached the Top Ten on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in the United States, or in the United Kingdom. 1963: "Fingertips - Part 2" (U.S. #1) 1965: "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (U.S. #3) 1966: "Blowin' in the Wind" (U.S. #9) 1966: "A Place in the Sun" (U.S. #9) 1967: "I Was Made to Love Her"(U.S. #2, UK #5) 1968: "For Once in My Life" (U.S. #2, UK #3) 1968: "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" (U.S. #9) 1969: "My Cherie Amour" (U.S. #4, UK #4) 1969: "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" (U.S. #7, UK #2) 1970: "Never Had A Dream Come True" (UK #6) 1970: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (U.S. #3) 1970: "Heaven Help Us All" (U.S. #9) 1971: "If You Really Love Me" (U.S. #8) 1972: "Superstition" (U.S. #1) 1973: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (U.S. #1, UK #7) 1973: "Higher Ground" (U.S. #4) 1973: "Living for the City" (U.S. #8) 1974: "He's Misstra Know It All" (UK #10) 1974: "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (with The Jackson 5) (U.S. #1) 1974: "Boogie On Reggae Woman" (U.S. #3) 1977: "I Wish" (U.S. #1, UK #5) 1977: "Sir Duke" (U.S. #1, UK #2) 1979: "Send One Your Love" (U.S. #4) 1980: "Master Blaster (Jammin)" (U.S. #5, UK #2) 1980: "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" (UK #10) 1981: "Lately" (UK #3) 1981: "Happy Birthday" (UK #2) 1982: "That Girl" (U.S. #4) 1982: "Do I Do" (UK #10) 1982: "Ribbon in the Sky" (U.S. #54 pop, #10 R&B) 1984: "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (U.S. #1, UK #1) 1985: "Part-Time Lover" (U.S. #1, UK #3) 1985: "Go Home" (U.S. #10) [edit] Top Ten U.S. and UK Albums Twelve of Stevie Wonder's albums, listed below, reached the Top Ten in either the United States or the United Kingdom. 1963: Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius (U.S. #1) 1972: Talking Book (U.S. #3) 1973: Innervisions (U.S. #4, UK #8) 1974: Fulfillingness' First Finale (U.S. #1, UK #5) 1976: Songs in the Key of Life (U.S. #1, UK #2) 1979: Journey through the Secret Life of Plants Soundtrack (U.S. #4, UK #8) 1980: Hotter than July (U.S. #3, UK #2) 1982: Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium (U.S. #4, UK #8) 1984: The Woman in Red Soundtrack (U.S. #4, UK #2) 1985: In Square Circle (U.S. #5, UK #5) 1995: Conversation Peace (UK #8) 2005: A Time to Love (U.S. #5) [edit] Pseudonymous work In 1968, he recorded an album of instrumental jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the pseudonym (and title) "Eivets Rednow", which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backwards. The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of "Alfie", only reached number 66 on the US Pop charts and number 11 on the US Adult Contemporary charts. It was reissued briefly on compact disc in 1995, and is now a much sought-after collectible. [edit] Awards and recognition Wonder has received 22 Grammy Awards:[5] Year Award Title 1974 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Superstition" 1974 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male "Superstition" 1974 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male "You are the Sunshine of My Life" 1974 Album of the Year Innervisions 1975 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Living for the City" 1975 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 1975 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Fulfillingness' First Finale 1975 Album of the Year Fulfillingness' First Finale 1977 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "I Wish" 1977 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Songs in the Key of Life 1977 Best Producer of the Year N/A 1977 Album of the Year Songs in the Key of Life 1986 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance In Square Circle 1987 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal(awarded to Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Wonder) "That's What Friends Are For" 1996 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "For Your Love" 1996 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "For Your Love" 1999 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)(awarded to Herbie Hancock, Robert Sadin, and Wonder) "St. Louis Blues" 1999 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "St. Louis Blues" 2003 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals(awarded to Wonder and Take 6) "Love's in Need of Love Today" 2006 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "From the Bottom of My Heart" 2006 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals(awarded to Beyoncé and Wonder) "So Amazing" 2007 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (awarded to Tony Bennett and Wonder) "For Once In My Life" Wonder has also received an Academy Award for Best Song for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red. In 1989, Wonder was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is also an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Wonder received the Polar Music Prize and Kennedy Center Honors in 1999. In 2002, he was presented with the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA's Spring Sing. He was awarded the Billboard Music Award for the Century Award in 2004, and was one the first inductees into the Michigan Walk of Fame.

Showing posts with label divas. Show all posts

Thursday, 3 May 2007

Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953 in Great Lakes, Illinois) is an American singer best known for her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", for her smash hit "I'm Every Woman" and as a member of the funk band Rufus, with whom she recorded the legendary soul record "Ain't Nobody". In her career she has earned many accolades, including eight Grammy awards. Though regarded an R&B singer, she has in fact explored numerous musical genres including funk, disco, jazz, ballads, hip hop, adult contemporary and pop standards.[edit]

Early life
Khan was raised on Chicago's South Side, and at the age of 11 formed her first group, the Crystalettes. While still in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theater, a group which toured with Motown great Mary Wells; a few years later, she adopted the African name "Chaka" while working as a volunteer on the Black Panthers' Free Breakfast for Children program. After quitting high school in 1969, Khan joined the group Lyfe, soon exiting to join another dance band, The Babysitters; neither was on the fast track to success, but her fortunes changed when she teamed with ex-American Breed member Kevin Murphy and Andre Fisher to form Rufus.

[edit] Life with Rufus
Debuting in 1973 with a self-titled effort on the ABC label, Rufus was among the pre-eminent funk groups of the decade; distinguished by Khan's dynamic vocals. With the help of Stevie Wonder, Rufus broke into both the pop music and R&B charts in 1974 with the hit "Tell Me Something Good". Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the band had a number of R&B hits, including "Tell Me Something Good", "Masterjam", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel?", and "Once You Get Started". The group earned half a dozen gold or platinum albums and two gold singles with "Tell Me Something Good" and "Sweet Thing" before she went solo in 1978.

[edit] Solo Stardom
In 1978, Khan recorded her highly-orchestrated Arif Mardin-produced disco smash hit "I'm Every Woman" (#1 R&B and #21 Pop, and a bigger Pop hit over a decade later for Whitney Houston), from the album Chaka. Chaka proved to be a significant hit on the strength of the single (which was composed by Ashford & Simpson) however, Khan's success was somewhat tempered by her public rivalry with the remaining members of Rufus, to whom she was contractually bound for two more LPs.
As a solo artist, Khan recorded backing vocals for Ry Cooder's 1979 effort "Bop Till You Drop," then cut her sophomore album, 1980's Naughty, a minor hit on the R&B charts, which featured 'Clouds' (also by Ashford & Simpson), 'Move Me No Mountain', and other songs that displayed Chaka's range as a singer. The 'Naughty' album also featured Luther Vandross, Cissy Houston, and a young Whitney Houston singing background vocals.
Her next album, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me ?, was a gold seller and included at least two hit singles on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, including the title song (which topped the R&B chart and made #53 Pop). Chaka's 'Night In Tunisia (The Melody Remains The Same)' is also a timeless classic (featuring Dizzy Gillespie & Herbie Hancock) from the album, which has Chaka hitting 'notes that aren't in the book' (according to her legendary producer Arif Mardin).
In 1982, Warner Brothers released the Arif Mardin produced 'Chaka Khan' album. This album featured the single 'Tearin It Up', as well as Chaka's reading of Michael Jackson's 'Got To Be There'. 'Slow Dancin' (a duet with the late Rick James) was also featured, but her 'Be Bop Medley' won the Diva a Grammy Award, as well as praise from jazz legend Betty Carter, who praised Chaka for her improvisational skills. 'Chaka Khan' was critically acclaimed, but it was not the huge hit that Warner Brothers wanted. The CD edition of 'Chaka Khan' is a rare collector's item because Warner Brothers refuses to release it in the United States. Fans can expect to pay almost $100.00 for mint CDs imported from Japan.

[edit] A jazz experiment
In 1982, Khan recorded Echoes Of An Era, a collection of jazz standards featuring performances from Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Lenny White. 1983 saw Khan return to Rufus to record her last contractually obligated album Stompin' At The Savoy: Live. The double album contained live versions of Rufus classics, Khan's solo hits and a handful of newly recorded tracks. One of these was the hit "Ain't Nobody," which returned Khan to the top of the urban and top 40 charts (#22 Pop). To make room for the new studio tracks, Warner Brothers omitted live versions of "Everlasting Love" (which was released on the rare 1983 soundtrack to Night Shift), "The Best Of Your Heart" and "Hollywood".

[edit] Hip hop phenomenon
Her pop career was on shaky ground when she released 1984's I Feel For You, a platinum-seller launched by its title cut, a Grammy-winning, hip hop-based rendition of a fairly obscure Prince album track with a cameo appearance by Stevie Wonder on harmonica and rap by Melle Mel, which launched her recording career back into full gear. Produced by David Foster, the popular ballad "Through The Fire" also reached the R&B top ten, setting a record (since broken) for spending the most consecutive weeks on the Billboard R&B chart, made #60 Pop during a 19-week run on the Hot 100, and crossed over to the adult contemporary chart. "Through The Fire" has since been sampled by Kanye West for his hit single "Through The Wire". Chaka also recorded 'Krush Groove (Can't Stop The Street)' for the movie Krush Groove in 1985.

