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Tupac Amaru Shakur ( TOO-pahk shə-KOOR ; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities.

Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. Raised by his mother, Afeni Shakur, he relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. With the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip hop for his conscious rap lyrics. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993) and Me Against the World (1995). His Diamond certified album All Eyez on Me (1996), the first double-length album in hip-hop history, abandoned his introspective lyrics for volatile gangsta rap. In addition to his music career, Shakur also found considerable success as an actor, with his starring roles in (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), Above the Rim (1994), (1996), (1997), and Gang Related (1997).

During the later part of his career, Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio and experienced legal troubles, including incarceration. Shakur served eleven months in prison on sexual abuse charges, but was released pending an appeal of his conviction in 1995. Following his release, he signed to Marion "Suge" Knight's label Death Row Records and became heavily involved in the growing East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; he died six days later. Following his murder, Shakur's friend-turned-rival, the Notorious B.I.G., was at first considered a suspect due to their public feud; he was also murdered in another drive-by shooting six months later in March 1997, while visiting Los Angeles.

Shakur's double-length posthumous album Greatest Hits (1998) is one of his two releases-and one of only nine hip hop albums-to have been certified Diamond in the United States. Five more albums have been released since Shakur's death, including his critically acclaimed posthumous album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996) under his stage name Makaveli, all of which have been certified Platinum in the United States. In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked Shakur among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2023, he was awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

East Harlem, the neighborhood of New York City where Shakur was born

Shakur was born on June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, Upper Manhattan, New York City. While born Lesane Parish Crooks, at age one he was renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur. He was named after Túpac Amaru II, the descendant of the last Incan ruler, who was executed in Peru in 1781 after his failed revolt against Spanish rule. Shakur's mother Afeni Shakur explained, "I wanted him to have the name of revolutionary, indigenous people in the world. I wanted him to know he was part of a world culture and not just from a neighborhood."

Shakur had an older stepbrother, Mopreme "Komani" Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, two years his junior.

Panther heritage

Shakur's parents, Afeni Shakur-born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina-and his biological father, William "Billy" Garland, had been active Black Panther Party members in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A month before Shakur's birth, his mother was tried in New York City as part of the Panther 21 criminal trial. She was acquitted of over 150 charges.

Other family members who were involved in the Black Panthers' Black Liberation Army were convicted of serious crimes and imprisoned, including Shakur's stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, who spent four years among the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Mutulu Shakur was apprehended in 1986 and subsequently convicted for a 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck, during which police officers and a guard were killed.

Shakur's godfather, Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a high-ranking Black Panther, was convicted of murdering a school teacher during a 1968 robbery. After spending 27 years in prison, his conviction was overturned due to the prosecution's having concealed evidence that proved his innocence.

Shakur's godmother, Assata Shakur, is a former member of the Black Liberation Army, who was convicted of the first-degree murder of a New Jersey State Trooper and is still wanted by the FBI.

Shakur's Baltimore School of the Arts yearbook photograph, 1988

In the 1980s, Shakur's mother found it difficult to find work and she struggled with drug addiction. In 1984, his family moved from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland. He attended eighth grade at Roland Park Middle School, then ninth grade at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. He transferred to the Baltimore School for the Arts in the tenth grade, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. He performed in Shakespeare's plays-depicting timeless themes, now seen in gang warfare, he would recall-and as the Mouse King role in The Nutcracker ballet.

At the Baltimore School for the Arts, Shakur befriended actress Jada Pinkett, who became a subject of some of his poems. With his friend Dana "Mouse" Smith as beatbox, he won competitions as reputedly the school's best rapper. Also known for his humor, he could mix with all crowds. He listened to a diverse range of music that included Kate Bush, Culture Club, Sinéad O'Connor, and U2.

Upon connecting with the Baltimore Young Communist League USA, Shakur dated Mary Baldridge, who was the daughter of the director of the local chapter of the Communist Party USA. Baldridge, who was white, was described as an attractive young woman who was raised to look past color.

In 1988, Shakur moved to Marin City, California, an impoverished community in the San Francisco Bay Area. In nearby Mill Valley, he attended Tamalpais High School, where he performed in several theater productions. Shakur did not graduate from high school, but he later earned his GED.

Music career

Shakur began recording under the stage name MC New York in 1989. That year, he began attending the poetry classes of Leila Steinberg, and she soon became his manager. Steinberg organized a concert for Shakur and his rap group Strictly Dope. Steinberg managed to get Shakur signed by Atron Gregory, manager of the rap group Digital Underground. In 1990, Gregory placed him with the Underground as a roadie and backup dancer.

Digital Underground

In January 1991 Shakur debuted under the stage name 2Pac on Digital Underground, under a new record label, Interscope Records, on the group's January 1991 single " Same Song". The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble, starring Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Chevy Chase, and Demi Moore. The song opened the group's January 1991 EP titled This Is an EP Release, while Shakur appeared in the music video.

At the request of Steinberg, Digital Underground co-founder Jimi "Chopmaster J" Dright worked with Shakur, Ray Luv and Dize, a DJ, on their earliest studio recordings. Dright recalls that Shakur did not work well as part of a group, and added, "this guy was on a mission. From day one. Maybe he knew he wasn't going to be around seven years later."

From 1988 to 1991, Dright and Digital Underground produced Shakur's earliest work with his crew at the time, Strictly Dope. The recordings were rediscovered in 2000 and released as The Lost Tapes: Circa 1989. Afeni Shakur sued to stop the sale of the recordings but the suit was settled in June 2001 and rereleased as Beginnings: The Lost Tapes 1988-1991.

Shakur's early days with Digital Underground made him acquainted with Randy "Stretch" Walker, who along with his brother, dubbed Majesty, and a friend debuted with an EP as a rap group and production team, Live Squad, in Queens, New York. Stretch was featured on a track of the Digital Underground's 1991 album Sons of the P. Becoming fast friends, Shakur and Stretch recorded and performed together often.

Shakur's debut album, 2Pacalypse Now-alluding to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now-arrived in November 1991. Some prominent rappers-like Nas, Eminem, Game, and Talib Kweli-cite it as an inspiration. Aside from "If My Homie Calls", the singles " Trapped" and " Brenda's Got a Baby" poetically depict individual struggles under socioeconomic disadvantage.

US Vice President Dan Quayle said, "There's no reason for a record like this to be released. It has no place in our society." Tupac, finding himself misunderstood, explained, in part

I just wanted to rap about things that affected young black males. When I said that, I didn't know that I was gonna tie myself down to just take all the blunts and hits for all the young black males, to be the media's kicking post for young black males.

In any case, 2Pacalypse Now was certified Gold, half a million copies sold. The album addresses urban Black concerns said to remain relevant to the present day.

Shakur's second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..., was released in February 1993. A critical and commercial success, it debuted at No. 24 on the pop albums chart, the Billboard 200. An overall more hardcore album, it emphasizes Tupac's sociopolitical views, and has a metallic production quality. The song "Last Wordz" features Ice Cube, co-writer of N.W.A's " Fuck tha Police", who in his own solo albums had newly gone militantly political, and gangsta rapper Ice-T, who in June 1992 had sparked controversy with his band Body Count's track " Cop Killer".

In its vinyl release, side A, tracks 1 to 8, is labeled the "Black Side", while side B, tracks 9 to 16, is the "Dark Side".[citation needed ] The album carries the single " I Get Around", a party anthem featuring Digital Underground's Shock G and Money-B, which became Shakur's breakthrough, reaching No. 11 on the pop singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100. And it carries the optimistic compassion of another hit, " Keep Ya Head Up", an anthem for women's empowerment. The album was certified Platinum, with a million copies sold. As of 2004, among Shakur albums, including posthumous and compilation albums, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... was 10th in sales at about 1,366,000 copies.

The test pressing single for "Dear Mama": the Platinum single is among the top-ranked songs in hip-hop history.

In late 1993, Shakur formed the group Thug Life with Tyrus " Big Syke" Himes, Diron "Macadoshis" Rivers, his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur, and Walter "Rated R" Burns. Usually, Thug Life performed live without Tupac.

Thug Life released its only album, Thug Life, Volume I, on October 11, 1994, which is certified Gold. It carries the single "Pour Out a Little Liquor", produced by Johnny "J" Jackson, who would also produce much of Shakur's album All Eyez on Me. The track also appears on the Above the Rim soundtrack. Due to gangsta rap being under heavy criticism at the time, the album's original version was scrapped, and the album redone with mostly new tracks. Still, along with Stretch, Tupac would perform the first planned single, "Out on Bail", which was never released, at the 1994 Source Awards.

The Notorious B.I.G. and Junior M.A.F.I.A.

In 1993, while visiting Los Angeles, the Notorious B.I.G. asked a local drug dealer to introduce him to Shakur and they quickly became friends. The pair would socialize when Shakur went to New York or B.I.G. to Los Angeles. During this period, at his own live shows, Shakur would call B.I.G. onto stage to rap with him and Stretch. Together, they recorded the songs " Runnin' from tha Police" and "House of Pain".

Reportedly, B.I.G. asked Shakur to manage him, whereupon Shakur advised him that Sean Combs would make him a star. Yet in the meantime, Shakur's lifestyle was comparatively lavish to B.I.G. who had not yet established himself. Shakur welcomed B.I.G. to join his side group Thug Life, but he would instead form his own side group, the Junior M.A.F.I.A., with his Brooklyn friends Lil' Cease and Lil' Kim. Shakur had a falling out with B.I.G. after he was shot at Quad Studios in 1994.

Shakur's third album, Me Against the World, was released while he was incarcerated in March 1995. It is now hailed as his magnum opus, and commonly ranks among the greatest, most influential rap albums. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 240,000 copies in its first week, setting a then record for highest first-week sales for a solo male rapper.

The lead single, " Dear Mama", was released in February 1995 with "Old School" as the B-side. It is the album's most successful single, topping the Hot Rap Singles chart, and peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In July, it was certified Platinum. It ranked No. 51 on the year-end charts. The second single, " So Many Tears", was released in June 1995, reaching No. 6 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and No. 44 on Hot 100. The final single, " Temptations", was released in August 1995. It reached No. 68 on the Hot 100, No. 35 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and No. 13 on the Hot Rap Singles. Several celebrities showed their support for Shakur by appearing in the music video for "Temptations".

Shakur won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards. In 2001, it ranked 4th among his total albums in sales, with about 3 million copies sold in the US.

While Shakur was imprisoned in 1995, his mother was about to lose her house. Shakur had his wife Keisha Morris contact Death Row Records founder Suge Knight in Los Angeles. Reportedly, Shakur's mother promptly received $15,000. After an August visit to Clinton Correctional Facility in northern New York state, Knight traveled southward to New York City to attend the 2nd Annual Source Awards ceremony. Meanwhile, an East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry was brewing between Death Row and Bad Boy Records. In October 1995, Knight visited Shakur in prison again and posted $1.4 million bond. Shakur returned to Los Angeles and joined Death Row with the appeal of his December 1994 conviction pending.

Shakur's fourth album, All Eyez on Me, arrived on February 13, 1996. It was rap's first double album-meeting two of the three albums due in Shakur's contract with Death Row-and bore five singles. The album shows Shakur rapping about the gangsta lifestyle, leaving behind his previous political messages. With standout production, the album has more party tracks and often a triumphant tone. Music journalist Kevin Powell noted that Shakur, once released from prison, became more aggressive, and "seemed like a completely transformed person".

As Shakur's second album to hit No. 1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and the pop albums chart, the Billboard 200, it sold 566,000 copies in its first week and was it was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in April. The singles " How Do U Want It" and " California Love" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Death Row released Shakur's diss track " Hit 'Em Up" as the non-album B-side to "How Do U Want It". In this venomous tirade, the proclaimed "Bad Boy killer" threatens violent payback on all things Bad Boy - B.I.G., Sean Combs, Junior M.A.F.I.A., the company - and on any in the East Coast rap scene, like rap duo Mobb Deep and rapper Chino XL, who allegedly had commented against Shakur about the dispute.

All Eyez on Me won R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year at the 1997 Soul Train Music Awards. At the 1997 American Music Awards, Shakur won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. The album was certified 9× Multi-Platinum in June 1998, and 10× in July 2014.

Posthumous albums

At the time of his death, a fifth and final solo album was already finished, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, under the stage name Makaveli. It had been recorded in one week in August 1996 and released that year. The lyrics were written and recorded in three days, and mixing took another four days. In 2005, MTV.com ranked The 7 Day Theory at No. 9 among hip hop's greatest albums ever, and by 2006 a classic album. Its singular poignance, through hurt and rage, contemplation and vendetta, resonate with many fans.

According to George "Papa G" Pryce, Death Row Records' then director of public relations, the album was meant to be "underground", and was not intended for release before the artist was murdered.[unreliable source? ] It peaked at No. 1 on 's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and on the Billboard 200, with the second-highest debut-week sales total of any album that year. On June 15, 1999, it was certified 4× Multi-Platinum.

Later posthumous albums are archival productions, these albums are:

Film career

Shakur's first film appearance was in the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble, a cameo by the Digital Underground. In 1992, he starred in , where he plays the fictional Roland Bishop, a militant and haunting individual. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers calls him "the film's most magnetic figure".

In 1993, Shakur starred alongside Janet Jackson in John Singleton's romance film, Poetic Justice. Singleton later fired Shakur from the 1995 film Higher Learning because the studio would not finance the film following his arrest. For the lead role in the eventual 2001 film , a role played by Tyrese Gibson, Singleton originally had Shakur in mind. Ultimately, the set design includes a Shakur mural in the protagonist's bedroom, and the film's score includes Shakur's song " Hail Mary".

Director Allen Hughes had cast Shakur as Sharif in the 1993 film Menace II Society, but replaced him once Shakur assaulted him on set due to a discrepancy with the script. Nonetheless, in 2013, Hughes appraises that Shakur would have outshone the other actors "because he was bigger than the movie".

Shakur played a gangster called Birdie in the 1994 film Above the Rim. By some accounts, that character had been modeled after former New York drug dealer Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, who managed and promoted rappers. Shakur was introduced to him at a Queens nightclub. Reportedly, B.I.G. advised Shakur to avoid him, but Shakur disregarded the warning. Through Haitian Jack, Shakur met James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, also a drug dealer who doubled as music manager.

Soon after Shakur's death, three more films starring him were released, (1996), (1997), and Gang Related (1997).

Posthumous rumored roles and Star Wars

It was rumored that Shakur was being considered by George Lucas to portray Jedi Master Mace Windu in the prequel films (1999-2005). According to former Death Row Records chief engineer Rick Clifford, George Lucas was eyeing Tupac to star in his return to the "Star Wars" saga. Clifford talked about how understandably excited Tupac was for the role, "'Pac found out that I worked for Brian Austin Green, who was on 90210, then he found out I [worked on] some movies, so we always talked about his film career and stuff. [...] He was telling me that he was supposed to read for George Lucas and them. They wanted him to be a Jedi. I'm serious. Samuel L. [Jackson] got Tupac's part. [Tupac] said [to me], 'Old man, keep your fingers crossed.' He said, 'I've got three movies coming up. One of them, I've got to read for George Lucas."

The Phantom Menace script had begun being written in 1996 and the eventual film seeing release in 1999. Lucas had asked Jackson to ask Shakur to audition but due to Shakur's untimely death the role ultimately went to Samuel L. Jackson. The two had worked on the film together. The character's bald appearance could have also been an homage to Shakur.

Personal life

In his 1995 interview with Vibe magazine, Shakur listed Jada Pinkett, Jasmine Guy, Treach and Mickey Rourke among the people who were looking out for him while he was in prison. Shakur also mentioned that Madonna was a supportive friend. Madonna later revealed that they had dated in 1994.

Shakur became close friends with Jada Pinkett while attending the Baltimore School for the Arts. Shakur helped Pinkett land her first movie role in the film Menace II Society (1993). In turn, Pinkett secured Shakur a guest starring role on the sitcom A Different World in 1993. She appeared in his music videos "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Temptations". She also came up with the concept for his "California Love" music video and had intended to direct it, but she removed herself from the project. In 1995, Pinkett contributed $100,000 towards Shakur's bail as he awaited an appeal on his sexual abuse conviction. Pinkett later revealed that she turned down his marriage proposal while he was incarcerated at Rikers Island in 1995. Speaking about Pinkett, Shakur stated: "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life. We'll be old together. Jada can ask me to do anything and she can have it." Pinkett said Shakur was "one of my best friends. He was like a brother. It was beyond friendship for us. The type of relationship we had, you only get that once in a lifetime."

After Shakur was shot in 1994, he recuperated at Jasmine Guy's home. They had met during his guest appearance on the sitcom A Different World in 1993. Guy appeared in his music video "Temptations" and later wrote his mother's 2004 biography, Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary.

Shakur befriended Treach when they were both roadies on Public Enemy's tour in 1990. He made a cameo in Naughty by Nature's music video " Uptown Anthem" in 1992. Treach collaborated with Shakur on his song "5 Deadly Venomz" and appeared in his music video "Temptations". Treach was also a speaker at a public memorial service for Shakur in 1996.

Shakur and Mickey Rourke formed a bond while filming the movie in 1994. Rourke recalled that Shakur "was there for me during some very hard times."

Shakur had friendships with other celebrities, including Mike Tyson Chuck D, Jim Carrey, and Alanis Morissette. In April 1996, Shakur said that he, Morrissette, Snoop Dogg, and Suge Knight were planning to open a restaurant together.

On April 29, 1995, Shakur married his then girlfriend Keisha Morris, a pre-law student. Their marriage was annulled ten months later.

In a 1993 interview published in , Shakur criticized record producer Quincy Jones for his interracial marriage to actress Peggy Lipton. Their daughter Rashida Jones responded with an irate open letter. Shakur later apologized to her sister Kidada Jones, who he began dating in 1996. Shakur and Jones attended Men's Fashion Week in Milan and walked the runway together for a Versace fashion show. Jones was at their hotel in Las Vegas when Shakur was shot.

Legal issues

Sexual assault case, prison sentence, appeal and release

In November 1993, Shakur and two other men were charged in New York with sodomizing a woman in Shakur's hotel room. The woman, Ayanna Jackson, alleged that after she performed oral sex on Shakur at the public dance floor of a Manhattan nightclub, she went to his hotel room a later day, when Shakur, record executive Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, Shakur's road manager Charles Fuller and an unidentified fourth man apprehended and forced her to perform non-consensual oral sex on each of them. Shakur was also charged with illegal possession of a firearm as two guns were found in the hotel room. Interviewed on The Arsenio Hall Show, Shakur said he was hurt that "a woman would accuse me of taking something from her", as he had been raised in a female household and surrounded by women his whole life.

On December 1, 1994, Shakur was acquitted of three counts of sodomy and the associated gun charges, but convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse for "forcibly touching the woman's buttocks" in his hotel room. Jurors have said the lack of evidence stymied a sodomy conviction. Shakur's lawyer characterized the sentence as "out of line" with the groping conviction and the setting of bail at $3 million as "inhumane". Shakur's accuser later filed a civil suit against Shakur seeking $10 million for punitive damages which was subsequently settled.

After Shakur had been convicted of sexual abuse, Jacques Agnant's case was separated and closed via misdemeanor plea without incarceration. A. J. Benza reported in New York Daily News Shakur's new disdain for Agnant who Shakur theorized had set him up with the case. Shakur reportedly believed his accuser was connected to and had sexual relations with Agnant and James "Henchman" Rosemond, who he considered to be behind the 1994 Quad Studios shooting.

Shakur was unable to post the $3 million dollar bond to keep himself free until sentencing so he surrendered himself to authorities at the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward in New York City on December 23, 1994. At the time, he was still recovering from injuries he received on November 30, when he was shot five times and robbed at Quad Studios. In January 1995, Shakur was moved to the North Infirmary Command (NIC) on Rikers Island in the Bronx. On February 7, 1995, he was sentenced to 18 months to 4 1/2 years in prison by a judge who decried "an act of brutal violence against a helpless woman".

In March 1995, Shakur was transferred to Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. While imprisoned, he began reading again, which he had been unable to do as his career progressed due to his marijuana and alcohol habits. Works such as by Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli and The Art of War by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu sparked Shakur's interest in philosophy, philosophy of war and military strategy. On April 29, 1995, Shakur married his girlfriend Keisha Morris; the marriage was later annulled. While in prison, Shakur exchanged letters with celebrities such as Jim Carrey and Tony Danza among others. He was also visited by Al Sharpton, who helped Shakur get released from solitary confinement.

By October 1995, pending judicial appeal, Shakur was incarcerated in New York. On October 12, he bonded out of the maximum security Dannemora Clinton Correctional Facility in the process of appealing his conviction, once Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, arranged for posting of his $1.4 million bond.

1993 shooting in Atlanta

On October 31, 1993, Shakur was arrested in Atlanta for shooting two off-duty police officers, brothers Mark Whitwell and Scott Whitwell. The Atlanta police claimed the shooting occurred after the brothers were almost struck by a car carrying Shakur while they were crossing the street with their wives. As they argued with the driver, Shakur's car pulled up and he shot the Whitwells in the buttocks and the abdomen. However, there are conflicting accounts that the Whitwells were harassing a black motorist and uttered racial slurs. According to some witnesses, Shakur and his entourage had fired in self-defense as Mark Whitwell shot at them first.

Shakur was charged with two counts of aggravated assault. Mark Whitwell was charged with firing at Shakur's car and later with making false statements to investigators. Scott Whitwell admitted to possessing a gun he had taken from a Henry County police evidence room. Prosecutors ultimately dropped all charges against both parties. Mark Whitwell resigned from the force seven months after the shooting. Both brothers filed civil suits against Shakur; Mark Whitwell's suit was settled out of court, while Scott Whitwell's $2 million lawsuit resulted in a default judgment entered against the rapper's estate in 1998.

1994 Quad Studios shooting

On November 30, 1994, while in New York recording verses for a mixtape of Ron G, Shakur was repeatedly distracted by his beeper. Music manager James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, reportedly offered Shakur $7,000 to stop by Quad Studios, in Times Square, that night to record a verse for his client Little Shawn. Shakur was unsure, but agreed to the session as he needed the cash to offset legal costs. He arrived with Stretch and one or two others. In the lobby, three men robbed and beat him at gunpoint; Shakur resisted and was shot. Shakur speculated that the shooting had been a set-up.

Against doctor's advice, Shakur checked out of Metropolitan Hospital Center a few hours after surgery and secretly went to the house of the actress Jasmine Guy to recuperate. The next day, Shakur arrived at a Manhattan courthouse bandaged in a wheelchair to receive the jury's verdict for his sexual abuse case. Shakur spent the next few weeks being cared for by his mother and a private doctor at Guy's home. The Fruit of Islam and former members of the Black Panther Party stood guard to protect him.

Setup accusations involving the Notorious B.I.G.

In a 1995 interview with , Shakur accused Sean Combs, Jimmy Henchman, and the Notorious B.I.G, - who were at Quad Studios at the time - among others, of setting up or being privy to the November 1994 robbery and shooting. Vibe alerted the names of the accused. The accusations were significant to the East-West Coast rivalry in hip-hop; in 1995, months after the robbery, Combs and B.I.G. released the track " Who Shot Ya?", which Shakur took as a mockery of his shooting and thought they could be responsible, so he released a diss song, " Hit 'Em Up", in which he targeted B.I.G., Combs, their record label, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and at the end of "Hit 'Em Up", he mentions rivals Mobb Deep and Chino XL.

In March 2008, Chuck Philips, in the Los Angeles Times, reported on the 1994 ambush and shooting. The newspaper later retracted the article since it relied partially on FBI documents later discovered forged, supplied by a man convicted of fraud. In June 2011, convicted murderer Dexter Isaac, incarcerated in Brooklyn, issued a confession that he had been one of the gunmen who had robbed and shot Shakur at Henchman's order. Philips then named Isaac as one of his own, retracted article's unnamed sources.

Other criminal or civil cases

1991 Oakland Police Department lawsuit

On October 17 1991, two Oakland Police Department officers stopped Shakur for jaywalking at a downtown intersection. According to Shakur, officers Alex Boyovic and Kevin Rogers asked him for his ID and pressed him about his name before choking him, throwing him to the ground and slamming his head on the concrete. Shakur filed a $10 million lawsuit against the officers for police brutality. The case was settled for about $43,000. It was later revealed that this incident was the onset of Shakur's autoimmune disease alopecia, which led him to shave his head bald.

Misdemeanor assault convictions

On April 5, 1993, charged with felonious assault, Shakur allegedly threw a microphone and swung a baseball bat at rapper Chauncey Wynn, of the group M.A.D., at a concert at Michigan State University. Shakur claimed the bat was a part of his show, that he never swung it, and that there was no criminal intent. Nonetheless, on September 14, 1994, Shakur pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, twenty of them suspended on condition that he complete 35 hours of community service.

Slated to star as Sharif in the 1993 Hughes Brothers' film Menace II Society, Shakur was replaced by actor Vonte Sweet after allegedly assaulting one of the film's directors, Allen Hughes. In early 1994, Shakur served 15 days in jail after being found guilty of the assault. The prosecution's evidence included a interview where Shakur boasts that he had "beat up the director of Menace II Society".

Concealed weapon case

In 1994, Shakur was arrested in Los Angeles, when he was stopped by police on suspicion of speeding. Police found a semiautomatic pistol in the car, a felony offense because a prior conviction in 1993 in Los Angeles for carrying a concealed firearm. On April 4, 1996, Shakur was sentenced to 120 days in jail for violating his release terms and failing to appear for a road cleanup job, but was allowed to remain free awaiting appeal. On June 7, his sentence was deferred via appeals pending in other cases.

1995 wrongful death suit

On August 22, 1992, in Marin City, Shakur performed outdoors at a festival. For about an hour after the performance, he signed autographs and posed for photos. A conflict broke out and Shakur allegedly drew a legally carried Colt Mustang but dropped it on the ground. Shakur claimed that someone with him then picked it up when it accidentally discharged.

About 100 yards (90 meters) away in a schoolyard, Qa'id Walker-Teal, a boy aged 6 on his bicycle, was fatally shot in the forehead. Police matched the bullet to a .38-caliber pistol registered to Shakur. His stepbrother Maurice Harding was arrested in suspicion of having fired the gun, but no charges were filed. Lack of witnesses stymied prosecution. In 1995, Qa'id's mother filed a wrongful death suit against Shakur, which was settled for about $300,000 to $500,000.

C. Delores Tucker lawsuit

Civil rights activist and fierce rap critic C. Delores Tucker sued Shakur's estate in federal court, claiming that lyrics in "How Do U Want It" and "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch" inflicted emotional distress, were slanderous, and invaded her privacy. The case was later dismissed.

East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, where the murder occurred

On the night of September 7, 1996, Shakur was in Las Vegas, Nevada, to celebrate his business partner Tracy Danielle Robinson's birthday and attended the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing match with Suge Knight at the MGM Grand. Afterward in the lobby one of Knight's associates spotted Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a Southside Compton Crip, and told Shakur he had tried to rob them earlier that year. The hotel's surveillance footage shows the ensuing assault on Anderson. Shakur soon stopped by his hotel room and then headed with Knight to his Death Row nightclub, Club 662, in a black BMW 750iL sedan, part of a larger convoy.

At about 11 pm on Las Vegas Boulevard, bicycle-mounted police stopped the car for its loud music and lack of license plates. The plates were found in the trunk and the car was released without a ticket. At about 11:15 pm at a stop light, a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac sedan pulled up to the passenger side and an occupant rapidly fired into the car. Shakur was struck four times: once in the arm, once in the thigh, and twice in the chest with one bullet entering his right lung. Shards hit Knight's head. Frank Alexander, Shakur's bodyguard, was not in the car at the time. He would say he had been tasked to drive the car of Shakur's girlfriend, Kidada Jones.

Shakur was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada where he was heavily sedated and put on life support. In the intensive-care unit on the afternoon of September 13, 1996, Shakur died from internal bleeding. He was pronounced dead at 4:03 pm. The official causes of death are respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest associated with multiple gunshot wounds. Shakur's body was cremated the next day. Members of the Outlawz, recalling a line in his song "Black Jesus", (although uncertain of the artist's attempt at a literal meaning chose to interpret the request seriously) smoked some of his body's ashes after mixing them with marijuana.

In 2002, investigative journalist Chuck Philips, after a year of work, reported in the Los Angeles Times that Anderson, a Southside Compton Crip, having been attacked by Suge and Shakur's entourage at the MGM Hotel after the boxing match, had fired the fatal gunshots, but that Las Vegas police had interviewed him only once, briefly, before his death in an unrelated shooting. Philips's 2002 article also alleges the involvement of Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and several within New York City's criminal underworld. Both Anderson and Wallace denied involvement, while Wallace offered a confirmed alibi.[unreliable source? ] Music journalist John Leland, in The New York Times, called the evidence "inconclusive".

In 2011, via the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI released documents related to its investigation which described an extortion scheme by the Jewish Defense League (classified as "a right wing terrorist group" by the FBI) that included making death threats against Shakur and other rappers, but did not indicate a direct connection to his murder.

On July 18, 2023, the Las Vegas Police Department executed a search warrant in connection with Shakur's murder.

On September 29, 2023, the AP reported that Las Vegas police had arrested a suspect, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, in Shakur's murder. Police had two months previously served a search warrant at his wife's home in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson. Davis pleaded not guilty on November 2, 2023 in Las Vegas.

Shakur's music and philosophical outlook were deeply influenced by a wide range of American, African-American, and global influences, including the Black Panther Party, black nationalism, egalitarianism, and the concept of liberty. Moreover, Shakur's artistic sensibilities were enriched by his passion for theater and admiration for the works of William Shakespeare. Notably, he honed his theatrical skills as a student at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he delved into the psychological complexities inherent in inter-gang warfare and inter-cultural conflicts, reflecting themes explored in Shakespearean dramas.

2Pacalypse Now (1991), showcased his socially conscious perspective. Through powerful tracks like " Brenda's Got a Baby", " Trapped", and "Part Time Mutha", Shakur addressed social injustice, poverty, and police brutality. In doing so, he contributed to the ongoing success of rap groups such as Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, X-Clan, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, while establishing himself as one of the pioneering socially conscious rappers from the West Coast.

Continuing his focus on the social challenges faced by African-American people, Shakur's second album featured songs like "The Streetz R Deathrow" and "Last Wordz". Simultaneously, he showcased his compassionate side with the empowering anthem " Keep Ya Head Up", and his legendary intensity with the title track from the album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... Additionally, he paid homage to his former group Digital Underground by including them on the playful track " I Get Around". Throughout his career, Shakur's subsequent albums reflected a growing assertiveness in his approach.

Shakur's body of work encompassed contrasting themes, including social inequality, injustice, compassion, playfulness, and hope. These elements continued to shape his artistry, exemplified by his explosive 1995 album Me Against the World. The release of All Eyez on Me in 1996 further solidified his reputation, with tracks like "Ambitionz Az a Ridah", " I Ain't Mad at Cha", " California Love", "Life Goes On", and "Picture Me Rollin'" being hailed as classics by critics. Shakur described All Eyez on Me as a celebration of life, and the album achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success.

Legacy and remembrance

A statue of Shakur at the MARTa museum in Herford, Germany

Shakur is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. with Rolling Stone listing him as one of greatest artists of all time. He is widely credited as an important figure in hip hop culture, and his prominence in pop culture in general has been noted. Dotdash, formerly About.com, while ranking him fifth among the greatest rappers, nonetheless notes, "Tupac Shakur is the most influential hip-hop artist of all time. Even in death, 2Pac remains a transcendental rap figure." Yet to some, he was a "father figure" who, said rapper YG, "makes you want to be better-at every level." In 2023, Billboard ranked Tupac at number 4 among the top 50 rappers of all time.

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Shakur as "the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap", with Shakur paying the ultimate price of a criminal lifestyle. Shakur was described as one of the top two American rappers in the 1990s, along with Snoop Dogg. The online rap magazine held a 2007 roundtable at which New York rappers Cormega, citing tour experience with New York rap duo Mobb Deep, commented that B.I.G. ran New York, but Shakur ran America. Shakur emerged as a celebrated artist, earning recognition for his astonishingly prolific output and unwavering commitment to his craft.

According to British writer Rob Marriott, he deemed the act of tying a bandana into rabbit ears as one of the most distinctive and instantly recognizable style choices in the world of hip-hop. Regarded as a sex symbol, his unique style helped shape the fashion landscape of the 1990s and continues to influence artists and fashion enthusiasts to this day.

In 2010, writing Rolling Stone magazine's entry on Shakur at No. 86 among the "100 greatest artists", New York rapper 50 Cent appraised

Every rapper who grew up in the Nineties owes something to Tupac. He didn't sound like anyone who came before him.

According to music journalist Chuck Philips, Shakur "had helped elevate rap from a crude street fad to a complex art form, setting the stage for the current global hip-hop phenomenon." Philips writes, "The slaying silenced one of modern music's most eloquent voices-a ghetto poet whose tales of urban alienation captivated young people of all races and backgrounds." Via numerous fans perceiving him, despite his questionable conduct, as a martyr, "the downsizing of martyrdom cheapens its use", Michael Eric Dyson concedes. But Dyson adds, "Some, or even most, of that criticism can be conceded without doing damage to Tupac's martyrdom in the eyes of those disappointed by more traditional martyrs."

In 2014, BET explained that "his confounding mixture of ladies' man, thug, revolutionary and poet has forever altered our perception of what a rapper should look like, sound like and act like. In 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Lil Wayne, newcomers like Freddie Gibbs and even his friend-turned-rival B.I.G., it's easy to see that Pac is the most copied MC of all time. There are murals bearing his likeness in New York, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Bulgaria and countless other places; he even has statues in Atlanta and Germany. Quite simply, no other rapper has captured the world's attention the way Tupac did and still does." More simply, his writings, published after his death, inspired rapper YG to return to school and get his GED. In 2020, former California Senator and current Vice-president Kamala Harris called Shakur the "best rapper alive", which she explained because "West Coast girls think 2Pac lives on".

Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation

In 1997, Shakur's mother founded the Shakur Family Foundation. Later renamed the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, or TASF, it launched with a stated mission to "provide training and support for students who aspire to enhance their creative talents." The TASF sponsors essay contests, charity events, a performing arts day camp for teenagers, and undergraduate scholarships. In June 2005, the TASF opened the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, or TASCA, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. It closed in 2015.

Academic appraisal

In 1997, the University of California, Berkeley, offered a course led by a student titled "History 98: Poetry and History of Tupac Shakur". In April 2003, Harvard University cosponsored the symposium "All Eyez on Me: Tupac Shakur and the Search for the Modern Folk Hero". The papers presented cover his ranging influence from entertainment to sociology. Calling him a "Thug Nigga Intellectual", an "organic intellectual", English scholar Mark Anthony Neal assessed his death as leaving a "leadership void amongst hip-hop artists", as this "walking contradiction" helps, Neal explained, "make being an intellectual accessible to ordinary people."

Tracing Shakur's mythical status, Murray Forman discussed him as "O.G.", or "Ostensibly Gone", with fans, using digital mediums, "resurrecting Tupac as an ethereal life force." Music scholar Emmett Price, calling him a "Black folk hero", traced his persona to Black American folklore's tricksters, which, after abolition, evolved into the urban "bad-man". Yet in Shakur's "terrible sense of urgency", Price identified instead a quest to "unify mind, body, and spirit."

Multimedia releases

In 2005, Death Row released on DVD, Tupac: Live at the House of Blues, his final recorded live performance, an event on July 4, 1996. In August 2006, Tupac Shakur Legacy, an "interactive biography" by Jamal Joseph, arrived with previously unpublished family photographs, intimate stories, and over 20 detachable copies of his handwritten song lyrics, contracts, scripts, poetry, and other papers. In 2006, the Shakur album was released and, like the previous, was among the recording industry's most popular releases. In 2008, his estate made about $15 million.

On April 15, 2012, at the Coachella Music Festival, rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre joined a Shakur "hologram" (Although the media referred to the technology as a hologram, technically it was a projection created with the Musion Eyeliner), and, as a partly virtual trio, performed the Shakur songs " Hail Mary" and " 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted". There were talks of a tour, but Dre refused. Meanwhile, the Greatest Hits album, released in 1998, and which in 2000 had left the pop albums chart, the Billboard 200, returned to the chart and reached No. 129, while also other Shakur albums and singles drew sales gains.

Film and stage

The documentary film Tupac: Resurrection was released in November 2003. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2005 Academy Awards.

In 2014, the play Holler If Ya Hear Me, based on Shakur's lyrics, played on Broadway, but, among Broadway's worst-selling musicals in recent years, ran only six weeks. In development since 2013, a Shakur biopic, All Eyez on Me, began filming in Atlanta in December 2015. It was released on June 16, 2017, on Shakur's 46th birthday, albeit to generally negative reviews.

In August 2019, a docuseries directed by Allen Hughes, Outlaw: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur, was announced.

Unpublished works

On March 30, 2022, one of Shakur's earliest pieces of writing, an unpublished booklet of haiku poetry, was auctioned by Sotheby's estimated at $200,000 to $300,000 and hammered down at $302,400 plus buyer premium. Shakur was 11 years old when he wrote and illustrated the booklet for Jamal Joseph and three other Black Panther Party members while they were incarcerated at Leavenworth Prison. Even at his young age, Shakur's writing dealt with themes such as black liberation, mass incarceration, race, and masculinity. The booklet features a self-portrait of Shakur sleeping, pen in hand, dreaming of the Black Panthers being freed from prison, and signed with a heart and the phrase "Tupac Shakur, Future Freedom Fighter".

Awards and honors

In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2004, Shakur was among the honorees at the first Hip Hop Honors.

In 2006, Shakur's close friend and classmate Jada Pinkett Smith donated $1 million to their high school alma mater, the Baltimore School for the Arts, and named the new theater in his honor. In 2021, Pinkett Smith honored Shakur's 50th birthday by releasing a never before seen poem she had received from him.

In 2009, drawing praise, the Vatican added " Changes", a 1998 posthumous track, to its online playlist. On June 23, 2010, the Library of Congress added " Dear Mama" to the National Recording Registry, the third rap song.

In 2015, the Grammy Museum opened an exhibition dedicated to Shakur.

In his first year of eligibility, Shakur was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7, 2017.

In January 2022, the exhibition Tupac Shakur: Wake Me When I'm Free opened at The Canvas at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

On May 16, 2023, Oakland City Council voted to name the section of MacArthur Boulevard between Grand Avenue and Van Buren Avenue "Tupac Shakur Way".

On June 7, 2023, Shakur received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His half-sister, Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur, accepted the award in his honor.

2002: magazine ranked Shakur at 10th among top-earning dead celebrities.

2003: MTV's viewers voted Shakur the greatest MC.

2005: Shakur was voted No.1 on Vibe's online poll of "Top 10 Best of All Time".

2006: MTV staff placed him second on its list of "The Greatest MCs Of All Time".

2012: magazine ranked him No. 5 among "The Top 50 Lyricists".

2007: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame placed All Eyez on Me at No. 90 and Me Against the World at No. 170.

2010: Rolling Stone magazine placed Shakur at No. 86 among the "100 Greatest Artists".

2020: All Eyez on Me was ranked No. 436 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time".

2023: Billboard ranked Shakur at number 4 of the top 50 rappers.

Discography

Studio albums

Posthumous studio albums

Collaboration albums

Posthumous collaboration album

Filmography

Portrayals in film

Documentaries

Shakur's life has been explored in several documentaries, most notably the Academy Award-nominated Tupac: Resurrection (2003).

1997: Tupac Shakur: Thug Immortal

1997: Tupac Shakur: Words Never Die (TV)

2001: Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake...

