The Music Of The 80s - Favorites, Classics And Rarities

[hitman531ph]

BASIA

 

Vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska (pronounced CHECHELEVSKA) spent a couple of years in the pop band Matt Bianco, an offshoot of Blue Rondo à la Turk, before she launched a solo career in 1987. With the musical assistance of Matt Bianco's Danny White, Basia developed a subtle cocktail jazz-pop which was first showcased on her 1987 debut album, Time and Tide. Supported by the singles "New Day for You" and "Time and Tide," the record became a hit in Europe and America, where the album went platinum. Her second record, 1990's London Warsaw New York, was just as successful, but her third album, 1994's Sweetest Illusion, failed to find an audience. Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia followed in 1998

Edited November 15, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

GLORIA ESTEFAN

 

As one of the biggest new stars to emerge during the mid-'80s, singer Gloria Estefan predated the coming Latin pop explosion by a decade, scoring a series of propulsive dance hits rooted in the rhythms of her native Cuba before shifting her focus to softer, more ballad-oriented fare. Born Gloria Fajardo in Havana on September 1, 1957, she was raised primarily in Miami, FL, after her father, a bodyguard in the employ of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was forced to flee the island following the 1959 coup helmed by Fidel Castro. In the fall of 1975, Fajardo and her cousin Merci Murciano auditioned for the Miami Latin Boys, a local wedding band headed by keyboardist Emilio Estefan. With their addition, the group was rechristened Miami Sound Machine and four years later, Fajardo and Estefan were wed. As Miami Sound Machine began composing their own original material, their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following, and in 1979 the group issued their first Spanish-language LP on CBS International. Despite a growing Hispanic fan base, they did not cross over to non-Latin audiences until "Dr. Beat" topped European dance charts in 1984.

With 1985's Primitive Love, Miami Sound Machine recorded their first English-language effort, scoring three Top Ten pop hits in the U.S. alone with the infectious "Conga," "Bad Boy," and "Words Get in the Way." For 1988's triple-platinum Let It Loose, the group was billed as Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, reeling off four Top Ten hits -- "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "Can't Stay Away From You," the chart-topping "Anything for You," and "1-2-3." 1989's Cuts Both Ways was credited to Estefan alone and generated her second number one hit, "Don't Wanna Lose You"; however, while touring in support of the album, on March 20, 1990, her bus was struck by a tractor-trailer. She suffered a broken vertebrae that required extensive surgery and kept her off the road for over a year. Emilio Estefan and the couple's son were injured in the crash as well, but all three recovered. Estefan resurfaced in 1991 with Into the Light, again topping the charts with "Coming Out of the Dark," a single inspired by her near-fatal accident; two more cuts from the album, "Can't Forget You" and "Live for Loving You," secured her foothold on the adult contemporary charts.

 

With 1993's Mi Tierra, Estefan returned to her roots, recording her first Spanish-language record in close to a decade and earning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album; on the follow-up, 1994's covers collection Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, she also recalled her dance-pop origins with a rendition of the Vicki Sue Robinson disco classic "Turn the Beat Around." Another all-Spanish effort, Abriendo Puertas, earned the Grammy as well, while Destiny featured "Reach," named the official theme of the 1996 Summer Olympics. As Latin pop made new commercial headway thanks to the efforts of acts like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Estefan reigned as the most successful crossover artist in Latin music history, with international record sales close to the 50 million mark. In 1999, she also made her feature film debut alongside Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart, recording the film's title song as a duet with *N Sync and scoring both a massive pop hit and an Oscar nomination in the process. A new Spanish-language album, Alma Caribeña, followed in the spring of 2000. Several months later, Estefan was awarded a Grammy for Best Music Video for "No Me Dehes De Querer at the first annual Latin Grammy Awards. Her husband, Emilio, won for Producer of the Year

Edited November 15, 2005 by hitman531ph

[bullseye2x]

great info hitman ..keep it up bro :thumbsupsmiley:

[hitman531ph]

Thank you very much...

 

DANNY WILSON

 

Like Matt Bianco, Danny Wilson was a band with nobody named Danny Wilson or Danny or Wilson.

 

Top 40 radio developed a brief crush on Danny Wilson in the late '80s. Formed in Dundee, Scotland, Danny Wilson shared the same pop sensibilities as compatriots the Big Dish, the Blue Nile, and Deacon Blue. Singer Gary Clark's breathy, yearning vocals on 1987's "Mary's Prayer" earned the group its first -- and only -- hit stateside, but the band slowly amassed a cult following that usually develops with artists possessing timeless songwriting abilities. Formed by Clark, his brother Kit Clark, and percussionist Ged Grimes, Danny Wilson was signed to Virgin Records in 1985. Two years later, the group released their debut LP, Meet Danny Wilson. The single "Mary's Prayer" peaked at number three in the U.K. in 1988, and it was a surprise success in America as well.