[edit] 1990s to now
Still, while subsequent LPs like 1986's Destiny and 1988's C.K. kept Khan high on the R&B charts, her standing in pop's mainstream again began to wane, and by the end of the 1980s she had moved to Europe. Not forgotten back in America, in 1990, she won another Grammy for "I'll Be Good To You," a duet with Ray Charles and another #1 R&B and Top 20 Pop hit.
In 1992, Khan released her album The Woman I Am, for which she received a Grammy award for best Rhythm & Blues vocal performance. The album's hit single "Love You All My Lifetime" was penned by German songwriter duo Irmgard Klarmann and Felix Weber and was produced by David Gamson. According to the Chaka's World Website, Khan recorded a follow up album Dare You To Love Me which was to be released in 1995. Warner Brothers shelved the project (although several of the tracks appeared on a career retropsective titled Epiphany: The Very Best of Chaka Khan and soundtracks such as To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar and Waiting to Exhale (singing the standard "My Funny Valentine").
Khan soon left Warner Brothers because of a lack of promotion[citation needed] and after the label had decided to release the Epiphany compilation instead of Dare You To Love Me in its true form[citation needed]. Prince (who also feuded with the company) assisted Khan in leaving Warner Brothers. Khan eventually made a special agreement with "The Artist" (who was then only formerly known as Prince), and recorded her next album on his New Power Generation label.
The Prince-produced Come 2 My House appeared in 1998, and went gold[citation needed] despite little or no promotion. Khan also appeared on new CDs by Prince and Larry Graham for the New Power Generation Label, and toured in support for the projects. In 2001, Khan sang on De La Soul's hit song "All Good?". In 2002 she was an integral part of the documentary about Motown studio musicians The Funk Brothers, Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, which she performed the classic R&B songs "What's Going On?" (she won her 8th Grammy Award for this performance) and the last live song performed in the film, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (a duet with Montell Jordan).
In October 2004, Khan released her cover album ClassiKhan by her own label Earth Song Records and Sanctuary Records. An album of standards featuring the London Symphony Orchestra and recorded primarily at Abbey Road Studios in London. The entire album was Produced by Eve Nelson of Nelson-O'Reilly Productions who also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.
On December 3, 2004, she received an honorary doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music. She is also active in the autism community as she has family members who have been diagnosed. Her EarthSong Entertainment and Chaka Khan Foundation operate from Beverly Hills, California. She continues to record and perform with her distinctive and powerful voice.

[edit] Recent
In early 2006, she signed with Sony BMG's new label Burgundy Records to release her upcoming studio cover album set I-Khan Divas in 2007. Also, Khan, who has recently embraced Christianity, participated in a live all-star gospel concert recording for artist Richard Smallwood's new album Journey: Live In New York. Khan is featured on the song "Oh, How Precious." [1]
On February 11, 2007 Khan headlined and performed at the NARAS 2007 Grammy Award official post party held immediately after the event at the Los Angeles convention center.

[edit] Miscellany
The name "Chaka" comes from the historical figure Chaka Bey.
On her official website, Khan credits singer Karen Clark Sheard with being "the voice that helped me find the Holy Ghost". She performed a live cover of Sheard's "A Secret Place" along with Richard Smallwood on TBN's popular show Praise The Lord in October 2006.
She was only 20 when she joined Rufus.
She showcased her vocal talents as the choir soloist in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.
Featured on Rick Wakeman's album 1984.
Featured on Stevie Winwood's "Higher Love". Khan sang and produced the background vocals.
According to the 'Chaka's World' website, Chaka was originally scheduled to duet on Tom Browne's hit "Funkin' For Jamaica" and Dennis Edwards' hit "Don't Look Any Further" (which he went on to perform with Siedah Garrett). She also recorded the song "Addicted to Love" with Robert Palmer. Her vocals were later removed after her management refused to allow its release.
Although she sang at both the 2000 Democratic and Republican conventions, Khan says that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person." [2]
Good friends with the Bee Gees.
Recorded the newest version of the Reading Rainbow theme song. Episodes recorded from 2000 bear her version.
Favorite rapper is Busta Rhymes.
Yummy Bingham is her goddaughter.
In an episode of Shooting Stars Khan was named as an artist whose name sounded like an animal noise

[edit] Awards

[edit] Wins
2006 BET Lifetime Achievement Award
To date, she has won eight Grammy Awards:
2002 Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance - "What's Going On" by Chaka Khan & The Funk Brothers
1992 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - "The Woman I Am"
1990 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "I'll Be Good To You" (with Ray Charles)
1984 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - "I Feel For You"
1983 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan
1983 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal "Ain't Nobody"
1983 Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices - "Be Bop Medley"
1974 Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus - "Tell Me Something Good"
She has won four American Music Awards.

[edit] Nominations
She has had 19 Grammy nominations including a recent nomination for "Everyday (Family Reunion)", her collaboration with Yolanda Adams, Gerald Levert, and Carl Thomas from the Madea's Family Reunion movie.[3]

Dionne Warwick

Born to parents Mansel Warrick and Lee Drinkard in East Orange, New Jersey, Dionne Warrick began singing gospel with her family (including younger sister Delia, known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick), and started her professional career after graduating from the Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, from which she now holds a Doctorate. In the earliest stage of her career, she sang backing vocals along with Dee Dee on records by Chuck Jackson, Dinah Washington and Solomon Burke, among others.
Her first solo single for Scepter Records was released in November, 1962. The song was entitled "Don't Make Me Over", the title (according to legend) supplied by Warrick herself when she snapped the phrase at producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Warwick became incensed and shouted the phrase when she found a song she wanted to record, "Make It Easy on Yourself" had been given to another artist, Jerry Butler. From the phrase, Bacharach and David created an elegant R&B recording, which became a top 40 pop hit in the US (and a top 5 US R&B hit.) Famously, Warrick's name was misspelled on the credits, and she soon began using the new spelling (i.e., "Warwick") both professionally and personally.[1]
The two immediate follow-ups to "Don't Make Me Over" were largely unsuccessful, but 1964's "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was Warwick's first top 10 pop hit. This was followed by "Walk on By", a major hit that launched her career into the stratosphere. For the rest of the 1960s, Warwick was a fixture on the US and Canadian charts, and virtually all of Warwick's singles from 1962-1972 were written and produced by the Bacharach/David team.
In fact, Warwick weathered the British Invasion better than most American artists, although she released only a few hits in the UK during the late 1960s, most notably "Walk On By" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose". In the UK a number of Bacharach-David-Warwick songs were covered by UK singer Cilla Black, most notably "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which went to #1 in the UK. This upset Warwick and she has described feeling insulted when told that in the UK, record company executives wanted her songs recorded by someone else. Warwick even met Cilla Black whilst on tour in the UK. She recalled what she said to her - " I told her that "You're My World" would be my next single in the States. I honestly believe that if I'd sneezed on my next record, then Cilla would have sneezed on hers too. There was no imagination in her recording." [1]
"You're My World" was, in fact, not released as a single by Warwick -- but it did appear on a later album, Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls. Black, however, went ahead with the single release of "You're My World" in 1964 and the track peaked at #1 UK, #26 US.

[edit] The late 1960s and early 1970s
The late 1960s and early 1970s became a very successful time period for Warwick, who saw a string of Gold selling albums and Top 20 and Top 10 hit singles. The 1967 LP called Here Where There Is Love became a big hit for Warwick, as did her single "I Say a Little Prayer" (on her album The Windows of the World).
Her next big hit was unusual in that it was not written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and it was a song that she almost didn't record. While the film version of "Valley of the Dolls" was being made, actress Barbara Parkins suggested that Warwick be considered to sing the film's theme song, written by songwriting team Andre and Dory Previn. The song was to be given to Judy Garland who had been fired from the film. Warwick performed the song, and when the film became a success in the early weeks of 1968, the public wanted a recording of the theme. As such, "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls" was a smash success, as was the Bacharach/David-penned follow-up, "Do You Know the Way to San José". More hits followed in the last two years of the 1960s.
Warwick had become the priority act of Scepter Records with the release of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" in 1963. However, in the post-Woodstock era of the late 1960s, the decision was made that she would begin looking for a major label. Warwick's last recording for Scepter was in 1971. She debuted on Warner Bros. Records -- in a five-year contract that was the biggest contract for a female artist at that time.
Warwick was signed to Warners with Bacharach and David as writers/producers; however, after the "Lost Horizon" disaster of 1973, the songwriting duo not only wasn't working together, they weren't even speaking. While this situation worked itself out in the courts, Warwick would team with a variety of producers, looking for an elusive hit.
Warwick was advised by numerologist Linda Goodman in 1971 to add an "e" to her last name, making Warwick "Warwicke" for good luck. The extra "e" brought more bad luck than good, and the singer removed it in 1975.