2001: Welcome to Deathrow

2002: Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel

2002: Biggie & Tupac

2002: Tha Westside

2003: 2Pac 4 Ever

2003: Tupac: Resurrection

2004: Tupac vs.

2004: Tupac: The Hip Hop Genius (TV)

2006: So Many Years, So Many Tears

2015: Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders

2017: Who killed Tupac?

2017: Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?

2018: Unsolved: Murders of Biggie and Tupac?

2021: The Life & Death of Tupac Shakur

2023: Dear Mama

References

Further reading

External links

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Tupac Amaru Shakur ( TOO-pahk shə-KOOR ; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time.

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Eazy E

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Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 - March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".

Born and raised in Compton, California, Wright had several legal troubles before founding Ruthless in 1987. After a short solo career with frequent collaboration with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, they joined, forming N.W.A, later that year. N.W.A's debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, was released in 1988. Controversial upon release, it is now ranked among the greatest and most influential albums ever. The group released its second and final studio album, Niggaz4Life, in 1991, and soon after disbanded.

During N.W.A's splintering, largely by disputes over money, Eazy-E became embroiled in bitter rivalries with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who had departed for solo careers in 1989 and 1991, respectively. Resuming his solo career Eazy-E released two EPs, yet he remained more significant behind the scenes, signing and nationally debuting the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from 1993 to 1994. He died from HIV/AIDS-related illness in 1995.

Early life and Ruthless Records investment

Eric Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright on September 7, 1964, in Compton, California, a Los Angeles suburb once noted for high crime rates and gang culture. His father was a postal worker and his mother was a grade-school administrator. Wright dropped out of high school in the tenth grade, but later received a general equivalency diploma (GED).

No one survived on the streets without a protective mask. No one survived naked. You had to have a role. You had to be "thug," "playa," "athlete," "gangsta," or "dope man." Otherwise, there was only one role left to you: "victim."

Wright supported himself mainly by selling drugs, and introduced his cousin to the illicit occupation. Wright's music manager Jerry Heller recalls seeing Wright selling marijuana, but not cocaine. Heller would claim that Wright's "dope dealer" label was part of his "self-forged armor". Wright was also labeled as a "thug". Heller explains: "The hood where he grew up was a dangerous place. He was a small guy. 'Thug' was a role that was widely understood on the street; it gave you a certain level of protection in the sense that people hesitated to fuck with you. Likewise, 'dope dealer' was a role that accorded you certain privileges and respect."

In 1986, at age 22, Wright had allegedly earned as much as US$250,000 from dealing drugs. However, after his cousin was shot and killed, he decided that he could make a better living in the Los Angeles hip hop scene, which was growing rapidly in popularity. He started recording songs during the mid-1980s in his parents' garage, thus starting Ruthless Records.

The original idea for Ruthless Records came when Wright asked Heller to go into business with him. Wright suggested a half-ownership company, but it was later decided that Wright would get eighty percent of the company's income and Heller would only get twenty percent. According to Heller, he told Wright, "Every dollar comes into Ruthless, I take twenty cents. That's industry standard for a manager of my caliber. I take twenty, you take eighty percent. I am responsible for my expenses and you're responsible for yours. You own the company. I work for you." Along with Heller, Wright invested much of his money into Ruthless Records. Heller claims that he invested the first $250,000 and would eventually put up to $1,000,000 into the company.

Musical career

N.W.A and Eazy-Duz-It (1986-1991)

N.W.A's (also named as "the world's most dangerous group") original lineup consisted of Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube. DJ Yella and MC Ren joined later. The compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse was released on November 6, 1987, and would go on to be certified Gold in the United States. The album featured material previously released as singles on the Macola Records label, which was responsible for distributing the releases by N.W.A and other artists like the Fila Fresh Crew, a West Coast rap group originally based in Dallas, Texas.

Eazy-E's debut album, , was released in 1988, and featured twelve tracks. It was labeled as West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap and, later, as golden age hip hop. It has sold over 2.5 million copies in the United States and reached number forty-one on the Billboard 200. The album was produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella and largely written by MC Ren, Ice Cube, and The D.O.C. Both Glen Boyd from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and MTV's Jon Wiederhorn claimed that Eazy-Duz-It "paved the way" for N.W.A's most controversial album, Straight Outta Compton. Wright's only solo in the album was a remix of the song "8 Ball", which originally appeared on N.W.A. and the Posse. The album featured Wright's writing and performing; he performed on seven songs and helped write four songs.

Ice Cube left N.W.A in 1989 because of internal disputes and the group continued as a four-piece ensemble. N.W.A released 100 Miles and Runnin' in 1990 and Niggaz4Life in 1991. A diss war started between N.W.A and Ice Cube when "100 Miles and Runnin'" and "Real Niggaz" were released. Ice Cube responded with " No Vaseline" on Death Certificate. Wright performed on seven of the eighteen songs on Niggaz4Life. In March 1991, Wright accepted an invitation to a lunch benefiting the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle, hosted by then-U.S. President George H. W. Bush. A spokesman for the rapper said that Eazy-E supported Bush because of his performance in the Gulf War.

End of N.W.A and feud with Dr. Dre (1991-1994)

N.W.A began to split up after Jerry Heller became the band's manager. Dr. Dre recalls, "The split came when Jerry Heller got involved. He played the divide and conquer game. Instead of taking care of everybody, he picked one nigga to take care of and that was Eazy. And Eazy was like, 'I'm taken care of, so fuck it'." Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. sent Suge Knight to look into Eazy-E's financial situation as they began to grow suspicious of Eazy-E and Jerry Heller. Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. asked Eazy-E to release them from Ruthless, but Eazy-E refused. The impasse led to what reportedly transpired between Suge Knight and Eazy-E at the recording studio where Niggaz4life was recorded. After he refused to release Dr. Dre and The D.O.C., Suge Knight told Eazy-E that he had kidnapped Jerry Heller and was holding him prisoner in a van. This did not convince Eazy-E to release Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. from Ruthless, and Suge Knight threatened Eazy-E's family: Suge Knight gave Eazy-E a piece of paper that contained Eazy's mother's address, telling him, "I know where your mama stays." Eazy-E finally signed Dr. Dre and The D.O.C.'s releases, officially ending N.W.A.

In 1993, Eazy E regularly attended court in the prosecution of the officers involved in the beating of Rodney King, often standing alongside Theodore J. Briseno, who he had met through sharing the same lawyer. Eazy E said, "The difference is that most people look at the video and say four white officers were responsible for the beating of this helpless, innocent black man. I say, 'Wrong.' Three white officers were responsible for beating Rodney King. The other officer (Theodore J. Briseno) happens to be Mexican-American, and he tried to stop them." This caused controversy in the hip-hop community, with Willie D calling Eazy E a "sellout".

The feud with Dr. Dre continued after a track on Dre's debut album The Chronic, " Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", contained lyrics that insulted Eazy-E. Eazy responded with the EP, It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, featuring the tracks " Real Muthaphuckkin G's" and "It's On". The album, which was released on October 25, 1993, contains pictures of Dre wearing "lacy outfits and makeup" when he was a member of the Electro-hop World Class Wreckin' Cru.

Personal life

Wright had a son, Eric Darnell Wright (known as Lil Eazy-E), in 1984. He also had a daughter named Erin, who changed her name to Ebie. In October 2016, Ebie launched a crowd-funding campaign to produce a film called Ruthless Scandal: No More Lies to investigate her father's death. It ended unsuccessfully in December 2016.

Wright met Tomica Woods at a Los Angeles nightclub in 1991 and they married in 1995, twelve days before his death. They had a son named Dominick and a daughter named Daijah (born six months after Wright's death). After Wright's death, Ruthless was taken over by his wife. According to Jerry Heller, Wright had eleven children with eight women.

Illness and death

Now, I'm in the biggest fight of my life and it ain't easy. But I want to say much love to those who have been down with me and thanks for all your support. Just remember: It's your real time and your real life.

--Statement from Eazy-E's camp on his behalf, March 16.

On February 24, 1995, Wright was admitted to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with a violent cough. He was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. He announced his illness in a public statement on March 16, 1995. It is believed Wright contracted the infection from a sexual partner. During the week of March 20, having already made amends with Ice Cube, he drafted a final message to his fans. On March 26, 1995, Eazy-E died from AIDS-induced pneumonia, one month after his diagnosis. He was 30 years old (most reports at the time said he was 31 due to the falsification of his date of birth by one year). He was buried on April 7, 1995, at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California. Over 3,000 people attended his funeral, including Ice Cube and DJ Yella. He was buried in a gold casket, and was dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans, and his Compton hat. His final album, Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, was released ten months after his death on January 30, 1996.

Musical influences and style

Logo used by Eazy-E

Allmusic cites Eazy-E's influences as Ice-T, Redd Foxx, King Tee, Bootsy Collins, Run-D.M.C., Richard Pryor, Egyptian Lover, Schoolly D, Too $hort, Prince, the Sugarhill Gang, and George Clinton. In the documentary The Life and Timez of Eric Wright, Eazy-E mentions collaborating with many of his influences.

When reviewing Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted "... Eazy-E sounds revitalized, but the music simply isn't imaginative. Instead of pushing forward and creating a distinctive style, it treads over familiar gangsta territory, complete with bottomless bass, whining synthesizers, and meaningless boasts." When reviewing Eazy-Duz-It, Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic said, "In terms of production, Dr. Dre and Yella meld together P-Funk, Def Jam-style hip-hop and the leftover electro sounds of mid-'80s Los Angeles, creating a dense, funky, and thoroughly unique style of their own." Birchmeier described Eazy-E's style as "dense, unique and funky", and said that it sounded "absolutely revolutionary in 1988".

Several members of N.W.A wrote lyrics for Eazy-Duz-It: Ice Cube, The D.O.C. and MC Ren. The EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick features a song written by Naughty by Nature. The track "Merry Muthaphuckkin' Xmas" features Menajahtwa, Buckwheat, and Atban Klann as guest vocalists, and "Neighborhood Sniper" features Kokane as a guest vocalist. It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa features several guest vocalists, including Gangsta Dresta, B.G. Knocc Out. Kokane, Cold 187um, Rhythum D, and Dirty Red. Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton featured several guest vocalists, including B.G. Knocc Out, Gangsta Dresta, Sylk-E. Fyne, Dirty Red, Menajahtwa, Roger Troutman, and ex-N.W.A members MC Ren and DJ Yella.

Graffiti of Eazy-E in Leeuwarden, Netherlands

Eazy-E has been called the "godfather of gangsta rap". MTV's Reid Shaheem said that Eazy was a "rap-pioneer", and he is sometimes cited by critics as a legend. Steve Huey of AllMusic said that he was "one of the most controversial figures in gangsta rap". Since his 1995 death, many book and video biographies have been produced, including 2002's The Day Eazy-E Died and Dead and Gone.

In 2012 an Eazy-E documentary was released by Ruthless Propaganda, called Ruthless Memories. The documentary featured interviews with Heller, MC Ren, and B.G. Knocc Out.

In the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E is played by Jason Mitchell and the film is dedicated in his memory.

Eazy-E was then portrayed by Omari Wallace in the 2016 film Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le. The film portrays Eazy-E sympathetically as having been a friend to Michel'le, in one scene warning her to get out of the house because he fears that a drunken Dr. Dre is returning home to beat her.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

References

Literature

Westhoff, Ben (2017). Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap. New York: Hachette Books. ISBN 978-0-3163-4485-2.

External links

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Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 - March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".

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Cherrelle

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Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s. Her signature hits include " I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Where Do I Run To", " Everything I Miss at Home", and duets with R&B singer Alexander O'Neal such as " Saturday Love" and " Never Knew Love Like This, as well as "Always" with her cousin Pebbles.

Cherrelle began her career working with jazz/R&B artists Norman Connors and Michael Henderson, as well as touring with Luther Vandross. After Tabu Records founder Clarence Avant heard her demo, he signed her to Tabu Records in 1983. Cherrelle decided on her stage name after a boss from a previous job hollered "Cher-relle, you're late again!"

In 1984, under the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Cherrelle released her debut album, Fragile. It featured her first R&B top ten single, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On". That song (with a music video homage to the film , featuring Cherrelle as the beast's love interest) was covered about a year later by pop singer Robert Palmer on his 1985 album . It was also covered by Mariah Carey for her 2001 soundtrack album using the same instrumental track.

Cherrelle's follow-up album, High Priority, was certified gold and produced the Top 40 hit and the #2 R&B hit " Saturday Love"; a duet with Alexander O'Neal, it would also land in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 6. Cherrelle and O'Neal would have another Top 40 single with "Never Knew Love Like This", which peaked at #28 US pop in 1988, and #2 R&B. A remixed version of "Saturday Love" on Tabu Records reached #55 in the UK Singles Chart in early 1990. Her third album, 1988's , included the Number 1 R&B single, "Everything I Miss at Home". The album's title track became another R&B hit, peaking at number 4 on the R&B charts.

Family members of this legendary pop star include several known names in the music world. Cherrelle's cousin is pop singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid; and she is the aunt of Brandi of the girl group Blaque. Cherrelle is also a 1st cousin of Musica Monica Feaster, Music Producer/Gospel Artist. In addition to Cherrelle's musical background, she and Johnny Gill were featured on Pebbles' 1991 single "Always", which made the R&B Top 20. That same year, Cherrelle released the album The Woman I Am, a first-time departure from using Jam and Lewis productions. The singer linked with producer Narada Michael Walden (known for working with Whitney Houston). Cherrelle reunited with the producers eight years later with her independent album The Right Time, released in 1999, and featuring a guest appearance from rapper Keith Murray.

Cherrelle has a light-lyric soprano vocal range. Her voice has been called a "light, wispy and occasionally whiny soprano" which influenced the urban contemporary music markets by Ron Wynn of AllMusic. Cherrelle's "light and airy soprano" were considered the inspiration as to why Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wanted to produce her and showcase her gift to the world. Other critics gave her praise for being able to convey emotions.

Studio albums

Compilation albums

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Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s.

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Frankie Smith

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Franklyn Leon Smith (1953 - March 8, 2019) was an American funk musician and R&B/ soul songwriter. He was best known for his 1981 single " Double Dutch Bus".

Smith went to college in Tennessee for elementary education with a minor in music. He became a writer for funk and soul artists such as the O'Jays and The Spinners. In 1972 he would record for Paramount, releasing a single called "Double Dutch" under the name Franklin Franklin, but the record failed to become a hit. He was also influential in the careers of the rappers Tone Loc, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg.

With his 1981 single " Double Dutch Bus", released by WMOT Records, Smith popularized a nonsensical form of slang (from his song "Slang thang", 1981 WMOT, Records), in which "iz" is placed in the middle of a word (for example, the word "place" becomes "pl izace"), or the last letters of a word are replaced with "-izzle" (for example, sure becomes sh izzle).

Smith died in Philadelphia on March 8, 2019; he was 65-66 years old.

1980: "Double Dutch Bus"

1980: "Double Dutch"

1981: "The Auction"

1981: "Teeny-Bopper Lady"

1982: "Double Dutch Bus II"

1982: "Yo-Yo Champ (From Mississippi)"

1985: "Slapp Ya Thigh"

1985: "Congratulations for Graduating"

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Franklyn Leon Smith (1953 - March 8, 2019) was an American funk musician and R&B/ soul songwriter. He was best known for his 1981 single " Double Dutch Bus". Smith went to college in Tennessee for elementary education with a minor in music.

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Cheryl Lynn

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Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer. She is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including the 1978 R&B/disco song " Got to Be Real". Lynn's singing career began with her church choir when she was a girl. Her professional singing career started in 1976 when she obtained a job as a backing vocalist for the national touring company of the musical drama . Eventually, she obtained the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, during the six-month national tour.

Prior to her appearance in The Wiz, Lynn taped an episode of The Gong Show during early 1976. She scored a perfect 30 singing Joe Cocker's " You Are So Beautiful"; a previous act (a singing juggler) had also scored 30, and in the audience applause tie-break the juggler was deemed the winner. After the episode was broadcast, during the fall of 1976, record industry executives were interested in contracting her.[citation needed ]

1976-85: Columbia Records years

After her performance on The Gong Show, Ahmed Ertegun of Atlantic Records company couldn't come to an initial meeting with Lynn, with the result that she was contracted with Columbia Records company. She released her first and best-known song, " Got to Be Real," which was composed by Lynn along with keyboardist David Paich (of the band Toto) and David Foster. The song scored #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart and #1 on the Rhythm & Blues chart. The success of the single prompted a full-scale debut album. Entitled Cheryl Lynn, it was produced by Paich and Marty Paich. It sold more than a million copies and scored #5 on magazine's R&B albums chart and #23 on Billboard s top 200 album charts. The next single from the album, written by Judy Wieder and John Footman, "Star Love", also became a top selling success.

Wieder and Footman joined songwriting forces with the artist for her second album, . The first single, "I've Got Just What You Need", was a moderate hit on the R&B charts. The follow-up single, "Keep It Hot", was a club hit. During this time, members of the rock music group Toto were producing their debut album. During the production Lynn was asked to provide the female backing vocal for one of the album's singles, " Georgy Porgy". The single scored #48 on Billboard's popular music charts. Although Toto would go on to chart more than a dozen pop and rock songs throughout the years, Lynn's vocal was credited for the group's charting their only R&B (#18) and dance (#80) hit on the Billboard charts.

In 1981 Ray Parker Jr. was called in to produced Lynn's third album, In The Night. It featured the major dance & R&B single, "Shake It Up, Tonight". The next year, Luther Vandross was asked to produce Lynn's fourth album, Instant Love. The second single from the album, " If This World Were Mine", a 1982 duet with Luther Vandross that was a cover version of a previous Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell song, has become a classic. For her fifth album, , Lynn produced most of the tracks, with the exception of the single " Encore" (#1 R&B), which was written and produced by the Minneapolis funk music duo, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It became Lynn's second #1 single.

Lynn also recorded soundtracks for a few feature films, including a song written by Michael Bolton entitled "At Last You're Mine" for the 1985 film Heavenly Bodies, and the track "Steppin' Into the Night" for the 1986 feature film Armed and Dangerous. The song and the film's soundtrack were produced by Maurice White.

1987-98: Whatever It Takes, Good Time and The Real Thing

In 1989, Lynn released the top 10 single "Every Time I Try To Say Goodbye", from her eighth album, Whatever It Takes.

She began the 1990s without a record contract. She did mostly session work for Richard Marx albums, Rush Street and Paid Vacation as well as Luther Vandross' Your Secret Love album. During 1995, after a six-year hiatus from recording her own material, Lynn teamed with producer/songwriter Teddy Riley (formerly of the new jack swing music group Guy), to record her ninth album, Good Time. It was released in Japan and the United Kingdom, and later in the United States as an imported CD. It featured the nightclub favorite single album "Guarantee for My Heart". In 1996, Sony Records/Legacy released Got to Be Real - The Best of Cheryl Lynn, which included Lynn's most successful recordings from her years with Columbia Records. This was followed soon by another compilation CD, The Real Thing, which featured other recordings from Lynn's first six albums.

Two years later she performed on HBO's Sinbad's Summer Soul Jam 4 (1998), hosted by comedian Sinbad.

During the new millennium Lynn toured Japan and did an occasional gig in the US, performing at charity events in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 2000 she worked with hip-hop musician Jay Supreme on his single "Your Love (Encore)", which was an update of her #1 1984 song " Encore." She performed on ABC's The Disco Ball...A 30-Year Celebration, broadcast during January 2003. In 2004 she recorded the song "Sweet Kind of Life," which was also written and produced by Jam & Lewis, for the soundtrack to . On September 19, 2005, Lynn's song "Got to Be Real" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. On May 23, 2006 Collectables Record Label re-released her 1981 album In The Night and 1982's Instant Love, in twin CD package form. It was the first time ever that either album was released as a CD in the US.

Lynn is considered an influence on some of today's R&B female singers, including Mary J. Blige, who, along with Will Smith, covered Lynn's song ("Got to Be Real"), also for the soundtrack of the animated movie Shark Tale.[citation needed ] Japanese popular music singer Kumi Koda covered the song for her July 2010 single album Gossip Candy as well.

On April 11, 2010, "Got to Be Real" charted for the first time in the UK, peaking at number 70.

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Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer. She is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including the 1978 R&B/disco song " Got to Be Real". Lynn's singing career began with her church choir when she was a girl.

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Brenton Wood

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Alfred Jesse Smith (born July 26, 1941), better known as Brenton Wood, is an American singer and songwriter known for his two 1967 hit singles, " The Oogum Boogum Song" and " Gimme Little Sign".

Wood was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. The family moved to San Pedro in Los Angeles, California when Wood was a child. He attended San Pedro High School for part of his first year before moving to Compton, where Brenton became a member of the Compton High School track team and received several awards for his athletic achievements.

Following his high school graduation, Wood enrolled in East Los Angeles College. Soon after, he took the stage name Brenton Wood, possibly inspired by the wealthy Los Angeles enclave of Brentwood (some sources state that the name is in honor of his "home county"), with a second possible connection of Bretton Woods. During this period, his musical interests began to manifest themselves. He was inspired by Jesse Belvin and Sam Cooke, and he began cultivating his songwriting skills, also becoming a competent pianist.

Early singles for Brent Records and Wand Records failed to chart. Wood signed with Double Shot Records, and his "The Oogum Boogum Song" reached No. 19 on the US R&B chart and No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1967. In Southern California, "The Oogum Boogum Song" hit the top 10 on KGB-FM and No. 1 on KHJ. Wood's biggest hit came a few months later, as "Gimme Little Sign" hit No. 9 on the pop chart, No. 19 on the R&B charts, No. 2 on KHJ, and No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart; sold over one million copies; and was awarded a gold disc. The title is not actually sung in the song; the chorus instead repeats "Give Me Some Kind of Sign". Wood's "Baby You Got It" peaked at No. 34 on the Hot 100 during the last week of 1967 and No. 3 on KHJ on January 31, 1968.

A true music entrepreneur, in 1972 he formed his own record label and released, co-produced and co-wrote the Funk Soul classic "Sticky Boom Boom To Cold Part I and II" with collaborators George Semper (co-producer, arranger) and Al McKay (co-writer, performer) of Earth, Wind & Fire fame. Wood recorded a duet with Shirley Goodman. His next song to reach the charts was " Come Softly to Me" in 1977.

He returned again in 1986 with the album Out of the Woodwork, which included contemporary re-recordings of his early hits, along with several new tracks, including the single, "Soothe Me". His album This Love Is for Real came out in 2001. Among his later appearances was in 2006 on the Los Angeles public access program Thee Mr. Duran Show, where Wood and his band performed several of his hit singles.

In 2014, he partnered with William Pilgrim & The All Grows Up for a remake of the song "Gimme Little Sign" on their album, Epic Endings.

In 2019, "The Oogum Boogum Song" was used in a commercial for Kinder Joy products.

"The Oogum Boogum Song" was covered by Alex Chilton. "Gimme Little Sign" was recorded by Danielle Brisebois, who had a hit with it in 1994. "Gimme Little Sign" was recorded by soul singer Ronnie Jones on his 1978 LP, Me and Myself. It was also recorded by Ricky Nelson. In Singapore, Brown Boys who were from the Philippines, recorded it for release on an EMI single (CHK) in 1968. It was the B-side to "Goin Out Of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eye Off You" medley. The Trailers, who were a Singaporean band also recorded it for release on an RCA EP dubbed their "Soul EP" also in 1968. Los Angeles ska/rocksteady/reggae band Hepcat included "Gimme Little Sign" on their Push 'N Shove album.

Chart singles

Popdown - (1967) - (Brenton Wood appeared in the movie, alongside Julie Driscoll, Zoot Money, Andy Summers, Don Partridge, and Tony Hicks.

Colors - (1988) - "Oogum Boogum Song" appeared on the soundtrack in the background as gang members are parked under the bridge at 4th and Lorena Streets in Los Angeles.

Beverly Hills, 90210 - (1992) Episode 9 of Season 3 - "Oogum Boogum Song" was used in the background.

Beverly Hills, 90210 - (1994) Episode 28 of Season 4 - "Gimme Little Sign" played in the background as the Beverly Hills High kids are at their favorite malt shop, the Peach Pit.

The Last Days of Disco - (1998) - Wood's "Oogum Boogum Song" (written by Brenton Wood - billed as Alfred Smith) appeared on the soundtrack.

Almost Famous - (2000) - "Oogum Boogum Song" plays in the film but is not on the soundtrack album.

Shopgirl - (2005) - "Gimme Little Sign" plays in the film.

Duck Dodgers - (2005) - "Oogum Boogum Song" plays on the radio at the end of the episode "A Lame Duck Mind".

Lymelife - (2009) - "Oogum Boogum Song" appeared on the soundtrack in the bar at one character's going away party

Eastbound and Down - (2010) - Season 2 Episode 5 (Chapter 11) of the HBO series, featured a segment on 4 wheel ATV's in which "Oogum Boogum Song" is played. Episode originally aired on October 24, 2010.

Treme - (2012) - Season 3 Episode 4 of the HBO series,"Oogum Boogum Song" was used in the background.

Devil's Due - (2014) - "I Like the Way You Love Me" is heard in the film and the film ends with "Oogum Boogum Song".

The Shack 2017 - "Gimme Little Sign" is heard in the film.

Home Again- (2017) - "Baby You Got It"

Love, Simon- (2018) - "Oogum Boogum Song"

Song".

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Alfred Jesse Smith (born July 26, 1941), better known as Brenton Wood, is an American singer and songwriter known for his two 1967 hit singles, " The Oogum Boogum Song" and " Gimme Little Sign". Wood was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. The family moved to San Pedro in Los Angeles, California when Wood was a child.

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Bone Thugs N Harmony

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Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (formerly known as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e) is an American hip hop group composed of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-n-Bone. Formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio, the group signed to fellow American rapper Eazy-E's Ruthless Records in late 1993, on which they debuted with their EP Creepin on ah Come Up the next year. The EP included their breakout hit single " Thuggish Ruggish Bone." In 1995, the group released its second album E. 1999 Eternal, which included hits " 1st of tha Month" and " East 1999." Their hit song " Tha Crossroads," a tribute to then-recently deceased mentor Eazy-E, won a Grammy Award in 1997.

The Art of War, the group's third album, was released in 1997. In 2000, BTNHResurrection reached platinum status in the US in one month, while 2002's Thug World Order received more moderate sales and promotion, going platinum and peaking at No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Following that album, the group went on hiatus from their label and released their sixth studio album, Thug Stories, independently in 2006. In 2007, they had another major-label release, Strength & Loyalty, on American producer Swizz Beatz's label Full Surface Records and Interscope Records. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony returned with their 2010 album Uni5: The World's Enemy, released by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is often regarded as one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time. They are the only group that has worked with renowned American rappers Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., Eazy-E, and Big Pun while they were all still alive. About.com ranked them No. 12 on its list of the 25 Best Rap Groups of All Time, and MTV called them "the most melodic hip-hop group of all time."

Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone briefly stepped away from the group in April 2011 to work with their independent label The Life Entertainment. But would both soon return reuniting with the rest of the group. In August 2013 Layzie Bone announced that he also would briefly step away from the group to work more on his independent label Harmony Howse Entertainment. He too would also reunite with the rest of the group shortly after. In the same month, BTNH signed with eOne Entertainment (formerly known as Koch Records), with whom they had previously partnered to release 2006's Thug Stories.

Formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1991, the group was originally called "Band Aid Boys". They then formed B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e, which consisted of four members- Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, and Wish Bone (all except for Flesh-n-Bone)-and recorded an album titled Faces of Death in the studio of their then-mentor, Kermit Henderson on his indie label Stoney Burke in 1993. Like so many aspiring rappers around the country, they put in calls to executives at record companies, hoping to find someone who would listen. In hopes of securing a record deal, the group was given an audition over the phone, receiving an unfulfilled promise from rapper Eazy-E to call them back. Determined to reach him, they scrounged together the money for one-way bus tickets to Los Angeles. They left for a three-day Greyhound trek and spent four months on the city streets, putting in frequent calls to find him. Nothing came of their search except the news that Eazy-E was, in fact, on his way to Cleveland for a show.

The quartet returned to Ohio, where Diego Blak (born Diego Hodge), a marketer and promoter who had been co-executive producer of Faces of Death, introduced them to Eazy-E at a concert he promoted in Compton. There, on November 2, 1993, they auditioned for Eazy in his dressing room; Krayzie performed his verse of "Flow Motion" from the Faces of Death album, and Eazy was impressed. B.O.N.E Enterpri$e then traveled back to Los Angeles after the Cleveland show to seal the deal. At this point, Eazy renamed them Thugs-n-Harmony, but as they wanted to keep the Bone name, they made their name Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Eazy signed the group (minus Flesh-n-Bone) to his label Ruthless Records.

1994: Creepin on ah Come Up

Released in June 1994, Creepin on ah Come Up was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's debut with Ruthless. The album's subject matter was focused almost entirely on violent criminal activity. Peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, it included the hit singles " Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and " Foe tha Love of $", the second of which featured a verse by Eazy-E. "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, and "Foe tha Love of $" peaked at No. 39 on the Hot 100 and No. 4 on Rap Tracks. After a slow start that saw the album's success limited to gangsta rap audiences, it broke through to the mainstream. The EP marked a major change in style for the group, as they now fully embraced the G-funk common in West Coast hip hop of the time. Beats were supplied by DJ Yella, Rhythum D, and Kenny McCloud, and it was the group's first collaboration with newcomer producer DJ U-Neek, who would craft the group's signature sound by producing the majority of their next two albums. For over a year, Eazy-E nurtured their career, continuing to serve as their executive producer and teaching them the business skills he had taught himself over the years. The growing relationship was cut short, however, when Eazy-E died on March 26, 1995, from complications from AIDS-related pneumonia. Briefly, the young rappers thought they had lost everything with the loss of their friend and mentor. However, the group's potential was apparent, and Ruthless Records continued to support them.

In 1995, the group's second album, E. 1999 Eternal, was released. It included the singles " 1st of tha Month", which peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100 and No. 4 on Hot Rap Tracks, and " Tha Crossroads", which reached No. 1 on both the Hot 100 and Hot Rap Tracks charts. The album generally saw positive reviews from critics as Bone had diversified its content and musical style. Critics were particularly intrigued by the album due to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's ability to reduce the banality associated with gangsta rap in their music at a time when the subgenre had become exceedingly cliché. A considerable portion of the album's concept was built upon violent subject matter, yet they also incorporated deeper themes, as its songs dealt with more spirituality and occult mysticism. The album was produced by DJ U-Neek (with co-production from Tony C. and Kenny McCloud). E. 1999 Eternal also introduced Bone's trademark tracks devoted entirely to the use of marijuana. The album name originated from one of the street names of a corner (E. 99th street and St. Clair) that was a familiar hangout to Bone members, as well as Eazy-E's album . Naming it after Eazy-E's album was just another way of showing respect and tribute to the rapper who had helped them reach success. Also in 1995, Flesh-n-Bone would become the first member of the group to release a debut album, titled T.H.U.G.S, which was certified gold by the RIAA. In 1996, due to their success, the Cleveland clan established their own label, Mo Thugs Records, and released the Family Scriptures compilation album to introduce many of the Cleveland-based and other artists whom they were developing. E. 1999 Eternal is the group's most commercially successful album; it has been certified 4x platinum by the RIAA.

There were plans for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to collaborate with West Coast rapper 2Pac on a studio album titled One Nation. The project brought hip hop artists from all areas of the American map such as Boot Camp Clik, OutKast, Scarface, E-40, and more. However, 2Pac was shot and killed in September 1996 so the album never came into fruition. Bootlegs of songs produced while 2Pac was still alive have been distributed.

In 1997, the group released the double-disc set The Art of War. Bone explored a variety of subjects and styles, with focus on God and family and an overall ambient, mellow sound. The group incorporated violent lyrics, however, with a large portion of the album dedicated to what they labeled "clones" who claimed Bone had stolen their quick-tongued rapping style and vice versa. The album had been rumored to be titled "DNA Level C" which is Cleveland backwards. The single " Look into My Eyes" appeared on the soundtrack of the film Batman & Robin. It peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. " If I Could Teach the World", the other single from The Art of War, peaked at No. 20 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Hot Rap Tracks, and won an American Music Award. The album also included "Thug Luv" with Tupac Shakur. The group's promotional efforts were dampened by the absence of Bizzy Bone from the album's videos and from large portions of the ensuing tour and other public appearances. This absence eventually fueled rumors of a break-up.

In 2000, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released BTNHResurrection, featuring the single " Resurrection (Paper, Paper)", which peaked on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 52. The album's first half featured a slew of hardcore and dark tracks, with the second half being considerably more introspective and soft. Other singles from the album, including "Can't Give it Up", failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100, and the big-budget video for "Change the World" failed to receive any rotation. This was their first group album to prominently feature Flesh-n-Bone, whose presence had been limited on previous releases because he had never signed with the group's label, Ruthless Records. Flesh was convicted for assault with a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon in June 2000. Pleading guilty, Flesh was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The group again began having public disputes with Bizzy Bone. Bizzy Bone abstained from promoting BTNHResurrection because he felt that Ruthless Records owed him money. He dropped a million-dollar lawsuit he had filed against Sony Music and Loud Records in exchange for a termination of his Sony contract. Three members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released solo albums in 2001: Bizzy Bone with , Layzie Bone (under the name L-Burna) with Thug by Nature, and Krayzie Bone with Thug on da Line.

In 2002, the group released Thug World Order. This album, comprising what were described "politically slanted" songs, saw a drastic change in subject matter and tone for the group. The lyrics were almost completely void of any violence, while a larger number of tracks focused on the group itself. In contrast, several songs originally intended to be included on the album that were leaked after its release portrayed a much different album. The album debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The first single released from the album was "Money, Money" and the second was "Get Up & Get It", featuring 3LW. The third single, "Home", which featured Phil Collins performing part of his song " Take Me Home", peaked at No. 33 on the Rhythmic Top 40, impacting the charts in a number of countries, most notably the United Kingdom. Bizzy Bone was expelled from the group in January 2003, leaving only 3 active members: Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Thug World Order was also Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's final album with Ruthless Records.

Thug Stories, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's seventh album, was recorded on Koch Records and released on September 19, 2006. It marked the first time Bone Thugs-n-Harmony had recorded as a trio since they released an internet-only EP album called Bone 4 Life in September 2005. Thug Stories featured a slightly more mature style, and the group leaned more heavily towards its harmonic roots than its " thug" origins. The album sold 38,000 in its first week and peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Independent Albums chart.

Originally to be titled The Bone Thugs Story, Strength & Loyalty was released on May 8, 2007 on Interscope Records imprint Full Surface Records. Being their first major album after an absence of nearly five years, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on iTunes and the Billboard urban music charts. The album contains guest appearances by Mariah Carey, the Game, will.i.am, Akon, Twista, Bow Wow, Yolanda Adams, and Felecia. Producers on the album included Swizz Beatz, Akon, Pretty Boy, Bradd Young, DJ Toomp, Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am, and others. The executive producer of the album was Swizz Beatz. The first single was " I Tried", which was their first top-10 hit in 10 years, peaking at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The second single was " Lil Love", which failed to reach the success of its predecessor. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA.

2007 also saw the release of the semi-autobiographical film I Tried, directed by Rich Newey, which explored what might have happened to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony had they not gotten their break with Eazy-E. Layzie, Krayzie, and Wish Bone starred in the film, playing themselves. Also in 2007, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony won the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band, Duo or Group.

, an album featuring previously unreleased, largely remixed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony songs that hadn't made the final cut of BTNHResurrection and Thug World Order, was released on November 13, 2007 by their former record label Ruthless Records. Although the album embodies old tracks, there are some notable changes: new beats, distorted production, voice manipulation, and new song titles. The sole single off the album was "Young Thugs", which was accompanied by a newly filmed music video featuring Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy, and Wish.

In November 2007, Layzie Bone confirmed that he had completed Bone Brothers III with Bizzy Bone, spurring speculation about a full Bone reunion. In a video interview, Krayzie Bone stated that they all wanted to reunite, but that record label issues might prevent an official reunion.

After nearly a decade of incarceration, Flesh-n-Bone was released from prison on July 13, 2008. In an interview, Bizzy confirmed his return, the group having reunited in time for Flesh's release.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's five members officially returned with their new album Uni5: The World's Enemy, released on May 4, 2010 by their own record label BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros. Uni5 also marks the return of long-time Bone collaborator DJ U-Neek, who was absent from 2007's Strength & Loyalty but had produced for the group throughout their career, including hits "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and "Tha Crossroads". They released the singles "See Me Shine", featuring Jay Rush and Lyfe Jennings, and "Rebirth", featuring Thin-C, a member of the Mo Thugs. A third single, " Meet Me in the Sky", was released on March 22.

Throughout 2011, Krayzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, and Layzie Bone spoke about many projects coming in 2012. Those projects were to include an anniversary album featuring all five members; a Bizzy/Krayzie duet album; and compilation albums of unreleased Bone Thugs-n-Harmony material from the mid to late 1990s and 2000s, prospectively titled Lost Archives Vol. 1. The group put their differences aside to reunite and belatedly mark their 20th anniversary at the Rock the Bells festival series of summer 2012.

During Summer 2012, West Coast rapper Game sampled Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's "1st Of Tha Month" on his posse cut " Celebration", with the group's blessing. Game also posted a picture on Twitter showing the word "bone" constructed out of cannabis. He later confirmed that he was working in the studio with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony on a remix of "Celebration" for his album Jesus Piece.

In early November 2013, Krayzie Bone told HipHopDX that the Art of War III album would feature only Layzie, Bizzy, and Flesh-n-Bone and that neither he nor Wish Bone had recorded any material for that album. However, Krayzie and Wish both appeared on the album in the form of previously unreleased tracks that had been cut from Uni5: The World's Enemy. The Art of War: World War III was released on December 10, 2013.

2014-present: New album, New Waves

On July 15, 2014, it was announced that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony would release their final album in 2015. There would be only a single copy released, to be auctioned off, with bidding starting at $1 million. The group also announced they would be conducting a 20-country world tour beginning in December 2014. The following day, Krazyie Bone revealed that the album would be titled E. 1999 Legends. He then told that he had approached the group about a reunion album in the middle of the previous year, and they had begun recording it at the end of 2013. Krayzie estimated that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony probably recorded 75 to 100 songs since they began work on the album, which was planned as a double-disc project. The first disc was to contain Bone Thugs-n-Harmony content exclusively, with no features, and would have 18-20 songs. The second disc was planned to feature a large number of big-name guest appearances such as Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, Phil Collins, Wiz Khalifa, Drake, A$AP Mob, and Linkin Park, along with beats from Dr. Dre and DJ U-Neek, who had each been tapped for the album. Damizza would be producing/overseeing the entire E. 1999 Legends album, which was projected to be distributed through Damizza's Baby Ree Records label.

On February 14, 2015, producer and long-time Bone collaborator Damizza officially presented the single "More Than Thugs". In August 2015, Krayzie announced that the first bid of at least $1 million had been received for E. 1999 Legends.

In 2017, Krayzie Bone and Bizzy Bone announced that they would release their long-awaited duet album together titled New Waves under the name Bone Thugs. The album's lead single "Coming Home" featuring Stephen Marley was released on March 24. Krayzie confirmed that the full Bone Thugs-n-Harmony group was working on a new album, but said that they would no longer be auctioning off the album's rights. All five members of the group would appear on rapper Wiz Khalifa's 2018 album Rolling Papers 2, each providing a verse for the song "Reach for the Stars."[citation needed ] In early 2020, the group announced that they were changing their name to Boneless Thugs-n-Harmony in order to hype up a commercial for Buffalo Wild Wings. Said commercial saw "Krayzie Boneless," "Flesh Boneless," and "Wish Boneless" all facilitate the change after eating Buffalo's boneless chicken, with Layzie Bone holding out. Bizzy Bone later dismissed that the change was anything serious.