 

Named after the 1952 Frank Sinatra film Meet Danny Wilson, Danny Wilson was obviously enamored of '60s soul and Steely Dan's cool, sophisticated arrangements. Consequently, the band's retro sound never fit in with the U.K. rock scene of the late '80s, although they were often compared to Prefab Sprout, another group that defied contemporary trends and featured a singer with a velvety voice. "Second Summer of Love" also landed on the British charts in 1989 with a hit "Everything You Said Was True"; however, after their follow-up album Bebop Moptop, Danny Wilson broke up and Gary Clark went solo. In 1993, Clark recorded Ten Short Songs About Love. He then formed the short-lived King L, releasing Great Day for Gravity in 1995. Clark joined former King L member Eric Pressly (bass) and female singer Keeley Hawkes in Transister, creating a completely different sound with hard-edged guitars and samples on their 1997 self-titled album. But, by 2000, he was no longer with them. In 2001, Clark co-wrote and produced tracks on Natalie Imbruglia's White Lilies Island

Edited November 17, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

LIONEL RICHIE

 

After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists of the '80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday only by Michael Jackson and Prince. Richie dominated the pop charts during that period with an incredible run of 13 consecutive Top Ten hits, five of them number ones. As his popularity skyrocketed, Richie moved farther away from his R&B origins and concentrated more on adult contemporary balladry, which had been one of his strengths even as part of the Commodores. After 1987, Richie fell silent, taking an extended break from recording and touring before beginning a comeback toward the tail end of the '90s.

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, AL, and grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute, where most of his family had worked for two generations prior. While attending college there, Richie joined the Commodores, who went on to become the most successful act on the Motown label during the latter half of the '70s. Richie served as a saxophonist, sometime vocalist, and songwriter, penning ballads like "Easy," "Three Times a Lady," and "Still" (the latter two became the group's only number one pop hits). Although the Commodores maintained a democratic band structure through most of their chart run, things began to change when the '70s became the '80s. In 1980, Richie wrote and produced country-pop singer Kenny Rogers' across-the-board number one smash "Lady," and the following year, Richie's duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love" (recorded for the Brooke Shields film of the same title), became the most successful single in Motown history, topping the charts for a stunning nine weeks. With the media's attention now focused exclusively on Richie, tensions within the Commodores began to mount, and before the end of 1981, Richie decided to embark on a solo career.

 

Richie immediately set about recording his solo debut for Motown. Titled simply Lionel Richie, the album was released in late 1982 and was an immediate smash, reaching number three on the pop charts on its way to sales of over four million copies. It spun off three Top Five pop hits, including the first single "Truly," which became Richie's first solo number one. If Lionel Richie made its creator a star, the follow-up Can't Slow Down made him a superstar. Boasting five Top Ten singles, including the number ones "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello," Can't Slow Down hit number one, eventually sold over ten million copies, and won the 1984 Grammy for Album of the Year. Such was Richie's stature that he was invited to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a spectacular stage event that was broadcast worldwide.

 

In 1985, Richie put his superstar status to work for a greater good, joining Michael Jackson in co-writing the USA for Africa charity single "We Are the World"; the all-star recording helped raise millions of dollars for famine relief. By the end of the year, he was on top of the charts again with "Say You, Say Me," a ballad recorded for the film White Nights but not included on the soundtrack album. The song was slated to be the title track on Richie's upcoming album, but delays in the recording process prevented the record from being released until August 1986, by which time the title was changed to Dancing on the Ceiling (in order to promote Richie's next single release). Three more Top Tens followed "Say You, Say Me," as did "Se La," which became the first of Richie's solo singles not to reach the pop Top Ten. Overall, Dancing on the Ceiling didn't match the success of Can't Slow Down, but it still sold an impressive four million copies, although Richie's rep*tation for sentimental ballads was beginning to incur a backlash in some quarters.

 

1987 saw Richie's nine-year streak of writing at least one number one single (a feat matched only by Irving Berlin) come to an end. As a matter of fact, Richie all but disappeared from the music business, simply choosing to take some time off after nearly two decades of recording and performing (or, perhaps, quitting while he was ahead). His silence was broken only in 1992, when Motown released a compilation titled Back to Front; in addition to some of his solo hits and a few Commodores tracks, Back to Front also featured three new songs, including the number one R&B hit "Do It to Me" (which wasn't as successful on the pop charts).

 

Richie wasn't bitten by the recording bug again until 1996, by which time he'd endured his share of personal loss: his father had passed away, and his marriage to wife Brenda -- the muse behind some of his most successful ballads -- had fallen apart. In approaching his comeback, Richie attempted to update his sound to reflect a decade's worth of developments in urban R&B. The result, Louder Than Words, was a moderate success, reaching the Top 30 and going gold. However, it didn't produce any major hit singles, and Richie's nods to new jack swing and hip-hop were criticized as awkward. 1998's Time found Richie in a more familiar element, relying on his signature sound with only slight musical updates. However, the album flopped, spending only a few weeks in the lower reaches of the charts. Richie's next album, Renaissance, was released to a favorable reception in Europe in late 2000; it was issued in the U.S. in early 2001. Three years later, on the heels of enduring a very public and bitter divorce with his second wife Diane, Richie released Just For You

Edited November 18, 2005 by hitman531ph

[elbarax]

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www.komodoisland.net

 

see you there.

[hitman531ph]

EIGHT SECONDS

 

Vocalist Del Castillo, bassist March Cesare, keyboardist Frank Levin, drummer Scott Milks and guitarist Marc Parent founded the Ontario-based Eight Seconds in 1982. After winning a local talent contest and later recording the mini-album Ottava Rima, the band signed with Polygram and released Almacantar in 1986. The group had one hit in 1986 with a song called "Kiss You When It's Dangerous." The album, Big Houses, followed four years later

Edited November 21, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

TIMBUK 3

 

An intelligent alternative pop duo with folk and country leanings (though they often relied on synthesizers and drum machines, even while playing live dates), Timbuk 3's Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald wrote many better songs than their surprise 1986 hit "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades." The couple, who met in the late '70s while Barbara studied at the University of Wisconsin, were based in Austin, Texas by the mid-'80s, when they recorded their debut album Greetings from Timbuk 3 in 1986. After the LP was released on IRS Records, "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" hit number 19 late that year. Though it was Timbuk 3's only hit, they continued recording and found a niche in the college/alternative community with albums such as Eden Alley, Edge of Allegiance and Big Shot in the Dark