[edit] Move to Arista
Her career slowed greatly in the 1970s, with no big hits until 1974's "Then Came You", recorded as a duet with the Spinners and produced by Thom Bell. It was her first US #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Nevertheless, other than this success, Warwick's five years on Warner Bros. Records -- despite the fact that she worked the entire time -- left her almost completely without hits. There were a few quality, but lesser known Disco hits such as "Track of the Cat" and "Once You Hit The Road" -- both of which were produced in 1975 and 1976, respectively, by Thom Bell.
Warwick recorded five albums with Warners: "Dionne", produced by Bacharach and David; "Just Being Myself", produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland; "Then Came You", produced by Jerry Ragavoy; "Track of the Cat", produced by Thom Bell; and "Love at First Sight", produced by Steve Barri and Michael Omartian. The singer's five-year contract with Warners was up for renewal in 1977, and with that, Warwick gladly ended her stay at the label.
This trend ended with the move to a new label and the release of "I'll Never Love This Way Again" in 1979. The song was produced by Barry Manilow. The accompanying album Dionne (not to be confused with the Warner Bros. album of the same name) was her first to go platinum. This was her debut on Arista Records, to which she had been personally signed and guided by the label's founder Clive Davis. Her 1980 album, No Night So Long was not quite as strong but featured the quality title track which became a major hit.
Warwick's next big hit was her 1982 full-length collaboration with Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees for "Heartbreaker". Her previous hit was the duet "Friends In Love" recorded with Johnny Mathis, her good friend and fellow musical legend.
In 1983, Dionne issued one of her finest albums during her time with Arista, titled, "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" which was produced by Luther Vandross. Their collaboration had been a lifelong dream of Vandross, who had maintained that he wanted to work with Warwick, Aretha Franklin, and Diana Ross. The album's most successful single became the beautifully emotive, title track, "How Many Times Can Say Goodbye", a duet with Warwick, which despite the production by Vandross, only peaked at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, the Dance-pop song "Got a Date", became a moderate hit on the R&B chart. The album only peaked at Number 57 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, but it did fare better on the R&B chart. Still, however, it was not as commercially successful as the Heartbreaker album the previous year. Warwick would not release another studio album until two years later, 1985's Finder of Lost Loves -- an album that would reunite her with both Barry Manilow and Burt Bacharach.
In 1985, Warwick contributed her voice to the Multi-Grammy award winning charity song: We Are The World, along with vocalists like Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner and Diana Ross.
In 1986, Warwick led the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) benefit single "That's What Friends Are For" with Friends (Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder); it was a number one hit, and garnered Warwick's fifth Grammy Award. It also marked a reunion of Warwick and song co-writer Burt Bacharach (lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager).
In late 1987, Dionne scored another pop hit and Top 10 R&B chart hit with the song, "Love Power", a duet with Jeffrey Osborne. This song, another written by Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, was featured in Warwick's album "Reservations for Two".

[edit] Host of Solid Gold
In January 1980, while under contract to Arista Records, Dionne Warwick hosted a two-hour TV special called Solid Gold '79. This was adapted into the weekly one-hour show Solid Gold, which she hosted throughout 1980 and again in 1985-86.

[edit] 1990s to present
Her career took an unexpected major downturn in the 1990s, with only a few moderate-selling albums released and no major singles. Her most well-received album in 1993 was an effort entitled "Friends Can Be Lovers", which was produced in part by Ian Devaney and Lisa Stansfield. Prominently featured on the album was a tune called "Sunny Weather Lover", which was the first song that Burt Bacharach and Hal David had written together in exactly twenty years from the song's release. It was Warwick's lead single in the US, heavily promoted by Arista, which unfortunately did not reach the Top 40. A follow-up, the steamy, sensual "Where My Lips Have Been" also failed to make the Top 40. During this period, she was perhaps best known for hosting infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network, a 900 number psychic service.
In 2002, Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport for possession of marijuana. Miami-Dade Police officers reported finding eleven marijuana cigarettes inside a lipstick container. Drug charges were dropped when she agreed to complete a drug treatment program, donate $250 to charity and make an anti-drug public service announcement directed at youth. [2]. Dionne maintains that the cigarettes were dropped in an open bag she was carrying.
In 2005, Dionne Warwick was honored by Oprah Winfrey at her Legends Ball.
Warwick enjoyed one of her largest audiences ever when she appeared on the May 24, 2006 fifth-season finale of American Idol.[citation needed] 36 million U.S. viewers watched Warwick sing a medley of "Walk on By" and "That's What Friends Are For", with longtime collaborator Burt Bacharach accompanying her on the piano.
In 2006, Warwick released My Friends and Me, a duets album on which she sang with various female singing stars, on thirteen of her old hits. It is her first album for the label, Concord Records. The album was produced by her son, Damon Elliott. Among her singing partners were Gloria Estefan, Olivia Newton-John, Wynonna Judd and Reba McEntire. The album's sales have been decent, becoming her first album to make the charts since 1993's critically acclaimed album Friends Can Be Lovers, as mentioned above. The album My Friends & Me peaked at #66 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Warwick is currently on a world Tour (she has just visited New Zealand and was a huge success with all concerts a sell out).

[edit] Famous relations
Warwick's sister Dee Dee Warwick also had a successful singing career, scoring a Top 20 R&B hit in the form of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" in 1967. In 1971, at the advice of a numerologist, both Dionne and her sister Dee Dee added an "e" to the end of Warwick (thus making their professional last names "Warwicke"). The "e" was eventually dropped in mid-1975.
Warwick's mother, Lee Drinkard, along with many of Warwick's uncles and aunts, were members of The Drinkard Singers, a noted gospel music group which lasted from the 1940s through the 1990s.
One of Warwick's cousins is Whitney Houston.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born on August 9, 1963), is an American R&B/pop singer, actress, former fashion model, record and film producer. Houston is one of the most successful pop singers of all time, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. Her body of work includes ballads, dance-pop and urban contemporary soul. She is well known for her vocal power, control, range and coloratura soprano voice,[1] thus often being known by the title "The Voice".[citation needed]
Houston was one of the first African American artists to find success on MTV in Michael Jackson's wake. She became the first artist to have seven consecutive U.S. number-one singles, her 1992 Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You" (from the soundtrack of The Bodyguard) became one of the biggest singles in music history.[2] She later branched out into acting and eventually became a businesswoman, setting up production and recording studios while continuing to record music. In the 2000s, Houston's personal life became the subject of controversy because of her marriage to Bobby Brown allegations of drug abuse, especially after repeated cancellations of public appearances and erratic behaviour. Her record sales during this period were modest. Houston has since undergone a successful intense rehabilitation process and is currently recording an an album that will be released in the fall of 2007.

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Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight was born to Merald Woodlow Knight and Sarah Elizabeth Woods. She first achieved minor fame by winning Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour TV show contest at the age of 7 in 1952, due to her powerful singing voice. The following year, she, her brother Merald, sister Brenda, and cousins William and Elenor Guest formed a musical group called The Pips. By the end of the decade, the act had begun to tour, and had replaced Brenda Knight and Elenor Guest with Gladys Knight's cousins Edward Patten and Langston George. Gladys Knight discovered she was pregnant in 1960, and married her boyfriend Jimmy Newman. After a miscarriage, Knight returned to performing with the Pips. In 1961, Bobby Robinson produced the single "Every Beat of My Heart" for the group, which became a #1 R&B and #6 pop hit when released on Vee-Jay Records. In 1962, Langston George left the group, which at that time renamed itself Gladys Knight & the Pips and continued as a quartet. In 1962, after scoring a second hit, "Letter Full of Tears", Knight became pregnant again, and gave birth to a son, Jimmy, Jr., that year. She retired from the road to raise a family, and The Pips toured on their own. After giving birth to a daughter, Kenya, in 1964, Knight was forced to return to recording and the Pips in order to support her family. Gladys Knight & the Pips joined the Motown roster in 1966, and, although regarded as a second-string act, scored several hit singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1967), "The Nitty Gritty" (1969),"Friendship Train" (1969), "If I Were Your Woman" (1970), "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" (1971), the Grammy winner "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" (1972), and "Daddy Could Swear (I Declare)" (1973). The act left Motown for a better deal with Buddah Records in 1973, and achieved full-fledged success that year with hits such as the Grammy-winning "Midnight Train to Georgia" (their only #1 pop hit), "I've Got to Use My Imagination", and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me". During this period of greater recognition, Gladys Knight made her motion picture acting debut in the film "Pipe Dreams," a romantic drama set in Alaska. The film failed at the box-office, but Knight did receive a Golden Globes Best New Actress nomination. Knight and the Pips continued to have hits until the late 1970s, when they were forced to record separately due to legal issues, resulting in Knight's first solo LP recordings--Miss Gladys Knight (1978) on Buddah and Gladys Knight (1979) on Columbia. During this period, Knight divorced Jimmy Newman, and in 1976 married record producer Barry Hankerson (future uncle of R&B singer Aaliyah). Knight and Hankerson remained married for three years, during which time they had a son, Shanga Ali. Upon their divorce, Hankerson and Knight had a heated custody battle over Shanga Ali. In the early 1980s, Gladys was invited to record two duets with her friend and superstar Johnny Mathis who is one of the largest record sellers in the world. The songs were When A Child Is Born (previously a mega hit for Mathis) and The Lord's Prayer which have become Christmas chestnuts. After a dry spell, they returned to the charts in the 1980s with the #1 R&B hits "Save the Overtime (For Me)" (1983) and another Grammy winner--"Love Overboard" (1987). During this period, Knight became addicted to gambling and the game baccarat. She finally called Gamblers Anonymous when she lost $45,000 in one night and was near bankruptcy. After a successful 1988 tour, the Pips retired and Gladys Knight began a career as a solo artist. Gladys Knight & the Pips were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. [edit] Solo career While still with The Pips, Knight also joined with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John on the 1986 AIDS benefit single, "That's What Friends Are For" which won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. In 1989, Gladys Knight recorded the title track for the James Bond movie Licence to Kill, a top 10 hit both in the UK and Germany. Knight made guest-starring television appearances throughout the eighties and nineties with roles on Benson, The Jeffersons, A Different World, Living Single, The Jamie Foxx Show and New York Undercover. In 1985, she co-starred on the CBS sitcom Charlie and Co. with comedian Flip Wilson. It lasted for one season. Gladys Knight's third solo LP, Good Woman, was released in 1991. It rose to #1 on the R&B album chart and featured the #2 R&B hit "Men". Her fourth solo LP, Just for You, went gold and was nominated for the 1995 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. During this period, Knight was briefly married to motivational speaker Les Brown. It was also during this period that tragedy struck: in 1999, her eldest son, Jimmy, Jr., died in his sleep at the age of 36. [1] [edit] Awards Knight's 2001 LP, At Last, won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. In 2005, Knight won a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance for "Heaven Help Us All," her duet with Ray Charles, taken from Charles' album, Genius Loves Company. She was also among the 25 African-American women honored for their accomplishments and influence by daytime television star Oprah Winfrey at a "Legends Ball." In that same year Knight was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BET cable network. In 2006, Knight won her seventh Grammy award in the category of Best Gospel Choir or Gospel Chorus for the "One Voice" CD with the Saints Unified Voices. In 2006, Knight was honored with a Legendary Award by the Las Vegas Music Awards.