On December 2, 2021, Bone competed in a battle with longtime rival group Three 6 Mafia, where all five Bone Thugs and all four still-living Mafia members took part, accompanied by many guests the two groups worked with over their careers. Bizzy was escorted off stage at one point for throwing a bottle at Juicy J, but soon returned and apologized as the show resumed without incident. The event was highly acclaimed as one of the series' best events to date, seen as more of a celebration of old-school hip hop than a fight for supremacy.

Intersection of East 99th Street and St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland renamed "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way"

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Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (formerly known as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e) is an American hip hop group composed of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-n-Bone. Formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio, the group signed to fellow American rapper Eazy-E's Ruthless Records in late 1993, on which they debuted with their EP Creepin on ah Come Up the next year.

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New Edition

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New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 1980s. The lineup originally consisted of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant. Brown left the group in late 1985 to begin a successful solo career, and they continued as a quartet for one album, before adding Johnny Gill to the lineup in 1987. Early hits included " Candy Girl", " Cool It Now", and " Mr. Telephone Man". Tresvant was the lead singer on most of the songs. In 1990, both Gill and Tresvant released their own solo albums, while the remaining three members formed the trio Bell Biv DeVoe; the group ceased to work together for the first half of the 1990s.

All six members of New Edition reunited in 1996 to record the group's sixth studio album . During the ill-fated Home Again Tour, both Brown and Bivins quit the group, forcing the remainder of the tour to be canceled. Various reunions have occurred since, usually with the 1987-1990 lineup, though occasionally also including Brown. Their last studio album was 2004's .

On May 3, 2011, New Edition issued a press release on their official website announcing that all six members were reuniting as New Edition to kick off the 30th anniversary celebration of with their fans. They received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 23, 2017. On January 24, 2017, a three-part docuseries, The New Edition Story, premiered on BET about the group's career and personal life. It was later announced that all six members will reunite to record another album and go on tour. On February 17, 2022, the group was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

The group scored its big break in 1982, performing at the local Hollywood Talent Night held at Boston's Strand Theatre by singer/producer Maurice Starr. The first prize was $500 and a recording contract. Although the group came in second place, an impressed Starr decided to bring the group to his studio the following day to record what would become their debut album, . Released in 1983 on New York producer Arthur Baker's Levi Belt Streetwise Records, the album featured the hits: " Is This the End", " Popcorn Love", and the title track, which went to number one on both the American R&B singles chart and the UK singles chart.

Returning from their first major concert tour, the boys were dropped off back at their homes in the projects and were given a check in the amount of $1.87 apiece for their efforts. Tour budget and expenses were given as the explanation as to why they were not paid more. Due to these financial reasons, New Edition parted company with Starr in 1984. Starr responded by promptly creating the group New Kids on the Block, essentially formatted after New Edition, but with white teenagers. Meanwhile, the group employed the law firm of Steven and Martin Machat and sued Streetwise for release from a contract that was unenforceable as well as materially breached by Streetwise. The Machats won the legal game and then secured the group a bigger recording deal with major label MCA Records, which won the bidding war among various other major labels. In need of management, the group signed with Steven Machat and his two management partners Rick Smith and Bill Dern. The management company, AMI, proceeded to escalate the group's profile in both the urban and pop music worlds. Through the production affiliate of AMI, Jump and Shoot, MCA released the group's self-titled second album the same year. Eclipsing their debut album, New Edition spun off the top five hit " Cool It Now" and the top twenty " Mr. Telephone Man", and went on to be certified double platinum in the United States.

While promoting their second album, the group was dismayed to realize that they were not actually signed to MCA Records, but instead with the production company Jump and Shoot, which had its own deal with MCA; subsequently, all business matters pertaining to the group were controlled by the former. To buy themselves out of the stifling production deal, each of the five members borrowed $100,000 from MCA. Though it effectively separated the group from Jump and Shoot and allowed them to sign a new long-term contract to record for MCA directly, they were now in mortgage to the label. As a result, the group would be forced to continually record and tour during this period in order to pay off its debt.

New Edition's third album, All for Love, was released in the latter half of 1985. While not duplicating the success of its predecessor, the album was certified platinum, and spawned the hits " Count Me Out", "A Little Bit Of Love (Is All It Takes)", and "With You All the Way". The growing popularity of the group led to a guest appearance (as themselves) in the 1985 film Krush Groove, performing "My Secret". Toward the year's end, Christmas All Over The World, a holiday EP, was released as well as an oldies album of tunes from the '50s sung by the group with an '80s production style.

1985-1989: Bobby Brown's departure, Johnny Gill's introduction and Heart Break

Under pressure from MCA and their management, the group voted Bobby Brown out in December 1985, due to behavioral problems. Brown embarked on a solo career in 1986, while New Edition continued to promote All for Love as a quartet. In spite of their financial and internal conflicts, New Edition continued to peak. During this era of the group's evolution, the group appeared in the episode of Knight Rider titled "Knight Song", performing "Count Me Out". As 1986 wound to a close, they recorded a cover of The Penguins' 1954 hit " Earth Angel" for the soundtrack to The Karate Kid, Part II. The song peaked at number twenty-one and inspired the group to record Under the Blue Moon, an album of doo-wop covers.

After having already lost a member when Brown was terminated from the group, New Edition's future became uncertain when murmurings began to surface that lead singer Ralph Tresvant was eyeing a solo career as well. To pad his potential departure, singer Johnny Gill was voted into the group by Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe in 1987, despite Tresvant ultimately deciding to remain in place. A native of Washington, D.C., Gill is the only non-Boston native among the group's six members.

New Edition's fifth studio release, Heart Break- which also featured Gill as the co-lead vocalist - was released in the summer of 1988. Primarily produced by the production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the album was a departure from the group's previous bubblegum sound, and instead took on a smoother, stronger, and more adult resonance. Spinning off five hit singles: " If It Isn't Love", " You're Not My Kind of Girl", " Can You Stand the Rain", " Crucial" and " N.E. Heartbreak"; Heart Break became New Edition's most commercially successful album up to that point, certified double platinum in the United States. The success of Heart Break would launch the group on a successful concert tour as well in the closing months of 1988, with N.E. serving as the headliners while Al B. Sure and former member Bobby Brown served as the opening acts.

Inspired by the substantial success Brown was having with his multi-platinum 1988 breakthrough album Don't Be Cruel, after the run of Heart Break, New Edition went on hiatus to pursue side projects away from the group. At the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Bell, Bivins and DeVoe formed a trio, Bell Biv DeVoe. Their 1990 debut album, , went quadruple platinum. The same year, lead singers Tresvant and Gill (who had already recorded as a solo act prior to joining New Edition) also released self-titled solo albums, which also achieved multi-platinum success. Later that year, the group, including Brown, had a semi-reunion of sorts when they performed at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1991, all six members again reunited to record a remix of the Bell Biv DeVoe track " Word to the Mutha!"; Brown, Gill and Tresvant also appeared in the music video. Prior to this, Brown also appeared in the music videos for Bell Biv DeVoe's "BBD (I Thought It Was Me)" video, as well as Tresvant's " Stone Cold Gentleman" and "Sensitivity" remix videos.

1996-1997: Home Again reunion and hiatus

By 1996, the members of New Edition had arguably achieved greater commercial success with their own side projects than the group had during its run. However, after having promised fans that there would be a reunion - and still contractually owing MCA Records another New Edition album - the group, with Brown, reunited to record , their first new album in eight years. The album debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums chart, and became the most commercially successful album of the group's career; reaching double platinum status in the United States. It also produced several hits, including the top ten pop hits: " Hit Me Off" and " I'm Still in Love with You." However, the ensuing 1997 Home Again Tour would prove disastrous for the group. Despite not having toured together in close to a decade (and over ten years for Brown), old rivalries and struggles for on stage dominance resurfaced as if no time had passed. By the middle leg of the tour, one evening at a concert in Las Cruces, New Mexico as Brown was extending his solo set, DeVoe attempted to pull Brown off the stage. Brown responded by dropping his microphone and a fist fight between the two ensued. This led to both members' security guards confronting each other, gun play was brought in, and the concert was halted. Bivins and Brown left the tour early, while DeVoe, Bell, Gill, and Tresvant finished out the rest of the tour as a quartet. Brown later admitted during an interview that he was intoxicated during the tour. Each of the group members again went their separate ways, this time on more hostile terms than ever; resulting in an indefinite hiatus that appeared to be the swan song for New Edition.

Also in 1996, the three solo members of New Edition (Brown, Gill and Tresvant) joined Monica and Faith Evans to collaborate with Whitney Houston on a recording of the gospel standard " Somebody Bigger Than You and I" that appeared on the soundtrack to Houston's movie The Preacher's Wife. They had also made an appearance on Family Matters season 8 episode 9 titled "Home Again."

The following year, Gill formed the R&B supergroup LSG, along with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat, to release the album Levert.Sweat.Gill, which had the hit single " My Body".

After their second wave of solo pursuits proved less than successful, New Edition reunited once more as a five-piece without Brown and began touring clubs, casinos, and small arenas in 2002; including appearing on The Tom Joyner Sky Show. After having caught the attention of rapper/producer Sean Combs, who was present at one of their shows, he signed the group to his Bad Boy Records label, after their long-term contract with MCA Records finally ended.

In the fall of 2004, New Edition's seventh studio album and Bad Boy debut, One Love, was released. Though the album debuted at number twelve on the Billboard 200, it had a steady descent from the chart. The lead-off single, "Hot 2Nite", underperformed; peaking at number thirty-five and number eighty-seven on the R&B and Pop singles charts, respectively. During production of the album, the group disagreed with Combs on its creative direction. In an interview, Bell revealed that Combs' had refused to pay New Edition's long time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for a track that the group wanted on the album. Reportedly, Combs told the group they were over budget, despite their having used many of Bad Boy's in-house team of writers and producers on the album. Ultimately, the group asked to be released from their Bad Boy contract. Despite the messy divorce with Bad Boy, New Edition soldiered on and continued to tour.

In 2005, New Edition appeared on an episode of the UPN reality competition series as part of an elimination challenge, assisting the remaining TLC members Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas in judging the show's remaining finalists as they put together group performances opening up for a New Edition live concert. During the making of the episode, Thomas and Watkins discussed with New Edition how Bivins had inspired late member Lisa Lopes' nickname "Left Eye" in TLC's early beginnings. In the fall of 2005, New Edition performed a medley of hits at BET's 25th Anniversary Special. During their set, they brought Brown out onstage for an impromptu rendition of their 1985 hit "Mr. Telephone Man". Brown also performed a rendition of "My Prerogative" with DeVoe and Tresvant as dancers. It was later announced on BET and Access Hollywood that Brown had reconciled with New Edition and planned to rejoin the group for its future concert dates and studio albums.

On August 26, 2006, New Edition filmed a concert at the University of South Carolina's Koger Center in Columbia set for a future DVD release, the concert was billed as "Spend the Night with New Edition", a BET special presented by Lincoln with whom the group has advertised. Brown also made an appearance at the show.

In 2008, the group, minus Brown, recorded a new song with New Kids on the Block called "Full Service" for their latest album, . Meanwhile, Brown, Tresvant and Gill formed a new side group called Heads of State, which performed at their 2 year 2 month tour called the Summit Tour which was held from November 2008 to January 2011. According to Gill, their group name was inspired by the original name for The Rat Pack, called "The Summit" or "The Heads of State".

On June 28, 2009, the group performed a medley of Jackson 5 hits in tribute to Michael Jackson on the BET Awards. Led by Tresvant, Brown and Bell, New Edition sang and danced through classics such as "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "The Love You Save". Later that year, Bell and Gill joined New Kids on the Block onstage at a House Of Blues benefit show for Toys for Tots in Boston, performing "Full Service" and " This One's for the Children".

Gill later confirmed that New Edition had signed with manager Irving Azoff, that they are currently signed with Geffen Records (which absorbed the group's old label, MCA, and controls the group's back catalog) and was slating to release a comeback album.

On July 3, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana, all six members of New Edition reunited at the Essence Music Festival to kick off and celebrate their 30th anniversary tour. "This is just the beginning. We're preparing for a world tour and many other exciting things that we'll be announcing soon. The next chapter of New Edition is going to be an incredible celebration to thank our fans for all of their support over the last 30 years," said Bell speaking on behalf of the group.

In February 2012, Brown missed a handful of dates due to the death of ex-wife Whitney Houston. On March 9 and 11, 2012, Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe made their African debut by performing in Nigeria. From late 2011 to early 2012, New Edition went on a tour called #AllSix across the United States.

In late 2012, New Edition received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Soul Train Awards ceremony. All six members appeared together onstage that evening.

In August 2015, BET announced a three-episode miniseries about the group would be made for release in January 2017. All six members were co-producers of The New Edition Story. Jesse Collins Entertainment was the executive producer of the original miniseries, which was BET's first scripted music-focused miniseries. The group's original choreographer and longtime manager Brooke Payne also served as a co-producer. On January 24-26, 2017, BET aired the biopic miniseries The New Edition Story which chronicles the band members life from their childhood in Boston into Hollywood fame as adults. It was directed by Chris Robinson and executive produced by Jessie Collins. The group served as co-producers. The miniseries brought in 28.4 million viewers to BET, through the initial run and subsequent encores over the week of the premiere.

In July 2021, New Edition signed with Creative Artists Agency and announced a Las Vegas Residency and an upcoming arena tour.

New Edition performed a medley of their hits alongside New Kids on the Block at the 2021 American Music Awards, marking their first performance at the award show since 1997.

In December 2021, New Edition announced The Culture Tour, presented by the Black Promoters Collective. The 30-city tour will begin in Columbus, Georgia on Feb. 16, 2022, and end in Miami, Florida, on April 10, 2022.

New Edition received two American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group (1987 and 1997). They also received the Soul Train Award in 1989 for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year - Group, Band, or Duo ( Heart Break), and again in 1997 for the Best R&B/Soul Album - Group, Band, or Duo ( Home Again). In 2012, New Edition received the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award. On June 28, 2016, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Walk of Famer Vin Di Bona announced New Edition's induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Recording. On January 23, 2017, New Edition received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contributions to the music industry, located at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2017, New Edition received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 BET Awards. In 2022, the group was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Candy Girl Tour (1983)

Cool It Now Tour (1984-1985)

All For Love Tour (1986)

Heartbreak Tour (1988-1989)

Home Again Tour (1996-1997)

One Love Tour (2004-2005)

30th Anniversary Tour (2011-2012)

All Six Tour (2014)

Greatest Hits Tour (2016)

Culture Tour (2022)

Official members

Ricky Bell - tertiary lead vocals, background vocals (1981-present)

Michael Bivins - rapping, background vocals (1981-present)

Bobby Brown - secondary lead vocals, background vocals (1981-1985, 1996-1997, 2005-present)

Ralph Tresvant - primary lead vocals, background vocals (1981-present)

Ronnie DeVoe - rapping, background vocals (1981-present)

Johnny Gill - co-secondary lead vocals, background vocals (1987-present)

New Edition went through 3 offspring's of separate supergroups created throughout their careers with Bell Biv Devoe being the most notable, popular and successful act. While the other two acts were more formed and promoted as concert collaborations and touring performances respectively.

Bell Biv Devoe(BBD)

1990-2001 & 2016-2017

2022 * The Culture Tour (New Edition)

The bands' creation was an idea and concept suggested by Ralph Tresvant and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis which the band released 2 albums in the 1990s, and a third album in the early 2000s.

The band reunited in late 2016 to release their fourth studio album Three Stripes, also releasing music videos for the singles "Run" and "I'm Betta"

Heads Of State

(HOS)

2008 - 2011

The second half of New Edition who made successful strides at solo careers decided to band together to tour and perform alongside each other collectively sharing the stage performing each other hits. (Most notably, The Summit Tour).

RBRM

2017

Formed in late 2017 and created for live tour performances as a result of attempting to reunite the New Edition band after they released their 2017 biopic miniseries " The New Edition Story".

Discrepancies surrounding the trademark of the N.E. brand and creative direction resulted in Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill to leave the group. Which in turn left the group to tour as BBD and Bobby Brown performing under a new contractual moniker RBRM.

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New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 1980s.

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Billy Stewart

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William Larry Stewart II (March 24, 1937 - January 17, 1970) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist who was popular during the 1960s.

Stewart was 12 years old when he began singing with his younger brothers Johnny, James, and Frank as the Four Stewart Brothers, and later went on to get their own radio show every Sunday for five years at WUST-AM in Washington, D.C. He was a graduate of Armstrong High School.

Stewart made the transition to secular music by filling in occasionally for the Rainbows, a D.C. area vocal group led by the future soul star, Don Covay. It was through the Rainbows that Stewart met another aspiring singer, Marvin Gaye. Rock and roller Bo Diddley has been credited with discovering Stewart playing piano in Washington, D.C. and inviting him to be one of his backup musicians.

By 1955, this led to a recording contract with Diddley's label, Chess Records and Diddley played guitar on Stewart's 1956 recording of "Billy's Blues". A strong seller in Los Angeles, "Billy's Blues" reached the sales top 25 in magazine. Stewart then moved to Okeh Records and recorded "Billy's Heartache", backed by the Marquees, another D.C. area group which featured Marvin Gaye.

Back at Chess in the early 1960s, Stewart began working with A&R man Billy Davis. He recorded a song called "Fat Boy" and then had additional success with his recordings of "Reap What You Sow" and "Strange Feeling", both making the Hot 100 and the Top 30 in the R&B charts.

Major chart success was not far away and in 1965, Stewart recorded two self-written songs, " I Do Love You" (#6 R&B, #26 Pop), which featured his brother Johnny Stewart as one of the backing vocalists with his partner James English, and " Sitting in the Park" (#4 R&B, #24 Pop). His idiosyncratic improvisational technique of doubling-up, scatting his words and trilling his lips made his style unique in the 1960s.

In 1966, Stewart recorded the LP Unbelievable. The first single released from that album was Stewart's radical interpretation of the George Gershwin song, " Summertime", a Top 10 hit on both the pop and R&B charts.

The follow-up single was Stewart's cover version of the Doris Day hit " Secret Love", which reached the Pop Top 30 and just missed the Top 10 on the R&B chart. Stewart continued to record throughout the remainder of the 1960s on Chess without major success. A weight problem worsened, and he developed diabetes. Stewart suffered minor injuries in a motorcycle accident in 1969.

Stewart's weight caused him several health problems, culminating in diabetes, a condition that may have contributed to him having a motorcycle accident in 1969.

He died in a broad-daylight car accident in January 1970, at age 32. The accident happened when the Ford Thunderbird that Stewart was driving approached a bridge across the Neuse River near Smithfield, North Carolina (presumably on Interstate 95). His car left the highway, ran along the median strip at a slight angle to the highway, struck the bridge abutment, and then plunged into the river, killing Stewart and his three passengers instantly. The other victims in the accident were members of Stewart's band: Norman P. Rich, 39, of Washington D.C., William Cathey, 32 of Charlotte, N.C., and Rico Hightower, 22 of Newark, New Jersey. The four musicians were driving to a nightclub show in Columbia, South Carolina at the time of the wreck. The car had been purchased only 12 days before and had been driven only 1,400 miles before the accident occurred.

Stewart was buried in National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover, Maryland.

Sarah Stewart, the executrix of his estate, sued Ford Motor Company on behalf of his estate, claiming mechanical failure was the cause of the accident. The first trial was won by Ford Motor Company, but on appeal the court ruled that the trial court's refusal to give the requested jury instructions was in error and ordered the case reversed and remanded. The case was then settled out of court.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, his music was popular among Latino, specifically Chicano, youth on the West Coast. Stewart was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association Hall of Fame in 2002.

His version of "Summertime" was one of the songs featured on Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour show, and was one of the few artists Dylan actually responded about during his mainly fictitious email responses to listener questions. His version of "Summertime" was also featured in the last scene and on the soundtrack of the 2003 movie Stuck on You. His musical legacy is also being kept alive by several talented family members in his hometown of Washington D.C. Cousins Grace Ruffin who is a member of the 60's group The Four Jewels, singer and musician Calvin C. Ruffin Jr. and local Washington, D.C. independent recording artist Dane Riley, continue to perform several of his hits during their concerts.

NRBQ has performed "Sitting In The Park" as a fluctuating part of their set list since 1970. Three versions have been released by NRBQ on cd.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Billy Stewart among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

In Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In ... Hollywood," Billy Stewart's "Summertime" is featured in a scene where Brad Pitt's character, Cliff Booth, leaves his home and erratically drives off into the twilight.

Chess 1625: "Billy's Blues" / "Billy's Blues"

Argo 5256: "Billy's Blues" / "Billy's Blues"

Okeh 4-7095: "Baby, You're My Only Love" / "Billy's Heartache" (1957 with Bo Diddley, backed by The "Marquees")

Chess 1820: "Reap What You Sow" / "Fat Boy" (1962) - #18 R&B, #79 pop

Chess 1835: "True Fine Lovin'" / "Wedding Bells" (1962)

Chess 1852: "Scramble" / "Oh My, What Can the Matter Be" (1963)

Chess 1868: "Strange Feeling" / "Sugar and Spice" (1963) - #25 R&B, #70 pop

Chess 1888: "A Fat Boy Can Cry" / "Count Me Out" (1964)

Chess 1905: "Tell It Like It Is" / "My Sweet Senorita" (1964)

Chess 1922: "I Do Love You" / "Keep Loving" (1965) - #6 R&B, #26 pop

Chess 1932: "Sitting in the Park" / "Once Again" (1965) - #4 R&B, #24 pop

Chess 1941: "How Nice It Is" / "No Girl" (1965)

Chess 1948: "Because I Love You" / "Mountain of Love" (1965)

Chess 1960: "Love Me" / "Why Am I Lonely" (1966) - #38 R&B

Chess 1966: "Summertime" / "To Love, to Love" (1966) - #7 R&B, #10 pop

Chess 1978: "Secret Love" / "Look Back and Smile" (1967) - #11 R&B, #29 pop

Chess 1991: "Every Day I Have the Blues" / "Ol' Man River" (1967) - #41 R&B, #79 pop

Chess 2002: "Cross My Heart" / "Why (Do I Love You So)?" (1968) - #34 R&B, #86 pop / #49 R&B

Chess 2053: "Tell Me the Truth" / "What Have I Done?" (1968) - #48 R&B

Chess 2063: "I'm In Love" / "Crazy 'Bout You, Baby" (1969)

Chess 2080: "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" / "We'll Always Be Together" (1969)

Chess 1496: I Do Love You (1965) (Billboard #97)

Chess 1499: Unbelievable (1966) (Billboard #138)

Chess 1513: Billy Stewart Teaches Old Standards New Tricks (1967)

Chess 1540: Cross My Heart (1969)

Chess 1547: Remembered (1970)

Sugar Hill/Chess CH-8401: The Greatest Sides (1982)

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William Larry Stewart II (March 24, 1937 - January 17, 1970) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist who was popular during the 1960s. Stewart was 12 years old when he began singing with his younger brothers Johnny, James, and Frank as the Four Stewart Brothers, and later went on to get their own radio show every Sunday for five years at WUST-AM in Washington, D.C.

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Bell Biv DeVoe

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Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe.

The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-platinum selling , a key work in the new jack swing movement of the 1990s that combined elements of traditional soul and R&B with hip hop. Two singles from the album, " Poison" and " Do Me!", both reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. The band released three more albums, though none had the success of their debut. Their most recent album Three Stripes came out in 2017.

Despite only producing four albums of original material in a 31-year span, the group has continuously toured and performed live, both as an act on their own and on several New Edition reunion tours.

The trio of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe has their origins as founders of the Boston-based quintet New Edition, which had gained notice of famed producer Maurice Starr at a talent show in 1981, and as children had several hits with songs like " Candy Girl" and " Cool It Now". Throughout the 1980s, the line-up changed and the group matured and sought to branch out in new musical directions. During a hiatus in 1990, and at the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the three decided to form a new group, and were signed by MCA Records. With help from Public Enemy producers Eric Sadler, Hank and Keith Shocklee and several others, Bell Biv Devoe released its debut album Poison in 1990, an album credited as pioneering the " new jack swing" sound of the early 1990s, combining hip-hop, funk, soul, and pop music. This fusion of styles helped to expose them to a fan base which preferred a harder edged sound. Poison reached number 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and its title track, along with its second single, " Do Me!", both reached number 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Shortly thereafter, Richard Wolf and Epic Mazur were responsible for the remix of "Do Me!" (which hit number six on the dance charts). Poison also spawned the singles " B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?", " When Will I See You Smile Again?" and " She's Dope!" Poison sold over four million copies, and was followed up by a remix album titled WBBD-Bootcity. Richard Wolf and Epic Mazur helped create BBD's premiere album, blending rhythm, blues, pop, and rock, and Poison achieve triple Platinum success.

Bell Biv DeVoe released Hootie Mack in 1993 on MCA Records, and the more hardcore rap/R&B influenced in 2001 on Biv 10 Records. Neither album was as successful as Poison, though Hootie Mack did reach Gold success. Despite the fact that the group has only released 4 albums, the members of Bell Biv Devoe continue to perform together as a group. They also participated in several New Edition reunions, and continue to perform with them on tour as part of the group. On May 30, 2013, Bell Biv DeVoe performed their hit song "Poison" for Boston Strong, a benefit concert to raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

In 2016, BBD released their first track in 15 years, "Run", along with an accompanying music video. It was the first single off the album Three Stripes, which was released January 27, 2017.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Bell Biv DeVoe among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

In 1991, the group received the award for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Group, Band or Duo for Poison at the Soul Train Music Awards.

The group also received an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group in 1992.

Notes

Heyliger, Mike. "Popdose Flashback '90: Bell Biv DeVoe, Poison." Popdose.com. Popdose.com. 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.

^ J. D. Considine. "After a great 1990, Bell Biv DeVoe to ring in new year: [FINAL Edition]". 28 Dec. 1990, The Baltimore Sun. Web. 1 Apr. 2010.

^ Huey, Steve. "Bell Biv DeVoe: Biography." Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.

^ Henderson, Alex. "WBBD-Bootcity! The Remix Album > Overview." Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2010

^ Gerald M. Gay. "'80s group still has its devotees: Bell Biv DeVoe here for 'Slow Jams Live' gig." McClatchy - Tribune Business News 19 February 2009 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.

^ Rosen, Jody (25 June 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times.

^ Special. "Hammer gets rapped at Soul Train awards :[FIN Edition]. " Toronto Star 14 Mar. 1991, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.

"Bell Biv DeVoe Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard.

Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 28.

New Zealand chart peaks:

UK chart peaks:

^ "RIAA > Gold & Platinum > Search results for 'Bell Biv DeVoe' (from riaa.com)". Imgur.com (original source published by Recording Industry Association of America).

Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. pp. 28, 293.

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Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-platinum selling , a key work in the new jack swing movement of the 1990s that combined elements of traditional soul and R&B with hip hop.

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Newcleus

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Newcleus was an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. The group is primarily known for its 12-inch single "Jam-On's Revenge" (re-released as "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (1983)) and "Jam on It" (1984), which began as an anti-rap joke, according to founding member DJ and producer Ben Cenac.

At the time (1981) we were going by the name Positive Messenger and were making music that had a purpose, either messages of love or faith or talking about the conditions of the world. However, we were still doing lots of Hip-Hop jams with our DJ crew Jam-On Productions. So, one of our DJs, Salvador Smooth, kept nagging me to do a Rap song. Having come out of Hip-Hop street battles in Brooklyn in the '70s, I didn't really think much of the Rap records that were playing on the radio, so I figured as a joke I would make a parody jam ... I threw in an idea from an [event] that actually had happened in the '70s, when a DJ who we had just blown out in a battle said to me "Yeah, you guys are bad, but you can't do this... wikki wikki wikki wikki," meaning how we didn't scratch on the turntables.

I used to play "Jam-On's Revenge" at our parties and it would fill the dance floor, so even though I had never planned to release it, when I was shopping Positive Messenger for a deal I put it on the tape just to fill out space at the end. Turned out it ended up being the track that drove everybody crazy! So, we went with it and changed our names to Newcleus."

The group was based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Their appearance overlapped with the formative years of hip-hop DJing in the Bronx.

The beat from their 1984-song "Automan" was adapted by euro-dance project " Snap!" for their 1992-release " Rhythm is a Dancer" which featured lyrics written and performed by American singer and songwriter Thea Austin as well as rap vocals by American rapper Turbo B and became a major international hit.

A precursor to the group, known as Jam-On Productions, was formed in 1977 in Brooklyn, New York City, and included teenagers Ben "Cozmo D" Cenac and his cousins Monique and Pierre "Pete" Angevin. The group's popularity grew as it played block parties in Brooklyn. By 1979, the primary group's members were Cenac, Yvette "Lady E" Cook (who would later marry Cozmo D), Monique Angevin, and Bob "Chilly B" Crafton (who would later marry Angevin). The coming together of families inspired the name change to Newcleus.

Newcleus recorded "Jam-On Revenge," a block-party favorite featuring vocals that were sped up. The track impressed record producer Joe Webb, and it became the group's first single in 1983 on Mayhew Records. Retitled as "Jam On Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)", the track reached the Top 40 on the US R&B chart. The group eventually signed with Sunnyview Records, which was later acquired by Rhino Records in the 1990s.

The follow-up, "Jam on It," did well on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 56. "Computer Age (Push the Button)" reached the R&B Top 40. The Cenacs and the Craftons continued to record until 1989.

Neither Newcleus album, Jam on Revenge or Space Is the Place, sold well. Jam on Revenge is now regarded as a classic, not only because of the well-known singles, but also because of album cuts such as "Destination Earth."

The group released several albums during the following years, but these were the creations of producers putting out material under the Newcleus name. Some of these featured classic Newcleus tracks touted as live versions (but simply added crowd noise atop the original tracks).

In 2005, Cozmo D released an album, Destination Earth: The Definitive Newcleus Recordings, a collection of hip-hop tracks from the group's entire catalog. This collection superseded the Rhino/Atlantic Records compilation Jam on This! The Best of Newcleus. The majority of the songs on this release were restored and remastered from the original master tapes. The definitive versions of the songs "Destination Earth" and "Why" taken from this CD were also released on 12-inch vinyl on the German record label Dominance Electricity. Together with remixes by Sbassship and Reeno, the cover illustrations are by Bill Wray (known for his work on the 1990s cult TV cartoon The Ren & Stimpy Show).

Newcleus is working on a second collection titled Returned to Earth, a companion volume to Destination Earth, which will collect all of its electro works onto one disc, restored and remastered from the original tapes.

Although both Newcleus albums, Jam on Revenge and Space Is the Place, have been remastered and reissued on CD, the song "Where's the Beat" from Jam on Revenge was removed from the track listing because Sunnyview insisted on including the track on the original album, even though it was not recorded or produced by the group. These albums were previously available in the United States only on vinyl and audio cassette. However, both albums' original track listing and cover art were also available on CD, manufactured and distributed by Bellaphon Germany through Sunnyview Records in 1988.

Newcleus' songs have been used in several video games. "Computer Age" appears in Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX, and "Jam On It" appears in both Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2 and , the latter featuring a newly re-recorded version of the song.

Chilly B died at age 47 of a stroke on February 23, 2010.

1985: Space Is the Place (Sunnyview Records SUN 4903)

1990: Jam on This (Bellaphon Records 260-07-158)

1994: Next Generation (Unidisc Records SPLK-7230)

1997: Jam on This!-the Best of Newcleus (Rhino/Atlantic 72840)

1997: The Next Generation (Home Base/Hot Productions HTCD 66144-2)

2004: Destination: Earth-the Definitive Newcleus Recordings (Jam-On Productions JORCD 011)

2006: Newcleus Classic Double Pack (Deeplay Soultec D-TEC LP 1)

1983: "Jam-On Revenge Parts 1 and 2" (May Hew Records M-553)

1984: "Jam On Revenge (The Wikki Wikki Song)" b/w "Jam On Revenge" (The Wikki Wikki Rap) / (Instrumental) (Sunnyview Records SUN 408)

1984: "Jam On It" (vocal/instrumental) (Sunnyview Records SUN 411) - #56 U.S.

1984: "Computer Age (Push the Button)" (vocal/instrumental) (Sunnyview Records SUN 416) - NOTE - The promotional issue features an otherwise unreleased Club Version with runs 8:55.

1984: "Automan" (Special Edit) b/w "Where's the Beat" (Special Edit) / Automan (Dub Version) (Sunnyview Records SUN 420)

1985: "Destination Earth (1999)" (New Version) b/w "Jam On Revenge" (Dub Versions 1 and 2) (Sunnyview Records SUN 422)

1984: "Two Slices of Jam" (Sunnyview Records SUNYL 103)

1985: "I Wanna Be a B-Boy" (Sunnyview Records SUN 425)

1985: "Let's Jam" (Sunnyview Records SUN 427)

1985: "Space Is the Place"/"Cyborg Dance" (Sunnyview Records SUN 429)

1986: "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (Powderworks POWT 0321) - #44 UK

1986: "Na Na Beat" (Sunnyview Records SUN 436)

1987: "Huxtable House Party" (Super Power Records HSE 1232)

1988: "Mega Mix" (12" mixed) (Bellaphon Records 120.07.271)

1988: "She's Bad" (Super Power Records HAL 1253)

1988: "We're So Hyped!" (Super Power Records HAL 1277)

1990: "50 Ways to Get Funky"/"Jam for the '90's" (May Hew Records 101, 102)

1990: "Jam on This" (Bellaphon 120-07-383)

1992: "Jam on It"/"Ex'tra T's Boogie" (with the Extra T's) (Hot Classics HCL 2229)

1993: "Baby I Love You" (Home Base HB 5073) (as Newcleus and The Next Generation)

1994: "Wikki Wikki"/"Jam on It" / "Jam on This" (Unidisc SP5-1714)

1999: "Jam on Revenge"/"E. T. Boogie" (Regal Recordings REG35)

2006: "Destination Earth" (Definitive version)-remixes by Sbassship and Reeno; released on Dominance Electricity Records, Germany

2018: "Teknology - the Third Millennium Remixes" (Jam-On Recordings JOR 006)

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Newcleus was an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. The group is primarily known for its 12-inch single "Jam-On's Revenge" (re-released as "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (1983)) and "Jam on It" (1984), which began as an anti-rap joke, according to founding member DJ and producer Ben Cenac.

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Al Green

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Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", " Tired of Being Alone", " I'm Still in Love with You", " Love and Happiness", and his signature song, " Let's Stay Together". After an incident in which his girlfriend died by suicide, Green became an ordained pastor and turned to gospel music. He later returned to secular music.

Green was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. He was referred to on the museum's site as being "one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music". He has also been referred to as "The Last of the Great Soul Singers". Green is the winner of 11 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received the BMI Icon award and is a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. He was included in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, ranking at No. 65, as well as its list of the 100 Greatest Singers, at No. 14.

Albert Leornes Greene was born on April 13, 1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas. The sixth of ten children born to Cora Lee and Robert G. Greene, Jr., a sharecropper, Al began performing with his brothers in a group called the Greene Brothers at around the age of ten. The Greene family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the late 1950s. Al was kicked out of the family home while in his teens, after his devoutly religious father caught him listening to Jackie Wilson. He then lived with a prostitute, began hustling, and indulged in recreational drugs.

"[I listened to] Mahalia Jackson, all the great gospel singers. But the most important music to me was those hip-shakin' boys: Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. When I was 13, I just loved Elvis Presley. Whatever he got, I went out and bought."

In high school, Al formed a vocal group called Al Greene & the Creations. Two of the group's members, Curtis Rodgers and Palmer James, formed an independent label called Hot Line Music Journal. In 1968, having changed their name to Al Greene & the Soul Mates, they recorded the song " Back Up Train", releasing it on Hot Line Music. The song was a hit on the R&B charts and peaked at Number 46 in the Cash Box Top 100. However, the group's subsequent follow-ups failed to chart, as did their debut album Back Up Train. While performing with the Soul Mates, Green came into contact with Memphis record producer Willie Mitchell, who hired him in 1969 to be a vocalist for a Texas show with Mitchell's band. Following the performance, Mitchell asked Green to sign with his Hi Records label.[citation needed ]

Having noted that Green had been trying to sing like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown, Mitchell became his vocal mentor, coaching him into finding his own voice. Before releasing his first album with Hi, Green removed the final "e" from his name. Subsequently, he released Green Is Blues (1969), which was a moderate success. His follow-up album, Al Green Gets Next to You (1971), featured the hit R&B cover of the Temptations' " I Can't Get Next to You", recorded in a slow blues-oriented version. The album also featured his first significant hit, " Tired of Being Alone", which sold a million copies and was certified gold, becoming the first of eight gold singles Green would release between 1971 and 1974.

Green's next album, Let's Stay Together (January 1972), solidified his place in soul music. The title track was his biggest hit to date, reaching number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The album became his first to be certified gold. His follow-up, I'm Still in Love with You (October 1972) went platinum with the help of the singles " Look What You Done for Me" and the title track, both of which went to the top ten on the Hot 100. His next album, (April 1973) produced three top ten singles: " You Ought to Be with Me", " Call Me (Come Back Home)", and " Here I Am (Come and Take Me)". In addition to these hit singles, Green also had radio hits with songs such as " Love and Happiness", his cover of the Bee Gees' " How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", " Simply Beautiful", "What a Wonderful Thing Love Is", and " Take Me to the River", later covered successfully by new wave band Talking Heads and blues artist Syl Johnson.

Green's album Livin' for You (December 1973) was certified gold. He continued to record successful R&B hits in the next several years including " Livin' for You", "Sha-La-La (Makes Me Happy)" from his album Al Green Explores Your Mind, "Let's Get Married", " L-O-V-E (Love)" and " Full of Fire".

By the time Green released the album, The Belle Album in 1977, however, Green's record sales had plummeted, partially due to Green's own personal issues during this time and his desire to become a minister. His last Hi Records album, Truth n' Time, was released in 1978 and failed to become a success.

Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and drew mixed reviews from critics. In 1979, he injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati and took this as a message from God. He then concentrated his energies towards pastoring his church and gospel music.

From 1981 to 1989 Green recorded a series of gospel albums.While still under contract with Hi Records, Green released the 1980 album, The Lord Will Make a Way, his first of six albums on the Christian label Myrrh Records. The title song from the album would later win Green his first of eight Grammy Awards in the Best Soul Gospel Performance category. In 1982, Green co-starred with Patti LaBelle in the Broadway play, " Your Arms Too Short to Box with God". In 1984, director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell along with Angelo Earl for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records. His 1987 follow-up, Soul Survivor, featured the minor hit, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", which reached number 22 on the Billboard R&B chart, his first top 40 R&B hit since "I Feel Good" in 1978.

Green returned to secular music in 1988 recording " Put a Little Love in Your Heart" with Annie Lennox. Featured on the soundtrack to the movie, , the song became Green's first top 10 pop hit since 1974. Green had a hit in 1989 with "The Message is Love" with producer Arthur Baker. Two years later, he recorded the theme song to the short-lived show Good Sports. In 1993, he signed with RCA and with Baker again as producer, released the album, Don't Look Back. Green received his ninth Grammy award for his collaboration with Lyle Lovett for their duet of " Funny How Time Slips Away". Green's 1995 album, Your Heart's In Good Hands, was released around the time that Green was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The one single released from the album, " Keep On Pushing Love", was described as "invoking the original, sparse sound of his [Green's] early classics."