Edited November 21, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

JOBOXERS

 

For a short time in 1983, JoBoxers looked like they would be a successful British pop band in the soul-dance style popular at the time. By the end of the year, however, the group's appeal had begun to fade. Four of the five band members, all natives of Bristol, England, came together in 1981 as a new backing band for singer Vic Goddard called, like his previous units, Subway Sect: guitarist Rob Marche (b. Oct 13, 1962); keyboardist Dave Collard (b. Jan 17, 1963); bassist Chris Bostock (b. Nov 23, 1962); and drummer Sean McLusky (b. May 5, 1961). Goddard and the band made one album together, Songs for Sale (1982), and toured but then split up. The four musicians were running a second-hand clothing stall in a street market when they met American expatriate Dig Wayne (b. Jul 20, 1958), who was running his own stall; he joined them as lead singer, and the band was complete. Adopting a working-class look complete with caps, suspenders, and work shoes, JoBoxers got their first break appearing on the BBC television series Oxford Roadshow and were then signed to RCA Records. Their debut single, "Boxerbeat," a catchy, upbeat song with horns and crowd sounds, entered the British charts in February 1983, peaking in the Top Five in April. The more soulful "Just Got Lucky" followed in May, reaching the Top Ten in June. The funk-inflected "Johnny Friendly" barely scraped into the Top 40, and the band's debut album, Like Gangsters, released in September, peaked in the Top 20. In the U.S., "Just Got Lucky" reached the Top 40, and Like Gangsters made the Top 100. With "Jealous Love," which barely made the British charts in November, the band had traced a steadily declining pattern in its singles releases, and after their 1985 album, Skin and Bone, missed the charts, they broke up. Wayne then launched a solo career; his back-up band, including Collard, releasing Square Business in 1987

Edited November 22, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

GEORGE THOROGOOD and THE DESTROYERS

 

A blues-rock guitarist who draws his inspiration from Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor, and Chuck Berry, George Thorogood never earned much respect from blues purists, but he became a popular favorite in the early '80s through repeated exposure on FM radio and the arena rock circuit. Thorogood's music was always loud, simple, and direct -- his riffs and licks were taken straight out of '50s Chicago blues and rock & roll -- but his formulaic approach helped him gain a rather large audience in the '80s, when his albums regularly went gold.

Originally, Thorogood was a minor-league baseball player but decided to become a musician in 1970 after seeing John Paul Hammond in concert. Three years later, he assembled the Destroyers in his home state of Delaware; in addition to Thorogood, the band featured bassist Michael Lenn, second guitarist Ron Smith, and drummer Jeff Simon. Shortly after the group was formed, he moved them to Boston, where they became regulars on the blues club circuit. In 1974, they cut a batch of demos which were later released in 1979 as the Better Than the Rest album.

 

Within a year of recording the demos, the Destroyers were discovered by John Forward, who helped them secure a contract with Rounder Records. Before they made their first album, Lenn was replaced by Billy Blough. Thorogood & the Destroyers' eponymous debut was released in early 1977. The group's second album, Move It On Over, was released in 1978. The title track, a cover of Hank Williams' classic, was pulled as a single and it received heavy FM airplay, helping the album enter the American Top 40 and go gold. Its success led to MCA's release of Better Than the Rest, which the band disdained. In 1980, Ron Smith left the band and the group added a saxophonist, Hank Carter, and released their third album, More George Thorogood and the Destroyers.

 

Following the release of More George Thorogood, the guitarist signed with EMI Records, releasing his major-label debut, Bad to the Bone, in 1982. The title track of the album became his first major crossover hit, thanks to MTV's saturation airplay of the song's video. The album went gold and spent nearly a full year on the charts. Thorogood's next three albums after Bad to the Bone all went gold. Between Bad to the Bone and Thorogood's next album, 1985's Maverick, the Destroyers added a second guitarist, Steve Chrismar.

 

By the beginning of the '90s, Thorogood's audience began to decrease. None of the albums he released went gold, even though the title track from 1993's Haircut was a number two album rock hit. Despite his declining record sales, Thorogood continued to tour blues and rock clubs and he usually drew large crowds; subsequent efforts include 1997's Rockin' My Life Away, 1999's Half a Boy/Half a Man, and Live in '99

Edited November 22, 2005 by hitman531ph

[hitman531ph]

CHRISTOPHER CROSS

 

Christopher Cross was far and away the biggest new star of 1980, virtually defining adult contemporary radio with a series of smoothly sophisticated ballads including the chart-topping "Sailing"; seemingly as quickly as he shot to fame, however, his star descended, although he continued recording and touring for years to come. Born Christopher Geppert in San Antonio, TX on May 3, 1951, Cross first surfaced in the Austin-based cover band Flash before signing a solo contract with Warner Bros. in the autumn of 1978. His self-titled debut LP appeared two years later, with the lead single "Ride Like the Wind" rocketing to the number two spot; the massive success of the second single "Sailing" made Cross a superstar, and in the wake of two more Top 20 hits, "Never Be the Same" and "Say You'll Be Mine," he walked off with a record-setting five Grammys in 1981, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Sailing." He soon scored a second number one as well as an Academy Award with "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," which he co-wrote with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen for the smash Dudley Moore film comedy Arthur. Cross' much-anticipated sophomore effort Another Page arrived in 1983 and returned to the Top Ten with "All Right" (#4) and "Think of Laura" (#9)(popularized through its constant presence on the daytime soap phenomenon General Hospital), though the album failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, and somewhat amazingly, he never returned to the Top 40 again. Every Turn of the World appeared to little notice in 1985, and when 1988's Back of My Mind failed to chart altogether, Cross was dropped by Warner. His next album, Rendezvous, did not appear until five years later on BMG. Window followed in 1995, and in 1998 he signed to CMC International for Walking in Avalon, a two-disc effort split between new studio material and live recordings of his past hits. Cross returned in the spring of 2000 with The Red Room.