Jennifer Holliday

Jennifer Holliday (born Jennifer-Yvette Holliday on October 19, 1960 in Riverside, Texas) is an American singer and actress who is rumored to be an insufferable diva. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls, and later became a successful recording artist. She is best known for her debut single, the Dreamgirls showstopper and Grammy Award-winning R&B/Pop hit, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." Contents[hide] 1 Career 1.1 Broadway actress 1.2 Recording artist 1.3 Television Appearances 2 Personal 3 Aftermath of Dreamgirls Movie 4 Trivia 5 Discography 5.1 Singles 5.2 Selected Albums 6 Awards & Nominations 7 See also 8 External links // [edit] Career Jennifer Holliday's acclaimed performance during the 1982 Tony Awards [edit] Broadway actress Holliday landed her first big role on Broadway in 1979. At age 17, she landed a part the same day she auditioned for the Broadway production of Your Arms Too Short To Box With God.[1] Her performance in that musical earned her a 1981 Drama Desk nomination. Her next role was the role for which she is best known: the role of Effie Melody White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Holliday joined the show in December 1981 and remained with the show for nearly four years. Her performance in the role was widely acclaimed, particularly in her iconic performance of the musical number that ends Act I, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". Among the acclaim was Holliday's sweep of awards in 1982, including the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, a Grammy award for her recorded version of the song, and Drama Desk and Theater World awards for the performance. Holliday also performed in the touring company of Sing, Mahalia, Sing in 1986. [edit] Recording artist Jennifer Holliday's version of the song And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going made Holliday a star on Broadway. The version of the song was liked by many fans so much that Holliday was encouraged to transform the song into a hit on Billboard charts. In 1982, a pop version of the song was released as a single. The song became very successful, peaking at number-one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. She continued to have success as a recording artist through the rest of the decade. Her follow-up song, "I Am Love", became another hit in 1983. Jennifer Holliday's 1996 The Best of Jennifer Holliday album. Holliday's later R&B, Pop and/or Dance chart and radio hits included. "Hard Time For Lovers" (1985), "No Frills Love" (1985), "Heart on the Line" (1987), "I'm on Your Side" (1991) and "A Woman's Got the Power" (2000). "A Woman's Got the Power" charted at #7 in summer of 1999. However, it recharted the following year, peaking at #1. She continued to appear on the charts throughout the 1990s, but never had the same level of success she had in the 1980s. Holliday was a featured vocalist on the #1 single "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner in 1985. A number of her songs became hits on the US Dance charts as well. In fact, a dance version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" would peak at #6 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 2001. In the 1990s, Holliday lost a substantial amount of weight and talked about her health struggles with depression during promotional interviews.[2] Initially, the weight loss was attained strictly by diet. Eventually, in an effort to avoid regaining the weight, Holliday had gastric bypass surgery. After the initial weight loss, she released the I’m On Your Side LP and video. The video, unlike most videos, was recorded live. In 1995, Holliday released a gospel album entitled On & On. Popular with LGBT events and fundraisers, the Atlantic Entertainment Group produced and promoted many Jennifer Holliday events for several years; with their "Director of Live Talent", Scott Sherman, acting as both Agent and Road Manager[3] she went on a series of mini tours, one night only performances, LGBT pride appearances and special fund raising events. Her fans are patiently waiting for her to release new singles and albums once she can strike a deal with a label willing to sign her. [edit] Television Appearances Apart from her career in the music industry and on the stage, Holliday has also made appearances on primetime television. In addition to appearances on Touched By An Angel and Hang Time, she had a half dozen appearances in a recurring guest star role on Ally McBeal, where she played choir director Lisa Knowles. In 2001, she sang America The Beautiful on the first WWE pay-per-view to be held after the September 11 terrorist attacks. [edit] Personal Holliday was married twice. In March 1991, just 2 months after she met keyboardist Billy Meadows in a nightclub where she was singing, they married. "He had a great sense of humor and he made me laugh all the time," Holliday says of her first husband. "I had been feeling bad for so long, I wanted to laugh." In December 1991, just nine months later, they divorced: the marriage, according to Holliday, "ran out of steam" :"We just didn't know each other well enough".[4] The second time around, she married a man much like her father. Her second marriage was to Rev. Andre Woods (21 March 1993 - 1995), a minister in Michigan, which was covered by Jet magazine. This husband was a charismatic Detroit preacher who, she says, was a player who also ran through her money. Still, Holliday was devastated when, in 1994, that marriage, too, ended, just four months after her mother died of cancer. "It was like experiencing two deaths at the same time," Jennifer remembers. "The grief was overwhelming." To stabilize her emotions and help her cope with the loss of her mother and an ugly divorce, Holliday took her doctor's advice and decided to go back on the antidepressants that had been prescribed for her once before.[5] She currently resides in Manhattan, New York. [edit] Aftermath of Dreamgirls Movie The film version of "Dreamgirls" was released in December of 2006, starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose and Jennifer Hudson in Holliday's role of Effie. The movie received rave reviews, especially for Hudson's performance. The film went on to receive 8 Academy Award nominations, and Hudson won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Much has been reported about Holliday's displeasure with the film version of the stage classic, but Holliday wants to wish Hudson, whom she has never met, good luck. "I'm proud of what Jennifer represents; her Effie stands on its own," says Holliday, who will be watching the telecast from inside the Roosevelt. "If I say her performance wasn't good, then I'm not good, because they were the same. She's going to win an Oscar, and all three of us — Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Holliday and Effie — will be up there when she wins." But Holliday isn't exactly crying tears over Dreamgirls' omission from the best-picture race. She says: "All I like about the movie is that it was made. Over 20 years they've been trying to make this, and I think this movie lost the heart and soul of it." Holliday denies widespread reports that she hoped to play Effie in the film. "I wanted a cameo," she clarifies. "Out of respect, usually someone from the original has a spot in the remake unless they're, like, dead or something. Chita Rivera was in (the big-screen) Chicago, and Ricki Lake is going to be in (the big-screen remake of) Hairspray. There were plenty of little parts all of us could have played. I would have liked to have been Deena's mother." (Loretta Devine did have a cameo as the a lounge blues singer in the film.) A February 22, 2007 article in USA Today, recounts the Jennifer Holliday/Dreamgirls movie "dust up" as follows: "Jennifer Holliday — winner of a 1982 Tony Award and 1983 Grammy for playing Hudson's Dreamgirl role, Effie White, in the original Broadway production — has been invited to appear on E!'s pre-Oscar telecast to sing And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going) on the hotel's roof at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. And if it rains? "Well, then I'll be singing from a window," Holliday says with a chuckle. "This all started out so negatively," Holliday says from her Harlem home. "But now I feel like Cinderella." [edit] Trivia Nell Carter was originally slated to play Effie White. When Carter left after the initial workshop to work in television in Los Angeles, Bennett chose Holliday for the role. Holliday's performance and style onstage was spoofed in Off Broadway's "Forbidden Broadway" in a segment called "Screamgirls". [edit] Discography [edit] Singles Year Single US R&B US Hot 100 US Dance Album 1982 "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" #1 #22 - Dreamgirls (Original Broadway Cast Album) 1982 "I Am Changing" #29 - - Dreamgirls (Original Broadway Cast Album) 1983 "I Am Love" #2 #49 - Feel My Soul 1983 "Just Let Me Wait" #23 - - Feel My Soul 1985 "Hard Time For Lovers" #17 #69 #26 Say You Love Me 1985 "No Frills Love" #29 #87 #1 Say You Love Me 1987 "Heart on the Line" #48 - - Get Close to My Love 1991 "I'm on Your Side" #10 - - I'm on Your Side 1991 "Love Stories" #29 - - I'm on Your Side 1996 "No Frills Love" - - #1 The Best of Jennifer Holliday 2000 "A Woman's Got The Power" - - #1 Breaking Through 2000 "Think It Over" - - #1 Divine Divas [edit] Selected Albums Year Album US Peak Position 1983 Feel My Soul #31 The Billboard 200, #6 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1985 Say You Love Me #110 The Billboard 200, #34 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1987 Get Close to My Love # N/A The Billboard 200, # N/A Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1991 I'm On Your Side #184 The Billboard 200, #29 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1995 On & On #10 Top Gospel Albums 1996 The Best of Jennifer Holliday #50 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 2000 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jennifer Holliday [edit] Awards & Nominations Tony Awards 1982 Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Dreamgirls), Winner Drama Desk Awards 1982 Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Dreamgirls), Winner 1981 Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Your Arms Too Short To Box With God) Theatre Awards 1982 Outstanding Broadway Debut (Dreamgirls), Winner Time Magazine Performer of the decade NAACP Image award Grammy Awards 1982 Best Female Performance, Rhythm & Blues ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls), Winner 1985 Best Inspirational Performance, Gospel (:Come Sunday", Winner)