In 2000, Green released his autobiography, Take Me to the River. Two years later, he earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and recorded a hit R&B duet with Ann Nesby on the song, "Put It On Paper". Green again reunited with Willie Mitchell in 2003 for the album, . A year later, Green re-recorded his previous song, "Simply Beautiful", with Queen Latifah on the latter's album, The Dana Owens Album. In 2005, Green and Mitchell collaborated on Everything's OK.

Green's 2008 album, , was produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser. It became his first album to reach the top ten since the early 1970s. The album featured a minor R&B hit with the ballad, "Stay with Me (By the Sea)", featuring John Legend and also featuring duets with Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae. During an interview for promotion of the album, Green admitted that he would have liked to duet with Marvin Gaye: "In those days, people didn't sing together like they do now."

In 2009, Green recorded " People Get Ready" with Heather Headley on the album, Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration. In 2010, Green performed "Let's Stay Together" on Later... with Jools Holland. On September 13, 2018, Al Green released his first new recording in almost over ten years, " Before the Next Teardrop Falls," most famously recorded by Freddy Fender in 1975. It was produced by Matt Ross-Spang and is part of Amazon Music's new "Produced By" series.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Al Green among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

On October 18, 1974, Green's girlfriend, Mary Woodson, assaulted him and then died by suicide at his Memphis home. Although she was already married with three children, Woodson became upset when Green refused to marry her. She doused him with a pot of boiling grits as he was preparing for bed in the bathroom, causing second-degree burns on his back, stomach, and arms which required skin grafts. Shortly after, Woodson fatally shot herself with his .38 handgun. Police found an apparent suicide note inside Woodson's purse that declared her intentions and her reasons. A few days prior, Green had sent Woodson to convalesce at the home of his friend after she had taken a handful of sleeping pills and slit her wrists. Green cited this incident as a wake-up call to change his life.

Days after Green was released from Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis, where he was treated for his burns, he was reportedly held hostage at gunpoint by his cousin who demanded that he owed her money. Green refused to press charges.

In 1976, Green established the Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Memphis. Green resides and preaches in Memphis, near Graceland. He is a member of the Prince Hall Masons, the African-American wing of Freemasonry, at the Thirty-Third Degree.

In September 2013, Green's sister Maxine Green was reported missing from her assisted living home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to her daughter Lasha, Green has not reached out to the family about his sister. As of March 2020, she is still missing.

On June 15, 1977, Green married his first wife Shirley Green (née Kyles) in Memphis. Originally from Chicago, she was one of his backing vocalists and an employee at his church. Together they have three daughters. Shirley first filed for divorce in 1978 on the ground of cruelty and irreconcilable differences. She filed again in 1981, charging that Green had subjected her to domestic violence throughout their marriage. Green accused her of cruel and inhuman treatment in a countercomplaint. In a sworn deposition in 1982 as part of her divorce filing, Shirley testified that in 1978 while five months pregnant, Green beat her with a boot for refusing to have sex. She claimed that the assault resulted in head wounds, one of which required stitches. After the incident she filed for divorce, but they reconciled. According to Shirley, they separated several times when the beatings became "too frequent and too severe." Initially, Green denied beating his wife, but under oath in 1982 he admitted to striking her. Their divorce was finalized in February 1983. Green agreed to pay her $432,800 in alimony and child support. In 1995, the story of Nicole Brown Simpson inspired Shirley to go public with the abuse she endured in order to help other victims.

Green has seven children: three sons, Chris Burse, Sr., Al Green, Jr. and Trevor; four daughters, Alva Lei, Rubi Renee, Kora Kishe (with Shirley Green), and Kala.

Green was reportedly remarried by the 1990s.

Green's former secretary, Linda Wills, filed a $25,000 civil suit against him in 1974. Wills charged that Green beat her and shoved her through a glass door in his Memphis office after a dispute about how much back pay she was entitled to for her duties. The civil suit was dropped because of "conflicting testimony," but in 1975 they settled a $100,000 lawsuit for assault and battery charges.

In 1977, Green and his former organ player Larry Robinson were arrested for assault on Memorial Day in Irving, Texas. According to Robinson, Green and his bodyguards jumped him when he confronted Green about owed money from previous gigs. They both posted bond on a misdemeanor charge.

In 1978, Green was charged with assault and battery for allegedly beating Lovie Smith unconscious with a tree limb. The charges were dismissed after Smith, who had moved, did not receive a subpoena and therefore missed the court date.

Green has been nominated for 21 Grammy Awards, winning 11, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Two of his songs, " Let's Stay Together" and " Take Me To the River" have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2004, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame. That same year, he was inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 65 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 BET Awards on June 24, 2009.

On August 26, 2004, Green was honored as a BMI Icon at the annual BMI Urban Awards. He joined a list of previous Icon honorees that included R&B legends James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley.

In 2009, Al Green was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

Green was recognized on December 7, 2014, as a Kennedy Center Honors recipient.

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Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", " Tired of Being Alone", " I'm Still in Love with You", " Love and Happiness", and his signature song, " Let's Stay Together".

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Outkast

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Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip hop duo formed in 1992 in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta-based rappers André "3000" Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. Widely recognized for their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies and positive messages, OutKast is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip hop duos of all time. The duo achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop while experimenting with diverse genres such as funk, psychedelia, jazz, and techno.

Benjamin and Patton formed the group as high school students in 1992. Outkast released their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994, which gained popularity after the single " Player's Ball" reached number one on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. With successive releases including (1996) and (1998), the duo further developed their sound, experimenting with a variety of styles and achieving commercial success. In 2000, Outkast released the critically acclaimed , which included the singles " Ms. Jackson" and " B.O.B."

In September 2003, the duo released the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which featured the number one singles " Hey Ya!" and " The Way You Move." The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. Outkast next released the soundtrack for the 2006 musical film , which they also starred in. In 2007, the duo went on hiatus and both members have since pursued solo careers. In 2014, Outkast reunited to celebrate their 20th anniversary by performing at more than 40 festivals worldwide, beginning at the Coachella Festival in April.

The duo is one of the most successful hip hop groups of all time, having received six Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 7 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. Between six studio albums and a greatest hits release, Outkast has sold over 25 million records.[citation needed ] Meanwhile, they have garnered widespread critical acclaim, with publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork Media listing albums such as Aquemini and Stankonia among the best of their era.

1992-95: Formation and debut

Benjamin and Patton met in 1992 at the Lenox Square shopping mall when they were both sixteen years old. The two lived in the East Point section of Atlanta and attended Tri-Cities High School. During school, Benjamin and Patton participated in rap battles in the cafeteria. Benjamin's parents were divorced and he was living with his father. Meanwhile, Patton had to move with his four brothers and six sisters from Savannah to Atlanta. Benjamin and Patton eventually teamed up and were pursued by Organized Noize, a group of local producers who would later make hits for the R&B girl group TLC. The duo initially wanted to be called "2 Shades Deep" or "The Misfits", but because those names were already taken they later decided to use "Outkast" based on finding "outcast" as a synonym for "misfit" in a dictionary. Outkast, Organized Noize, and schoolmates Goodie Mob formed the nucleus of the Dungeon Family organization.

Outkast signed to L.A. And Babyface imprint prior to graduation which would later become LaFace Records in 1992, becoming the label's first hip hop act and making their first appearance on the remix of labelmate TLC's "What About Your Friends". During the holiday season of 1993, they released their first single, " Player's Ball". The song's funky style, much of it accomplished with live instrumentation, was a hit with audiences. "Player's Ball" hit number-one on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. 'Player's Ball' also topped the R&B charts for six weeks.

Their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was issued on April 26, 1994. This initial effort is credited with laying the foundation for southern hip hop and is considered a classic by many. Every track on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was produced by Organized Noize and featured other members of the Dungeon Family. Follow-up singles included the title track and "Git Up Git Out", a politically charged collaboration with Goodie Mob that was later sampled by Macy Gray for her 1999 hit "Do Something." On this early material, both André and Big Boi contrast lyrical content reflecting the lifestyles of pimps and gangsters with politically conscious material commenting on the status of African Americans in the South. OutKast won Best New Rap Group at the Source Awards in 1995. Within the mess that was the East Coast - West Coast feud, André came up on stage followed by boos from the crowd and said, "But it's like this though, I'm tired of them closed-minded folks, it's like we gotta demo tape but don't nobody want to hear it. But it's like this: the South got something to say, that's all I got to say." As eloquently stated by rapper T.I., "Outkast, period. Outkast. That's when it changed. That was the first time when people began to take Southern rap seriously." In the same year, the group contributed "Benz or a Beamer" to the popular New Jersey Drive soundtrack.

1995-99: Breakthrough with ATLiens and Aquemini

After Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was certified platinum, LaFace Records gave Outkast more creative control and advanced money for their follow-up album, which they recorded from 1995 to 1996.

The duo took the opportunity to recreate their image. On a trip to Jamaica with producer Mr. DJ, the two decided to abandon their cornrow hairstyles in favor of a more natural aesthetic, vowing to stop combing their hair. Dungeon Family member Big Rube observed an increase in the duo's confidence after returning from their first tour, remarking, "They started understanding the power they had in their music. They started showing a swagger that certain artists have-the ones that are stars." The two also became more accustomed to playing live, particularly Big Boi, and André 3000 significantly changed his lifestyle, as he adopted a more eccentric fashion sense, became a vegetarian, and stopped smoking marijuana. The members also underwent changes in their personal lives; in 1995, Big Boi's girlfriend gave birth to their first child and André 3000 and Total's Keisha Spivey ended their two-year relationship.

The double platinum album, , was released on August 27, 1996. The album exhibited a notably more laid-back, spacey production sound, taking influence from dub and reggae. On ATLiens, André 3000 and Big Boi abandoned the "hard-partying playa characters" of their debut album in favor of more spacey, futuristic personas, and produced many of the songs on their own for the first time. Their tracks have an outer-space feeling to them- a feeling that, ironically, has warmed the community right up to them. Critics praised the group's maturing musical style on the record, which debuted at number two on the U.S. The album would climb to number three on Billboard's top R&B/Hip Hop chart. Billboard 200 chart and sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first two weeks of release. The single " Elevators (Me & You)" reached number 12 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. ATLiens further solidified OutKast as the flagship representatives of the 1st generation Dungeon Family and the Southern hip hop movement. The album helped the group earn more recognition among East Coast hip hop fans in the East and West coasts.

For this album, Outkast joined with partner David "Mr. DJ" Sheats to form the Earthtone III production company, which allowed the group to produce some of their own tracks. " ATLiens" was the group's second Top 40 single (following "Player's Ball" from their first album), and reflected the beginning of André's increasingly sober lifestyle: "No drugs or alcohol/so I can get the signal clear," he rhymes about himself in the single " ATLiens".

Outkast's third album was released on September 29, 1998. It was also certified double platinum and reached the number-two position on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States; its title was a combination of the zodiac signs of Big Boi (an Aquarius) and André (a Gemini). Producing more material themselves, both Big Boi and André explored more eclectic subject matter, delving into sounds inspired by soul, trip hop, and electro music. The album featured production by Organized Noize and collaborations with Raekwon, Slick Rick, funk pioneer and musical forebear George Clinton, and Goodie Mob. Outkast forged the connections between Hip Hop and the black freedom struggle with their controversial song "Rosa Parks" featured on the album.

2000-01: Stankonia and Greatest Hits

Originally titled 'Sandbox', the pair's fourth album, was released in October 2000 to positive reviews. The album was seen as a change in the group's musical style, as it had a more commercial and mainstream appeal, compared to their previous three albums which were darker and deeper. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., and would eventually be certified quadruple-platinum. Stankonia's first single was " B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)", a high- tempo-influenced record. The second single, " Ms. Jackson", combined a pop hook with lyrics about divorce and relationship breakups, particularly André's breakup with singer Erykah Badu; the titular "Ms. Jackson" character being a doppelgänger for Badu's mother. It was at this time that André changed his stage name to the current "André 3000," mostly to avoid being mixed up with Dr. Dre.

The single became their first pop hit, landing the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the number-two position on the UK Singles Chart. The album's final single was the Organized Noize-produced "So Fresh, So Clean", featuring a credited guest appearance from regular guest vocalist and Organized Noize-member Sleepy Brown and garnered a remix featuring Snoop Dogg. All three singles' videos had heavy MTV2 airplay, and OutKast won two 2001 Grammy Awards, one for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson", and another for as Best Rap Album.

named Stankonia the 4th greatest album released between 2000 and 2004 in its 2005 feature. Later on the webzine selected Stankonia as the 13th best album of the 2000s. And B.O.B. was chosen number one song of the decade by this same webzine.

In December 2001, Outkast released a greatest hits album, Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast, which also contained three new tracks. One of these new tracks was the single " The Whole World", which won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Killer Mike also was featured on the song, gaining some exposure among areas outside of his native Atlanta. The other two new songs were called "Funkin' Around" and "Movin' Cool (The After Party)".

2002-04: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Outkast spent 2 years working on their 5th effort, before releasing a double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, on September 23, 2003. It is essentially two solo albums, one by each member, packaged as a single release under the Outkast banner; the two members also appear and co produce on each other's discs for a few songs apiece. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is largely a funk and Dirty South blended party record; André 3000's The Love Below features only brief instances of hip hop, presenting instead elements found in funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and R&B.

The album is also Outkast's biggest commercial success yet, having debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number-one and stayed there for several weeks. The album eventually sold over five million copies, and, as double-album sales count double for Recording Industry Association of America certification, the album was certified diamond for 10 million units shipped in December 2004. Its latest certification, in May 2006, reaches 11 million copies in shipping.

The first two singles from the album(s), which were released nearly simultaneously, were Big Boi's " The Way You Move" and Andre 3000's " Hey Ya!" The video's storyline has "The Love Below"-a fictional band with all members, through the use of special effects, played by André-performing in London. "Hey Ya!" was the number one song on the very final weekend of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. It was also number one a week later on the very first weekend of American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest. The singles spent ten weeks at number one on the Hot 100 singles chart, with "Hey Ya!" spending nine weeks and "The Way You Move" taking over for one week in February 2004. These singles were seen as a breakthrough for the hip-hop industry, being among the first hip-hop songs to be widely played on adult contemporary radio stations.

Outkast's next official single was not released until the summer of 2004. " Roses", a track featuring both members from The Love Below half of the album, did not meet the level of success as either of its predecessors, but it became a modest-sized hit on urban radio and the American music video networks. The video for "Roses" is loosely based on the musicals West Side Story and . It featured sparring 1950s' style gangs, one representing Speakerboxxx, and one representing The Love Below, parodying the widespread arguing among critics and fans as to which half of the album was better. It deviates from these musicals in its final act, however, by featuring Andre 3000 defecating in a bouquet of roses before entering a Ramping Shop and presenting them to the receptionist. This closing scene was nominated as a finalist for the BET "Realest Music Video of All Time" award. The final singles were André 3000's " Prototype", which was paired with a science fiction-themed video about alien visitors, and Speakerboxxx's " Ghettomusick", which featured both members of Outkast and a sample from a song by Patti LaBelle, who also makes an appearance in the video.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy Award for the 2004. OutKast was one of the headlining acts at the show, and gave two performances: Big Boi performed "The Way You Move" with the Outkast backing band during a medley with Earth Wind & Fire, George Clinton and Robert Randolph, while André 3000 performed "Hey Ya!" as the show closer after they had been presented with the Album Of The Year Award.

Members also began working on a joint film, , directed by Outkast music video director Bryan Barber. Idlewild, a Prohibition-era musical film set to a blues-influenced hip-hop soundtrack, was released on August 25, 2006 by Universal Pictures. The Idlewild soundtrack was released August 22, 2006. In an interview for , Big Boi stated "This is an Outkast album. It isn't like a soundtrack where we go get this person or that person".

Originally planned for early 2005, Idlewild's release date was pushed to December 2005, before being delayed into 2006. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 196,000 copies. It also entered at number one on 's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, at number one on the Top Rap Albums, and at number two on the Top Digital Albums chart. The album dropped to number seven on the Billboard 200, selling 78,000 copies in its second week. It spent nine weeks on the Billboard 200. In the United Kingdom, Idlewild debuted at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. It fell to number 28 in its second week on the chart. While it charted within the top-twenty in several other countries, the album spent a minimal number of weeks on most charts. On August 26, 2006, the album was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America, following shipments in excess of one million copies in the United States. It was certified gold in sales by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in November 2006.

The first single of the album, "Mighty 'O'", features both André 3000 and Big Boi; the song takes its lyrical hook from the Cab Calloway song " Minnie the Moocher" ("Mighty-ighty-ighty O") and seems to be an example of the album's mix of hip hop and more traditional American jazz and blues. Next, similar to previous Outkast albums such as Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, two singles-one solely by Big Boi, the other solely by André 3000-were released simultaneously. The second single, almost exclusively featuring Big Boi, is the marching band-influenced "Morris Brown", featuring guest artists Sleepy Brown and Scar, both artists on Big Boi's Purple Ribbon label. The song's title is a reference to Atlanta's Morris Brown College, with the school's marching band providing the instrumentation.

The third single, André 3000's "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)" delves into the blues genre, complete with a blues-style acoustic guitar riff and a harmonica element reminiscent of single "Rosa Parks". In tune with the film, Idlewild reflects OutKast's original style tempered by 1930s influences. The fourth single, "Hollywood Divorce" was released in November 2006, and features verses from Lil' Wayne and Snoop Dogg and is produced by André 3000.

2007-13: Hiatus and solo work

In 2007 after the sixth album under the Outkast name, , Big Boi announced plans to release a full-fledged solo album. While he had released a previous solo album in Speakerboxxx, it still was technically under the Outkast name. The album was later titled Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. The album's first promotional single, "Royal Flush", was released in 2007, and featured Raekwon and André 3000. After many delays and setbacks, the album was finally released internationally on July 5, 2010. Guest artists include singer Janelle Monáe; Big Boi's own new group Vonnegutt; plus established rappers T.I. and B.o.B. Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty received general acclaim from most music critics, earning praise for its inventive sound, varied musical style, and Big Boi's lyricism. In a July 2010 interview for The Village Voice, Big Boi revealed that he was working on the follow-up album to Sir Lucious Left Foot, entitled Daddy Fat Sax: Soul Funk Crusader, stating that he was "maybe about six songs into it", and that he was "planning on doing a bunch of sax samples, tenor, soprano, and probably have at least a couple sax players come into the studio for the next record". The project later evolved into the 2012 album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors.

André 3000 returned to rapping in 2007, after a hiatus from the genre, appearing on various remixes, including: " Walk It Out", " Throw Some D's", " You", Jay-Z's "30 Something", and original songs such as UGK's "International Players Anthem", Devin the Dude's "What a Job", Fonzworth Bentley's "Everybody", and with Big Boi " Royal Flush" and the leaked single "Lookin For Ya". He also appeared on John Legend's album, , on the track " Green Light", which was released on October 28, 2008. Prior to the release, Benjamin commented: "It's going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is-than people think John is. I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song." Benjamin has stated that he is making a solo rap album, and that the response to his remixes is part of the motivation for it. In September 2011 it was announced that Outkast was moved to Epic Records following restructuring within Sony Music Entertainment. Epic Records is headed by LA Reid who has worked with Outkast in the past. In 2012, Andre 3000 was cast to play Jimi Hendrix in a biopic film titled Jimi: All Is by My Side, which was later released on September 26, 2014.

2014-present: Reunion, second hiatus and Stankonia reissue

In late 2013, it was reported that Outkast would reunite at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2014. This was later confirmed on January 8, 2014, when it was officially announced that the duo would headline the festival on April 11 and 18. It was later announced on January 13, 2014, that Outkast would be performing at more than 40 festivals around the world throughout spring and summer 2014 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, including one of the largest festivals in the UK, Bestival. Outkast returned to Atlanta for their #ATLast homecoming shows over the weekend of September 26, 2014, selling out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The shows had a large variety of openers, including R&B singer Janelle Monáe and rappers Kid Cudi, 2 Chainz, Future, Bun B, and Childish Gambino. Outkast's Dungeon Family associates Sleepy Brown and Big Gipp also appeared onstage with the duo, rapping and singing on their respective songs.

At Atlanta's One MusicFest, the Dungeon Family, Goodie Mob, Organized Noise, Killer Mike, and Outkast appeared.

Outkast performed their final show at Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans on October 31, 2014. The group then resumed their hiatus.

In October 2020, it was announced that Stankonia would be reissued on October 30, 2020, to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary. The digital reissue saw the album expanded with previously-unreleased remixes. The vinyl reissue features a new black and white galaxy gatefold double LP, as distributed by Vinyl Me Please.

Outkast's musical style and lyrical content have evolved throughout the group's career. Rolling Stone described their music as "idiosyncratic" and "inspired by the Afrocentric psychedelics of George Clinton and Sly Stone." The band's debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik incorporates analog elements such as Southern-styled guitar licks, languid soul melodies, and mellow 1970s funk grooves. It also features digital hip hop production elements such as programmed snare beats, booty bass elements, ATLiens and Aquemini feature outer space-influenced production with echo and reverb effects. With Stankonia, Outkast became the first hip-hop act to openly acknowledge rave culture as an influence. Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below would draw on sources such as psychedelia, gospel, funk, techno, soul, electro, and rock music. During the late 1990s, rappers tended to embrace slow, laid-back beats in their productions. On several tracks on Stankonia, the group employed faster, more chaotic tempos to reflect rave culture and the introduction of new drugs such as ecstasy into the hip-hop scene.

One central motif of Outkast's songwriting is the duality of the two members and their differing personalities, with Big Boi as "the player" and Andre 3000 as "the poet". Big Boi generally covers the more conventional hip-hop topics such as his childhood in the South, sex, and partying, while Andre 3000 discusses more unorthodox themes. In contrast to much of hip hop music in the late 1990s, Outkast did not tone down its Southern regional qualities, like the harmonica break on "Rosa Parks" and distinctive Atlanta slang and diction throughout. The duo experimented with several delivery styles on the record, using "relaxed, hyper, distorted, speedy and conversational presentations." Outkast often discusses the status of women in the South, and contrasts with the misogynistic attitudes common in hip-hop music. In , Alex Abramovich praised the duo for "[tending] to shy away from the misogyny and violence rap is so often (and not always unjustly) condemned for." In his book Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, Oliver Wang writes that songs such as "Slum Beautiful" and "Toilet Tisha" "reimagine 'round the way girls, not only as just more than one-dimensional accessories, but as objects of affection with lives and concerns that are worth exploring."

During the recording of Outkast and Mr. DJ began producing tracks for the artists on their Aquemini Records imprint through Columbia, including Slimm Cutta Calhoun and Killer Mike, who made his debut on Stankonia's "Snappin' & Trappin."

In 2002, Outkast participated in the only Dungeon Family group album, Even in Darkness, along with Goodie Mob, Killer Mike, Sleepy Brown, Witchdoctor, and Backbone among others, and featuring Bubba Sparxxx, Shuga Luv and Mello. In 2002, the group and Killer Mike contributed the lead single "Land of a Million Drums" to the

On February 27, 2011, it was announced that Big Boi is creating a joint album along with Killer Mike and fellow Atlanta rapper Pill. Later that day, Big Boi posted on his Twitter account that he was mixing Killer Mike's album entitled, .

In 2010, Andre 3000 was featured on Ciara's remix for her hit single " Ride", from the album Basic Instinct. On January 14, 2011, a song with Ke$ha called "The Sleazy Remix" was leaked. On June 7, 2011, Beyoncé's song "Party" was leaked, it features Benjamin, it is his first collaboration with the singer. It is also featured on Beyoncé's fourth studio album entitled 4 released June 24, 2011. On August 24, 2011, Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter IV leaked, featuring a song entitled "Interlude" with Benjamin and fellow rapper Tech N9ne performing. Also in 2011 Andre featured on Chris Browns "Deuces" remix as well as on a Lloyd song, "Dedication To My Ex (Miss That)", with Lil Wayne. In 2012 Andre also appeared on Drake's second album Take Care, on the song "The Real Her" which also featured Lil Wayne.

In 2012 Andre 3000 featured on the Gorillaz single " DoYaThing" with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The song was released as a free download in February that year as part of a Converse promotion.

Andre 3000 was featured on Frank Ocean's 2012 album Channel Orange on the song "Pink Matter". On January 11, 2013, Big Boi appeared on a remix of the song, adding a verse before Andre's. In response to the added verse, Andre issued a statement on January 15 insisting that the track did not constitute an OutKast reunion. Andre 3000 also featured uncredited vocals on Ocean's 2016 album Blond on the song "Solo (Reprise)" with his verse taking up majority of the track.

Phantogram revealed in an interview with Variance Magazine in February 2014 that they plan to release an EP with Big Boi. The resulting album was released in September 2015.

Benjamin made appearances in , (as Robert Huggins, a character that originated in an episode titled "On Tilt" from Season 3 in 2004), , , , and Four Brothers. He was also cast as Percival in Idlewild, released on August 26, 2006. He voiced a crow in Charlotte's Web, a movie adaptation of the 1952 children's book. As of November 2006, he voiced "Sunny Bridges," a prize-winning musician who gives up touring to teach at his alma mater, in Class of 3000, an animated series he produced on Cartoon Network. He has also worked with Esthero on a promotional version of "Jungle Book" which was on a Wikked lil' grrrls sampler, but never made it to the actual album due to issues with Esthero's label, Warner Bros.. The following year, he appeared in the basketball comedy , with Woody Harrelson and Will Ferrell. He also starred in the 2008 film Battle in Seattle, a film about the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests. Benjamin was a member of Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender's production company A Band Apart until its close in 2006; he then formed his own company, Moxie Turtle.

Big Boi appeared on Nick Cannon's Season 3 as one of the many guest stars, as well as guest starring and appearing as a musical guest on Chappelle's Show performing his song "The Rooster". He is currently reaching more into acting, having appeared in T.I.'s film , Outkast's film and starring in Who's Your Caddy?. He appeared in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode " Wildlife", which aired November 18, 2008. Big Boi played hip-hop artist "Got$ Money".

In April 1999, Outkast and LaFace Records were sued by Rosa Parks over Aquemini's most successful radio single, which bears Parks' name as its title. The lawsuit alleged that the song misappropriates Parks' name, and it objected to the song's obscenities.

The song's lyrics are virtually unrelated to Parks, except for a reference in the chorus: "Ah ha, hush that fuss / Everybody move to the back of the bus". The song, which Outkast maintained was intended partly as homage, refers to Parks metaphorically: the purpose of the song's chorus is to imply that Outkast is overturning hip hop's old order, and that people should make way for a new style and sound. In the initial suit, the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Ann Arbor granted summary judgment for Outkast.

Later on appeal, the issue of whether Outkast violated the Lanham Act for false advertising was reversed and remanded for further proceedings. This was based on the Court's determination that the title "Rosa Parks" had little artistic relevance, whether symbolic or metaphorical, to Rosa Parks the person. Parks' representation hired lawyer Johnnie Cochran to appeal the decision in 2001, but the appeal was denied. The judge ruled that while there was linkage between the song and Rosa Parks, the song was an "expressive work" and was therefore protected by the First Amendment. In 2003, the Supreme Court turned down an appeal to overrule the lower court's decision.[citation needed ]

In December 2003, André told UK journalist Angus Batey that, following a Detroit concert in the midst of the legal battle, relatives of Parks had approached him and implied that the case had less to do with Parks than with the lawyers. In April 2005, the judge in the case appointed an impartial representative for Parks after her family expressed concerns that her caretakers and her lawyers were pursuing the case based on their own financial interest. The case was settled on 14 April 2005, with Outkast and the co-defendants, Sony BMG and its subsidiaries Arista Records and LaFace Records, admitting no wrongdoing but agreeing to develop and fund educational programs concerning Rosa Parks.

Notes

Sources

Norris C: "Funk Soul Brothers", Spin, vol. 16/12 (2000), 142-8

Media related to Outkast at Wikimedia Commons

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Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip hop duo formed in 1992 in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta-based rappers André "3000" Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. Widely recognized for their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies and positive messages, OutKast is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip hop duos of all time.

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Soul For Real

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Soul for Real (also known as Soul 4 Real and Soul IV Real) is an R&B group from Wheatley Heights, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia made up of brothers Christopher Sherman Dalyrimple a.k.a. Choc (born April 30, 1971), Andre "Dre" Lamont Dalyrimple a.k.a. KD now (born April 4, 1974), Brian "Bri" Augustus Dalyrimple (born December 14, 1975), and Jason "Jase" Oliver Dalyrimple a.k.a. Jase4Real (born May 10, 1980).

The group were best known in the mid-1990s for their gold-certified singles " Candy Rain" and " Every Little Thing I Do" and minor R&B hit "If You Want It" from their platinum-selling debut album .

Formed in 1992, Soul for Real signed with Uptown Records and released their debut album on March 28, 1995. Produced by Heavy D, Candy Rain's first single was the album's title track. The song hit #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 chart. Their second single, " Every Little Thing I Do", reached #11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and #17 on the Hot 100 chart. A third single, "If You Want It" reached #53 on the R&B charts.

After touring and the success of their debut album, the group quickly began working on their sophomore album. Soul for Real's second album, , was produced by Sean Combs and released on September 24, 1996. The album peaked at #29 on the Billboard R&B chart and #119 on the Billboard 200. It was led by the single "Never Felt This Way" which did not gain much airplay. However, the album's second single "Love You So" did much better, peaking at #64 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1997.

Staying under Heavy D's tutelage, the group moved to independent label Chrome Dome Records for their third album, . After a distribution deal with Tommy Boy Music fell through, Warlock Records took over distribution and released the album on May 18, 1999. The album failed to chart and produced one single, "Can't Wait."

In 2003, the group formed the label Aljoba Music Group (AMG).

In 2007, Soul For Real began to work on their fourth studio album tentatively entitled The Unknown. The first single "One Man" (featuring Jadakiss) was released later that year.

In 2009, Brian Dalyrimple was indicted on 145 counts of aggravated identity (mortgage) fraud, none of his brothers were involved. Following Brian's arrest, the other three brothers, KD (Andre), Jason "Jase" Oliver and Choc (Chris) remained as members of the group and continued on as Soul For Real.

In 2012, they announced that they were in the studio working on their fourth studio album, and have revealed the album title to be The Evolution: Journey. They released a new single titled "Can't Leave U Alone." That same year, the youngest member Jase, went by the name of Jase4Real as a solo artist.

In 2016, Soul For Real released a new single "Love Again" and Jase released a solo single titled "If You Feelin' Like Me (IYFLM)" with a video available on his YouTube channel. The following year, the group released the official video for "Love Again" and premiered it on their VEVO channel. In that same year, Jase4Real also released his third solo effort If You Feel Like Me: The Mixtape.

In 2019, they released two holiday songs "Silent Night" and "Christmas Time is Here".

In 2020, Soul for Real issued their first single in 4 years, "Love on Me" shortly after, Jase as well released a new single titled "Due Better"

Jason, better known as Jase is the lead singer of Soul for Real. He is best known for singing lead on "Candy Rain"; the group's biggest hit to date off the album of the same name.

Now all grown up, he went on to pursue a solo career, releasing three solo albums. Jase's albums are described as having a clever, hood-sexy sound with lyrics that are ultimately about love and life; it's a true display of mature urban music with crossover appeal.

Other than music, Jase established his own independent production company, Jasemakermusic LLC., based in Atlanta, Ga. In addition, he also started his own label: BEA Music Ent., on which he will release his future projects and collaborate with other upcoming artists.

Choc is best known for singing lead on "Every Little Thing I Do" the group's second hit off their " Candy Rain" album.

In 2001, Choc pursued a solo career and released a debut single "Crazy" which failed to achieve any level of success. Later in 2001, he released yet another single, "Make My Move" which had the same result as the debut single of the unreleased album "Choc A Lot". This disappointment made Choc delayed music and he began to focus on his personal life.

In 2017, in an effort to make a comeback, Choc-boy released a new single entitled "Want U2 Know", later in the year, Choc4Real released "American Girl" as a second single.

Brian is quietly residing in Atlanta, Georgia. He is now proud owner of Naomi's Caribbean Cuisine.

In the early 2000s Andre ('Dre) ran an independent production company: Uncle Dre Day Embroideries LLC. On his MySpace, he released some solo music under his alter ego Uncle Dre.

Now Andre "Dre" is known as KD.

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Soul for Real (also known as Soul 4 Real and Soul IV Real) is an R&B group from Wheatley Heights, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia made up of brothers Christopher Sherman Dalyrimple a.k.a. Choc (born April 30, 1971), Andre "Dre" Lamont Dalyrimple a.k.a.

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Surface

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Surface was an American music group from New Jersey, active from 1983 to 1994. They are best known for their #1 pop and R&B hit " The First Time". During its heyday, the group consisted of singer/bassist Bernard Jackson (born July 11, 1959), David Townsend (May 17, 1955-October 26, 2005), and David Conley (born December 27, 1953).

Surface was formed in New Jersey in 1983 with musicians David Conley, David Townsend and Everett Collins at its nucleus and Conley's girlfriend on vocals. Her name was Karen Copeland.

David Townsend was the son of late singer/songwriter, Ed Townsend. He was also a member of the band, Port Authority in the 1970s along with David Conley, who was the bassist of funk band, Mandrill from 1978 to 1981. Townsend and Conley met when Townsend was in a '70s band in Los Angeles. During the 1970s, Townsend was a friend and colleague of drummer/writer, Everett Collins, who worked with the Isley Brothers.

They then became resident songwriters for EMI and wrote New Edition's "Let's Be Friends" and Sister Sledge's "You're Fine." Encouraged by this success, the group called themselves Surface and began recording their own material, releasing several post-disco/early-'80s-style tracks under the name.

With this original line-up, Surface recorded three singles, "Falling in Love" (1983), "When Your X Wants You Back" (1984), and "Stop Holding Back", the latter being a "lost track" released about 15 years after being recorded. "Stop Holding Back" would only be released in 1999 when Salsoul Records was opening up their vaults, as part of a special vinyl release with the other two early Surface recordings (It had been recorded earlier by Gwen Guthrie). These three singles, recorded several years before Surface recorded a full album and with Karen Copeland as lead singer are referred to by music critics as "the Copeland singles".

Surface would find moderate success with the Copeland singles. In 1983, Surface released their debut single, "Falling in Love" which peaked at #84 on the United States R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks. In the UK, the song peaked at #67 on the UK Singles Chart. A year later, they released their second single, "When Your Ex Wants You Back" which also peaked at #84 on the United States R&B chart and peaked at #52 on the UK Singles chart. Karen Copeland and David Conley then broke up. Copeland left the group, and then Conley and Townsend met Bernard Jackson in 1984.

The three met when Jackson moved from Stamford to New York to pursue a music career. While Jackson was in New York, his godfather said that he should contact his nephew, David Townsend. Conley, Townsend, and Jackson then started writing music together. They wrote songs in contemplation of the next female lead vocal who would sing them. After auditioning several women, Surface, according to Conley, "never found another girl".

After failing to find a female lead singer to replace Karen Copeland, Bernard Jackson himself became the lead singer. The group then worked on recording its first full album. After leaving Surface, Karen Copeland faded into obscurity. According to Conley, she is now deceased.

The trio then moved to Los Angeles, California, searching for more mainstream success. The song "Let's Try Again" came to the attention of Larkin Arnold of Columbia Records, who signed the band and released this track as a single in 1986. Also in 1986, Jackson met a friend, Brian Simpson, and recorded a demo tape of a track he had written entitled " The First Time". He believed it to be a hit and hired a recording studio to get the best professional conditions for the track. Their self-titled first album followed in 1987, featuring two more hit singles: "Happy", which reached #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and "Lately", which reached #8. However, "The First Time" did not appear on the album and remained unreleased.

The band's follow-up album, 2nd Wave, was released in 1988 and included some of the group's biggest hits. "I Missed" reached #3 on the R&B charts. "Closer Than Friends" was the group's first #1 hit, topping the R&B charts for two weeks. "Can We Spend Some Time" reached #5 on the R&B charts. The album featured two other #1 R&B hits. "You Are My Everything", featuring popular R&B singer Regina Belle, topped the charts for two weeks. And the album's biggest hit, " Shower Me With Your Love" went gold, reached #1 on the R&B charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Regina Belle was also a guest vocalist on the song "Hold On to Love", which was not released as single. Thanks to the album's multiple hits, it managed to go platinum.

The song "The First Time", originally recorded by Jackson in 1986, was featured on the band's third album 3 Deep in 1991 and was the first single from the album. The song was a hit, going gold and becoming the group's biggest hit to date. It topped both the R&B and pop charts.

The album continued with "All I Want Is You", again featuring Regina Belle, which reached #8 on the R&B charts.

The band also recorded "A World of Our Own" which was featured in the 1991 film Return to the Blue Lagoon.

Jackson and Townsend left in 1994, and the group disbanded. In 1998, the group reformed and released Love Zone and a few years later announced a return to live appearances, only to be cancelled when Townsend was found dead at his home. Townsend, son of producer/songwriter Ed Townsend (co-writer of Marvin Gaye's " Let's Get It On"), died of unknown causes on October 26, 2005, at the age of 50, almost two years after his father.

Karen Copeland - vocals (1983-1984)

Eric "G-Riff" Moore - vocals (born August 23, 1971, Irvington, New Jersey) (1994)

Everett "Jam" Benton - keyboards (1994)

Everett Collins - keyboards, vocals, writer (1987 - 2005)

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Surface was an American music group from New Jersey, active from 1983 to 1994. They are best known for their #1 pop and R&B hit " The First Time". During its heyday, the group consisted of singer/bassist Bernard Jackson (born July 11, 1959), David Townsend (May 17, 1955-October 26, 2005), and David Conley (born December 27, 1953).

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Little Anthony and the Imperials

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Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/ soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his high-pitched voice. In addition to Collins and Gourdine, the original Imperials included Ernest Wright, Glouster "Nate" Rogers, and Tracey Lord, the last two of whom were subsequently replaced by Sammy Strain. The group was one of the very few doo-wop groups to enjoy sustained success on the R&B and pop charts throughout the 1960s. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009, 23 years after the group's first year of eligibility for induction.

In 1957, a doo-wop group known as "The Chesters" was composed of Collins, whose falsetto had been inspired by Jimmy Scott; Tracey Lord, Nathaniel Rodgers, and Ronald Ross. Anthony Gourdine, a former member of The DuPonts, joined as lead vocalist. Ernest Wright took over from Ross, and the group recorded briefly for Apollo Records.[citation needed ]

Changing their name to "The Imperials", the group signed with End Records in 1958. Their first single was " Tears on My Pillow", which was an instant hit. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. The B-side, "Two People in the World", was also a hit. The group followed up with "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop" in 1960. When their success dwindled in 1961, Gourdine left to attempt a solo career. Original Imperials member Nate Rogers was drafted into the service and Tracey Lord, another original member, left to get married. The line-up then became Collins, Wright, Sammy Strain, (a childhood friend who had grown up together with the Imperials in Brooklyn), and George Kerr. Kerr was replaced by Kenny Seymour after a short time. This line-up had little success.

Gourdine returned in 1963, replacing Seymour. The group's classic line-up - Gourdine, Wright, Collins, and Strain - was now complete. With the help of record producer/songwriter Teddy Randazzo (a childhood friend of the group), the Imperials found success on the new DCP (Don Costa Productions) label with the dramatic pop-soul records " I'm on the Outside (Looking In)" (1964), " Goin' Out of My Head" (1964), " Hurt So Bad" (1965), "I Miss You So" (1965), " Take Me Back" (1965), " Hurt" (1966), " Better Use Your Head" (1966), and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" (1969). In 1965, the Imperials appeared on the CBS-TV special Murray The K - It's What's Happening, Baby, where they performed "I'm Alright" before a live audience in New York at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre. At the height of their career, the group made two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, at the time television's top talent showcase, on March 28, 1965, and again on January 25, 1970. They also performed on , Hullabaloo, Kraft Music Hall, , American Bandstand, The Midnight Special, and The Tonight Show.