Edited November 25, 2005 by hitman531ph

[Cain N Moko]

CYNDI LAUPER

 

1953: June 22nd

Cyndi Lauper (full name: Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton), is born in Brooklyn-New York on June 22nd 1953 (note that a lot of biogaphies are wrong at this purpose: this is the correct date). Her father is named Fred Lauper, her mother Catrine Dominique (present in several videos), her sister Elen Lauper (She is now an accupuncturist in Southern California) and her brother Fred (nicknamed as Butch).

Cyndi took up playing the guitar and writing lyrics at the age of twelve. The first song she learnt to play was "Greensleeves".

 

She went to 4 high schools. The one that gave her the honorary high school diploma was Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, NY.

 

1977

In the mid-seventies she performed as a vocalist with various cover bands in the New York metropolitan area. She sang some songs of Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and some top 40 covers... The names of the cover bands were "Doc West", "Flyer", ... In 1977, Cyndi extensively damaged her vocal cords, leaving her virtually voiceless.

1980

After a full year of therapy with voice coach Katie Agestra, Cyndi's voice was back and soon Cyndi and multi-instrumentalist John Turi formed a new band, 'Blue Angel', which released its self-titled debut album in 1980. This album included Maybe He'll Know and Lauper's soaring rendition of Gene Pitney's I'm Gonna Be Strong.

1983

Cyndi Lauper signed with Portrait Records as a solo artist in the spring of 1983. Her first solo album, She's So Unusual, was released at the end of the year and went on to sell more than 4.5 million copies in the United States alone. Moreover the album was the first of a female artist to score four Top Five singles from a debut album: Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop and All Through The Night.

Recognition soon followed:

 

American Music Awards for Favorite Female Vocalist Pop/Rock

American Music Awards for Favorite Female Vocalist Video Pop/Rock

a Grammy award for Best New Artist

"Rolling Stone" Best New Artist and Best Female Video Artist

MTV Best Female Video Artist

... and many others

 

1984

In 1984, Cyndi worked 350 days and neared her 300th concert mark. She performed or promoted her records in 150 cities. But she also found time to sit down and design all the T-shirts sold at her concerts.

1985

In 1985, Cyndi contributed her writing and singing talents to the movie, The Goonies. She provided the Goonies theme song entitled (The Goonies 'R') Good Enough. It became a top 10 hit.

1986

In '86 True Colors was launched, the cast of this album including notables such as Billy Joel, Nile Rodgers, Rick Derringer, Aimee Mann and The Bangles. Cyndi received a Grammy nomination for the single True Colors. Cyndi co-produced this album.

1988

In October 1988, Cyndi travelled to the Soviet Union as one of a group of American songwriters collaborating with Soviet counterparts. The outcome is a great song: Cold Sky found on the album Music Speaks Louder Than Words. Also in 1988, Cyndi made her motion picture debut in the movies, Vibes. She co-starred with Jeff Goldblum and they both played psychics. Even though most fans love this movie, it was panned by the critics.

1989

In 1989, Cyndi recorded the album A Night To Remember of which some songs were re-released on a single in January 1990. She again received a Grammy nomination for the single I Drove All Night.

Hit records, performances during mega-events as The Wall, award-winning videos, sold-out concert tours and very positive media acclaim; the rest, to use Lauper's expression, is "herstory".

 

1990

Cyndi filmed her second movie entitled Off and Running. She met her husband David Thornton on the set.

1991

She got married to actor David Thornton on November 24th 1991 at the Friends Meeting House in New York. Little Richard led the couple in the recitation of their non-traditional vows, and Patti Labelle sang the wedding theme "Come What May".

Cyndi's fourth album is Hat Full Of Stars. It's maybe the most critically acclaimed to date:

 

The Village Voice said: "Hat Full Of Stars is startingly wonderful. The singing is stellar, the arrangements are happening".

Rolling Stone gave the album 3 1/2 stars and said: "Her multi- octave voice has never sounded better".

The New York Times said: "... Her new songs are strong, the new Cyndi Lauper still embraces the old one".

The Los Angeles Times called Hat Full Of Stars: " ... her most consistently tuneful and ambitious album".

When talking about this album Cyndi says: "I wanted to make the album I always needed to make. I had to say the things I never could." In addition to co-producing and co-writing this album, Cyndi is also directing three videos from it, making her one of the few artist/directors in the pop world today.

1994

In 1994, Cyndi released Twelve Deadly Cyns... And Then Some. This album contains a lot of the singles hits. Although this album has been released worldwide in 1994, it is only released in July 1995 in US.

 

Cyndi also made her first appearance on the sitcom, Mad About You. She was even nominated for an Emmy award, however, she did not win.

1995

Cyndi made her second appearance on the sitcom, Mad About You. Again, she was nominated for an Emmy award. This time, she won.