Patti Labelle

Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holte on May 24, 1944 in West-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a Grammy winning R&B/soul singer who fronted two groups, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles and Labelle, which changed and birthed a new era of women's music and, in the process, has influenced a new generation of female singers. She is known for her strong vocals and her signature high octave vocal belting. She has been largely compared to Aretha Franklin during the 1970s, but her distinguishing vocal belting remains unique and recognizable, which has made her one of the greatest female vocalists of all time. Her biography, Don't Block the Blessings, remained at the top of the New York Times best-seller list for several weeks. In addition, she is a bestselling cookbook author. Her belting range is considered to be one of the highest in music (Guinness Book of Records, April 2006). [edit] Early years Born the youngest of five children including three sisters and a brother, Patti began singing at the age of 14 in church. A shy girl, Patti had a voice of a torch diva. A school teacher advised her to start a singing group. As Patsy Holt, LaBelle formed a four-member girl group called the Ordettes in 1958. In 1959, when two of the original Ordettes left, Holt and fellow Ordette Sandra Tucker brought in singers Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. When Tucker's family made Sandra leave the group, she was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Two years passed until the girls auditioned for Blue Note Records. The president at the time nearly passed on the group upon hearing the lead singer was Patti, or "Patsy" as friends and family called her, whom he had said didn't fit the traits of a traditionally beautiful lead singer. But he changed his mind when Patsy began singing. The president signed them to the label under two conditions: The Ordettes were now the Bluebelles and Patricia "Patsy" Holt would be given a new name: Patti LaBelle. For a woman that didn't have classic beauty traits, the last name meant "beautiful" in French. The name was changed again to Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles after the manager of the group who had the same name sought to sue.[citation needed] [edit] Success with The Bluebelles Top: Sarah Dash. Bottom, l to r: Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx and Patti LaBelle In 1962, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles scored their first Top 40 pop hit with the release of the doo-wop single, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman." That same year, they began wowing audiences at New York's legendary Apollo theater later given them the name "The Apollo Sweethearts." Throughout the '60s, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles were one of the hottest touring acts on the chitlin' circuit while the hits continued: in 1964, they scored again with songs like "Danny Boy" and "Down the Aisle." In 1966, the group signed to Atlantic Records and scored what later became Patti's signature song with their version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Around this time, LaBelle was engaged to be married to Temptations member Otis Williams, but the couple called off the engagement because of their conflicting touring schedules. The next year, LaBelle, Dash & Hendryx received a shock when Cindy Birdsong left to join The Supremes, replacing Florence Ballard. LaBelle was so infuriated by this that she refused to talk to Birdsong for the next eighteen years. [edit] Labelle Labelle, ca. 1975 In 1970, Patti and the Bluebelles moved to England where they met promoter Vicki Wickham, formerly Janis Joplin's promoter. The next year when the girls returned to America, they came out with a different name - simply Labelle - and a new attitude, vocal style, and a new wardrobe. The former "Apollo Sweethearts" were now women. Wearing casual clothing and African adornments, Labelle often sung of racism, sexism and politics. Their sound was not taken to heart by consumers. In 1974, however, learning of a cult following, the women changed their looks again now adorning space-like, rockish and uniforms, they began to sing about sex, space, politics, and things that many funk and rock bands were singing about at the time -- but with an exception; no female groups had dared up until now to broach this type of controversial material. Their following had grown so much that in October of that year, they were the first African-American contemporary act to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. That December, they released their greatest record, Nightbirds, featuring their breakout hit, "Lady Marmalade," which hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1975, helping Nightbirds to go gold. It was as far as they got as success couldn't ring twice, although their subsequent albums, Phoenix and Chameleon were hailed by music critics as experimental and groundbreaking. [edit] Solo career The 70's 1n 1976 during a performance in Baltimore, Nona suffered a nervous breakdown, forcing the band to separate abruptly (see note #1]. LaBelle released her self-titled debut in 1977 on Epic Records, where she recorded 3 more albums in the years to come. The debut album became an important hit for Patti at least on the R&B charts and was notable for the stand-out ballad, "You Are My Friend" and for the funkier "Joy To Have Your Love," which demonstrates Patti's large range with a typical Philadelphia Soul orchestrated arrangement with heavy bass. In the next year she released one of her most acclaimed albums, Tasty, featuring the salsa hit "Teach Me Tonight (Me Gusta Tu Baile)." The next step was the album It's Alright With Me featuring the disco classic "Music Is My Way Of Life" and the last album she recorded for Epic was Released, which did better than the previous one chartwise but didn't generate any important hits nor received the same critical acclaim. On July 21, 1979, she appeared at the Amandla Festival along with Bob Marley, Dick Gregory and Eddie Palmieri, amongst others. Patti's eponymous solo debut LP, released in 1977. The 80's Success was mostly eluding Patti until early 1981, when she released the classic ballad, "I Don't Go Shopping." In 1983, she released her first charted hit album, I'm In Love Again. The album featured LaBelle's first #1 R&B hit with "If Only You Knew" and a radio hit with "Love, Need & Want You." In 1984, after an eighteen-year estrangement, she reconciled with Cindy Birdsong while she was on stage in Los Angeles. By 1985, LaBelle was on her way to pop stardom after her songs, "New Attitude" and "Stir It Up" (recently re-recorded by Patti and Joss Stone) from the soundtrack for Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which peaked at #17 and #41 on the pop charts respectively. By the time of her rise to pop stardom in the mid-1980s, LaBelle was now infamous for her wild hairdos, kicking off her shoes in a "Holy Ghost"-like rage, rolling over the floor while singing, putting the microphone stand down and then yielding it up in the air and choreographing the now-legendary "spread my wings" move that she incorporated during her show-stopping performances of "Over the Rainbow." Patti's appearance at the Motown Returns to the Apollo and Live Aid concert in 1985 introduced her to a whole new audience. After Diana Ross gave her the microphone at Motown Returns to the Apollo, Patti soared with her vocals and lit up the finale. During the finale at Live Aid, Patti again took the microphone and belted out "We Are the World," and during some points of the performance, Patti's voice is the only one audible over the other artists. Patti was accused of grandstanding, but the sheer power of her vocals, her amazing range and her attitude to give 100 percent in every performance gives her an edge most other artists don't have In 1986, she released her best-selling album to date with Winner in You. The album yielded her first solo #1, "On My Own" with pop balladeer Michael McDonald, the Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit, "Oh, People," the moderate pop chart hit, "Kiss Away The Pain" and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart hit, "Something Special Is Gonna Happen Tonight." The 90's By the end of the 1980s, she scored a moderate R&B and pop chart hit with the Diane Warren ballad, "If You Asked Me To," in 1989. The song peaked at #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was