The Imperials then joined United Artists Records and were assigned to its Veep Records subsidiary, and then to the parent label itself, where they recorded "World of Darkness", "It's Not The Same", "If I Remember To Forget", "Yesterday Has Gone", and the Thom Bell-produced "Help Me Find A Way (To Say I Love You)".

Albums from this era include: Reflections, Payin' Our Dues, Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind (named after their hit cover of The Five Keys song), and Movie Grabbers, which included a rendition of "You Only Live Twice", the James Bond motion picture theme. This song was originally recorded by The Imperials - expressly for the film and its soundtrack - but was later given instead to Nancy Sinatra for the film, due to her father Frank's greater influence.

They recorded three singles for Janus Records including "Father Father", which they later performed on the Merv Griffin Show. Then they went to Avco Records in the mid-1970s and recorded On A New Street, and charted with the songs "La La La (At the End)" and "I'm Falling in Love With You". This album was produced by both Bell and Randazzo. A second LP for Avco Records entitled Hold On was withdrawn from sale in the USA after the failure of the title track to sell and Avco's subsequent financial difficulties. The group appeared on on May 26, 1973. By this time, Strain and Wright had left the group, although both would eventually return.

Wright left in 1971 to join Tony Williams' Platters. He was replaced by the returning Kenny Seymour, who was again replaced after a short time by Bobby Wade, formerly a Cleveland-based singer with a number of solo releases on Cleveland labels, that included Way Out and Big Jim. Strain left in 1972. He had a restaurant in Los Angeles and had not been singing professionally for three years. At the end of that period, he was briefly a member of The Fandangos with Lonnie Cook and Alvin Walker. He also auditioned for the lead voice of Arpeggio. Strain had been replaced by Harold Jenkins as a member of The Imperials. He then joined the O'Jays as the replacement for original O'Jays member William Powell, who left the group due to illness. (Powell died of cancer shortly thereafter.) Jenkins had already been functioning as the group's choreographer. Jenkins and Seymour had previously performed together in the Impacts. Gourdine left for a second (more successful) attempt at a solo career. The trio of Collins, Wade, and Jenkins continued as "the Imperials". Collins left in 1988, and was replaced by Sherman James. They then toured as "Bobby Wade's Imperials". James left in 1992, and was replaced by Ron Stevenson.[citation needed ]

In 1992, Collins, Wright, Strain, and Gourdine reunited for a concert at Madison Square Garden. This reunion proved to be a success. When the decision was made for the foursome to tour together again, Wade relinquished the Imperials name, with his group becoming "Bobby Wade's Emperors" when they became the house band at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. At this point, Strain left the O'Jays, and permanently returned to the Imperials. 1992, the year of the group's reformation, was also the 40th anniversary of Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and he invited the Imperials to appear as part of the televised special celebration.

On August 30, 1997, the group was featured on NBC's show as part of that show's "Summer Concert Series", and appeared on three popular PBS specials: Rock, Rhythm, and Doo-Wop and Red, White and Rockin 2002; and Soul Spectacular: 40 Years Of R&B in 2003. Also, during this period, they recorded two new CDs: Little Anthony & the Imperials - Live: Up Close & Personal (the group's first ever live album), and Pure Acapella, an all a cappella CD showcasing the group's vocal talents on several classic 1950s doo-wop songs, including their own hit, "Two People in the World", which was written by Imperials member Ernest Wright. These two recordings marked the first time that the classic line-up had recorded together in over 30 years. In 2009, the year of the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Little Anthony and the Imperials released their first new CD in years, entitled You'll Never Know.

Gourdine, Collins, Wright, and Strain continued touring as "Little Anthony and the Imperials" until Strain retired in 2004 and Jenkins, for the second time, returned to take his place. In 2010, Jenkins also retired, and was replaced by Robert DeBlanc. As of 2012, the Imperials were (along with the Dells), one of the few 1950s-era R&B groups still touring with the great majority of their original members (Gourdine, Collins, and Wright).

Little Anthony and the Imperials released their first new LP in several years in October 2008, entitled "You'll Never Know", and they performed on the Late Show with David Letterman on August 26, 2008. On their album, the electronic music duo Daft Punk sampled Little Anthony and the Imperials' 1977 recording of "Can You Imagine" for the track "Crescendolls".

Imperials founder Collins retired from the group in late 2012 due to age and health reasons. He still owns the trademark on The Imperials' name. He and Anthony were once married to twin sisters, Brenda Collins and Linda Gourdine, but Brenda and Clarence have since divorced. The Contemporary Christian Gospel Group The Imperials uses the name with Collins' permission. Gourdine's first wife was Judy Fouseca, with whom he had four children, and four more by his second wife, Linda. Strain, once married to singer Yvonne Fair (now deceased), is married to his second wife, DeBorah, and has two children, Vincent and Shawn. Original member Wright is married and has a daughter, Nicole. He is also a songwriter and producer. Original Imperials bass singer Glouster "Nate" Rogers is a cancer survivor. He has been married many years to wife Loretta. Original Imperials member Tracey Lord is deceased.

In early 2014, Gourdine toured the UK with David Gest's Legends of Soul when he performed "Tears on My Pillow" and "Goin' Out of My Head" . The same year, he released his biography, Little Anthony: My Journey, My Destiny, recounting his life, his memories, and his years with The Imperials.

As of 2018, The Imperials are still performing. Imperials founder Collins, now retired, has been replaced by Johnny Britt. De Blanc and original members Wright and Gourdine round out the group. When the group is not touring, Gourdine does stage plays and currently also has a one-man show, which he is currently doing to support his recently released biography, and to celebrate his 55-plus years as a performer.

Cover versions, influence, and legacy

Over the decades, in a measure of their profound influence, several of The Imperials' hit songs have been covered by numerous other artists of many different musical genres, including pop, jazz, MOR, rock, Latin, country, doo-wop, and R&B. Some examples:

"Hurt So Bad" an Imperials' Top Ten smash, was covered by Linda Ronstadt, as well as the Lettermen, Alicia Keys, Grant Green, the Delfonics, Nancy Wilson, Nancy Holloway, the Philly Devotions, Arthur Prysock, Tracy Huang, Cathy Carlson, Willie Bovain, Ramsey Lewis, Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, and Nancy Alloway.

"I'm on the Outside (Looking In)", a top 20 hit for the Imperials, has been covered by the Miracles, Johnny Mathis, Amy Winehouse, the Lettermen, and the Jaggerz.

"Tears on My Pillow", the Imperials' first million-selling hit, has been covered by numerous artists, including the McGuire Sisters, Sha Na Na, New Edition, and S Club 8. Clem Snide recorded a cover for the Stubbs the Zombie soundtrack. "Tears on My Pillow" has also been covered by Timi Yuro, Chuck Jackson, Bobby Vee, Lou Christie, Martha and the Vandellas, Bobby Vinton, Johnny Tillotson, Neil Sedaka, Reba McEntire, Jodeci, Lorrie Morgan, Derrick Morgan with Lyn Tait & the Jets, Neils Children, Kylie Minogue, and the Fleetwoods.

"Goin' Out of My Head", another Top 10 hit, and Little Anthony and the Imperials' signature song, has had over 50 different cover versions by other artists, including the Delfonics, Vic Damone, Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Willie Bobo, Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66, Ella Fitzgerald, Lou Christie, Les McCann, the Lettermen, Ramsey Lewis, Luther Vandross, Ray Conniff, Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Welk, and the Miracles.

"Better Use Your Head", the Imperials' 1966 transatlantic hit, has been covered by Barry Ryan, Robin Wilson, Dennis D'ell, and Marion Ryan.

"Take Me Back", Little Anthony and the Imperials' 1965 top 20 hit, has been covered by Country Music artists Ronnie Dove and Sonny James .

"If I Love You", a 1970 song by the Imperials, was later covered by The Stylistics on their first album for Avco Records two years later.

"The Loneliest House on the Block", an early 1970s Imperials tune, from their album On A New Street, was covered by soul vocal group Blue Magic .

The Imperials' 1968 single, "Yesterday Has Gone", was covered by UK band Cupid's Inspiration in 1968 and climbed to #4 in the UK pop chart; the song was also recorded in 1996 by Marc Almond and P. J. Proby.

"Two People In The World", the hit "B" side of The Imperials' first-million-selling hit, "Tears on My Pillow", has been covered by : Paul and Paula, The Dovells, and The Marcels .

In addition, according to songwriter and producer Kenny Gamble, Little Anthony and the Imperials and their music were a major influence in the development of Philadelphia soul, and artists such as the Stylistics, the Delfonics, Blue Magic (who covered the Imperials' tune "The Loneliest House on the Block"), Chicago's Chi-Lites, and other groups. They were also the first contemporary music group to play New York's prestigious Copacabana nightclub, even predating the Temptations and Supremes.

Little Anthony and the Imperials received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1993. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006. In 2007, the Imperials were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame On January 14, 2009, it was announced that Little Anthony and the Imperials had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gourdine, Wright, Collins, Strain, and Rogers were present to be honored. Deceased original Imperials member Tracey Lord was inducted posthumously; his sons accepted his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on his behalf. The group was inducted by Smokey Robinson. In October 2009, the group performed "Two People in the World" at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert. In 2014, Goldmine magazine inducted the Imperials into The Goldmine Hall of Fame. Editor Phil Marder referred to them as one of the few 1950s doo-wop groups (though the group hated that label) to consistently chart hits during the British Invasion. Goldmine also named Little Anthony and the Imperials as one of The 20 Greatest Doo-Wop Groups of All Time.

Sammy Strain is one of the few artists in popular music history who is a double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted with the O'Jays in 2005 and the Imperials in 2009.

In 2018, Little Anthony and the Imperials were inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Detroit .

We Are The Imperials, featuring Little Anthony - End LP 303 (1959)

Shades of the 40s - End LP 311 (1960)

The above two albums were issued only in mono

I'm on the Outside Looking In - DCP DCL-3801 (Mono)/DCS-6801 (Stereo) (1964) - Pop #135

Re-released in 1966 on Veep VP 13510 (Mono)/VPS 16510 (Stereo)

Goin' Out of My Head - DCP DCL-3808/DCS-6808 (1965) - Pop #74, R&B #5

Re-released in 1966 on Veep VP 13511/VPS 16511

The Best of Little Anthony & The Imperials - DCP DCL-3809/DCS-6809 (1965) - Pop #97

Re-released in 1966 on Veep VP 13512/VPS 16512

Payin' Our Dues - Veep VP 13513/VPS 16513 (1966)

Reflections - Veep VP 13514/VPS 16514 (1967)

Movie Grabbers - Veep VP 13516/VPS 16516 (1967)

The Best of Anthony & The Imperials, Volume 2 - Veep VPS 16519 (1968)

The above four albums are credited as "Anthony & The Imperials"

Out of Sight, Out of Mind - United Artists UAS 6720 (1969) - Pop #172

On A New Street - Avco AV-11012 (1973)

Hold On - Avco SWX 6263 (1975)

(Only demo copies existed until 2013, when this album was released in a 2-for-1 CD with The Imperials' On A New Street album by Soulmusic.Com Records.)

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Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/ soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his high-pitched voice.

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Mary J. Blige

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Mary Jane Blige (; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1991 when she was signed to Uptown Records. She went on to release 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has sold 130 million records worldwide. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards and has also received three Golden Globe Award nominations, including one for her supporting role in the film (2017) and another for its original song " Mighty River". Furthermore, she also received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.

In 1992, Blige released her debut album, What's the 411? Her 1994 album is among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and magazine's All-Time 100 Albums. She received a Legends Award at the World Music Awards in 2006, and the Voice of Music Award from ASCAP in 2007. ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years. In 2017, Billboard magazine named her 2006 song " Be Without You" as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop song of all time, as it spent an unparalleled 15 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and over 75 weeks on the chart. In 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. In 2012, VH1 ranked Blige at number 9 in "The 100 Greatest Women in Music" list.

Blige has also made a successful transition to both the small and silver screens, with supporting roles in films such as Prison Song (2001), Rock of Ages (2012), Betty and Coretta (2013), Black Nativity (2013), her Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated breakthrough performance as Florence Jackson in (2017), Trolls World Tour (2020), (2020), The Violent Heart (2021) and co-starring as jazz great Dinah Washington in the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic (2021). In 2019, Blige starred in the first season as Cha Cha in the Netflix television series The Umbrella Academy. She currently stars as Monet Tejada in the spin-off of the highly rated TV drama in Power Book II: Ghost.

In February 2021, Blige became a first-time nominee for the 2021 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1971-91: Early life and career beginnings

Blige was born January 11, 1971, in New York, in the borough of the Bronx, but spent her early childhood in Savannah, Georgia. She and her family subsequently moved back to New York and resided in the Schlobohm Housing Projects, located in Yonkers, New York. She was born to mother Cora, a nurse, and father Thomas Blige, a jazz musician. She is the second of three children. She has an elder sister, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, and a brother, Bruce Miller, from a later relationship Blige's mother had with another man after divorcing Mary and LaTonya's father. The family subsisted on her mother's earnings as a nurse after her father left the family in the mid-1970s, the former an alcoholic and the latter a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Blige spent her early years in Richmond Hill, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church.

At the age of five, she was molested by a family friend, and as a teenager she endured years of sexual harassment from her peers. She would eventually turn to alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex to try and numb the pain.

Blige later moved to Schlobohm Houses in Yonkers, New York, immediately north of New York City, where she lived with her mother and older sister. Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year.

Pursuing a musical career, Blige spent a short time in a Yonkers band named Pride with band drummer Eddie D'Aprile. In early 1988, she recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's " Caught Up in the Rapture" at a recording booth in the Galleria Mall in White Plains, New York. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and in 1989 she was signed to the label as a backup vocalist for artists such as Father MC, becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.

After being signed to Uptown, Blige began working with record producer Sean Combs, also known as Puff Daddy. He became the executive producer and produced a majority of the album. The title, What's the 411?, derived from Blige's past occupation as a 4-1-1 operator; was also an indication by Blige of being the "real deal". What's the 411? nevertheless established Blige as a dynamic storyteller whose performances of love narrative drew upon both her musical influences and her lived experiences as a hip-hop-generation woman. The music was described as "revelatory on a frequent basis". Blige was noted for having a "tough girl persona and streetwise lyrics". On July 28, 1992, Uptown/ MCA Records released What's the 411?, to positive reviews from critics. What's the 411? peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also peaked at number 53 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified three times Platinum by the RIAA. According to Entertainment Weekly's Dave DiMartino, with the record's commercial success and Blige's "powerful, soulful voice and hip-hop attitude", she "solidly connected with an audience that has never seen a woman do new jack swing but loves it just the same". According to Dave McAleer, Blige became the most successful new female R&B artist of 1992 in the United States.

What's the 411? earned her two Soul Train Music Awards in 1993: Best New R&B Artist and Best R&B Album, Female. It was also voted the year's 30th best album in the Pazz & Jop-an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice. By August 2010, the album had sold 3,318,000 copies in the US. What's the 411? has since been viewed by critics as one of the 1990s' most important records. Blige's combination of vocals over a hip hop beat proved influential in contemporary R&B. With the album, she was dubbed the reigning " Queen of Hip Hop Soul" The album's success spun offWhat's the 411? Remix, a remix album released in December that was used to extend the life of the What's the 411? singles on the radio into 1994, as Blige recorded her follow-up album.

Following the success of her debut album and a remixed version in 1993, Blige went into the recording studio in the winter of 1993 to record her second album, . The album was a breakthrough for Blige, who at this point was in a clinical depression, battling both drugs and alcohol - as well as being in an abusive relationship with K-Ci Hailey, which was reported in several tabloids. On November 29, 1994, Uptown/ MCA released My Life to positive reviews. The album peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 and number one of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for selling 481,000 copies in its first week and remaining atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for an unprecedented eight weeks. It ultimately spent 46 weeks on the Billboard 200 and 84 weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In 2002, My Life was ranked number 57 on 's list of the 100 greatest American albums of all time. The following year, Rolling Stone placed it at number 279 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 2006, the record was included in 's 100 greatest albums of all-time list.

Blige involved herself in several outside projects, recording a cover of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" for the soundtrack to the FOX series New York Undercover, and "Everyday It Rains" (co-written by R&B singer Faith Evans) for the soundtrack to the hip hop documentary, The Show. Later in the year, she recorded the Babyface-penned and produced " Not Gon' Cry", for the soundtrack to the motion picture Waiting to Exhale. The platinum-selling single rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in early 1996. Blige gained her first two Grammy nominations and won the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for her collaboration with Method Man. Shortly after, Blige was featured on Jay Z's breakthrough single, " Can't Knock the Hustle" from his debut Reasonable Doubt (1996) and with Ghostface Killah on " All That I Got Is You" from his debut, , which was also released that year. In addition, Blige co-wrote four songs, provided background vocals and was featured prominently on two singles with fellow R&B singer Case on his self-titled debut album (1996) including the US top 20 hit, " Touch Me, Tease Me", which also featured then up-and-coming rapper Foxy Brown.

On April 22, 1997, MCA Records (parent company to Uptown Records, which was in the process of being dismantled) released Blige's third album, Share My World. By then, she and Combs had dissolved their working relationship. In his place were the Trackmasters, who executive-produced the project along with Steve Stoute. Sharing production duties were producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, R. Kelly, Babyface and Rodney Jerkins. The album was made at a time when Blige was trying to "get her life together", by trying to overcome drugs and alcohol, as well as the ending of her relationship with Hailey. After an encounter with a person who threatened her life the previous year, she tried to quit the unhealthy lifestyle and make more upbeat, happier music. As a result, songs such as "Love Is All We Need" and "Share My World" were made. Share My World debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned five hit singles: "Love Is All We Need" (featuring Nas), "I Can Love You" (featuring Lil' Kim), "Everything", "Missing You" (UK only) and "Seven Days" (featuring George Benson). In February 1997, Blige performed her hit at the time, " Not Gon' Cry", at the 1997 Grammy Awards, which gained her a third Grammy Award nomination, her first for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, as Blige was recording the follow-up to My Life. In early 1998, Blige won an American Music Award for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album". That summer, she embarked on the Share My World Tour, which resulted in a Gold-certified live album released later that year, simply titled . The album spawned one single, "Misty Blue".

On August 17, 1999, Blige's fourth album, titled was released. It marked a departure from her more familiar hip hop-oriented sound; this set featured a more earthy, whimsical, and adult contemporary-tinged collection of songs, reminiscent of the 1970s to early 1980s soul. She also appeared on In Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua with Eric Clapton in 1999. On December 14, 1999, the album was re-released as a double-disc set. The second disc was enhanced with the music videos for the singles "All That I Can Say" and "Deep Inside" and included two bonus tracks: "Sincerity" (featuring Nas, Andy Hogan and DMX) and "Confrontation" (a collaboration with hip hop duo Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap originally from their 1999 album The Tunnel). The Mary album was critically praised, becoming her most nominated release to date, and was certified double platinum. It was not as commercially successful as Blige's prior releases, though all of the singles: "All That I Can Say", "Deep Inside", "Your Child", and "Give Me You" performed considerably on the radio. In the meantime, MCA used the album to expand Blige's demographic into the nightclub market, as club-friendly dance remixes of the Mary singles were released. The club remix of "Your Child" peaked at number-one on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart in October 2000. In 2001, a Japan-only compilation, , was released. The album featured covers of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed", and previous recordings of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and Dorothy Moore's " Misty Blue". In 1999, George Michael and Mary J. Blige covered the song 'As' written by Stevie Wonder, and worldwide outside of the United States, it was the second single from George Michael's greatest hits album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. It became a top ten UK pop hit, reaching number four on the chart. It was not released on the U.S. version of the greatest hits collection or as a single in the U.S. Michael cited Blige's record company president for pulling the track in America after Michael's arrest for committing a lewd act.

In January 2001, Blige performed as a special guest in the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show.

On August 28, 2001, MCA released Blige's fifth studio album, No More Drama. The album's first single, " Family Affair" (produced by Dr. Dre) became her first and only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. It was followed by two further hit singles, the European only single " Dance for Me" featuring Common with samples from " The Bed's Too Big Without You" by The Police, and the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced title track (originally recorded for the Mary album), which sampled " Nadia's Theme", the piano-driven theme song to the daytime drama The Young and the Restless. Though the album sold nearly two million copies in the U.S., MCA was underwhelmed by its sales, and subsequently repackaged and re-released the album on January 29, 2002. The No More Drama re-release featured a new album cover, deleted three of the songs from the original tracklisting, while adding two brand-new songs-one of which was the fourth single and top twenty Hot 100 hit " Rainy Dayz", (featuring Ja Rule), plus two remixes; one of the title track, serviced by Sean Combs/Puff Daddy and the single version of "Dance for Me" featuring Common. Blige won a Grammy for ' Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' for the song "He Think I Don't Know." In April 2002, Blige performed with Shakira with the song " Love Is a Battlefield" on VH1 Divas show live in Las Vegas, she also performed " No More Drama" and " Rainy Dayz" as a duet with the returning Whitney Houston.

On July 22, 2002, MCA released Dance for Me, a collection of club remixes of some of her past top hits including the Junior Vasquez remix of "Your Child", and the Thunderpuss mix of "No More Drama." This album was released in a limited edition double pack 12" vinyl for DJ-friendly play in nightclubs.

On August 26, 2003, Blige's sixth album was released on Geffen Records (which had absorbed MCA Records.) Blige heavily collaborated with her one-time producer Sean Combs for this set. Due to the history between them on What's the 411? and My Life, which is generally regarded as their best work, and Blige having just come off of a successful fifth album, expectations were high for the reunion effort.

Despite the album debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and becoming Blige's fourth consecutive UK top ten album, Love & Life's lead-off single, the Diddy-produced " Love @ 1st Sight", which featured Method Man, barely cracked the top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the top twenty on the Hot 100 (although peaking inside the UK top twenty). The following singles, " Ooh!", " Not Today" featuring Eve, " Whenever I Say Your Name" featuring Sting on the international re-release, and " It's a Wrap" fared worse. Although the album was certified platinum, it became Blige's lowest-selling at the time. Critics and fans alike largely panned the disc, citing a lack of consistency and noticeable ploys to recapture the early Blige/Combs glory. Blige and Combs reportedly struggled and clashed during the making of this album, and again parted ways upon the completion of it.

The album became Blige's first album in six years to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 285,298 copies in first week. Love & Life received mixed reviews from music critics. gave it 4 stars and said the album "beamed with joy" and Rolling Stone gave it three stars, saying "You may not always love Blige's music, but you will feel her". The album was eventually certified Platinum by the RIAA. To date the album has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the US and over 2,000,000 copies worldwide. The album was nominated for the Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 46th Grammy Awards.

Geffen Records released Blige's seventh studio album, The Breakthrough on December 20, 2005. For the album, Blige collaborated with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Bryan-Michael Cox, 9th Wonder, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Cool and Dre, and Dre & Vidal. The cover art was photographed by Markus Klinko & Indrani. It debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling 727,000 copies in its first week, it became the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist in SoundScan history, the fifth largest first-week sales for a female artist, and the fourth largest debut of 2005.

The lead-off single, " Be Without You", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at number one on the R&B chart for a record-setting fifteen consecutive weeks; it remained on the chart for over sixteen months. "Be Without You" found success in the UK (peaking in the lower end of the top forty) it became Blige's longest charting single on the UK Singles Chart. It is her second longest charting single to date. The album produced three more singles including two more top-five R&B hits-" Enough Cryin'", which features Blige's alter ego Brook-Lynn (as whom she appeared on the remix to Busta Rhymes's " Touch It" in 2006); and " Take Me as I Am" (which samples Lonnie Liston Smith's "A Garden of Peace"). Blige's duet with U2 on the cover of their 1992 hit, " One" gave Blige her biggest hit to date in the UK, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart eventually being certified one of the forty highest-selling singles of 2006; it was her longest charting UK single. The success of The Breakthrough won Blige nine Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, two BET Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Soul Train Award. She received eight Grammy Award nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards, the most of any artist that year. "Be Without You" was nominated for both " Record of the Year" and " Song of the Year". Blige won three: "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance", " Best R&B Song" (both for "Be Without You"), and " Best R&B Album" for The Breakthrough. Blige completed a season sweep of the "big three" major music awards, having won two American Music Awards in November 2006 and nine Billboard Music Awards in December 2006.

In December 2006, a compilation called Reflections (A Retrospective) was released. It contained many of Blige's greatest hits and four new songs, including the worldwide lead single " We Ride (I See the Future)". In the UK, however, " MJB da MVP" (which appeared in a different, shorter form on The Breakthrough) was released as the lead single from the collection. The album peaked at number nine in the U.S, selling over 170,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number forty in the UK In 2006, Blige recorded a duet with rapper Ludacris, " Runaway Love", which is the third single on his fifth album, Release Therapy. It reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart. Blige was featured with Aretha Franklin and the Harlem Boys Choir on the soundtrack to the 2006 motion picture , on the lead track "Never Gonna Break My Faith" written by Bryan Adams. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Blige's eighth studio album, Growing Pains, was released on December 18, 2007, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 629,000 copies in its first week, marking the third time since Nielsen SoundScan began collecting data in 1991 that two albums sold more than 600,000 copies in a week in the United States. In its second week, the album climbed to number one, making it Blige's fourth number-one album. The lead single, " Just Fine", peaked at number twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Just Fine" was nominated for the Grammy Award for " Best Female R&B Vocal Performance", and Blige won " Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for the Chaka Khan duet "Disrespectful" (featured on Khan's album ) which Blige wrote.

Growing Pains was not released in the UK until February 2008, where it became Blige's fifth top ten and third-highest charting album. The Breakthrough and Reflections (A Retrospective) were released in the Christmas rush and therefore settled for lower peaks, although both selling more than her top five album Mary.[citation needed ] "" returned Blige to the UK singles chart top 20 after her previous two singles failed to chart highly. Subsequent singles from Growing Pains include " Work That", which accompanied Blige in an iTunes commercial, and " Stay Down".

Blige was featured on 50 Cent's 2007 album, , in the song "All of Me". In March 2008, she toured with Jay-Z in the Heart of the City Tour. They released a song called "You're Welcome". In the same period, cable network BET aired a special on Blige entitled The Evolution of Mary J. Blige, which showcased her career. Celebrities such as Method Man and Ashanti gave their opinions about Blige and her music. Blige is featured on singles by Big Boi, and Musiq Soulchild.Growing Pains was nominated for and won the Grammy Award for " Best Contemporary R&B Album", at the 51st Grammy Awards held on February 8, 2009, earning Blige her 27th Grammy nomination, in a mere decade. Blige went on the Growing Pains European Tour, her first tour there in two years. A tour of Australia and New Zealand was scheduled for June but was postponed due to "weariness from an overwhelming tour schedule" and then eventually canceled entirely.

On August 7, 2008, it was revealed Blige faced a US$2 million federal suit claiming Neff-U wrote the music for the song " Work That", but was owned by Dream Family Entertainment. The filing claimed that Dream Family never gave rights to use the song to Blige, Feemster or Geffen Records. Rights to the lyrics of the song used in an iPod commercial are not in question.

2009-10: Stronger with Each Tear

Blige returned to performing in January 2009 by performing the song " Lean on Me" at the Presidential Inauguration Committee's, " We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial". Blige also performed her hit 2007 single, " Just Fine", with a new intro at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball after Barack Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009. Blige appeared as a marquee performer on the annual Christmas in Washington television special.

Blige's ninth studio album, Stronger with Each Tear, was released on December 21, 2009, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 332,000 units in its first week of release. It became her fifth album not to take the top spot in the United States. The lead single, " The One", which features Canadian rapper Drake, was released for airplay in June 2009, and was officially and digitally released in July 2009, peaking at number 63 on the Hot 100. Blige recorded " Stronger", as the lead single from the soundtrack to the basketball documentary " More than a Game" in August 2009. The second single from Stronger with Each Tear, " I Am", was released in December 2009 and reached number fifty-five on the Hot 100. The third international single from the album, " Each Tear", was remixed with different featured artists from different countries, then being released in February 2010. The single failed to chart anywhere except in the UK where it reached number one-hundred-eighty-three and in Italy where it reached number one. The album's third U.S. single, " We Got Hood Love" featuring Trey Songz, was released in March 2010 and reached number tw25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart though it failed to reach the Hot 100. One of Blige's representatives reported to magazine that a tour in support of Stronger with Each Tear would begin in the fall of 2010. In March 2010, Blige released Stronger with Each Tear in the United Kingdom, as well as in the European markets. The album performed modestly in the United Kingdom, debuting at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart and at number four on the UK R&B Chart. It reached the top 100 in other countries.

Blige was honored at the 2009 BET Honors Ceremony and was paid tribute by Anita Baker and Monica. On November 4, 2009, Blige sang The Star-Spangled Banner at Yankee Stadium before the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies played the last game (game 6) of the World Series. Blige performed two songs from her ninth album as well as her previous hits, "No More Drama" and "Be Without You" along with the song "Color", which was featured on the soundtrack. Blige appeared as a guest judge on the ninth season of American Idol on January 13, 2010.

On January 23, 2010, Blige released a track " Hard Times Come Again No More" with the Roots as well as performing it at the Hope for Haiti Now telethon. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, Blige and Andrea Bocelli performed" Bridge over Troubled Water". Blige also performed on BET's SOS Help For Haiti, singing "Gonna Make It" with Jazmine Sullivan and "One." Blige also took part in February 2010's We Are the World 25 for Haiti, singing the solo originally sung by Tina Turner in the original 1985 We Are the World version. At the 41st NAACP Image Awards Blige won Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album for Stronger with Each Tear. On November 18, 2010, Billboard revealed Mary J. Blige as the most successful female R&B/hip hop artist on the Top 50 R&B/Hip Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years list. She came in at number 2 overall.

In January 2011, Hot 97 premiered Blige's teaser track " Someone to Love Me (Naked)" featuring vocals by Lil Wayne. In July 2011, Blige released the song "The Living Proof" as the lead single to the soundtrack of the film . On July 24, VH1 premiered their third Behind the Music that profiled her personal and career life. In August 2011, Blige released her first single off the album, " 25/8". Blige's tenth studio album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), was released in November 2011. The album, primarily recorded in Los Angeles and New York City, saw Blige looking toward the future while acknowledging the past. "From me to you, My Life II... Our journey together continues in this life," the singer explained. "It's a gift to be able to relate and identify with my fans at all times. This album is a reflection of the times and lives of people all around me." The album features production by Kanye West and the Underdogs. The second single " Mr. Wrong" featuring Canadian rapper Drake was the most successful single from the album, peaking at number 10 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The rest of the songs released, including lead single " 25/8" achieved only moderate success, peaking within the top 40 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album itself debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, selling 156,000 copies in the first week; it was eventually certified Gold in 2012 and has sold 763,000 in the US.

On February 28, 2012, Blige performed " Star Spangled Banner" at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. Blige appeared as guest mentor on American Idol on March 7, 2012, and performed "Why" on the results show the following night. On September 23, 2012, Blige was a performer at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Blige was featured on the song " Now or Never" from Kendrick Lamar's album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, released on October 22, 2012.

In early 2013, reports surfaced that Blige was recording a Christmas album. The album, titled, A Mary Christmas was released on October 15, 2013, through Matriarch and Verve Records, her first release with the latter. The album includes collaborations with Barbra Streisand, the Clark Sisters, Marc Anthony and Jessie J. In early December, A Mary Christmas became Blige's 12th top ten album after it rose to No. 10 in its eight week.

On October 23, 2013, Blige sang the national anthem before Game 1 of the 2013 World Series.

On February 5, 2014, a remix of Disclosure's " F for You" featuring guest vocals from Mary was released.

It was announced May 30, 2014, that Think Like a Man Too (Music from and Inspired by the Film), released June 17 on Epic Records, would introduce new songs by Mary J. Blige, including the single "Suitcase". Blige recorded a collection of music from and inspired by the film. In the United States, Think Like a Man Too debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200, with 8,688 copies sold in its first week, becoming the lowest sales debut of any of her studio albums. On 's R&B/Hip-Hop chart, the soundtrack album charted at number six, marking Blige's 16th top ten entry on the chart, tying her with Mariah Carey for the second-most top tens by a female artist.

June 2, 2014 saw Blige pairing up with another English musician with the release of a re-worked version of Sam Smith's " Stay with Me". A live visual to the song was released on the same day.

Following her concert date at the Essence Festival, on July 9, 2014, it was announced Blige would move to London to experiment with a new sound for her new album. Blige spent a month in London recording her album in RAK Studios with a host of young British acts, including Disclosure, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sandé and Sam Smith. Ten new songs, co-written and recorded by the singer, were released on November 24, 2014 on an album entitled The London Sessions. That same month, she announced that she left Geffen and Interscope and signed with Capitol Records.

In August 2016, Blige was recruited to perform the new theme song for the ABC Daytime talk show for its twentieth season titled "World's Gone Crazy" written by Diane Warren. A music video was also shot for the new theme song with co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Candace Cameron Bure, Raven-Symoné, Paula Faris, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Jedediah Bila. Blige also appeared on The View alongside Maxwell during its premiere week on September 9, 2016 to discuss their joint tour and theme song.

On September 30, 2016, Blige premiered a new show, The 411, on Apple Music. On its debut episode, she interviewed Hillary Clinton. A trailer was released online with Blige singing a cover of Bruce Springsteen's " American Skin" to a bewildered Clinton. The exchange received mixed and negative reaction on social media. Two weeks later, a studio version, this time featuring a verse from American rapper Kendrick Lamar was released online.

Following her highly publicized divorce from Kendu Issacs, Blige released two songs within October, " Thick of It" and " U + Me (Love Lesson)". On April 28, 2017, her thirteenth studio album, Strength of a Woman, was released. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and topped the R&B Albums chart. On July 12, 2018, Blige released the single "Only Love" on Republic Records, following her exit from Capitol Records.

On April 16, 2019, Blige announced that she is co-headlining a North American summer tour with Nas titled The Royalty Tour. On May 8, Blige released the single "Thriving" featuring Nas. During an interview with Ebro Darden on Beats 1 for the premiere of "Thriving", Blige announced that her next studio album will be released before July. On June 23, at the BET Awards 2019, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contributions to music industry. On June 25, The New York Times Magazine listed Mary J. Blige among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

1998-2016: Early works

In 1998, Blige made her acting debut on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, playing the apparently southern Ola Mae, a preacher's daughter who wanted to sing more than gospel music. Her father was portrayed by Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers. In 2001, Blige starred opposite rapper Q-Tip in the independent film Prison Song. That same year, Blige made a cameo on the Lifetime network series, Strong Medicine; playing the role of Simone Fellows. Blige's character was the lead singer of a band who was sick, but would not seek treatment. In 2000, Blige was featured in a superhero web cartoon in junction with Stan Lee. Blige used the cartoon as part of her performance while on her 2000 Mary Show Tour. In 2004, Blige starred in an Off-Broadway play, The Exonerated. The play chronicled the experiences of death row inmates. Blige portrayed Sunny Jacobs, a woman who spent 20 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. In late 2005, it was reported that Blige landed the starring role in the upcoming MTV Films biopic on American singer/pianist and civil rights activist, Nina Simone. By spring of 2010, Blige was slated to star as Simone with British actor David Oyelowo portraying her manager Clifton Henderson. Blige later dropped out of the role due to financial issues and the role was subsequently recast with Dominican American actress Zoe Saldana as Simone in , released in 2016.

In February 2007, Blige guest-starred on Ghost Whisperer, in an episode called "Mean Ghost", as the character Jackie Boyd, the school's cheerleader coach grieving for the death of her brother and affected by the ghost of a dead cheerleader. The episode features many of Blige's songs. In August 2007, Blige was a guest star on , in the role of herself, as a client of Ari Gold's agency. In October 2007, Blige was also a guest star on America's Next Top Model, as a creative director for a photoshoot by Matthew Rolston. In May 2009, Mary made a guest appearance on , as an artist recording a benefit song for a kidney. Blige also had a supporting role in Tyler Perry's movie I Can Do Bad All by Myself, which was released in September 2009.

Blige starred alongside Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, and Alec Baldwin in the film adaptation of the 1980s jukebox hit musical Rock of Ages. Blige played Justice Charlier, the owner of a Sunset Strip gentlemen's club. Production began in May 2011 and the film was released in June 2012.

Blige starred in the Lifetime movie Betty and Coretta alongside Angela Bassett, Malik Yoba and Lindsay Owen Pierre. She played Dr. Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X. The film premiered in February 2013. In December 2015, she portrayed Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West in NBC's The Wiz Live!. In October 2016, Blige guest-starred on ABC legal drama How to Get Away with Murder as an old acquaintance of Annalise Keating played by Viola Davis.

2017-present

In 2017, Blige starred in the period drama film directed by Dee Rees. Playing Florence Jackson, the matriarch of her family, she received praise such as review: "Mary J. Blige, as the mother of the Jackson family, gives a transformative performance that will elevate the acting career of the R&B star." For her performance in Mudbound, Blige was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. As she was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song (with Taura Stinson and Raphael Saadiq), she became the first person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and original song in the same year. Her nomination also made Dee Rees the first black woman to direct a film for which an actor was nominated for an Academy Award.

Blige voiced Irene Adler in the 2018 animated film Sherlock Gnomes, and in 2020 voiced Queen Essence in the animated musical film Trolls World Tour. In 2018, it was announced that Blige was cast as Sherry Elliot in the third season of the slasher television series . The season premiered on VH1 on July 8, 2019. In 2019, Blige starred in the role of Cha-Cha, a main antagonist in the Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy.

Blige played a leading role in the upcoming horror film Body Cam (film) . She starred in the independent drama film Pink Skies Ahead that will premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest film festival. She played singer Dinah Washington in the biographical drama film about life and career of Aretha Franklin. The film is scheduled to be released theatrically on January 15, 2021. In late 2019, Blige began production on an untitled documentary about her life and career directed by Vanessa Roth. Blige stars as Monet Stewart Tejada in Power Book II: Ghost, the first spin-off for the highly rated Starz cable drama which premieres in September 2020.

Blige married her manager, Martin "Kendu" Isaacs, on December 7, 2003. At the time, Isaacs had two children, Nas and Jordan, with his first wife, and an older daughter, Briana, from a teenage relationship. In July 2016, Blige filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". Blige and Isaacs' divorce was finalized on June 21, 2018.

A Democrat, Blige performed for Barack Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Blige has dealt with drug and alcohol addiction, and has been sober for several years.

In 2004, Blige launched her own record label, Matriarch Records, distributed through Interscope, and in mid-2012, discovered girl group Just'Us, making the group the first ladies of the label. Blige says "These are my little Mary's; they each remind me of myself at different points in my life." Blige has been reported to be working with Just'Us on their debut album.

In July 2010, Blige launched her first perfume, My Life (through Carol's Daughter), exclusively on HSN. The fragrance's success broke sales records in hours and has been awarded two prestigious FIFI awards from the Fragrance Foundation. The newest fragrance, My Life Blossom launched in August 2011 exclusively to HSN.

In October 2010, Blige released a line of sunglasses called "Melodies by MJB". The first Melodies collection featured four styles with a total of 20 color options. Each style represented a specific facet of Blige's life. Essence magazine reported that in the spring of 2011, "Melodies by MJB" extended their collection to offer more styles.

Blige's production company, along with William Morris Endeavor, is also working on several TV and film projects.