1996

In 1996, Sisters Of Avalon, the best album so far is released in Japan. For the first time, Cyndi took part in the writing of every song. Jan Pulsford, the keyboardist co-wrote 11 songs. They are now "Sisters Of Avalon".

1997

The album Sisters Of Avalon is released worldwide.

Cyndi is pregnant with her first child, a boy. She announced it for the first time during 'Fox After Breakfast' on April 28th. She said: "I'm in my eleventh week and I know I'm having a football player or model. I feel like this kid should be in college by now, it's taking so long."

While pregnant, Cyndi tours in US as special guest of Tina Turner for her "Wildest Dreams" tour for 3 months.

Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper is born on November 19th 1997.

1998

Cyndi worked on her sitcom which unfortunately will never be broadcasted...

Then in October, she released her Christmas album. This album was the last one with Sony.

1999

Cyndi continued to work on her sitcom, appeared twice in Mad About You and did a US Tour as a Cher's special guest.

Disco Inferno was a hit in the US clubs during summer.

She is still looking for a new label.

 

Cyndi also filmed a movie, The Opportunists, with Christopher Walken. It was Cyndi's first dramatic role in a movie.

2000

The Opportunists was released in limited release. Cyndi got good reviews.

2001

Cyndi's new album, Shine, was supposed to be released by Edel, but the label went under and the 12 track Shine album never saw the light of day... that is, until it was leaked onto the internet.

2002

Once again, Cyndi joined Cher on tour and got excellent reviews. Cyndi also released a 5 track EP containing some of the Shine songs. It was a success. Cyndi also did several in-store signings.

2003

She continued her solo tour.

In November, the At Last album was released.

She was the headline singer who performed in Times Square on New Year's of 2003-2004.

2004

In April, she performed at the VH1 Divas Show 2004.

Also in April, the Shine album was finally released but only in Japan.

In May, her first live DVD, Live... At Last, was released.

Cyndi performed a lot of concerts in US and Canada, a few in Japan and came back to Australia for the first time since 1989. She performed for half a month at The Night of the Proms in Holland.

She was nominated for a Grammy.

2005

She participated to the Stay Close PFLAG campaign with her sister.

She appears in various TV shows.

She will perform some concerts in US and Canada during summer.

[Cain N Moko]

OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN

 

Olivia Newton-John skillfully made the transition from popular country-pop singer to popular mainstream soft rock singer, becoming one of the most successful vocalists of the '70s in the process. The transition itself wasn't much of a stretch -- her early-'70s hits "I Honestly Love You" and "Have You Never Been Mellow" were country only in the loosest sense -- yet the extent of her success in both fields was remarkable. As a country singer, her first five charting singles all went Top Ten in the U.S.; as a pop singer, she had no less than 15 Top Ten hits, including five number one singles, highlighted by "Physical," which spent ten weeks at number one in 1981-1982. Newton-John's sweet voice suited both country-pop and soft rock perfectly, which is what kept her at the top of the charts until the mid-'80s. After 1984, she was no longer able to reach the Top 40, partially because of shifting musical tastes and partially because she was unable to successfully record sexy dance-pop, no matter how hard she tried. Nevertheless, her '70s and '80s hits remained soft rock and adult contemporary staples into the '90s, when she was no longer recording frequently

Although she was born in Cambridge, England, Newton-John was raised in Melbourne, Australia, where her father was the headmaster of Ormond College (her grandfather Max Born won the Nobel Prize for physics). She tentatively entered show business at the age of 12, when she won a local Haley Mills-lookalike contest. A few years later, she formed an all-female vocal group called the Sol Four with three school friends. Once the Sol Four disbanded, Newton-John entered a television talent contest, winning the grand prize of a trip to London, England. Once in London, she formed a duo with Pat Carroll, another Australian-based vocalist, and tried to work her way into the music industry. Though her partnership with Carrol was short-lived -- Pat was sent back to Australia once her visa expired -- Olivia was making inroads in the business. Following Carrol's departure, Newton-John recorded and released her first single, a version of Jackie DeShannon's "Till You Say You'll Be Mine." Shortly afterward, she became a member of Toomorrow, a bubblegum group assembled by Don Kirshner in hopes of creating a British version of the Monkees.

 

Toomorrow appeared in a science fiction movie of the same name and had one minor British hit single, "I Could Never Live Without Your Love," in early 1970 before the group quietly disbanded. Following the failure of Toomorrow, Newton-John became part of Cliff Richard's touring show, appearing both as an opening act at his concerts and on his British television series, It's Cliff!. The exposure as a singer and comedienne on the show helped Olivia's career immeasurably, and her first single for Uni Records, a version of Bob Dylan's "If Not for You," became a Top Ten hit in the U.K. in the spring of 1971; in America, it was surprisingly successful, spending three weeks at the top of the adult contemporary charts and peaking at number 25 on the pop charts. For the next two years, Newton-John's success was primarily contained in Britain, where she had a string of lesser hits with covers of George Harrison's "What Is Life" and John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads." In America, her career was stalled -- her follow-up single, "Banks of the Ohio," barely scraped the lower reaches of the Top 100. On the other hand, she didn't release a full-length album in the U.S. until 1973, when Let Me Be There appeared. The title track from the record became a huge hit, going gold in early 1974 and peaking in the Top Ten country and pop charts. "Let Me Be There" was so successful it won the Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, much to the consternation of many members of Nashville's music industry.