later covered by Céline Dion in 1992 when hit peaked at #1 on both the Pop & A/C charts. Patti entered the 1990s on a high but not without tragedy. That year, she lost her third sister to cancer. Patti's two elder sisters had similar fates, with the oldest dying in 1977 (at the height of LaBelle's success) and the second-eldest dying in 1982. Her brother, father and mother all followed suit dying around the same time making Patti the only living member of her extended family while being the mother of six kids - one born by Patti, three of one of her sisters' children and two adopted and wife of Armstead Edwards (married since 1969), who had become her manager. LaBelle herself was diagnosed with diabetes in 1995. She is a spokeswoman for the American Diabetes Association, and has published two cookbooks targeted at people with diabetes, containing low-sugar and low-fat recipes. In 2005, LaBelle began appearing in advertisements for OneTouch Ultra and later for OneTouch Ultra2, a manufacturer of blood glucose monitoring systems for people with diabetes. In 1991, Patti released the critically-acclaimed, Gold selling Burnin' album, which helped Patti win her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. "Burnin'" featured the hits, "Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)", "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)" and "Feels Like Another One." That album is also notable because it includes the first Labelle reunion recording (with Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx on the track "Release Yourself") That success continued onto subsequent albums like 1994's Gems (featuring the hit, "The Right Kinda Lover"), 1997's Flame (featuring the hit, "When You Talk About Love"), and 1998's Live One Night Only (which won her a second Grammy). 2000 and beyond In 2000, in a stunning move, she divorced her husband, Armstead. The same year, she released When A Woman Loves, an album mostly of heartbroken toned Adult Contemporary songs by Diane Warren. Surprisingly, the album did not score an Adult Contemporary chart hit with the title track. LaBelle's musical legacy would be heard on several tracks by younger R&B and Hip-hop artists'; such as "Lady Marmalade" (resung by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Pink and Mya on the soundtrack of Moulin Rouge!, which became a #1 hit all over again 26 years after LaBelle's original version topped the charts). She also appeared, though briefly, in a performance of the song at the 2002 Grammy Awards. "Love, Need & Want You" was sampled by rapper Nelly and Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland in their #1 hit, "Dilemma" and later by Outkast, who featured LaBelle re-singing parts of the song on their hit, "Ghetto Musick"). "If Only You Knew" has also been covered and sampled in recent years. On February 6, 2003, she performed "Way Up There" at a memorial service in honour of the astronauts lost in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, which was held at the Washington National Cathedral and attended by Vice President Dick Cheney among others. Patti was nominated for a Grammy for this tune, but lost to Aretha Franklin. She also released a vibrant single of the cut. [1] On Tuesday, July 22, 2003, Patti LaBelle sang the "Ave Maria" at the funeral of the legendary Cuban born 'Salsa Queen' Celia Cruz, held in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. The year 2004 saw the release of Timeless Journey, which debuted at #16, making it LaBelle's highest charting album in eighteen years. Songs on the album include "2 Steps Away" and "When You Smile", a tribute song for Celia Cruz featuring Spanish language artists Carlos Santana, Andy Vargas, and La India. She scored modest hits with "New Day", "More Than Material" and, "Gotta Go Solo", a duet with Ronald Isley which peaked at #31 on the R&B chart. Patti also headlined the divas concert live. Patti LaBelle New Day Club Mixes was released to Dj's for club play and reached #1 on the top Played songs in the clubs and reached #11 on the top US Dance charts. In mid-2005, she released Classic Moments, a cover album featuring tracks made popular by other artists. LaBelle has often performed some of her favorite songs by other singers in her concerts. The album featured such songs as "I Can't Make You Love Me", the lead single, "Ain't No Way" (featuring Mary J Blige), "I'll Stand By You", "Land of the Living (with singer/songwriter Kristine W.), " and "Your Song" (featuring Elton John). Shortly after the release of the album, Labelle was unceremoniously dropped from her label. Reports of conflicts with label head Antonio "L.A." Reid were blamed for the dissolution as well as an event where several high profile stars abruptly backed out of appearances at a televised 60th birthday celebration for LaBelle.[1] Patti also appeared on extreme makeover where she sang stand by you at a candlelight vigil. While appearing as a guest on the show Martha on December 23, 2005, Patti LaBelle announced that she is reuniting with Labelle. Patti Labelle was honored by Oprah Winfrey at her Legends Ball. She is also playing Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray on Broadway. [edit] Recent News On March 26, 2007, Patti was honored with a Excellence in Media Award by GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for her life-long work for gay and lesbian rights and participation in the fight against AIDS. The award was presented by "Dreamgirls" star, Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson. "I didn't know you were this nice," Patti said to Jennifer during the 18th annual awards cermony. "I thought you were a bitch," she joked, noting that she had never met Hudson before their joint appearance. Patti spent most of her acceptance speech praising Jennifer, a former American Idol contestant who won an Oscar in February 2007 for her debut portrayal of a pop singer in the musical "Dreamgirls." In a passing-of-the-torch moment that brought a cheering audience to its feet, Patti and Jennifer launched into an a cappella rendition of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." Jennifer appeared astonished by Patti's tribute, saying, "You are who I idolize." In June 2006 a previously unreleased BlueBelles track was unearthed and released on an Atlantic compilation CD, "Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Sisters". The name of the track is "(1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days". LaBelle also appeared in the movie preaching to the choir as Sister Jasmine the Choir Director. LaBelle sang four songs for the album which included: Going To My Fathers House (which she belted two very high notes that chart at about C6)[citation needed], How I Got Over and Preaching To The Choir with Labelle. Patti also appears on the soundtrack to chicken little where she duets one of her old songs stir it up with Joss Stone . Patti made an appearance on celebrity duets where she performed 3 songs: "Lady Marmalade," "Over the Rainbow" with Jai Rodriguez, and "On My Own" with show host Wayne Brady. November 2006 Patti paid tribute to Dusty Springfield, singing a tribute to her at the UK Music Hall of Fame at Alexandra Palace, London, England. On November 21, 2006, "The Gospel According To Patti LaBelle" was released.[2] As a promotion, all copies sold at Wal-Mart have a bonus track, "The Lord's Prayer." The Gospel According To Patti LaBelle debuted at #86 on the Billboard 200, #17 on the R&B chart and #1 on the Gospel Albums chart. The unit sales of the first week have tallied up to a respectable 18,000 units sold. Earlier in 2006, LaBelle performed at the 2006 Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.[3] Labelle was prominently featured alongside Fantasia and Yolanda Adams on the remake of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish", on the soundtrack to "Happy Feet". LaBelle will also be featured on "What About Love", the lead track from the soundtrack to The Color Purple: The Musical.[3] Patti has been noted for her unending kindness. In 2006 Patti pulled up a young boy on stage to sing with her. Praising the child, named Joey, she recalled the various times she had met him and given him a rose. On April 14, 2007 LaBelle called the boy up along with a man who prayed for her. She gave the boy a lily and had him sing three songs with her. He truly loves her and has commented "Lord Knows I Love My Patti!" On April 29th, 2007, Patti appeared and sang at the 2007 Fort Lauderdale AIDS Walk in South Florida.