In partnership with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and Carol's Daughter, Blige released her "My Life" perfume. The perfume broke HSN records by selling 65,000 bottles during its premiere. The scent went on to win two FiFi Awards, including the "Fragrance Sales Breakthrough" award.

Blige has had endorsement contracts with Reebok, Air Jordan, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Gap, Target, American Express, AT&T Inc., M·A·C, Apple Inc., Burger King and Chevrolet. She has also been a spokesperson with Carol's Daughter beauty products and Citibank's with Nickelback program.[citation needed ]

Called the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul", Blige is credited with influencing the musical marriage of hip hop and R&B. Ethan Brown of The New Yorker says that albums " What's the 411?" and "My Life", in hindsight, invented "the sample-heavy sound that reinvigorated urban radio and became a blueprint for nineties hip-hop and R&B". Tom Horan of The Daily Telegraph comments that Blige, being a hugely influential figure in popular music, "invented what is now called R&B by successfully combining female vocals with muscular hip hop rhythm tracks. All over the world, that recipe dominates today's charts." Called one of the "most explosive, coming-out displays of pure singing prowess" and "one of the most important albums of the nineties", What's the 411? saw Blige pioneer "the movement that would later become neo soul, generating gripping songs that were also massive radio hits".

African American scholars have noted the implications of Blige's presentation and representation of black womanhood and femininity in the typically male-dominated and centric sphere of hip hop. Blending the vocal techniques of rapping in hip hop with aspirational messages in R&B, Blige is credited to articulating black women's experiences in a "more factual and objective" manner than typical stereotypes and tropes of black women in the media. Using her personal experiences and struggles with her family as source material for her songs, Blige refutes notions of black female hypersexuality by "imploring women to love and empower themselves through both autonomy and intimacy." This desire for love does more than connect to her audience members. With particular attention on her single " Real Love," critics note how the song is "a performative text, declaratively demand[ing] recognition of Blige's full humanity and, more broadly, that of hip-hop-generation women."

Blige has received notable awards and achievements. In 2010, she was ranked 80th on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artist of All Time. Blige was listed as one of the 50 most influential R&B singers by Essence. Rolling Stone magazine ranked My Life at number 279 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was also included on Time's list of the 100 Greatest albums of All Time. Alternately called the "Queen of R&B" for her success in the realm of R&B, Blige has amassed ten number one albums on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart . Blige is also the only artist to have won Grammys in the R&B, hip hop, pop, and gospel fields.

As an actress, Blige received the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival for her role in .

In 2020, Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian female Vice President-elect on a major party walked out to " Work That" at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, campaign events (including her own presidential campaign), and her victory speech.

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Mary Jane Blige (; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1991 when she was signed to Uptown Records. She went on to release 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has sold 130 million records worldwide.

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lionel richie

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Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, actor, and television judge. During the 1970s, he recorded with funk band the Commodores, and his solo career made him one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s.

Beginning in 1968, Richie was a member of the Commodores. The Commodores became established as a popular soul group; their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as " Machine Gun" and " Brick House". Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as " Easy", " Three Times a Lady", " Still", and the breakup ballad " Sail On". Richie launched a solo career in 1982 and his 1982 debut solo album, Lionel Richie, contained three hit singles: the U.S. number-one song " Truly", and the top five hits " You Are" and " My Love". The album hit No. 3 on the music charts and sold over four million copies. His 1983 follow-up album, Can't Slow Down, sold over twice as many copies, propelling him into the first rank of international superstars. He also co-wrote the 1985 charity single " We Are the World" with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies.

Over the course of his career, Richie has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Can't Slow Down, and his other Grammy Awards include Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 1985 and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Truly" in 1983. Richie has also been nominated for two Golden Globe awards and won one. In 1982, he was nominated for Best Original Song for the film Endless Love. In 1986, he won the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song for " Say You, Say Me", featured in the film White Nights. The song also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award. He has served with Luke Bryan and Katy Perry as a judge for the singing competition American Idol since its move to ABC from the Fox network, since 2018.

Richie was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Lionel Brockman Richie Sr. and Alberta R. Foster. On March 4, 2011, Richie appeared on NBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, which found out that his maternal Great-Grandfather was the national leader of an early African-American fraternal organization. Notably, J. Louis Brown was:

[P]rincipal organizer and Supreme Grand Archon of the Knights of Wise Men, a fraternal organization for black men in the post- Civil War period. Formed in Nashville in 1879, it was a fraternal insurance and burial benefit society, as were so many others during the period.

He grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute, and graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus in Joliet, Illinois. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.

Richie considered studying divinity to become a priest in the Episcopal Church, in which he had been baptised, but ultimately decided he was not "priest material" and decided to continue his musical career. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor fraternity for band members, and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. They signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 1968 for one record before moving on to Motown Records initially as a support act to The Jackson 5. The Commodores then became established as a popular soul group. Their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as " Machine Gun" and " Brick House." Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as " Easy", " Three Times a Lady", " Still", and the breakup ballad " Sail On".

In 1974, Richie achieved his first commercial success as a songwriter with " Happy People," which he co-wrote with Jeffrey Bowen and Donald Baldwin. Originally intended as a Commodores track, it was recorded by The Temptations, who had their penultimate #1 R&B with the song. By the late 1970s, Richie had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists. He composed " Lady" for Kenny Rogers, which hit No. 1 in 1980, and produced Rogers' album Share Your Love the following year. Richie and Rogers maintained a strong friendship in later years. Latin jazz composer and salsa romantica pioneer La Palabra enjoyed international success with his cover of "Lady," which was played at Latin dance clubs. Also in 1981 Richie sang the theme song for the film Endless Love, a duet with Diana Ross. Issued as a single, the song topped the Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and US pop music charts, and became one of Motown's biggest hits. Its success encouraged Richie to branch out into a full-fledged solo career in 1982. He was replaced as lead singer for the Commodores by Skyler Jett in 1983.

Richie's 1982 debut solo album, Lionel Richie, contained three hit singles: the U.S. number-one song " Truly", which continued the style of his ballads with the Commodores and launched his career as one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and the top five hits " You Are" and " My Love". The album hit No. 3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies. His 1983 follow-up album, Can't Slow Down, sold over twice as many copies and won two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, propelling him into the first rank of international superstars. The album contained the number-one hit " All Night Long", a Caribbean-flavored dance number that was promoted by a colorful music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith. In 1984, he performed "All Night Long" at the closing ceremony of the XXIII Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Several more Top 10 hits followed, the most successful of which was the ballad " Hello" (1984), a sentimental love song that showed how far he had moved from his R&B roots. Richie had three more top ten hits in 1984, " Stuck on You" (#3), " Running with the Night" (#7) and " Penny Lover" (#8), as well as writing & producing "Missing You" for former labelmate and duet partner Diana Ross (#10 Pop, #1 R&B). In 1985, he wrote and performed " Say You, Say Me" for the film White Nights. The song won an Academy Award and reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts, staying there for four weeks, making it the number-two song of 1986 according to s Year-End Hot 100 chart, behind the charity single " That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne and Friends. He also collaborated with Michael Jackson on the charity single " We Are the World" by USA for Africa, another number-one hit.

In 1986, Richie released Dancing on the Ceiling, his last widely popular album, which produced a run of five US and UK hits, " Say You, Say Me" (U.S. #1), " Dancing on the Ceiling" (U.S. #2), " Love Will Conquer All" (U.S. #9), " Ballerina Girl" (U.S. #7), and " Se La" (U.S. #20). He made his return to recording and performing following the release of his first greatest-hits collection, Back to Front, in 1992.

Since then, his ever-more-relaxed schedule has kept his recording and live work to a minimum. He broke the silence in 1996 with Louder Than Words, on which he resisted any change of style or the musical fashion-hopping of the past decade, sticking instead with his chosen path of well-crafted soul music, which in the intervening years has become known as contemporary R&B.

Richie's albums in the 1990s such as Louder Than Words and failed to match the commercial success of his earlier work. Some of his recent albums, such as Renaissance, have returned to his older style and achieved success in Europe but only modest notice in the United States.

Richie was the headliner at a 2006 Fourth of July tribute concert with Fantasia Barrino at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. On May 7, 2006, Richie performed on the main stage (Acura Stage) at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, replacing Antoine "Fats" Domino, who had fallen ill. Richie released his eighth studio album titled " Coming Home" on September 12, 2006. The first single of the album was " I Call It Love" and was premiered in July 2006, becoming his biggest hit in the U.S. in ten years. The album was a big success for Richie in the United States, peaking at No. 6.

On May 2, 2008, Richie was the 21st recipient of the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA's annual Spring Sing. In accepting the award, Richie said: "Forget about surviving 30 some odd years in the music business, Lionel Richie survived 27 years of Nicole Richie."

In May 2009, Richie announced that he would like to get The Commodores back together soon. An album, , was released in 2009. On July 7, 2009, Richie performed "Jesus is Love" at Michael Jackson's memorial service.

Richie returned to Australia in 2011 where he and guest artist Guy Sebastian toured the country and New Zealand with concert dates throughout March and April. Richie and Guy Sebastian recorded Richie's 1983 number 1 single " All Night Long" together to raise money for Australian floods and New Zealand earthquake relief.

On March 26, 2012, Richie released his tenth studio album, , which featured 13 of his hit songs performed as duets with country stars. After years of mediocre sales in the U.S., the album returned him to the top of the Billboard 200 chart, his first number one album there since Dancing on the Ceiling, and achieved platinum status within six weeks of release.

On June 28, 2015, Richie played to an audience of between 100,000 and 120,000 people at the Glastonbury Festival, England. His show was described as "triumphant" by the BBC and was followed by his return to the top of the UK albums chart with a reissued compilation album of his work as both a solo artist and with the Commodores. In September 2017, ABC announced that Richie would be a judge for the revival of American Idol.

In May 2017, Richie was honored at Berklee College of Music during its 2017 commencement concert when graduating students performed a medley of his discography. Richie was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music. On December 3, 2017, Richie received the Kennedy Center Honors.

In October 2017, it was reported that Richie had secured the rights to produce a Curtis Mayfield biopic.

On March 25, 2019, Richie announced a 33-date tour across North America for the summer. His 'Hello Tour' kicked off May 10 at Arlington's KAABOO Festival and runs through August.

Richie is a popular musician in various Arab states, and has performed in Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Libya. John Berman for reported in 2006 that "Grown Iraqi men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name. 'I love Lionel Richie,' they say. They can sing an entire Lionel Richie song." Berman wrote that Richie said he was told that Iraqi civilians were playing "All Night Long" the night U.S. tanks invaded Baghdad. Richie was against the war and has said he would like to perform in Baghdad someday.

On October 18, 1975, Richie married his college sweetheart, Brenda Harvey. In 1983, the couple informally adopted Nicole Camille Escovedo (now Nicole Richie), the two-year-old daughter of a member of Lionel's band who was also the niece of drummer Sheila E. The Richies raised Nicole as their daughter and adopted her legally when she was nine years old.

In 1986, while still married to Harvey, Richie began a relationship with Diane Alexander. He later separated from Harvey, who in 1988 allegedly discovered Richie and Alexander together in a Beverly Hills hotel room by saying she was "room service." In June 1988, Harvey was arrested and charged with corporal injury to a spouse, resisting arrest, trespassing, vandalism, battery, and disturbing the peace after she found Richie at Alexander's Beverly Hills apartment. Richie and Harvey divorced on August 9, 1993, after nearly 18 years of marriage. Richie married Diane Alexander on December 21, 1995. They have a son, Miles Brockman (born May 27, 1994), and a daughter, Sofia Richie (born August 24, 1998). The marriage ended in 2004.

Richie suffered prolonged throat problems and had surgery four times in four years before being told by conventional doctors that he could lose his singing career. He finally turned to a holistic doctor who ascertained that the problem was simply acid reflux caused by foods Richie was eating before going to bed.

Richie became a grandfather in 2008 when Nicole Richie gave birth to a baby girl with the lead singer of Good Charlotte, Joel Madden. Richie's second grandchild was born to the couple in 2009.

Richie helped to raise over $3.1 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. He was the featured performer at the Foundation's Soirée Bouquet, the annual spring gala, in 2003.

Richie told the crowd that his grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 80s, but survived and lived until she was 103 years old. He stated that she was his enduring symbol of hope and his reason for becoming a breast cancer activist.

Richie has won four Grammy Awards including Song of the Year in 1985 for " We Are the World" which he co-wrote with Michael Jackson, Album of the Year in 1984 for Can't Slow Down, Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 1984 and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Truly in 1982.

Richie was the first person to receive an RIAA diamond album award.

Richie has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards and won one. In 1982, he was nominated for Best Original Song for the film Endless Love. In 1986, he was nominated and won the award for Best Original Song for the song " Say You, Say Me", featured in the film White Nights. This song also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

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Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, actor, and television judge. During the 1970s, he recorded with funk band the Commodores, and his solo career made him one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s. Beginning in 1968, Richie was a member of the Commodores.

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https://youtu.be/CHekNnySAfM

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Evelyn "Champagne" King

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Evelyn " Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her hit disco single " Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from the early through the mid-1980s including; " I'm in Love" (1981), " Love Come Down" (1982) and " Your Personal Touch" (1985).

Evelyn King was born on July 1, 1960, in New York, New York, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is one of eight children. Her uncle Avon Long had played the part of Sportin' Life in the first Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess and worked with Lena Horne at the Cotton Club. Her father sang back-up for groups at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Her mother managed a group called Quality Red.

King was discovered as a young woman while working with her mother at Philadelphia International Records as an office cleaner. Producer Theodore T. Life overheard her singing in a washroom and began coaching her. She was eventually signed to a production deal with Life's Galaxy Productions and a recording contract with RCA Records.

In 1990, King married smooth jazz guitarist Freddie Fox. In 1997, she lost three family members to various illnesses. In 1987 her daughter Johnniea was born with brain damage and other health problems, dying two years later.

King released her debut album, Smooth Talk, in 1977. It included the song " Shame", which is her only top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9; the song also reached #7 Soul and #8 on the dance chart. The record was eventually certified gold. Another single from that album, " I Don't Know If It's Right", peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 Soul; it would become her second certified gold single. In 1981, the single "I'm in Love" was released from the same-titled album; it reached #1 on the R&B singles chart and dance chart in August of that year; it also peaked at #40 on the pop chart.

In 1982, King released the album, Get Loose. It yielded a top twenty pop and #1 Soul hit with the single, " Love Come Down". The song also peaked at #1 on the dance chart and reached the UK Singles Chart top ten, peaking at #7 for three weeks. The follow-up, "Betcha She Don't Love You", peaked at #2 on the Soul chart and #49 on the pop chart. From the mid- to late-1980s, King would continue to chart on the Soul chart, placing eight singles in the Soul top twenty, with three making it to the top ten.

On September 20, 2004, King's "Shame" became one of the first records to be inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York's Spirit club.[citation needed ]

On August 14, 2007, King released her first studio album in 12 years, Open Book. It featured the single "The Dance", which peaked at #12 on the Hot Dance Club Play Chart. In 2011, King also collaborated with deep house producer Miguel Migs, on the track "Everybody", which was included on his album Outside the Skyline. The single for "Everybody" was released on July 19, 2011.

In 2015, King formed a group with disco vocalists Martha Wash and Linda Clifford called First Ladies of Disco. The group released their debut single "Show Some Love" in March 2015, which peaked at number six on the Dance charts. The group embarked on their first tour together in 2017. In December 2017, King left the group.

Studio albums

Compilation albums

The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King (1990, RCA)

Love Come Down: The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King (1993, RCA)

Greatest Hits (2001, RCA)

Platinum & Gold Collection (2003, BMG Heritage)

If You Want My Lovin' (2006, Sony Music Special Products)

Action: The Evelyn "Champagne" King Anthology - 1977-1986 (2014, BBR)

The Essential Evelyn "Champagne" King (2015, Legacy)

The Complete RCA Hits and More! (2016, Real Gone Music)

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Evelyn " Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her hit disco single " Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity.

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Barbara Lewis

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Barbara Ann Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues.

Lewis was born in Salem, Michigan, United States. She was writing and recording by her teens with record producer Ollie McLaughlin, a black DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV, now WAAM.

Lewis' first single release in 1962, the uptempo "My Heart Went Do Dat Da," did not chart nationally, but was a local hit in the Detroit, Michigan area. She wrote all of the songs on her debut LP, including the hit " Hello Stranger" which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and featured extensive use of the Hammond organ. Lewis had moderate follow-up hits with "Straighten Up Your Heart" (#43) and her original "Puppy Love" (#38) before Bert Berns produced her million-seller " Baby I'm Yours" (U.S. #11), written by Van McCoy. Berns also produced the followup " Make Me Your Baby" (U.S. #11) which had originally been recorded by the Pixies Three, and Lewis' final Top 40 hit "Make Me Belong to You" (#28 in 1966), written by Chip Taylor and Billy Vera.

On August 8, 1969, together with actress Joanna Pettet, Lewis had lunch at the house of Sharon Tate in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, a few hours before Tate's murder there during the night that followed.

At the end of the decade, she released a grittier-sounding album on Stax Records.

Over the next decade, a number of other artists had success with Lewis' songs. Her own composition "Hello Stranger" - which had been remade in 1966 by the Capitols - was a regional hit in 1973 as remade by Fire & Rain and in 1977 Yvonne Elliman's version reached the US Top 20 and the UK Singles Chart Top 30: Elliman's version also topped the US Easy Listening chart for four weeks. In 1985 Carrie Lucas' remake of "Hello Stranger" was a Top 20 R&B hit and in 2004 Queen Latifah remade "Hello Stranger" for her The Dana Owens Album.

Lewis had dropped out of public view for years after her career slowed in the 1960s. It was only after Elliman's hit in 1977 that she was tracked down by Casey Kasem for his AT40 show on 6-4-77. According to Casey nobody knew where she ended up, including her agent who did not even know how to send her checks for the Elliman recording of her song. According to Kasem she was hoping to be rediscovered in Michigan when he found her.

"Baby I'm Yours" charted in versions by country singer Jody Miller and Debby Boone (the B-side of her single "God Knows"). In Canada, Suzanne Stevens had a hit in 1975 with a disco version of "Make Me Your Baby". Cover versions of her songs continue into the new millennium with the Arctic Monkeys including a version of "Baby I'm Yours" as a B-side to their 2006 single " Leave Before the Lights Come On".

In 1995, Lewis' "Baby I'm Yours" was featured on the soundtrack for the film The Bridges of Madison County, and in 2016 "Hello Stranger" was featured on the soundtrack for the film . She received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999.

In 2016, Barbara Lewis was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

Health issues forced Lewis to retire from singing in 2017.

In 2019, "Hello Stranger" featured towards the end of the final episode of Giri/Haji.

Studio albums

Chart singles

"Hello Stranger" - May 1963 - US No. 3, U.S. R&B No. 1 (2 weeks)

"Straighten Up Your Heart" - August 1963 - U.S. #43; b/w "If You Love Her" - U.S. No. 131

"Puppy Love" - January 1964 - U.S. #38; b/w "Snap Your Fingers" December 1963 - U.S. No. 71

"Baby I'm Yours" - June 1965 - U.S. No. 11

"Make Me Your Baby" - September 1965 - U.S. No. 11

"Don't Forget About Me" - January 1966 - U.S. No. 91

"Make Me Belong to You" - July 1966 - U.S. No. 28

"Baby What Do You Want Me to Do" - October 1966 - U.S. No. 74

"I'll Make Him Love Me" - April 1967 - U.S. No. 72

Other noteworthy songs

"My Heart Went Do Dat Da"

"My Mama Told Me"

"Think A Little Sugar" (flip side of "Hello Stranger")

"How Can I Say Goodbye"

"Spend A Little Time"

"Someday We're Gonna Love Again"

"Pushin' A Good Thing Too Far"

"I Remember The Feeling (flip side of "Baby What Do You Want Me To Do")

"Thankful For What I Got"

"Sho' Nuff (It's Got To Be Your Love)"

"Love Makes The World Go Round" - a cover of a hit by Deon Jackson

"On Bended Knee"

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Barbara Ann Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues. Lewis was born in Salem, Michigan, United States. She was writing and recording by her teens with record producer Ollie McLaughlin, a black DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV, now WAAM.

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The Stylistics

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The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads characterized by the falsetto of Russell Thompkins Jr. and the production of Thom Bell. During the early 1970s, the group had twelve consecutive R&B top ten hits, including " Stop, Look, Listen", " You Are Everything", " Betcha by Golly, Wow", " I'm Stone in Love with You", " Break Up to Make Up", and " You Make Me Feel Brand New". Murrell brought Eban Brown in to replace Russell Thompkins Jr. in 2000.

Early years

The Stylistics were created from two Philadelphia groups, The Percussions and The Monarchs. Russell Thompkins Jr., James Smith, and Airrion Love came from the Monarchs, and James Dunn and Herb Murrell came from the Percussions. In 1970, the group recorded "You're a Big Girl Now", a song their road manager Marty Bryant co-wrote with Robert Douglas, a member of their backing band Slim and the Boys, and the single became a regional hit for Sebring Records. Producer Bill Perry spent $400 to record the song in the Virtue Studios in Philadelphia. The larger Avco Records soon signed the Stylistics, and the single eventually climbed to No. 7 on the US R&B chart in early 1971.

Success: The Bell/Creed years

After signing to Avco, the record label approached producer Thom Bell, who had already produced a catalogue of hits for The Delfonics, to work with the group. The Stylistics auditioned for Bell, but he was initially unimpressed. He ultimately agreed to produce the group because he believed in the potential of lead singer Russell Thompkins, Jr.'s distinctive, nasal high tenor and falsetto voice. Avco gave Bell complete creative control over the Stylistics and he proceeded to focus the group's sound exclusively around Thompkins's voice. On most of the group hits, Bell would have Thompkins sing virtually solo.

The first song recorded with Bell and his collaborator, lyricist Linda Creed, was " Stop, Look, Listen".

Their hits from this period - distilled from three albums - included " Betcha by Golly, Wow" (U.S. No. 3), " I'm Stone in Love with You", " Break Up to Make Up" (U.S. No. 5), " You Make Me Feel Brand New" featuring Thompkins singing a lead vocal duet with Airrion Love, "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)", " You Are Everything", and the Top 20 pop chart hit " Rockin' Roll Baby" (U.S. No. 14). "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was the group's biggest U.S. hit, holding at No. 2 for two weeks in 1974, and was one of the group's five U.S. gold singles.

The Stylistics also found a path on to adult contemporary airwaves, and the group made magazine's Easy Listening singles chart twelve times from 1971 to 1976, with three entries ("Betcha by Golly, Wow", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", and " You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)") reaching the Top 10. Every single that Bell produced for the Stylistics was a Top Ten R&B hit, and several - "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly Wow!", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up to Make Up", and "You Make Me Feel Brand New" - were also Top Ten pop chart hits. The group also enjoyed commercial success with hits with this material throughout Europe.

Changing style: Continuing international success

Thom Bell stopped working with the Stylistics in 1974, and the split proved commercially difficult for the group in the U.S. They struggled to find the right material, although their partnership with label owners Hugo & Luigi as producers and arranger Van McCoy started well with "Let's Put It All Together" (No. 18 pop, No. 8 R&B) and "Heavy Fallin' Out" (No. 4 R&B, No. 41 pop). Later singles were notably less successful, but as U.S. success began to wane, their popularity in Europe, and especially the United Kingdom, increased. Indeed, the lighter 'pop' sound fashioned by McCoy and Hugo & Luigi gave the group a UK No. 1 in 1975 with " Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)". Further successes with "Sing Baby Sing", "Na Na Is The Saddest Word", "Funky Weekend" and " Can't Help Falling in Love" consolidated the group's European popularity. They are one of the few U.S. acts to have two chart-topping greatest hits albums in the UK.

The Stylistics switched record labels during this period as Avco Records transitioned into H&L Records in 1976. Notwithstanding this, the band began to struggle with increasingly weak material, and although the singles and albums came out as before, by 1978 chart success had vanished. A move to Mercury in 1978 for two albums produced by Teddy Randazzo failed to produce any major success. Russell Thompkins Jr. wrote (in the sleevenotes for the re-issue of the 1976 album, Fabulous) that the group began to feel that the music they were recording was becoming dated, and not in keeping with the popular disco sound of the late 1970s.

In 1979, they had a small part in the movie , directed by Miloš Forman, where they play conservative army officers. They double Nell Carter in singing a song called "White Boys".

Later years

In 1980 the group reunited with Thom Bell and signed with Philadelphia International Records subsidiary TSOP Records. They released the single " Hurry Up This Way Again" that year which brought them back into the R&B Top 20 (peaking at No. 18). Both James Dunn and James Smith departed due to conflicts over the direction of the group. Dunn left before the recording of the album Hurry Up This Way Again (1980) and Smith after the recording of Closer Than Close in 1981. The group continued, recruiting new member Raymond Johnson. But Johnson departed in 1985, leaving the group a trio. Love, Murrell and Thompkins continued to tour until 2000, when Russell Thompkins, Jr. left the group.

Murrell asked Eban Brown (formerly of The Delfonics; The Manhattans and Ray, Goodman and Brown) to replace Russell as Lead Singer back in 2000. The same year, tenor singer Van Fields who also sang with an a cappella group called A Perfect Blend joined The Stylistics too. In 2011, Fields departed from the group due to creative differences and was replaced by Jason Sharp. The group, prior to Fields' departure, was featured live on the DVD The Stylistics Live at the Convocation Center (2006), as well as with other artists of the 1970s on the DVD, 70s Soul Jam. They recorded their latest album, That Same Way, in 2008.

Russell Thompkins, Jr. launched his own group in 2004, the New Stylistics, with the returning Raymond Johnson, plus James Ranton and Jonathan Buckson. They were featured on the DVD Old School Soul Party Live!, which was part of the PBS My Music series.

In 2006 their hit single "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" was used as the base for a Japanese advertisement campaign by Gatsby, to launch their new male hair styling product, 'Moving Rubber'. The campaign was successful and featured Takuya Kimura of the pop group SMAP. They were also featured guests on SMAP's television show, to promote the 'Moving Rubber' product.

In October 2009, they featured on the UK BBC One television program, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

Their song "People Make the World Go Round" was used by Spike Lee in the soundtrack for his 1994 film, , as performed by Marc Dorsey.

In January 2018, Eban Brown announced his departure to concentrate on his solo career. Since then, Eban has performed solo in many venues around the world, including Wembley Arena and Liverpool Echo Arena in the UK, and the GrandWest Grand Arena in Cape Town, South Africa. He was initially replaced by Michael Muse, formerly of Rare Essence for a few months, then was replaced by former Temptation Barrington "Bo" Henderson.

Current members

Airrion Love

Herb Murrell

Jason Sharp

Barrington "Bo" Henderson

Former members

Russell Thompkins, Jr. (Lead)

Harold Eban Brown (Lead)

James Dunn

James Smith

Raymond Johnson

Van Fields

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The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads characterized by the falsetto of Russell Thompkins Jr.

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Zapp and Roger

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(also known as the Zapp Band, Zapp & Roger) is an American funk band that emerged from Dayton, Ohio, United States, in 1977. Particularly influential in the electro subgenre of funk, Zapp were known for their trademark use of the talk-box effect. The original line-up consisted of four Troutman brothers-frontman Roger, Larry, Lester and Terry-and non-Troutman family members Bobby Glover, Gregory Jackson, Sherman Fleetwood, Jerome Derrickson, Eddie Barber and Jannetta Boyce. Zapp also worked closely with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic during its early stages, their support being a factor in the group gaining a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 1979.

Zapp released its eponymous debut album in 1980, and achieved mainstream recognition from the single " More Bounce to the Ounce". The group's follow-up was released in 1982, selling well and becoming certified gold. In the 1990s, Zapp would also be an influence on the regional G-funk sound and the broader cultural scene of West Coast hip-hop itself. The band disbanded in 1999 after the deaths of Roger and Larry Troutman in a murder-suicide apparently carried out by Larry. Zapp reformed briefly in 2003 with the remaining brothers of the Troutman family to produce the album Zapp VI: Back By Popular Demand.

Born on November 29, 1951, in Hamilton, Ohio, Roger Troutman began recording music in the late to mid 1960s, issuing his first solo recording efforts "Jolly Roger" and "Night Time" on the obscure and now defunct Ohio label, Teen Records in 1966 under the band name 'Lil' Roger and His Fabulous Vels. Although neither song received recognition due to its very limited release, Troutman and brothers pursued their music career throughout the 1970s, forming Roger & The Human Body in 1976, on their privately owned label Troutman Bros. Records. Their own label allowed Troutman and the band to give a slightly wider and more high-profile release of their own music, issuing their first (and only) album Introducing Roger in 1976.

In the late 1970s Roger Troutman continued to record with his brothers, losing the name Roger & The Human Body and adopting the Zapp nickname from his brother Terry in 1977. The group searching for recognition, began playing at various small venues locally around Ohio. The Troutman family had long-standing friendships with Ohio natives Phelps "Catfish" Collins and William Earl "Bootsy" Collins, who had both been involved with Parliament-Funkadelic in the early 1970s. Phelps and Bootsy were attendees at a performance, and were impressed with Zapp's musical abilities, prompting Bootsy to invite Roger to the United Sound Studios in Detroit (the P-Funk studio base) which was frequently used by Parliament-Funkadelic. Roger Troutman subsequently wrote and recorded the demo for " More Bounce to the Ounce" in 1978. George Clinton, the leader of Funkadelic liked the recording and encouraged Troutman to present the demo to Warner Bros. Records. Warner Bros. signed Zapp in early 1979, and on July 28, 1980, Zapp released their debut album, which was recorded by Roger and produced by Bootsy between 1979 and early 1980 at the United Sound Studios in Detroit, their first recording on a major label. The album's sound, which is highly influenced by Parliament-Funkadelic, contrasts largely with Zapp's later releases. "More Bounce to the Ounce" reached number two on the Billboard Hot R&B tracks for two weeks during the autumn of 1980. By November 18, 1980, Zapp had been certified gold by the RIAA.

- Bootsy Collins citing Clinton's influence toward creating the song 'More Bounce To The Ounce'

After the 1980 release of Zapp's debut album, tensions rose between Roger Troutman and George Clinton. Troutman's solo album The Many Facets of Roger was primarily funded by Clinton, through CBS, and was slated to be released on his own Uncle Jam Records label. By the early 1980s, Clinton and his musical projects were experiencing financial troubles due to his poor management skills and shifting tastes in music. Around the time that Troutman's debut was due to be released, Warner Bros. Records dropped Clinton from their label. Funkadelic's final recording with Warner Bros., on which Troutman had worked briefly, was The Electric Spanking of War Babies. Under pressure from the label, it was cut from a double album to a single disc. Warner Bros. did not promote the release, which emerged in early 1981 and made little impact.

Troutman could see the disarray surrounding Clinton and severed their partnership by accepting a higher offer for the demo recordings of his album from Warner Bros. With Clinton out of the picture, Troutman was left to exercise virtually full creative control over the band's subsequent work. When The Many Facets of Roger was finally released in August 1981 it was on the Warner Bros. label. In Clinton's biography George Clinton: For the Record, Troutman was quoted as off-handedly commenting, "... Heck gee-willickers, Warner Bros. offered me mo' money". Clinton's view, expressed in his response, was that "CBS paid for it, I paid for it. I don't like to go into it on the negative side, but it cost about 5 million [dollars], and a lot of people's jobs and what we consider as the empire falling". The financial loss from the rupture with Troutman is credited as one of the factors that derailed Clinton's musical career and sent Funkadelic into hiatus.

1982-89: Zapp II and later albums

Zapp released its second album, , on October 14, 1982. Electronic production techniques featured prominently, including liberal use of the talk-box that became Troutman's signature. Despite the contrasting styles between the first and the second albums, Zapp II attained gold status by September 21, 1982. The album fared almost as well as Zapp's debut, peaking at number two on the Billboard R&B chart, and reaching 25 on The Billboard 200 Albums chart. The single "Dancefloor (Part I)" peaked at number one on the R&B singles chart of 1982.

Zapp spawned several more albums in close succession, retaining the slick electronic style that Zapp II had adopted, but with diminishing success. was released in 1983, and managed to gain a gold certification, but peaked at only 39 on the Billboard 200 and nine on the R&B chart. Zapp III's poorer commercial performance became a sign that the band's popularity and impact were beginning to decline toward the mid 1980s, with post-disco music falling out of trend. By the release of The New Zapp IV U in October 1985, the downward trajectory was evident. The album did not attain gold status until 1994, almost a decade after its initial release. Zapp's presence faded further in the latter half of the 1980s, as Troutman focused his attention on his solo career. The final release by Zapp before Troutman's death was in September 1989, which achieved only moderate commercial success and failed to receive an RIAA certification.

The increasingly dominant West Coast hip-hop scene of the early- to mid-1990s briefly brought Zapp and Roger back into the spotlight as their material came into favour as a source of samples for hip-hop tracks. Troutman gained recognition for providing talk-box backing vocals for both the original and remixed version of Tupac Shakur's 1995-96 comeback single " California Love"; the alternate version of the music video features Troutman playing the keyboard and talk-box during a party. Roger's involvement in "California Love" awarded him a Grammy nomination for "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" in 1997.

On Sunday morning, April 25, 1999, Roger Troutman was fatally wounded as a result of an apparent murder-suicide that was orchestrated by his older brother, Larry. Roger was shot several times in the torso by Larry as he exited a recording studio in Dayton, Ohio. Roger was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, but died shortly after. Larry's body was found in a car a short distance away from the murder scene. There were no witnesses at the time, and Larry's motive for the murder of Roger remains unclear. Larry had been experiencing increasingly severe financial problems managing the family-run housing company, Troutman Enterprises, which eventually filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy owing $400,000 in tax. Larry might also have been bitter after Roger fired him as manager of his music career, a position Larry had held for several years.

During Roger's funeral, his nephew Clet Troutman performed a talk-box rendition of " Amazing Grace." Roger was survived by his six sons and five daughters; his eldest son, Roger Lynch Troutman Jr., died of head injuries just a few years after the murder of his father (January 31, 1970 - January 22, 2003).

After Troutman's death, Ice Cube said that "More Bounce To The Ounce" introduced him to hip-hop. "I was in the sixth grade, we'd stayed after school. We had this dude named Mr. Lock, and he used to bring in his radio with these pop-lockers. He used to teach [the dance group] the L.A. Lockers, and he would do community service in after-school programs. He knew a lot of kids and introduced them to all the new dances, he put on that song 'More Bounce', and they started pop-locking. And I think from that visual, from seeing that, it was my first introduction into hip-hop. Period. I didn't know nothing about nothing. I hadn't heard ' Rapper's Delight' yet. It was the first thing that was really fly to me. They started dancing, and since 'More Bounce' goes on forever, they just got down. I just think that was a rush of adrenaline for me, like a chemical reaction in my brain."

The resulting impact of Roger and Larry's deaths left the band stranded, halting production. Without Roger serving as the creative source, they effectively disbanded, and quietly left the music industry altogether. Warner Bros. Records eventually dropped the band from their label, bringing the professional recording career of Zapp to a close. A few years later, Zapp resurfaced for a short period after the establishment of its own independent label, Zapp Town Records, managed by the Troutman family. The label released its only album, Zapp VI: Back By Popular Demand, in 2003. Zapp returned to performing only in live concert, touring across the U.S. at various venues.

Original lineup

Roger Troutman: lead and background vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, harmonica, vibraphone, percussion, talk box

Larry Troutman: percussion

Lester Troutman: drums

Terry "Zapp" Troutman: bass, keyboards, background vocals

Gregory Jackson: keyboards, lead and background vocals

Bobby Glover: lead and background vocals

Other members

Eddie Barber - Original member

Jannetta Boyce - Original member

Jerome Derrickson - Original member

Sherman Fleetwood - Original member

Michael Warren - Original member

Shirley Murdock

Michael "Slyde" Jennings

Robert Jones

Dale DeGroat

Aaron Blackmon (1984 - 1990)

Nicole Cottom

Bart Thomas

Ricardo Bray

Bigg Robb (from the early/mid 1990s - 2009)

Rhonda Stevens

Roger Troutman Jr. (died of head injury in 2003)

Thomas Troutman

Rufus Troutman III

Davis Brown (sound man)

Wanda Rash (vocalist)

Toika Troutman (vocalist)

Marchelle Smith (vocalist)

Eba Glover (vocalist)

Damien Black (Drummer)

Larry "Moogstar" Clemons

James Cameron (Saxophone) (died 2018)

Thompson, Dave (2001). Third Ear: Funk. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879306297.

Vincent, Rickey (1996). Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One. United States of America: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312134990.

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(also known as the Zapp Band, Zapp & Roger) is an American funk band that emerged from Dayton, Ohio, United States, in 1977. Particularly influential in the electro subgenre of funk, Zapp were known for their trademark use of the talk-box effect.

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One Way

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One Way was an American R&B and funk band that was popular in the late 1970s, and throughout most of the 1980s, led by singer Al Hudson. The group's most successful record was " Cutie Pie", which reached no.4 on the Soul Singles chart and no.61 on the pop chart in 1982.

Al Hudson and the (Soul) Partners

Detroit vocalist Al Hudson, guitarist Dave Roberson and bassist Kevin McCord founded Al Hudson and the Soul Partners in the mid '70s. Other members included keyboardists Jack Hall and Jonathan "Corky" Meadows, drummers Theodore Dudley and Gregory Greene and guitarist Cortez Harris. They recorded several singles for Atco Records before joining ABC Records and made their debut with the LP Especially for You in 1977. They recorded their second album Cherish that same year and released their third album Spreading Love in 1978 from which the single Spread Love was released. Although not charting in the UK, it became a big hit in the clubs. By that time ABC Records was in the process of being bought by MCA Records and vocalist Alicia Myers joined the group. They released the album Happy Feet as Al Hudson and the Partners in 1979 which contains the R&B hit "You Can Do It" which was co-penned by Myers. The single also peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Disco Action Top 80 Chart in June 1979, as well as a top 15 hit in the UK.

When the band moved to the MCA label, they subsequently changed their name to One Way featuring Al Hudson. Their next album was simply called One Way Featuring Al Hudson and was also released in 1979. The album included the long 12" version of "You Can Do It". Their 1980 album was also confusingly called One Way Featuring Al Hudson. By 1981 the band was simply called One Way. In 1981 frontwoman Alicia Myers left the band to pursue a solo career. She was replaced by Candyce Edwards, who served as female lead of the group from 1981 to 1985. Edwards' debut was on the Fancy Dancer album and she remained with the group throughout their biggest successes.After Edwards left the group, Jeanette Mack-Jackson became the Lead female vocalist of One Way. She still sings with them,She's been with the group for 30 years and she is also on many albums singing.

They were on MCA from 1979 to 1988. They scored five Top 10 U.S. R&B chart hits, with the biggest being " Cutie Pie", which reached number four in 1982.

They had two more minor hits on the UK Singles Chart with "Music" (1979) and "Let's Talk" (1985).

They moved to Capitol Records in 1988, where they released their final album, A New Beginning, later that same year. By this time, only Hudson, Roberson, and Meadows remained from the original line-up.

In 2019, after a 31-year hiatus, One Way featuring Al Hudson released their 12th album, New Old School.

Chart singles

Al Hudson & The Soul Partners

Compilation albums

1993: Cutie Pie

1995: Push

1996: The Best Of One Way: Featuring Al Hudson And Alicia Myers

2005: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

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One Way was an American R&B and funk band that was popular in the late 1970s, and throughout most of the 1980s, led by singer Al Hudson. The group's most successful record was " Cutie Pie", which reached no.4 on the Soul Singles chart and no.61 on the pop chart in 1982.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday

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The Intruders

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The Intruders are an American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they were a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul. The Intruders are also noted for having 24 R&B chart hits, including 6 R&B Top Tens, and 14 chart hits in the Billboard Hot 100, including their signature song, the million-selling Top 10 smash, " Cowboys to Girls." Other hits include the Top 10 R&B smashes "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game", " Together", " I'll Always Love My Mama", "United", and "I Wanna Know Your Name".