 

"Let Me Be There" was followed by four other Top Ten hits -- "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" (number two country, number five pop, 1974), "I Honestly Love You" (number six country, number one pop, 1974), "Have You Never Been Mellow" (number three country, number one pop, 1975), and "Please Mr. Please" (number five country, number three pop, 1975). Newton-John moved to Los Angeles late in 1974, and early the following year, she won the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music Association. As a protest, several members of the CMA quit the organization. Ironically, Newton-John was already planning to move away from country. During 1976 and 1977, she had a number of minor hits with soft rock songs. Though none of these were big pop successes, they began to establish her as a pop singer, not a country-pop singer.

 

Newton-John's transformation into a mildly sexy pop singer was complete in 1978, when she starred in the movie version of the popular Broadway musical Grease. Also starring John Travolta, Grease was an international hit and spawned three huge hit singles -- "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "Summer Nights," and "You're the One That I Want"; the latter two were duets between Newton-John and Travolta. "You're The One That I Want," in particular, was a massive success, reaching number one in both America and Britain; in the U.K., it spent a staggering nine weeks at number one. During 1979, Newton-John released the Totally Hot album, which boasted a mixture of soft rock and light disco. The record was another hit, with the first single, "A Little More Love," peaking at number three on the U.S. pop charts and going gold. Early in 1980, Newton-John starred in the roller-disco fantasy film Xanadu. While the movie was an unqualified bomb, the soundtrack was a huge hit. "Magic" spent four weeks at the top of the U.S. pop charts, while the ELO duet "Xanadu" reached number eight and her duet with Cliff Richard, "Suddenly," peaked at number 20.

 

With her next album, Physical, Newton-John continued to rework her image, re-inventing herself as a sexy aerobics fanatic. The first single from the record, the suggestive "Physical," was a huge hit, spending ten weeks at number one during the fall and winter of 1981-1982. Physical spawned another Top Ten hit -- "Make a Move on Me" -- and became her most successful record. Following the album's success, she was awarded with an Order of the British Empire. In 1983, Newton-John again starred with Travolta, this time in the comedy Two of a Kind. The movie was a bomb, but a song she recorded for the soundtrack, "Twist of Fate," became a Top Ten hit in early 1984.

 

By the end of 1984, Newton-John had married actor Matt Lattanzi. The following year, she released the Physical clone Soul Kiss, which produced only one minor hit with its title track. In 1986, she had a daughter named Chloe and opened a clothing store chain called Koala Blue. Newton-John attempted to launch a comeback in 1988 with The Rumour, but the album was ignored. She signed with Geffen the following year, releasing the children's album Warm and Tender. During the late '80s and '90s, she devoted herself to her family and business as well as several environmental activist organizations. In 1992, Koala Blue folded and Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the next year, she successfully underwent treatment for the disease. In 1994, she returned to recording with the independently released and self-produced album Gaia. Back With a Heart, a return to Nashville, followed in 1998. One Woman's Live Journey was issued two years later.

[Cain N Moko]

JAMES TAYLOR

 

When people use the term "singer/songwriter" (often modified by the word "sensitive") in praise or in criticism, they're thinking of James Taylor. In the early '70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation's emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby's reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor's eased the transition from '60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking '70s. He was rewarded with a series of hit albums and singles (surprisingly, many of the latter were covers of old songs rather than his own compositions), and he managed to survive his initial fame to achieve lasting popularity. He continued to tour successfully for decades, and, starting with his 1970 breakthrough Sweet Baby James, all but one of his regular album releases for the rest of the century went gold or platinum, while his 1976 Greatest Hits album achieved a diamond certification reflecting sales of more than ten million copies.

Taylor was the son of Dr. Isaac and Gertrude Taylor. His three brothers Alex (1947-1993), Livingston, and Hugh - and his sister Kate - all became musicians and recorded albums of their own. In 1951, Dr. Taylor was appointed dean of the medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the family moved from New England to the South. Taylor studied cello as a child, but first took up the guitar in 1960. In 1963, he began attending Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. That summer, he met fellow guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar while staying on Martha' s Vineyard, and the two formed a folk duo. Taylor dropped out of school at 16 and formed a band with his brother Alex. Having moved to New York, he suffered from depression and checked himself into McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts, a stay that would inspire some of his early songs. While there, he earned a high school diploma. Upon release, he returned to New York in 1966 and formed a new group, the Flying Machine, with Kortchmar and Joel O'Brien. The band played in Greenwich Village and was signed to a fledgling record label, Rainy Day Records (the name taken from Taylor' s song "Rainy Day Man"). It released one single, "Brighten Your Night with My Day" / "Night Owl," both songs written by Taylor. The record was unsuccessful, and the band broke up in the spring of 1967.

 

By 1968, Taylor had become addicted to heroin. In an attempt to overcome his addiction, he moved to London, where he submitted a demo tape to Peter Asher, former member of Peter and Gordon, then working for the Beatles' Apple Records label. As a result, Taylor was signed to Apple and recorded his debut solo album, James Taylor, released in the U.K. in December 1968 and in the U.S. in February 1969. Initially, it received little attention. A more pressing concern, however, was that Taylor had not been able to kick heroin. As a result, he returned to the U.S. and checked into the Austin Riggs Hospital in Massachusetts. By July 1969, he had recovered sufficiently to make his solo debut at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles, but soon after he was in a motorcycle accident and broke both of his hands, which put him out of commission for several months.