luther vandross

Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an eight-time Grammy-winning American R&B and soul singer and songwriter. During his career, Vandross sold over 25 million albums[1] and won eight Grammy awards [2] including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times. He won four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the track "Dance With My Father",[3] co-written with Richard Marx. Contents[hide] 1 Biography 1.1 1951-2006: Early life and career 1.2 1980-2003: Career success 1.3 2003-2005: Illness and death 1.4 Personal life 2 Influences and followers 3 Legacy 3.1 Tribute 3.2 Posthumous releases 4 Discography 5 Further reading 6 References 7 See also 8 External links 8.1 Obituaries // [edit] Biography [edit] 1951-2006: Early life and career Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, he was born in Smith Housing Project. At the age three he began playing the piano. Vandross grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was thirteen. His sister sang with vocal group The Crests [3] who had a number two hit in the early 1960's with "Sixteen Candles". Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old.[3] His life-changing moment came when at the age of thirteen he heard Dionne Warwick sing "Anyone Who Had A Heart" (a song he would cover in his later years).[citation needed] Vandross was in a vocal group, "Shades of Jade", in high school which once played at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[4] His first recording credit was as producer of the album Soul Christmas in 1968 and appeared as a vocalist on the Quincy Jones album Best in 1969. He was also a member of a theater workshop at the time and appeared on the first episode of Sesame Street in November 1968.[5] He attended Western Michigan University for a year, but then dropped out to continue pursuing a career in music.[6] His next recording credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972. Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice",[7] for the 1975 Broadway musical and 1978 movie The Wiz. He also appeared as a choir member in the movie.[8] Having co-written "Fascination" for David Bowie's Young Americans, he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974.[9][5] Vandross also sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, and Barbra Streisand. During the beginning of his career, Vandross was content to remain mostly in the background, as a producer and backup singer for other artists. Flack encouraged Vandross into starting his own career. She believed he was an incredible talent who, in addition to his songwriting and production skills, deserved to be heard.[citation needed] Before his breakthrough, he released two albums with a singing group he formed, also called Luther, on Cotillion Records.[citation needed] The group had a successful single entitled "It's Good for the Soul", although their two albums - the self-titled Luther in 1976 and This Close to You in 1977 - were not successful. Vandross bought back the rights to these albums after the record label dropped the group, preventing their later re-release.[citation needed] Vandross also wrote and sang commercials jingles during the late 1970s & early 1980s,[3] earning upwards of $600,000 per year around the New York area.[citation needed] He created and often sang jingles for such advertising campaigns as Kentucky Fried Chicken's "We Do Chicken Right",[citation needed] NBC's "Proud As A Peacock"[citation needed] and The US Army's "Be All You Can Be".[citation needed] Vandross also voiced a cartoon character named Zack for 3 Saturday morning animated PSA spots for ABC Television called "Zack of All Trades".[citation needed] Vandross continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 70's. His lead vocals can be heard on the Gregg Diamond produced single "Hot Butterfly" from Bionic Boogie in 1978 which gained moderate club success.[citation needed] [edit] 1980-2003: Career success Luther Vandross' Greatest Hits With some contributions from friend and songwriter/producer, Wayne K. Garfield[citation needed] (see the 11th chapter of Luther's biography—Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross by Craig Seymour (Harper-Collins)), Vandross finally made his long desired career breakthrough as a featured singer with the vaunted pop-dance act Change, a studio concept created by French-Italian bussinessman Jacques Fred Petrus (1949-1986) with songs written and produced by his Italian co-workers Davide Romani, Paolo Gianolio and Mauro Malavasi. Their 1980 hits, "A Lover's Holiday" (by Romani and Willoughby), "The Glow of Love" (by Romani, Malavasi and Garfield) and "Searching" (by Malavasi), of which Vandross sang on the last two, opened up the world for Vandross. And there was no doubt about whether Vandross liked the song "The Glow of Love". In an interview that Vibe Magazine did with him in 2001 Vandross said, "Wayne, this is the most beautiful song I've ever sung in my life."[citation needed] Vandross was also originally intended to perform on the second and highly successful Change album "Miracles" in 1981, but declined the offer as Petrus offered too little money and Vandross was replaced by James "Crabs" Robinson. Vandross' decision rapidly led to a recording contract with Epic Records that same year but didn't stop him from doing some background vocals on "Miracles" and on the new Petrus created acts, NYC band, The B. B. & Q. band in 1981. During that hectic year Vandross jump-started his second attempt at a solo career with his debut album, Never Too Much. In addition to the hit title track, it contained a version of the Burt Bacharach / Hal David song "A House Is Not a Home". The album went double platinum,[citation needed] with the song "Never Too Much" reaching number-one on the R&B charts. This period also marked the beginning of frequent songwriting collaboration with bassist Marcus Miller, who played on many of the tracks and would also produce or co-produce a number of tracks for Vandross. Vandross released a series of successful albums during the 1980s and continued his session work with guest vocals on groups like Charme in 1982. However, Vandross' performance of "The Glow Of Love", garnered his first number one recording atop Billboard's Dance/Club charts for an incredible 16 weeks which was acknowledged by a " #1 Chart Longevity Award " from Billboard's Dance Music Forum as well as the "#3 all-time greatest dance hit recording" from Billboard's 100th Anniversary issue![citation needed] Interestingly enough, superstar Janet Jackson's Grammy Award-winning, multi-chart, multi-platinum recording, "All For You", which was based upon "The Glow Of Love" made industry history as the first-ever record to be added to all major radio formats on the day of release. Although the albums were very successful overall, many of his earlier albums made a much bigger impact on the R&B charts.[citation needed] Vandross had more modest success on the pop charts during this time. During the 1980s, Vandross had two other singles that reached number-one on the R&B charts: "Stop to Love", in 1986, and a duet with Gregory Hines—"There's Nothing Better Than Love."[citation needed] He was also an in-demand producer;[citation needed] he was at the helm for Aretha Franklin's albums Jump To It and Get It Right. In 1983, the opportunity to work with his main music influence, Dionne Warwick, came true. Vandross produced and wrote songs in addition to singing on How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye, her fourth album for Arista. The title track duet became a smash hit overall on the charts, but especially on the R&B and Adult Contemporary chart.[citation needed] The album's second single, "Got a Date" became a moderate hit. The "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" album is still highly sought after.[citation needed] The 1989 compilation of greatest hits, The Best of Luther Vandross...The Best of Love, included the ballad "Here and Now", the first Vandross single to chart in the Billboard pop chart top ten. He also won his first Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in the 1991. "Here and Now" became a staple at weddings, and on Soft AC radio.[citation needed] In addition, the song allowed him to expand his musical horizons beyond R&B; his songs also became popular on smooth jazz radio. Vandross' From Luther With Love: The Videos DVD More albums followed in the 1990s, beginning with 1991's Power of Love which spawned two top ten pop hits. He won his second Best Male R&B Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 1992 with the track "Power of Love/Love Power" winning the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in the same year. In 1992, "The Best Things in Life Are Free", a duet with Janet Jackson from the movie Mo' Money became a hit. In 1993, Vandross had a nonspeaking role in the Robert Townsend movie Meteor Man. He played a hit man who plotted to stop Townsend's title character. Vandross hit the top ten again in 1994 with Mariah Carey, doing a cover of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's hit duet "Endless Love." The song appears on his album Songs. He also appears on Frank Sinatra's posthumous Duets album. In the Grammy Awards of 1997, he won his third Best Male R&B Vocal for the track "Your Secret Love". A second greatest hits album, released in 1997, compiled most of his 1990s hits and was his final album released through Epic Records. After releasing I Know on Virgin Records, he signed with J Records. His first album on Clive Davis's new label, entitled Luther Vandross, was released in 2001, and it produced the hits "Take You Out", "Grown Thangs" and "I'd Rather".[citation needed] In 2003, Vandross released the album Dance With My Father The title track, which was dedicated to the memory of the younger Vandross' childhood dances with his father, won Luther and his co-writer, Richard Marx, the 2004 Grammy Award for Song Of The Year. The song also won Vandross his fourth and final award in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category. The album was his first to reach number one on the Billboard album chart.[citation needed] The video for the title track features a various celebrities alongside their fathers and other family members. Celebrities such as Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Jason Kidd, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones submitted home videos or pictures of their families for the music video.[citation needed] Vandross's last known recording was his signature version of "One Shining Moment",[citation needed] CBS's closing theme song of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. [edit] 2003-2005: Illness and death Luther Vandross's final album, Dance with My Father (2003). Vandross had diabetes,[3] a disease that ran in his family, as well as hypertension. His weight fluctuated over the years, with Vandross weighing over 300 pounds (136 kg) at his heaviest.[citation needed] His father, Luther Sr., died of complications from diabetes when Luther Jr. was seven years old. Luther Jr.'s two sisters and a brother also predeceased him.[citation needed] On April 16, 2003, just 4 days before his 52nd birthday, Vandross suffered a stroke in his home in Manhattan.[3] Though the cause of Vandross' stroke was not specifically attributed to diabetes, diabetics have been identified as being much more susceptible to strokes than non-diabetics. He appeared briefly on videotape at the 2004 Grammys to accept his Song of the Year award. Other than an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he was never seen in public again. On the videotape on which Vandross appeared, he sent an emotional message that said: "Whenever I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love".[3] Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey at the age of 54.[5] At this time, the cause of death was not known, although hospital spokesman Rob Cavanaugh has said that Vandross never recovered from the 2003 stroke.[citation needed] It was reported that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends.[citation needed] The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a friend of Vandross, described him as "a boy so mellow, so powerful; a boy of rare, rare vintage. We lost Luther very early because of his medical condition, but his legacy will be a powerful legacy."[citation needed] His funeral was in New York City on July 8, 2005.[10] After two days of viewing, Vandross was laid to rest in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.[11] [edit] Personal life During Vandross's entire career, he was dogged by questions regarding his sexuality. A lifelong bachelor, his name was never romantically linked in the media with women. Although Vandross never explicitly denied being gay, he never publicly acknowledged it either. He generally attempted to steer questioners away from the issue altogether by saying that his busy lifestyle made marriage difficult and indicated that it wasn't what he wanted.[12] After his death, an article in Out magazine had several of Vandross' friends, including gay comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, claiming that Luther was indeed a very unhappily closeted gay man.[13] [edit] Influences and followers Vandross was inspired by the soul divas of the 1960s and 1970s: Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin, whom he eventually produced. Vandross' songs have also been performed numerous times by American Idol contestants. Notable covers include Season 1 Finalist Tamyra Gray's version of "Dance With My Father" on Boston Public and "A House Is Not a Home", which many consider one of the greatest performances in the show's history.[citation needed] Second season winner Ruben Studdard has also performed "A House Is Not a Home" and—more infamously—"Superstar".[citation needed] R&B artist Keyshia Cole included a version of "Never Too Much" on her 2005 debut album The Way It Is. He is also the main influence of upcoming recording artist, Purpose who almost is a complete sound alike of Luther himself.[1] Vandross performed many covers of older songs, such as "Since I Lost My Baby" (originally recorded by The Temptations), "Love the One You're With" (originally recorded by Stephen Stills), "Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me" ("Superstar" was a hit for The Carpenters and "Until You Come Back To Me" was a 1974 hit for Aretha Franklin), "Love Won't Let Me Wait" (originally recorded by Major Harris), "Always and Forever" (originally recorded by Heatwave), "If This World Were Mine" (a duet with Cheryl Lynn, originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell), "Creepin'" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (both originally recorded by Stevie Wonder), "Hello" (the 1984 number-one hit by Lionel Richie), "Lovely Day" (originally recorded by Bill Withers), "Killing Me Softly" (a hit for Roberta Flack) and the Bacharach/David standard, "A House Is Not A Home." Vandross's hit "Love Power" included snippets of the soul classic "The Power of Love". Another hit, "Bad Boy (Having a Party)", contained a passage from Sam Cooke's "Having a Party". Vandross inspired his J Records labelmate, Ruben Studdard, the American Idol winner of 2003.[citation needed] Besides Studdard, Vandross also inspired countless other artists, both male and female, such as Boyz II Men, Usher, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Brandy.[citation needed] It was with Beyoncé that he recorded yet another cover of a well-known song, "The Closer I Get to You", originally recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. [edit] Legacy [edit] Tribute On September 20, 2005, the album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross was released. The album is a collection of some of Luther's songs performed by various artists, including Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Fantasia, Beyoncé, Donna Summer, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Angie Stone, Jamie Foxx and Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for her rendition of "A House Is Not a Home," and Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé won a Grammy for their cover of "So Amazing." [edit] Posthumous releases Luther Vandross's final label, J Records, released a song called "Shine"—an upbeat R&B track that samples Chic's disco classic "My Forbidden Lover". "Shine" became a massive Top 20 Urban radio hit[citation needed]. The success of the "Shine" led to club mixes of the single. The Freemasons Club Mix of "Shine" became popular on Dance format radio stations and clubs across the U.S..[citation needed] This and a track entitled "Got You Home" are previously unreleased songs that appeared on The Ultimate Luther Vandross, a greatest hits album on Epic Records/J Records/Legacy Recordings that was released August 22, 2006.