Formed in 1960, the group originally consisted of Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phillip "Phil" Terry and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards. In 1969, Sam Brown was replaced as lead singer by Bobby Starr, only to rejoin the group in 1973.

In 1965, when songwriters and record producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff first contemplated leaving the Cameo-Parkway record label to risk launching their own label, the vocalists on which they pinned all their hopes and venture capital were The Intruders. Like many other subsequent acts the duo produced, which included Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The O'Jays, The Intruders had already developed a vocal sound that was both theirs and uniquely Philadelphian.

Brown, Daughtry, Terry and Edwards had been recording and performing one-off singles together since 1961, blending Philly's street corner doo-wop tradition with black gospel fervor. The result was neither as pop-infected as Motown, nor as funky and blues-inflected as Stax. The sound which The Intruders refined for the Excel, Gamble and Philadelphia International imprints reflected a different attitude than either Stax or Motown.

Gamble and Huff's success with The Intruders helped convince Columbia Records to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International. Gamble and Huff acknowledged that their work with The Intruders was the foundation of what they called "The Sound Of Philadelphia".

The Intruders, meanwhile, were undergoing some internal turmoil. When the group resurfaced on the 1970 Gamble LP, When We Get Married, lead singer Brown was replaced by Bobby Starr. The title song, "When We Get Married" (R&B No. 8, Pop #45), a Dreamlovers cover, became a hit on the charts, as was the follow-up "Win, Place Or Show (She's A Winner)" ( UK #14). Starr's tenure with the group included television appearances, and the rare collector's single, "I'm Girl Scoutin". Brown returned to the group in 1973 for the album Save The Children, which spawned The Intruders' last two big hits, "I Wanna Know Your Name" (R&B No. 9, Pop #60) and "I'll Always Love My Mama" (R&B No. 6, Pop #36). Kenny Gamble's mother Ruby, the inspiration for "I'll Always Love My Mama", died March 10, 2012 in Mount Airy, Pennsylvania, at age 96.

Cowboys to Girls... and cover versions

" Cowboys to Girls" (R&B No. 1, Pop #6), the only chart topping single of their career, was a 1968 Top 10 Pop and R&B smash that was awarded an RIAA gold disc for one million sales in mid-May 1968.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, their music was popular on the West Coast among Latino, specifically Chicano, youth, as evidenced by their covers by the Hacienda Brothers and Tierra. Daughtry died of cancer on December 25, 1994 at age 55, and lead singer Sam "Little Sonny" Brown committed suicide by jumping off the Strawberry Mansion Bridge on April 21, 1995 at age 54. According to Marc Taylor, in the book, "A Touch Of Classic Soul of the Early 1970's" (1996, Aloiv Publishing, Jamaica, New York), in 1975, the other two original Intruders, Robert Edwards and Phil Terry, walked away from the industry after becoming Jehovah's Witnesses. Edwards died on October 15, 2016 from a heart attack at age 74, leaving Phil Terry as the last surviving original member, as of 2018.

The Intruders today include Bobby Starr, Glenn Montgomery and Phil Gay. The group is featured on the "My Music" DVD hosted by Patti LaBelle on PBS and tour with the Love Train: Sound of Philadelphia Concert series. There are also several tribute groups, including "The Philly Intruders", who appear on "The Big Show" DVD, and "The Fabulous Intruders", founded by William Payton, Sr.

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles (selected)

A House On Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul by John A. Jackson, ISBN 0-19-514972-6 (Publication: New York Oxford University Press (U.S.), 2004)

Chicago Soul by Robert Pruter. ISBN 0-252-06259-0, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1991.

A Touch of Classic Soul: Vol, 1: Soul singers of the early 1970s by Marc Taylor. ISBN 0-9652328-4-0 (Publication: Aloiv Publishing, New York (U.S.), 1996)

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The Intruders are an American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they were a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul.

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Alvin Ailey (January 5, 1931 - December 1, 1989), a.k.a. Alvin Ailey Jr., was an African-American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Ailey School as havens for nurturing black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance. His work fused theater, modern dance, ballet, and jazz with black vernacular, creating hope-fueled choreography that continues to spread global awareness of black life in America. Ailey's choreographic masterpiece Revelations is recognized as one of the most popular and most performed ballets in the world. In this work he blended primitive, modern and jazz elements of dance with a concern for black rural America. On July 15, 2008, the United States Congress passed a resolution designating AAADT a "vital American cultural ambassador to the World." That same year, in recognition of AAADT's 50th anniversary, then Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared December 4 "Alvin Ailey Day" in New York City while then Governor David Paterson honoured the organization on behalf of New York State.

Born in Rogers, Texas, at the height of the Great Depression in the violently racist and segregated south, during his youth Ailey was barred from interacting with mainstream society. Abandoned by his father when he was three months old, Ailey and his mother were forced to work in cotton fields and as domestics in white homes-the only employment available to them. As an escape, Ailey found refuge in the church, sneaking out at night to watch adults dance, and in writing a journal, a practice that he maintained his entire life. Even this could not shield him from a childhood spent moving from town to town as his mother sought employment, being abandoned with relatives whenever she took off on her own, or watching her get raped at the hands of a white man when he was five years old.

Looking for greater job prospects, Ailey's mother departed for Los Angeles in 1941. He arrived a year later, enrolling at George Washington Carver Junior High School, and then graduating into Thomas Jefferson High School. In 1946 he had his first experience with concert dance when he saw the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium. This awakened an until then unknown spark of joy within him, though he did not become serious about dance until 1949 when his classmate and friend Carmen De Lavallade dragged him to the Melrose Avenue studio of Lester Horton.

Ailey studied a wide range of dance styles and techniques-from ballet to Native American inspired movement studies-at Horton's school, which was one of the first racially integrated dance schools in the United States. Though Horton became his mentor, Ailey did not commit to dancing full-time; instead he pursued academic courses, studying romance languages and writing at UCLA. He continued these studies at San Francisco State in 1951. Living in San Francisco he met Maya Angelou, then known as Marguerite Johnson, with whom he formed a nightclub act called "Al and Rita". Eventually, he returned to study dance with Horton in Los Angeles.

He joined Horton's dance company in 1953, making his debut in Horton's Revue Le Bal Caribe. Horton died suddenly that same year in November from a heart attack, leaving the company without leadership. In order to complete the organization's pressing professional engagements, and because no one else was willing to, Ailey took over as artistic director and choreographer.

In 1954 De Lavallade and Ailey were recruited by Herbert Ross to join the Broadway show, House of Flowers. Ross had been hired to replace George Balanchine as the show's choreographer and he wanted to use the pair, who had become known as a famous dance team in Los Angeles, as featured dancers. The show's book was written and adapted by Truman Capote from one of his novellas with music from Harold Arlen and starred Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. Ailey and De Lavallade met Geoffrey Holder, who performed alongside them in the chorus, during the production. Holder married De Lavallade and became a life-long artistic collaborator with Ailey. After House of Flowers closed, Ailey appeared in Harry Belafonte's touring revue Sing, Man, Sing with Mary Hinkson as his dance partner, and the 1957 Broadway musical , which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montalbán. Drawn to dance, but unable to find a choreographer whose work fulfilled him, Ailey started gathering dancers to perform his own unique vision of dance.

In 1958 Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to present his vision of honoring Black culture through dance. The company had its debut at the 92nd Street Y. The performance included Ailey's first masterpiece, Blues Suite, which followed men and women as they caroused and cavorted over the course of an evening while blues music played in the background until church bells began to ring, signalling a return to mundane life. Two years later he premiered his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations, again at the 92nd Street Y. In creating Revelations Ailey drew upon his "blood memories" of growing up in Texas surrounded by Black people, the church, spirituals, and the blues. The ballet charts the full range of feelings from the majestic "I Been 'Buked" to the rapturous "Wade in the Water", closing with the electrifying finale, "Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham."

After this performance, and despite their success, the Ailey company struggled to find consistent bookings. Though the US State Department sponsored AAADT's first international tour in 1962, which traveled across Asia-with followups to Senegal in 1966 and East & West Africa in 1967-the company was able to book only a few performances per season in America. After a successful week-long engagement at the Billy Rose Theatre, the company was invited to become the resident company at Brooklyn Academy of Music. The relationship did not go well and ended a few years later. Ailey struggled with the state department tours, which insisted on marketing the company as an "ethnic" company rather than a "modern' dance company, and were closely supervised by the FBI - the latter referred to Ailey's homosexuality as "lewd and criminal tendencies" and threatened his company with bankruptcy if he showed any signs of effeminate or homosexual behavior while on tour.

In 1970, with few bookings on the radar-and on the eve of a tour to Russia as part of a cultural exchange agreement-Ailey announced at a press conference that he was closing the company. In response, the State Department sponsored an Ailey tour of North Africa to tide things over. That August, the company toured to Russia where it was ecstatically received. Their performances were broadcast on Moscow television and seen by over 22 million viewers. On closing night, because the Russian audiences would not stop applauding, the company gave over 30 curtain calls. Returning home with news of this triumph, the company performed a two-week engagement at the ANTA Theater. By the end of January 1971 performance, the entire run was sold out. After 13 years, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre was a monumental success. In August 1972 the company was briefly renamed Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater and became a resident company of New York City Center.

Though Ailey's work has been met with popular and critical acclaim, there have been detractors of his theatrical style. Marcia Siegel accused the company of "selling soul", and of amplifying and transforming the emotivity characteristic of Graham and his modern dance teachers into "metaphors of the American black experience" while creating a positive stereotype of "supremely physical, supremely sensitive beings" at the expense of genuineness".

Ailey responded to such criticism by stating, "The black pieces we do that come from blues, spirituals and gospels are part of what I am. They are as honest and truthful as we can make them. I'm interested in putting something on stage that will have a very wide appeal without being condescending; that will reach an audience and make it part of the dance; that will get everybody into the theater. If it's art and entertainment-thank God, that's what I want to be."

While Ailey choreographed more than 70 ballets for his dancers, he insisted that the company perform pieces by other choreographers rather than stand as a singular vehicle for his voice. In present-day the company continues this ethos by presenting major revivals and commissioning pieces from a wide range of choreographers. The company's repertoire contains over 200 ballets.

Though AAADT was formed to celebrate African American culture and to provide performances for black dancers, who were frequently denied opportunities due to racist mores of the time, Ailey proudly employed artists based solely on artistic talent and integrity, regardless of their background. In addition to his work as artistic director and choreographer with AADT, Ailey also choreographed ballets for other companies including American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and The Metropolitan Opera. For American Ballet Theater, he created The River (1970), one of several choreographies he set to the jazz music of Duke Ellington.

From her joining in 1965, the dancer Judith Jamison served as Ailey's muse. In 1971 she premiered Cry, which he dedicated to his mother and black women everywhere. Jamison took over as artistic director following his death. Other important figures in the company include Sylvia Waters, who in 1974, after performing with the company for six year was asked by Ailey to lead The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble-a junior company, known today as Ailey 2, that prepares leading students for professional dance careers- and Masazumi Chaya, who danced with the company for 15 years then became rehearsal director, and was appointed associate artistic director in 1991.

Cinco Latinos, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York City, 1958?

Three for Now, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Clark Center, New York City, 1960.

Hermit Songs, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1963.

Macumba, Harkness Ballet, Gran Teatro del Liceo, Barcelona, Spain,1966, then produced as Yemanja, Chicago Opera House, 1967.

Quintet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Church Hill Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, Scotland, 1968, then Billy Rose Theatre, New York City, 1969.

The Lark Ascending, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1972.

Show Boat, Marine Theatre, Jones Beach, New York, 1957 - Actor and dancer.

Blackstone Boulevard, Talking to You, produced as double-bill in 2 by Saroyan, East End Theatre, New York City, 1961-62.

Carmen Jones, Theatre in the Park, 1959.

Jamaica, Music Circus, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1959.

Dark of the Moon, Lenox Hill Playhouse, 1960.

(And director) African Holiday (musical), Apollo Theatre, New York City, 1960, then produced at Howard Theatre, Washington, D.C., 1960.

Leonard Bernstein's Mass, Metropolitan Opera House, 1972, then John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia Academy of Music, both 1972.

In 1969, Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center with the famed Martha Graham Dance Company principal and choreographer Pearl Lang as his co-director of the school. Their aim was to provide access to arts and dance to under-resourced communities. They started off in Brooklyn with 125 students. A year later the school relocated to Manhattan behind the Lincoln Center's complex. In 1984, Denise Jefferson assumed directorship. Under her leadership, the school developed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Program in partnership with Fordham University in 1998. The school was renamed The Ailey School in 1999. Several years later, the school moved into The Joan Weill Center for Dance. Following Jefferson's death in 2010, Tracy Inman and Melanie Person assumed stewardship of the school as co-directors of the school. In 2012, after leading Ailey 2 for 38 years, Sylvia Waters retired. The second company's resident choreographer and associate director Troy Powell took over her role as artistic director. With the addition of the Elaine Wynn and Family Education Wing, the Ailey school is still growing and is now the largest place in New York City committed to training dancers.

Ailey loathed the label "black choreographer" and preferred being known simply as a choreographer. He was notoriously private about his life. Though gay, he kept his romantic affairs in the closet. Following the death of his friend Joyce Trisler, a failed relationship, and bouts of heavy drinking and cocaine use, Ailey suffered a mental breakdown in 1980. He was diagnosed as manic depressive, known today as bipolar disorder. During his rehabilitation, Judith Jamison served as co-director of AAADT.

Ailey died from an AIDS related illness on December 1, 1989, at the age of 58. He asked his doctor to announce that his death was caused by terminal blood dyscrasia in order to shield his mother from the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

In 1968 Ailey was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada. In 1977 he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988, was inducted into the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame in 1992, inducted into the Legacy Walk in 2012, and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2014.

In August 2019, Ailey was one of the honorees inducted in the Rainbow Honor Walk, a walk of fame in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood noting LGBTQ people who have "made significant contributions in their fields."

A crater on Mercury was named in his honor in 2012.

DeFrantz, Thomas F. (2004). Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530171-7.

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Alvin Ailey (January 5, 1931 - December 1, 1989), a.k.a. Alvin Ailey Jr., was an African-American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Ailey School as havens for nurturing black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance.

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Stevie Wonder

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Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of contemporary R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.

Wonder's single " Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s. His "classic period" began in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, the latter featuring " Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. His works Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making him the tied-record holder for the most Album of the Year wins, with three. He is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases. Wonder began his "commercial period" in the 1980s; he achieved his biggest hits and highest level of fame, had increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations (including Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson), political impact, and television appearances. Wonder has continued to remain active in music and political causes.

Wonder is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 100 million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards (the most by a solo artist) and one Academy Award ( Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red). Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday in the U.S. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and in 2014, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950, the third of five children born to Lula Mae Hardaway, and the second of Hardaway's two children with Calvin Judkins. He was born six weeks premature, a condition that, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, resulted in retinopathy of prematurity, a disease that aborts eye growth and often causes the retinas to detach, and that left him blind.

When Wonder was four, his mother divorced his father and moved with her three children to Detroit. Wonder attended Whitestone Baptist Church, where he sang in the choir and became a soloist at age eight. His mother later rekindled her relationship with her first child's father (whose surname was also coincidentally Hardaway) and changed her own name back to Lula Hardaway, going on to have two more children.

He began playing instruments at an early age, including piano, harmonica, and drums. He formed a singing partnership with a friend; calling themselves Stevie and John, they played on street corners and occasionally at parties and dances. When Stevie was signed by Motown in 1961, his surname was legally changed to Morris, which (according to Lula Mae Hardaway's authorized biography) was an old family name. Berry Gordy was responsible for creating the stage name of "Little Stevie Wonder".

Wonder attended Fitzgerald Elementary School in Detroit. After his first album was released, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie (1962), he enrolled in Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Michigan.

1960s: Singles as a youth

Wonder rehearsing for a performance on Dutch television in 1967

In 1961, at the age of 11, Wonder sang his own composition, "Lonely Boy", to Ronnie White of the Miracles; White then took Wonder and his mother to an audition at Motown, where CEO Berry Gordy signed Wonder to Motown's Tamla label. Before signing, producer Clarence Paul gave him the name Little Stevie Wonder. Because of Wonder's age, the label drew up a rolling five-year contract in which royalties would be held in trust until Wonder was 21. He and his mother would be paid a weekly stipend to cover their expenses: Wonder received $2.50 (equivalent to $24.48 in 2022) per week, and a private tutor was provided when Wonder was on tour.

Wonder was put in the care of producer and songwriter Clarence Paul, and for a year they worked together on two albums. Tribute to Uncle Ray was recorded first, when Wonder was still 11 years old. Mainly covers of Ray Charles's songs, the album included a Wonder and Paul composition, "Sunset". The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie was recorded next, an instrumental album consisting mainly of Paul's compositions, two of which, "Wondering" and "Session Number 112", were co-written with Wonder. Feeling Wonder was now ready, a song, "Mother Thank You", was recorded for release as a single, but then pulled and replaced by the Berry Gordy song "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues" as his début single; released summer 1962, it almost broke into the Billboard 100, spending one week of August at 101. Two follow-up singles, "Little Water Boy" and "Contract on Love", both had no success, and the two albums, released in reverse order of recording- The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie in September 1962 and Tribute to Uncle Ray in October 1962-also met with little success.

Most of these songs hit the charts in a big way before Stevie turned twenty-one [in 1971]. Because he's grown up fast, the love lyrics are less teen-specific than a lot of early Smokey, say, but the music is pure puberty. Stevie's rockers are always one step ahead of themselves-their gawky groove is so disorienting it makes you pay attention, like a voice that's perpetually changing. The ballads conceive coming of age more conventionally, and less felicitously. But he sure covered Tony Bennett better than the Supremes or the Tempts could have, now didn't he?

-Review of Stevie Wonder's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)

At the end of 1962, when Wonder was 12 years old, he joined the Motortown Revue, touring the " Chitlin' Circuit" of theatres across America that accepted black artists. At the Regal Theater, Chicago, his 20-minute performance was recorded and released in May 1963 as the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius. A single, " Fingertips", from the album was also released in May, and became a major hit. The song, featuring a confident and enthusiastic Wonder returning for a spontaneous encore that catches out the replacement bass player, who is heard to call out "What key? What key?", was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when Wonder was aged 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. The single was simultaneously No. 1 on the R&B chart, the first time that had occurred. His next few recordings, however, were not successful; his voice was changing as he got older, and some Motown executives were considering cancelling his recording contract. During 1964, Wonder appeared in two films as himself, Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach, but these were not successful either. Sylvia Moy persuaded label owner Berry Gordy to give Wonder another chance.

Dropping the "Little" from his name, Moy and Wonder worked together to create the hit " Uptight (Everything's Alright)", and Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "With a Child's Heart", and " Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan song, co-sung by his mentor, producer Clarence Paul. He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates, including " The Tears of a Clown", a No. 1 hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (it was first released in 1967, mostly unnoticed as the last track of their Make It Happen LP, but eventually became a major success when re-released as a single in 1970, which prompted Robinson to reconsider his intention of leaving the group).

Billboard advertisement, June 17, 1967

In 1968, he recorded an album of instrumental soul/jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the title Eivets Rednow, which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backward. The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's " Alfie", only reached number 66 on the U.S. Pop charts and number 11 on the US Adult Contemporary charts. Nonetheless, he managed to score several hits between 1967 and 1970 such as " I Was Made to Love Her", " For Once in My Life" and " Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". A number of Wonder's early hits, including " My Cherie Amour", "I Was Made to Love Her", and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", were co-written with Henry Cosby. The hit single " Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was his first-ever self-produced song.

In 1969, Wonder participated in the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Se tu ragazza mia", in conjunction with Gabriella Ferri. Between 1967 and 1970, he recorded four 45 rpm singles and an Italian LP.

Wonder's appearance at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival opens the 2021 music documentary, Summer of Soul. Wonder plays a drum solo during his set.

1970s: Classic albums period

The first prototype of the Oberheim 4-voice synthesizer, as used by Wonder. The front panel still shows the braille labeling.

In September 1970, at the age of 20, Wonder married Syreeta Wright, a songwriter and former Motown secretary. Wright and Wonder worked together on the next album, Where I'm Coming From (1971), Wonder writing the music, and Wright helping with the lyrics. Around this time, Wonder became interested in utilizing synthesizers after hearing albums by electronic group Tonto's Expanding Head Band. Wonder and Wright wanted to "touch on the social problems of the world", and for the lyrics "to mean something". The album was released at around the same time as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. As both albums had similar ambitions and themes, they have been compared; in a contemporaneous review by Vince Aletti in Rolling Stone, Gaye's was seen as successful, while Wonder's was seen as failing due to "self-indulgent and cluttered" production, "undistinguished" and "pretentious" lyrics, and an overall lack of unity and flow. Also in 1970, Wonder co-wrote (and played numerous instruments on) the hit " It's a Shame" for fellow Motown act the Spinners. His contribution was meant to be a showcase of his talent and thus a weapon in his ongoing negotiations with Gordy about creative autonomy. Reaching his 21st birthday on May 13, 1971, Wonder allowed his Motown contract to expire.

During this period, he independently recorded two albums and signed a new contract with Motown Records. The 120-page contract was a precedent at Motown and gave Wonder a much higher royalty rate. He returned to Motown in March 1972 with Music of My Mind. Unlike most previous albums on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection of singles, B-sides and covers, Music of My Mind was a full-length artistic statement with songs flowing together thematically. Wonder's lyrics dealt with social, political, and mystical themes as well as standard romantic ones, while musically he began exploring overdubbing and recording most of the instrumental parts himself. Music of My Mind marked the beginning of a long collaboration with Tonto's Expanding Head Band ( Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil), and with lyricist Yvonne Wright.

Released in late 1972, Wonder's album Talking Book featured the No. 1 hit " Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. Talking Book also featured " You Are the Sunshine of My Life", which also peaked at No. 1. During the same time as the album's release, Wonder began touring with the Rolling Stones to alleviate the negative effects from pigeonholing as a result of being an R&B artist in America. Wonder's touring with the Stones was also a factor behind the success of both "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life". Between them, the two songs won three Grammy Awards. On an episode of the children's television show Sesame Street that aired in April 1973, Wonder and his band performed "Superstition", as well as an original called "Sesame Street Song", which demonstrated his abilities with television.

Wonder performing in 1973, during the early years of his "classic period"

Innervisions, released in 1973, featured " Higher Ground" (No. 4 on the pop charts) as well as the trenchant " Living for the City" (No. 8). Both songs reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. 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. Innervisions generated three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album is ranked No. 34 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Wonder had become the most influential and acclaimed black musician of the early 1970s.

On August 6, 1973, Wonder was injured in a serious automobile accident while on tour in North Carolina, when a car in which he was riding hit the back of a truck. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a partial loss of his sense of smell and a temporary loss of sense of taste. Despite orders from his doctor to refrain from performing, Wonder performed at a homecoming benefit for Shaw University in Raleigh in November 1973. Shaw was facing financial difficulties, so Wonder, who was a member of the university's board of trustees, rallied other acts such as Exuma, LaBelle, and the Chambers Brothers to join the concert, which raised over $10,000 for the school's scholarship fund.

Wonder embarked on a European tour in early 1974, performing at the Midem convention in Cannes, at the Rainbow Theatre in London, and on the German television show Musikladen. On his return from Europe, he played a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in March 1974, highlighting both up-tempo material and long, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as " Living for the City". The album Fulfillingness' First Finale appeared in July 1974 and set two hits high on the pop charts: the No. 1 " You Haven't Done Nothin'" and the Top Ten " Boogie on Reggae Woman". The Album of the Year was again one of three Grammys won.

The same year, Wonder took part in a Los Angeles jam session with ex- Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, that would become known as the bootleg album A Toot and a Snore in '74. He also co-wrote and produced the 1974 Syreeta Wright album Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta.

On October 4, 1975, Wonder performed at the historic " Wonder Dream Concert" in Kingston, Jamaica, a benefit for the Jamaican Institute for the Blind. In 1975, he played harmonica on two tracks on Billy Preston's album It's My Pleasure.

By 1975, at the age of 25, Wonder had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in 1974 for Innervisions and in 1975 for Fulfillingness' First Finale. In 1976, when Paul Simon won the Album of the Year Grammy for his Still Crazy After All These Years, he wryly noted, "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn't make an album this year."

The double album-with-extra- EP, Songs in the Key of Life, was released in September 1976. Sprawling in style and sometimes lyrically difficult to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners to assimilate, yet is regarded by many as Wonder's crowning achievement and one of the most recognizable and accomplished albums in pop music history. The album became the first by an American artist to debut straight at No. 1 in the charts, where it stood for 14 non-consecutive weeks. Two tracks became No. 1 Pop/R&B hits: " I Wish" and " Sir Duke". The baby-celebratory " Isn't She Lovely?" was written about his newborn daughter Aisha, while songs such as "Love's in Need of Love Today" and "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a far more pensive mood. Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year and two other Grammys. The album ranks 4th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Until 1979's Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants", his only further 1970s release was the retrospective three-disc album Looking Back (1977), an anthology of his early Motown period.

1980s: Commercial albums period

The mainly instrumental soundtrack album Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (1979), was composed using an early music sampler called a Computer Music Melodian. It was also his first digital recording, and one of the earliest popular albums to use the technology, which Wonder used for all subsequent recordings. Wonder toured briefly with an orchestra in support of the album, and used a Fairlight CMI sampler onstage. In this year Wonder also wrote and produced the dance hit " Let's Get Serious", performed by Jermaine Jackson and ranked by Billboard as the No. 1 R&B single of 1980.

Hotter than July (1980) became Wonder's first platinum-selling single album, and its single " Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday. The album also included " Master Blaster (Jammin')", " I Ain't Gonna Stand for It", and the sentimental ballad, " Lately".

In 1982, Wonder released a retrospective of his 1970s work with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium, which included four new songs: the ten-minute funk classic " Do I Do" (which featured Dizzy Gillespie), " That Girl" (one of the year's biggest singles to chart on the R&B side), " Front Line", a narrative about a soldier in the Vietnam War that Wonder wrote and sang in the first person, and " Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many classic compositions. He also gained a No. 1 hit that year in collaboration with Paul McCartney in their paean to racial harmony, " Ebony and Ivory".

In 1983, Wonder performed the song "Stay Gold", the theme to Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of S. E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. Wonder wrote the lyrics. In 1983, he scheduled an album to be entitled People Work, Human Play. The album never surfaced and instead 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 No. 1 pop and R&B hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where it was placed 13th in the list of best-selling singles in the UK published in 2002. It went on to win an Academy award for best song in 1985. Wonder accepted the award in the name of Nelson Mandela and was subsequently banned from all South African radio by the Government of South Africa.

Incidentally, on the occasion of his 35th birthday, Stevie Wonder was honored by the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid for his stance against racism in South Africa that same year (1985). The album also featured a guest appearance by Dionne Warwick, singing the duet "It's You" with Stevie and a few songs of her own. Following the success of the album and its lead single, Wonder made an appearance on The Cosby Show, in the episode "A Touch of Wonder", where he demonstrated his ability to sample.

The following year's In Square Circle featured the No. 1 pop hit " Part-Time Lover". The album also has a Top 10 Hit with "Go Home". It also featured the ballad " Overjoyed", which was originally written for Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants", but did not make the album. He performed "Overjoyed" on Saturday Night Live when he was the host. He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's " I Feel For You", alongside Melle Mel, playing his signature harmonica. In roughly the same period he was also featured on harmonica on Eurythmics' single, " There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and Elton John's " I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues".

Wonder was in a featured duet with Bruce Springsteen on the all-star charity single for African Famine Relief, " We Are the World", and he was part of another charity single the following year (1986), the AIDS-inspired " That's What Friends Are For". He played harmonica on the album Dreamland Express by John Denver in the song "If Ever", a song Wonder co-wrote with Stephanie Andrews; wrote the track "I Do Love You" for the Beach Boys' 1985 self-titled album; and played harmonica on " Can't Help Lovin' That Man" on The Broadway Album by Barbra Streisand.

In 1987, Wonder appeared on Michael Jackson's album, on the duet "Just Good Friends". Jackson also sang a duet with him entitled "Get It" on Wonder's 1987 album Characters. This was a minor hit single, as were "Skeletons" and "You Will Know". Wonder played harmonica on a remake of his own song, "Have a Talk with God" (from Songs in the Key of Life in 1976), on Jon Gibson's album Body & Soul (1989).

1990s: Jungle Fever and 1996 Olympics

Wonder backstage at the 1990 Grammy Awards

Wonder continued to release new material, but at a slower pace. He recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in 1991. From this album, singles and videos were released for "Gotta Have You", "Fun Day" (remix only), "These Three Words" and "Jungle Fever". The B-side to the "Gotta Have You" single was "Feeding Off The Love of the Land", which was played during the end credits of the movie Jungle Fever but was not included on the soundtrack. A piano and vocal version of "Feeding Off The Love of the Land" was also released on the Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal compilation. Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder were released in the 1990s.

In 1992, Wonder went to perform at Panafest, a new international festival of music held biennially in Ghana; it was during this trip that he composed many of the songs featured on Conversation Peace, and he would describe in a 1995 interview the powerful impact his visit to that country had: "I'd only been there for 18 hours when I decided I'd eventually move there permanently." In 1994, as co-chair of Panafest that year, he headlined a concert at the National Theatre in Accra.

Among his other activities, Wonder played harmonica on the track 'Deuce' (sung by Lenny Kravitz) for the 1994 tribute album Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved; sang at the 1996 Summer Olympics closing ceremony; collaborated in 1997 with Babyface on " How Come, How Long", a song about domestic violence that was nominated for a Grammy award; and played harmonica on Sting's 1999 " Brand New Day". In early 1999, Wonder performed in the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show.

In May 1999, Rutgers University presented Wonder with an honorary doctorate degree in fine arts. In December 1999, Wonder announced that he was interested in pursuing an intraocular retinal prosthesis to partially restore his sight.

Into the 21st century: Later career and collaborations

In 2000, Wonder contributed two new songs to the soundtrack for Spike Lee's Bamboozled album ("Misrepresented People" and "Some Years Ago"). Wonder continues to record and perform; though mainly occasional appearances and guest performances, he did do two tours, and released one album of new material, 2005's A Time to Love. In June 2006, Wonder made a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' 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 album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations". The song is a remake of "Have a Talk with God" from Songs in the Key of Life. In 2006, Wonder staged a duet with Andrea Bocelli on the latter's album , offering harmonica and additional vocals on "Canzoni Stonate". Wonder also performed at Washington, D.C.'s 2006 " A Capitol Fourth" celebration. His key appearances include performing at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City, the 2005 Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in 2006, the Obama Inaugural Celebration in 2009, and the opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

Wonder in 2006

Wonder's first new album in 10 years, A Time to Love, was released in October 2005 to lower sales than previous albums, and lukewarm reviews-most reviewers appearing frustrated at the end of the long delay to get an album that mainly copied the style of Wonder's "classic period" without doing anything new. The first single, " So What the Fuss", was released in April. 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 did a 13-date tour of North America in 2007, starting in San Diego on August 23; this was his first U.S. tour in more than 10 years. On September 8, 2008, he started the European leg of his Wonder Summer's Night Tour, the first time he had toured Europe in over a decade. His opening show was at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham in the English Midlands. During the tour, he played eight UK gigs; four at the O2 Arena in London (filmed in HD and subsequently released as a live-in-concert release on DVD and Blu-Ray, Live At Last), two in Birmingham and two at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.

Wonder's other stop in the tour's European leg also found him performing in the Netherlands (Rotterdam), Sweden (Stockholm), Germany (Cologne, Mannheim and Munich), Norway (Hamar), France (Paris), Italy (Milan) and Denmark (Aalborg). Wonder also toured Australia (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) and New Zealand (Christchurch, Auckland and New Plymouth) in October and November. His 2010 tour included a two-hour set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, a stop at London's Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, and appearances at England's Glastonbury Festival, Rotterdam's North Sea Jazz Festival, and a concert in Bergen, Norway, and a concert in Dublin, Ireland, at the O2 Arena on June 24.

Barack Obama presenting Wonder with the Gershwin Prize in 2009

Wonder's harmonica playing can be heard on the 2009 Grammy-nominated "Never Give You Up", featuring CJ Hilton and Raphael Saadiq.

Wonder sang at the Michael Jackson memorial service in 2009, at Etta James' funeral, in 2012, a month later at Whitney Houston's memorial service, and at the funeral of Aretha Franklin in 2018.

Wonder appeared on singer Celine Dion's studio album Loved Me Back to Life, performing a cover of his 1985 song "Overjoyed". The album was released in October 2013. He was also featured on two tracks on Mark Ronson's 2015 album Uptown Special, and the track " Stop Trying to Be God" on Travis Scott's 2018 album Astroworld.

In October 2020, Wonder announced that he had a new vanity label released via Republic Records, So What the Fuss Records, marking the first time his music was not released through Motown Records. The announcement was paired with the release of two singles: " Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate", a "socially-conscious" funk track, and "Where Is Our Love Song", whose proceeds will go towards the organization Feeding America.

In June 2021, Wonder appeared in the documentary Summer of Soul, directed by Ahmir " Questlove" Thompson, showing the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969. In never before seen footage, a young 19 year old Stevie Wonder is seen performing in front of thousands of people in Harlem. Wonder's performance shown in the documentary included "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers and a drum solo. Wonder talks about the turning point made in his career during this time and how this helped him get out of being seen as just a child star.

In October 2022, Wonder celebrated his 50th anniversary of his project Talking Book.

Future projects

By June 2008, Wonder was working on two projects simultaneously: a new album called The Gospel Inspired by Lula, which will deal with the various spiritual and cultural crises facing the world, and Through the Eyes of Wonder, an album he has described as a performance piece that will reflect his experience as a blind man. Wonder was also keeping the door open for a collaboration with Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones concerning a rumored jazz album. Bennett and Wonder recorded a rendition of "For Once in My Life" which earned them a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2006; Bennett died in 2023.

In 2013, Wonder revealed that he had been recording new material for two albums, When the World Began and Ten Billion Hearts, in collaboration with producer David Foster, to be released in 2014. The albums have not seen release.

In October 2020, while promoting his two recent singles, Wonder mentioned both Through the Eyes of Wonder and The Gospel Inspired by Lula as projects in development (the former as an album that may feature both singles, and the latter as a future album he may record with his former label Motown).

Wonder receiving a standing ovation in the East Room of the White House in 2011

Handprint of Stevie Wonder with autograph: "LOVE IS THE KEY Happy Birthday Dr. King 9.26.83" Atlantic City Boardwalk New Jersey USA 2006

Wonder is one of the most notable popular music figures of the second half of the 20th century. He is one of the most successful songwriters and musicians. Virtually a one-man band during his peak years, his use of synthesizers and further electronic musical instruments during the 1970s helped expand the sound of R&B. He is also credited as one of the artists who helped drive R&B into the album era, by crafting his LPs as cohesive, consistent statements with complex sounds. His "classic period", which culminated in 1976, was marked by his funky keyboard style, personal control of production, and use of integrated series of songs to make concept albums. In 1979, Wonder used Computer Music Inc.'s early music sampler, the Melodian, on his soundtrack album Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants". This was his first digital recording and one of the earliest popular albums to use the technology, which Wonder used for all subsequent recordings.

He recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and also wrote and produced songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well. In his childhood, he was best known for his harmonica work, but today he is better known for his keyboard skills and vocal ability. He plays the piano, synthesizer, harmonica, congas, drums, bongos, organ, melodica and Clavinet. Wonder has been credited as a pioneer and influence to musicians of various genres, including pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and rock.

Wonder's "classic period" is generally agreed to be between 1972 and 1976. Some observers see aspects of 1971's Where I'm Coming From as certain indications of the beginning of Wonder's "classic period", such as its new funky keyboard style that Wonder used throughout the classic period. Some determine Wonder's first "classic" album to be 1972's Music of My Mind, on which he attained personal control of production, and on which he programmed a series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. Others skip over early 1972 and determine the beginning of the classic period to be in late 1972 with Talking Book, the album on which Wonder "hit his stride".

Let me put it this way: Wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life. For me, it's the best album ever made, and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it. When people in decades and centuries to come talk about the history of music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder [...] he [Wonder] evolved into an amazing songwriter and a genuine musical force of nature. He's so multitalented that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes him one of the greatest ever. But first, there's that voice. Along with Ray Charles, he's the greatest R&B singer who ever lived.

Wonder's albums during his "classic period" were considered very influential in the music world: the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said they "pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade"; in 2005, American recording artist 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?" Slate magazine's pop critic, Jack Hamilton, said: "Most Americans follow up their 21st birthdays with a hangover; Stevie Wonder opted for arguably the greatest sustained run of creativity in the history of popular music. Wonder's "classic period"-the polite phrase for when Stevie spent five years ferociously dunking on the entire history of popular music with the releases of Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life [...] We've never heard anything like it since, and barring another reincarnation, we never will again."

Wonder has recorded more than 30 U.S. top-ten hits, including ten U.S. number-one hits on the pop charts, well as 20 R&B number one hits. He has sold over 100 million records, 19.5 million of which are albums; he is one of the top 60 best-selling music artists with combined sales of singles and albums. Wonder was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, which he won for his 1984 hit single " I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red. Wonder won 25 Grammy Awards (the most ever won by a solo artist), as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. His albums of the "classic period", Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976), all won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making him the tied-record holder for the most Album of the Year wins, with three. He is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases. He has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has also been awarded the Polar Music Prize. Rolling Stone named him the seventh greatest singer and fifteenth greatest artist of all time. In June 2009, he became the fourth artist to receive the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award.

In 2003, Rolling Stone's " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list included Innervisions at number 23, Songs in the Key of Life at number 56 (promoted to number 4 for the 2020 edition), Talking Book at number 90 (promoted to number 59 for the 2020 edition), and Music of My Mind at number 284. In 2004, on their " 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list, Rolling Stone included " Superstition" at number 74 (promoted to number 12 for the 2020 edition), " Living for the City" at number 104, " Higher Ground" at number 261 (promoted to number 113 for the 2020 edition), and " You Are the Sunshine of My Life" at number 281 (promoted to number 183 for the 2020 edition); additionally, " Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" was included into the 2020 edition at number 203.

Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday in the United States. On October 21, 1974, with the Boston busing desegregation underway, Wonder spoke and led students in song at a lounge at the University of Massachusetts Boston the day after he performed at the Boston Garden.

Personal life

Marriages and children

Wonder has been married three times. He was married to Motown singer-songwriter and frequent collaborator Syreeta Wright from 1970 until their amicable divorce in 1972. From 2001 until 2012 he was married to fashion designer Kai Millard. In October 2009, Wonder and Millard separated; Wonder filed for divorce in August 2012. In 2017 he married Tomeeka Bracy.

Wonder has nine children with five women. Wonder's first child's name is not publicly known.[citation needed ] They were born to Yolanda Simmons, whom Wonder met when she applied for a job as secretary for his publishing company. Simmons gave birth to Wonder's daughter Aisha Morris on February 2, 1975. After Aisha was born, Wonder said "she was the one thing that I needed in my life and in my music for a long time". Aisha was the inspiration for Wonder's hit single "Isn't She Lovely?" She is now a singer who has toured with her father and accompanied him on recordings, including his 2005 album A Time to Love. Wonder and Simmons also had a son, Keita, in 1977.