 

Freed of his Apple Records contract, Taylor signed to Warner Bros. Records, moved to California, and, retaining Asher as his manager and producer, recorded his second album, Sweet Baby James. It was released in February 1970 and became a major success during the course of the year, spurred by the single "Fire and Rain," a song that reflected on his experiences in mental institutions, which peaked in the top five in October, the same month that Sweet Baby James achieved the same status on the LP charts. With that, interest in Taylor's first album was re-stimulated, and it belatedly reached the charts along with the single "Carolina on My Mind," as did James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine - 1967, a short collection of unfinished recordings made by his '60s band. Sweet Baby James then spawned a second hit single, "Country Road," which peaked in the Top 40 in March 1971. The same month, Taylor appeared on the cover of Time magazine, touted as the founder and leading proponent of the "singer/songwriter" trend in popular music.

 

Meanwhile, Taylor had acted in a feature film, Two-Lane Blacktop, co-starring with the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson. It was not successful, and Taylor never pursued an acting career, though it has been well-reviewed subsequently. Taylor also worked on a new album, returning to record stores in April 1971 with Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. As he toured the U.S., the LP spent the summer in the Top Ten, eventually peaking just below the top of the charts, paced by its first single, "You've Got a Friend," written by Carole King, which hit number one in July and went gold. A second single, "Long Ago and Far Away," reached the Top 40, and the album eventually sold more than two million copies. On March 14, 1972, Taylor won the 1971 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for "You've Got a Friend."

 

Taylor took what was then considered a long time - more than a year and a half - to come up with his next album, One Man Dog, released in November 1972. On November 3, 1972, during an appearance at Radio City Music Hall in New York, he announced to the crowd that he had married singer/songwriter Carly Simon earlier in the day. Simon was already well known for the hits "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Anticipation," and would soon top the charts with "You're So Vain." One Man Dog marked a fall-off in Taylor's record sales, though it went gold, reached the top five, and spawned a top 20 single in "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."

 

Taylor was next heard from in January 1974, when he sang a duet with his wife of "Mockingbird," a cover of the 1963 hit by Inez and Charlie Foxx, on her Hot Cakes album. Released as a single, the recording reached the Top Five and went gold. That spring, Taylor launched a major tour in anticipation of his next album, Walking Man, released in June. Though it reached the Top 20, the album was a commercial disappointment, failing to go gold or produce a chart single. But Taylor bounced back the following year with the May release of Gorilla. Again, he succeeded by reviving an old hit, this time Marvin Gaye's 1964 song "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," which reached the Top Five, helping the album become a Top Ten, gold-selling hit.

 

In the Pocket, Taylor's seventh album, was his third annual warm-weather release, appearing in June 1976. Its single was the singer's own "Shower the People," which reached the Top 40, while the album made the Top 20 and went gold. Nearing the end of his Warner Bros. contract, Taylor re-recorded a couple of his Apple songs for his Greatest Hits LP, released in November. It became a perennial seller. With that, in a major coup, he was signed by Columbia Records. His debut for the label, JT, was released in June 1977. Once again, a revival spurred its sales, as Taylor covered Jimmy James' 1959 song "Handy Man" and took it into the top five, followed by a top 20 showing for his own "Your Smiling Face." With such stimulation, JT reached the top five and sold over two million copies. On February 23, 1978, Taylor picked up a second Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for "Handy Man."

 

Along with Paul Simon, Taylor was a featured singer on Art Garfunkel's cover of "(What A) Wonderful World," previously a hit for Sam Cooke and Herman's Hermits, which peaked in the Top 20 in March 1978. Taylor next became involved with the Broadway musical Working, based on Studs Terkel's bestseller, writing three songs for it. The show ran a scant 25 performances after opening on May 14, 1978, but Taylor reclaimed "Millworker" and "Brother Trucker" for his next album. Meanwhile, his duet with Carly Simon on a revival of the Everly Brothers' "Devoted to You" peaked in the Top 40 in September.

 

Flag, marking a nearly two-year break between albums, appeared in April 1979, its Top 40 hit single being a revival of the 1963 Drifters hit "Up on the Roof." Despite the lack of a really big hit single, the LP reached the Top Ten and went platinum. That September, Taylor performed at Madison Square Garden in the No Nukes concerts, later being featured in the No Nukes triple-LP and in the No Nukes concert film.

 

Taylor embarked on a national tour in the summer of 1980, despite not having a current album to promote. From here on, recurrent touring became a regular part of his career and contributed to his longevity as an artist. That fall, he appeared on the children's album In Harmony 2, singing "Jelly Man Kelly." The album won the 1981 Grammy for Best Recording for Children. He toured extensively during 1981, releasing Dad Loves His Work in February. The album reached the Top Ten and went gold, spurred by the Top Ten success of the single "Her Town Too," written by Taylor, J.D. Souther, and Waddy Wachtel, Taylor's most successful original composition since "Fire and Rain."

 

Taylor continued to tour frequently in the early 1980s, a period when his marriage to Carly Simon came to an end (they were divorced in 1983). Often, his performances took place overseas. In January 1985, he performed at the Rock in Rio concert in Brazil, a show that resulted in the Brazil-only release Live in Rio. His next studio album, following a gap of more than four years, was That's Why I'm Here, released in October 1985. As usual, his record label issued a cover song as the single; in this case it was Buddy Holly's "Everyday," which didn't get very far up the charts. Nevertheless, Taylor's long career and constant touring had brought him a permanent audience ready to buy his records, and the album eventually went platinum. On December 14, 1985, he married for the second time, to Kathryn Walker; a month later, he was on tour in Australia.