Teddy Pendergrass

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass, Sr. (born March 26, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) affectionately known as 'Teddy P', "TP", or "Teddy Bear" is an American soul singer. Contents[hide] [edit] Early life He was born to Ida Geraldine Epps and the late Jesse Pendergrass. Teddy got his start singing gospel in the church, where he was ordained a minister at the age of 10, and sang doo wop tunes on the street corners in North Philadelphia where he grew up. He was a student at the old Thomas Edison High School for Boys. However, he dropped out in the 11th grade to go in the music business. His first taste of show business was in Nova Scotia, Canada with a James Brown clone of a musician named Little Royal[citation needed]. Afterwards, Pendergrass left for unknown reasons. [edit] Musical career Pendergrass' career began when he was a drummer for The Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Melvin invited Pendergrass to become the lead singer after he jumped from the rear of a stage and started singing his heart out. Months later the group signed with Gamble & Huff on the then CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International Records in 1972. The Blue Notes had hits such as "I Miss You", "Bad Luck", "Wake Up Everybody", "The Two Million Seller", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", and many more. Following personality conflicts between Melvin and Pendergrass and a brief stint with Teddy leading a group of Blue Notes[citation needed], Pendergrass launched a solo career and released hit singles like "The More I Get the More I Want", "Close The Door" also redone by Boyz ll Men in 2004, "I Don't Love You Anymore", "Turn Off The Lights", and more. Pendergrass was the first African-American singer to sell five platinum albums in a row. He also began his practice of ladies-only concerts, for which he remains well-known[citation needed]. His first solo album was self titled Teddy Pendergrass (1977), followed by Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Live Coast to Coast and Teddy (1979), 1980's TP and the final Philadelphia International Records album It's Time For Love (1981). In august 1982 PIR also released "This one's for you" while TP was recovering. Even in 1983 the album "Heaven Only Knows" was released. This was his last album containing his pre-accident recordings. Ten years after the accident, he recorded a version of "One Shining Moment," the theme for March Madness Basketball on CBS. [edit] Personal life On March 18, 1982, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident when the brakes failed on his Rolls-Royce and he hit a tree leaving him paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury. In the car with him was a transvestite, Tenika Watson, 31, an exotic dancer with an extensive rap-sheet, though he never explained his relationship with Watson [1]. They were trapped in the auto 45 minutes after the 1:30 A.M. accident. The police said there were no indications of drug or alcohol use. He was taken to a center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for treatment. Miss Watson was released after treatment at a hospital. Pendergrass spent six months in rehabilitation. After completing physical therapy, he returned to the studio to record the album Love Language, featuring the 1984 ballad "Hold Me", a duet with the then upcoming star Whitney Houston. He also returned to the public for a performance on July 13, 1985 at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, then continued to record throughout the 1980s and 90s. Pendergrass has published a biography with Patricia Romanowski, entitled 'Truly Blessed'. Pendergrass divorced Karen Still-Pendergrass in 2002, after 15 years of marriage, stating irreconcilable differences. In 2006, Teddy Pendergrass announced on a radio station in New York that he has officially retired from the music business.[citation needed] [edit] Discography 1977 – Teddy Pendergrass – The Right Stuff 1978 – Life Is a Song Worth Singing – The Right Stuff 1979 – Teddy – The Right Stuff 1979 – Live! Coast to Coast – Philadelphia International 1980 – TP – The Right Stuff 1981 – It's Time for Love – Philadelphia International 1982 - This One's For You - Philadelphia International 1983 - Heaven Only Knows - Philadelphia International 1984 – Love Language – Asylum 1985 – Workin' It Back – Asylum 1988 – Joy – Elektra 1991 – Truly Blessed – Elektra 1993 – A Little More Magic – Elektra 1997 – You and I – Surefire 1998 – This Christmas I'd Rather Have Love – Surefire/Wind Up 2002 – From Teddy With Love (live) – Razor & Tie AMG Track Picks Love T.K.O., Turn Off the Lights, Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose [edit] Grammy Awards history Career Stats Career Wins: 0 Career Nominations: 5 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Voodoo" Nominated 1994 "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" Nominated 1992 "Joy" Nominated 1989 "I Can't Live Without Your Love" Nominated 1982 "Close the Door" Nominated 1979

Tavares

Tavares (also known as The Tavares Brothers) is a successful American R&B, disco, and soul music band, composed of five brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Contents[hide] 1 Band members 2 Biography 3 Chart singles 4 External link 5 References 6 See also // [edit] Band members Ralph - Ralph Viera Tavares, born 10 December 1948. Pooch - Arthur Paul Tavares, b. 12 November 1949. Chubby - Antone Lee Tavares, b. 2 June 1950. Butch - Feliciano Tavares, b. 18 May 1953. Tiny - Perry Lee Tavares, b. 24 October 1954. [edit] Biography The Tavares brothers, of Cape Verde descent, started performing in 1964 as Chubby and the Turnpikes when the youngest brother was 13 years old. By 1973 they signed with Capitol Records, scoring their first R&B Top 10 (Pop Top 40) hit with "Check it Out" that same year, and soon began charting regularly on the R&B and pop charts. Their first album included their brother Victor, who dropped out of the group shortly after. In 1974 Tavares had a #1 R&B hit with Hall & Oates' "She's Gone" (which became a hit for Hall & Oates as well the following year). Tavares followed up that success with "Remember What I Told You To Forget." 1975 turned out to be their most successful year chart-wise, chalking up a Top 40 Pop album (In the City) and their biggest hit, the Top 10 Pop/#1 R&B smash "It Only Takes a Minute", which was later successfully covered by Jonathan King and Take That. This was followed by a a string of hits: "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" (1976), "Don't Take Away the Music" (1976), and "Whodunit" (1977), among others. Many of their hits, however, underplayed their R&B background and gave the group the image of being a disco act. This perception was reinforced by their appearance on the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever in 1977. Tavares recorded the Bee Gees track "More Than a Woman," and their version reached the Pop Top 40 that year. The soundtrack became one of the most successful in history, giving Tavares their only Grammy. Later albums, such as Madame Butterfly and Supercharged, strayed from the disco format and were less successful on the Pop chart (although they continued to have Top 10 R&B hits such as "Never Had a Love Like This Before" and "Bad Times"). At the start of the 1980s, Tavares left Capitol Records, signing with RCA. They had one last major hit, the ballad "A Penny for Your Thoughts", in 1982, but subsequent releases failed to match this success. In 1983, Ralph Tavares stepped down from the group, and Tiny left in the mid 1990s, but the other three brothers continue to tour. Butch Tavares is now a local producer residing in New Hampshire where he is happily married to his wife Elizabeth. Their hit song "It Only Takes a Minute" is featured in the soundtrack of Konami's dancing game Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix. [edit] Chart singles Month of chart entry Single US label US Billboard R&B Chart US Billboard Pop Chart UK Singles Chart Aug 1973 Check It Out Capitol 5 35 - Jan 1974 That’s The Sound That Lonely Makes Capitol 10 70 - May 1974 Too Late Capitol 10 59 - Sept 1974 She’s Gone Capitol 1 50 - Jan 1975 Remember What I Told You To Forget Capitol 4 25 - July 1975 It Only Takes A Minute Capitol 1 10 - Nov 1975 Free Ride Capitol 8 52 - Feb 1976 The Love I Never Had Capitol 11 - - May 1976 Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel Capitol 3 15 4 Oct 1976 Don’t Take Away The Music Capitol 14 34 4 Feb 1977 Mighty Power Of Love Capitol - - 25 Mar 1977 Whodunit Capitol 1 22 5 July 1977 Goodnight My Love Capitol 14 - - July 1977 One Step Away Capitol - - 16 Nov 1977 More Than A Woman Capitol 36 34 7 Feb 1978 The Ghost of Love Capitol 48 - 29 July 1978 Timber Capitol 94 - - Aug 1978 Slow Train To Paradise Capitol - - 62 Nov 1978 Never Had A Love Like This Before Capitol 5 - - May 1979 Straight From The Heart Capitol 77 - - Dec 1979 Bad Times Capitol 10 47 - Apr 1980 I Can’t Go On Living Without You Capitol 42 - - Oct 1980 Love Uprising Capitol 17 - - Feb 1981 Loneliness Capitol 64 - - July 1981 Turn Out The Nightlight Capitol 45 - - Oct 1981 Loveline Capitol 47 - - Aug 1982 A Penny For Your Thoughts RCA 16 33 - Feb 1983 Got To Find My Way Back To You RCA 24 - - Sept 1983 Deeper In Love RCA 10 - - Nov 1983 Words And Music RCA 29 - - Feb 1986 Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (Ben Liebrand remix) Capitol - - 12

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