In 1983, Wonder had a son named Mumtaz Morris with Melody McCulley. Wonder also has a daughter, Sophia, and a son, Kwame, with a woman whose identity has not been publicly disclosed. Wonder has two sons with second wife Kai Millard Morris. The elder is named Kailand, and he occasionally performs as a drummer on stage with his father. The younger son, Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, was born on May 13, 2005 (his father's 55th birthday).

Wonder's ninth child, his second with Tomeeka Robyn Bracy, was born in December 2014, amid rumors that he would be the father to triplets. This turned out not to be the case, and the couple's new daughter was given the name Nia, meaning "purpose" (one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa).

Family and health

On May 31, 2006, Wonder's mother Lula Mae Hardaway died in Los Angeles at the age of 76. During his September 8, 2008, UK concert in Birmingham, he spoke of his decision to begin touring again following his loss: "I want to take all the pain that I feel and celebrate and turn it around."

At a concert in London's Hyde Park on July 6, 2019, Wonder announced that he would be undergoing a kidney transplant in September.

Religion and politics

Wonder has been a longtime Baptist affiliated with black churches. He was introduced to Transcendental Meditation through his marriage to Syreeta Wright. Consistent with that spiritual vision, Wonder became vegetarian, and later a vegan, singing about it in October 2015 on The Late Late Show with James Corden during the show's " Carpool Karaoke" segment.

Wonder joined Twitter on April 4, 2018, and his first tweet was a five-minute video honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Dozens of famous personalities were rounded up in the video, which was titled "The Dream Still Lives". Each person involved shared their dream, calling back to King's popular speech in 1963. Wonder's first tweet took the Internet by storm, and he also encouraged viewers to share their own videos about their dreams with the hashtag #DreamStillLives.

Awards and recognition

Grammy Awards

Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. He is one of only four artists and groups who have won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times as the main credited artist, along with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Taylor Swift. Wonder is the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases.

Other awards and recognition

Wonder has been given a range of awards, both for his music and for his civil rights work, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum, being named one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace, and earning a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2014, presented at a ceremony in the White House on November 24 that year.

In December 2016, the City of Detroit recognized Wonder's legacy by renaming a portion of his childhood street, Milwaukee Avenue West, between Woodward Avenue and Brush Street, as "Stevie Wonder Avenue". He was also awarded an honorary key to the city, presented by Mayor Mike Duggan.

Honorary degrees

Stevie Wonder has received many honorary degrees in recognition of his music career. These include:

Discography

References

External links

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Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz.

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https://americanart.si.edu/artist/jacob-lawrence-2828

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Assigned male at birth, Indya Moore is a Bronx native of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican ancestry. At the age of 14, they left their parents' home due to their parents' transphobia, and entered into foster care. They moved around frequently during this time, eventually living in all five boroughs of New York City. After being frequently bullied, Moore dropped out of high school during their sophomore year. They began working as a model at the age of 15, and eventually earned their General Equivalency Diploma (GED).

Moore became a model at the age of 15, and began working shoots for Dior and Gucci, despite the fashion industry's initial treatment of them as a risky choice.

Although Moore was booking modeling gigs, they became increasingly disenchanted with the fashion industry and its emphasis on body image. Moore met legendary dancer and ballroom veteran Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza while doing background for the television series The Get Down. He encouraged them to pursue acting and sent Moore to an audition for the independent film Saturday Church. Moore landed the role of Dijon, and the film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter called it "sweet and soulful". The film was later released on January 12, 2018 by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

In early 2017, Moore walked in New York Fashion Week and was photographed for Vogue España. That year, Moore appeared in Katy Perry's music video for the single " Swish Swish", and performed live with Perry on the May 20, 2017 episode of Saturday Night Live, where they were credited as a member of the House of Xtravaganza.

Pose television series

In late 2017, Moore was cast in , Ryan Murphy's FX television series about New York City ball culture in the late 1980s. Moore portrays Angel Evangelista, a transgender sex worker who joins the House of Evangelista after leaving the House of Abundance with her friend Blanca, portrayed by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. While working at the piers, she meets Stan, a yuppie played by Evan Peters, and becomes his mistress.

The series premiered on June 3, 2018, and attracted critical acclaim. The first season boasted the largest cast of transgender actors ever for a scripted network series with over 50 transgender characters. On July 12, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 11, 2019.

Present projects

In 2018, Moore signed a contract with IMG Models and William Morris Endeavor (WME). Moore was WME's first signed contract with a trans actor. Moore also started the production company Beetlefruit Media, which provides a platform for stories about disenfranchised groups.

Moore has appeared in J.View's 2017 "Don't Pull Away" music video, and in Blood Orange's 2018 "Saint" video.

In May 2019, Moore became the first transgender person to be featured on the cover of the U.S. version of Elle magazine.

In December 2019, Moore debuted as the voice of Shep on the animated limited series Steven Universe Future. The character is also non-binary.

Moore had been cast in the psychological thriller film Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, the sequel to the 2019 film Escape Room. The film was released on July 16, 2021.

Upcoming projects

Moore will appear in the upcoming horror television series, Magic Hour, a gender-bending recreation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, directed by Che Grayson and filmed in Tokyo, on which they also serve as an executive producer. Moore is set to appear in the short film Spot.

In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, named them among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".

Personal life

Moore is transgender and non-binary and goes by and she/her pronouns. Moore has spoken openly about their lifelong struggles with the bullying and transphobia that caused them to leave home at 14 and drop out of school in the 10th grade.

In an interview with co-star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Moore discussed how, despite identifying as non-binary, being seen as a woman means they are still subjected to the same "surveillance and scrutiny" as women, and to a desire to use fashion to take back that power:

MOORE: I feel like that about fashion. I feel like that about us having the autonomy to express ourselves. I'm non-binary but I don't really talk about it that much. I don't feel like people really are there yet for understanding it, which I don't mind, but I also acknowledge the way people see me as a woman. And because I'm seen as a woman, a cis woman or binary presenting, people are going to hold me up to those same standards that women are held up to.

RODRIGUEZ: Which you're saying you shouldn't be, right?

MOORE: Which I'm saying women should not be.

Filmography

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Television

Music videos

References

External links

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Assigned male at birth, Indya Moore is a Bronx native of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican ancestry. At the age of 14, they left their parents' home due to their parents' transphobia, and entered into foster care. They moved around frequently during this time, eventually living in all five boroughs of New York City.

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Ben E King

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Benjamin Earl King ( né Nelson, September 28, 1938 - April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"-a U.S. Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name), a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1987, and number 25 on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century-and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group The Drifters, notably singing the lead vocals of one of their biggest global hit singles (and only U.S. #1 hit) " Save the Last Dance for Me".

King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, North Carolina, and moved to Harlem, New York, at the age of nine in 1947. King began singing in church choirs, and in high school formed the Four B's, a doo-wop group that occasionally performed at the Apollo.

In 1958, King (still using his birth name) joined a doo-wop group called the Five Crowns. Later that year, the Drifters' manager George Treadwell fired the members of the original Drifters, and replaced them with the members of the Five Crowns.

King had a string of R&B hits with the group on Atlantic Records. He co-wrote and sang lead on the first Atlantic hit by the new version of the Drifters, " There Goes My Baby" (1959). He sang lead on a succession of hits by the team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, including " Save the Last Dance for Me", " This Magic Moment", and "I Count the Tears". King recorded only thirteen songs with the Drifters-two backing other lead singers and eleven lead vocal performances-including a non-single called "Temptation" (later redone by Drifters vocalist Johnny Moore). The last of the King-led Drifters singles to be released was "Sometimes I Wonder", which was recorded May 19, 1960, but not issued until June 1962.

Due to contract disputes with Treadwell in which King and his manager, Lover Patterson, demanded greater compensation, King rarely performed with the Drifters on tour or on television. On television, fellow Drifters member Charlie Thomas usually lip-synched the songs that King had recorded with the Drifters.

In May 1960, King left the Drifters, assuming the stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining with Atlantic Records on its Atco imprint, King scored his first solo hit with the ballad " Spanish Harlem" (1961).

His next single, " Stand by Me", written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, ultimately would be voted as one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. King cited singers Brook Benton, Roy Hamilton and Sam Cooke as influences for his vocals of the song. "Stand by Me", "There Goes My Baby", "Spanish Harlem", and "Save the Last Dance for Me" were all named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll; and each of those records has earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. King's other well-known songs include " Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", " Amor", "Seven Letters", "How Can I Forget", "On the Horizon", " Young Boy Blues", "First Taste of Love", "Here Comes the Night", "Ecstasy", and "That's When It Hurts". In the summer of 1963, King had a Top 30 hit with " I (Who Have Nothing)", which reached the Top 10 on New York's radio station, WMCA.

King's records continued to place well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart until 1965. British pop bands began to dominate the pop music scene, but King still continued to make R&B hits, including "What is Soul?" (1966), "Tears, Tears, Tears" (1967), and the Top 5 Pop smash (#1 R&B) " Supernatural Thing" (1975).

King returned to the Drifters in late 1982 in England, and sang with them until the group's break-up and reorganization in 1986. From 1983 until the band's break-up, the other members of this incarnation of the Drifters were Johnny Moore, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown.[citation needed ]

A 1986 re-issue of "Stand by Me" followed the song's use as the theme song to the movie and re-entered the Billboard Top Ten after a 25-year absence. This reissue also reached Number 1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland for three weeks in February 1987. The reissue also made King the first act to reach the Hot 100's top 10 in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, either as a member of an act that reached that high (in this case, The Drifters) or as a solo act that did.

In 1990, King and Bo Diddley, along with Doug Lazy, recorded a revamped hip hop version of the Monotones' 1958 hit song " Book of Love" for the soundtrack of the movie Book of Love. He also recorded a children's album, I Have Songs In My Pocket, written and produced by children's music artist Bobby Susser in 1998, which won the Early Childhood News Directors' Choice Award and Dr. Toy's/the Institute for Childhood Resources Award. King performed "Stand by Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2007. Ahmet Ertegun said, "King is one of the greatest singers in the history of rock and roll and rhythm and blues."

As a Drifter and as a solo artist, King had achieved five number one hits: "There Goes My Baby", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Stand By Me", "Supernatural Thing", and the 1986 re-issue of "Stand By Me". He also earned 12 Top 10 hits and 26 Top 40 hits from 1959 to 1986. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Drifter; he was also nominated as a solo artist.

King's "I (Who Have Nothing)" was selected for the Peppers and Eggs Soundtrack CD (2001).

King was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

On March 27, 2012, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that "Stand By Me" would receive its 2012 Towering Song Award and that King would be honored with the 2012 Towering Performance Award for his recording of the song.

King was active in his charitable foundation, the Stand By Me Foundation, which helps to provide education to deserving youths. He was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, from the late 1960s.

King performed "Stand By Me" during a televised tribute to late comedian George Carlin, as he was one of Carlin's favorite artists.

On November 11, 2010, he performed "Stand By Me" on the Latin Grammys with Prince Royce.

King toured the United Kingdom in 2013 and played concerts in the United States as late as 2014, despite reported health problems.

King died at the Hackensack University Medical Center on April 30, 2015 at the age of 76. His agent said he had suffered from " coronary problems" at the time of his death. King was survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty, three children and six grandchildren.

King has been covered by acts from several genres. " So Much Love" was recorded by Dusty Springfield and many others. "I (Who Have Nothing)" was performed by Shirley Bassey in 1963 and also by Tom Jones in 1970, as well as a 1979 recording by Sylvester. " Till I Can't Take It Anymore" was revisited by peer Ray Charles in 1970 and "Spanish Harlem" was sung by Aretha Franklin in 1971. "Stand by Me" was covered by The Righteous Brothers, Otis Redding, John Lennon, Mickey Gilley, Florence + The Machine, and Tracy Chapman. King also inspired a number of rock bands: Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded "Supernatural Thing" in 1981 and Led Zeppelin did a cover version of "Groovin'", more known under the title of " We're Gonna Groove".

On May 19, 2018 King's "Stand By Me" was performed at the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir.

Singles with the Drifters (singing lead)

"Oh My Love" (1959)

"Dance with Me" (1959) R&B: #2 US: #15 UK: #17

"This Magic Moment" (1960) R&B: #4 US: #16

"Lonely Winds" (1960) R&B: #9 US: #54

"Hey Señorita" (1960)

"Save the Last Dance for Me" (1960) R&B: #1 US: #1 UK: #2

"Nobody But Me" (1960)

"I Count the Tears" (1960) US: #17 UK: #28

"Sometimes I Wonder" (1962)

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Benjamin Earl King ( né Nelson, September 28, 1938 - April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"-a U.S.

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The Temptations

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Bob Marley

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Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 - 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican reggae singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of the genre, Marley fused elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady in his music and was renowned for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Marley's contribution to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide and made him a global figure in popular culture. Over the course of his career, Marley became known as a Rastafarian icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms. He also supported legalisation of cannabis, and advocated for Pan-Africanism. In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his home, which was believed to be politically motivated.

Born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Marley began his professional musical career in 1963, after forming the group Teenagers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, which, after several name changes, would become the Wailers. The group released its debut studio album The Wailing Wailers in 1965, which contained the single " One Love", a reworking of " People Get Ready"; the song was popular worldwide, and established the group as a rising figure in reggae. The Wailers released an additional 11 studio albums, and after signing to Island Records, the band's name became Bob Marley and the Wailers. While initially employing louder instrumentation and singing, the group began engaging in rhythmic-based song construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which coincided with Marley's conversion to Rastafari. Around this time, Marley relocated to London, and the group embodied their musical shift with the release of the album The Best of The Wailers (1971).

The group began to gain international attention after signing to Island, and touring in support of the albums Catch a Fire and (both 1973). Following the disbandment of the Wailers a year later, Marley carried on under the band's name. The album Natty Dread (1974) received positive reception. In 1975, following the global popularity of Eric Clapton's version of Marley's " I Shot the Sheriff", Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, with a live version of " No Woman, No Cry", from the album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts. A few months after Rastaman Vibration's release, Marley survived an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica, which prompted him to permanently relocate to London, where he recorded the album , which incorporated elements of blues, soul, and British rock, and enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success. In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma; he died as a result of the illness in 1981, shortly after baptism into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. His fans around the world expressed their grief, and he received a state funeral in Jamaica.

The greatest hits album was released in 1984, and became the best-selling reggae album of all time. Marley also ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide. He was posthumously honoured by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit by his nation. In 1994, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. and No. 98 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. His other achievements include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 at the farm of his maternal grandfather in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Malcolm. Norval Marley was a white Jamaican born in Clarendon Parish. Norval went by the moniker "Captain", despite only having been a private in the British Army. At the time of his marriage to Cedella Malcolm, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old, he was supervising a subdivision of land for war veteran housing, and he was about 64 years old at the time of Bob Marley's birth. Norval, who provided little financial support for his wife and child and rarely saw them, died when Marley was 10 years old.

Some sources state that Marley's birth name was Nesta Robert Marley, with a story that when Marley was still a boy, a Jamaican passport official reversed his first and middle names because Nesta sounded like a girl's name. Marley's biographer has refuted claims by some cousins that the Marley surname had Syrian-Jewish origins.

Marley's maternal grandfather, Omariah, who was known as a Myal, was a source of early musical influence for Marley. Marley began to play music with Neville Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer) while at Stepney Primary and Junior High School in Nine Mile, where they were childhood friends. Marley left Nine Mile with his mother when he was 12 and moved to Trenchtown, Kingston. Marley's mother and Thadeus Livingston (Bunny Wailer's father) had a daughter together whom they named Claudette Pearl, who was a younger sister to both Bob and Bunny. With Marley and Livingston living together in the same house in Trenchtown, their musical explorations deepened to include the new ska music and the latest R&B from United States radio stations whose broadcasts reached Jamaica. Marley formed a vocal group with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh. The line-up was known variously as the Teenagers, the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and finally just the Wailers. Joe Higgs, who was part of the successful vocal act Higgs and Wilson, lived nearby and encouraged Marley. Marley and the others did not play any instruments at this time, and were more interested in being a vocal harmony group. Higgs helped them develop their vocal harmonies, and began teaching Marley guitar.

Marley's mother later married Edward Booker, a civil servant from the United States, giving Marley two half-brothers: Richard and Anthony.

Musical career

1962-1972: Early years

In February 1962, Marley recorded four songs, " Judge Not", "One Cup of Coffee", "Do You Still Love Me?" and "Terror", at Federal Studios for local music producer Leslie Kong. Three of the songs were released on Beverley's with "One Cup of Coffee" being released under the pseudonym Bobby Martell.

In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith were called the Teenagers. They later changed the name to the Wailing Rudeboys, then to the Wailing Wailers, at which point they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd, and finally to the Wailers. Their single " Simmer Down" for the Coxsone label became a Jamaican No. 1 in February 1964 selling an estimated 70,000 copies. The Wailers, now regularly recording for Studio One, found themselves working with established Jamaican musicians such as Ernest Ranglin (arranger "It Hurts To Be Alone"), the keyboardist Jackie Mittoo and saxophonist Roland Alphonso. By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left the Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh.

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant, and on the assembly line and as a fork lift operator at a Chrysler plant in nearby Newark, under the alias Donald Marley.

Though raised Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafari beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence. After returning to Jamaica, Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks.

After a financial disagreement with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, the Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider the Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would continue to work together.

1969 brought another change to Jamaican popular music, wherein the beat slowed down even further. The new beat was a slow, steady, ticking rhythm that was first heard on The Maytals song " Do the Reggay". Marley approached producer Leslie Kong, who was regarded as one of the major developers of the reggae sound. For the recordings, Kong combined the Wailers with his studio musicians called Beverley's All-Stars, which consisted of bassists Lloyd Parks and Jackie Jackson, drummer Paul Douglas, keyboardists Gladstone Anderson and Winston Wright, and guitarists Rad Bryan, Lynn Taitt, and Hux Brown. As David Moskowitz writes, "The tracks recorded in this session illustrated the Wailers' earliest efforts in the new reggae style. Gone are the ska trumpets and saxophones of the earlier songs, with instrumental breaks now being played by the electric guitar." The songs recorded would be released as the album The Best of The Wailers, including tracks "Soul Shakedown Party", "Stop That Train", "Caution", "Go Tell it on the Mountain", "Soon Come", "Can't You See", "Soul Captives", "Cheer Up", "Back Out", and "Do It Twice".

Bob Marley's flat in 1972 at 34 Ridgmount Gardens, Bloomsbury, London

Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialise the Wailers' sound. Bunny later asserted that those songs "should never be released on an album ... they were just demos for record companies to listen to". In 1968, Bob and Rita visited songwriter Jimmy Norman at his apartment in the Bronx. Norman had written the extended lyrics for " Time is on My Side" (recorded by Irma Thomas and the Rolling Stones) and had also written for Johnny Nash and Jimi Hendrix. A three-day jam session with Norman and others, including Norman's co-writer Al Pyfrom, resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. According to reggae archivist Roger Steffens, this tape is rare in that it was influenced by pop rather than reggae, as part of an effort to break Marley into the US charts. According to an article in The New York Times, Marley experimented on the tape with various sounds, adopting a doo-wop style on "Stay With Me" and "the slow love song style of 1960s artists" on "Splish for My Splash". An artist yet to establish himself outside his native Jamaica, Marley lived in Ridgmount Gardens, Bloomsbury, during 1972.

1972-1974: move to Island Records

In 1972, Bob Marley signed with CBS Records in London and embarked on a UK tour with soul singer Johnny Nash. While in London the Wailers asked their road manager Brent Clarke to introduce them to Chris Blackwell, who had licensed some of their Coxsone releases for his Island Records. The Wailers intended to discuss the royalties associated with these releases; instead, the meeting resulted in the offer of an advance of £4,000 to record an album. Since Jimmy Cliff, Island's top reggae star, had recently left the label, Blackwell was primed for a replacement. In Marley, Blackwell recognised the elements needed to snare the rock audience: "I was dealing with rock music, which was really rebel music. I felt that would really be the way to break Jamaican music. But you needed someone who could be that image. When Bob walked in he really was that image." The Wailers returned to Jamaica to record at Harry J's in Kingston, which resulted in the album Catch a Fire.

Primarily recorded on an eight-track, Catch a Fire marked the first time a reggae band had access to a state-of-the-art studio and were accorded the same care as their rock 'n' roll peers. Blackwell desired to create "more of a drifting, hypnotic-type feel than a reggae rhythm", and restructured Marley's mixes and arrangements. Marley travelled to London to supervise Blackwell's overdubbing of the album at Island Studios, which included tempering the mix from the bass-heavy sound of Jamaican music and omitting two tracks.

The Wailers' first album for Island, Catch a Fire, was released worldwide in April 1973, packaged like a rock record with a unique Zippo lighter lift-top. Initially selling 14,000 units, it received a positive critical reception. It was followed later that year by the album which included the song " I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton was given the album by his guitarist George Terry in the hope that he would enjoy it. Clapton was impressed and chose to record a cover version of "I Shot the Sheriff" which became his first US hit since " Layla" two years earlier and reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 14 September 1974. Many Jamaicans were not keen on the new reggae sound on Catch a Fire, but the Trenchtown style of Burnin found fans across both reggae and rock audiences.

During this period, Blackwell gifted his Kingston residence and company headquarters at 56 Hope Road (then known as Island House) to Marley. Housing Tuff Gong Studios, the property became not only Marley's office but also his home.

The Wailers were scheduled to open 17 shows in the US for Sly and the Family Stone. After four shows, the band was fired because they were more popular than the acts they were opening for. The Wailers disbanded in 1974, with each of the three main members pursuing a solo career.

1974-1976: line-up changes and shooting

Despite the break-up, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The " I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals. In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, with a live version of " No Woman, No Cry", from the album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts.

On 3 December 1976, two days before " Smile Jamaica", a free concert organised by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups, Bob Marley, Rita, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Rita sustained serious injuries but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley sustained minor wounds in the chest and arm. The attempt on his life was believed to have been politically motivated, as many felt that Smile Jamaica was actually a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled, two days after the attempt. The members of the group Zap Pow played as Bob Marley's backup band before a festival crowd of 80,000 while members of The Wailers were still missing or in hiding.

1976-1979: relocation to England

Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976, and after a month-long "recovery and writing" sojourn at the site of Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, arrived in England, where he spent two years in self-imposed exile.

Whilst in England, he recorded the albums and . Exodus stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: " Exodus", " Waiting in Vain", " Jamming", and " One Love" (which interpolates Curtis Mayfield's hit, " People Get Ready"). During his time in London, he was arrested and convicted of possession of a small quantity of cannabis. In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed at another political concert, the One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Michael Manley (leader of then-ruling People's National Party) and his political rival Edward Seaga (leader of the opposing Jamaica Labour Party) joined each other on stage and shook hands.

Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers 11 albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included Babylon by Bus, a double live album with 13 tracks, was released in 1978 and received critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jamming", with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances.

"Marley wasn't singing about how peace could come easily to the World but rather how hell on Earth comes too easily to too many. His songs were his memories; he had lived with the wretched, he had seen the downpressers and those whom they pressed down."

1979-1980: later years

, a defiant and politically charged album, was released in 1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", " Africa Unite", "Wake Up and Live", and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of Africans. His appearance at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he already had shown in his song " War" in 1976. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at 17 April celebration of Zimbabwe's Independence Day.

(1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions; it includes " Redemption Song" and " Forever Loving Jah". Confrontation, released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit " Buffalo Soldier" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica.

Personal life

Religion and beliefs

Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I was one of Bob Marley's inspirations

Bob Marley was a longtime member of the Rastafari movement, whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. He became an ardent proponent of Rastafari, taking its music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. As part of being a Rastafarian he felt that Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia was an incarnation of God or "Jah". However, later in life he ended up converting to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and was baptised by Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq in the presence of his wife Rita Marley and their children, with the name of Berhane Selassie, on 4 November 1980, shortly before his death.

As a Rastafarian Marley supported the legalisation of cannabis or "ganja", which Rastafarians believe is an aid to meditation. Marley began to use cannabis when he converted to the Rastafari faith from Catholicism in 1966. He was arrested in 1968 after being caught with cannabis but continued to use marijuana in accordance with his religious beliefs. Of his marijuana usage, he said, "When you smoke herb, herb reveal yourself to you. All the wickedness you do, the herb reveal itself to yourself, your conscience, show up yourself clear, because herb make you meditate. Is only a natural t'ing and it grow like a tree." Marley saw marijuana usage as a vital factor in religious growth and connection with Jah, and as a way to philosophise and become wiser.

Marley was a Pan-Africanist and believed in the unity of African people worldwide. His beliefs were rooted in his Rastafari religious beliefs. He was substantially inspired by Marcus Garvey, and had anti-imperialist and pan-Africanist themes in many of his songs, such as " Zimbabwe", "Exodus", "Survival", "Blackman Redemption", and " Redemption Song". "Redemption Song" draws influence from a speech given by Marcus Garvey in Nova Scotia, 1937. Marley held that independence of African countries from European domination was a victory for all those in the African diaspora. In the song "Africa Unite", he sings of a desire for all peoples of the African diaspora to come together and fight against "Babylon"; similarly, in the song "Zimbabwe", he marks the liberation of the whole continent of Africa, and evokes calls for unity between all Africans, both within and outside Africa.

Bob Marley married Alfarita Constantia "Rita" Anderson in Kingston, Jamaica, on 10 February 1966. Marley had many children: three were born to his wife Rita, and two additional children were adopted from Rita's previous relationships as his own, and they have the Marley name. The official Bob Marley website acknowledges 11 children.

Those listed on the official site are:

Sharon, born 23 November 1964, daughter of Rita from a previous relationship, but then adopted by Marley after his marriage with Rita

Cedella, born 23 August 1967, to Rita

David "Ziggy", born 17 October 1968, to Rita

Stephen, born 20 April 1972, to Rita

Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams

Rohan, born 19 May 1972, to Janet Hunt

Karen, born 1973, to Janet Bowen

Stephanie, born 17 August 1974, from an extramarital affair that Rita had with former soccer player Owen "Ital Tacky" Stewart; nonetheless, Bob adopted Stephanie as one of his own and entitled her to his estate.

Julian, born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder

Ky-Mani, born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis

Damian, born 21 July 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare

Other sites have noted additional individuals who claim to be family members, as noted below:

Makeda was born on 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton, after Marley's death. Meredith Dixon's book lists her as Marley's child, but she is not listed as such on the Bob Marley official website.

Various websites, for example, also list Imani Carole, born 22 May 1963, to Cheryl Murray; but she does not appear on the official Bob Marley website.

Marley also has several notable grandchildren, including musicians Skip Marley and YG Marley, American football player Nico Marley, and model Selah Marley.

Aside from music, association football played a major role throughout his life. As well as playing the game, in parking lots, fields, and even inside recording studios, growing up he followed the Brazilian club Santos and its star player Pelé and was also a supporter of English football club Tottenham Hotspur and Argentine midfielder Ossie Ardiles, who played for the club for a decade beginning in 1978.

Marley surrounded himself with people from the sport, and in the 1970s made the Jamaican international footballer Allan "Skill" Cole his tour manager. He told a journalist, "If you want to get to know me, you will have to play football against me and the Wailers."

Automobiles

Two of the cars that Marley owned were BMWs, a 1602 and then an E3 2500. He purchased these because of the name. He said BMW stood for Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Illness and death

Marley in concert in 1980, Zürich, Switzerland

In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of his right big toe. Contrary to urban legend, this lesion was not primarily caused by an injury during a football match that year, but was instead a symptom of already-existing cancer. He had to see two doctors before a biopsy was done, which confirmed acral lentiginous melanoma. Unlike other melanomas, which usually appear on skin exposed to the sun, acral lentiginous melanoma occurs in places that are easy to miss, such as the soles of the feet, or under toenails. Although it is the most common melanoma in people with dark skin, it is not widely recognised and was not mentioned in the most popular medical textbook of the time.

Marley rejected his doctors' advice to have his toe amputated (which would have hindered his performing career), citing his religious beliefs, and instead, the nail and nail bed were removed and a skin graft was taken from his thigh to cover the area. Despite his illness, he continued touring and was in the process of scheduling a 1980 world tour.

The album Uprising was released in May 1980. The band completed a major tour of Europe, where it played its biggest concert to 100,000 people at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. After the tour, Marley went to the United States, where he performed two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the Uprising Tour. He collapsed while jogging in Central Park and was taken to the hospital, where it was found that his cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and liver.

Marley's last concert took place two days later at the Stanley Theater (now The Benedum Center For The Performing Arts) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 23 September 1980. The only known photographs from the show were included in Kevin Macdonald's 2012 documentary film .

Shortly afterward, Marley's health deteriorated as his cancer had spread throughout his body. The rest of the tour was cancelled, and Marley sought treatment at the clinic of Josef Issels in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria, Germany, where he underwent an alternative cancer treatment called Issels treatment, partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After eight months of failing to effectively treat his advancing cancer, Marley boarded a plane for his home in Jamaica. During the flight, Marley's vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital (later University of Miami Hospital) for immediate medical attention, where he died on 11 May 1981, aged 36, due to the spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain. His final words to his son Ziggy were: "On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let me down."

Marley was given a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981 that combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition. He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace in Nine Mile; his casket contained his red Gibson Les Paul guitar, a Bible opened at Psalm 23, and a stalk of ganja placed there by his widow Rita Marley. Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivered the final funeral eulogy to Marley, saying:

His voice was an omnipresent cry in our electronic world. His sharp features, majestic looks, and prancing style a vivid etching on the landscape of our minds. Bob Marley was never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible imprint with each encounter. Such a man cannot be erased from the mind. He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation.

Awards and honours

Waxwork of Marley in Madame Tussauds, London

Other tributes

Marley statue in Kingston

A statue was inaugurated, next to the national stadium on Arthur Wint Drive in Kingston to commemorate him. In 2006, the New York City Department of Education co-named a portion of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to East 98th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn as "Bob Marley Boulevard". In 2008, a statue of Marley was inaugurated in Banatski Sokolac, Serbia.

Internationally, Marley's message also continues to reverberate among various indigenous communities. For instance, members of the Native American Hopi and Havasupai tribes revere his work. There are also many tributes to Bob Marley throughout India, including restaurants, hotels, and cultural festivals.

Marley evolved into a global symbol, which has been endlessly merchandised through a variety of media. Despite this, author Dave Thompson lamented what he perceived to be the pacification of Marley that came with his commercialisation, stating:

Bob Marley ranks among both the most popular and the most misunderstood figures in modern culture ... That the machine has utterly emasculated Marley is beyond doubt. Gone from the public record is the ghetto kid who dreamed of Che Guevara and the Black Panthers, and pinned their posters up in the Wailers Soul Shack record store; who believed in freedom; and the fighting which it necessitated, and dressed the part on an early album sleeve; whose heroes were James Brown and Muhammad Ali; whose God was Ras Tafari and whose sacrament was marijuana. Instead, the Bob Marley who surveys his kingdom today is smiling benevolence, a shining sun, a waving palm tree, and a string of hits which tumble out of polite radio like candy from a gumball machine. Of course it has assured his immortality. But it has also demeaned him beyond recognition. Bob Marley was worth far more.

Marley is discussed in the 2007 action thriller , where the protagonist named his daughter after him. Marley's music is also used in the film.

Depictions in popular culture

Several film adaptations of Marley's life have been made. For instance, a feature-length documentary about his life, Rebel Music, won various awards at the Grammys. With contributions from Rita, The Wailers, and Marley's lovers and children, it also tells much of the story in his own words. In February 2008, director Martin Scorsese announced his intention to produce a documentary movie on Marley. The film was set to be released on 6 February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday. However, Scorsese dropped out due to scheduling problems. He was replaced by Jonathan Demme, who dropped out due to creative differences with producer Steve Bing during the beginning of editing. Kevin Macdonald replaced Demme and the film, , was released on 20 April 2012. In 2011, ex-girlfriend and filmmaker Esther Anderson, along with Gian Godoy, made the documentary Bob Marley: The Making of a Legend, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In October 2015, Jamaican author Marlon James's novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, a fictional account of the attempted assassination of Marley, won the 2015 Man Booker Prize at a ceremony in London.

In February 2020, Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical was announced by writer Lee Hall and director Dominic Cooke, starring Arinzé Kene as Bob Marley. It was premiered at London's Lyric Theatre on 20 October 2021, after being postponed from its original February premiere due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bob Marley: One Love, an American biographical drama musical film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley, was released in the United States on February 14, 2024.

Discography

Studio albums

References

Further reading

External links

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Early Life

Born on a farm near Diamond, Missouri, the exact date of Carver's birth is unknown, but it's thought he was born in January or June of 1864.

Nine years prior, Moses Carver, a white farm owner, purchased George Carver's mother Mary when she was 13 years old. The elder Carver reportedly was against slavery, but needed help with his 240-acre farm.

When Carver was an infant, he, his mother and his sister were kidnapped from the Carver farm by one of the bands of slave raiders that roamed Missouri during the Civil War era. They were resold in Kentucky.

Moses Carver hired a neighbor to retrieve them, but the neighbor only succeeded in finding George, whom he purchased by trading one of Moses' finest horses. Carver grew up knowing little about his mother or his father, who had died in an accident before he was born.

Moses Carver and his wife Susan raised the young George and his brother James as their own and taught the boys how to read and write.

James gave up his studies and focused on working the fields with Moses. George, however, was a frail and sickly child who could not help with such work; instead, Susan taught him how to cook, mend, embroider, do laundry and garden, as well as how to concoct simple herbal medicines.

At a young age, Carver took a keen interest in plants and experimented with natural pesticides, fungicides and soil conditioners. He became known as the "the plant doctor" to local farmers due to his ability to discern how to improve the health of their gardens, fields and orchards.

Education

At age 11, Carver left the farm to attend an all-Black school in the nearby town of Neosho.

He was taken in by Andrew and Mariah Watkins, a childless Black couple who gave him a roof over his head in exchange for help with household chores. A midwife and nurse, Mariah imparted on Carver her broad knowledge of medicinal herbs and her devout faith.

Disappointed with the education he received at the Neosho school, Carver moved to Kansas about two years later, joining numerous other Blacks who were traveling west.

For the next decade or so, Carver moved from one Midwestern town to another, putting himself through school and surviving off of the domestic skills he learned from his foster mothers.

He graduated from Minneapolis High School in Minneapolis, Kansas, in 1880 and applied to Highland College in Kansas (today's Highland Community College). He was initially accepted at the all-white college but was later rejected when the administration learned he was Black.

In the late 1880s, Carver befriended the Milhollands, a white couple in Winterset, Iowa, who encouraged him to pursue a higher education. Despite his former setback, he enrolled in Simpson College, a Methodist school that admitted all qualified applicants.

Carver initially studied art and piano in hopes of earning a teaching degree, but one of his professors, Etta Budd, was skeptical of a Black man being able to make a living as an artist. After learning of his interests in plants and flowers, Budd encouraged Carver to apply to the Iowa State Agricultural School (now Iowa State University) to study botany.

Carver Makes Black History

In 1894, Carver became the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. Impressed by Carver's research on the fungal infections of soybean plants, his professors asked him to stay on for graduate studies.

Carver worked with famed mycologist (fungal scientist) L.H. Pammel at the Iowa State Experimental Station, honing his skills in identifying and treating plant diseases.

In 1896, Carver earned his Master of Agriculture degree and immediately received several offers, the most attractive of which came from Booker T. Washington (whose last name George would later add to his own) of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama.

Washington convinced the university's trustees to establish an agricultural school, which could only be run by Carver if Tuskegee was to keep its all-Black faculty. Carver accepted the offer and would work at Tuskegee Institute for the rest of his life.

Tuskegee Institute

Carver's early years at Tuskegee were not without hiccups.

For one, agriculture training was not popular-Southern farmers believed they already knew how to farm and students saw schooling as a means to escape farming. Additionally, many faculty members resented Carver for his high salary and demand to have two dormitory rooms, one for him and one for his plant specimens.

Carver also struggled with the demands of the faculty position he held. He wanted to devote his time to researching agriculture for ways to help out poor Southern farmers, but he was also expected to manage the school's two farms, teach, ensure the school's toilets and sanitary facilities worked properly, and sit on multiple committees and councils.

Carver and Washington had a complicated relationship and would butt heads often, in part because Carver wanted little to do with teaching (though he was beloved by his students). Carver would eventually get his way when Washington died in 1915 and was succeeded by Robert Russa Moton, who relieved Carver of his teaching duties except for summer school.

What Did George Washington Carver Invent?

By this time, Carver already had great successes in the laboratory and the community. He taught poor farmers that they could feed hogs acorns instead of commercial feed and enrich croplands with swamp muck instead of fertilizers. But it was his ideas regarding crop rotation that proved to be most valuable.

Through his work on soil chemistry, Carver learned that years of growing cotton had depleted the nutrients from soil, resulting in low yields. But by growing nitrogen-fixing plants like peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes, the soil could be restored, allowing yield to increase dramatically when the land was reverted to cotton use a few years later.

To further help farmers, he invented the Jessup wagon, a kind of mobile (horse-drawn) classroom and laboratory used to demonstrate soil chemistry.

Carver: The Peanut Man

Farmers, of course, loved the high yields of cotton they were now getting from Carver's crop rotation technique. But the method had an unintended consequence: A surplus of peanuts and other non-cotton products.

Carver set to work on finding alternative uses for these products. For example, he invented numerous products from sweet potatoes, including edible products like flour and vinegar and non-food items such as stains, dyes, paints and writing ink.

But Carver's biggest success came from peanuts.

In all, he developed more than 300 food, industrial and commercial products from peanuts, including milk, Worcestershire sauce, punches, cooking oils, salad oil, paper, cosmetics, soaps and wood stains. He also experimented with peanut-based medicines, such as antiseptics, laxatives and goiter medications.

It should be noted, however, that many of these suggestions or discoveries remained curiosities and did not find widespread applications.

In 1921, Carver appeared before the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of the peanut industry, which was seeking tariff protection. Though his testimony did not begin well, he described the wide range of products that could be made from peanuts, which not only earned him a standing ovation but also convinced the committee to approve a high protected tariff for the common legume.

He then became known as "The Peanut Man."

Fame and Legacy

In the last two decades of his life, Carver lived as a minor celebrity but his focus was always on helping people.

He traveled the South to promote racial harmony, and he traveled to India to discuss nutrition in developing nations with Mahatma Gandhi.

Up until the year of his death, he also released bulletins for the public (44 bulletins between 1898 and 1943). Some of the bulletins reported on research findings but many others were more practical in nature and included cultivation information for farmers, science for teachers and recipes for housewives.

In the mid-1930s, when the polio virus raged in America, Carver became convinced that peanuts were the answer. He offered a treatment of peanut oil massages and reported positive results, though no scientific evidence exists that the treatments worked (the benefits patients experienced were likely due to the massage treatment and attentive care rather than the oil).

Carver died on January 5, 1943, at Tuskegee Institute after falling down the stairs of his home. He was 78 years old. Carver was buried next to Booker T. Washington on the Tuskegee Institute grounds.

Monument

Soon after, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation for Carver to receive his own monument, an honor previously only granted to presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

The George Washington Carver National Monument now stands in Diamond, Missouri. Carver was also posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Quotes

"Where there is no vision, there is no hope."

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."

"When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."

Sources

George Washington Carver; American Chemical Society.
George W. Carver (1865? - 1943); The State Historical Society of Missouri.
George Washington Carver; Science History Museum.
George Washington Carver, The Black History Monthiest Of Them All; NPR.
George Washington Carver And The Peanut; American Heritage.

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George Washington Carver, born into slavery, was a scientist and inventor who developed hundreds of products using peanuts (but not peanut butter) and other crops.

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