 

Road work continued to be Taylor's primary occupation in the mid-'80s, but he came off tour long enough to finish another album, Never Die Young, only a little more than two years after That's Why I'm Here, released in January 1988. The title song, issued as a single, barely reached the charts, but Never Die Young was another million-seller. The late '80s and early '90s saw more extensive, worldwide touring. New Moon Shine, Taylor's 13th regular album release, came in October 1991, the same month that he sold out six consecutive shows at the Paramount Theater in New York; the disc stayed in the charts nearly a year and sold a million copies.

 

Despite his consistent draw as a concert attraction, Taylor had never released a live album in the U.S. until the August 1993 appearance of (Live), a two-CD set that went platinum within months. Columbia Records, which had never had a Taylor compilation to promote, trimmed the album down to a single disc of hits for the 1994 release Best (Live). Taylor was divorced from his second wife in 1996. His next album, Hourglass, released in May 1997, demonstrated his continuing appeal by entering the charts in the Top Ten. On February 25, 1998, it won the 1997 Grammy for Best Pop Album

[Cain N Moko]

JACKSON BROWNE

 

In many ways, Jackson Browne was the quintessential sensitive Californian singer/songwriter of the early '70s. Only Joni Mitchell and James Taylor ranked alongside him in terms of influence, but neither artist tapped into the post-'60s zeitgeist like Browne. While the majority of his classic '70s work was unflinchingly personal, it nevertheless provided a touchstone for a generation of maturing baby boomers coming to terms with adulthood. Not only did his introspective, literate lyrics strike a nerve, but his laid-back folk-rock set the template for much of the music to come out of California during the '70s. With his first four albums, Browne built a loyal following that helped him break into the mainstream with 1976's The Pretender. During the late '70s and early '80s, he was at the height of his popularity, as each of his albums charted in the Top Ten. Midway through the '80s, Browne made a series of political protest records that caused his audience to gradually shrink, but when he returned to introspective songwriting with 1993's I'm Alive, he made a modest comeback.

Born in Heidelberg, West Germany, Jackson Browne and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was three years old, and by the time he was a teenager, Browne had developed an interest in folk music. He began playing guitar and writing songs, which he sang at local folk clubs. Early in 1966, he was invited to join the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whom he had met through the L.A. folk circuit. While he was only with the band for a few months, the group recorded a handful of his songs on its first two records. By the beginning of 1967, he had signed a publishing deal with Nina Music, a division of Elektra Records; Nina helped Browne secure songs on albums by Tom Rush and Steve Noonan in 1968. During 1967 and 1968, he lived in New York's Greenwich Village, where he played in Tim Buckley's backing band. Browne also began working with Nico, who recorded three of his songs on her Chelsea Girl album. When their relationship disintegrated in 1968, he returned to Los Angeles, where he unsuccessfully tried to record a solo album and form a folk group with Ned Doheney and Jack Wilce. Browne continued to play local clubs and his rep*tation as a songwriter continued to grow, with Linda Ronstadt and the Byrds recording his songs. By the end of 1971, he had signed with David Geffen's fledgling Asylum Records on the strength of his widely circulated demo tape.

 

Jackson Browne was released in the spring of 1972, spawning the Top Ten hit single "Doctor My Eyes." Shortly after "Doctor My Eyes" reached its peak position, "Take It Easy," a song Browne co-wrote with Glenn Frey, became the Eagles' breakthrough hit. Many songs from his debut, including "Rock Me on the Water" and "Jamaica Say You Will," became singer/songwriter standards, but the album itself didn't establish Browne as a pop star, despite its hit single. On his second album, 1973's For Everyman, he began a long-term collaboration with instrumentalist David Lindley. For Everyman was a commercial disappointment, yet it consolidated his cult following.

 

Released in the fall of 1974, Late for the Sky expanded Browne's audience significantly, peaking at number 14 on the charts and going gold by the beginning of the following year. Browne's first wife, Phyllis, committed suicide in the spring of 1976, but in the wake of the tragedy he recorded his commercial breakthrough album, The Pretender. The record climbed into the Top Ten upon its fall 1976 release, going platinum in the spring of 1977. In the summer, Browne launched an extensive tour, recording a new album while he was on the road. The resulting record, Running On Empty (1977), was a bigger success than its predecessor, peaking at number three and launching the hit singles "Running On Empty" and "Stay/The Load-Out." With his career riding high, Browne began to pursue political and social causes, most notably protesting the use of nuclear energy.

 

The success of Hold Out, the 1980 follow-up to Running On Empty, was evidence of Jackson Browne's popularity. Though the album wasn't as well crafted as its predecessors, it became his only number one album upon its summer release. In the summer of 1982, "Somebody's Baby," from the soundtrack of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, became Browne's biggest hit, climbing to number seven on the U.S. charts. Divided between love songs and political protests, Lawyers in Love was another hit due to success of the hit singles "Lawyers in Love," "Tender Is the Night," and "For a Rocker." Nevertheless, the album also showcased a newly found social consciousness, which dominated 1986's Lives in the Balance. The album lacked any hit singles, yet its fiery condemnation of the Reagan era won an audience -- the album stayed on the charts for over six months and went gold.

 

Jackson Browne continued to write primarily political songs on 1989's World in Motion, but the record became his first album to not go gold. Browne was quiet for the next four years, working on a variety of social causes and suffering a painful public breakup with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah. He finally returned with a comeback effort in the fall of 1993 entitled I'm Alive. Comprised of personal songs, I'm Alive received his best reviews since the late '70s and the record went gold without producing any major hits. In the spring of 1996, Browne released Looking East, which failed to gain the same attention as I'm Alive